54 - Gold's Pearl (2.75k words)

I didn't see any other life forms besides us and a few swarms of colorful fish until the seabed began to rise. There were mermen everywhere, and despite being all related, they each looked unique (compared to Parker's brothers). They all stopped what they were doing and stared at our bubble, looking both surprised and excited to see outsiders, especially me.

"Are you going to live here?" Bluepool asked, swimming alongside the bubble, his face peeking in.

"For a while, yes," I replied, not minding his nosiness. He spoke about merfolks, the ocean, their customs and culture, the salt mines, the trading, their history, and the different types of mermen and sea creatures he encountered.

"How long is a while?" Bluepool inquired.

"Until I decide otherwise."

"Is this your first time coming to the sea?"

"Yes."

"Do you like it?"

"Yes."

"Is there anything in particular that you want to see?"

"Everything."

"How about the pearl fields?"

"Okay."

"How about the-"

"I said, everything."

Bluepool was a bit disappointed when I rejected his suggestions, but he quickly bounced back, "Okay! Let me show you our tribe first."

The mermen's houses were built from sandstone, coral, shells, and limestone. Their homes were built along a large ridge on the seabed, which rose into the cliffside and had caves carved into its walls.

Gold was quiet the entire time, letting Bluepool do all the talking. He swam close to the bubble, and only took charge when it was time to issue orders.

"We will work on a schedule depending on your mermen's abilities. I need to see how they perform and adapt before setting up the teams." I said, noting down their numbers, their daily routines, their living habits, and their diet.

We tested a few mermen to see how fast they could excavate and remove the debris, and how much they could carry. They were all fast and strong with incredible endurance.

"The canal will be divided into various depth zones, where each team will be responsible for excavating their assigned section. Each level will be separated by a system I call 'Scoop Nets'. These nets will be made of dried seaweed, braided into thick cords. For additional strength and flexibility, we will integrate fish scales into the weave," I explained, using a stick to draw on the sand through the bubble, "The debris removal teams will make sure to clear and replace these nets regularly."

"Yaya, you must be hungry," Muir said, taking out containers with food and a bottle of fresh spring water. "I packed some food. Take a break and eat something." He handed them over to me.

"Later." I was busy giving instructions while studying their tools when Muir lifted my veil ever so slightly and began to feed me, popping a rice ball stuffed with meat into my mouth.

"What are you doing?" I asked, chewing the food, "I'm busy."

"Busy eating," Muir replied, feeding me another bite. He rolled a few more balls of rice with his hand, "We're going to be here for a while, and you haven't eaten anything since breakfast. You need to eat."

I resumed my task, giving a few more instructions as I chewed the food in my mouth, "Tell that merman with the big pickaxe over there that he needs to stand back a little further, or he will hurt his partner. The same goes for these two," I said, pointing at a pair of mermen using clam shovels to move the debris and load it into the cart, "They need to synchronize their movements, or they will waste energy and slow down the progress."

I noticed that most of their strength was in their fishtail, so I thought of a few tools to utilize their powerful tail and improve their speed.

"We can try to make a few new tools out of whale bones and shark teeth," I said, using a sandstone and a spiral-like shell, demonstrating it as simply as possible, "For example this, let's call it 'Tail Drill'. It's designed to take advantage of your natural swimming strength and flexibility. As you twist your tail, the Tail Drill will rotate into the soil, and you can push it forward or backward to drill and scoop the debris, which will be gathered and removed by the scoop nets."

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After spending three days in the sea, we decided to scout the terrain together to find the best route before continuing with the layout and other details.

Sitting on Muir's eagle form, Gold looked at me probingly. "Your protection is very low."

"Yours is even lower," I replied dryly.

It was just us: Me, Muir, and Gold.

Seeing that I had my hands occupied with work, Vick took the opportunity to scout the enemy territory with a group of mermen while Curtis and Bluepool stayed back to defend Gold's tribe in his stead.

Vick used to rule over the sea, so he should know what he was doing. I never questioned his judgment or doubted his skills in naval combat and war strategies, just as he never doubted my abilities in ground warfare.

It was weird not to lug around heavy accessories or being doped up, and even weirder not having Vick hovering around me. Instead, I was stuck with these spousal marks on my body, which, go figure, weighed me down more than any shackles or drugs ever did.

We flew around the area, marking the location and mapping the terrain on Gold's bubble sheets so he could later read and understand the symbols and directions.

We first had to ensure that the sea's water level was lower than the canal's, which would allow us to collect rainwater and runoff during the rainy season and divert excess water flow during the dry season.

"How about over here?" Gold asked, pointing at a place where the slope was very steep.

"It should work," I replied, drawing a few lines and noting them down. For stabilization, we (me) decided to use the same materials the mermen had been using all along: sand and stones (instead of concrete). Heavy stone cages would help reinforce the walls and prevent the soil from collapsing, just like concrete would. They were also ideal for areas prone to ground movement (possible earthquakes).

The cost of these stone cages would have been astronomical compared to concrete, but we didn't play by modern rules and the money card didn't exist here.

"There should be a large amount of soil excavated," Gold said, "What are you planning to do with the excess dirt and debris?"

"We can use it as filler to raise the beds of the surrounding areas," I said as we stopped by a waterfall for a small break.

The weather was getting colder as the season changed. We were already deep in the autumn season, and winter was approaching fast.

Muir's skin had turned darker shades of blue and black, which meant his feathers were getting thicker.

Gold didn't seem bothered by the lake's temperature, as if the freezing water were room temperature. He dove right in without hesitation. Besides the canal project, we didn't talk about anything else, and it suited me just fine.

I sat cross-legged, pressing Muir's head on my lap, "Rest."

"But..." he tried to protest, but my hold on his head was too strong, "Alright." He gave in, closing his eyes and taking a short nap.

I leaned against the tree trunk, resting my back and playing with Muir's hair.

Gold emerged from the water, his robes wet, looking refreshed. His blond hair was up in a high ponytail. A few locks escaped and fell on his face, framing his cheek.

He approached and sat further away from me, taking guard. None of us wanted to wake up Muir, so the only sound was the strong wind rustling through the leaves.

Suddenly, some rustling sounds came from a nearby bush, drawing our attention. Three smaller dinos jumped out and charged at us, growling and showing their sharp fangs.

Gold's reaction was immediate. He positioned himself in front of me in one swift move and impaled one with his trident.

Muir's eyes shot open. He grabbed a nearby dino by its neck and crushed its throat in a single move before jumping on the other one in his half-beast form, clawing its body and tearing it apart. The dinos didn't even let out a loud roar before they fell and collapsed.

"Isn't it great when food just comes and lands on your plate?" I commented, looking at the dead animals.

Muir responded with a chuckle, shifting into his beast form as he excused himself to eat.

Gold's gaze swept over my body, and when he was sure that I wasn't injured, he relaxed a bit. "It's going to rain soon," he said, blowing a bubble for me. True to his word, the weather quickly turned; the wind picked up, and a heavy rain began to pour down.

I took in the scenery while the bubble kept me warm and dry. The waterfalls looked stunning with the heavy rainfall, the droplets forming a beautiful curtain of crystal water, making the place look magical.

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The storm only lasted an hour before it turned into a gentle drizzle.

"Your female's ideas are innovative yet practical. I'm very impressed," Gold said, addressing Muir. He sat down to have a proper conversation with him, probably to help build stronger ties. "I hope this will work and bring prosperity to our tribe. If it does, I must reevaluate my tribe's impression of land females."

"Just don't," I interjected.

Gold gave me a curious glance.

"Don't," I repeated.

"Why not?"

"From what Bluepool told me, a mermaid can give birth to millions of eggs over the course of her lifetime and can live up to a few centuries. The sheer size of your population will put a toll on your resources and deplete the ocean if you begin to accept land females. So, please, for the love of the Beast God, just don't."

Gold stared at me with his golden eyes, "You've given this a lot of thought, haven't you?"

"I can't afford not to."

"Why is that?"

"Because I don't want to be held responsible for the extinction of other species."I stopped looking at the scenery, focusing my gaze on Gold, "What if it's not Jean who cannot have a clutch of eggs but you? Have you tried letting other mermen breed with Jean, or have you always assumed it's her fault?" I asked casually.

Gold's hand trembled, his knuckles turning white, and his jaw clenched in a way that indicated he was fighting hard to suppress his emotions. "You know nothing about me and Jean," he finally replied in a cold and calm tone.

"It's exactly because I know nothing that I'm trying to prevent unnecessary deaths and bloodshed. If the issue lies with you, there's no need to wage war on another tribe. It's a waste of lives, resources, and time," I said, feeling the need to explain myself, "You brushed off my warning of wiping your tribe out as though death was your only destiny, as though you're merely stalling for time while offering your mermen false hope."

Gold fixed his gaze on me, "My people are suffering. My tribe has been struggling to survive and thrive without Jean for ten whole years. I will keep offering them false hope because the truth will bring them nothing but despair. I am the leader. They put all their faith in me and it's my responsibility to keep their hopes alive, to protect them, and to give them a reason to live. Even if it means lying, betraying, killing, and being killed."

Without any mermen around, Gold didn't look as cold and emotionless as before, as though the weight on his shoulders had grown heavier, and it was starting to take its toll on him.

"How about real hope? Is there any room for real hope in your life?"

Gold gave a humorless laugh, "Jean was my last real hope before she was taken from us. Yes, you heard right. Jean is no longer with us," he said, a sense of hatred in his voice, "She abandoned us ten years ago. If my tribe found out, they would be unable to cope with the shock and devastation. So if you want that canal, I recommend you to keep quiet."

"Abandoned?"

"No matter how capable the people who took her away were, they couldn't have reached her cave instantly. As long as Jean cried for help, we would have known that she needed help."

"She could have been sleeping or unconscious."

"Jean has a special ability to contact us, but she never tried, not even once. She chose to abandon us. She chose others over her own people, and that's what's killing our tribe slowly and painfully."

I supported my chin with my palm, "If you kept me locked inside a tiny cave, I would have abandoned you too. Wherever Jean is, she must be happier than she ever was here."

Gold glared at me, his brows pinched in anger, "Happier?"

"Yes. Happier."

"Happier?" He repeated.

"Yes. H-"

"At the cost of all her children's lives?!" Gold roared, his eyes turning a bright yellow as he stood up, "How can a mother abandon their children? How can she leave her people behind? How can she walk away and choose happiness over her responsibilities?! You are smart, right? So tell me! How can a queen of mermen, no matter how capable and intelligent, abandon her kingdom?! We've never forced or pressured her to mate with us. We've never harmed or threatened her. We've done nothing but show our unconditional love and loyalty, yet she would still crush her eggs without giving them a chance to live just because she was bored?! Tell me!" He roared again, "How can a mother be this heartless?!"

Gold's sudden outburst left me speechless.

Muir placed himself between us, ready to attack if Gold dared to move, "Enough!"

"If you are so intelligent, answer me, land female," Gold demanded, ignoring Muir, his maniac gaze became more and more intense as it fixed on me, "Just because we didn't bring Jean out to sunbathe as much as she wanted, or because we couldn't keep the water warm and comfortable for her, we didn't deserve to live? Our love wasn't enough, is that it?"

"It's a question only Jean can answer," I replied calmly, "It's not my place to speak for her."

"..." Taking a deep breath, Gold's eyes returned to normal, and his gaze returned to its cold and indifferent expression. "Forgive me. It was unwise of me to lose my temper," he apologized, his posture perfect as he stood before me. "Please forget what you just heard. I have not slept properly in the past ten years. The lack of sleep must have made me irrational."

The dark lines under his eyes that looked like wrinkles and the deep exhaustion etched on his face suddenly became more prominent.

Bluepool revealed that Gold was in his fifties. He became Jean's favorite mate after he gained his fourth stripe and was the only male who could deal with her temper, and kill her instances of boredom. This earned him the trust and respect of his tribe and the title of a new leader. Unlike the previous leaders, his contribution increased their size and numbers and improved their living conditions.

"That Bluepool," I commented, "You've raised him well." My words seemed to catch Gold off guard, perhaps more than I intended. I leaned over to pick up the pearl that had landed softly on the ground with a muted clink, cradling it delicately between my fingers, I studied the valuable treasure.

Mermen were naturally cold, so getting them to cry was like pulling teeth ─ pretty darn hard ─ at least for the old generation.

Bluepool's warmth and cheerfulness seemed to defy the coldness in which he was nurtured, showing just how well Gold's guidance had shaped him, even if their temperaments were night and day. The same went for all the new generation of mermen raised by Gold ─ they were remarkably warm and bubbly.

╔═══ Author's note ════╗

In the novel, Gold knows that Jean/Qin has abandoned them, which leads him to treat her coldly even after she returns with the ape king. Despite trying to hide it, his bitterness was evident when he left her (literally after a few minutes after she returned) to take his revenge on Curtis. 😂

If he hadn't tried to save BQQ with a bubble when his merfolk went out of control, I don't think he would have received such heavy injuries from Curtis. Well, he would, but not as fast. 😶‍🌫️

In the comic, Gold is referred to as both Jin and King. However, I chose to stick with Gold for consistency, as in the novel, only the strongest and most promising males could name themselves after a single color. Bluepool, not being the strongest merman with blue features, had to add the word "pool" to his name. 🤣

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