**Winds Rise in Kyushu**
In the grand hall, Lu Ye, meeting the Mermaid Queen's curious gaze, cupped his fists in salute: "Li Taibai of the Human Race greets Your Majesty!" He wasn't sure what etiquette was appropriate for greeting the monarch of a race, but he figured conveying his respect was sufficient.
The Queen spoke, her voice childlike and unfamiliar to Lu Ye. The mermaid language was melodious and undulating, like singing, making it pleasant to listen to even though he couldn't understand it.
Yan Miao explained, "The Queen says that this victory was entirely thanks to you. She is very pleased that you can be a guest at the Imperial Conch Palace. During your stay here, you are free to go anywhere except for a few restricted areas. If you have any needs, please don't hesitate to ask, and our clan will do our best to fulfill them."
Lu Ye nodded, "Thank you for your generosity, Your Majesty!"
The Queen spoke again. After a moment, Yan Miao clarified, "The Queen wishes to purchase more of those array plates from you. Additionally, she would like to ask for your help in imbuing more of our clan members with those special Void Imprints. Our clan is prepared to offer suitable compensation."
She was referring to the Void Imprints. Among the merfolk, apart from the Queen, who possessed a storage treasure, no one else had such an item. Lu Ye's previous imprinting of Bai Lu with a Void Imprint had undoubtedly shown them its convenience.
Lu Ye readily agreed, "No problem!" Upon his arrival, seeing the vast spiritual jade mine had made him eager, but it was, after all, their habitat, making casual mining inappropriate. However, if it were a trade, that would be a different matter. From his previous experience, Lu Ye had already sensed the generosity of the merfolk, and they clearly belonged to a race that was not lacking in wealth. This trip was definitely worth it!
The Queen spoke a few more sentences, and Yan Miao, as before, explained, "Our esteemed guest should rest first. After our clan makes some arrangements, we will discuss the trade details with you." Lu Ye bowed one last time to the Queen before withdrawing. Yan Miao did not leave. This time, Bai Lu accompanied him.
Leaving the grand hall, Lu Ye, quite curious, asked, "Bai Lu, what is your relationship with the Queen?"
Bai Lu replied with a smile, "She is my younger sister."
Indeed... Lu Ye had noticed hints of Bai Lu in the Queen's youthful face. So, they were sisters. However, Lu Ye observed that the Queen's strength was inferior to Bai Lu's, yet it was the Queen who held the throne while Bai Lu was merely a princess. Lu Ye had no interest in prying too deeply into their family affairs.
Following Bai Lu, they arrived before a side chamber, which was clearly designated as his accommodation.
Bai Lu said, "You should rest first. I'll be right outside the door. If you need anything, just call me."
Lu Ye thought for a moment and said, "Let's look around." He hardly needed rest, and since he had rarely come to such a place, it was always beneficial to explore and broaden his horizons.
Bai Lu immediately nodded and gave a playful smile, "I'll do whatever you say. During your stay at the Imperial Conch Palace, I'll be your attendant." With that, she led Lu Ye on a tour.
While Lu Ye explored with Bai Lu, several merfolk elders gathered in the grand hall. However, the Queen had already departed. For the current merfolk clan, the Queen was merely a symbol. Though her status was supreme, due to her youth and cultivation level, all major clan affairs were actually handled through joint deliberation by the elders. The individuals Lu Ye had seen earlier in the grand hall were all merfolk elders, including Grand Elder Yan Miao, making a total of five elders.
"The guest has been invited. Let's discuss what we should do next," Yan Miao began. As the Grand Elder, she held the highest status in the clan after the Queen and Bai Lu.
The Second Elder, also a female merfolk, spoke, "Ancient clan records indicate that the key to breaking our curse poison lies with the Divine Temple. However, for many years, the Temple has shown no abnormalities. Now, a human has suddenly appeared, which is clearly extraordinary. Therefore, I believe this individual might be connected to our breaking of the curse poison!"
The Third Elder nodded, "Since he is favored by the Divine Temple, he must possess extraordinary qualities. I agree with the Second Elder's view; perhaps our liberation from the curse poison truly depends on this human. So, no matter what, we must establish a good relationship with him."
Lu Ye merely thought the merfolk were generous. He had given Bai Lu fifty array plates, and in return, they brought back an abundance of spirit crystals. However, their generosity wasn't the only reason. While the array plates had helped the merfolk avert a disaster, another significant reason was their anticipation regarding the first human to appear in the Divine Temple in countless millennia.
"But how do we build a good relationship?" the Fourth Elder, the only male merfolk, asked. "Humans are greedy and cunning. Our clan's current predicament is also due to humans. We don't know what kind of person this human is, whether he can be trusted or not." He turned to Yan Miao, "Grand Elder, you've interacted with him. What do you think of his character? Are there any aspects we can leverage?"
Yan Miao carefully recalled every detail of her interactions with Lu Ye and slowly began, "One favored by the Divine Temple is naturally no ordinary person. This young man is not old, but his cultivation is strong; I estimate he's a promising talent even among humans. And it's evident that he's very interested in our spiritual jade mine. When he arrived, he kept observing it."
The Fifth Elder, the youngest, smiled upon hearing this, "Humans have been greedy for wealth since ancient times. Let alone a mere Star-level cultivator like him, even a Sun-level cultivator would probably take a few extra glances at our spiritual jade mine if they came here."
The Third Elder said, "Since he's greedy for wealth, perhaps we can approach him from that angle. Aren't we going to trade with him? We can simply give him more spiritual jade."
Yan Miao shook her head, "Relationships based on profit are both the strongest and the weakest. While we can certainly give him more spiritual jade, if he only wishes to earn spiritual jade from our clan, our relationship will never progress beyond that!"
The Fifth Elder smiled slightly, "I understand what the Grand Elder means. If we can't bind him through profit, then we must take another path!" The others looked at her curiously.
The Fifth Elder said, "Besides being greedy for wealth, humans are also lustful! Our clan has no shortage of beauties, and to humans, our beauties possess a unique charm. He's young and full of vigor; a little teasing is all it would take, and how could he resist?"
The elders fell silent. To be honest, the Fifth Elder's proposal made them feel somewhat repulsed. Ancient records spoke of the merfolk as noble and sacred; when had they ever needed to resort to such base tactics? However, if they truly wanted to establish a relatively firm relationship with an unfamiliar human in a short time, this method was undoubtedly convenient and swift. If that human were truly a shrewd old fox, the merfolk clan would certainly not have such an idea. But a young, inexperienced man would fall for this approach most easily.
The Fifth Elder continued, "Furthermore, humans value chastity highly. So, we simply need to find a pure female clan member to develop a relationship with him. This way, he'll have a bond within our clan. Then, by slowly continuing to interact with him, we can naturally win his allegiance. And let's not forget, he's all alone by the Divine Temple. Wouldn't he want a more lively life? If we welcome him with open arms, he shouldn't reject it. After all, in this vast Myriad Manifestation Sea, apart from our merfolk clan, we are the only intelligent race he can interact with."
After a pause, the Fifth Elder added, "Even if he isn't the key to solving the curse poison, his demonstrated abilities show that if we can keep him within our clan, it would be immensely beneficial to us! Both the array plates and the imprints have brought tremendous changes to the merfolk. And this is just what we understand. Heaven knows what other miraculous abilities this human named Li Taibai possesses that we are unaware of." Such a human would be sought after not only by the merfolk, who are trapped in the Myriad Manifestation Sea, but by any race in the starry sky, eager to acquire his talents.
Yan Miao had been hesitant, but upon hearing this, she finally made up her mind. She nodded, "The Fifth Elder is right. But if we are to do this, then who should be chosen?"
The Fifth Elder covered her mouth and chuckled, "You said we need a pure female clan member. I certainly won't do! As for you, Grand Elder... you wouldn't do either."
Yan Miao couldn't help but glare at her.
The Second Elder said, "He is favored by the Divine Temple, and we are relying on him to solve the curse poison. Therefore, the chosen individual must not be of too low a status, otherwise, it might give him the impression that we don't take him seriously. If he then develops resentment towards our clan, it would be a loss."
The Third Elder slowly said, "So, there's only one candidate!" The Queen was too young, and even when she came of age, she wouldn't be suitable for such a task. Princess Bai Lu, however, was just right!
Yan Miao's expression showed her difficulty. The Fifth Elder looked at her, "If the Grand Elder finds it difficult to speak with the princess, I'll go. I believe, given the princess's character, she certainly won't refuse."
Yan Miao, of course, knew Bai Lu wouldn't refuse. Anything that benefited the clan, even if it went against her personal principles, she would do. But Bai Lu had grown up under her watch. Letting her do such a thing before truly understanding the man made Yan Miao very uneasy. What if she pushed her into a pit of fire? In the clan's ancient records, there were few words of praise for humans. They were consistently depicted as greedy, cunning, avaricious, lustful, treacherous, and disloyal. Among the myriad races in the starry sky, most could unite against external threats. Only humans were ceaselessly embroiled in internal strife and endless disputes.
"I'll go tell her myself!" Yan Miao finally made up her mind. She couldn't entrust this matter to anyone else.
Lu Ye returned after touring for half a day with Bai Lu. Although the scenery around the spiritual jade mine was vibrant and varied, after seeing it for a while, it became less remarkable. The crucial point was that such a vast spiritual jade mine could only be observed, not touched, which was quite frustrating. So, he decided it was better to be out of sight, out of mind!
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