Chapter 2405: Disappearing History

Mogard didn't keep them waiting long; he soon returned to his original spot.

The smiles on the Dragon King and others' faces immediately froze. They noticed Mogard held nothing in his hands, and his eyes were full of doubt, indicating he had gained nothing from his recent entry.

At this moment, Cherry gazed at Zu An's back, her admiration for him reaching its peak.

"The Queen's consort is amazing!"

When they had just emerged, she was still puzzled why he had taken the time to dispose of Deputy Commander Sha's body. Now, she realized he had anticipated this situation all along.

Considering that he had also intentionally changed his appearance upon exiting, he truly was incredibly calculating.

"The Queen's judgment is indeed excellent. If I had encountered such an outwardly ordinary guard, I likely wouldn't have given him a second glance."

The Mermaid Queen had now reacted, saying, "I am, after all, the leader of my race. For you to casually barge into my private residence like this, aren't you showing far too little respect for our Sea Race?"

Many of the Sea Race powerhouses present looked at Mogard with a certain unease. Although they were quite displeased with the Mermaid Queen suddenly acquiring a lover, they were all, ultimately, members of the Sea Race.

Given the Mermaid Queen's reputation, if he could search her residence without any evidence, treating her like a criminal, wouldn't they be even less respected when it was their turn?

Sensing the shift in the surrounding atmosphere, Mogard smiled and said, "The Queen is indeed sharp-tongued. I miscalculated this time."

The Mermaid Queen secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "Then, farewell."

Mogard's expression stiffened. He scoffed coldly and strode away.

The Dragon King glanced at the Mermaid Queen and Zu An. After a moment of hesitation, he hurried to follow Mogard to see him off, planning to find an opportunity to deal with that fellow later.

Other powerhouses of the Sea Race had originally intended to catch up with the Mermaid Queen and use the opportunity to inquire about Zu An.

The Mermaid Queen rubbed her forehead and apologetically said, "Too much has happened today. I need to rest."

Everyone: "..."

Seeing her look at the guard several times while speaking, it was clear she didn't want to rest; she clearly wanted to enjoy some private time with him.

What an illicit couple!

The group departed, their expressions peculiar.

Zu An was pleasantly surprised by the sudden surge of rage points from the backend, when he suddenly met the Mermaid Queen's beautiful yet puzzled gaze.

"Follow me."

The Mermaid Queen said this before leading the way back to her bedchamber.

Zu An was hesitating, but Cherry turned back and smiled, beckoning him to hurry and follow.

The Sea Race powerhouses outside hadn't fully left yet, making it inconvenient to speak freely, so Zu An ultimately followed her.

Meanwhile, Mogard and his party returned to the Four Quarters Hall. After seeing off the Dragon King, one of his demonic subordinates asked, "My Lord, are we just going to let this go?"

"Of course not," Mogard replied, a glint flashing in his eyes. "I previously underestimated those two, which caused me to lose the initiative today."

He had previously thought that since the opponent was the highly popular Mermaid Queen, and considering his relationship with the Sea Race, he had specifically called upon the Dragon King and other Sea Race powerhouses.

He had hoped to solidify her guilt under their witness, which would then legitimize any action he took against her.

His arrangements were meticulously detailed; anticipating that the Mermaid Queen would surely argue, he had planned to personally distract her attention while activating his secretly bribed agents to capture her personal maid for interrogation.

He had thought it was a sure thing, but then a mysterious guard suddenly appeared.

Although their appearances were different, he was certain that this person was the same individual who had rescued the Mermaid Queen earlier.

In the end, the very Sea Race powerhouses he had brought as witnesses ended up hindering his actions. Without conclusive evidence, apprehending the highly popular Mermaid Queen could very likely force the entire Sea Race into opposition against him.

Therefore, his decisive withdrawal wasn't an admission of defeat; rather, he needed to wait for the surrounding Sea Race powerhouses to disperse before personally heading to the Mermaid Queen's bedchamber again.

Any scheme or trick was insignificant in the face of absolute power.

As long as he captured the Mermaid Queen and that guard, would there be any need to worry about a lack of evidence?

In the Mermaid Queen's bedchamber, the Mermaid Queen suddenly looked at her maidservant by her side and asked, "Are you and he on very good terms?"

Clearly, the maid's recent subtle actions hadn't escaped her notice. She found it very strange, as Cherry had only met him a short while ago.

Furthermore, Cherry's initial look of great disappointment upon seeing him as a mere ordinary guard hadn't escaped her either. So why had the two become so intimate after only a short time?

"Did something happen just now that I don't know about?"

Cherry flinched, startled, and quickly waved her hands, saying, "No, no, nothing like that. It's just that too much happened just now, and I just think the Que— *cough cough* — I just think he's quite impressive."

What if the Queen misunderstood and thought I was interested in him? That would be terrible!

"Oh? I'm quite interested in what exactly happened here just now," the Mermaid Queen said, casually reclining on a soft couch and gesturing for Zu An to make himself comfortable.

Zu An's heart skipped a beat. He quickly changed the subject: "Queen, do you know where Suyin is right now?"

Cherry, who had been about to answer the Queen's question, blinked in surprise upon hearing this.

"What are you two playing at?"

"Oh, right. It seems the Queen's consort doesn't know that Suyin *is* the Queen."

"But the Queen knows the Queen's consort's identity. Are they intentionally role-playing?"

"Hehe, the Queen is quite mischievous."

A blush crept onto the Mermaid Queen's face, and she lightly coughed. "Suyin sustained some injuries at the Four Quarters Hall recently and is currently recuperating in a secret chamber. Once her injuries have slightly healed, I'll arrange for you two to meet."

After speaking, she gave Cherry a silent glare, warning her not to let anything slip.

Cherry immediately made a bitter face. "Oh no, oh no! I think I accidentally blurted out 'Queen's consort' just now. I wonder if he'll guess anything because of it?"

"But even if he guesses, it just means the Queen's consort is smart, and it only confirms the Queen's excellent judgment. I'll deny it to my dying breath."

Zu An also felt a bit exasperated at this moment. "Queen, your cover has long since been exposed, and you're still addicted to playing this game."

He originally wanted to remind her, but she was playing the role too seriously. If he revealed the truth and she became angry and embarrassed, he would simply gain an enemy for no reason.

"Hmm, I must get the information I need before my knowledge is revealed."

"By the way, Queen, are there any prominent individuals with the surname Shang among the Merfolk?"

Seeing how much the Mermaid Queen resembled Shang Liuyu, a doubt always lingered in his mind, and it bothered him greatly not to resolve it.

The Mermaid Queen made a sound of surprise. "Oh? Do you happen to know anyone with the surname Shang from our Merfolk race?"

Zu An's heart stirred. The Mermaid Queen's words revealed two pieces of information: there truly were individuals with the surname Shang among the Merfolk, and their status seemed to be quite high.

Naturally, he dared not utter the names of the Shang Liuyu sisters, lest it affect history. "I don't know them personally, but a friend of mine once knew two individuals with the surname Shang. They claimed to be Merfolk, and I've always found it hard to believe."

"A friend, you say?" The Mermaid Queen scoffed, not bothering to expose his lie. "The Merfolk race has always been inclined towards music. Therefore, our five ancient surnames are named after musical notes: Gong, Shang, Jiao, Zhi, and Yu. Historically, the Merfolk Queens have rotated among these five surnames. However, our Gong surname has been the strongest since ancient times, with our Queens accounting for the vast majority."

While this was a secret of the Merfolk race, many powerhouses among the Sea Race also knew it, so there was no need to deliberately conceal it.

Zu An's heart was greatly shaken. Why was the history of the Merfolk race he knew one where the Shang surname monopolized most of the Queens, and he had never heard of a Gong surname among the Merfolk?