Chapter 2414: You Aren't......

"Anger and hatred, culminating in a complete and irreconcilable break with the demon race, to the death." The Mermaid Queen's expression subtly changed. She was never without people harboring different agendas, making her the person who understood human hearts best in the world.

Not everyone in the world is rational; many are swayed by emotions, leading to irrational actions.

Perhaps some initially knew the truth, but once enough people believed the demon race was responsible, the few clear-headed individuals would no longer be able turn the tide.

Moreover, many malicious individuals would surely fan the flames in secret, so the relationship between the sea race and the demon race would most likely be swept along by public sentiment, plunging into the abyss.

"What should we do now?" the Mermaid Queen suggested. "How about we inform the Dragon King so he can prepare early?"

Zu An shook his head slightly: "There's no such thing as guarding against a thief for a thousand days when they can be a thief for a thousand days. What's more, the sea race is so vast it's impossible to defend everywhere, and doing so might alert the other party prematurely. The only thing we need to do now is wait. As soon as Morgard makes a move, he'll leave traces. Then, we can follow the clues and rescue Peacock Princess."

"Alright," the Mermaid Queen agreed with this statement.

With the matter of Peacock Princess temporarily concluded, a strange silence suddenly fell upon the room.

She very much wanted to ask about Zu An's origins; even if he wouldn't tell her everything, she wished to see his true appearance. But she didn't dare to ask. Although she didn't know what he was worried about, she knew that making such a request would only make him leave her.

Of course, she hadn't fallen in love with him in such a short time, but throughout the years, she had never been so curious about a man, nor had any man made her feel so anxious and uncertain.

Fortunately, Zu An spoke at this moment: "By the way, when I came to the sea race previously, I passed by an underwater mountain range. There seemed to be a bottomless abyssal trench there, guarded by many dragons. The various defensive formations appeared to be several levels stronger than those of this Dragon Palace."

The Mermaid Queen breathed a sigh of relief. She had been afraid they would run out of things to talk about, fall into an awkward silence, and eventually part ways. Now, with a topic of conversation, there was still a chance: "That's the Eye of our East Sea."

"The Eye of the Sea?" Zu An's heart stirred. He had heard many legends about the Eye of the Sea. In the myths he heard on Earth in his previous life, there was an Eye of the Sea deep beneath the ocean. After Emperor Yu controlled the floods, he cast an extendable iron rod, used for measuring water levels, into the East Sea to suppress the Eye. Later, when Sun Wukong sought a suitable weapon, he caused a ruckus in the Dragon Palace and retrieved that iron rod as his own weapon, which became the famous Ruyi Jingu Bang. But shouldn't that abyss in this world be the entrance to the Underworld? How could it be the Eye of the Sea?

As if sensing his confusion, the Mermaid Queen explained, "Actually, I'm not entirely sure what's inside the Eye of the Sea. It's an absolute top-secret forbidden zone for generations of the sea race; no one is allowed to approach or investigate it. However, I've learned through some channels that it likely suppresses the most evil and foul things in existence. Generations of the sea race have guarded it precisely to prevent those vile evils from emerging and wreaking havoc on the world."

Zu An pondered secretly. The abyss connected to the Underworld, and referring to the evil spirits within as "foul and evil" certainly made sense. The only question was whether the Underworld in this world had deities and infernal officers on duty.

Seeing him deep in thought, the Mermaid Queen suddenly grew nervous: "You didn't come here for the Eye of the Sea, did you?"

Seeing her tense as if facing a formidable enemy, Zu An couldn't help but chuckle: "You're overthinking it. I didn't come for that."

"You're not lying to me?" the Mermaid Queen pressed again.

"Of course not."

"You tricked me so badly before, I barely dare believe anything you say now."

Zu An also felt a bit awkward. He had indeed misled her before, and the key was letting her act out a charade by herself for so long. Putting himself in her shoes, he would have died of embarrassment. Cherry, standing nearby, barely managed to suppress her laughter. Observing dispassionately, she had probably figured out what was going on. Before, the Queen had pretended to be some maid, believing she had him easily under her thumb, only to later realize she was the clown. For so many years, she had only seen the Queen toy with her poor suitors, but this was the first time she had seen her so flustered by a man. Indeed, it takes a stronger man to keep our Queen in check. I'm increasingly rooting for this pair.

Sensing the subtle changes at her maid's lips, the Mermaid Queen shot her a threatening glare before speaking to Zu An: "Since we need to wait for news regarding Peacock Princess, you can stay with me for the time being. I imagine you don't have any other acquaintances in the Dragon Palace."

She consistently avoided calling him by his name, knowing that 'Peng Yuyan' was fake. If he was unwilling, further questioning would only yield more lies.

Zu An hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded: "Alright." Firstly, he did need a place to stay while waiting for news. Secondly, his interactions today had made it clear that the Mermaid Queen was a super popular star of the entire sea race, with powerful figures from all sides seeking to get close to her in hopes of gaining even a tiny bit of her favor. This meant her vicinity was bound to be a hub for all sorts of intelligence. Whether it was later investigating the whereabouts of the Aurora Poison Dragon or matters related to the Eye of the Sea, things would be twice as easy.

Next, the Mermaid Queen instructed Cherry to find a superior room nearby for Zu An to rest in.

During this time, Cherry kept secretly scrutinizing Zu An's face. Zu An couldn't help but quip, "Why do you keep staring at me? Do I have a flower on my face?"

"The Queen said this isn't your true appearance," Cherry said candidly. "I just want to see what kind of mask is so powerful that it shows no flaws."

Zu An chuckled to himself, offering no explanation.

"You're not from our world?" Cherry asked curiously while tidying his bed.

Zu An hummed in affirmation.

"What exactly are the beauty standards in your world? It's not like fat is considered beautiful, or strange shapes are prized, is it?" Cherry kept chattering, not at all like a quiet cherry, but more like a nightingale stealing cherries.

"Why do you ask?" Zu An stood by the window, gazing at the now quiet Dragon Palace, thinking how many treacherous schemes were likely hidden beneath it tonight.

"Otherwise, why are you so resistant to our Queen?" Cherry's expression suddenly changed. "Our Queen is so beautiful; in this world, let alone the sea race, even the powerful figures from the demon race, devil race, beast race, and human race all fall for her. Every single one of them would gladly rip out their hearts to show her, yet you keep avoiding her as if our Queen would eat people. You're not playing hard to get, are you?"

Zu An smiled faintly: "What do you think?"

"It doesn't seem like it," Cherry said, circling him. "It's not that no one has tried to play this game to win the Queen's favor before, but no matter how much they tried to hide it, their eyes always betrayed their desires. You're different. Your gaze is always clear, completely unaffected by our Queen. Wait, could it be...?"

Seeing her expression of utter shock, Zu An asked curiously, "Could it be what?"

Cherry's expression was peculiar, as if she was struggling immensely: "Promise you won't get angry if I say it."

"Then don't say it."

"No, I can't hold it in. You're not a eunuch, are you?"

"If not, then why do you ignore the Queen's advances and instead act as if you're avoiding a viper...? Oh, don't kill me... Ah!"

Finally, Cherry was thrown out the window like a ball. She rubbed her sore backside, glumly staring at the heavily closed door behind her, thinking, "Did I hit a nerve, and that's why he got angry from embarrassment? Should I tell the Queen about this discovery? Will the Queen also beat me...?"

Inside the room, Zu An let out a self-deprecating laugh. It was no wonder Cherry would make such a guess; normally, his behavior was indeed hard to explain.

He recalled Morgard's words from earlier today, so he began to call out with the power of his soul: "Empress Master, wake up quickly! There's an important matter I need to ask about."