Chapter 2423: I Come From the Future

The Peacock Princess's expression changed; she felt somewhat out of place. The relationship between these two seemed truly extraordinary. The most beautiful woman in the Sea Clan actually had a beloved? Even the Demon Emperor had pursued her years ago and been ruthlessly rejected.

She couldn't help but scrutinize Zu'an a bit more. He looked quite ordinary, but his eyes were remarkably bright and captivating. Thinking of his imposing words in the main hall just now, which intimidated all the Sea Clan powerhouses into inaction, he indeed possessed domineering charm. No wonder the Mermaid Queen liked him; only an unparalleled powerhouse could be worthy of someone so beautiful. But when did such a formidable person appear in the world? How had she never heard of him?

At this moment, Zu'an felt the Mermaid Queen's burning gaze and was momentarily moved. The Mermaid Queen was truly beautiful; no man could remain indifferent when looked at by her like that. However, as soon as he remembered they belonged to different timelines, he sighed inwardly and composed himself, saying, "Your Majesty jests. You are so beautiful that if you merely spoke the word, those willing to marry you would stretch from the Dragon Palace all the way to the Shores of the West Sea."

Although he was clearly complimenting her beauty, the Mermaid Queen couldn't feel happy at all. But she knew he was avoiding her question and didn't press further, sighing, "Alas, not a shred of sincerity."

Kong Nanwu, standing by, blinked. 'What's going on? It seemed the Mermaid Queen was making a move, but the other party was avoiding it? Good heavens, am I still not fully awake? Is there really a man in this world who can reject the Mermaid Queen?'

Cherry also pouted, thinking, 'If you keep this up, Lord Consort, I won't like you anymore. In all these years, when has the Queen ever suffered such a slight? And Your Majesty, really, have you forgotten the person from your dreams?'

Sensing the strange atmosphere, Zu'an hastily said, "I have tarnished Your Majesty's good name today; in two days, I will certainly clear your reputation."

"No need. This is not a big deal; I don't care about others' opinions," the Mermaid Queen said, regaining her usual elegance and composure, clearly not wishing to continue the topic. She initiated a new one: "By the way, I just heard the Princess mention that there seems to be an informant in the North Sea. Otherwise, how could they have so accurately tracked the North Sea Crown Prince's movements?"

"Indeed, if demons wanted to cause trouble in the Sea Clan, why wouldn't they bribe and subvert some informants?" Zu'an also realized the issue. "Furthermore, the informant's status is probably not low. Otherwise, they couldn't have tracked the North Sea Crown Prince's movements so precisely."

"I will investigate this matter. There shouldn't be too many who could know the North Sea Crown Prince's whereabouts so accurately." The Mermaid Queen already had a rough plan in mind. She took out a few conch shells, whispered by their openings, and issued her instructions.

The Peacock Princess took the opportunity to thank Zu'an: "By the way, Qingwu hasn't had a chance to ask for your esteemed name, benefactor? The Peacock Clan will certainly bear your kindness in mind."

Although Zu'an had already known her name from the Rage points system, hearing her introduce herself at this moment still made him sigh with emotion. Not only did she look similar, but her name was also strikingly alike. "You can call me Peng Yuyan."

"Peng Yuyan? What a strange name," the Peacock Princess murmured to herself, as if trying to commit the name to memory.

The Mermaid Queen, who had been listening intently, couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. She had actually been quite nervous, on one hand eager to know his true identity, but on the other hand, afraid of hearing it. After all, he hadn't told her despite her direct questions, and if he were to reveal it just because this little peacock asked casually, she would truly lose her composure. The Peacock Princess turned back to her, puzzled, not understanding why she was laughing.

The Mermaid Queen thought she shouldn't be the only one feeling down, so she simply said, "It's fake. His name is fake, and his current appearance is also fake. Don't bother remembering it so seriously."

"Huh?" The Peacock Princess was utterly astonished, looking at Zu'an in disbelief. Seeing his pained expression, she immediately understood that the Mermaid Queen was not lying. She quickly whispered to the Mermaid Queen, asking about his identity, wondering if he had some feud with the Peacock Clan that prevented him from showing his true self.

The Mermaid Queen snorted softly, "How would I know what he's thinking?"

The Peacock Princess was truly stunned now. From the Queen's tone, it seemed even Her Majesty didn't know the man's true name or appearance. 'How was that possible? Just now, they had cooperated so seamlessly, and the Queen even risked her own reputation. Anyone could see they were a couple. Even if not a couple, they were clearly in an ambiguous, flirtatious phase. How could she not even know his name or what he looked like?'

"Don't look at me like that, I really don't know," the Mermaid Queen said, her tone quite resentful.

Feeling her strong resentment, Zu'an had no choice but to speak: "I hope Your Majesty will forgive me. It's not that I intentionally deceived you, but I come from another world, a different timeline from yours. I worry that getting too involved might affect your world's timeline, so I hope you understand."

After talking with Mi Li yesterday, he roughly understood the rules and boundaries, no longer being as secretive as before. Now that the Mermaid Queen was treating him with sincerity, he felt he shouldn't reveal nothing to her.

Cherry blinked, thinking, 'The Queen always told me to read more, but I didn't listen. Now she regrets it, right? I understand every single word Lord Consort says, but why do I not understand what it means when put together?'

Kong Nanwu was equally stunned. She had only heard of "another world," but what was "another timeline"? Her first reaction was even that this excuse was too flimsy.

The Mermaid Queen, however, was far more mature and knowledgeable. Although she too had never heard the concept of "another timeline" before, she could roughly guess what was going on. She was utterly shocked. In fact, over the past two days, she had certainly tried to guess the reason for his continuous concealment, but at most, she had imagined he might come from another powerful world similar to the demon world. Perhaps their world had various strict restrictions, prohibiting intermarriage with other races, fearing the outflow of bloodline power... She had considered all sorts of outrageous reasons, but she had genuinely never thought it would involve the concept of time and space.

"So you're not from this timeline?" The Mermaid Queen's voice trembled slightly.

Zu'an nodded, "That's right. Once I've completed what I need to do, I will return to my own timeline and will never be able to come back here."

Countless doubts in the Mermaid Queen's heart finally became clear. 'No wonder he kept avoiding me. So that's how it is.' She had always wanted to know the answer, but at this moment, she deeply regretted knowing it. 'The truth was so painful.' For a moment, she even felt as if she couldn't breathe. "The 'thing' you mentioned you need to do, is it to save your sister?"

Zu'an hummed in affirmation, "Not just that, there are other matters as well." Of course, he couldn't tell her the specifics.

The Mermaid Queen remained silent for a long time, then suddenly looked up at him: "Are you from our world's distant past, or perhaps the future?"

Zu'an: "???"