Chapter 272: Becoming One with the Seawater

Liszt stroked his chin.

He was pondering how to conceal Ake's existence, the siren. Unlike magical beasts or sea monsters, sirens were fantastical and miraculous creatures. If anyone discovered her, there would certainly be those who would come to claim her—without fail.

Not as captivating as dragons, but nearly so.

Dragons were real creatures, while sirens were legendary beings, associated with many evil or beautiful legends. Underestimating the curiosity of nobles and the truth-seeking magicians would be a mistake.

"Therefore, I must conceal Ake's identity without fail. Fortunately, Ake is hiding in the shell and hasn't spoken, so no one knows of her existence. I can announce that I've found a shell-encased sea monster. That should keep attention away from Ake."

Sea monsters and magical beasts were similar in nature; it's just that magical beasts lived on land, while sea monsters lived in water.

For example, the pearl shell creatures raised by the Sapphire family in the Tranquil Lake were a kind of sea monster, so it wouldn't be surprising that Liszt had caught a shell-encased sea monster.

Realizing this, Liszt felt relieved.

Glancing inside the shell, Ake had stopped trembling but remained curled up, still wary.

"Ake."

Liszt knocked on the shell. The three-meter-diameter large shell occupied most of the space in his room on the Flowers.

"……Liszt."

"Can you live outside the sea?"

"Ake…… The shell contains seawater."

"You can speak serpent tongue. Where did you learn it? Have you been to places where humans live?" Liszt was curious, and at the same time, he was trying to open up Ake's heart through conversation.

So far, he still didn't know what Ake looked like. From the vision of his Magic Eye, he saw that she had a roughly human form, but with fins and wings. Her body seemed slightly smaller than that of an average 1.6-meter-tall woman, about the size of a 1.55-meter female.

Yet, her figure was perfectly proportioned, with a slender waist, full chest, firm hips, and long limbs.

He remembered that some authors of chivalric novels depicted sirens as having the upper body of a beautiful woman and the lower body of a hideous sea serpent. Some authors recorded sirens as having blue skin, while others described them as having scaly green skin.

Liszt was curious.

But he wouldn't be so direct as to ask to see her. After all, he had the siren now; he could look as much as he wanted in the future.

"Ake likes…… listening to passing ships…… on the vast sea…… human voices…… Ake knows a lot about…… the Sapphire Kingdom…… there's a huge…… Sapphire Dragon." When Ake mentioned the Sapphire Dragon, her tone was filled with joy, evidently unable to resist the charm of dragons.

"Yes, the Sapphire Dragon is the symbol of the Sapphire Grand Duchy. My father had seen the Sapphire Dragon with his own eyes. It was a beautiful dragon, as flawless as a blue gemstone. Just seeing it from afar, he could feel the incredible power of the Sapphire Dragon."

"Ake likes…… dragons, the most beautiful……"

Hearing this, Liszt started talking about dragons. He knew dragons of the Elements, Gemstones, Metals, and the Divine. Ake was captivated, her fear forgotten, and she even secretly opened the shell several times to peek at Liszt before closing it again.

After discussing dragons for a bit, Liszt continued, "By the way, Ake, I've heard many sailors say that the songs of sirens guide lost ships. Is that correct?"

"Hmm…… Ake has also guided…… singing, singing human songs…… hehe." Ake laughed, seemingly amused by something.

This was an encouraging sign.

This indicated that Ake was gradually opening up.

"The sea spirit is indeed a benevolent being, just like Ake's singing, which fills the heart with joy... Ake, are you hungry now? Would you like something to eat?"

"Ake is feeling a little hungry."

"What do you prefer to eat?"

"Ake likes... fruits. Fruits from the seaside trees that fall into the sea... Ake loves to pick them up and eat them."

Liszt had a variety of fruits in his gem space, where time was still, ensuring nothing would spoil. He always stocked up on supplies to make sure he wouldn't lack good food when he was away.

Immediately, he fetched apples, raspberries, grapes, peanuts, oranges, and other fruits from his gem space. "Ake, I have many fruits here, go ahead and eat."

By this time, it was already dawn, and the rising sun gradually illuminated the cabin.

Liszt, with an anticipatory heart, watched as Ake hesitated for a moment, then slowly opened the shell fully. Light poured in, and the appearance of the sea spirit Ake was fully revealed to Liszt's eyes.

Such beauty!

First, her flawless skin was white with a hint of pink, smooth as a newborn's skin, pure as the ocean, and delicate as a flawless gem. Her skin, while human-like, was far whiter and smoother than any human's.

Just looking at her fair skin, Liszt felt an urge to take a bite, curious about its taste.

Then his gaze was drawn to her exquisite face.

Her delicate features exuded an exotic allure, complemented by her waist-length, bright blue hair and her striking sapphire-blue eyes. Such beauty, beyond human reach, caused Liszt to crudely give her an eleven out of ten.

Most peculiar were her ears, not human-shaped, but gradually changing from flesh color to a watery hue at the root, growing into spike-tipped, light blue fins.

These ears, not solid, were indeed made of water.

Liszt could clearly see her sapphire-blue hair swing past these fin-like ears. Similarly, the pair of spike-tipped fin-shaped wings growing from her back, around the shoulder blade area, were not large. They were more like fins than wings.

Shifting his gaze from the fins, Liszt noticed her fair, slender neck.

Then his eyes moved to her chest.

Round and firm.

Most wondrous was that she wore no clothes, yet water ribbons covered her chest, clearly made of water but not transparent, completely covering her chest.

Below that, her flat stomach, slender waist, and delicate navel were visible.

From her navel down, another water ribbon concealed her most vital area, keeping it beyond Liszt's imagination.

She shyly glanced at Liszt, then slowly stood up. Light blue seawater filled the shell, and the water ribbons that covered her vital areas extended from the seawater in the shell, wrapping around her body.

Her legs were long and straight, without a single flaw.

The seawater gently flowed down.

Liszt involuntarily traced the droplets, from her thighs, down to her knees, and finally to her calves. Below her calves, where her ankles should be, the color gradually shifted from flesh to a watery hue, completely blending into the seawater. It appeared as though she had no feet, as if she emerged from the water.

"A breathtaking sight!"