“Kissed you?”

Li Ang frowned. “That’s it?”

“What else do you want?!”

Peter clutched his head in despair. “You don’t know what it felt like.

Alone, sinking into the dark, boundless depths of the sea, surrounded only by grotesque, hideous merfolk.

It swayed its long, fluorescent green tail fin, hovering motionless, its eyes, slanted to either side, watching you silently with greedy, bloodthirsty gazes, reaching out to drag you into the bottomless abyss.

You try to call for help, but the sea is raging with fierce storms and furious waves. The giant cruise ship, claiming to be unsinkable and absolutely safe, is just a tiny boat tossed about by the waves.

No one can hear your cries for help.”

Perhaps the experience was too profound, as even Peter, the son of a magistrate, forgot that in the Kingdom of Lorn, other beings absolutely could not be described as “grotesque and hideous.”

It could only be said that they possessed “an appearance that differed from the mainstream aesthetic of modern society, possessing a unique, high-class temperament, style, and image.”

Fortunately, no one present cared about this point, not even the magistrate's wife, who was the president of the Anti-Discrimination Association of Mori City.

Peter continued to ramble on, his expression growing increasingly terrified.

Li Ang leaned forward, speaking in a low, solemn tone. “Don't panic. You are in Mori City now. You are safe. With us here, nothing can harm you.”

Perhaps Li Ang’s comforting words had an effect. Peter reached through the mosquito net, grabbed the water glass from the bedside table, and gulped it down.

After a moment, he continued, “When I woke up, I found myself lying on the beach of a deserted island. A rescue ship was sailing towards me from the sea.”

“Did you see the mermaid?”

“No.”

Peter shook his head. “Before I was rescued, I made a point of looking at that beach. The beach was only covered with hard, sharp sand and black reefs, as well as branches and all sorts of man-made garbage washed ashore by the ocean currents.

I didn’t see any slime left behind by the mermaid.”

“I see.”

Li Ang nodded, flipping through the documents in his hand, not revealing any more emotion.

In this world, there were indeed legends of mermaids, mostly circulating among sailors on long voyages and in the mystical texts of some secret organizations.

There were no physical specimens, nor had they been officially confirmed; they were just legends.

Merfolk, or sirens, were mysterious creatures with the appearance of half-human, half-fish, often appearing on island reefs or around ships sailing in the ocean.

All reported sightings of merfolk were female. They possessed heavenly singing voices and charming appearances, often using their songs to lure sailors in the fog, causing ships to run aground and sink, and then eating the sailors who fell into the water.

Some sailors claimed that they had escaped from the clutches of merfolk, but further investigations revealed that these sailors were, without exception, either bragging fools or alcoholics who spoke nonsense.

Li Ang flipped through the files, not looking up as he said, “Mr. Peter, what you’re saying doesn’t seem to match previous sighting reports.”

“You don’t believe me.”

Peter’s face darkened.

Li Ang smiled. “It’s not that I don’t believe you, but that mermaid just kissed you? Didn’t she do anything more... intimate?

Assuming the prying eyes on the ship came from that mermaid, she admired your beauty and saved your life in a moment of crisis.

Then, the two of you who had gone through a shipwreck together would easily spark some romantic feelings.”

“Blegh—”

Seeming to imagine such a scene, Peter gagged, quickly covering his mouth, and said angrily, “When I woke up the next day, my clothes were just wet, and there were no signs of disarray.

Besides, I don’t think that monster is a normal admirer.

After I returned to the Kingdom of Lorn, I could still feel that bone-chilling, maggot-like gaze.”

“Oh?”

Li Ang raised an eyebrow. “It hasn’t stopped.”

“No.”

Peter shook his head. “No matter where I go, I can’t get rid of the prying eyes. Even in my own home, in this high tower, I can often feel it.”

This was getting interesting.

Li Ang rubbed his chin with interest. The magistrate of Mori City, who was in fact the original city lord, not only possessed an extremely high social status but could also mobilize a large amount of mystical power.

In this mansion, there were at least five or more spellcasters hidden, and the power levels of three of them were not below that of the forest witch, Old Dorothy.

With a team of spellcasters of this scale, let alone a mere mermaid, even a bloodthirsty, brutal two-headed chimera could be easily captured.

Li Ang tapped the book with the end of his steel pen, muttering to himself, “Merfolk move through water sources, right? The nearest river is nearly a kilometer away. Small canals and ponds have been searched several times, and iron fences have been set up and patrols arranged.

There are also people protecting the interior and exterior of this secret room.

Logically speaking, this shouldn’t be happening.”

Hearing Li Ang’s words, Peter’s face revealed an expression of either anger at not being believed or helpless pain, as he said softly, “So you also believe that I’m crazy?

Maybe I’m just that lucky, to have been swept off the ship by a wave and floated all the way to a desert island.

The mermaid, the prying eyes, are all just figments of my imagination.

My destination should be a mental hospital.”

Seeing his son’s distraught appearance, the magistrate’s wife felt the most heartache and subconsciously wanted to trot over and hug her son.

Fortunately, her husband grabbed her wrist.

The magistrate, who had maintained a cold attitude from the beginning, keenly felt that this Eastern monk did not take this matter so seriously.

Either he was a fool who did not know the importance of things and ignored the magistrate’s dignity,

Or, he truly had the confidence to solve the problem.

“In short, I have a general understanding of what happened. You can rest assured tonight. My disciples and I will wait outside.”

Li Ang put away his pen and paper and said to Peter with a smile, “If we’re lucky, we’ll be able to see the true face of the mermaid tonight.”