“Iris?”

“That’s a giant luxury cruise ship, always known for its stability and safety. In its history, there has never been any shipwreck.”

Peter paused, then continued, “After finishing that school year, I bought a ticket and boarded the Iris’s first-class cabin.”

“By yourself? Didn’t you bring any servants?”

Peter nodded. “Just me. I don’t like being disturbed when I travel.”

“Then, on the ship, did you have any conflicts with others? Or did you have long-term contact with anyone?”

“Not that I know of.”

Peter hesitated, then slowly shook his head. “The places I went to were the library reading room, the first-class smoking room, the restaurant, the dance floor, the deck swimming pool. I was basically alone.

One or two women tried to strike up a conversation with me, but I turned them down.”

The Consul’s wife interjected, “Father Monk, Peter is a very obedient child. And he’s about to come of age. We’ll arrange a suitable marriage for him then.”

Li Ang glanced at the Consul’s wife without saying anything, but the latter immediately understood and closed her mouth, no longer speaking.

“You mentioned in the medical record that in the days after boarding, you suspected someone was following you.”

“Not suspected, was certain. And it wasn’t a person, it was something.”

Peter seemed to think of something, and his whole body trembled. He said in a panic, “In the first few days after boarding, I liked to lean on the deck railing and look at the scenery of the sea, but I soon felt that someone was secretly watching me.

Can you understand that feeling? The cold, greedy gaze from who-knows-where staring at your back at all times.”

“And you reported this to the ship’s security personnel.”

“Yes, I explained the situation to them, and even showed them my identification. They took it seriously and arranged two bodyguards for me.”

“Did things get better?”

“Not at all.”

Peter smiled bitterly and helplessly. “It was even worse. The two bodyguards couldn’t find the source of the gaze at all. A lot of trouble happened during this period.

Later, I found that as long as I stayed indoors and didn’t go on deck, that annoying gaze would disappear for a while. But soon, this method didn’t work anymore.

Even if I stayed in the reading room or the restaurant, I couldn’t get rid of the feeling of being watched.

In the end, I had to stay in the bedroom all day, and let the two bodyguards sleep in another room in the bedroom.

It was okay during the day, but at night…”

Li Ang pressed, “What happened at night?”

Peter shuddered. “At night, that feeling of being secretly watched became even stronger. I was about to be driven crazy. When I went to sleep at night, I had to put two daggers under my pillow and blanket.

Finally, I sealed the door seams and windows with black tape, and it was finally a little better.”

Li Ang nodded. “Do you think this strange thing has something to do with a caster?”

“Not a caster.”

Peter said affirmatively, “When I go out, I specifically carry some detection and defense props against casters. These props only found the caster in charge of security on the ship, and did not find the source of the peeping gaze.”

Li Ang nodded. “Understood, continue.”

“After the windows were sealed, I felt a lot better, until the day of the shipwreck.”

Speaking of this, Peter seemed a little hesitant. “Actually, it’s not very appropriate to say it was a shipwreck. That afternoon, because I felt that I had finally gotten rid of the peeping, I wanted to go to the deck to rest and relax.

As a result, the sea, which was originally cloudless and calm, suddenly became overcast and it poured rain.

Waves as high as six or seven stories hit from the other end of the sea, and sailors and passengers were screaming everywhere on the ship…”

Peter said softly, “I wanted to run back to my cabin as soon as possible, but the deck and even the entire ship began to shake. I could only hold on to the railing and couldn’t stand at all, let alone run to the deck.

Later, I saw mountain-high waves coming towards me…”

At this point, Peter fell silent, his eyes turbid and empty.

Li Ang pressed, “Then what happened?”

Peter took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, “You must believe what I’m about to say.”

Li Ang straightened his posture and said solemnly, “I am an exorcist expert. I will seriously consider what you say, please speak.”

Peter gritted his teeth. “I was kidnapped by a mermaid in the water.”

Li Ang narrowed his eyes and leaned back slightly. “Which mermaid is it?”

“Not which one, it’s a mermaid with half-human and half-fish!”

Li Ang nodded, and took out a notebook and pen from somewhere, quickly drew something on the paper, then tore the paper off and showed it to Peter.

On the paper, there was a monster with a human left half and a fish right half. The style of painting was a bit cute.

Peter stretched his neck and was stunned for a second or two, then corrected, “Not left and right, it’s up and down.”

Li Ang nodded and started drawing again, then tore off the paper and held it up with a serious face.

On the paper, there was a monster with a male human lower body and the head of a fish.

Peter was stunned again, “Where’s the head?! No bird, she’s a woman!”

Li Ang redrew one,

On the screen, there was a monster with a human head and a fish head lower body.

"This?!"

Li Ang saw the painful expression on Peter’s face and instantly understood. He added a few clumps of long hair to the woman’s head and put on lipstick.

Peter slapped the paper in Li Ang’s hand with a “pa” and excitedly gestured, “Mermaids! It’s the kind with a human upper body and a fish tail!”

“Understood.”

Li Ang put down the paper and pen and asked seriously, “Then, is this mermaid you mentioned beautiful?”

“It’s not a question of whether she’s pretty or not, she’s the kind of rare monster who’s so ugly that people can’t evaluate her.”

Peter’s emotions calmed down a little, and he said slowly, “Her skin is dark, her hair is tied into small braids, her forehead is broad, and the distance between her eyes is extremely large, like an anglerfish or a flounder.”

Li Ang’s expression became even more serious. “This mermaid, she kidnapped you?”

"Yes."

Peter’s voice was a little hoarse. “She swam towards me in the water, and even in the water I could smell a strong, perfume-like scent.

I took out a dagger in horror and tried to resist, but she directly took the weapon and threw it into the water.

Then, she hugged me from behind, strangled my neck, and made me faint.

The last thing I felt before I passed out was that she kissed me mouth to mouth.”