The sea carried Lu Mingming to the nearest safe land, and the iron cage holding the three grown men landed smoothly in the distance.
Lu Mingming quickly opened her Guangnao, scanning her surroundings vigilantly, and contacted the bald man.
"Hurry and bring a few strong, capable people to help me carry your boss; they are all unconscious."
"Alright, alright, you wait for me. I haven't heard from you for almost half a month; I'm worried sick. I'll bring people over immediately."
The bald man abruptly hung up the Guangnao, leaving Lu Mingming staring blankly at the screen.
It had been over half a month.
Compared to the flow of time in the parallel world, it was exactly a 1:3 ratio.
By this calculation, the parallel world mirror that Hong Yu had shown her was actually from three months ago.
Before she could ponder for too long, the bald man arrived swiftly with his men. The slaves efficiently wrapped the men in the cage with warm towels and carried them back to the courtyard. Passing merchants assumed they were high-class slaves who had been kidnapped and did not interfere with the activities of the magnate.
That night, the three men woke up one after another.
Lu Mingming received the news while tidying up and preparing for bed.
After receiving the report from the bald man, she casually threw on a coat and rushed to the quiet living room. The three men in the living room were each occupying a corner, their complexions not looking optimal.
Oranarnar was in the best condition, sitting in his original position, cradling a pot of hot tea to warm his hands and stomach.
"Did we escape from the Mermaid Secret Realm?"
Lu Yan asked after a moment of recovery.
"No way, Boss! You actually found the Mermaid Secret Realm? Hurry and tell me about it!"
The bald man was excitedly jumping around, muttering, "This is the first time I've seen four people come out of the Mermaid Secret Realm. Wait, no, where's the little boss?"
"That guy."
Upon mentioning him, Lu Yan's gaze darkened.
The bald man sensed something was amiss and turned to look in Lu Mingming's direction.
Lu Mingming explained the general sequence of events, omitting their trip to the parallel world. This successfully incited the bald man's anger, "That little stinky fish dared to do that! Just you wait, I'll raid his nest when I go back! Fortunately, he was saved by the Mermaid Chief in the end."
The bald man reacted quickly, "If that's the case, you mean you've seen the Mermaid Chief?!"
Lu Mingming paused for a moment and replied, "That's right, I have. And not just me, your boss has seen him too."
Lu Yan looked at her blankly. He vaguely remembered having a long and chaotic dream after falling asleep, with reality and dreams jumbled together, leaving his mind in a haze. He even had the occasional urge to call Oranarnar "Your Highness."
Oranarnar put down his teacup. "It was Knightwin. He is the Mermaid Chief, and also that brat."
"How do you know?"
Lu Mingming was surprised.
Compared to the other two, he was clearly more perceptive.
Oranarnar explained in detail, "I didn't completely lose consciousness. I was observing everything from within 'Oranarnar.' However, that guy was too stingy to let me meet you. Now, it's great; he's gone forever, and I can finally compete with him."
Hearing Oranarnar's words, Morian and Lu Yan reacted, "So everything wasn't a dream, and all the information we received was useful intel?"
"Exactly. We can use those memories to significantly reduce the time cost and avoid detours."
"You can consider cooperating with the others," Lu Yan suggested.
"Knightwin has already given us the greatest help, so we should go find Yi Fu. Perhaps he has other hidden identities, otherwise, he wouldn't be useful to me there," Oranarnar proposed.
"Wait, what are you guys talking about?"
The bald man became more and more confused as he listened.
"What other Oranarnar and receiving useful information... Are you speaking human language? Why can't I understand?"
They exchanged glances and decided not to reveal too much about the mermaid territory to outsiders, making a hasty decision.
"Let's speed up and return to the main planet..."
"No, we don't need to return to the main planet."
Morian interrupted Oranarnar.
"We can use Blue Star as our base and develop slowly. I doubt that a certain old-fashioned Earl would ever imagine that the most popular tourist planet today would be your base."
The situation in this world had far fewer incidents and disputes than in the parallel world. Perhaps it was due to Lu Mingming's help in the interim; most things were smoothly connected, with almost no detours.
After discussion, the three injured members needed extra rest. They collectively decided to stay for nearly a week and to plan other necessary matters.
Lu Mingming returned to her room to pack her luggage for departure.
She had come to find Hong Yu, but unexpectedly, she hadn't brought the cub back this trip; instead, she had gained unexpected benefits in other aspects.
"Knock, knock!"
Someone gently knocked on the door.
Lu Mingming called out, "I'm coming!"
She dropped her clothes and tiptoed to the door.
The moment she opened it, Oranarnar's face appeared before her. He was holding a bulging plastic bag.
"Is there something?"
Lu Mingming looked at Oranarnar's face and couldn't help but think of the Oranarnar from the other world. She lowered her head, covered her mouth, and let out a muffled laugh.
"Hmm...? Is my appearance that funny?"
Oranarnar touched his hair, looking annoyed.
"If I had known, I should have dressed up more seriously before coming."
"No."
Lu Mingming shook her head and chuckled, "Since you have memories from the other world, you should know about me and the other Oranarnar, right?"
"You and him?"
Oranarnar's expression turned sharp.
"What bad things did that guy do behind my back?"
"What are you talking about?"
Lu Mingming pretended to be annoyed and pouted, her earlobes turning pink.
"It's just that your personalities are different, but you're cuter!"
"That's more like it."
Upon hearing the compliment, Oranarnar couldn't help but curl his lips into a gentle smile.
"This is for you."
He handed over the plastic bag he was holding.
"Huh? What did you buy?"
Lu Mingming took the bag and opened it.
Inside were packaged warm ginger soup, some essential medicines to alleviate colds, and a bag of local snacks.
"I thought since you met Knightwin, it must have been very cold in the sea! Don't catch a cold. I personally brewed the ginger soup and put it in a thermos, so you can drink it anytime.
There are also small snacks and cookies for you to eat if you're hungry. Although they're not as good as what you make, I tasted them. They're quite good for a five-star chef's recipe, good enough to fill your stomach. In short, you must stay healthy when you go back."
Oranarnar's voice trembled slightly at the end.
He remembered the panic and the pain of almost losing her when the laser beam shot towards Lu Mingming.
Lu Mingming listened to his words, also thinking of the same event. She comforted him with a feigned casual tone, "Don't worry, I'll be fine. My abilities are much stronger than you think. It's just that my psychic power was restricted in the parallel world; otherwise, I could have fought back."
"Okay."
Oranarnar didn't say much more, indulgently agreeing with Lu Mingming.
"I hope there will never be a day when you have to act yourself. I want to be the knight by your side, protecting your safety. Will you give me this opportunity?"
Their eyes met suddenly. Lu Mingming saw an unprecedented seriousness and deep affection in his gaze.
Her heart began to beat faster in her chest. She couldn't help but suspect: Had she misheard him?
Lu Mingming pretended not to understand, "Of course! Aren't you always my little tiger, my little knight?"
Oranarnar lowered his eyes, quickly suppressing the disappointment in his gaze, and forced a smile.
"I was too impatient... I always dream of you collapsing in front of me... It tortures me."
Oranarnar lowered his voice.
Without showing any emotion, Lu Mingming could hear his pain.
"I'm sorry."
Oranarnar blamed himself and opened his arms, gently pulling her into a hug.
"Everything today was my fault. I can promise that next time, no, I will absolutely not let you face such a situation again."
His gaze towards Lu Mingming was filled with determination.
Lu Mingming was stunned and helplessly lowered her head, smiling, "Then, please, little knight... come back prepared for my test next time."