MTLNOVEL Chapter 1177
Chapter 15: The First Investigation
The second day after landing on the East Sea Pearl Islands.
At the introduction of Princess Nitira, Miss Vilyric, accompanied by her two companions, entered the Merman Tribe’s royal court.
The so-called royal court refers to the central small island, surrounded in a circular manner by six outer islands, connected only by a narrow inner sea.
This small island not only happens to be in the center of the sea area of the six outer islands but is also only about one-third the size of the smallest outer island, appearing circular overall. From a high vantage point, it looks like a smooth pearl embedded in the center of the archipelago.
This is the true origin of the name “East Sea Pearl.”
The population of Mermen living in the entire East Sea Pearl archipelago is roughly over three million, divided into more than a dozen ethnic groups of varying sizes, living together. Any Merman is free to move between any of the six islands, but the central royal court is an exception.
Ordinary Mermen who wish to enter the royal court must submit a formal application and undergo strict scrutiny by the Royal Court Guardian; without sufficient reasons, they cannot simply land on the island. For outsiders, the requirements are even stricter.
Approval from the current Merman King in person is needed, or a recommendation from a certain Mingjiao royal family member.
The so-called Mingjiao royal family refers to top-tier Mingjiao Mermen, like Nitira, who has six teardrop-shaped markings, while those like Alec and others Miss Vilyric encountered when landing on the island, having only two or four tear marks, while they hold a high status within the Mermen, are still not sufficient to be referred to as “royalty.”
It is said that even in the East Sea Pearl, this main base, there are very few Mingjiao royals, certainly not more than a handful.
Unlike the Winged People, who evolved from angels, the teardrop patterns of the Mingjiao seem to merely symbolize bloodline and status, with no absolute correlation to strength. This race is quite similar to humans and does not entirely classify status based on individual power, just like how anyone in the United Kingdom can become a king regardless of strength.
Perhaps this is why the previous King Willipol was assassinated; at least in the officially announced investigation results, he was said to have been murdered by a “ghost.”
But it is obvious that this matter has deeper complexities.
Princess Nitira seems to hold a high status within the royal court, or perhaps she had already gotten things ready beforehand. As she led the priestess and others deeper inside, the Merman guards they passed simply observed without any intention to interrogate or stop them.
Soon, they arrived outside a room deep within the royal court.
“This is the previous bedroom of King Willipol, my father.”
Commanding the guards to push open the sealed door, the little princess stepped inside first, introducing to her companions as she went along.
“My father is a wise and diligent clan leader. This bedroom doubles as his office for handling daily affairs. Except for family time and socializing, he stays here almost all day, always feeling as if there were endless tasks to tackle, hehe~”
As Nitira turned, her teasing words were tinged with a hint of sadness.
“This is also the first site of my father’s disappearance. At that time, he was handling official duties in the study but did not come out or send for anyone for more than half a day. When the guards found it strange and entered to check, he had…”
“Vanished from a completely sealed room? If it weren’t for spatial magic, that would indeed be quite interesting.”
Nodding slightly in understanding, the priestess observed her surroundings in the spacious and elegantly designed room. Miss Le Qiao Qiao and Hong Yan, who accompanied her, were also curiously inspecting their surroundings, trying to find any possible clues.
Although this room has been vacant, it remains clean and tidy, indicating that it is regularly maintained by someone. This point is not too helpful for the investigation since the previous Merman King has been missing for five whole years.
The architectural style of the Mermen is quite similar to that of humans, given that this race, when not submerged in water, looks almost indistinguishable from humans. This similarity is also reflected in King Willipol’s bedroom layout.
The desk meant to hold numerous books and documents has little left due to the absence of its owner, but a display cabinet filled with valuable collections has not been cleaned out, keeping the room in relative harmony.
This side is the study, while the area separated by sheer curtains is supposed to be the resting quarters.
Having seen a queen’s palace before, Vilyric felt this place could only be described as simple and modest compared to that; if there was anything peculiar, it might just be the enormous circular water basin in the center of the room.
“Your Highness, what is this thing used for?”
“Just call me by my name…”
With a hint of dissatisfaction, Nitira softly explained.
“This is just an ordinary water basin. Although we Mermen can and often do live on land, we still feel uncomfortable if we don’t have water for an extended period, which is why the royal court is built deep within the ocean.”
“And my father, as the leader of the Mingjiao tribe and the entire Merman community, is usually very busy with official duties and doesn’t have enough time to go down to the island lake or the ocean like ordinary tribesmen, so he had a pool constructed where he spends most of his time.”
“So, it’s live water…?”
Seeing the priestess deep in thought, the little princess seemed to have realized something and quickly added.
“Ah, although this pool does indeed draw live water from the island, it is said that the outlet below is very narrow and compact. Even the smallest sea fish can’t get through, let alone a tall male Merman like my father; so he absolutely couldn’t have exited from here, I can guarantee that.”
“I see~”
Nodding uncertainly, the priestess looked towards the two sisters who seemed to be tagging along.
“What do you think?”
“Um, this place… feels quite luxurious?”
Hong Yan instinctively gave a rather bland comment before immediately falling into an awkward silence. It made sense; asking her to swing a sword or battle a strong enemy is one thing, but engaging in mysterious investigations and tracing back origins is really not suited for a swordswoman with a straightforward personality.
However, Miss Vilyric was slightly surprised as the other Miss Thief seemed to have discovered something and actively approached the edge of the gigantic water basin, crouching down to explore carefully.
Even her expression gradually took on a contemplative air.
“Boss, this pool… hides some mechanisms.”
“Eh?”
Nitira was slightly taken aback, shaking her head immediately at the inquisitive gaze thrown her way by the black-haired girl.
“That’s impossible. I’ve never heard of anything being hidden in my father’s pool. When he first went missing, I was one of the investigators of the case. At that time, the water in this pool had already been drained, and we’d carefully checked both inside and out, finding nothing unusual.”
Hearing this, Vilyric instead sensed some obvious clues.
“Checked? Who built this pool? Was it not the Mermen craftsmen?”
“Well… I’m not sure about that. I’m nineteen this year and the youngest child of the current royal family. Since I can remember, this pool in my father’s bedroom has always existed.”
“But a few years back, when investigating the cause of my father’s disappearance, I did hear my mother mention that they seemed to have specially invited someone from outside the Emerald Sea for this, but it was something my father handled himself, so we can’t find that person anymore. We can only check its structure ourselves.”
“I see, I wonder why they would specifically invite someone from outside the Emerald Sea to do the work…”
Thinking quietly to herself, the priestess again looked over at the Miss Thief who was still tapping and probing around the pool, seemingly doing who knows what.
“How’s it going on your end?”
“Almost there, almost there! I’ve found the mechanism, but I still need some time to figure out how to activate it. Boss, don’t rush me! I have to say, this thing is really cleverly designed!”