Chapter 26 - The Vanished Mermaid (Part 19)

“Second time… meeting?”

“Artel” looked at the doll with confusion.

The doll bent slightly, his gaze fixed on “Artel’s” eyes. “Didn’t we exchange glances in front of the water tank yesterday?”

“Artel” stared at him for a moment. “You can recognize someone just by their eye?”

“Why not?” The doll straightened up. “Eyes are the best way to identify someone.”

“Yesterday, in front of the water tank, you were growing on the arm of that man confessing his love to the mermaid, mimicking her innocent gaze.”

“Impressive.” The blue eyes possessing Artel clapped, then reached out to pinch the blade the magician had poised against his neck. “I mean no harm. Could you put this away first?”

The magician tilted his head slightly, as if glancing at the doll. He said, “You can control me. You decide.”

The doll raised his hand and manipulated the magician to move the blade away.

The blue eyes smiled. “No wonder you’re such a likable child.”

The doll’s eyebrows flicked upward for a moment-this comment was likely due to his preset characteristics.

The blue eyes sat down casually, touching his face as he looked up at the doll. “How long has this guy been with you?”

The doll replied bluntly, “You’re wondering if I’ve met Idia?”

The blue eyes squinted with amusement. “Kid, being too smart isn’t always a good thing.”

Luo Yiran chuckled. “Sometimes, I don’t enjoy playing games with people.”

The blue eyes paused. “A sharp tongue won’t make you likable.”

“That’s fine.” Luo Yiran’s smile faded as he said, “I have met Idia.”

“…You’ve met him and you’re still alive? He despises humans more than anything.” The blue eyes widened, then glanced back at the black cloaked men standing by the door. “You all, go outside. Make sure those disgusting creatures don’t come in.”

The black cloaked men obeyed without hesitation, turning and leaving.

Luo Yiran understood that the “disgusting creatures” the blue eyes referred to were likely the mermaid monsters. Half-jokingly, he said, “So I’m barely hanging on… But don’t you dislike humans?”

The blue eyes froze, turning his gaze back to the doll. “Are you trying to bait me?”

The doll offered a small smile. “Would you be willing to tell me?”

The blue eyes’ expression turned enigmatic, like a god looking down at a playful child in the mortal realm-or perhaps, as he claimed, he simply saw Luo Yiran as a charming little trinket unworthy of serious attention.

“I can tell you, sure. A cute child’s request isn’t hard to grant.”

“Because I’ve already killed the person I hated most.” The blue eyes blinked, his seated posture with legs neatly folded giving him an air of decorum. “Now, I only want to kill Idia because he took something that belonged to me.”

“What did he take?” Luo Yiran asked quickly, though without urgency. If the person he was speaking to was unguarded, they might naturally reveal the answer.

The blue eyes stared into Luo Yiran’s pupils. “He took something from me and became a mermaid. What do you think it was?”

Luo Yiran smiled, unafraid to meet the blue eyes’ gaze. Instead, his eyes began to study the blue eyes’ features. “Do you still want that thing back?”

The blue eyes frowned slightly. Luo Yiran’s gaze wasn’t sharp, even gentle, but sensitive people would find it unsettling-a feeling of being scrutinized. Yet the blue eyes still answered, “I don’t want it back.”

Luo Yiran responded swiftly, “Is it that you don’t want it, or you can’t get it back?”

The blue eyes froze, his expression shifting to a sly smile as he looked at Luo Yiran.

“Mr. ‘I am the real mermaid,'” Luo Yiran said softly. “Why not tell me? Let’s just go through the motions.”

“…I can’t get it back,” the blue eyes admitted, then broke into a wide grin. “Little doll, you’re truly interesting.”

“And so are you.” The doll casually picked up a small rose nearby, extending his arm to offer it to the blue eyes. “Idia has a bad temper and a clear intent to kill me.”

“Compared to him, you’re quite the gentleman.”

It was as if the doll were an exceptional employee surrounded by people who either liked or disliked him. These two “mermaids” had opposite initial impressions of him.

The “gentleman” blue eyes stood up to accept the rose. As he took it, he glanced at the blood-stained bandaged man standing nearby. “Your puppet doesn’t seem to like me.”

He spoke lightly, but the magician’s feelings were far from mere dislike-he harbored outright murderous intent toward the blue eyes.

“Ah, don’t mind him.” The doll tilted his head. “He’s just eager for a reward.”

The blue eyes looked down at the rose, which was no larger than his fingernail, and understood.

So, in front of the magician, he casually tucked the rose into his hair. Then he said to the doll, “Thank you for the gift. As a return favor, why not come to my side? I’ll protect you.”

“Is that so?” The doll turned slightly, revealing the pearl on his earlobe.

The blue eyes’ expression stiffened, a flash of displeasure crossing his face. “Idia still likes using this method to manipulate people. Does he find those disgusting creatures pleasing?”

The doll simply smiled without responding.

The blue eyes stared at the doll, extending his hand. “Come here, child. I have a way to free you from the pearl’s influence.”

The doll hesitated visibly.

“I really like you. I won’t hurt you,” the blue eyes assured him.

The doll’s eyes widened, his hesitation deepening.

The magician couldn’t help but smirk.

“Idia’s pearl will keep you agitated and constantly tempt you, until it turns you into one of those disgusting creatures,” the blue eyes continued.

The doll blinked, then extended his hand toward the blue eyes. “Alright-”

As soon as the doll spoke, he felt an odd sense of trust emanating from the blue eyes’ gaze.

And in the next moment, he fell off the cabinet.

Simultaneously, the magician regained control of his body.

The moment he could move, the magician’s first action was to step forward and catch the falling doll.

The blue eyes watched as the doll sat up in the magician’s hands, his beautiful red eyes filled with love, gazing deeply at the blue eyes.

The magician remained silent, shifting his grip to lift the doll by the back of his collar. “Ungrateful little thing.”

The doll paid no attention, continuing to stare at the blue eyes as if entirely devoted to him.

“Magician, you really do seem fond of him,” the blue eyes remarked, standing up.

The magician smiled and swiftly plucked the rose from the blue eyes’ hair. “Of course I like him.”

“I wish the young master would stay by my side every day,” the magician said passionately. “But unfortunately, the young master only appears at night, except when he’s out playing.”

Out playing?

The blue eyes frowned. “You mean visiting instances…”

[Warning! Warning! Subsequent speech detected as potentially violating protocol. Please cease… Please cease…]

The blue eyes froze, his gaze snapping to the doll in the magician’s grasp. “You weren’t bewitched!”

If it were merely about informing the magician, the system wouldn’t have issued a warning for violating protocol.

The doll finally blinked, the admiration in his eyes receding like a tide. He glanced at the magician, then manipulated him to place himself on the magician’s hat. “Puppet, you caught on too quickly.”

And rather tactlessly led the blue eyes to expose him.

The blue eyes wasn’t angry; instead, he clicked his tongue in amazement. “Why weren’t you bewitched? Our mermaid charm is rarely resisted.”

The doll looked down at the magician’s hat brim. “Someone once told me not to be tempted by beauty.”

“That’s not exactly what I said,” the magician retorted.

The doll ignored him, jokingly adding, “But I couldn’t become your follower anyway, because I’m just a doll. Dolls don’t have feelings.”

The magician froze, letting out a cold laugh. This time, the doll didn’t understand his reaction.

The doll’s words had been casual. While his body deprived him of many human functions, “feelings” were not among them.

“Alright,” the blue eyes said, unfazed. “Since you can’t be my follower, I’m afraid I can’t help you with the pearl’s influence either.”

“That’s okay,” the doll replied with a smile. “If it means losing myself, then forget it.”

The blue eyes shrugged.

The doll lowered his gaze to his palm-half-jokingly, he truly couldn’t give his whole heart to love or admire anyone.

Still.

“Let me give you a gift,” the doll said to the blue eyes with a smile. “For trying to help me.”

The word “gift” instantly reminded the magician of Fairy Tale Forest, and he hissed, “The young master’s gifts are always thrilling.”

The blue eyes, unaware of the magician’s experience with the doll’s gifts, was intrigued. It was the first time a player had offered him a gift, and out of curiosity and confidence in his own strength, he agreed. “Alright.”

The doll beamed. “Then stand right there and don’t move.”

The blue eyes grew even more curious, obediently staying put. He even said, “It’s been a long time since someone has piqued my interest like this. As a return favor, if you want to take revenge on Idia, we can…”

“First, accept my gift,” Luo Yiran interrupted, casually fabricating, “In my hometown, when we make good friends, we celebrate with fireworks. There are no fireworks here, but I’ve prepared something even better for you.”

The blue eyes’ expression revealed a hint of anticipation.

Luo Yiran manipulated the magician to pull out a deck of cards, casually fanning them out. The cards ignited. “Something with even more impact than fireworks.”

The blue eyes tilted his head with a smile.

Luo Yiran raised his hand, and the magician threw the cards like knives.

The flames nearly extinguished mid-air but persisted, ultimately reaching their target.

In an instant, faint crackling sounds filled the air, followed by the first “firework” exploding at the doorway.

Then, one by one, the other “fireworks” detonated.

“Handcrafted by me. I hope you like it,” the doll said.

After all, finding explosives with this level of power in the lower class area during the day wasn’t easy. Since the mermaid monsters wouldn’t enter, he might as well use some of them.

Amid the explosions, the doll asked, “Do you like it?”

“I do.” The blue eyes, his clothes now tattered, appeared behind him, smiling broadly. “It looks beautiful.”

The doll was unsurprised; he knew the blue eyes wouldn’t die so easily. Blowing him up was partly to avoid wasting the explosives and partly to retaliate for the blue eyes’ earlier attempt to enchant him.

“You are so interesting. From the moment I saw you yesterday, I knew you’d be fascinating,” the blue eyes said with a smile. Then he seemed to remember something. “Oh, by the way, because I found you so intriguing, I saved someone on the street last night. He seemed very close to you.”

The doll’s smile faded-last night, saved, close.

Those three keywords could only point to one person: Xia Lang.

“Want to cooperate?” This time, the blue eyes grinned brightly. “Consider it my ‘sincerity.'”

It felt less like sincerity and more like a threat.

The doll disliked being threatened, so he opened his mouth to say something, but before he could utter a word, the game’s electronic voice suddenly echoed in every player’s ear.

[System Notification]

[Due to player Luo Yiran triggering “cooperation,” all players must choose a faction to join. Remember, once you join a faction, your objectives will align with theirs.]

[1: Water City.

2: Idia.

3: Blue Eyes.]

[Note: Faction names reflect the player’s understanding. If unclear, they will appear as “mosaic.”]

[Please choose carefully.]

As the system voice faded, the doll lowered his gaze-Blue Eyes’ goal was Idia, Idia’s goal was Water City, and Water City’s goal was survival.

But his mission was-

To survive for five days.