Section Four: The Mermaid Princess with Stockholm Syndrome (Part Two)

“But if we don’t let her go, are we supposed to kill her or keep her locked up forever? That would be even worse. The Feshians are still tailing us—do you all want them to follow us all the way to Victoria, or even to Herdasyn?” Anderson felt himself on the verge of madness.

Kaplan stepped in to put an end to the argument, fixing his gaze on Wei Wuyi. “Enough. Let’s hear what Wei has to say. Since you managed to lock her up in here, I’m sure you have a way to resolve this.”

Wei Wuyi mounted the companionway, heading up to the deck. “I told you already, there’s nothing to worry about. They’ll keep their word. And if they don’t, I’ll make sure they do.”

The quarrel ended there. Capturing the mermaid princess had indeed brought endless trouble, but it was still better than being tossed to the sea bats by the Feshians one by one, or driven onto some deserted island. Anderson and Fulton each outdid the other in their worries, but at this point, all they could do was trust this man from Huaguo whom Amango had fished from the sea.

Back when they’d saved him, who could have known they’d pulled ashore someone so impossible to tell whether he would bring fortune or disaster?

The rain poured down, accompanied by thunder and lightning. It was the fourth day since the mermaid princess had been forcibly brought aboard the Celeste.

Inside the tiny cabin, the mermaid princess grew delighted. The Siren clan, blessed with an affinity for water, found their magic greatly enhanced in such weather. The water in her basin transformed into a wild array of weapons, lashing out in every direction. Yet the ward Wei Wuyi had placed on the cabin was even more formidable. After exhausting herself for quite some time, the princess had not managed to pry open even a crack. Dejected, she slumped back into the basin, staring blankly—her efforts had been completely in vain.

At times like these, she began to long for Wei Wuyi’s arrival. Captain Kaplan had forbidden anyone but Wei Wuyi from approaching the cabin, though even if someone tried, it would be fruitless. Since the incident with Leia, Wei Wuyi had removed the ward he once placed on the princess herself, to avoid repeating past mistakes, but he had reinforced the ward on the cabin instead.

As a result, only Wei Wuyi could enter to bring the princess her meals. At first, the little mermaid stubbornly refused to speak, and when she did, it was only to call him a liar.

But after three days of this, she couldn’t bear it any longer. Never had she been a prisoner before. In the sea, there was always someone to talk to, to bring her amusing gifts—conch shells that could carry voices far, chairs made of beautiful shells, headpieces fashioned from tortoiseshell, pearls and gems of every color. Never had she been so utterly alone.

Thus, on the third day, when Wei Wuyi entered with her food, the mermaid princess, famished beyond endurance, finally gave in—she obediently ate the fish he brought, even going so far as to request clams, her favorite, for the next meal. To her surprise, her brazen request was not refused; Wei Wuyi agreed cheerfully, and as a reward, took her little hand and led her for a stroll on deck.

It was only later that the little mermaid realized this was Wei Wuyi’s way of proving to Pompey behind them that she was alive and well. When she saw the open sea, she nearly threw herself overboard to escape, but strangely, her fear of Wei Wuyi had grown to a point even she could not fathom. The water was only a few meters away, yet she could not muster the courage to break free from the hand holding hers. Instead, she allowed herself to be led back to the cabin without protest.

“You’re clever, not trying to escape,” was the praise she received. The icy chill from his words left her with no sense of happiness.

Right on time, the cabin door opened. The little mermaid lifted the basket and found inside several varieties of her favorite shellfish. Overjoyed, she eagerly picked one out and began to savor it.

“How did you manage to catch these oysters?” she asked, curiosity piqued. The seven-star oyster usually stayed on the sea floor—humans couldn’t possibly dive that deep, and the Celeste was still speeding forward, only slowing at night. Perhaps only Wei Wuyi had the ability to dive so deep and fetch them for her. All at once, her heart began to race and her cheeks flushed.

Could it be… did he really dive down yesterday just to fetch oysters for me because I said I wanted them?

For reasons unknown, the mermaid princess suddenly found Wei Wuyi not quite so detestable, perhaps even pleasing to the eye.

“They were brought by your great commander,” Wei Wuyi replied, dashing all her hopes in an instant.

Oysters, which she’d always loved, suddenly tasted bland. It might prove Pompey’s loyalty, but it was not the answer she most wished to hear.

She put her food aside, her happy expression replaced by gloom. Wei Wuyi was left puzzled, and after a moment’s thought, assumed she simply wanted to leave. “There’s no need to be impatient. I’ve been using the Wind-riding Technique to change the wind’s direction. As long as there’s wind, I can harness it. We’ll reach Victoria Harbor within a day or two. By the way, what should I call you?”

“Helen,” the mermaid princess answered, not at all happily.

“My name is Wei Wuyi. According to Western custom, you can just call me Wei,” he said, sitting cross-legged and pulling out a bottle of liquor. He uncapped it and took a swig, filling the cabin with the aroma of spirits.

“What’s that?” Helen asked, distracted by the unfamiliar scent. She sniffed it, and the strange aroma seemed to lift her spirits, making her less glum than before.

“Liquor. It’s a fine thing. The sailors drink it—they fight, they hoist sails, and work even harder than usual,” Wei Wuyi said with a grin.

“Really?” Helen’s first thought was that if she drank it, maybe she could finally defeat this loathsome man before her. But she quickly dismissed such a fanciful idea—he had already drunk several mouthfuls.

“I want some, too.” Helen, emboldened, snatched the bottle and took a swig. The sharp, burning taste made her eyes water. Now she only felt, once again, that Wei Wuyi had tricked her.

“I forgot to mention, I don’t like women drinking,” Wei Wuyi mocked her. “For men, liquor is something that excites and rouses them. For women, it’s just an excuse for anesthesia and self-indulgence.”

Helen’s eyes widened, letting his biased, irresponsible words take root in her mind. She resolved on the spot never to drink again—there was nothing good about it.

Thus they spoke together, until Wei Wuyi had finished the entire bottle.

Late that night, Helen lay sleepless, realizing that things weren’t so terrible after all. Talking with Wei Wuyi, hearing about the customs and landscapes of Huaguo, about his hardships in cultivation, everything opened her eyes to new worlds. Compared to having Pompey shadowing her at all times, and being confined to a handful of sea territories dictated by her father, this was far more interesting. The only bad part was being trapped in this tiny cabin; whenever she thought of it, all her goodwill toward Wei Wuyi vanished, and she would loudly curse him as a liar—her feelings for him swinging wildly between love and hate.