The Entire Demon World is Fighting for My Favor: A Shura Field 35

Chapter 35

The “Song of the Sea God” allowed Lin Ran to walk effortlessly through the beautiful, underwater world. His exhaled breaths formed bubbles, which Snowball, curious, batted at with its paw before retreating back into Lin Ran’s arms with a soft “mew.”

Lin Ran chuckled, petting Snowball, and followed Ossi to an underwater structure.

“Ah…!” Ossi led him to a coral and rock formation.

“Is this your bedroom, Ossi?” Lin Ran asked, thinking he had successfully returned the merchild home.

But Ossi shook his head, examining a magic circle on the rock. He pricked his finger, and a drop of blue blood activated the circle, the ground shaking. Lin Ran, thinking it was an earthquake, grabbed Ossi and tried to escape, but the rock opened, revealing a treasure trove of pearls, corals, and volcanic gems, a merfolk’s dream.

“Is this your brother’s vault?” Lin Ran asked, remembering Ossi’s actions. If so, they should leave before Atylanthos returned. He had never considered encouraging his cubs to steal. Wouldn’t that make him a bad parent?

“Ah—!” Ossi, however, dove into the treasure, tossing pearls and gems around.

“Ossi, stop that! Come back!” Lin Ran tried to put them back, then picked up Ossi, who was now holding a handful of pearls, offering them to Lin Ran.

But Ossi, seeing Lin Ran chuckle, looked puzzled.

“Ah?” He had unknowingly adorned himself with necklaces and bracelets, like a child playing dress-up with their mother’s jewelry.

“Our Ossi is wearing jewelry now,” Lin Ran said, removing a pearl necklace from his hair, and Ossi, blushing, snuggled against him.

“Mew…!” Snowball, however, wrapped its tail around Lin Ran’s waist, not giving up its spot. Ossi’s tail also brushed against him. Lin Ran felt like a Christmas tree decorated with clingy cubs.

“No fighting! Whoever fights has to get down…” He grabbed their tails. Snowball’s fluffy tail felt amazing. An Xun, his tail held, froze.

“Ah—!” Ossi had never had his tail touched before. Despite his innocent appearance, his lineage and his brother’s status gave him a certain power. Even the ancient sea turtles yielded to him. But he preferred playing with A-Ran.

Lin Ran didn’t know that touching a merman’s tail was taboo. Their powerful tails could stun even large sea creatures, and their scales were sharp as blades.

“Ah…” But Ossi, his tail held by A-Ran, retracted his scales, worried about hurting him.

“Your tail is so pretty,” Lin Ran said, admiring the iridescent scales. He hadn’t seen other merfolk, but he assumed Ossi and Atylanthos were among the most beautiful.

Ossi, flattered, looked at his tail. He had always been self-conscious about its pale blue color, unlike his brother’s cool dark blue. But if A-Ran thought it was pretty, maybe it was.

[Beep—Cub affection +10, current affection: 50. Hidden affection. Reward unknown.] Lin Ran was surprised. Ossi had an affection system too? And he hadn’t even spent any coins on him. This game was too generous.

“What are you doing?” Atylanthos’s voice suddenly asked. He had logged in, found the conch shell missing, and used his magic to search the ocean, finding Ossi and the human in his clan’s territory! He didn’t know what to say. If not for the conch and the pearl, they wouldn’t be here. But their combined gifts had allowed a human to enter their sacred domain!

Seeing the scene before him, however, he forgot everything else and grabbed Lin Ran’s wrist.

“Ooh…!” Lin Ran winced, but didn’t protest. Atylanthos’s worry was understandable.

“Ossi’s tail is dangerous! You could lose your arm!” Atylanthos said, pulling Lin Ran away from Ossi.

Ossi’s tail was dangerous? Atylanthos was worried about him? Lin Ran stared at him, surprised.

“Mew—!!” An Xun, seeing Lin Ran wince, lunged at Atylanthos, baring its fangs, its fur bristling. He wished Sootball was here to protect A-Ran. He didn’t even notice the faint magical fluctuation around him.

Atylanthos, startled, released Lin Ran’s wrist, realizing he had hurt him in his panic. He wanted to apologize but couldn’t bring himself to.

“But Ossi didn’t react,” Lin Ran said, looking at Ossi, who was also clinging to him, seemingly more scared by Atylanthos’s reaction.

“…?” Atylanthos looked at his brother questioningly.

Ossi, oblivious, just nuzzled Lin Ran’s hand with his tail, as if reassuring him. Lin Ran wondered who was telling the truth.

Atylanthos, feeling his brother’s defiance, felt a mix of exasperation and amusement.

“Two years ago, a giant sea beast attacked Ossi,” he said, deciding to warn Lin Ran.

“And?” Lin Ran asked, seeing Ossi suddenly quiet.

“Ossi’s tail ripped open its belly. The beast’s bones, larger than a human fleet, littered the seabed. It became fish food,” Atylanthos said. “Ossi becomes… different when threatened. But he forgets everything afterwards and becomes very weak. So, we’re both monsters. You should stay away from us,” he said, crossing his arms, his gaze fixed on a nearby coral. “Like your wrist. I’ll get you some medicine… And I apologize for hurting you,” he added, then quickly swam away.

“Ah…!” Ossi, however, started crying, realizing his brother was telling A-Ran to stay away. His tail wasn’t that bad!

Lin Ran, watching him, remembered Atylanthos’s words. This sweet little merchild had a completely different side?

As he pondered, a pearl fell into his hand. He looked up; Ossi was crying, tears streaming down his face.

“Don’t cry, Ossi. What’s wrong?” He hugged the crying merchild, his heart melting. He was still just a baby. Even if he was a “monster,” he still liked him.

An Xun, pawing at the pearl in the water, thought Ossi was being manipulative. A-Ran was so soft-hearted; he wouldn’t be able to resist the tears. Even in a movie, this was perfect timing.

A few minutes later, Lin Ran watched as Atylanthos clumsily tried to apply medicine to his wrist, realizing the merman had probably never taken care of anyone before.

“Ahem, I can do it myself… Why don’t you go comfort Ossi?” he said, subtly pulling his wrist back.

Atylanthos, realizing he was being rejected, blushed, offended. He had lowered himself to treat a human!

They avoided the previous topic, not wanting to upset Ossi, who was now dozing in his brother’s arms. Atylanthos was still surprised by his brother’s tears.

“So, you came here because Ossi brought you?” he asked.

“I brought him back. But I also wanted to ask for your help,” Lin Ran said, then explained Snowball’s situation, asking if they could hear a mermaid’s song.

“I don’t sing!” Atylanthos exclaimed, as if offended. Adult merfolk only sang during courtship!

“Oh… Sorry, was that too much to ask?” Lin Ran asked, thinking it was a rare and precious thing.

“But if you want to hear it, there’s a place…” Atylanthos said, realizing Lin Ran’s misunderstanding, and offered to take them there.

“Now?”

“Yes, the sooner the better. A mermaid’s song can stimulate hearing. It has a unique frequency and magical properties,” he explained as they swam.

Lin Ran, hopeful, followed, then stared in wonder at the beautiful cove. A merman sat on a rock, looking out at the sea, seemingly oblivious to their presence.

“This is my grandmother, Aurora,” Atylanthos said.

His grandmother? Lin Ran was about to greet her when Atylanthos stopped him.

“Don’t bother. She can’t hear anymore. She’s a pure mermaid now. She’ll be leaving soon.”

“A pure mermaid?” Lin Ran didn’t understand.

Even with age, the merman’s elegance was evident.

“She’ll sing soon. A lullaby. It’s rare. She sings it every day. I sometimes bring Ossi to visit her,” Atylanthos said, cleaning a rock with his magic and offering it to Lin Ran. “Though she doesn’t recognize us anymore.”

Lin Ran wondered if it was like Alzheimer’s, but it seemed different. Was she singing a lullaby for her lost children? He had never met Atylanthos’s parents. But he wouldn’t pry; everyone had their secrets. He was already surprised Atylanthos had brought them to meet his grandmother.

As the moon rose, the cove became quiet and serene, the moonlight shimmering on the water.

As Lin Ran looked at the merman’s silhouette, a gentle, enchanting song filled the air.

An Xun, dozing in his arms, perked up, his ears twitching. He could hear it. His injured ear, as if suddenly given a hearing aid, could faintly perceive the lullaby’s gentle magic. He listened intently, captivated, along with Lin Ran, the stars appearing in the night sky.

Even the waves seemed to soften, keeping time with the music.

Atylanthos, glancing at the human, also listened. It would be one of the last times. The snow leopard cub was lucky, and the human was persistent. His grandmother was a rare case, a transformed mermaid with no aggression, simply waiting peacefully.

[Beep—”Whispers of the Snow Mountain (1)” complete! Double reward for Rare-level song!]

As the song ended, Lin Ran heard the system notification.

“Mew…” An Xun twitched his ear, sensing a change, then scratched it, and Lin Ran gently stopped him.

“Grandma’s going back into the sea. We should go too,” Atylanthos said, holding his sleeping brother.

Lin Ran, however, wanted to do something for the kind merman, perhaps a gift.

“Is she missing her children?” he asked, sensing a mother’s love in the lullaby.

“Yes, she had two daughters,” Atylanthos said, as they reached the shore.

Lin Ran made a mental note of this.

“If you need to hear her sing again, you can use the pearl,” Atylanthos said, then hesitated. “I won’t be seeing you again.” He had initially approached Lin Ran out of curiosity, wanting to understand the human’s special status. And he had been dismissive of humans. But now, he realized his attitude had been wrong. For the human’s safety, it was best to keep his distance.

“You don’t want to see us again?” Lin Ran asked.

“Yes,” Atylanthos said, thinking the subordinate bond was gone; there was no need for further contact.

“But you’re lying,” Lin Ran said, making Atylanthos freeze.

“If you didn’t want to be friends, why did you give me the conch?” he asked. It was like saying “don’t contact me” while secretly hoping to be contacted. Just like a cub.

Atylanthos: !?

“Those are two different things! You’re too weak! If you’re in danger, you can use the conch. If I’m free, I might help…” he said, flustered.

“Atylanthos, you know, when humans are embarrassed, they talk too much. I don’t know if it’s the same for merfolk,” Lin Ran said, amused, making Atylanthos stop abruptly, even his hand freezing mid-hair-touch. Why had he given him the conch?!

“I’ll see you again, Atylanthos. I’ll prepare a gift for you, Ossi, and your grandmother. Thank you for letting Snowball hear the lullaby. It was beautiful,” Lin Ran said, waving goodbye, not wanting to push him too hard.

“…!?” Atylanthos wanted to refuse, but the mention of a “gift” intrigued him. During the livestream, only the Luna Clan cub had received a gift! Was this a deliberate game mechanic to make merfolk unable to refuse gifts?! Would there be a microtransaction involved? He remembered the exorbitant cost of the livestreaming and auction features. Was “Demon World” targeting his clan’s treasury?

But Ossi, waking up, looked at A-Ran longingly. So, Ossi would get a gift too!

Lin Ran, however, heading home with Snowball, was unaware of the little drama unfolding back at his house.

Sootball, having had a late lesson, logged in later than usual, finding both A-Ran and Snowball gone, their belongings missing. A horrible thought struck him: A-Ran had taken Snowball and abandoned him!

It sat on a log by the door, its eyes fixed on the path, refusing to move even as it started raining, waiting until the moon rose.