Aurora furrowed her brows. Only now did she realize how troublesome the problem was, her face filled with worry.
Was the first major hurdle of this journey really going to be this difficult?
Unlike the gloomy girl, the boy remained perfectly at ease, as though none of the princess's concerns were problems at all.
Rhine knew very well that "mermaids are terrifying and create disasters to attack ships passing through these waters" was merely something recorded in Rose Kingdom documents.
Rose Kingdom was not even a coastal nation. These records concerning the Mermaid Kingdom were, in truth, third- and fourth-hand rumors passed along incorrectly. Most came from exaggerated accounts by sailors who had fallen into the sea in other countries, along with all sorts of unrealistic fantasies!
After carefully studying the documents about the Mermaid Kingdom, Rhine discovered that the so-called evidence of "mermaids creating disasters and attacking passing ships" was actually this: when certain ships passed through these waters, sailors would occasionally see several mermaids floating on the surface at dusk, holding hands and singing melodious songs.
—Their singing was more beautiful than that of any human singer. Yet the lyrics were incomparably terrifying and chilling, seemingly praising the depth and beauty of the seabed.
The songs also seemed to be sung for the sailors, telling them in every line not to fear sinking into the sea and asking them to embrace the beautiful seabed.
Yet to sailors aboard a ship, nothing was more terrifying than the seabed.
If it had only been some frightening songs, that would have been one thing. More terrifyingly, every ship that heard the mermaids' songs, as though cursed, would almost without exception immediately meet with disaster.
Even if the sea had been as calm as a lake, it would fly into a rage the next moment. The sky would suddenly darken, black clouds would cover the heavens, and raging storms would roar, raising waves over ten meters high and swallowing the ship whole. Nearly all the sailors would sink to the bottom of the sea—just as the mermaids' songs had foretold.
A very small number of crew members survived the shipwrecks and told the terrifying tale, calling it "the mermaids' curse."
However, in Rhine's view, the so-called "mermaids' curse" was most likely a misunderstanding! According to The Little Mermaid, whenever a storm was about to arrive, the sisters from the Sea King's Palace liked to link arms and float to the surface, singing beautiful songs before passing ships about how lovely it was beneath the water, praising the beauty of the seabed and the Sea King's Palace. Clearly, other mermaids probably had similar habits.
Obviously, mermaids did not understand just how terrifying the sea they lived in was to humans.
You sing about the beauty of the seabed in front of sailors who fear shipwreck most, and then disaster really does strike. No wonder humans are terrified of you and see you as monsters that bring calamity... Rhine grumbled inwardly.
The next moment, Aurora's question pulled the boy from his thoughts. "So, should we find a guide familiar with the world beneath the sea? The world is so vast—perhaps there's a magician who understands, or has even once reached, the Mermaid Kingdom?"
"There is indeed a guide who understands the Mermaid Kingdom," Rhine said.
"Who?" Aurora perked up her ears curiously.
"The Sage from beyond the world, the Prophet of the Future, the Wizard of Miracles and Wishes. The kingdom's former Court Magician, and the future queen's tutor." Rhine answered with a smile.
You mean yourself? Aurora rolled her eyes, already accustomed to some of her teacher's strange sense of humor.
"Then, esteemed guide, here is the first question. How are we supposed to go down into the sea?" Aurora asked.
Rhine flipped his small hand.
The Tinderbox that had been on Aurora somehow miraculously appeared in his palm.
Scrape, scrape, scrape.
He struck the Tinderbox three times in a row.
With a whoosh, a dog whose eyes were as large as round tower tops—the largest of the Three Dogs—appeared on the beach.
Rhine gently stroked the dog's fur and recited several spells. The dog's body rapidly changed, transforming into a strange, enormous fish.
The great fish resembled the Lantern Fish Rhine had seen in his previous life.
The fish opened its mouth, and Rhine led Aurora into its belly. Then it leaped forward, carrying them beneath the sea.
The fish's belly was transparent, allowing them to see the things in the water. A chandelier-like object hung atop its head and glowed underwater, illuminating the dim seabed.
Aurora raised a second difficulty.
"But, my guide, this sea is boundless. How are we supposed to find the Mermaid Kingdom?"
Rhine smiled again and ordered the great fish:
"Go. Swim to the Mermaid Kingdom."
Rhine did not know exactly where the Mermaid Kingdom lay in the sea, but that did not affect anything.
The great fish was essentially transformed from one of the Tinderbox's dogs, so it naturally possessed miraculous abilities!
Ever since obtaining the Tinderbox, Rhine had conducted dozens of experiments, having the Three Dogs search for all sorts of different things.
No matter how strange the target was, as long as it was within a certain distance, the dogs could always find it. From antiques buried underground to a particular person, the dogs' noses could always smell the target's direction.
No wonder they could find wealth for the soldier—who knows which rich man's treasury they stole from; no wonder they could discover that "the kingdom's princess" was not inside the palace! Rhine thought.
In fairy tales, epics, and folk stories, many wondrous supernatural powers were absolute. Rhine guessed that the dogs summoned by the Tinderbox possessed the trait of "always being able to find their target within a certain distance."
The great fish transformed from the dog received the command, sensed something, and swam in a certain direction.
Before long, the great fish had descended to a seabed covered in white sand.
Before you continue