Jeffrey Rogge stared fixedly at the line drawn on the ground, his heart caught in a fierce conflict. This unprecedented bloodline filled him with fear and unease, yet the power of immortality also tempted him.
"Why had I never heard of such mixed-blood descendants?" Jeffrey Rogge murmured to himself.
"Deep Ones have always been an extremely mysterious race. They built countless cities in the depths of the ocean, far from human sight and contact. They did not wish to be discovered by the outside world, so their existence has always remained a secret," Tierra explained patiently. "And just as I said, their mixed-blood descendants are no different from humans. Perhaps one of your ancestors happened to cross paths with a descendant who had not yet transformed."
Tierra tactfully used the phrase "cross paths."
In truth, everyone knew what had happened. One of his male ancestors had slept with a frog-like monster—or, more likely, one of his female ancestors had been slept with by a frog-like monster.
"So you want..." Jeffrey Rogge had gradually calmed down as well. "You want me to serve as something like a diplomat, to facilitate an alliance between the Deep Ones and wizards?"
"Yes. They are extremely xenophobic and neither trust nor are willing to accept outsiders." Tierra nodded.
"I..." Jeffrey Rogge paused before asking, "Will their immortality definitely change my appearance?"
"It definitely will," Tierra replied firmly.
"Besides that, are there any other side effects or obstacles?" Jeffrey Rogge took a deep breath and asked, "You will continually give off a nauseating fishy stench. Your personality will also change somewhat, becoming more extreme and cruel, and your tastes will gradually lean toward raw food."
"But my thoughts and sanity..." Jeffrey Rogge asked again.
"You will still be yourself. That will not change," Tierra said.
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