Thinking of the two hostile gods, Shade lifted his gaze from the paper in his hand and said to Tifa, the maid:
"I happen to have a Fishing Rod relic."
"Such a coincidence?"
The Black-Haired Maid asked, then revealed a serene, relaxed smile.
"You really are lucky. However, aside from this information, there is one more thing that cannot be written down and can only be told to you orally."
"Please, go ahead."
Shade looked at her curiously.
"You probably know that Mermaids and Fishmen are not the same species. Yet in the Shadow over Coldwater Port incident, the Mermaid Statue and Mermaid's Dream became part of the Sea Burial ritual."
Shade froze for a moment before realizing the issue.
"Why was that?"
"Fishmen are Evil God's Kin, while Mermaids are a free race of the ocean. In more ancient times, the two fought a brutal war that ended in the Fishmen's victory. They usurped the Mermaids' power and even stole the history of the Mermaid race to strengthen themselves."
Miss Tifa Servit spoke very slowly, leaving Shade plenty of room to think.
"So Fishmen and true Mermaids are actually mortal enemies. But why tell me this specifically?"
The Black-Haired Maid smiled.
Her brows were slender, and her eyes seemed large. Her milk-white skin left not the slightest flaw visible on her face. Black hair covered her forehead and brushed past her fine brows. With her head tilted and a smile on her face, she even seemed a little playful.
"Miss believes this may be useful to you. But this information is not permitted to be shared outside the Council, so I can only tell you verbally."
Shade nodded, committing both her smile and that information to memory.
The maid continued.
"Besides that, Miss also asked me to pass on