"Ying, you still intend to enter the city?"
Outside Merfolk City, more than a dozen figures hid among a forest of waterweed that swayed with the current, peering out cautiously. The two Merfolk at their head looked far sturdier than most.
One had lost an eye; the other, an arm.
The one-armed Merfolk spoke in a low voice.
"I have to go in!" Ying said without hesitation.
The one-armed Merfolk sounded anxious. "But the one who sent word is a traitor. He still longs for the old lord!"
"From what we've heard through other channels, he wasn't lying," the one-eyed Ying said firmly. "If something really has changed in the city, and everyone can communicate mind to mind, then once we gain that ability too, we can quickly spread our cause among our people!"
"But he also said they can't make contact outside the old city," the one-armed Merfolk said.
"Even if we can only send thoughts within the city, that's fine. We have to try!" Ying's gaze remained steady. He looked toward the distant city, making plans in his mind.
The one-armed Merfolk hesitated before saying, "You should know that only those who serve the Divine Lord can communicate with others who worship him. We..."
"From the day we were born, we've heard praises of the god. All along the way, who around us hasn't spoken of the Water Lord's majesty? Even after we rebelled and left the city, how many of us truly let go of that longing?"
The one-armed Merfolk fell silent.
Ying sighed. "Our people have served the Divine Lord for generations upon generations. How could we sever that bond so easily? But serving a god is one thing. Forgetting ourselves, our people, and the Merfolk Kingdom entirely—that is another!"
The one-armed Merfolk nodded heavily. "I