"I need to find a way to stop this..."
After pondering for a moment, Mu You entered the Lock Core Space, walked to the lake beneath the cliff, opened a can of Canned Fish Bait, and set it beside the water.
Before long, Mermaid poked her head above the lake, gave Mu You a suspicious look, then swam to shore, took the can, and began eating on her own.
"Come back to the Star Spirit World with me the day after tomorrow..." Mu You said.
Mermaid immediately stopped eating. She hurriedly spat the bait she had just stuffed into her mouth back into the can, set it back on the shore, and plunged into the water.
"Why are you running? I'm not kicking you out." Mu You broke into a sweat.
A few seconds later, half of Mermaid's head resurfaced. She showed a pair of eyes in the middle of the lake, watching Mu You warily, her nose submerged and bubbling away.
"Here's the thing. My ship needs to visit the Evil Spirit Sea next week. You should have heard of it. It's the territory of someone called Octopus King Zubac. I need you to come with me and protect my ship for a few days. If you want to come back after ten days, you can return with me," Mu You said.
After hearing him out, Mermaid frowned and agonized over it for quite a while before suddenly extending her right hand and spreading her fingers.
But then she extended her other hand as well, spreading all ten fingers.
"Ten cans?" Mu You asked.
"Mm!"
Mermaid nodded vigorously, her expression utterly firm. Unless he met this condition, she absolutely would not help.
"I'll give you fifty cans!"
Mu You said "generously," "And if I achieve my goal in the