When Li Jia woke up, she heard how the story had ended and could not help marveling over it.
"So true love isn't just romantic love between men and women."
"Family affection and friendship are both love. People's understanding of love is still too narrow."
"The one who kisses the mermaid isn't necessarily a prince. It could also be her witch sister."
"..."
Li Jia rambled on at length, and Hera beckoned her over to the table for breakfast.
It was her favorite curry mashed potatoes and Greek omelet.
Seeing that her boss was not eating, Li Jia tucked in on her own.
She stole a glance at Hera.
Her boss was calmly admiring the scenery outside the window. The sea breeze lifted the ends of her dazzling golden hair.
Once again, Li Jia muttered inwardly, What an enchantress. An absolute enchantress.
Even the food tasted better. A feast for the eyes really could whet the appetite.
Once Li Jia had eaten and drunk her fill, Hera pinched the soft flesh beneath her arm. That spot felt the best.
Li Jia could not be bothered to resist and let her do as she pleased. Who did not have a little quirk or two?
"Now that the fate card is taken care of, when are we going home?"
Li Jia was getting sleepy again. She began to miss Hot Spring Ravine, Winslow, Doreen, and her big bed and blanket in the Deep Hall.
"In a few days. To thank us, Qili invited us to visit the Deep-Sea Wave Capital. Don't you want to go?"
The word "home" made Hera's brow twitch slightly, and the tenderness in her eyes could not be concealed.
She had said she wanted to go home.
Their home.
"Yes!"
The moment Li Jia heard about a trip that interested her, even the worst of her sleepiness vanished.
The Deep-Sea Wave Capital lay deep in the center of the Nastya Strait. The entire sea city had been built along an enormous underwater canyon. Between its buildings, phosphorescent algae surged in the undercurrents, bathing the whole city in light like a glowing city of dreams.
Qili was a mermaid, Elia was a witch, and Hera was a deity. Only Li Jia was mortal, so Qili gave her two water-repelling pearls. Each pearl would allow her to move freely underwater for three days.
Li Jia swallowed one of the water-repelling pearls. The pale blue pearl simply melted in her mouth, colorless and tasteless. She felt that the tip of her nose had gained the same ability to expel water as a fish's fins.
Hera held her hand as they followed Qili into the Deep-Sea Wave Capital.
It was a little like an underwater world. Li Jia hardly knew where to look. The merfolk's buildings blended seamlessly with nature.
Palaces, towns, and streets were all built from translucent coral skeletons, shell fragments, and blue crystal ore unique to the deep sea. The buildings' outlines flowed like swaying fish tails, their domes and archways forming elegant curves. They could also withstand the tremendous pressure of the deep sea, making them both beautiful and practical.
Li Jia's gaze was drawn to the ring of light above the palace at the very center of the Wave Capital. It looked like an opening that released light. Seeing her curiosity, Qili explained, "That's the Light Vortex, the source of light for the entire Wave Capital. It's been there since I was born. That's an underwater hydrothermal vent."
"What would happen if it stopped shining?" Li Jia asked.
"It won't stop shining. This is the light that illuminates the entire Wave Capital. If it went out, the whole Wave Capital would fall into darkness, panic, and unrest. Without the Light Vortex, the children of the Wave Capital would stop growing."
"Before our ancestors died, they sacrificed their bodies. There's an endless supply of merfolk candle wicks at the center of the Light Vortex, sheltering us," Qili said with a smile. Her eyes filled with admiration when she mentioned their ancestors.
Li Jia nodded, but soon her attention was drawn to the other creatures in the Wave Capital.
Beside her, giant sea anemones spread out like umbrella canopies, colorful little fish sheltering among their tentacles. Spiraled conch shells and seashells were stacked into uneven paving slabs, with the occasional family of octopuses lying among them and playing dead.
It was all so interesting. Li Jia reached out to touch them, and they did not get angry. Most even interacted with her, responding to her touch.
There were also sea creatures that grew angry out of embarrassment or became shy. Most were not particularly aggressive. Those unwilling to be touched simply fled and disappeared.
The town's streets were a playground for little merfolk. They chased schools of swimming fluorescent fish, their laughter turning into strings of bubbles, adorable and childlike.
Dolphins were natural messengers, and sea turtles carried goods through the streets. Even fierce sharks had been tamed, becoming a "living city wall" that guarded the Wave Capital.
The residents of the Deep-Sea Wave Capital lived in harmony with the sea creatures, each protecting the other.
"This is how people and animals should be."
Li Jia tugged Hera's hand and pointed at the clownfish swimming around them.
"Humans possess subjective agency and complex thinking abilities. They can actively transform the world and create systematic civilizations, while animals cannot." Hera squeezed the back of her hand and said seriously, "You're just like it."
By "it," Hera meant the clownfish.
Li Jia was a little angry. Was that not calling her all brawn and no brains? Still, she knew Hera meant no harm. She simply liked teasing her.
Then she would give her a taste of her own medicine.
Why could she not tease Hera too? A mischievous impulse came over her.
Li Jia thought for a few seconds, then pulled her hand out of Hera's palm. "Yes, I'm just like it. If Your Majesty is dissatisfied again, you can replace me as your attendant disciple and find someone clever to do it."
She was not talking back or getting huffy with her as she usually did.
Hera suddenly fell silent. Was she really angry?
Then what should I say? What should I do?
The two stood together, looking at each other without a word.
A little more time passed.
Li Jia was the first to start feeling awkward. Why was she making a fuss over someone so childish for no reason?
Was she really expecting a lofty deity to apologize to her?
Imagining Hera meekly lowering her gaze and apologizing, Li Jia burst out laughing. No, she could not picture it.
How could an untouchable beauty willingly become her dog?
It was far too absurd. The more she thought about it, the funnier it became.
Her laughter interrupted the words Hera had been turning over in her mind several times, and her soothing gesture paused. "Why are you laughing?"
She should be angry right now. How could she laugh when she was angry? Was she ill?
Seeing the woman's tightly furrowed brows, Li Jia knew she was overthinking again.
Li Jia said, "Because I think Your Majesty is very moe."
"Moe?"
What did moe mean? She was always saying words she could not understand.
"Moe means cute. I think Your Majesty is very moe."
Li Jia's mood instantly lifted. She had said she was not illiterate. She, too, had things she knew that Hera did not, things she could teach her.
"Then you're very moe too."
Hera stroked the soft flesh beneath her arm again. It had become something like a secret signal between them: she touched it when she was in a good mood, and when she was in a bad mood too.
Li Jia felt that an ungrown child must live inside her boss's heart. It was only the pressure of her divine office that had forced her to become an adult who rigidly adhered to convention.