Chapter 970: The Secret of the Mermaid’s Tear
“You want to take a look at the Mermaid’s Tear?” Sea Eye Sovereign seemed a little surprised. “I suppose that’s not impossible.”
As a “Collector,” and one famous throughout the Sea Demon Kingdom and even Pure Abyss, he was more than happy to show off his collection.
So although he was curious about why the human before him had suddenly made this request, Sea Eye Sovereign did not refuse.
He turned and stood up, then moved along the narrow walkway until he reached a display case with pinpoint accuracy. He opened the third compartment. Though the cases here were filled with all manner of exhibits, Sea Eye Sovereign clearly remembered where every item in his collection was.
Without needing to look around or think, Sea Eye Sovereign took out a transparent box that resembled resin and was not quite as hard.
Inside lay two purple, teardrop-shaped objects, each about the size of a knuckle. Their material looked like crystal, and they emanated a deep, mysterious aura.
“This is the Mermaid’s Tear.” Sea Eye Sovereign handed the box to Lin Yu. “Beautiful, isn’t it? Even the loveliest amethyst can’t match the clarity and depth of this purple.”
Lin Yu took the box and examined it closely.
The purple really was clear and beautiful, the sort of color that looked pleasing to the eye.
But mere beauty certainly could not account for how precious this thing was.
Lin Yu admired the Mermaid’s Tear for a while, then asked, “Other than being especially beautiful, does it have any other special properties?”
Hearing Lin Yu’s question, Sea Eye Sovereign could hardly hold back. “Wait a moment... You want to buy the Mermaid’s Tear from me, but you don’t even know what it is? And why do you seem to be seeing one for the first time?”
Sea Eye Sovereign asked in confusion. Lin Yu answered frankly, “Of course. I’d never seen one before. There aren’t any mermaids where I live... Well, at least I’ve never seen one.”
Sea Eye Sovereign looked puzzled. “Then why do you want to collect it?”
Lin Yu glanced around the private collection room, then raised his right index finger and made a circle in the air. “Sea Eye Sovereign, the most renowned Collector in the Sea Demon Kingdom... Do you really think you planned in advance to collect every single thing in these private rooms? Haven’t you ever acted on a whim, or come across something and suddenly wanted to put it in your collection? Or heard a name and inexplicably felt drawn to it?”
As Lin Yu spoke, Sea Eye Sovereign visibly froze. Then he fell into thought, as though trying to remember.
After a moment, he nodded.
“That has happened. I think I’m beginning to understand you...”
As Sea Eye Sovereign spoke, Lin Yu nodded. “Right? Though, incidentally, I’m collecting these for someone else. They asked me to do it.”
After hearing Lin Yu’s addition, Sea Eye Sovereign fell silent for a moment, then couldn’t help asking, “Then what was the point of that example you just gave?”
“Oh, I was helping you learn to see things from someone else’s perspective. You’re welcome,” Lin Yu said with a shrug. “So, what exactly is special about the Mermaid’s Tear that makes it so valuable and so important to the Mermaid Royal?”
Sea Eye Sovereign felt as though Lin Yu had been playing him, but at the question, he regained his composure and began answering seriously. “This is indeed a relatively secret fact. But... given how much I dislike the Mermaid Royal, I’m happy to explain it to you.”
“On the surface, the Mermaid’s Tear is just a single tear from a mermaid... But if you know anything about mermaids, you’ll understand that the royal family can barely even ‘cry.’ They shed a single tear only in the depths of grief or at the moment of death.”
“And the essence of that tear... is actually a portion of the Mermaid Royal’s ‘soul,’ a soul crystal that carries their spiritual power. If you possess a Mermaid’s Tear, you can gain the spiritual power of mermaids, learn and inherit some of the Mermaid Royal’s ‘magic,’ and even use these abilities to obtain privileges that let you control some of the large-scale facilities left behind by ancient civilizations.”
As Sea Eye Sovereign spoke, Lin Yu shook the box in his hand.
“Aha... Now I understand why the mermaids care so much about these things. Their existence means that the Mermaid Royal’s ‘privileges’ and ‘inheritance’ can leak beyond their control.”
Lin Yu spoke, and Sea Eye Sovereign nodded. “That’s right. It’s only a very small part, but as far as the Mermaid Royal is concerned, even outsiders gaining a tiny bit of their technology and magic is intolerable... So the Mermaid Royal considers possessing a Mermaid’s Tear an act of provocation. If I didn’t live in the Sea Demon capital year-round, I’d probably have lost count of how many times the mermaids had tried to assassinate me.”
Lin Yu shrugged. “It’s not as if you like them anyway.”
Sea Eye Sovereign gave a slight nod. “That’s true... In any case, now that you understand the Mermaid’s Tear, you should be able to see why it’s so valuable.”
Lin Yu nodded. “I do, but I understand even less why you’re selling them.”
“To cause the mermaids some trouble. If I used these, or if other Sea Demons used them, it might benefit the Sea Demon Kingdom. But... if we’re talking about how to cause the mermaids the greatest possible headache, I think it’s better to hold an auction and let an anonymous buyer secretly take them away. That’ll give them plenty to worry about.”
As Sea Eye Sovereign spoke, his pace quickened.
“Besides, I’m only selling the two deposited with the auction house this time... I still have five more in my personal collection at my residence. Since I’ve never used any of them myself, the Mermaid Royal has probably been comforting itself with thoughts like, ‘Maybe that fellow Sea Eye Sovereign is only keeping them as collectibles.’” As Sea Eye Sovereign said this, his eyes shone. “But now I’m selling two of them outright during the Tide Summoning Festival. They won’t be able to keep ignoring these Mermaid’s Tears that have fallen into the outside world and ended up in my hands!”
April and Lin Yu exchanged a glance, each confirming that the other shared the same thought.
The two of them really had reached the same conclusion: there was something seriously wrong with Sea Eye Sovereign’s head!
His plan and reasoning were “logical” enough, but the man himself radiated an intense sense of “hurting others without benefiting himself”!
It seemed that as long as he could get under the mermaids’ skin, he didn’t mind being pushed into the center of the storm himself.
Watching the rather excited Sea Eye Sovereign, Lin Yu returned the box to him.
“Oh, that’s a pretty good idea, Sea Eye Sovereign.”
“But... I’d still like to make a private deal with you. Don’t rush to turn me down.”
“When it comes to getting under the skin of the Mermaid Royal as much as possible, I think my plan might be even better.”