"Now?"
Fisher glanced at the still very hazy moonlight outside and asked Moli.
"Mm..."
Moli nodded, extending her hand, revealing pale skin covered with complex and eerie patterns. The marks were laden with the pitch-black power of a curse. At this mont, her curse had grown so strong that rely touching objects on the boat could erode them.
"My curse has grown so strong that I can no longer control it. If I continue living on shore, accidents are likely to happen. Fragrance Soul and Mother have sensed my condition; they want to return to the Sea Trench and rest for a while. I also want to tell them about things on shore... Moreover, in my current state, even if I wanted to follow Fisher, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be of much help."
"Fisher’s words have been very helpful to . I will go back and reflect for a while. Then... I think I’ll co ashore again to see places and people I haven’t seen, to see how this world really operates. I... was a bit too naïve before, causing trouble for you and others, sorry."
"And, once I’ve truly grown up a little, I’ll co back. After all, I can’t be Fisher’s student forever, right?"
Hearing this, Fisher raised his eyebrows, turned to look at Moli and then, smiling, asked,
"Is this also a commitnt of the Whale-man species?"
The Whale-n always like to make promises, and once a promise is made, they are sure to keep it, whether it’s the pledge Moli’s mother made with Gedelin I to return the treasure sword or the marriage oath between Mu Xi and Blake. Compared to the Blood Oaths humans rely on to bind each other, it seems to be quite a bit better.
"Mm... compared to humans, the Whale-n’s sense of ti is just too dull. Sunrises, moonsets, the changing seas, the withering and growing of all things have no bearing for us. So, the only thing we truly cherish... is a promise sincerely made to soone that must be fulfilled... I promise Fisher, I will co back for sure."
"And, I also ask you to look after Isabella. Her sister has hurt her deeply, and she’s really not used to the outside world. I’m very worried about her..."
"Okay."
Fisher then leaned on the railing, watching the calm ocean with Moli, her tail lifting lightly in response to Fisher’s words.
But after Fisher’s promise, it seed there was nothing more to say between them, yet the atmosphere did not beco awkward.
Fisher was still the sa Fisher, but the Whale-man Moli beside him seed to have changed a bit.
In the quiet mont, Moli suddenly leaned towards Fisher, shortening the distance between them, and then again extended her hand toward him.
On her raised hand, the dark ominous patterns slowly receded as she reached out to Fisher, revealing her skin once more.
She tentatively took the initiative to grab Fisher’s palm, ensuring he was not drained of life by the curse, and then imdiately pulled him closer to her.
By the ti Fisher turned his head to face her, she had already tiptoed up and kissed the corner of his mouth.
"Pop..."
The gentle colliding sweetness mingled with the night breeze and the tang of the sea landed on the corner of Fisher’s mouth, causing him to subconsciously tighten his grip on Moli’s palm, responding actively to her naive and pure touch.
Several seconds later, a content Moli, unable to maintain her tiptoes, let go of Fisher. Her ears fluttered, and a faint blush spread across her cheeks.
"I... don’t have anything else to use for a promise, so I just... uhm..."
"It’s okay, I’ll rember."
"Mm..."
But a second after their kiss, Fisher suddenly felt the nearby sea breeze growing wild, the fierce wind cutting into his cheeks like knives and scattering his black hair.
He and Moli raised their hands to block the wind, but looking towards the ocean, Fisher was startled to see that beneath the Iceberg Queen, the water seed covered by a thick shadow.
That vast shadow was not a re inert object, but appeared to be drawing closer to the sea surface with each inhalation and exhalation, a trendous oppressive force assaulting Fisher, who stood on the ship without taking a step back.
The raging, knife-like sea wind seed to split the ocean itself, and the world around seed utterly silent at that mont, only to see a dark Sea Beast’s head peak erge from the cloven waters.
Because the Sea Beast beneath the sea was so enormous, only the very top of its head appeared above the surface.
Yet even that top part was much larger than the Iceberg Queen, which Fisher was currently aboard.
It should be noted that the Iceberg Queen was originally a warship of the Northern Sardinia Female Country, and the Northern Realm was known for making so of the largest ships among the nations, so one could imagine the imnse scale of the Sea Beast in front of them.
"Fragrance Soul! And... Mother..."
Moli’s voice expressed surprise, and the next mont, Fisher realized there was a figure sitting atop the great Sea Beast, legs dangling.
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