Chapter 237: Love Under The Water

Sora had thought Ryan would hesitate for at least a moment.

Instead, before she could even react, the Mermaid had already scooped her up and carried her away from the others.

The next instant, the sound of flowing water filled her ears.

Yet strangely, her body remained completely dry.

Sora blinked in surprise.

She was surrounded by a transparent curtain of water. The stream flowed around them, above them, and on every side, but the strange barrier around their bodies kept the water from touching them.

Through the clear curtain, she could see fish swimming lazily past. Long green water plants swayed with the current, their leaves moving gently back and forth.

For a moment, Sora felt as though she had been transported into another world.

She stared around in astonishment.

"Where is this?"

Ryan’s silver hair floated gently in the water, shimmering beneath the glow of the luminous pearl. The droplets surrounding him made his already striking appearance even more dazzling.

This was the first time Sora had seen Ryan swimming beneath the water.

His long, ice-blue fishtail drifted behind him like a flowing gown, moving naturally with the current. Every movement was graceful and effortless.

Sora couldn’t help staring.

Ryan truly lived up to his reputation as a heart-bewitching Mermaid.

His beauty was almost unreal.

It wasn’t simply that he looked handsome. Beneath the water, he seemed completely different from the Ryan she usually saw on land.

On land, he was gentle, quiet, and somewhat reserved.

But here, surrounded by water, he seemed to become completely at ease.

Ryan could hear Sora’s voice perfectly clearly from inside the Water Avoidance Technique.

He turned his head slightly and answered, "This is my Water Avoidance Technique. You can remain inside just as if you were standing on land. The water won’t touch you."

He paused before adding, "We can sleep here tonight. They won’t be able to see us."

Sora finally understood what the transparent barrier was.

They were probably beneath the stream near the Red Land.

The water was flowing above them, completely concealing their presence from anyone standing on the shore.

However, she had underestimated how deep the stream was.

There was still a considerable amount of water above her head.

She had originally assumed the stream was shallow enough that a person could simply step into it and touch the bottom.

Clearly, that wasn’t the case.

Ryan, however, seemed completely comfortable.

He stretched his body freely beneath the water, his long tail moving naturally with the current.

Sora couldn’t take her eyes off him.

The bottom of the stream was dark, but with the luminous pearl illuminating their surroundings, everything was surprisingly clear.

The current flowed gently through Ryan’s silver hair.

At first glance, it looked like ordinary hair.

At second glance, it almost resembled strands of aquatic plants drifting beneath the water.

Sora found herself fascinated.

Ryan underwater was truly a completely different person.

He seemed freer here.

More relaxed.

More confident.

And somehow even more dazzling.

Sora watched him for a while before suddenly feeling something tighten around her waist.

She looked down.

Ryan’s ice-blue tail had wrapped around her without her noticing.

His floating silver hair brushed lightly against her ear.

Sora’s heart skipped a beat, and her ear tingled slightly.

A cool breath drifted near her ear, carrying Ryan’s familiar scent.

"You..."

Before Sora could finish speaking, Ryan moved behind her and gently wrapped his arms around her.

His voice was slightly cool as he asked, "Does it look good?"

Sora blinked.

Then she nodded honestly.

"It looks good."

A faint smile appeared on Ryan’s lips.

"I wanted to show you last time."

He lowered his eyes slightly.

"But I was afraid you wouldn’t like it."

Sora looked at him in surprise.

"It’s beautiful. Why wouldn’t I like it?"

Ryan was silent for a moment before answering slowly.

"Because it requires going into the water. Some Land Females are afraid of water."

Sora hadn’t really considered that.

She was different from the Females of this world.

Back during the Apocalypse, the water quality in many places had been terrible, but she had still occasionally gone swimming whenever she had the opportunity.

To her, water itself wasn’t frightening.

But after thinking about it carefully, she understood Ryan’s concern.

Many Land Females had never experienced the underwater world.

They couldn’t see what was beneath the surface, didn’t know how deep the water was, and didn’t know whether there were dangerous creatures lurking below.

Naturally, they would be afraid.

Sora smiled.

"Maybe there are exceptions."

She looked around the strange underwater world.

"And maybe I’m one of the Females who likes water."

Ryan’s water-blue pupils contracted slightly.

There really was a Land Female who liked water?

His Father had always told him that Land Females could never truly enjoy living in water.

His Mother had eventually left because she couldn’t stand being surrounded by water curtains all the time.

For Ryan, water had always been both his home and the place where he felt most alone.

But now...

Sora was here.

And she wasn’t afraid.

Something inside Ryan’s closed-off heart seemed to soften.

It was as though a ray of sunlight had suddenly pierced through a place that had remained dark for years.

He looked down at Sora.

She was carrying their little cub, and even now she was willing to enter his world without fear.

The thought warmed him.

But at the same time, he remembered that she was pregnant.

He didn’t want to frighten her or allow the water to become dangerous for her.

His movements remained careful, keeping the Water Avoidance Technique stable around them.

Sora noticed his caution.

She didn’t say anything, but the knowledge made her feel more secure.

Ryan lowered his head and kissed her.

Sora was caught off guard by the sudden affection.

Then she noticed tiny bubbles drifting upward from them.

She blinked in fascination.

It was almost like watching a little goldfish blow bubbles.

The sight was strangely amusing.

What surprised Sora even more was how naturally Ryan moved underwater.

On land, he could sometimes appear reserved and hesitant.

Underwater, however, he seemed completely in his element.

He knew exactly how to move through the water, how to maintain the barrier, and how to keep Sora comfortable.

Sora gradually relaxed.

Still, because she was pregnant, she remained conscious of her body.

She didn’t want to overexert herself.

Ryan seemed to understand this as well, keeping his movements measured and making sure she remained secure inside the Water Avoidance Technique.

The current continued flowing around them.

Above the water, however, the situation was becoming increasingly chaotic.

---

"What kind of trick has Ryan learned now?"

Ace stared blankly at the place where Sora had disappeared.

One moment she had been standing beside them.

The next, Ryan had carried her away and vanished into the stream.

Lucas shook his head.

"It seems none of us can let our guard down anymore."

He glanced toward the water.

"I just wonder where they went."

Xavier crossed his arms and walked toward the stream.

"Does that even need explaining? He’s a Mermaid. He’s obviously more familiar with the underwater world than we are."

His eyes narrowed.

"If he wants to do something underwater, it’s naturally more convenient for him."

Damien stood near the stream and rubbed his chin.

"Tsk. Interesting."

He glanced at the water.

"Diving in and disappearing instantly. Mermaids really are the rulers of the water."

Nick Wilde, however, looked genuinely concerned.

"Sora is still carrying a little cub."

He frowned.

"Going into the water like that... won’t she get cold?"

Lukan calmly watched the surface.

"She won’t."

His tone was confident.

"Ryan isn’t reckless. I’ve heard that a Mermaid’s Water Avoidance Technique is extremely powerful. Inside it, a person can move through the water as though they were walking on land."

Lukan paused.

"Kaelira should be safe."

Lucas looked thoughtful.

"By the way, how did Ryan even come to the Wolf Tribe in the first place?"

He glanced toward the others.

"It’s strange for a Mermaid to leave the water, come all the way to land, and eventually become a Beast Husband to a Wolf Tribe Female."

"You’ll have to ask Martin about that," Lukan replied.

The others continued staring at the stream.

For a while, nothing happened.

Then suddenly—

The surface of the water began to churn.

Everyone immediately became alert.

Drake, who had remained silent until then, noticed the unusual movement.

"Is the water level rising?"

His expression changed.

"This is bad. The Chieftain could be in danger."

He immediately prepared to jump into the stream.

Lukan stopped him.

"Wait."

Drake looked back.

Lukan’s eyes remained fixed on the water.

"Something else might be happening."

The moment he finished speaking—

Splash!

A huge disturbance erupted on the surface.

An ice-blue fishtail suddenly thrashed beneath the water.

The movement was intense.

Yet strangely, apart from the area around the fishtail, the rest of the water remained relatively calm.

Ace’s sharp eyes immediately noticed countless bubbles rising toward the surface.

He stared at them in confusion.

"Is there a huge fish down there?"

He frowned.

"Why is it breathing so quickly?"

Silence.

One second.

Two seconds.

Then Ace suddenly felt several murderous gazes land on him.

He slowly turned his head.

Xavier.

Lucas.

Lukan.

Damien.

Nick Wilde.

Even Drake.

All of them were staring at him as though they wanted to tear him apart.

Ace blinked.

"What?"

Nobody answered.

Then Ryan’s ice-blue tail suddenly swept through the water.

It hooked something and lifted it toward the surface.

A familiar piece of Beast-hide Skirt emerged from the water.

Ace’s eyes widened.

His expression instantly changed.

He finally understood.

"What ’big fish’?"

That was obviously Sora down there!

And Ryan was with her.

This Mermaid usually looked so quiet and harmless that everyone had almost forgotten what he was capable of.

He had been acting like a peaceful salted fish all this time.

Who would have expected him to turn into such a cunning big fish the moment he entered the water?

Ace’s face darkened.

"If you’re going to do something, at least keep it quiet!"

"Why make such a huge commotion?"

"Are you afraid everyone won’t know?"

The others looked equally irritated.

Nick Wilde’s expression was especially complicated.

Sora was pregnant.

Even though Ryan’s Water Avoidance Technique was powerful, Nick Wilde couldn’t help worrying.

Drake’s gaze remained fixed on the water, his expression unreadable.

Lukan, however, remained calm.

He trusted Ryan enough to know that he wouldn’t intentionally put Sora in danger.

Meanwhile, beneath the water curtain, Sora was indeed becoming increasingly dizzy from Ryan’s relentless affection.

The strange underwater world seemed to sway around her.

The current flowed gently beneath her.

The luminous pearl cast a soft glow over everything.

Sora floated within the Water Avoidance Technique, trying to steady herself.

She finally reached out and grabbed onto something for support.

Then her eyes suddenly widened.

Ryan...

He really...

Sora’s heart raced as she realized just how different this normally gentle Mermaid could be beneath the water.

And at that moment, she finally understood why Ryan had been so eager to show her his underwater world.