Chapter 69: The Mermaid King’s Thank-You Gift (from the story of Shushu, who died in the company)

The beach suddenly fell into an eerie silence.

The Elves, Fairies, Dragon King, and merfolk all stared fixedly at Shu Li.

Under the weight of so many gazes, Shu Li was utterly baffled. Every hair on his body was about to stand on end.

W-What was wrong?

Why was everyone looking at him so strangely?

Had he said something wrong?

That couldn’t be!

He was absolutely certain that those few sentences in the mermaid language had been perfectly standard. After all, while cramming at the last minute, he had practiced the most common greetings over and over again.

The blond cub looked bewildered and turned to Siet for help.

As the Little Fairies’ language teacher, Siet covered his eyes, unable to bear the sight.

Little Sperien was notorious among the Fairy Clan for mangling his words. The first signs had emerged when he had initially pronounced Siet’s name as “Sweep.”

As the lessons grew more advanced, his linguistic shortcomings became increasingly apparent.

Mixing up nouns, stringing together mismatched phrases, calling people by the wrong names, leaving out words and syllables, making grammatical errors... He caused amusement on a daily basis.

Even so, he had never become discouraged. He took copious notes every day and sought out Kumandi for extra lessons after class. After five years of hard work, he had finally learned Elven.

However, although he had mastered Elven, his old habit was not so easily corrected. Whenever he grew nervous, he would inevitably mangle his words.

It was especially pronounced when he was learning a new language.

To communicate with the mermaids and the young dragon, the Little Fairies had temporarily learned a few basic greetings in the mermaid and dragon languages.

The other Little Fairies had learned them quickly. Only Sperien remained halting and barely proficient.

Siet had assumed that cubs speaking to other cubs would not need particularly complicated sentences, so he had not thought much of it.

Never had he expected the Elven King to mention Sperien in front of the Mermaid Queen, making him the center of everyone’s attention.

Sure enough, the little fellow grew nervous, and his habit of mangling his words appeared right on cue.

When Siet heard “Shuglot,” his heart sank, and the corner of his mouth began twitching uncontrollably.

Now that the little fellow was looking at him with such confusion, he simply could not bear to tell him the truth.

The other Little Fairies hesitated, wanting to warn Sperien, but the unnaturally silent atmosphere left them too afraid to make a sound.

Disio anxiously scratched his ears and cheeks.

Ilio and the other Elves struggled to suppress their laughter.

Dragon King Harmon stroked his smooth chin, amusement flashing through his eyes.

Just as Shu Li was growing unbearably awkward, the Elven King beckoned to him.

Shu Li immediately beat his wings and fluttered over, landing expertly in his palm.

A faint ripple passed through Shurotis’s violet eyes.

The Elven King gently rubbed the Little Fairy’s head with the pad of his finger and apologized in the mermaid language. “Please forgive his slip of the tongue. The Little Fairies have only recently learned Elven and have not yet begun studying the languages of other peoples, so mistakes are inevitable.”

Shu Li sat obediently in the Elven King’s palm. Listening to the long string of words, his heart filled with unease.

Could it be... Had he really said something wrong?

Was the king apologizing to the Mermaid Queen on his behalf?

Looking deeply troubled, he repeatedly replayed his greeting in his mind, trying to determine which part had gone wrong.

Shurotis glanced at the Little Fairy so cherished by the Elven King and smiled. “You need not be concerned, Lord Estel. Sperien saved the cubs of my people. A minor slip of the tongue is of no consequence. On behalf of all merfolk, I offer him our thanks.”

She raised her hand and waved it lightly. Five enormous shells appeared on the beach.

Shu Li stared at them, his mouth falling open.

Whoa. Were those... giant clams?

The largest shells in the world.

Each shell measured over three feet across, and their exteriors came in different colors and shapes. They were extraordinarily beautiful.

Shurotis clapped her hands, and the enormous shells opened automatically.

“Wow...”

The Little Fairies could not help exclaiming softly.

Shu Li was stunned as well. The dazzling treasures inside nearly blinded him.

Countless pearls gleamed within—red, pink, white, gold, silver, black, blue, gray... The bewildering array of colors made his eyes swim.

Every pearl was perfectly round and lustrous, richly colored, and enormous.

Harmon’s and Amanda’s pupils contracted slightly.

To dragons, who loved collecting treasure, these five enormous chests of pearls were a deadly temptation.

No. They could not keep looking.

Harmon held down the restless young dragon and turned toward the sea.

Mermaid Queen Shurotis had produced so many priceless treasures without even blinking.

“These are a gift of thanks from my people to Sperien.” She gazed warmly at the Little Fairy in the Elven King’s palm.

Meeting her eyes, Shu Li tilted his head and instinctively gave her an adorable smile.

The Elven King lowered his head and spoke in Elven to the little fellow in his palm. “These pearls are a gift of thanks from Queen Shurotis.”

Shu Li first uttered a confused “Huh?” Then, after turning the Elven King’s words over several times in his mind, his pale green eyes widened in shock.

The pearls inside those enormous shells... were a gift of thanks from the Mermaid Queen?

No, no, no. That was not the important part.

The important part was that he finally realized what had been wrong with his greeting!

The Mermaid Queen’s name was not Shuglot. It was Shurotis!

Aaaaaah!

No wonder everyone had looked at him so strangely. No wonder Siet had seemed unable to bear watching, and the Elven King had deliberately summoned him over before saying such a long string of words to the Mermaid Queen.

So... So he had been apologizing for him.

Uwaaaah!

Even Shu Li’s wings trembled with embarrassment. His face flushed crimson, his pointed ears drooped, and his hands clutched the hem of his clothing. He wished he could find a hole and crawl into it.

He did not dare raise his head, much less make a sound.

Under the combined assault of extreme awkwardness and mortification, Shu Li curled [N O V E L I G H T] in on himself until he nearly became a tiny ball.

Siet and Aisha exchanged a knowing look.

Little Sperien had finally realized his mistake. As his teachers, they felt utterly helpless.

Once again, an eerie silence descended over the gathering.

No one spoke. Everyone was waiting for the Little Fairy’s response.

When Shu Li noticed that his surroundings had fallen silent again, he forced himself to raise his head.

Things had already come this far. Avoidance would solve nothing. To keep from disgracing the Fairy Clan, he had to face reality bravely.

Taking a deep breath, he spread his wings and flew from the Elven King’s palm. With a solemn expression and graceful bearing, he gave the Mermaid Queen a flawless salute, placing one hand over his chest.

In fluent Elven, he said, “Honored Shurotis, I offer my deepest apologies for my slip of the tongue. Please forgive my discourtesy.”

Dragon King Harmon spoke Elven, so Shu Li reasoned that the Mermaid Queen, who had lived for thousands of years, surely understood it as well.

He had been so nervous before that he had completely overlooked that fact.

In truth, he could simply have greeted her in Elven.

Shurotis regarded the Little Fairy who now faced her candidly. The corners of her lips curved upward, and appreciation appeared in her eyes.

“You are an exceptionally accomplished Little Fairy. At five years old, the cubs of my people cannot even speak properly yet.” She praised him without reservation.

Shu Li secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at the enormous shells filled with pearls on the ground, hesitated, then politely declined. “These gifts are too valuable. I cannot accept them.”

“Why?” Shurotis asked.

Shu Li answered solemnly, “Because I only offered a small suggestion. I didn’t actually do anything.”

If the Elven King, Ilio, Xier, and the others had not defeated the invaders, Shu Li himself would have become the pirates’ prey.

Shurotis raised her eyes toward the Elven King.

The Elven King briefly explained how they had discovered the cubs aboard the pirate ship.

After listening, Shurotis waved her hand again, and another shell appeared on the ground.

This shell was slightly smaller than the others, but it contained lustrous orbs that sparkled even more brilliantly than pearls.

Shu Li stared blankly.

What was going on?

Why had the Mermaid Queen brought out even more treasure after learning what had happened?

“These are water-breathing magic pearls. As long as you hold one in your mouth, you can swim freely through the ocean,” Shurotis explained to the baffled Little Fairy. “Your small suggestion was the key to saving the cubs of my people.”

Shu Li could not help scratching the back of his head.

Shurotis did not require an answer. She bowed respectfully to the Elven King and said solemnly, “My promise to you remains unchanged. Whenever you have need of us in the future, my people will stand ready to serve.”

That promise was more valuable than any treasure.

The Elven King regarded her silently. After a long moment, he inclined his head. “I accept your sincerity.”

Shurotis was not one to linger unnecessarily. Having recovered the mermaid cubs, presented her gifts, and thanked the Elven King, she promptly returned to the ocean.

“Meew...”

The little mermaids reluctantly waved to the new friends they had made on the beach.

“Goodbye.”

The Little Fairies bade them farewell in the mermaid language.

Splash—

Dozens of glittering fish tails flipped through the sea, sending countless beautiful sprays of water into the air.

By the time the calm sea became turbulent again, the merfolk had vanished.

Shu Li stared at the six enormous shells full of treasure on the beach, feeling rather troubled.

The Mermaid Queen had given away so many valuables without hesitation and had not given him any opportunity to refuse!

Yet from beginning to end, he had believed that the credit should not belong to him alone.

“Your Majesty, what should I do with these?” Shu Li gazed at the Elven King’s handsome face and asked for his advice.

The Elven King replied gently, “Since they are gifts from the Mermaid Queen to you, you may decide what to do with them.”

Shu Li puffed out his cheeks and looked at the Elves and Fairies present, blinking his sparkling eyes. “A share for everyone here?”

He also needed to set aside a large portion for Xier and Jingjing, their brilliant scholar, along with the others who were not present.

The Elven King reached out and lightly touched his forehead. “All right.”

Shu Li broke into a delighted grin. With an extravagant wave of his hand, he declared grandly to the Little Fairies, “Go ahead and choose whichever ones you like!”

“Yay! Thank you, Sperien!”

“You’re the best, Sperien!”

Instead of immediately rushing toward the shells, the Little Fairies flew over first and surrounded Shu Li, jostling to hug him and nuzzle against him.

“Urgh... Don’t squeeze...”

His friends hugged him so tightly that Shu Li could barely breathe. They were practically rubbing the skin off his cheeks.

The Elves burst into laughter at the sight.

Harmon patted his foolish sister’s head and sighed inwardly.

The Mermaid Queen had presented so many precious treasures and made such a solemn promise to the Elven King. How could the dragons offer anything less in thanks?

He walked over to the Elven King and bowed respectfully. “Lord Estel, I will take my sister back to Dragon Island first. I will return with our gift of thanks in a few days.”

The Elven King waved a hand. “Given our relationship, there is no need for such formality.”

Harmon replied solemnly, “It is precisely because you are my teacher that I must show you even greater respect.”

Lifting the young dragon with one hand, he leaped lightly onto a distant rock and transformed into an enormous silver dragon. Amanda landed squarely on his back.

The beating of the dragon’s wings caught the Little Fairies’ attention.

They stopped cuddling and shouted in the dragon language to the young dragon on his back.

“Amanda—goodbye!”

“Roar, roar, roar—goodbye!”

The silver dragon soon soared into the sky, stirring up a powerful wind. Waves rolled across the sea and were about to engulf the enormous shells on the beach when the Elven King recited a simple incantation. A wall of air appeared instantly and blocked the waves.

Shu Li and the Little Fairies waved without pause. Only after the dragon had become a black speck in the distance did they lower their arms.

The merfolk had swum away, and the dragon had disappeared into the distance. Carrying their many precious treasures, the Fairies and Elves mounted the unicorns and returned to Crystal Castle.

The Little Fairies stayed for another two days before Aisha and Siet took them back to the divine tree in the Faerie Forest. Shu Li alone remained in the Elven Kingdom to study magic under the Elven King.

That night, Shu Li lay in bed, turned off the magic lamp, and closed his eyes.

The Little Fairies had gone home, and the courtyard for the Elven cubs had fallen silent. In that enormous courtyard, he was the only Little Fairy left.

Accustomed to constant liveliness, he could not fall asleep for quite some time.

He tossed and turned, burrowed beneath the covers, poked his head out again, and rolled all the way around the enormous bed. Finally, he squeezed beneath the soft pillow with only his little head showing. At last, he felt slightly more at ease.

He had never expected that the first step in learning magic would be building up his courage.

As he drifted into a daze, sleep began to overtake him. Just as he was about to slip into dreamland, a familiar ethereal voice suddenly sounded beside his ear.

“Little Sperien... Keep me company and talk to me for a while...”