After leaving his ssage, Mike searched the area again to ensure nothing was missed before setting off once more.
[10 miles ahead, face the Immortal Monster directly]
But he had barely walked a mile when he encountered a familiar face: bartender Jack.
He stood by a tranquil pond, completely unaware of Mike's presence, muttering to himself, "80 years... I never thought I'd have the chance to set foot on this island again..."
Jack's eyes were distant, lost in mories of the past,
"When I set sail, I was just a poor boy. After the storm, the shipwreck, I was washed ashore on this island. You saved , healed my wounds, and made eternally youthful..."
It was a classic love story.
A handso but penniless young man falls in love with a kind-hearted rmaid,
But for so reason, they couldn't stay together.
After leaving rmaid Island, Jack was cursed by the [Sea God's Curse], making it impossible for him to set sail.
Until today, when he heard soone was taking the Razor to sea, searching for the rmaid's treasure.
Jack realized his chance had co, so he found a way to join Mike's voyage.
Sure enough, the Razor overca the storm and brought him to rmaid Island.
Back to the place he had longed for, finally able to reunite with his beloved.
Jack didn't reminisce for long.
He took out a leaf and blew a whistle.
The whistle's sound was piercing, spreading across rmaid Island.
Before long, the pond stirred.
First, small bubbles appeared, then ripples spread, and under Jack's excited gaze, a shadow leaped from the water!
"rmaid!"
Mike's eyes widened, eager to see the legendary rmaid.
rmaid, rmaid.
Such a mythical creature, her beauty shouldn't disappoint Mike.
And judging by Jack's taste, it didn't seem like he had a penchant for the grotesque.
To fall in love with a rmaid, she had to at least pass the looks test.
As the water splashed and the shadow revealed itself in the sunlight, both Jack and Mike were stunned.
Why is it so ugly?!
The legendary rmaid looked like this: the upper body was a fat-headed fish, with a mouth that opened and closed, revealing jagged teeth, and gills that moved, emitting a fishy sll.
Large fish scales and a fish body extended down to the knees, where 'human' features finally appeared.
The lower legs were like human legs, long and slender.
But what good was that?
This rmaid, aside from her lower legs, didn't even have female reproductive organs.
Mike shook his head.
"But you only have half a leg; walking must be tough."
A rmaid this ugly, and Jack fell in love with her?
Mike had already decided there would be no place for Jack on the return ship.
Unlike Mike, Jack's reaction was more intense, staring blankly around,
"rmaid, where's my Rose?!"
The half-fish, half-human monster spoke, "%!#%....."
[I'm Rose, dear Jack. I've waited for you for forty years!]
With the [Eye of Truth], no language barrier existed.
Mike raised an eyebrow, realizing sothing was wrong.
80 years ago, when Jack saw the rmaid, she shouldn't have looked this hideous.
What happened during this ti?
A thought flashed through Mike's mind-could it be Supre Being Apollo had been here?
He felt a chill down his spine, his whole body uneasy.
What did Apollo say to turn a perfectly beautiful rmaid into sothing so grotesque?
To get to the bottom of this, it was best to ask directly.
Mike stepped out from the shadows, startling the bartender.
"Don't worry, I'm not here to steal your girlfriend."
Mike pointed at the ugly creature and said seriously, "I know a bit of fish language. I can help you communicate."
Jack was overjoyed and blurted out, "Then ask her where Rose is!"
Mike said gravely, "She says she is Rose."
"Impossible! You're lying to , it can't be!"
Jack shouted, pulling out a drawing from his pocket, a picture he had commissioned based on his mories.
The rmaid in the drawing was indeed beautiful, nothing like the hideous creature before
them.
"Face reality, bro. Be strong."
Mike patted Jack's shoulder, trying to calm him down.
Jack took a few deep breaths and asked again,
"Rose, can you tell what happened?"
The rmaid nodded and said, "Your ship was sunk by us. After the ship sank, we brought all
the crew to the shore, pretending they were washed up by the tide, then rescued you..."
Listening to Mike's translation, Jack's face twisted in disgust, as if he had just eaten
sothing incredibly foul.
"Why did you do that? To fall in love with humans?"
Jack couldn't understand. With the rmaid's forr beauty, there was no need for such
trouble!
Because with the rmaid's forr beauty, no man could refuse to fall in love with her.
The rmaid continued, "We did it to lure you to the depths of rmaid Island, where the sea god's daughter would devour you to regain her strength..."
Mike's eyes narrowed slightly.
The story was getting interesting.
The sea god's daughter had the rmaids wreck passing ships, then lured the sailors to
rmaid Island to be eaten.
This sounded like a classic villain boss!
After hearing Mike's translation, Jack's face turned pale.
What he thought was a cross-species romance turned out to be a plot to eat him down to the
bones.
Jack felt like he had wasted 80 years of his life!
He fought back the urge to cry and asked one last ti,
"Then why didn't I die? Why did you let escape?"
Jack still held a sliver of hope that he was special.
The rmaid: "Because I love you..."
Before she could finish, Mike casually struck her with a Lightning Arrow.
The Lightning Arrow spread through the pond, making the rmaid convulse.
Mike said calmly, "Tell the truth."
Seeing the power of the Lightning Arrow, the rmaid trembled and said,
"Because the sea god's daughter was full, she told us to let one bait go to attract more
people."
Jack had finally found a girl he loved, even willing to wait 80 years, only to face such a cruel
reality.
Jack and the rmaid's clichéd story ca to an end, but Mike had one crucial question left! "Did Apollo visit rmaid Island seventy-so years ago?"
The rmaid's drastic change in appearance made Mike suspect it was related to Apollo!
No, there was no need to suspect.
It had to be Apollo!
"The man you ntioned did co."
The rmaid recalled with lingering fear,
"When Apollo arrived on the island, he saw the sea god's daughter..."
All the rmaids on the island could never forget what happened that day, the day the true
nightmare arrived.
Apollo said to the Immortal Monster,
"Your appearance is beautiful, but your soul is hideous. Maybe you don't deserve such
beauty."
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