“Please follow .”
The alluring, mature rmaid who had spoken made an inviting gesture, then gracefully swished her tail and swam toward the town. Her movents were elegant, the fluid sway of her tail srizing. Leon couldn’t help but be curious. If it weren’t inappropriate, he would’ve loved to touch that tail just once.
Watching her swim, Leon beca aware that they were in the deep sea. Yet he could breathe fresh air, and he didn’t feel the crushing pressure of the depths. This didn’t surprise him—after all, he had co here with Rasmodius. It was obvious that this was the wizard’s doing.
Leon was about to try swimming to follow the rmaid when Rasmodius grabbed his shoulder.
“Don’t move. I’ll take you there.”
With that, the two of them began to float through the water, keeping pace with the rmaid ahead at a speed no slower than hers, as if propelled by hidden thrusters.
Feeling the current glide past his skin was an oddly wondrous sensation. His clothes weren’t wet at all, yet his skin could clearly feel the water slipping by as they moved forward. Truly strange.
As they followed their guide, Leon noticed more and more rmaids nearby—each with the sa long blue hair. They were all beautiful, yet their features varied enough that it was easy to tell them apart.
After seeing hundreds of them along the way, Leon was struck by the fact that not a single face was repetitive. Each rmaid was uniquely beautiful. No wonder their kind was called “rmaids”—it was well deserved.
If this world had livestreams or short-video platforms, these rmaids would all be top-tier celebrities—pure natural beauty, no filters or makeup required. Without any of the Hextech enhancents people back on Earth used, their unadulterated beauty would be absolutely devastating.
“Strange. You’ve been so quiet this whole ti. Not a single question,” Rasmodius remarked. He had been ready to explain things along the way, but Leon hadn’t played along.
“Huh? Oh, Linus told
that on this trip, I should watch more and do less. Last ti, I embarrassed myself for not knowing the proper wizard’s etiquette. I can’t keep losing face for being ignorant. I do have my pride, you know,” Leon said in explanation.
“Fair enough. But it’s best to ask your questions while you have the chance. Once we enter the palace, I won’t have ti to answer,” Rasmodius reminded him.
Leon glanced at the rmaid leading the way. “Can she hear us talking?”
“No,” Rasmodius confird.
“Good. Then my first question is—why are there no male rfolk?” Leon had been holding this one back for a while. He hadn’t seen a single male since arriving.
“It’s a trait of their race. They can only give birth to females,” Rasmodius explained simply. “The exact reason, I’m not sure. But it likely ties back to the evolutionary history of the rmaids and Yoba’s Blessing. There’s too much connected lore to explain here—it would take a whole day.”
“So… how do they reproduce?” Leon pressed.
“That’s a rmaid secret. But… I can tell you, just keep it to yourself,” Rasmodius warned before continuing.
“It’s actually quite simple. Once a rmaid reaches adulthood, she will naturally form an embryo—like a fish egg. She places it into a special hatching pool unique to her kind. When that embryo matures, it will be the mont the mother’s body is old and close to death. She then pours all her strength into the embryo, passing down the knowledge and magic of her entire era, completing the cycle of life and death.”
“If that’s the case, the rfolk should’ve gone extinct by now. Not all mothers live to old age. Like that rmaid warrior who died in the recent incident—wouldn’t her death affect her embryo?” Leon asked, puzzled.
“That’s where their second thod cos in—natural conception. This allows them to produce an embryo without sacrificing the mother. Depending on the father’s race, the gestation process may differ. But whether egg-laying or live birth, the offspring is always a rmaid, never of the father’s species,” Rasmodius elaborated.
“Natural conception, huh?” Leon raised an eyebrow. His chances with a rmaid suddenly seed… higher.
“Yes, but the conditions are strict. Most rmaids dislike this thod, believing it taints their pure bloodline. Even though naturally conceived rmaids are almost identical to those born through inheritance—apart from needing cultural education to beco proper mbers of their race—the difference is negligible compared to their four- to five-hundred-year lifespans,” Rasmodius said. Then he added pointedly, “And don’t go thinking about having relations with a rmaid. Their tastes are very different from humans, and whether one would even find you appealing is questionable. More importantly, n who couple with rmaids often beco infected by their special physiology, developing gills and fins, and eventually losing the ability to live on land.”
“Hiss…” Leon instantly abandoned the thought. As much as he desired them, spending the rest of his life as a fish was not worth it.
Seeing Leon’s clearly frightened expression, Rasmodius’ lips curled slightly. He didn’t ntion one last thing—if Leon truly fell in love with a rmaid and they bonded, Rasmodius did have a way to block that genetic infection.
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