[Vol. 7] Chapter 15: The First Investigation
On the second day after arriving at the Eastern Sea Pearl archipelago, Violet and her two companions, under Princess Nitila’s recommendation, were granted entry into the Merfolk royal palace.
The so-called royal palace referred to the central island, which was surrounded by six outer islands in a circular formation, connected only by a narrow inner sea.
This island was perfectly positioned in the center of the six outer islands, with equal distance to each of them. It was also much smaller, only about one-third the size of the smallest outer island. Its round shape made it look like a gleaming pearl set in the middle of the archipelago when viewed from above, hence the name, "Eastern Sea Pearl."
The entire Eastern Sea Pearl archipelago was home to over three million Merfolk, divided into more than ten different tribes of varying sizes. These tribes lived together across the six islands, and all Merfolk were free to travel between them.
However, the royal palace at the center was the only exception.
For an ordinary Merfolk to enter, they had to submit a formal application and pass a strict examination conducted by the royal palace Guardians. Without a valid reason, entry was strictly forbidden.
For outsiders, the requirements were even stricter. They could only enter with direct approval from the reigning Merfolk King or with a recommendation from Mingjiao Royal members.
The Mingjiao Royals, also known as the Mingjiao Royal Line, were the highest-ranking Merfolk. Princess Nitila, with her six tear-shaped eye markings, belonged to this elite group.
In contrast, others like Alec and the Merfolk Violet saw upon arriving, who had only two or four tear markings, were still considered high-status but not true royalty.
Even within the Eastern Sea Pearl, the Mingjiao Royals were extremely rare, so rare that there were fewer than five in total.
Unlike the Winged People, who evolved from Angels, the tear-shaped markings of the Mingjiao tribe seemed to be a simple symbol of bloodline and status, rather than a direct indication of power.
In that sense, the Mingjiao tribes were actually similar to humans, they didn’t rank individuals purely by strength. Just like how in the Human United Kingdom, a king could be crowned without possessing any personal power.
Perhaps that was exactly why King Willipol, the previous ruler, was “assassinated”.
At least, according to the official investigation, he was killed by a "Ghost".
But clearly, there was more to the story.
Princess Nitila seemed to hold a high status in the royal palace. Though it was also possible she had informed them in advance. As she led Violet and the others deep into the palace, the Merfolk guards along the way took notice but did not question or stop them.
Before long, they arrived at a sealed-off room deep within the royal palace.
"This was King Willipol’s chamber, my father’s former quarters."
With a command, the guards opened the sealed doors, and the young princess stepped inside first, explaining as they entered.
"My father was a wise and diligent leader. This chamber also served as his study, where he handled most of his official duties. Aside from spending time with family or attending social events, he would stay here almost all day. It always felt like he had an endless amount of work to do, haha~"
She turned around, her words lighthearted, but her expression betrayed a trace of sorrow.
"This is also the place where my father disappeared. At the time, he was in his study working as usual, but for some reason, he didn’t come out or call for anyone for over half a day. When the guards finally found it suspicious and checked inside, he was already..."
"Vanished into thin air inside a completely sealed room?"
Violet tilted her head slightly, showing that she understood.
"If it wasn't space magic, then this is quite interesting..."
She glanced around the spacious and elegant room, while her companions Le Qiaoqiao and Hongyan, who had followed along, also began inspecting the surroundings, searching for any potential clues.
Despite being vacant, the chamber was still clean and well-maintained, clearly tended to regularly. However, this actually wasn’t ideal for their investigation. After all, King Willipol had been missing for five years already.
The architecture of the Merfolk palace was strikingly similar to human designs. In fact, without the water, the Merfolk themselves looked nearly indistinguishable from humans. This similarity also extended to the layout of the study.
The desk, which should have been covered with books and documents, was now almost completely empty, as the original owner had long since disappeared.
However, the display shelves, filled with valuable collectibles, remained untouched, preserving a sense of balance and order in the room.
This was the study, and separated only by a thin curtain was what seemed to be the resting area.
Violet had seen a queen’s palace before, and compared to that, this place was simple and unadorned. If there was anything particularly noteworthy, it was probably the large circular pool in the center of the room.
“Princess, what’s this pool for?”
“I told you, just call me by my name.”
Nitila muttered softly in mild frustration before answering in a warm tone.
“It’s just a regular pool. While we Merfolk can live on land, and most of the time, we still feel uncomfortable if we go too long without water. That’s why the royal palace was built on a group of islands deep in the ocean.”
“As for my father, as the leader of both the Mingjiao Tribe and the entire Merfolk race, he was always busy with official duties. He didn’t have the time to go outside and swim in the island’s lakes or the sea, so he had this pool built in the place where he spent most of his time.”
“So, it's flowing water, then…”
Seeing Violet lost in thought, Nitila quickly added, as if suddenly realizing something.
“Oh! But even though the pool is connected to the island’s natural water, the outflow openings are extremely small and tightly packed. Even the smallest fish wouldn’t be able to squeeze through, let alone someone like my father, who was a tall, broad-shouldered Merfolk. I can guarantee he couldn’t have left through here.”
“Is that so~”
Violet gave a noncommittal nod before turning to the two other girls, who had mostly been quietly observing up to this point.
“What do you two think?”
"Uh... this place… looks pretty fancy?"
Hongyan blurted out a completely useless observation, then fell into an awkward silence. Well, it made sense. If you asked her to fight enemies or go head-to-head with a strong opponent, she'd be fine, but tracking down clues, solving mysteries, and piecing together a case? That was definitely not the strong suit of a straightforward swordswoman like her.
What did surprise Violet, though, was that Le Qiaoqiao actually seemed to have found something. She walked over to the large pool, crouched down, and started feeling around carefully.
Her expression gradually became more thoughtful.
"Boss, this pool… has some kind of hidden mechanism."
"Huh?"
Nitila blinked in surprise. When she noticed Violet’s questioning gaze, she immediately shook her head.
"That’s impossible. I've never heard of anything being hidden in my father’s pool. When he first disappeared, I was one of the investigators, and at the time, we completely drained the water and checked every inch of it. We didn't find anything unusual at all."
Hearing this, Violet actually noticed something even more suspicious.
"Checked? Who built this pool? Was it made by a Merfolk craftsman?"
"Hmm… I’m not really sure. I’m nineteen, the youngest child of the current royal family, and as far back as I can remember, this pool has always been here in my father’s chamber."
"But when we were investigating my father’s disappearance a few years ago, my mother did mention something. Apparently, he hired someone from outside the Emerald Sea for the construction. But since he handled everything himself, we were never able to track those people down. That’s why we had to inspect the structure on our own."
"I see… but why go out of his way to hire outsiders for this…?"
Deep in thought, Violet turned back to the girl, who was still tapping and checking the pool, clearly trying to figure something out.
"How's it going?"
"Almost there, almost there! I found the mechanism, but I still need some time to figure out how to activate it. Don’t rush me, boss! Gotta say, this thing is really well-designed!"