[Vol. 7] Chapter 61: The Price of Truth
After that, the Merchant Guild boarded the long-missed [Noah’s Ark] once again and, amidst the farewells of the merfolk, departed from Eastern Sea Pearl, slowly sailing toward the open sea.
Their next journey would take them through the Ghost Sea, the path forcefully cleared by the little dragon girl, officially crossing the Emerald Sea. After that, they would go full speed ahead back to the mainland, docking at an eastern seaport of the Austre Empire. Once they handed over their group to the local Spirit Veil Merchant Guild, Violet would finally be free to do whatever she wanted.
With the merfolk’s assistance and the world map provided by Sethlin, the route was no longer an issue. Though no one had ever taken this path through the Ghost Sea before, they only needed to follow the right directions, take a slight detour, and eventually merge back onto the usual trade routes near the [Great Whirlpool].
To help navigate and chart the route, while also scouting ahead for their large-scale migration, Nitila personally led a team of merfolk warriors to travel alongside [Noah’s Ark]. They would escort the Merchant Guild all the way to the Austre Empire’s shores while also scouting potential islands suitable for settlement along the way.
The sea was divided into various territories, much like the different nations on land. This journey was, in a sense, an official diplomatic mission. One that the princess herself had volunteered for.
After everything that had happened with King Willipol, Nitila, who had long been exposed to poaching incidents, had clearly grown more mature. If she could successfully complete this mission as a representative of Eastern Sea Pearl and the Mingjiao Tribe, Queen Anies could rest assured and begin gradually passing down her responsibilities.
The days at sea passed quickly. Before they knew it, more than ten days had already gone by.
Upon reaching the Ghost Sea, where Violet and her group had previously launched their rescue mission, [Noah’s Ark] and the merfolk warriors took the time to confirm that the area had indeed returned to a normal ocean.
After recording the changes on their maps, they adjusted their course, sailing around in a large arc to merge onto the deep-sea trade route. One that previously required passing through the [Great Whirlpool] to reach.
The journey remained peaceful, with no unexpected troubles arising.
Although they occasionally encountered some reportedly unfriendly sea creatures, none dared to provoke them after seeing the towering and intimidating [Noah’s Ark], along with the large number of merfolk warriors escorting it.
On a side note, the [Deep Sea Ghosts] that had plagued the Emerald Sea for years had completely disappeared along with the destruction of the Ghost Ship.
Of course, this wasn’t entirely Violet’s doing. If her guess was correct, the roaming ‘ghosts’ had originally been summoned by Willipol through some special means, and their presence was further amplified by the power of the Eastern Calamity. Compared to the countless corpses within the Ghost Sea, they were more akin to spirits drawn from the remains of the dead.
Back when Queen Anies orchestrated the attack that severely wounded the Ghost Ship, it had desperately absorbed energy from all directions in an attempt to restore itself. That was likely the moment when all the wandering ‘ghosts’ in the Emerald Sea vanished completely.
So even if the priestess hadn’t interfered at the time, the situation would have stabilized on its own. The only difference being whether or not there would have been lingering consequences.
It was a bright and sunny day with calm winds. On the deck of the [Noah’s Ark], the ship’s captain was hosting a tea party with the princess while discussing the aftermath of past events.
For example…
“Oh… is that The [Book of Truth] from Willipol? You’re the one in charge of it now?”
Across the table, Nitila gently ran her fingers over the black, hardbound cover of the thick book, her expression tinged with emotion.
“Yes. This divine relic, formed from the power left behind by the God of Truth, has extremely strict requirements on the wielder’s bloodline. Even my mother and my sister, Valda, couldn’t fully control it.”
“Right now, I’m the only one in the royal palace who can use its power freely. Carrying it also gives me additional means to protect myself, so my mother entrusted it to me.”
“…I suppose this could be considered my father’s last possession,” she added with a complicated expression.
“I never agreed with his beliefs. I think he had fallen into obsession and madness. I also never believed that the Ghost Ship could stand against the god who rules over the Sanctuary.”
“But still… he was my father, the one who gave me life and raised me. Even if he ultimately used me as a sacrifice, I find it hard to truly hate him.”
The young mermaid lowered her head slightly, speaking softly, as if talking more to herself than anyone else.
"To be honest, in some ways, I can understand my father and the others. When I first learned that I had actually died over a dozen times and was only still alive because of some unknown power, I was completely shaken. For a moment, I even felt the same urge to destroy everything, overwhelmed by a sense of resentment."
"Maybe it's just my wishful thinking or naïveté, but whether it was my father or Silisa, I don’t believe that all the love and care they showed me in our everyday lives was fake. I think they simply made sacrifices for what they believed was the right path."
"In the end… wasn’t my mother the same? She just chose a different road."
"My father once said something that I think is very true. This world isn’t just black and white. The people we see as sinners might be heroes in the eyes of others. Everyone… is simply doing their best to defend the path they believe in."
"Heh, you really have grown a lot… To be able to say something like this, you’re already showing the qualities of a leader."
Hearing the priestess’s calm praise, the princess, who had been speaking so seriously, immediately blushed and lowered her head in embarrassment.
"N-No way… Compared to my mother and Miss Violet, I still have a long way to go. Even my sister, Valda, is much more mature than I am…"
"Oh dear, underestimating yourself like that isn’t a good habit~"
As the cool autumn breeze blew gently across the calm sea, Violet took a sip of the Spiritual Infused Tea, a specialty from the Ancient Spirit Realm. The crisp, refreshing taste, enhanced by the tea’s natural magical energy, made for a truly pleasant and invigorating experience.
After finishing her tea, she set down the cup and turned her gaze to the ancient book on the table, its cover completely blank without a single word written on it. Then, she casually shifted the topic.
"Speaking of which… I remember that pirate king mentioning something before. He said that ordinary people can use The [Book of Truth] under certain conditions, but they have to pay a price for it. What exactly is that price?"
"Ah? Well…"
For some reason, Nitila hesitated for a moment, as if she found it difficult to explain.
Noticing her hesitation, the priestess smirked playfully.
"What’s wrong? Is the price for using it something sinister? Or maybe it's… inappropriate? Like those stories where people have to trade their souls or some other weird thing in exchange for knowledge?"
The princess quickly shook her head.
"No, no… Miss Violet, you misunderstood. The [Book of Truth] is a divine relic left behind by the God of Truth. It doesn’t absorb souls or feed on dark energy. However, the cost of revealing the truth varies from person to person. It changes depending on what the seeker wants to know, so there’s no single, fixed price for using it."
"Oh? That smart, huh?"
Hearing this, the priestess became even more intrigued. After thinking for a moment, she turned her gaze to the only other person at the table and waved her over.
"Xiao Guang, come here for a second."
"Mmm—gulp!"
The golden-haired little girl, who had been completely focused on devouring her meal, looked up with a satisfied sigh. In front of her, a precarious stack of empty plates towered high, evidence of her incredible eating speed. Without paying any attention to the conversation earlier, she picked up a grilled sea fish, almost as long as her forearm, bit straight through the bone, and chewed it up in just a few bites before swallowing it effortlessly into her still-flat stomach.
Only then did she hop down from her chair and run towards Violet, licking the oil off her lips.
"What is it, Sister? Did you get more food? Or are we going fishing again?"
"We’ll talk about that later…"
Laughing, the black-haired girl picked up the dragon girl and settled her onto her lap. Then, she reached out and flipped open The [Book of Truth], revealing its completely blank pages.
"Here, try asking it a question. Anything you want!"