"Gurgle, gurgle..."
The sound of her stomach crying out in hunger, one growl after another, left Florence dumbfounded. Her face flushed red with humiliation. It was too embarrassing. Her eyelashes trembled, and her eyes opened a slit, only to see the strange looks Lucas and the other two were giving her. She wished the ground would just open up and swallow her whole.
Truly, this was one of the most shameful moments of her life.
"Cough, cough... You're awake?" Lucas coughed lightly, giving the mermaid a way out. Otherwise, who knew how long this standoff would last? You can't wake someone who is pretending to sleep, after all.
"Mn," Florence responded in a tiny voice. Opening her eyes fully, she pulled the blanket up with both hands, covering half her face so only her eyes were visible.
"My name is Lucas," Lucas introduced himself first, knowing the mermaid was shy.
"My name is Mina," The cat-eared girl said coolly, though a hint of a smile flashed in her eyes. She recalled the first time she met the Master; her stomach had growled from hunger then, too. That scene wasn't much better than this one, was it?
"I am Ayesha." The cow-horned girl laughed brightly, her purple eyes glancing curiously at the mermaid's stomach.
"I... My name is Florence. I am a mermaid. Thank you for saving me," Florence stammered slightly, her eyes dodging their gazes as she looked at the three of them.
"How is your body feeling? Is there anywhere that feels uncomfortable?" Lucas asked with a smile.
"No, I just don't have much strength." Florence shook her head gently. Her eyes darted to the bottle in Lucas's hand. She opened her mouth but didn't ask the question.
"This is a type of medicinal liquid. It replenishes your body's nutrients," Lucas explained plainly, guessing what she was thinking from her gaze.
"Thank you." Florence visibly relaxed. The unknown is always the most terrifying; now that she knew it was medicine, she just felt it was a bit unique, that's all.
"Gurgle, gurgle..."
Suddenly, another round of hunger pangs rang out. The blush that had just faded from Florence's face came rushing back.
"Looks like you're hungry." Lucas chuckled lightly, then turned to order Mina, "Go to the galley. Tell the chef to cook some fine rice porridge. Just add some lean meat."
"Alright." Mina nodded. They had already eaten dinner and had just come to check on Florence.
Just as Mina left, Elisa arrived. She came to the doorway and, seeing the mermaid awake, hurriedly said, "Hello. My name is Elisa."
"Hello. I am Florence, a mermaid," Florence responded quickly, looking at Elisa's ears in surprise.
She hesitated for a moment, then frowned and asked, "Are you an Elf?"
"Yes, I am an Elf," Elisa replied with a smile.
"You look very different. Your hair is white," Florence said directly.
"I am a bit special," Elisa paused, then smiled faintly. "Generally, Elves have green hair. It's just that my parents' generation had different bloodlines."
Elisa's father was an Elf, but her mother was not. She didn't know what race her mother belonged to, only that she had died in childbirth. Her hair color was inherited from her mother.
"Huh?" Florence was stunned. She said blankly, "Isn't Elf hair gray?"
"No. Ordinary Elves have green hair," Elisa frowned. She didn't understand why Florence would ask that. Did she read it in a book?
"How is that possible? Among the pirates who attacked Mermaid Bay, there were many Elves. Their hair was all gray," Florence shouted somewhat emotionally, her eyes filled with indignation.
"Ouch..."
The next second, Florence cried out in pain. She had pulled at the wound.
"Don't get excited. Don't tear the wound I just stitched up," Lucas rolled his eyes and hurriedly soothed her. "Lie still obediently, or the wound will start bleeding again."
"Oh~" Florence blinked. A second later, she reacted, her eyes widening in shock and uncertainty. "Stitched the wound? What does that mean?"
"It means exactly what it sounds like. Using a needle and specially made thread to sew the wound on your back together. This helps the wound heal faster," Lucas explained, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
"Hiss..." Florence sucked in a cold breath, shrinking her neck back. She had goosebumps all over her body. She could perfectly imagine the scene—it was terrifying.
"Florence, what did you mean by what you just said? Gray-haired Elves attacked Mermaid Bay?" Elisa came back to her senses and asked immediately. "Their hair wasn't green?"
"It wasn't green. We even captured several gray-haired Elves. They were extremely ferocious, completely different from what is written in books," Florence said with a cold face. Those Elf pirates were incredibly skilled marksmen and had caused significant losses among the Mermaid warriors.
"But how is that possible? The Elves of the Forest of Life all have green hair." Elisa still couldn't quite believe it. She suddenly turned and ran out.
While Elisa is gone, the room falls silent for a moment. Ayesha, noticing Florence is tense and hungry, decides to distract her.
"Hey, Florence..."
Ayesha leaned her elbows on the edge of the bed, her large purple eyes sparkling with unchecked curiosity. With Lucas thinking about the origins of the gray-haired Elves in the corner of the room, the cow-girl saw her chance to ask the questions burning in her mind.
"Yes?" Florence shrank back into her pillow slightly, intimidated by her overwhelming energy (and impressive bust).
"So, about living underwater," Ayesha whispered conspiratorially, "Is it true you sleep in giant clam shells? Like the one you're wearing on your chest, but... bigger?"
Florence blinked, her pale cheeks flushing a lighter shade of pink. "Well, yes. Some of us do. The beds are lined with soft sponges and sea silk. It is quite comfortable."
"Sponges..." Ayesha tried to imagine it but failed. She quickly moved to the most important topic. "But what about fire? If you're underwater, you can't start a fire, right?"
"Fire?" Florence looked confused. "Why would we need fire? The glowing coral provides light."
"Not for light! For cooking!" Ayesha looked horrified. She grabbed the edge of the blanket. "Don't tell me... do you eat everything raw?"
"Of course," Florence nodded naturally. "Fresh kelp salad, deep-sea shrimp, and sliced tuna. It is very sweet and tender."
"Oh, you poor thing!" Ayesha gasped, looking at Florence with a gaze full of profound pity, as if looking at a starving kitten. "You've never had barbecue? Or stir-fry? Or... or Hot Pot?"
"Hot... Pot?" Florence tested the strange words. They sounded dangerous.
"It's a pot of soup that boils with fire, and you dip thin slices of meat into it until they are cooked perfectly," Ayesha explained, drool practically forming at the corner of her mouth. "And the Master invented this thing called 'Pizza.' It's round, crispy, and covered in stringy cheese..."
"Cheese?" Florence was getting dizzy. The land world sounded complicated. "Is it... better than raw tuna?"
"Better? It's like comparing a mud pit to the heavens!" Ayesha declared, waving her hands. "Just wait. Once you get to Sedona City, I'll take you to the market. But you have to be careful with the spicy strips. The Master says they are devilishly addictive."
Florence looked at the cow-girl's passionate expression and felt a strange warmth in her chest. Despite being a prisoner on a strange ship, surrounded by unknown races, this simple-minded cow-girl made her feel oddly safe.
"Then..." Florence swallowed, her stomach giving another traitorous gurgle. "Can we have this Pizza now?"
Ayesha froze, then laughed awkwardly, scratching her horns. "Ah, not on the ship. But the porridge is coming! It's not pizza, but the Master's chef makes the best lean meat porridge. It's warm, salty, and thick..."
Florence licked her dry lips. For the first time since fleeing her home, she wasn't thinking about the gray-haired elves or the war. She was just wondering what 'warm, salty' land-food tasted like.
"Tap, tap, tap..."
A few minutes later, Elisa dragged several Elves from the sniper squad over. To Florence, she said, "Look. Their hair is all green."
"Eh? It really is green hair." Florence was confused. That's impossible. Many of those pirates were gray-haired Elves. I couldn't have seen it wrong.
"Is there a possibility that the gray-haired Elves are not from Elisa's homeland?" Lucas raised an eyebrow. This possibility was very high. Every region had different races and features; different hair colors likely meant Elves from two different regions.
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