The Sea Hag said impatiently, "Magic works exactly like this, with its own strange rules and restrictions. If every detail could be explained, understood, and elaborated upon, then it would no longer be magic; it would be no different from your human mechanisms, gears, and other precisely operating instruments."
Ariel looked at the clearly angry Sea Hag: "It's okay, I accept the risk of death. I was prepared for this long before I came to you. Please give me the potion, I'm not afraid!"
Although she said this, her face was as pale as snow.
The pain of stepping on knives, the risk of death if the task failed—were these the prices to pay?
Ariel was willing to endure the former.
As for the latter, as long as she could win the Prince's love and an immortal soul, wouldn't she no longer have to worry?
Ariel knew that she possessed the most beautiful singing voice in this sea and on land.
No mermaid could hear her singing without being moved, let alone a Human!
She could enchant the Prince with her beautiful singing, making him pour out all his love and soul for her!
"Don't forget, you still have to pay me!" the Sea Hag said. "In exchange for this precious potion, you must give me a heavy reward."
"What should I give you?" Ariel asked fearfully.
Only then did she remember that the first two prices were the side effects of the potion itself, and the second was the curse given by the world after transforming into a Human form—though, just those two were already terrifying enough.
She still had to pay the Sea Hag.
This would definitely not be something trivial!
"Your voice," the Sea Hag said, "because even among all the mermaids in the Sea Country, your singing is the most beautiful. Only such a reward is worthy of my help! Princess, I will cut out your tongue and take away your voice with magic. After that, you will not be able to speak."
Ariel's face grew even paler.
Before she could reply, Aurora, who was beside her, indignantly protested:
"This is unfair. A beautiful singing voice is Ariel's way of attracting her beloved.
"If she becomes a mute, how will Ariel gain the Prince's love?
"You clearly know that if she fails, she will turn into sea foam. Yet you demand the very talent essential for her success as payment!
"How is this different from pushing her into the grave?"
Aurora looked at Rhine, who had been silent for some reason since just now:
"Help me say something, Teacher.
"This is like, in a duel where failure means death, from the very beginning, one duelist's weapon is taken away as the admission ticket.
"Such a transaction is not fair at all!"
Rhine, who had been pondering something, finally spoke: "I think the price the Sea Hag is asking for is fine."
Aurora was stunned, speechless for a moment: "Why?"
Rhine turned towards Ariel and the Sea Hag, seemingly completely siding with the latter: "Respected Sea Witch, I object to my friend's opinion.
"I believe that your demanding a high price is completely reasonable—didn't we know from the beginning that fulfilling a wish with you would come at a heavy cost?
"If Ariel cannot accept the price you offer, she can completely refuse the transaction and find another merchant with a lower price as a trading partner—if she can really find one. Isn't that right?"
"What kind of talk is that?" Aurora was shocked.
"But if she doesn't get the magic potion to turn her fish tail into Human legs from the Sea Hag, where else would she get it?" She was about to ask Rhine this when she suddenly stopped.
Aurora instantly understood what her Teacher was about to say.
The Sea Hag obviously didn't know what Rhine was thinking; she only saw that the two Humans were arguing among themselves, and the silver-haired youth was uncharacteristically disagreeing with the golden-haired girl, strongly speaking up for her.
The Sea Witch laughed heartily, praising Rhine: "I really didn't expect you to be so sensible, child. Not at all like your friend.
"Your friend keeps grumbling and grumbling, always wanting to blame me and push the fault onto me. As if Ariel should receive my help for free.
"Mermaids, like Humans, are always so greedy, wanting their wishes fulfilled yet unwilling to pay the price!
"And where in the world is there such a good thing? Where would there be powerful Magicians and Witches who fulfill people's wishes for free without requiring payment?
"The truth is just as you said, this is a transaction that the mermaid princess willingly sought from me. If she doesn't want it, then I'll have an easy time; she can just go find someone else."
For a moment, Rhine and the Sea Hag actually reached a consensus.
This scene left Princess Ariel a bit bewildered.
Then Rhine looked at Ariel again:
"Just as I said. Isn't all of this your own choice?
"Since you want to receive help, you should naturally pay a price. If you don't want to, then go find someone who is willing to give you the same magic potion for free!"
Ariel's small face was pale, and she nodded gently.
Despite being sad about losing her beautiful voice and becoming mute, she admitted in her heart that what her Human friend said was not wrong.
It was impossible to expect someone to help her transform into a Human for free, was it?
"Let's do it this way, I accept this transaction!" Ariel mustered her courage and said to the Sea Hag.
"Stick out your tongue."
The Sea Hag then took out a sharp knife.
She would use this knife to cut off the mermaid princess's tongue and take away the most beautiful singing voice of the ocean and land.
"You should have decided this long ago, my Princess.
"Just as your Human friend said, if you only want to achieve your wish but don't want to pay the price, then you might as well close your eyes and pray that someone will give you a magic potion that can make you grow Human legs for free—a potion as effective as the one I concoct."
"Yes," Rhine also agreed with the Sea Hag from behind, his tone very firm, "for example, I would give a magic potion for free. Ariel can come to me."
"Exactly..." the Sea Hag said, just about to agree with Rhine's words, then felt something was off.
She turned to Rhine in astonishment, asking word by word: "What are you saying, Human!"
Rhine smiled at Ariel and said: "Since we have become friends, I can brew a potion for you for free—its effects will be the same as what the Sea Hag described. Uh, not entirely the same, the side effects will be smaller."
"That doesn't sound funny at all." The Sea Hag looked at Rhine. "What are you talking about? The potion that makes mermaids grow legs is my invention. Only I can brew it in this sea and on land!"
I believe what you said is true, but what I'm replicating is your alchemy skill... Rhine thought.
The Sea Hag was furious: "Stop with your boring jokes, Human. The potion I brew contains powerful magic, and only those who can use magic can brew it!"
"Yes." The silver-haired youth replied with a gentle smile. "Didn't I say before? I am a Magician."
Ariel looked at her two Human friends in surprise.
"Yes." Aurora also introduced Rhine with a proud tone. "He is a particularly powerful and very versatile Magician! He is the most excellent Magician in the kingdom we come from."
"Wait!" Ariel was extremely surprised, staring at the silver-haired boy with disbelief.
So, this good friend who had followed her for some time was actually a Magician?
Within the scope of what the mermaid princess knew, magic was a profound and mysterious branch of knowledge. The Sea Country had only one wise person who understood magic, and that was the Sea Hag.
No wonder they, as Humans, could travel to the Sea Country on a strange large fish!
"I always thought you were a knowledgeable Human Scholar," Ariel said.
"That's not contradictory," Rhine smiled. "Almost all Magicians are knowledgeable Scholars."
The Sea Hag interrupted them: "Alright. With that strange large fish with the transparent belly, I believe you are indeed a Magician.
"But what good is that? The magic potion that can cut open a mermaid's tail and turn it into Human legs is my invention! I have never told anyone that secret formula.
"Besides me, no Human or sea creature can concoct a potion with the same effect!"
The youth, a smile on his lips, said to Ariel: "In that case, let's try it. Give me a little time, and I'll brew the potion and give it to you for free."
"For free?" Ariel could hardly believe it.
"Yes. It's a friend's gift." Rhine crouched down inside the large fish's belly.
Mists emerged from his hands, conjuring a medicine pot, herbs, a mortar, a pestle, and other tools necessary for brewing medicine out of thin air.
This miraculous scene filled Ariel with wonder: "Is this magic? So many things appeared at once."
Many of these herbs and tools were things Rhine had touched when he first transmigrated to this world to treat commoners.
And as long as Rhine had touched those items once with his hand, he could summon them to his side from a distance.
—This was the magic he learned after fulfilling the Soldier's wish to "retrieve the tinderbox"!
The Little Magician then began to brew the potion. His movements were practiced and familiar, adding something to the pot every now and then.
From time to time, strange-shaped steam would waft out of the pot.
The Sea Hag, however, watched in stunned disbelief:
"This potion formula, this brewing technique—how are they so similar to mine?"
It was as if she herself were brewing the potion!
No, there were still many differences.
The sea snake that should have been included in the medicine was replaced by a land snake; and the silver seaweed, which was only useful when picked under moonlight, was replaced by some land herb the Sea Hag didn't recognize.
Clearly, Rhine had slightly modified the formula, replacing many sea herbs with similar-acting land materials.
There were herbs from the forest, herbs from the grasslands, and even herbs from the mountains and deserts. There were far more things on land than in the vast deep sea!
There were also some medicinal ingredients that Rhine simply omitted, not adding them at all.
Because the divination results told him that these materials not only contained no effective ingredients but would cause severe toxicity—the original formula also had flaws.
The Sea Hag saw strange-shaped steam rising from the medicine pot and knew the potion was almost ready.
And the color and quality of the potion were definitely better than the best she could brew!
The Sea Hag could not accept this fact at all.
She questioned the Little Magician in front of her again: "Don't think I don't know its pharmacology. To imbue this potion with magic, you also need to pour in a large bottle of magical blood.
"Are you really that kind-hearted, willing to offer your own blood? With your small frame, releasing that much blood, you'll probably collapse before the potion is even ready!"
"Isn't it just magical blood?" Rhine smiled. He found a soft spot in the large fish's belly, cut it with a dagger, and let the fish's blood flow into the medicine pot.
The Sea Hag needed her own blood to concoct the magic potion, but he didn't.
This large fish was transformed from the dog summoned by the tinderbox, so its blood naturally came from the large dog and contained inherent magic.
That large dog's blood was much more than his own!
Soon, the potion boiled, and a wonderful sound emanated from it—not the crying of a crocodile as in the original story, but like the melodious singing of a lark.
The potion was thus brewed.
This pot of magic potion was colorless and transparent, looking like clear water.
"Oh my goodness! How can such a thing happen? This is impossible!"
The Sea Hag shrieked.
She didn't even need to see the mermaid princess try to drink the potion. Just hearing the sound that came out when the potion was ready, she knew that Rhine's potion must be better than her magic potion.
"Please take this potion to the shore and drink it before the sun comes up," Rhine said. "My magic potion, similar in effect to the Sea Hag's, will also make you grow Human legs, but the side effects will be much smaller!"