Chapter 145: He's Still Alive
The puppets guarding the Mermaid Prince's tomb all radiated formidable auras. Even the weakest possessed the strength of a Third-Order magical beast, while the strongest surpassed even Barbara, a high-tier Fourth-Ring Wizard. Worse still, there were simply too many of them. Outnumbered, Levi and Barbara stood no chance against the swarm.
If they couldn't win, they would die.
Knowing that, Barbara's expression tightened.
She had never expected the Mermaid Prince's tomb to be this dangerous.
She had come thoroughly prepared, yet it still wasn't enough.
She wasn't afraid of death itself. What troubled her was that she had dragged Levi into this.
Turning to him, she said apologetically, "I'm sorry. I've gotten you involved."
"Hm?" Levi glanced at her.
As she readied herself to face the mermaid puppets, Barbara gave a bitter smile.
"Compared to the agreement we made, this isn't a fair exchange. The risk you're taking is far greater than I anticipated, while the rewards you're receiving are far too small. It violates the principle of equivalent exchange."
Levi stared at her in disbelief.
Is something wrong with this woman?
At a time like this, that's what she's thinking about?
He studied her more carefully and realized she was completely serious.
"..."
For a moment, Levi genuinely didn't know what to say.
Barbara continued, "In a moment, I'll release all the power stored in my Bloodline Sigil. Then we'll split up. If either of us manages to escape, I'll compensate you afterward."
By now, the mermaid puppets had completely surrounded them. The light in their eyes grew steadily brighter—they were clearly about to attack.
"If we find the Sea God's Divinity inside the tomb," Levi said, "I get first pick."
"No!" Barbara shrieked.
Damn it. She talks a good game, but when it comes down to it, she's no different from any other witch, Levi cursed inwardly.
There was no more time to waste.
He immediately began chanting.
"!"#$%&/()=?..."
Levi recited an extremely long incantation.
As Barbara watched in utter confusion, the lights within the mermaid puppets' eyes suddenly flickered several times before fading.
The puppets stopped moving.
Only then did Barbara realize what had happened.
She stared at Levi in shock.
Levi merely shrugged and said casually, "That's the shutdown incantation for these puppets."
"I know that!" Barbara replied. "What I mean is... how do you know it? You..."
She narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing him.
For the first time, she wondered whether Levi had approached her with ulterior motives from the very beginning—whether his true objective had always been the treasure hidden within the Mermaid Prince's tomb.
Levi was still using Detection, blue light flickering in his eyes.
Barbara's thoughts were completely transparent to him.
He curled his lip.
"What are you thinking, Ms. Barbara?"
"Until before this, I didn't even know the Mermaid Prince's tomb existed."
That was true.
Before this, Levi had had no idea these several sea-related fairy tales were all intertwined.
He had learned it through Detection after reading the information carried by the mermaid puppets.
This had originally been a secret backdoor the Mermaid Prince had left behind for his descendants, passed down through his bloodline. His hope had been that one day, an exceptional heir would arrive and inherit everything he had left behind.
But time changes everything.
The family he had left on land had dwindled until only two descendants remained—Queen Moya and her daughter Serena. Their bloodline was all but extinct.
Naturally, this carefully prepared "backdoor" had long since been lost.
Only because Levi possessed Detection, copied from the Magic Mirror, had he been able to uncover it from the mermaid puppets and use it himself.
Detection truly lived up to its reputation as an absurdly overpowered spell.
Throughout his journey, it had proven more useful than any other ability he possessed.
Without it, even with all the powerful fairy tale treasures he had acquired, Levi might never have made it this far.
He probably would have died long ago...
Naturally, none of that needed to be explained to Barbara.
Every wizard had their own secrets.
After a moment's thought, Levi deliberately put on a solemn expression.
"The existence behind me noticed I was in danger just now and casually gave me a reminder."
Hearing that, Barbara immediately looked around.
But aside from the now-motionless mermaid puppets, there was nothing there.
Frowning, she said, "I didn't sense anything unusual."
"Ms. Barbara," Levi replied, "don't overestimate yourself."
Barbara froze.
A moment later, her face flushed bright red.
Embarrassed and irritated, she snapped, "Then... is the existence behind you also here for the Sea God's Divinity?"
Levi shook his head.
"The one behind me doesn't even know about it."
"Besides... They don't need such a thing."
"They don't need it? Then could it be..."
Barbara seemed to think of a possibility.
Her gaze shifted as she looked at Levi.
At this point, she was beginning to believe that there truly was some immensely powerful existence standing behind him—one that, for whatever reason, was unable to intervene personally.
A short while passed.
Finally, Levi reminded her, "Ms. Barbara, I have to ask... are we continuing this expedition?"
"If we don't hurry, these mermaid puppets will wake up again."
Barbara snapped out of her thoughts and looked deeply at Levi.
"We continue."
After a brief pause, she deliberately reminded him, "Levi, we signed an agreement under the witness of the Hell Lord."
"Of course. I've never had any intention of violating our agreement," Levi replied with a nod. "You have my word."
Only then did Barbara turn her attention to the tomb's stone entrance beyond the mermaid puppets.
She walked up to the massive door.
It was tightly sealed.
She tried using a spell to push it open, but the stone door didn't budge in the slightest.
Levi walked over and said, "Ma'am, that won't work."
"You need to activate the power of your Mermaid Bloodline Sigil. At the same time, I have to recite the incantation."
Naturally, this was information he had learned through Detection.
Ever since his Spiritual Power had increased, Detection had become capable of revealing far more information—and in much greater detail.
Barbara glanced at him. She opened her mouth as if to ask why, but then seemed to think of something. A trace of mockery crossed her face, and all she said was, "Fine."
With that, Barbara activated the Mermaid Bloodline Sigil on the back of her hand.
At the same time, Levi began chanting.
Working together, they watched as the massive stone door slowly opened on its own, without anyone touching it.
A frigid, decaying breath mixed with the faint spiritual aura of the ancient sea poured out from within.
Levi and Barbara instinctively held their breath and peered inside.
The interior of the tomb was vast, with an incredibly long passageway.
Lining both sides were countless deep-sea burial treasures—pearls of every imaginable color, Origin Crystal Stones... and Levi even spotted quite a few items that radiated mana fluctuations.
Those were valuable spellcasting materials with a variety of effects.
The wealth of the sea was on full display.
Barbara's breathing quickened slightly as her gaze swept over them.
Even so, as valuable as those treasures were, they couldn't compare to what she had truly come here for.
Without hesitation, Barbara strode through the treasure-lined corridor, Levi following closely behind.
Soon, the main burial chamber at the deepest part of the tomb came into view.
At its center rested a gigantic coffin carved from flawless Cold Jade.
The entire coffin had been sculpted from a single block of the icy white stone. It was pure, translucent, and surrounded by a pale blue barrier that rippled like flowing water.
However, after countless years, the barrier had become extremely fragile.
It looked as though a single poke would shatter it.
Barbara cautiously approached.
After all, there was no telling whether other dangers still lurked inside the tomb.
Levi, by contrast, was much more relaxed.
Detection had already informed him that this place was perfectly safe.
Which made sense.
This tomb had been built by the Mermaid Prince for his own descendants—not for enemies.
Levi looked ahead.
Through the barrier, he could see exquisite mermaid motifs intricately carved across the surface of the coffin, every line exuding nobility and elegance.
His heart stirred.
He slowly walked toward it.
"There could still be danger," Barbara warned.
Levi remained unmoved.
Barbara frowned before following after him, quietly preparing defensive spells just in case.
The two soon arrived before the enormous coffin.
The seemingly fragile barrier blocked their path.
A blue light flashed across Levi's eyes.
"Ma'am," he said, "channel all the power of your Bloodline Sigil."
Barbara frowned slightly.
Clearly, she was the one who knew the Mermaid Prince's tomb better than anyone else.
Yet somehow, Levi had ended up taking the lead.
After hesitating for a moment, she decided to follow his instructions anyway.
After all, they were bound by a Dark Contract.
Golden-blue light blossomed from the Bloodline Sigil on the back of her hand and touched the barrier.
The instant it made contact, it was as though it had fallen into a whirlpool.
The power contained within the Mermaid Bloodline Sigil surged uncontrollably into the barrier, gathering atop the coffin.
Levi tricked me!
That possibility flashed through Barbara's mind immediately, her face changing in alarm.
But when she turned to look at Levi, his expression remained completely calm.
By the time she looked back, every last trace of power within the Bloodline Sigil had already been drained by the barrier.
The sigil shattered.
At the same time, the barrier vanished.
Accompanied by the soft sound of flowing water scraping against stone, the lid of the coffin slowly slid open.
The true body of the Mermaid Prince appeared before them.
He was enormous, standing five to six meters tall.
His upper body was humanoid, with a broad, powerfully built physique and perfectly defined muscles.
Across his bronze skin ran naturally formed golden royal patterns—the innate markings of the royal bloodline—which shimmered faintly, radiating the majestic authority of an ancient king.
His face was incomparably handsome.
Every feature carried the innate nobility of the ancient royal bloodline.
People believed only female mermaids possessed peerless beauty.
Few realized that male mermaids were no less breathtaking.
Yet his complexion was deathly pale, filled with decay and weakness.
His long, deep-blue hair drifted gently in the water filling the coffin.
Below the waist stretched an incomparably magnificent golden fishtail.
Layer upon layer of brilliant golden scales covered it, making the tail appear both resplendent and sacred.
Without hesitation, Levi used Detection to examine the Mermaid Prince.
The Mermaid Prince's strength exceeded the Fourth Order.
According to Barbara, he had already reached the Fifth Order.
As a result, Detection could reveal only a limited amount of information.
But one piece of information left Levi utterly stunned.
"He's still alive!"
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