The Wizard of Fairy Tale World

Chapter 90 – Alliance with the Sea Kingdom

Prince Eric also swam over with his mermaid tail, gently stroking the girl’s golden hair while expressing his endless gratitude.

Seeing this, everyone suddenly remembered—Prince Eric still hadn’t returned to his original form!@@novelbin@@

Rhine pulled out another bottle of "Potion to Turn a Mermaid into a Human" and made Prince Eric drink it. Soon, he regrew his human legs, ensuring that he wouldn't have a hard time explaining things when meeting the king.

"Honorable Magician Rhine, I have a question," Ariel asked cautiously, her curiosity piqued. "These potions that turn mermaids into humans and humans into mermaids… they don’t seem all that rare, do they?"

Why did Rhine always seem to have these potions on hand and never look the least bit concerned about using them?

"That’s right, the ingredients aren’t expensive, and as long as you have a big enough cauldron, you can mass-produce them. I can brew a few hundred bottles a day," Rhine replied.

After the Old Witch died, he had taken the opportunity to ransack her stockpile of rare ingredients, completely emptying her stores. For a long time to come, he wouldn’t have to worry about running out of bizarre potion materials.

"Is that so?" Ariel was stunned.

"For these two types of potions, the hardest ingredient to acquire is magically infused blood. That’s also why the Sea Hag charged such a high price—she had to use her own blood," Rhine explained. "But I have three magical dogs with regenerative abilities. I just take their blood instead."

Poor dogs… Ariel couldn't help but think.

Now that he had his legs back and was fully dressed, Prince Eric stretched out his arms under the sunlight, overjoyed.

"Now, we’re all safe and sound. Once I return to the Western Asia Kingdom, I will tell my father—I want to marry Ariel. He absolutely cannot stop me this time."

"And how do you plan to explain Ariel’s identity to your father?" Rhine asked.

"Uh…" Prince Eric was momentarily at a loss.

"O great Magician Rhine, what do you suggest I say?" After struggling to come up with an answer, the prince once again turned to the ever-powerful, seemingly omniscient young magician for guidance.

"Just tell him the truth—Ariel is a mermaid princess from the Sea Kingdom," Rhine shrugged.

"Just say it outright?" Prince Eric was shocked, and Ariel looked equally astonished.

On the other hand, Aurora, who had been feeling awkward after receiving compliments earlier, now looked completely unfazed by Rhine’s suggestion, as if she had expected it all along.

"This is a prophecy, a prediction, a vision from a sage, foretelling your future," Rhine said. "Tell your father exactly who Ariel is, and he will allow you to be together." R̃𝔞ɴŎ𝔟ЁṨ

"Thank you!" Prince Eric respectfully bowed to Rhine. "Prophecies truly are miraculous!"

"It’s not actually that miraculous. Prophecies usually only reveal vague fragments of fate. The truly effective ones are the ones where you set a goal first and then work towards making it happen," Rhine mused internally.

As he thought about this, his gaze drifted down toward the rolling waves of the ocean, as if he could see straight through the deep blue waters to the grand and majestic palace beneath.

——

Near the Sea King’s palace.

The King of the Western Asia Kingdom had witnessed far too many miracles today.

Through the transparent belly of the giant fish, he had personally seen the world beneath the sea—strange and wondrous plants, palace walls built from coral, and the sea flowers blooming in the mermaid princess’s garden.

"So this is the underwater kingdom? It’s breathtaking," the king marveled, yet at the same time, he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity, as if he had seen these scenes somewhere before.

He had also seen firsthand the mermaids’ ability to command schools of fish and sea beasts, and he was astounded by the talents of these children of the sea. He had learned that mermaids understood the moods of the ocean and could predict incoming storms in advance.

An idea bubbled up in the king’s mind:

"If we could form an alliance with the Sea Kingdom, that would be incredible!"

"With mermaids foreseeing storms and commanding sea creatures, our kingdom’s ships would always sail smoothly, and our fisheries would always be abundant."

"There are countless oysters, pearls, seashells, and corals in the ocean—things that are common to mermaids but valuable to us. If we could establish trade with the Sea Kingdom, we would profit immensely."

"We could use the treasures of the sea to trade for gold and silver from other nations, making our kingdom the wealthiest in the Western Continent—just like those Middle Eastern countries that serve as trade hubs between the East and West!"

"This is a hundred, no, a thousand times better than forming an alliance with Enderland!"

With that thought in mind, the king eagerly proposed his idea to the Sea King, his tone full of sincerity.

"Please, mighty ruler of the sea, form an alliance with our kingdom!"

The Sea King, of course, had already anticipated this after speaking with Rhine. Deep down, he was overjoyed.

——In the entire history of the Sea Kingdom, this was the first time humans had ever taken the initiative to seek an alliance with them!

In the past, the Sea King had come up with many different ways to establish good relations with the humans on land, but they had all failed.

But now, as he looked at the king’s earnest expression, he deliberately put on an uninterested face and said coolly,

"This trade you speak of—does it really matter that much to us merfolk?"

The Sea King had remembered Rhine’s advice—at this moment, he needed to make the other side propose the alliance on their own while he remained aloof.

After all, there were plenty of kingdoms on land. It wasn’t as if he had to ally with the Western Asia Kingdom specifically.

That’s just how supply and demand worked!

The king, seeing the Sea King’s apparent lack of enthusiasm, grew anxious.

"Of course! The Sea Kingdom has never allied with any human nation before, so naturally, they wouldn't be interested in such a proposal."

"No, I can't let this slip away. Becoming the first human nation in history to form an alliance and trade with the Sea Kingdom—this would be an unimaginable advantage for the Western Asia Kingdom!"

"No matter the cost, no matter how many unequal treaties we have to sign, we absolutely cannot let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip through our fingers!"

"Your Majesty the Sea King," the king pleaded, "if you agree to an alliance with us, I will use all my power as ruler to promote the beauty of mermaids, washing away all the prejudice that humans across the continent have against you!"

Oh? What a pleasant surprise… The Sea King had been planning to ask for this himself, but the human king had beaten him to it.

He did his best to keep a straight face, suppressing his joy, and responded calmly,

"Oh? That does sound… somewhat appealing."

Just as he was about to remind the king not to go back on his word, he heard the Western Asia King continue eagerly:

"I know… that alone isn’t enough to move you, Your Majesty.

"But we on land have many things that the sea does not. We have advanced craftsmanship, livestock, and an array of fine goods imported from other nations, including luxurious silk garments.

"Once our two nations establish trade, your people will have easy access to all of these.

"We could even create custom items specifically designed for underwater use.

"Oh, and if there is anything else your kingdom desires, we will do everything in our power to provide it—because we are allies, after all."

The Sea King, who had always dreamed of forming friendships with humans, felt as though he was in a dream. Still, he maintained his composed expression and said indifferently,

"Very well. I will consider it."

We’re making a fortune! The Western Asia King was almost giddy with excitement, thinking to himself,

"I must strike while the iron is hot! I need to offer the Sea King an irresistible deal—one he absolutely cannot refuse!"