Chapter 79: I'm Listening (24)

"Phew…"

After returning to the Endless Maze, Herbert didn't go see Valentina right away, but instead pushed open another door and walked into the Deep Water Prison.

Honestly, he was a little flustered for a moment, not prepared to go see Valentina just like that.

The whole thing was a bit awkward to explain.

Herbert had originally just been acting on a whim, wanting to court death, but he didn't actually want to die; he did have a certain confidence backing him up, and hadn't taken too great a risk.

In fact, he really hadn't been hurt that badly—it just looked a little gruesome on the surface—but the Hungry Dragon Young Lady had clearly misunderstood something, and her emotions had become quite agitated after being triggered.

Having someone worry about him like that—even with Herbert's thick skin—as the person involved, he still felt a bit awkward.

"Let me cool off first, wait a bit, wait until she's calmed down a little before we talk."

Valentina's emotions were running high right now; better to avoid her edge for the time being.

Running away is shameful, but it really works.

"Herbert, you look a little troubled."

The sea siren's water-like gentle voice rose like waves, drawing Herbert's gaze over.

"Fu Leimei, can you tell?"

"Hehe, of course—after all, you weren't even trying to hide it."

Fu Leimei didn't ask Herbert something childish and melodramatic like, "Why haven't you come to see me these past few days?"

First, Herbert had no obligation to come visit her every day.

Second, for a legendary sea siren with a lifespan of over a thousand years, her sense of time wasn't the same as a human's.

The gap in the scale of lifespans was too great; a few days wasn't enough to make her feel lonely.

Besides, even among sea sirens, she was an extremely reclusive one.

Because of that curse-like talent, she had long since passively grown accustomed to loneliness.

"You look injured."

Fu Leimei gave Herbert a once-over, her gaze landing on the scorched, torn part of his shirt, and seemingly casually glanced at the skin underneath.

Two glances, three glances… four, cough!

She cleared her throat softly before Herbert noticed anything, then asked as if nothing had happened: "Ahem, was it related to that commotion just now?"

The ostrich-like approach was clumsy and crude, but it did work—successfully diverting Herbert's attention.

"Mm, you could feel it here too?"

Herbert blinked, not expecting the soundproofing between zones to be this bad.

You could feel it all the way over here?

Is this some cheap motel near a college town?

"I only faintly heard a tremor."

Fu Leimei raised her hand, pinched a small clump of water out of the water sphere, and gently tapped its surface, sending ripples spreading across it in layers.

Sea sirens were inherently very sensitive to sound; they possessed a keen sense of vibration that others couldn't match.

"So, what actually happened?"

"To put it simply… there was a prison fight? Uh, a brawl?"

How am I supposed to tell you that I, as a warden, brought prisoners from one zone to another zone to beat up the prisoners inside?

No matter how I phrase it, it sounds like I'm abusing my power for personal gain…

Herbert was still thinking about how to explain the situation, but Fu Leimei wasn't paying attention to the content of the story—her focus was elsewhere.

She leaned her body out of the water and asked curiously: "Eh? In the other zones, are multiple people kept together?"

"Mm, some are kept together. You envy them?" Herbert blinked, finding this a little hard to understand.

What a strange person you are—not satisfied with a single room, you actually like dorms.

This isn't a college dorm; you don't need to bond with your roommate.

"Aren't you worried about not getting along with the others?"

Fu Leimei, however, said none of that mattered: "No matter how you look at it, having one more person in the same situation should help relieve some of the loneliness and boredom, right?"

Relieve loneliness, huh?

Herbert recalled the scenes he'd seen in the Lightless Prison and the Lava Hell, and shook his head.

Fake news, don't believe it.

It's fine to imagine it, but you only know the brutal truth once you actually experience it.

The vampire and the dark elf were fine—zero interaction, no different from a single cell.

But the demon and the devil were a different story—they really weren't lonely anymore; all they did all day was torment each other…

One magic damage, one physical damage—interaction maxed out.

He shook his head and sighed: "Being alone is pretty nice too."

Take Valentina, for example—besides being a little hungry, she had no worries.

"Is that so… maybe."

Fu Leimei blinked, seemingly sensing something from his wistful expression, and quietly nodded.

"By the way, didn't you run into a Fallen One a few days ago?"

"Uh, you mean… that guy who looks like a demon slug that's been chewed halfway through by a giant bone whale?"

Herbert:?

Fu Leimei:?

"Y-yes?"

"I-is that right?"

The two of them stared at each other, unsure if they were talking about the same thing.

We're talking about the same person, right?

Probably...

When Herbert saw Grass Carp Bro, he had already reverted to his human form; Herbert had never seen that slime-like shape of his.

"Forget it, only one person snuck in anyway, so it must be the same one, this doesn't matter! In any case, did you make a move on him?"

Plop.

Hearing this, the mermaid immediately shrank back into her water sphere, leaving only her head poking out, looking a little wronged.

Herbert:?

"He's dead?"

Fu Leimei saw Herbert fall silent, guessed the man's fate, and protested with a touch of grievance:

"But this time it's really not my fault! I was singing when he came in on his own, and then he slipped away in a hurry. I really didn't mean to harm him!"

Fu Leimei felt very wronged.

"This time it's clearly your problem!"

How come your prison doesn't have someone guarding the door?

The warden coming and going as he pleases is one thing, but how are there outsiders too!

"No, miss, please calm down first. Things aren't what you think. I'm not here to blame you."

"I don't care, you guys are the real murderers... huh?"

Herbert hesitated, then after a moment explained: "Actually, you didn't make a mistake this time — you did a meritorious deed..."

He quickly retold the story he had once told Valentina, but before he could finish describing the reward the monastery had given them...

Splash!

The mermaid, who had been shrinking back guiltily, suddenly shot out of her water sphere, leapt high into the air, then landed gently and sat steadily atop the water sphere.

Fu Leimei sat triumphantly atop the water sphere, proudly lifting her chin, humming happily, and swaying her iridescent fish tail.

She looked at the dazed Herbert, waved her hand, and said haughtily: "Keep going, don't stop."

"I'm listening."

(End of chapter)