Chapter 1740: Drinking after crashing still counts as drunk driving

How did you know?!!!

Looking at the man who had guessed her identity and destination after asking just two questions, the mermaid miss couldn't help but widen her eyes in shock.

And when she reacted, remembering that her identity was supposed to be kept secret, she couldn't help but feel a flash of annoyance as she looked at the young man and woman before her, who both wore expressions of realization.

Judging by their expressions, they clearly already had the answer in their minds; trying to keep it a secret now seemed to be too late...

"Yes..."

Simply deciding to admit it after Li Ang's judgment, the mermaid miss said with slight annoyance:

"I am indeed the new Queen of the Saiao Kingdom, having just ascended the throne in the Biyue Sea the day before yesterday... but please, just keep this to yourselves; I beg you not to tell anyone!"

"?"

After exchanging a glance with Li Ang beside her, Queen Veronica asked with some confusion:

"Why can't it be told? Could it be that... the other branches of the Qianfan Sea Kingdom also want the throne and are hunting you down?"

"How could that be?"

Hearing this, the mermaid miss couldn't help but laugh, waving her hands repeatedly:

"I am the new monarch recognized by everyone, how could I possibly be hunted? Besides, I am very, very strong; even if they sent a fleet, they might not be able to defeat me..."

"But you almost drowned in alcohol just from crashing a ship?"

"..."

"Seriously, when I fished you out, I felt like you had been pickled in it; you were covered in grapes and cinnamon..."

"Li Ang!"

Looking at the mermaid miss whose proud expression had suddenly frozen, Queen Veronica, who couldn't help but find it funny, pinched Li Ang's ribs lightly, then spoke while suppressing a laugh:

"The Biyue Sea is very far from here, at least two or three thousand nautical miles, and the time for the assembly is almost here. Queen Wendy must have been worried about not making it to the assembly and got tired from rushing these past two days, which is why she crashed into our ship, right?"

"Yes, yes, yes! That's exactly it!"

Having been given a way out by Veronica, the mermaid miss nodded repeatedly, looking relieved:

"That assembly is extremely important, and the ship they prepared for me was too slow, so I left them behind, thinking I would rush over to attend the assembly myself.

The problem is that I was traveling from the seabed, but the sea charts they gave me were for the surface, so I had to occasionally surface to take a look at the markers to confirm the route. As a result, when I surfaced, I happened to crash into you."

"So the reason for the accident was that you were driving while fatigued, right?"

"???"

Although he felt it might have had something to do with his badge, remembering Meilanni crying and hiccuping in Anna's arms, Li Ang, who had always doted on his sister, couldn't help but vent his anger a little and asked for compensation:

"Our ship and cargo have suffered significant damage. How do you intend to compensate for this?"

"..."

No... this isn't right, is it?

Looking at Li Ang, who was asking for compensation without hesitation despite her dual identity as a Sea Clan member and the Queen of Saiao, the mermaid miss couldn't help but blink, then looked helplessly toward Veronica, who couldn't help but laugh.

"Queen Wendy, please don't mind him. My husband... he likes to joke with others."

After smoothing things over, Queen Veronica said with a smile:

"There's no need for compensation. The iceberg you used to travel here is frozen with quite a few fish, many of which are rare deep-sea fish.

During the time before you woke up, I had the boatswain calculate their value and found that after deducting the ship repair costs and the compensation for the cargo, there is still a profit. So, let's just leave it at that; there's no need for additional compensation. Is that alright?"

"Oh, oh, that's fine, that's fine!"

Hearing Veronica's words, the mermaid miss couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief, then nodded repeatedly, expressing her approval of this compensation method.

And just as she was feeling fortunate that she had randomly frozen a few schools of fish before leaving just to have something fresh to eat, Queen Veronica asked curiously:

"Queen Wendy, since it wasn't a safety issue, why can't your identity be revealed?"

"This..."

Hearing Veronica's question, the mermaid miss hesitated for a moment, seemingly not wanting to answer this question, but remembering the goodwill Veronica had shown her when she helped her out twice, she finally answered:

"Because I am a mermaid..."

"?"

"The people in the Qianfan Sea Kingdom, although they elected me as the new Queen of Saiao after confirming my bloodline, they actually don't know that I am a mermaid. They only think I was traveling all over the world in the past, and they... probably wouldn't be able to accept a mermaid as their queen."

So that's it...

However, although her identity had already been exposed, the fact that she would spill such an important matter to a few "passersby" so casually, and then be left speechless by his "debt collection" behavior, made it seem that this new Queen of Saiao was likely the naive type.

After simply observing the mermaid miss's heart and soul state and unexpectedly finding that she seemed like a decent person, Li Ang exchanged a glance with Veronica, who understood, and Queen Veronica smiled and said:

"Don't worry, I will keep it a secret for you... Also, Queen Wendy, your iceberg has been damaged, so... would you like us to give you a ride?"

"Is that okay?!"

Receiving the promise of secrecy and the invitation to board from Veronica, the mermaid miss couldn't help but be overjoyed, and her gaze toward her became even more affectionate.

"Thank you! Thank you very much!"

"You're welcome."

Although her main goal was to win over a potential ally, Veronica was quite fond of this simple-minded little queen. After reaching out to steady the slightly swaying mermaid miss, she smiled and said:

"Our destination is the same as yours, the Golden Land of the Morna Kingdom. It just so happens to be on our way... Also, the fish frozen in your iceberg will count as your fare; I won't give you any change for the excess. Is that alright?"

"Ah! Okay, okay! It's all yours!"

After nodding repeatedly in pleasant surprise, the mermaid miss reached into the shell on her chest, took out an exquisite small pocket watch to check the time and date, and then said with some embarrassment:

"Um... if it's possible, I have one small request... do you mind if I summon some sea waves to help speed up your ship?"

Speed up?

After exchanging a glance with Li Ang, Queen Veronica nodded and said:

"Of course I don't mind. We would be happy if the ship were faster. But why the need to speed up? At our current speed, we shouldn't be late for your assembly, right?"

"This..."

After biting her lower lip slightly, the mermaid miss said in a low voice, her eyes filled with wariness:

"I want to avoid someone... This shipping route is the only way from the Western Continent to the Golden Land, and it's very easy to run into him. The reason I was rushing through the night until I almost fell asleep was also to get there earlier and try to avoid that person."

"Who?"

The mermaid miss hesitated for a moment, then finally raised her right hand to block the side of her mouth and leaned in under Li Ang's curious gaze, asking cautiously:

"Have you heard of the God of Cookery from the Cleaning Bureau?"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 1741 =====