Chapter 450: Aikalia

The next moment, the soldiers sliced through the ropes binding the mermaids and tipped them all into the pond.

The mermaids could hardly believe it. They wanted to cheer and sing, but they were afraid the noise might anger the Baron, so they instinctively huddled together, embracing one another and celebrating the fact that the Baron had not immediately killed them.

After briefly checking on one another, the mermaids once again looked at Phield pitifully.

"I am not the one who destroyed your homeland. Besides, I have enemies in common with them."

The people trafficking mermaids were most likely from the Stormsea Mercantile Nation. Phield had indeed had his own conflicts with them.

After ordering the soldiers to leave, Phield asked gently,

"Relax, ladies. Tell me what you can do, and I will find suitable work for you."

Phield was curious about the mermaids’ innate abilities. Every race had its own strengths. Humans were highly versatile, wolf demi-humans were excellent hunters and cavalrymen, while rabbit demi-humans were gentle and easy to manage.

"Singing..."

Aikalia blurted out.

But the moment she mentioned the thing she loved most, one of the mermaids beside her quickly covered her mouth.

"Singing is useless to them. They did not capture us because they wanted to hear us sing."

"Then... I cannot do anything."

Aikalia looked dejected and spoke in a wronged tone.

"Other than singing, I suppose I might be delicious."

"Singing counts too. Having a choir would certainly improve the sophistication of my territory."

Other nobles had symphony orchestras, so there was nothing wrong with having one of his own.

Phield rubbed his chin.

"The Divine Descent Festival is coming up soon. Having the mermaids perform a song would be a great way to add some artistic flair to the territory. We can use the opportunity to build a theater as well."

A proper city could not consist entirely of factories.

Seeing that Phield had responded positively to such a seemingly useless skill, the mermaids lowered their guard another notch.

"Human lord, we can produce pearls."

A mature mermaid timidly raised her hand.

"What the hell?"

Phield was stunned, and his gaze instinctively dropped lower.

"Which organ produces them?"

The mermaid immediately flushed and hurried to explain.

"That is not what I meant! We raise shellfish that produce sea pearls, and even magical pearls. They are extremely useful. Magical pearls can provide water shields for warships and allow people to breathe underwater for extended periods."

"Pearls? Magical pearls?"

Phield’s eyes widened, and he immediately became interested.

"Excellent. That counts."

Pearls were highly popular luxury goods throughout the empire, which fit perfectly with his plan to develop high profit products for export.

"We can also raise fish. The fishing grounds managed by mermaids are far more productive than those managed by human fishermen."

Aikalia racked her brain before remembering another skill.

"Very delicious sea fish. They are really tasty."

"That is useful too. I like seafood."

Phield was extremely satisfied.

"Once I reclaim Dawnfall Territory and we have access to the coastline, you can raise fish in the sea. In Nightfall Domain, everyone is rewarded for their labor."

"Mm-hm!"

The mermaids finally let go of all their remaining suspicions.

"As long as you do not eat us, that is all that matters!"

Watching the mermaids gradually relax, Phield thought to himself that these girls were far too easy to win over. No wonder their race was so weak.

Mermaids were incredibly simple minded. He had only exchanged a few words with them, yet they had already completely submitted to him.

Perhaps it was also because they had nowhere else to go. After being abandoned and hunted for so long, they were probably desperate for anyone willing to take them in.

The hostile and suspicious markers that had originally appeared on Phield’s mini-map had all vanished. In their place was a friendly indicator.

"Since you are all being so obedient..."

Phield took out an Awakening Crystal and beckoned to Aikalia.

"You, come here. Since you are exceptionally talented at being foolish, I choose you."

His territory truly seemed to be a paradise for producing ridiculously talented idiots.

"This is an Awakening Crystal, my lord. It is used to awaken a Divine Chosen talent."

Aikalia repeatedly waved her hands, speaking in a soft, pitiful voice.

"The Divine Descent Festival has not even arrived yet. I do not think I have any talent at all. I cannot waste your money."

In reality, Aikalia had already been marked by his mini-map. There was no doubt that the Awakening Crystal would awaken her.

"This is my gift to you. You do not have the right to refuse."

Phield could not be bothered to waste any more words.

"Do not be afraid. I am not going to punish you."

"Mm-hm. You promised."

Aikalia swished her tail as she swam toward Phield and shyly extended her hand.

She was clearly still a young girl, yet her figure had developed remarkably well, almost enough to make Phield’s eyes pop out of his head.

Apparently, creatures living in the sea really did not have to worry about food.

"Such an obedient girl. What is your name?"

"Aikalia."

"Close your eyes and focus on what you feel."

Phield placed the Awakening Crystal into Aikalia’s hand.

The other mermaids looked on in confusion. They could not understand why their lord was wasting such an expensive Awakening Crystal on her.

Then, in the very next moment, countless sea blue droplets began to float through the air, gathering into the gentle phantom image of a goddess.

"The Goddess of Tides!"

The mermaids were instantly stunned.

Their pupils contracted sharply.

To them, the sight was completely unbelievable.

Divine Chosen were incredibly rare among the mermaid race. Yet Aikalia, who had always been soft and timid, had actually been chosen as a Divine Chosen.

The phantom goddess traced out a mysterious symbol and engraved the mark into Aikalia’s palm.

At the same time, Aikalia’s body began to change.

Her originally snow white skin became even smoother and more flawless, like polished jade. Droplets of water could barely remain on its surface.

Her innocent features now carried a hint of alluring beauty, making her already remarkable appearance even more striking.

Aikalia instinctively let out a soft hum.

Even her voice had become more beautiful, delicate and pitiful, making anyone want to scoop her up and spoil her for days.

The other mermaids were both envious and delighted.

Having a Divine Chosen to protect them would bring enormous benefits to their entire race.

"Eh? W, was this your blessing, my lord? This is incredible! How did you do it?"

Aikalia opened her eyes and stared at Phield in astonishment, immediately bombarding him with questions.

Phield wore an utterly smug expression.

"Heh heh. So, how are you going to repay me?"

"H, have a child? If you do not mind having a mermaid, I could give you a little Aikalia."

Because of the completely different cultures of their two races, the idea of swearing eternal loyalty never even crossed her mind.

"That can wait. Besides, you only just came of age, right?"

Phield rubbed his forehead.

"Forget it. Why am I even playing word games with you? Obviously, I want you to swear loyalty to me."

"Ohhh."

Aikalia hurriedly released her divine power and formed the contract link, so flustered that she completely forgot to ask the classic question of whether humans and demi-humans could form contracts.

The divine power surged into Phield.

The contract was completed instantly, and Aikalia’s status panel appeared before him.

"As expected. She is a support type."