A Chemist's Interstellar Saga

Chapter 251: The Pureblood Merman
Chapter 251: The Pureblood Merman

”Maybe having a hybrid merman baby wouldn’t be such a bad idea,” Deanna mused aloud, her eyes distant and dreamy as she glanced toward the corner where the merman mecha squad was stationed.

Arix, caught off guard by Deanna’s comment, looked at her curiously. Following her line of sight, Arix spotted a small, blond-haired, blue-eyed merman, barely noticeable behind the much larger Siren mermen.

’Wait... is that a pureblood merman?’ Arix furrowed her brow, studying the little merman who had somehow escaped everyone’s attention until now.

Beyond his striking features, he looked less than thirteen. ’But what’s a kid like that doing in a national mecha squad?’ Arix wondered.

The whole situation didn’t add up. No country would risk putting a child in such a dangerous position, especially not in the highly competitive Empire of Merman.

Arix continued to think, ’So, why has the Siren mermen included him in their elite squad? Is it... that this kid is some kind of prodigy?’

But then, something else caught her eye—faint scars crisscrossing the little merman’s neck. They didn’t look like the kind you get from accidents; these looked more like the result of years of abuse.

Everything about this kid screamed hardship, reinforcing the rumors that life for a pureblood merman was anything but easy.

Arix observed him a bit longer, but she quickly dismissed any thoughts of stepping in. This wasn’t her problem. They were rivals here, and helping him would only strengthen an enemy. She wasn’t about to give them any advantages.

Besides, she didn’t really know this little merman even needed help.

Remembering the cold, hard look in his dark eyes—eyes that showed no sign of weakness—Arix smirked. If the Siren mermen crossed this pureblood merman unknowingly, they might regret it in the future.

With a sense of quiet amusement, Arix took a sip of her drink.

There was still some time before the banquet officially began, so Arix glanced around, her boredom growing. The room was filled with nobles and big-time businessmen from the Empire of Eden, the kind of people most could only dream of meeting.

But Arix wasn’t all that interested in them. After a quick look, her attention shifted back to the mecha teams gathered for the tournament.

The team from the Empire of Eden, as the hosts, had arrived first and were mingling with practiced grace. Meanwhile, the Empire of Merman’s team was busy flirting with every woman they could find—nothing noteworthy there.

The most norma group had to be the squad from the Empire of Kraiton. They were preoccupied with doting on their Psychic Incarnations, whether furry or scaly.

Arix watched them closely, noting that the Sentinels’ Psychic Incarnations seemed to reflect their owners’ personalities. A lively owner had a lively Incarnation; a cold owner had an aloof one.

In contrast, the Psychic Incarnations from the Alliance were more like separate beings with their own memories and consciousness.

Neither type was inherently better or worse; each had its own set of strengths and challenges.

Satisfied with her observations, Arix turned her gaze toward the entrance, wondering what would happen next.

As the banquet’s start time approached, Arix noticed that the Empire of Sacred Moonlight’s delegation was still nowhere to be seen.

”Cassian’s taking his sweet time, huh?” Arix murmured, setting down her glass and propping her chin up in mild boredom.

But just as Cassian crossed her mind, a stir of excitement swept through the room near the entrance.

Arix instantly perked up, her attention snapping to the door. And there they were—the mecha team from the Empire of Sacred Moonlight.

’Wait, what?’

Arix blinked, taken aback for a moment when she recognized the leader of their team. She hadn’t expected to see Scion leading them!

Her initial surprise quickly turned into joy as she caught sight of him. Arix gave a friendly wave.

Scion, usually so stoic, seemed to soften when he saw her. He even managed a small smile and nodded in acknowledgment.

After exchanging greetings with Scion, Arix’s eyes shifted to the group following behind him. When she spotted Cassian, her smile widened, and she waved eagerly.

”Cassian, over here!”

Cassian, who had been sulking just a moment ago, immediately brightened up.

With a quick word to his team, he broke away and headed straight for Arix, paying no mind to the stunned looks on his teammates’ faces. They seemed utterly shocked that someone would address their esteemed prince so casually.

Cassian, wearing a warm smile, took the seat beside Arix. He gave a polite nod to Drexel and the others before turning his full attention to Arix, concern etched on his face.

”Arix, are you feeling better?” he asked, his voice gentle.

Arix had left the Empire under the weather, and Cassian had been worried about her ever since.

”Yep, I’m all good now,” Arix assured him with a sweet smile, shaking her head to ease his concern.

”Glad to hear it.” Cassian didn’t scold her, though, as he might have in the past. Instead, he affectionately patted her long hair.

Arix didn’t pull away, letting Cassian’s hand glide gently over her hair.

Drexel, seated nearby, could barely stand their affectionate display. Pretending not to notice, he eventually rolled his eyes and quipped, ”Could you two at least try to be considerate of us single folks?”

Cassian and Arix exchanged amused glances before settling back into their seats, content and in sync.

The sight of Cassian and Arix together left the rest of the Alliance mecha squad completely floored. Their mouths hung open in shock. ’Isn’t this young man the leader of the Sacred Moonlight mecha team?’

Both the Alliance and Empire squads were filled with disbelief, but a sense of dread quickly followed.

Each side worried that the other might steal away their leader or a crucial member.

The Empire mecha team was in an even tougher spot since it was their own leader who had voluntarily crossed over. All they could do was glare with furious eyes, too fearful to make a real move.

On the other hand, the Alliance squad secretly reveled in seeing the top-ranked Sacred Moonlight team at such a rare disadvantage.

Elio, feeling particularly smug, cast a taunting glance at the Sacred Moonlight team. Then, with exaggerated politeness, he turned to Cassian and asked, ”So, you’re Crown Prince Cassian of the Empire, right?”

Cassian gave a polite nod and, with a smile, introduced himself. ”Nice to meet you all. I’m Arix’s fiance. Just call me Cassian.”

The room was full of polite smiles until Cassian mentioned that he was Arix’s fiance.

Suddenly, those smiles vanished, replaced by looks of utter shock.

Elio’s face, in particular, darkened like an impending storm.

”Drexel! If your family can’t afford to keep a daughter, just let me know! How could you hand over our Alliance’s precious gem to the Empire?!” Elio hissed furiously at Drexel, leaning in so close that the venom in his voice was almost palpable. He looked like he was ready to shake the Kering family to see if they’d completely lost their minds.

After all, Arix was always seen as the future hope of the Alliance! And now that hope had been sent off to the Empire? It felt like a punch to the gut.

At first, Elio had thought they had successfully lured a key figure from the enemy. But now it turned out that their own precious person had been snatched away.

Elio looked like he was about to keel over.