The Peacock Princess suddenly felt like a third wheel.
There seems to be something between those two. Does the Ocean racesâ number one beauty truly fancy him? Back then, she even callously turned down the Fiend Emperor!
She took another look at Zu An. He looked perfectly ordinary, though he did have a pair of mesmerizing eyes. However, she thought about the imposing speech heâd made in the Dragon Palace earlier, and how heâd intimidated all the Ocean racesâ experts, and she had to agree that he was a charismatic man.
No wonder the Mermaid Queen fancies him. Only such a powerhouse is worthy of her beauty. But where did he come from? Why have I never heard about him?
Zu An sensed the Mermaid Queenâs burning gaze and was tempted. She was truly gorgeous; no man could remain unfazed before her gaze. But the thought that they belonged to different eras evoked a sigh from him, and he quickly composed himself. âYouâre teasing me, my queen. With your beauty, your pursuers could easily queue from the Dragon Palace to the shores of the West Sea.â
Even though the other party was complimenting her beauty, the Mermaid Queenâs heart sank. Knowing he was avoiding her question, she didnât press the issue, saying, âWhat a lack of sincerity.â
The Peacock Princess blinked in surprise.
Whatâs going on? The Mermaid Queen is courting him, but heâs turning her down? Oh my. Am I still possessed? How is there a man in the world capable of rejecting the Mermaid Queen?!
Peach pouted off to the side.
My queenâs husband, at this rate, Iâm going to start disliking you. When has my queen suffered such a grievance? And my queen, have you already forgotten about the man in your dream?
Sensing the peculiar atmosphere, Zu An quickly interjected, âIâve sullied my queenâs reputation today. Iâll correct it within two days.â
âDonât bother. Itâs nothing big. I donât care about how others view me.â The Mermaid Queen regained her usual poise. Not wanting to dwell on that, she changed the topic. âI am concerned about what the Peacock Princess mentioned earlier, though. There must be a traitor in the North Sea faction, reporting the movements of the North Seaâs crown prince to Mojard.â
âIndeed. If the monsters plan to cause a storm in the Ocean races, the first thing theyâd have done is try to buy over some spies.â Zu An noticed the problem. âBesides that, the spy is likely quite high-ranking, or else he couldnât have obtained precise information about the movements of the North Seaâs crown prince.â
âIâll investigate this matter. There shouldnât be too many people who can grasp the movements of the North Seaâs crown prince.â The Mermaid Queen already had a plan in mind. She took out a few conches and whispered her instructions into them.
The Peacock Princess took this chance to thank Zu An. âI am Qingwu. May I know your name? Our Peacock race will remember this debt.â
Zu An had already learned her name through the Rage system, but he still couldnât help but be surprised by how similar-sounding her name was to Kong Nanwuâs too. He replied, âYou can call me Eddie Peng.â
âEddie Peng? What a weird name,â the Peacock Princess murmured, determined to etch this name in her mind.
The Mermaid Queen, who had been listening with her ears pricked up, burst into laughter. Sheâd been feeling nervous for a moment. She wanted to know his true identity, but at the same time, she was afraid of hearing about it too.
He had refused to tell her before. If he told it to the Peacock Princess just like that, the Mermaid Queen could very well just suffer a mental breakdown.
The Peacock Princess looked quizzically at the Mermaid Queen, not understanding the reason behind her laughter.
The Mermaid Queen figured sheâd rather not suffer in silence, so she revealed, âItâs fake. His name is fake. His appearance is also fake. So donât bother remembering those.â
âAh?â The Peacock Princess turned to Zu An in shock. The latterâs distressed expression made her realize that the Mermaid Queen was telling the truth.
She hurriedly whispered to the Mermaid Queen to ask about his identity and whether he had a grudge with the Peacock race. She was worried he was hiding his identity because of that.
The Mermaid Queen harrumphed. âHow would I know what he thinks?â
The Peacock Princess was stunned. From the sound of it, not even the Mermaid Queen knew his true name and appearance. How could this be possible?
They cooperated impeccably with each other earlier, and the Mermaid Queen even put her reputation on the line to help him. Anyone with eyes can tell theyâre a couple. Or at least they should be lovers of some kind. Itâs unbelievable that she doesnât know his name or his appearance!
âDonât look at me like that. I really donât know.â The Mermaid Queen sounded annoyed.
Sensing her seething grudge, Zu An said, âPardon me, my queen. I donât mean to conceal my identity from you, but Iâm from another point in spacetime. I fear I might affect your worldâs timeline if I interfere too much, so I seek your understanding for that.â
His conversation with Mi Li yesterday gave him a grasp of the rules and boundaries, so they weren't that enigmatic to him anymore. Given the sacrifice the Mermaid Queen had made for him, he thought it would be too much to continue hiding everything from her.
Peach blinked in confusion. I regret not studying harder when my queen told me to. I understand each word my queenâs husband is saying, but why donât they make sense to me when strung together?
The Peacock Princess was flabbergasted too. She had heard about other worlds, but what did âspacetimeâ mean? Her first thought was that this was the worst excuse she had ever heard.
The Mermaid Queen, however, was more mature and knowledgeable. She had never heard the term âspacetimeâ either, but she could guess what was going on.
She was astonished. Over the last two days, she had been speculating about why Zu An was hiding his identity, but the most plausible reason sheâd thought of was that he was from a stronger world like the Monster World. Perhaps his world even had stringent restrictions, such as a ban on interracial marriage out of concern that their bloodline could leak outâ¦
She had considered all manner of ridiculous reasons, but not once had she considered spacetime.
âYouâre saying you arenât from this timeline?â the Mermaid Queen asked with a quivering voice.
Zu An nodded. âThatâs right. Iâll be returning to my timeline once Iâm done with my business here. I wonât be able to return here ever again.â
The Mermaid Queen widened her eyes in realization. No wonder heâs been avoiding me!
She had been wanting to know the answer, but she regretted digging into it now. She hadnât expected the truth to be so painful. For a moment, she even struggled to breathe. âThe business you speak of is saving your little sister?â
âYes, but there are other things too,â Zu An said with a nod. Still, he couldnât go into details.
The Mermaid Queen was silent for a long while before she suddenly raised her head to look at him, asking, âAre you from our worldâs future?â
Zu An was stunned.