Finally, Luo Sangshen endured a full hundred slaps, and Ikhana dared not step any closer.
Luo Sangshen, her face swollen, looked at her daughter with disappointment. Everything she had done was for her, yet her daughter hadn't even dared to speak a word for her.
Ikhana glanced sheepishly at her mother. She wasn't afraid of being hit, but of losing her qualification to be the Sea Emperor's woman entirely after being publicly punished.
After all, a woman who had made mistakes was a disgrace, and the Sea Emperor's dignity wouldn't allow him to take a woman who had made mistakes as his companion.
If it weren't for Qiao Ci, she wouldn't have been so humiliated. Luo Sangshen blamed everything on Qiao Ci! After all, how could the noble Sea Emperor make a mistake? It was always others' fault!
She hated Qiao Ci to death. Since her face was already thoroughly lost, she was no longer afraid. She shouted, "For His Majesty the Sea Emperor's safety, I hope His Majesty the Sea Emperor can invite Lord Wu She to see if any mermaids have cast an unforgivable curse upon you."
Lan Ye did not agree. Whether he truly loved Qiao Ci, he knew better than anyone.
The matter was dropped.
Finally, Lan Ye, with his absolute authority, became companions with Qiao Ci. In fact, apart from Luo Sangshen and her daughter, no other merfolk had any particular opinions about this.
After all, it was the Sea Emperor's freedom to choose whoever he wished to be his companion. Those who interfered were the ones with ulterior motives.
As the Sea Emperor, he could do as he pleased. The entire ocean was his. As long as he didn't form a union with an outsider, all merfolk would offer their sincere blessings.
During the wedding ceremony, Luo Sangshen specifically invited the most esteemed Witch Serpent woman to attend the ceremony, intending for her to expose Qiao Ci's true face and malicious intentions in public.
However, the Witch Serpent woman, possessing unknown abilities, was unable to contain herself upon seeing Qiao Ci. She prostrated herself before Qiao Ci, gently kissed the sea sand before her, and then slowly rose to stand aside, saying nothing.
Yet, her actions perfectly illustrated her sincere devotion to this new Sea Queen. The bow she gave to Qiao Ci was the most genuine of courtesies, a level of respect she wouldn't have even afforded the Sea Emperor given her own standing.
At this, everyone's gaze towards Qiao Ci was filled with fervent admiration.
A Sea Queen recognized by Lord Witch Serpent meant her existence was tied to the glory of the entire merman race.
Xiao Shuozi, transformed into a shark, swam happily throughout the grand hall, accompanied by two young mermaids playing and frolicking with it.
Although Luo Sangshen didn't understand why Lord Witch Serpent acted as she did, she dared not comment further.
The companion ceremony proceeded smoothly.
Afterward, Luo Sangshen secretly sought out Lord Witch Serpent and asked why she had acted that way.
The mysterious Witch Serpent woman said, "She is here to save us."
She did not elaborate on how she would save them.
Towards the merman race, she had always felt a sense of impending crisis, yet she couldn't find a way to resolve it. Now, in Qiao Ci, she saw a light... a sacred light...
The glimpse she had caught had already filled her with awe and sincere respect. How great must Qiao Ci's destiny be...
She dared not speculate further but was immensely grateful for Qiao Ci's arrival. Heaven bless the merfolk, heaven bless the merfolk!
If there was one thing Luo Sangshen respected, it was the words of Lord Witch Serpent. Upon learning this, she returned and warned Ikhana not to oppose Qiao Ci again, threatening to disown her if she did.
Qiao Ci and Lan Ye's life together was long and fulfilling.
The two spent their days swimming carefree in the ocean. When Qiao Ci craved something, Lan Ye would take her to the human world to taste various delicacies.
They also held a warm and grand wedding in the human world. The entire merfolk race transformed into human form to attend, and then they silently returned to the sea.
No one knew of the merfolk's existence, except for Chen Ning, a madman who had been transferred from prison to a mental hospital, who constantly muttered about mermaids.
However, who would believe the words of a madman?
"Hee hee, welcome back to the system space, host dear. This mission's completion is SSS, a perfect completion!" As soon as Qiao Ci returned to the space, Xiao Shuozi's electronic voice rang out. "Reward points: 100,000. Your total points are now 1,100,000. Ten million is just around the corner, host dear, keep it up!"
"Mhm." Qiao Ci's gaze was somewhat serene. She opened her personal panel and typed rapidly.
99.1... 99.2... 99.3... 99.9... 99.99... 100%!
When the progress bar reached one hundred percent, it disappeared, displaying a specific location.
Qiao Ci's fingers continued to tap lightly. After a moment, Xiao Shuozi's astonished cry rang out:
"Host, host dear, why did you transfer 1,100,000 points to me? You've given all your points to Xiao Shuozi, so you'll have to buy things on credit at the system store from now on?" Xiao Shuozi's electronic voice even stuttered slightly.
"Thank you for your companionship for so long." Qiao Ci smiled and continued, "Our journey ends here. I need to find my cub."
"You found the cub's location?" Xiao Shuozi was happy for Qiao Ci again, but a wave of sadness washed over it. Then, would it no longer have its dear host? Would it have to get used to other hosts again?
It wanted to follow its dear host, but they systems were proper systems, with establishment and order, and they were controlled. Once they detached from the organization, the self-destruct program would activate, and Xiao Shuozi would become a dead spoon.
Xiao Shuozi felt a pang of sadness, but it tried its best not to show it.
"Mhm," Qiao Ci nodded and pointed to the location on her personal panel, "Found it. It's at this position."
Xiao Shuozi looked curiously and suddenly its cute electronic voice exclaimed: "Wow wow wow, that's Xiao Shuozi's homeland! Host dear, I was produced in this world. Hee hee, I can't help with other worlds, but I can take you to Xiao Shuozi's home!"
Being able to do one more thing for its dear host made Xiao Shuozi very happy.
Its host dear had always been forgiving towards it, and it knew it. If its host dear wanted to unbind from it, it also wished to do something within its power for her before they parted.
Although, going back without permission would result in punishment from the main system.
Upon hearing this, Qiao Ci's eyes flashed.
It was indeed quite a coincidence.
"Then I'll have to trouble you." Looking at Xiao Shuozi, who was trying to suppress its emotions, its golden spoon turning a dull grayish-gold, Qiao Ci said with a smile.
Perhaps, she could discuss Xiao Shuozi's ownership with its master then.
"Hee hee, it's not troublesome, not troublesome at all. It's Xiao Shuozi's honor to serve its host dear. Xiao Shuozi also wants to see host dear and the cub happy!"