She was carried into the depths of space at incredible speed. After passing through a wormhole, she was surprised to see Mercury, the planet she had first lived on. The patriarch the man had mentioned never appeared, but the ship quietly sank into the ocean and eventually came to rest inside a giant air bubble. Inside, there were crowds of people and towering buildings, which didn't look like the ocean floor at all.

She was led to a building and saw the head of the family that the man had mentioned—a very handsome young man with delicate features, piercing eyes, and an aura of authority.

"My dear wife, have you had enough fun? Can you stay by my side now?"

Holy crap, what's going on?

“From the moment you were born, a tracking device was placed on your body. I know everything about you. Don’t be surprised; this is a unique rule of our merfolk.”

Mermaids have long lifespans: one hundred years in infancy, one hundred years in childhood, one hundred years in adolescence, and after reaching adulthood, they develop fish tails and must choose a mate.

We merfolk are not unreasonable. If you fall in love with someone else, you can marry them and your lifespan will be the same as a human's. However, if your heart never experiences the stirrings of passionate love, you must return to the merfolk and undergo the coming-of-age ceremony, or you will explode and die.

As the chieftain of the merfolk, I happen to be unmarried. I happened to see your tracking device, and after examining it, I found you quite to my liking. So, obediently accept this marriage; otherwise, I wouldn't mind giving you to Xuanyuan Lie. He really likes you!

The nonchalant tone, the confident manner, and the mocking gaze sent chills down Xiang Wan's spine. She had finally completed the mission; if it all failed now, all her efforts would be in vain. She mentally cursed the system a thousand times over, then checked the attribute list. Well, both Xuan Yuanlie and Lou Yu'er's "darkening" values ​​were maxed out. Even if she could escape, she'd be hunted across the entire universe—the thought alone was exhausting. But to marry them off like this was something she was absolutely unwilling to accept.

"Don't worry, I just found someone to shut those elders up. After the marriage, you can still live your life as usual, and we won't interfere with each other, okay?"

"make a deal!"

Such a good thing was hard to come by. Despite the lack of a systematic explanation, she intuitively believed this person wasn't lying. Moreover, since Xuan Yuanlie hadn't discovered the underwater situation initially, he probably wouldn't in the future either, given the far more advanced technology here compared to the Federation. If this person wanted to avoid exposing her, they had plenty of ways. Later, she discovered that the inhabitants of Mercury weren't as backward as they appeared; some simply preferred this lifestyle of working at sunrise and resting at sunset. Her worries were completely unnecessary.

After marriage, she devoted herself to learning the advanced technology of the mermaids and the languages ​​of various planets. She even unlocked language skills, adding another attribute to her profile. This is why she never wanted to leave this world.

If you have nothing to do, just browse the internet; entertainment gossip is everywhere. Lou Yu'er's life is miserable; she's become the target of Wu Ge's anger, and she's never regained her former glory. Xuan Yuanlie has truly become a lifelong bachelor; no man or woman can enter his heart. He dies dejectedly, clutching the video left behind by Xiang Wan.

The original owner did not disregard the greater good for personal desires; the only one punished was the unfaithful man. On her deathbed, Xiang Wan smiled: This life has been too long; I hope the next life will be different.

Unfortunately, her wish was destined to remain unfulfilled, because after she left, a still-young patriarch uttered a few words to the air before falling silent. The system, which had been so long that it had almost forgotten how to speak, shuddered, silently lit a candle for Xiang Wan, and then carried her to the next world.