Chapter 121 Second Update ~ Aquaman Dad 10
As a time traveler, Cheng Su easily accepted Zhuozhuo's peculiarity and interpreted the system's behavior of spending money as "Zhuozhuo is too cute, the system actively spends money on her."
He was also wondering why the Mermaid King would lie?
Is it simply because he doesn't want the queen to misunderstand, or is there some other purpose?
In the original book, the abyss next to the Mermaid Kingdom swallows a mermaid royal every ten years.
"Zhuozhuo, you are not of Eren's blood, but you are of the mermaid royal family, right?"
Cheng Su said this while looking at Zhuo Zhuo's little head. 9972 was stunned by the stare and said weakly: "Baby, tell Cheng Su that you are indeed of the mermaid royal family. It's just that this bloodline was temporarily added by the system, and the source cannot be traced. The same is true for your elven bloodline and orc bloodline."
Zhuozhuo relayed the story to Cheng Su, and asked curiously yet calmly, "Is the Mermaid King going to use me?"
She still used the same logic: the Mermaid King and the others were nice to her because they wanted to gain benefits from her, so she accepted everything they gave her.
Cheng Su didn't deny it and said, "I don't know what he's up to. Zhuozhuo, let's go investigate together, okay?"
"investigation?"
"Yes, looking for clues and deducing the facts and purpose, just like a police officer investigating a case."
Zhuozhuo said, "Black Cat Sheriff catches the bad guys?"
"Yes, Sheriff Black Cat."
“Okay!”
Zhuozhuo jumped happily and imitated Black Cat Sheriff's signature moves, and finally fell headfirst onto the bed and didn't move.
Cheng Su thought she was imitating a defeated villain, and waited for a while before realizing that she had fallen asleep. Shaking his head and laughing, Cheng Su adjusted Zhuo Zhuo's position, covered her with a blanket, cast a protective spell and a monitoring spell on her, and then left quietly.
The father and daughter stayed in the Mermaid Palace. Since Cheng Su personally admitted that he and Zhuozhuo were father and daughter, the budding love in Bethany completely withered. She even regarded her "secret love for a boy with a child" as a black history and felt unhappy whenever she thought about it.
So, in order to get revenge, Bethany would seize Zhuozhuo's time every day, not giving Cheng Su the chance to be alone with his new daughter and show his affection to win her favor.
Cheng Su was not annoyed. Relying on Long Aotian's strong social charm, he successfully became friends with the fourteen mermaid princes. He hung out with them every day and only appeared in Zhuo Zhuo's bedroom on time at night to punch in and cultivate the father-daughter relationship.
9972 whispered to him from behind, "Baby, Cheng Su must have his own reasons for staying here. He's not just doing this for you, he has his own selfish motives. He's been elusive all day, is he really just hanging out with the mermaid princes? Even if he sneaked out, no one would notice, right? After all, there are fourteen of us. If we don't gather together to check the schedule, we won't be able to find anything wrong."
Zhuozhuo thought 9972 was right and wanted to know what Cheng Su was busy with every day. So, the next day, when she saw him, she immediately asked, "What do you do every day? I want to go too."
Bethany didn't understand why, but immediately raised her hand: "I'm going too. I can't leave Zhuozhuo!"
Zhuozhuo said, "Don't you want to take me with you? Because you want to do something bad secretly."
Bethany warned: "What bad things are you doing? If it's something harmful to the Mermaid Kingdom, I won't forgive you."
Cheng Su smiled: "..."
This little devil is really going to cause him trouble.
Fortunately, he was experienced and had already taken into account the uncontrollable factor of Zhuozhuo.
"I discovered a sea of flowers west of the palace. The Fourth Prince told me they're the twilight rosa flowers, which grow uniquely on the seabed. At dusk, they turn a fiery red, a truly beautiful sight. Zhuozhuo loves red, so I want to take her to see it."
Bethany was suspicious, "There's no need to be sneaky about it, right?"
Cheng Su: “…”
There was nothing sneaky about it. It was Zhuozhuo who started the bad thing. Saying that he "did bad things secretly" gives people a stereotype.
Alas, children are all debts.
Cheng Su continued to smile, "Because I arranged a little surprise, I want to apologize to Zhuo Zhuo. We got separated before because I made her unhappy. Although Zhuo Zhuo has been generous and doesn't care about it now, I can't just muddle through like this."
This explanation was very convincing in the mermaid palace where everyone was obsessed with their sister, older sister, and daughter. No one had any doubts and they all lamented that the humans outside were really good at playing. They wanted to watch what Cheng Su's apology ceremony was like so that they could learn from it in the future.
Cheng Su: “…”
A bunch of crazy men and women.
Fortunately, he sincerely wanted to apologize to Zhuozhuo, not only for the unpleasantness before they parted, but also for every time he had made her unhappy before.
A group of people marched towards the sea of dusk flowers in a mighty procession. The setting sun was weakened by the refraction of the sea water, and when it reached the bottom of the sea, there was only a faint orange-yellow color, which covered the burning sea of dusk flowers like smoke and fog, and it was beautiful like a dream.
Even though it wasn't their first time seeing each other, the mermaid princess and the prince still stopped to watch. Zhuozhuo took one look and looked around curiously, "Cheng Su, Daddy, where's the surprise you planned?"
Cheng Su knew that the little girl would not be interested in such beautiful scenery. At most, she would say "Wow" in her heart to divert her attention.
Fortunately, he was prepared!
Cheng Su praised his own cleverness, pointed at the sea of flowers calmly, and said, "They are all inside, find them yourself."
After saying that, he felt that it was too cool, and added: "Surprises are more enjoyable if you find them yourself, right?"
"Uh-huh, yes, yes."
Zhuozhuo cheered and rushed into the sea of flowers that was taller than her, and disappeared in an instant. Everyone could only judge her location based on the swaying of the flowers.
Soon, new methods of judgment emerged.
I don't know how many little surprises Cheng Su had placed in the sea of flowers. Zhuozhuo took two steps and bumped into a small transparent ball. The ball wobbled upwards, its walls becoming thinner and thinner, revealing the glowing fireflies inside. The fireflies scattered, like a sky full of stars falling to the bottom of the sea.
Zhuozhuo moved his hand and touched a small ball. The ball broke and a little rabbit jumped out of it and spoke in human language, "Hello Zhuozhuo, I am Mr. Rabbit. I wish you a happy day~"
"Wow!"
Zhuozhuo was surprised. Some of the balls recognized Zhuozhuo's voice, spit out colorful bubbles, and floated up and down around Zhuozhuo.
Zhuozhuo jumped up to reach for bubbles, and two bubbles landed on her back. They spread out into large fiery red wings and carried her flying.
[Oh my god, you scared me! I thought you had a fish tail and your wings were showing.]
The bubbles turned into big wings and flew with Zhuo Zhuo for a while before disappearing. The little girl fell down, and another pair of bubbles turned into wings and took her up again. This time they were light yellow.
During this time, new balls were constantly triggered, playing unfamiliar songs. The melody was cheerful, simple and repetitive. It was a nursery rhyme that only Zhuozhuo and Cheng Su could understand.
Zhuozhuo was so happy that he danced with joy.
After experiencing the colorful wings, Zhuozhuo falls from a high altitude. The remaining bubbles form a bubble bed below to catch Zhuozhuo. The excellent elasticity makes Zhuozhuo jump up and down continuously.
The trampoline was so attractive to the mermaid that Bethany couldn't help but ask loudly, "Zhuozhuo, can I play with you?"
Zhuozhuo subconsciously looked at Cheng Su, and when he nodded, he waved happily, "Okay, okay, come here quickly."
Bethany joins the cast, and two lively mermaids soar and laugh freely amidst the sea of flowers, constantly triggering seemingly endless little surprises. A riot of dreamlike magical effects converges, creating a scene that feels like the dream of every child in the world, superimposed.
9972 looked at Zhuozhuo, who was having so much fun. For the first time in this small world, she smiled brightly and carefree. Cheng Su, this kid, really has a way of coaxing people. He really deserves to be called the King of the Sea, with so many tricks.
After this battle, Cheng Su became famous in the Mermaid Kingdom. Even the Mermaid King asked him for advice on how to repair his relationship with his daughter after meeting him by chance one day. Because of his strictness, Bethany was angry with him again. Fortunately, she did not run away from home in order to play with Zhuozhuo.
Cheng Su smiled and said, "We've already used the Muyan Flower Sea. I suggest Your Majesty use the natural cave east of the palace. The winding path there creates a new scene at every step, making it easier to create a fresh design."
He casually mentioned a few creative ideas, and the Mermaid King's eyes lit up. He nodded repeatedly and left with great satisfaction.
Two days later, Fourth Brother avoided Zhuozhuo and Bethany and secretly said to Cheng Su, "What are you going to wear to the apology ceremony that Father is holding for Bethany in the cave tonight? I'm just borrowing some inspiration and I definitely won't wear the same thing as you."
Cheng Su: "I don't plan to participate."
"Ah? Why? Didn't father invite you? That shouldn't be the case. To show the importance of the ceremony, father invited all fifteen of us, and also invited some close ministers and relatives and friends."
Cheng Su: “…”
Don't understand but respect.
He smiled and said, "Because I want to accompany Zhuozhuo."
"Zhuozhuo isn't joining either? Bethany will make a scene!"
Despite the significant age difference between the two little mermaids, their friendship has blossomed over the past few days, to the point where even their older brothers are a bit jealous. How could Zhuozhuo not attend such an important apology ceremony? The Mermaid King even included a special segment to thank Zhuozhuo for not running away from home in anger like usual.
Cheng Su didn't want to bother with this crazy family. He smiled and said, "Because Zhuozhuo is still young, he doesn't mind his words. I'm worried that something might happen during the apology ceremony that would damage the Mermaid King's dignity, and Zhuozhuo might tell others about it later."
After all, an apology requires sincerity and humility.
In just a few days, the fourth brother had already deeply understood the power of Zhuozhuo's mouth. He nodded with lingering fear, "Angus, you are right to worry."
He left in a hurry, presumably to go find the Mermaid King. After a while, someone came to tell Cheng Su to accompany Zhuo Zhuo out of the palace to play this afternoon and come back later in the evening.
This way, when Bethany asks Zhuozhuo why he is not there at night, the Mermaid King will have a legitimate reason.
Cheng Su smiled, "Of course."
Everyday life in the Mermaid Palace was simple and happy, with eating, drinking, playing and sleeping taking turns. After lunch, Zhuozhuo swam slowly towards the bedroom, but Cheng Su blocked her way. "Zhuozhuo, I'll take you out to play."
The little fellow didn't realize his reputation was being damaged. He yawned and said softly, "Zhuozhuo needs to sleep. I'll play after I'm fully rested."
Cheng Su leaned in and whispered, "Go to the abyss."
Zhuozhuo was confused for a moment, then remembered after 9972 reminded him and shook his head, "No, it's too dangerous."
"That's a shame. I've discovered the secret of the Mermaid King hiding your bloodline. It's in the abyss. Don't you want to go and take a look? I will protect you."
Zhuozhuo suddenly perked up, hesitated for a moment, and then said firmly, "Go!"
[Baby! ]
9972 had some guesses about the Mermaid King's intentions and didn't want Zhuozhuo to get close to the abyss. However, she was small but had big ideas. She ignored all the advice and stretched out her little hand, "Cheng Su, carry me."
Cheng Su said to Qiao, "Call me daddy."
"Daddy~"
Cheng Su smiled widely and pressed forward, "Scream again."
Zhuozhuo glanced at him, put down his hand, turned around and walked away, "I'm not going."
"Okay, okay, stop shouting. Zhuozhuo, don't go. Come with me, please." Cheng Su hurriedly caught up, begging for mercy with a smile.
"Hmph, alright." Zhuo Zhuo said, "Bad guy Cheng Su."
"Zhuozhuo is the best. Don't be angry anymore." Cheng Su squatted down and coaxed the man, using all his tricks to make him smile. He then patted the non-existent dust off his body, then steadily picked up the little guy and headed towards the abyss.
I ran into the Fifteenth Prince on the road and asked, "Where are you going?"
Cheng Su scratched his burning cheeks and said, "Let's go see the dusk blossoms."
Zhuozhuo, who was about to speak, smiled through her creaking groin and glared at Cheng Su angrily, but she didn't immediately interrupt. After the Fifteenth Prince walked away, she complained in a low voice, "You lied again, you bad guy."
"That's a white lie. If they knew I was going to explore the abyss, they wouldn't have the heart to hold the apology ceremony tonight." Cheng Su calmly said his twisted logic and tried to defend himself. "Daddy didn't lie to Zhuozhuo. Daddy is only telling Zhuozhuo the truth now."
After all, he didn't want to have the experience of turning into a seahorse and breathing air in the seaweed again.
They arrived at the Muyan Flower Sea without any obstructions. At Cheng Su's request, Zhuozhuo took Cheng Su to play happily in the flower sea for a while, and they soon had a great time.
Cheng Su held down the running little guy, "Alright, alright, Zhuo Zhuo. Abyss, abyss, let's go to the abyss first."
"Oh oh oh, abyss." Zhuozhuo tried hard to identify the direction in the sea of flowers and rushed resolutely in the wrong direction.
Cheng Su held the man back again. "Don't be so anxious. Wait a moment. I'll place two little skeletons here to create the illusion that we're still playing in the sea of flowers. But in fact, we've already secretly left the sea of flowers and headed for the abyss. This way, even if something happens in the abyss, no one can trace it back to us."
Zhuozhuo listened attentively, making 9972 want to interrupt him several times. Zhuozhuo was already a bit of a villain in this little world, and now Cheng Su has taught him a lot of bad things. Isn't that a bad thing?
But after thinking about it, the experts on parenting failure dared not express their opinions and could only watch silently.
But there is one thing that 9972 is certain of, Cheng Su must have wanted to explore the abyss himself, and coaxing Zhuozhuo to go there was just a side project!
In order not to leave any magical fluctuations, Cheng Su carried Zhuo Zhuo and walked to the abyss.
The abyss was long enough, yielded no usable items, and was extremely dangerous, so there were almost no living creatures nearby. Cheng Su placed Zhuo Zhuo on the ground, warned her not to run around, and cast eight monitoring spells on her before preparing to set up the magic circle.
Zhuozhuo floated up and glared at him, "We've arrived at the abyss. What's the Mermaid King's goal? Are you trying to lie to me again?"
Cheng Su was stunned for a moment. Seeing the little girl having so much fun, he thought she had forgotten. But he really had found a clue. Facing Zhuozhuo's accusation, he said calmly, "Zhuozhuo, you can't wrongly accuse someone without evidence. Daddy will forgive you this time. After all, Daddy has a long criminal record, so Zhuozhuo's distrust is understandable."
[Fine words.]
Zhuozhuo didn't buy it and said childishly, "Don't change the subject."
"……good."
Cheng Su introduced the abyss and the tradition of the Mermaid Royal Family's sacrifices. Unsurprisingly, the little guy already knew about it from the system. He said, "There are now seventeen direct descendants of the Mermaid Royal Family. The Mermaid King couldn't bear to part with his children, nor did he sacrifice his own dedication. He was just in a dilemma when he saw you and was very surprised. He wanted to use you in the sacrifice, so he treated you so well."
"I see." Zhuozhuo nodded and waved her hand, "I understand. Go ahead and do your own thing."
Cheng Su asked tentatively, "Are you not sad or angry?"
Zhuozhuo was bewildered, "Why are you sad and angry?"
[These are insignificant people, Zhuozhuo wouldn't even give these passersby a glance!]
Cheng Su was satisfied, "Yes, Zhuozhuo, don't worry about them, just be angry with me."
[……]
Zhuozhuo cast a caring look at him and asked softly, "Cheng Su, are you crazy?"
"No." Cheng Su was in a good mood and took out his things to get ready for work. "I'm getting busy. Just play by my side and don't run away."
"good."
Cheng Su became even more worried, and cast eight more protective spells on Zhuo Zhuo, and then began to cast magic circles along the abyss.
Zhuozhuo was curious and followed him like a little tail, "What is this?"
"Magic circle."
"What magic circle?"
"A magic circle to save people. If a living creature falls into the abyss, the magic circle will automatically activate and teleport the person to the Mermaid Palace." Cheng Su smiled. "The Mermaid King and his men are so kind. They will definitely be happy to see the terrified victims."
Zhuozhuo looked at him intently and said childishly, "You look like you're doing something bad right now."
"I'm doing good deeds. Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda." Cheng Su's tone was firm, fearing that if there was even a hint of inadequacy, he would be considered a liar in the contract.
Fortunately, Zhuozhuo didn't let go, so she asked again: "What is a magic circle?"
Cheng Su: “…”
There are so many problems.
"A magic circle is a formation arranged using magic. It can be designed to have a variety of effects. Its biggest advantage is that it can 'store' magic. Carrying a magic circle with you can directly take it out and use it when needed. Especially when encountering danger, you can directly throw the magic circle to catch the opponent off guard, allowing them to escape or fight back."
Cheng Su stood up straight, stretched his waist, and said to Zhuo Zhuo, "I'll make you some protective and offensive magic circles, as well as some teleportation magic circles. This way, you'll be able to protect yourself better when you encounter danger in the future."
Zhuozhuo now had some basic knowledge of the Western Fantasy Continent and asked Teacher Cheng, "Are magic circles and magic scrolls different?"
Cheng Su expressed his understanding, "Magic scrolls are made of expensive materials, with high barriers to production and use, but they offer stable performance and a long shelf life. Magic circles are made of cheap materials but are difficult to make, and their quality is directly linked to the skill of the maker. They are difficult to preserve and have a short shelf life, so if you're not careful, you can easily blow yourself up."
Zhuozhuo compared them and said seriously, "Cheng Su, I want the magic scroll."
Cheng Su smiled. The little guy seemed quite safety-conscious. He spoke slowly but boastfully, "But your father is a genius. I've improved the magic circle and even designed a special space box for it. Not only does it make it easy to store and carry the magic circle, but the spacetime inside the box is also frozen. Whatever you put in is exactly the same as what you take out. There's no need to worry about how long it will last."
Seeing Zhuozhuo's eyes were slightly dull, obviously digesting those words, Cheng Su gently tapped her head and said, "Daddy will certainly give you the best."
His expression, movements and tone were all unspeakably gentle.
Zhuozhuo was extremely happy and ran around Cheng Su. Suddenly, when Zhuozhuo was close to the abyss, a huge suction force came and pulled her into the abyss.
Cheng Su reacted extremely quickly. He almost pounced on the edge of the abyss at the same time, reached out and grabbed Zhuozhuo's tail, wrapped Zhuozhuo's whole body with magic power, and then pulled Zhuozhuo up with force.
Just as Zhuozhuo came up, the suction in the abyss changed its target and pulled the relieved Cheng Su in. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared.
Zhuozhuo sat on the ground. Thanks to Cheng Su's magical protection, she didn't even have a scratch on her body. And everything happened so fast that she didn't even realize what was happening. She looked around blankly, pointing at the abyss and asked 9972: "Tongtong, was it Cheng Su who just fell in?"
She only saw a blurry shadow and didn't know if it was her illusion.
9972 was still in shock, [Yes. It was Cheng Su who saved you just now.]
It explained the specific process in detail: the abyss pretended to catch Zhuozhuo, used Zhuozhuo as bait to let Cheng Su approach to a dangerous distance, and then pulled him down at the moment when Cheng Su relaxed his mind after pulling Zhuozhuo up.
Although Zhuozhuo suffered an unexpected disaster because of Cheng Su, Cheng Su really came to save her without any hesitation.
Furthermore, 9972 had just observed carefully that when Cheng Su was setting up the magic circle, he had remained on the line one meter away from the abyss the entire time, without even glancing towards it, as if he had a serious psychological trauma. This made 9972 believe that Cheng Su had indeed awakened and knew of his fate of being burned to death by the Earth's core fire.
In this situation, he still saved Zhuozhuo without hesitation. He is really kind!
The sentimental Tongzi burst into tears silently.
Zhuozhuo had no real sense of the horror of the abyss and the earth's core fire. He climbed up and rushed over with his tail wagging. After taking a look, he was about to move down with his butt sticking up.
9972 was terrified: [Baby, don't get down! Come up quickly!]
"I'm looking for Cheng Su."
[Baby, Cheng Su isn't down there, he's in the Mermaid Palace!] 9972 thought quickly, [Baby, you forgot, those magic circles Cheng Su threw were to save people, to save those who accidentally fell into the abyss!]
Zhuozhuo remembered, and anxiously bent down to take a look. It was pitch black, and she couldn't see anyone. She called out twice more, but not only did no one respond, there wasn't even an echo.
"It's really not down there."
Zhuozhuo turned and swam towards the Mermaid Palace. 9972 suppressed his guilty conscience and didn't dare mention that the place where Cheng Su fell hadn't yet been set up with a magic circle, making it likely he couldn't teleport. He quickly reminded him, "Baby, let's go back quietly. We can't let anyone see us."
"How quietly?"
"Do you remember the invisibility spell we learned earlier? Now let's modify it to be suitable for underwater invisibility." Worried that Zhuozhuo wouldn't be impatient to learn, 9972 quickly dug out the magic modification plan and various explanation videos and examples.
Zhuozhuo's talent was unquestionable. After he calmed down and watched carefully, he quickly modified the invisibility magic. After successfully becoming invisible, he flicked his tail and rushed towards the mermaid palace.
Mermaids, beloved by the sea, swam at terrifying speeds. 9972 felt it wasn't long before it saw the light of the Crystal Palace shining through in the night. It worried that Zhuozhuo would cause a commotion if she couldn't find Cheng Su in the palace, and that she would leap into the abyss without a care in the world. But it couldn't figure out how to slow her down.
The only thing to be thankful for is that the Mermaid King and the others should be in the cave in the east at this time and will not notice that something is wrong with Zhuozhuo.
A golden fish tail suddenly appeared.
Next is a small square above the head that is so thick that the words are almost invisible.
9972 yelled: [Zhuozhuo, be careful! There's a dangerous mermaid ahead!]
Zhuozhuo had already come face to face with the fish, and she reflexively said, "Brother Food."
He was about to charge again, but the invisibility spell had already broken.
The Fifteenth Prince stopped Zhuozhuo. The usually sunny and cheerful boy's face was now gloomy. "Zhuozhuo, where are you going?"
Zhuozhuo couldn't say it, and she didn't know where Cheng Su would appear, so she just looked for him randomly.
The Fifteenth Prince muttered to himself, "Did you have another argument with Angus? Parents are like that. They say nice things, but they have absolute control over their children. They can turn against you at any time. They are ruthless and heartless."
Zhuozhuo was very anxious and didn't want to listen anymore, but the Fifteenth Prince blocked her tightly. She wanted to hit him, but 9972 tried to stop her in her mind, saying that if she hit him she would not be able to stay in the Mermaid Palace and would not be able to find Cheng Su.
Zhuozhuo had no choice but to endure it and wait patiently for him to finish.
But the fifteenth prince suddenly covered his face and burst into tears. "I thought Father and Mother were just partial to Bethany and treated all fourteen of us equally. Why, why did they choose me as the sacrifice? What's wrong with me that they chose to give up on me?"
As he roared and questioned, the small square above his head turned from red to black.
Food brother t has turned evil.
Zhuozhuo had just listened to 9972 and Cheng Su's explanation and knew what sacrifices were, that sacrifices could not die, and that the Mermaid King's preferred sacrifice was her. But she didn't want to be a sacrifice, so the sacrifice would still be Brother Food. So she comforted him, "Don't cry, you won't die. You will return to the palace and give everyone a surprise."
"Haha, you don't understand." The fifteenth prince laughed at himself, as if he felt it was embarrassing to cry in front of a three-year-old child, and swam away crookedly.
"Would you like to find a place to cry again?"
Zhuozhuo chased after him and asked, but got no response. She scratched her head and ignored him, returning to her search for Cheng Su. Zhuozhuo searched slowly and carefully, rummaging through boxes and cabinets, even searching the cracks in the wardrobe.
Seeing this, 9972 was no longer anxious and started to nag Zhuo Zhuo about Cheng Su being the male protagonist and the son of destiny, making Zhuo Zhuo believe that Cheng Su would not die easily. Even if he disappeared for a short period of time, he must have had a fortuitous encounter and was in seclusion. After returning, he would definitely become more powerful and kill everyone.
Zhuozhuo listened and began to ask curious questions, and 9972 diligently answered them. As the conversation progressed, they became increasingly engrossed, both forgetting their original intention and drifting to the topic of pigs in the Overworld having only one testicle.
"shining?"
A familiar voice sounded, Zhuozhu was surprised, and 9972 was terrified.
[There's a ghost!]
Zhuozhuo seriously refuted in his mind, "It's not a ghost, it's Father Cheng Su~"
She jumped over happily.
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