The fortress of the Mermaid Kingdom looks like a giant bowl upside down on the seabed, made of stones.

The giant bowl presents a concentric circle structure, nested up and down, layered on top of each other. The passages in the Mermaid Kingdom are connected by pipes, and inside the pipes, shuttle boats travel back and forth along fixed tracks, quickly sending the mermaids on board to the places they need to go.

These shuttles also connect to some waterways outside the fortress, allowing for trade with the human world.

Su Su followed the little mermaid onto a small sea-blue private shuttle, which could accommodate four people at a time and traveled on a fixed track without a driver.

"This was built based on ancient human subway technology. It's been nearly a hundred years since it was built. I have to say that humans can indeed invent some good things that provide convenience." The little mermaid pulled out the safety belt next to her, looped it around Su Su's body, and fastened it to Su Su: "The high priest lives in a rather remote place. It would take at least three or four hours to swim there by yourself. It only takes twenty minutes to take a shuttle."

The shuttle closed, the seawater inside and outside was separated, the machine started, and it moved rapidly along the transparent pipe. Outside the window, the scenery quickly retreated, forming a bizarre picture.

Is this the civilization of the human world? Su Su was somewhat obsessed with feeling the speed of the shuttle. This was only underwater. I heard that on land and in space, they have already developed faster and more powerful mobile devices. What would it feel like to sit in such a machine?

The high priest lived in a cave under the sea, and there were mermaid guards around the door. The furnishings in the house were completely different from those under the sea. Su Su had never seen such things in the sea, but he had seen some of them in the chip textbook. For example, the one in the corner should be called a medical cabin, which was used to treat people.

There is also the thing on the high priest's table, called an optical computer, which seems to be connected to the network of the human world. There is a virtual world on it.

On the wall behind her, there is a huge projection screen showing the public area of ​​the Mermaid Fortress.

"The priestess lived in the human world for a period of time before, and she has always encouraged us to learn the human way of life." Yi Qing took the initiative to introduce: "Her own residence was built based on her previous residence in the human world."

Is this where humans live? Su Su looked around curiously. The sofa, the cabinets, the decorations, everything seemed new and interesting.

The high priest turned around and looked at them when he heard the two men approaching.

The high priestess is a beautiful and mature female mermaid. According to Yiqing, she is the oldest mermaid in the tribe and is over three hundred years old.

There were no signs of aging on her face, and her hair was the silver color of moonlight, just like her tail, which exuded a holy beauty. However, there was a deep piercing scar on her shoulder blade, and a large piece of flesh was missing from her fishtail, exposing a ferocious wound that could not heal.

Mermaids are a race that loves beauty very much, but they don't care about these wounds that destroy their beauty. They display them openly for everyone to see.

Her eyes were as blue as the sea, yet they were filled with golden light, as if they were the golden glow of sunlight shining on the sea. When her gaze fell, it was as if the sunlight was cast down along with it, with a warm and bright power.

"Priest grandma, I want to ask you a favor." Yi Qing said straight to the point.

"If it's about your marriage, that's your father's opinion. I'm afraid I can't be of any help." The high priest smiled faintly and shook his head.

There was a hint of disappointment in Yi Qing's eyes. It was obvious that she had come here with such an intention.

"But don't be sad just yet. Life is full of coincidences, and things may not develop as you expect. Why don't you tell me about other things first? Maybe I can help you a little, such as about the friend you brought with you." The high priest looked at the mermaid shark in front of him gently.

Su Su looked at the high priest, and he saw a radiance flowing in those eyes, shining into the depths of his heart. At that moment, Su Su felt as if he had been seen through, including his wishes at this moment, his past, and even his future.

"You want to become a merman and live in the human world?"

Su Su was stunned for a moment. Why did the other party know what he was thinking before he even opened his mouth? Was this the power of God?

The high priest smiled sincerely. "Don't overthink it. It's not hard to guess. The mermaids who came here basically only had this one purpose. Also, your mental power fluctuations are very...lively. I am more sensitive to mental power than ordinary mermaids, so I can sense some of your emotions."

It is indeed the power of God.

Su Su thought with certainty.

However, the more powerful the high priest became, the happier he was, because this proved that the possibility of his wish coming true increased.

[Can you really help me?] Su Su looked at the other party impatiently, his eyes expectant and firm.

"I can indeed provide you with some help, but whether this matter can succeed depends on you." The high priest took out a palm-sized metal box.

He opened the box and showed the contents to Su Su.

Su Su swam forward and leaned his head to look into the box, where seven capsules were placed side by side.

"This is the medicine that can turn a mermaid into a merman. Just bite a pill and swallow it, and it will activate the mermaid blood in your body and turn you into a merman."

[There really is such a medicine?] Su Su was so excited that he couldn't wait to grab the box. He looked as if he wanted to bite the box and the medicine into pieces and eat them all.

"Don't be impatient. I still have a few questions to ask you." The high priest closed the lid of the box, put her fingertips against Su Su's nose, which was about to rush in front of her, and pushed it back: "What you just meant is that you yearn to live in the human world, and therefore want to become a mermaid, right?"

[Yes.] Su Su shook his tail and answered affirmatively. He added in his heart: I yearn for a life where I can eat enough.

The high priest asked again: "So, do you want to become a mermaid or a human?"

Su Su was a little confused by the question. Judgment questions are easy to answer, but multiple-choice questions are difficult to answer. If he answered wrong, the high priest would not give him the medicine. So Su Su asked carefully: "What's the difference? After a mermaid marries a human, won't she become a human anyway?"

"Of course it is different," the high priest said, without giving a more detailed explanation.

"Then... human beings." Su Su thought for a while and followed the voice in his heart. Although he could not completely distinguish the difference between these changes, he seemed to have a little expectation in his heart, which echoed his curiosity and desire for the human world for so many years.

The high priest showed a look of understanding in his eyes, pushed the medicine box in his hand towards Su Su, and explained:

"Like mermen, mermaids have multiple gene samples from humans and fish. But unlike mermen, a mermaid's dual genes will remain until adulthood. After she chooses her own lifestyle, they will begin to evolve, with one gene becoming dominant and the other hidden."

"In the beginning, the human genes of the mermaids were hidden by instinct."

"The mermaid drug was invented to reverse this genetic change, but this restoration is not smooth. The mermaid drug is just a catalyst. For this change to occur, one needs to rely on one's own strength and strong mental strength."

"If you want to become a merman and eventually obtain a stable human form and completely activate the human genes in your body, you must have a stronger desire than ordinary mermen. Only when you truly identify with and strongly desire to become a human, can this mermaid medicine truly take effect and help you fulfill your wish."

[Well, I'm sure it's fine. I want it to be super strong.] Su Su said confidently.

Su Su did not take the high priest's warning to heart. He used his tail to sweep open the lid, sucked one of the capsules into his mouth, bit it into pieces, and swallowed it into his stomach.

It took a while for the drug to take effect, and Su Su suddenly felt a little sleepy. Although he was still breathing and swimming, his consciousness had already entered a dormant state.

The high priest pressed a switch, and the ceiling cracked in the middle. A transparent net wrapped Su Su and pulled him to the room on the upper floor.

After looking away from Su Su who was in a beautiful dream of transforming into a mermaid, Yi Qing looked towards the high priest with hesitation.

"What do you want to ask?" The high priest looked at her gently.

"High Priest, why did you give him that medicine? Hasn't that medicine never worked before?" Yi Qing hesitated.

Yi Qing felt a little embarrassed as on one side was her new friend and on the other was the high priest whom she respected.

Although it is hard to understand, seeing how much Su Su is looking forward to becoming a human being, she also hopes that his wish can come true.

However, the mermaid medicine that the high priest gave to Su Su had never actually been successful. When it was first developed, many mermaids did come to ask for the medicine, but without exception, they all showed a certain degree of mutation after the transformation and regressed to their original biological form within a month.

Later, this type of mermaid medicine was discontinued and replaced by a new drug. The new drug is stable, has a success rate of up to 90%, and has no other side effects.

Of course, the new drug is not completely without disadvantages. After this new drug helps mermaids transform into mermaids, the mermaids will just be mermaids. There is no possibility of differentiation. They cannot become humans, nor will they return to their original biological form.

However, humans keep mermaids for not only breeding, but also for viewing and companionship. This does not require mermaids to become humans, but it would be better if they could maintain their mermaid form permanently. Therefore, once the new drug came out, it quickly replaced the old one.

Su Su is a male shark, and even after becoming a mermaid, he cannot give birth to human children. Naturally, there is no reason for him to become a human.

Yi Qing didn't understand why the high priest didn't give Su Su the more stable and reliable new medicine, but instead took out the old medicine that had been discontinued and would not work at all?

"His spiritual power is far superior to that of ordinary mermaids. He may be able to use medicines that other mermaids cannot use."

Yi Qing asked in bewilderment: "But why should we try? There is obviously an easier way, isn't there?"

The high priest raised his head, as if looking at Su Su who was sleeping soundly upstairs, or as if looking at something farther away: "Did you see his eyes? The fire burning in his eyes seems to be burning all the way from the sea to the sky. The water cannot hold him, he is destined to go to a place where fish tails cannot swim to."

"Once a being like him sees the civilization of the human world, how can he be willing to be a mermaid for people to watch, locked up in a pond and fed forever? That is not helping him, it is harming him."

Really? Yi Qing recalled Su Su's previous remarks about wanting to be kept in a pond like a salted fish. No matter how she thought about it, Su Su was the type who would not ask for anything else as long as he was well fed.

Besides, is the human world really that good? Even if it is, it is only for humans. She knows that mermaids are only treated slightly better than pets in the human world. Even if they grow legs, they cannot move freely in and out of the human world.

"I still don't understand." Yi Qing said, "You don't seem like someone who would mind such trivial matters."

The high priest had lived in seclusion for the past three hundred years, and had been estranged from everyone except a few royal descendants. Why was he so concerned about a mermaid he had just met, and even took the initiative to change her medicine?

"How do you know that this will be a trivial matter?" The high priest looked at the young princess: "Su Su is special. He is neither a mermaid nor a human, but he can be both at the same time. I see a possibility in him. The hope is slim, but it is worth a try."

This sentence was quite meaningful, as if it was talking about Su Su's transformation into a mermaid, but it also seemed to be referring to something else.

Yiqing wanted to ask again.

But the high priest had already leaned against the soft back of the chair, closed his eyes, and seemed to have fallen asleep.

"Wow!" Su Su jumped up from the bed.

The silver tail still retains its original appearance, swaying instinctively in the water, but the upper body has turned into a human body.

He stared at his two palms: Is this... a success?

He clumsily paddled in the water with his hands like fish fins, staggered his body and moved away from the bed.

The smooth and clean ground reflected the shadow of a human body and a fish tail.

The man looked very young, with an ambiguous temperament between a youth and a teenager, with long silver-blue hair draped behind him, skin as white as snow, deep red lips, a small and delicate face, and facial features that brought an extremely impactful beauty, as if carrying an innate desire and temptation.

That kind of temptation can even transcend gender. It is the type that makes people's heart beat faster and their mouths dry at first sight.

Who are you, beauty?

Su Su looked at the shadow and tilted his head. The shadow also looked at him and made the same movement.

Su Su was stunned.

This... is him?