(SNEAK PEAK) Chapter 1 Mermaid Raising Guide

Chapter 1: The Last Little Merman

On the holographic projector’s screen were two individuals resembling researchers engaged in heated debate.

And the topic of their spirited exchange was the recent gossip that spread worldwide— Long thought to have been extinct, a descendant of Atlantis’ royal family was discovered on a remote island.

It was a young merman.

The scholar in white spoke impassionedly, “To think that the royal family would bring a young merman into the castle to gain possession of the azure blood and assert their so-called monarchical power. It’s completely ridiculous! They probably can’t even grasp or comprehend this merman’s biological significance. Merfolk have miraculous healing abilities, a longer lifespan than humans, and the power to command all manner of aquatic creatures thanks to their divine blood. He’ll be a great asset to delve deeper into our history, shedding light on why Atlantis’s royal family—long rulers of the Blue Planet—went extinct or came dangerously close to it.”

The anchor jumped in, asking, “So, Mr. Kole, as a scholar, how do you view the royal family’s announcement that this young merman is set to become Prince Light’s partner once he’s an adult?”

“A complete public shit show!” Kole brought out two life-like paper figures from behind and scoffed.

One figure possessed long hair with a lengthy tail, and the other sported short golden-blonde hair with a crown. The former was obviously a merman, and the latter was—Light Yigor, the eldest and current crown prince of the Oz Empire. 

With a hushed voice, he said, “Your highness your highness, let us come together to create a royal mer-child bearing azure blood in its veins,” Kole cunningly maneuvered the paper merman closer to the paper prince.

Without delay, he piled the two figures on top of each other and mushed them together.

An egg made of paper slipped out.

“Ah!”

The egg cracked open, and then a bizarre-looking creature with a fish body and human limbs popped out of it.

The crowd erupted in laughter.

A ghostly stillness blanketed the aircraft on the other side of the projection.

Light’s attendant cautiously peeked his head over to look at the man resting on the rear seat with his eyes closed. “Your Highness… Do you want me to change the channel?”

“No need.” The man continued to massage his nose bridge, his eyes still shut. “I also find the engagement utterly ridiculous.”

What’s ironic was that everyone in the nation, with the exception of the two people concerned, could openly express their views about this betrothal. 

Light had been surveying the border to ensure there were no remnants of Zerg left on their planet when the news reached him. He had no idea about his engagement to a young merman, let alone that everyone in the empire already caught wind of it before him. 

Because of this, he quickly decided to fly back to the capital. 

Grass blades bent at the waist due to the gusting wind as the silver aircraft landed outside the palace’s imperial garden. The two lines of ceremonial troops immediately sprang from their respite as soon as the cabin’s hatch swung open.

The smooth grass was trodden under black military boots, its shine reflecting the man’s firm physique. Light donned a military outfit, a gleaming golden medal slung over his left shoulder, with an unfurling valiant and determined countenance peering out from beneath his cap.

A pair of amber eyes flickered below his furled lashes as he removed his military cap and cuffs. In the sunlight, his golden locks which represented the Yigor royal family, became even more captivating. Following the destruction of the Atlantis Empire, Light Yigor—the eldest prince and rightful heir to the Oz throne—led a force of mecha troops from the Western Lands in a devastating assault against the Zergs. The rise of the Oz Empire under his leadership, in which he was lauded for as the “Empire’s Eagle,” breathed new life into Blue Planet’s human civilization.

The attendant who was standing by him received the military cap and stated, “Your Highness, you are back.”

“Hmm.” Light gave a subtle nod, then said, “I wish to see my father.”

The steward started, “Okay, I will immediately let His Majesty know…”

“Da-ge!”

A piercing call abruptly broke the silence.

Riding a battered steam engine that was on the brink of collapse, the second prince Lance caught everyone’s attention as they glanced up in shock. As he frantically waved to Light, he pounded on the stubborn old machine.

“Kachunk!” The mechanism, which was generating an annoying amount of noise the whole time, came to a standstill on the grass and released a cloud of smelly black smoke from its rear end.

When faced with Light, most people maintained a restrained attitude. However, Lance casually tapped Light on the shoulder and exclaimed, “Da-ge! Did you hear? Father got you a fish!”

Light, “….”

Upon seeing that the oldest prince’s demeanor remained unchanged, the steward let out a sigh of relief.

“I arrived with the intention of requesting that father rescind the betrothal,” Light voiced after a moment of silence.

Lance reached over and whispered, “I’ve heard that mermen are incredibly gorgeous like fairies from those fairy tales. You haven’t even seen that fish yet, da-ge. Are you really set on breaking off your engagement?”

“It’s unreasonable.” His lips pursed tightly  as Light’s eyes flitted. “How old is he?”

Lance mimicked drawing a zipper to seal his mouth and went silent.

“Has he arrived yet?”

Even though she sipped her black tea with grace, the old woman’s repetitive action of checking the terminal every three seconds revealed her underlying anxiety.

The news that the little merman had spent nearly six years on a secluded island upset Kuina, a palace etiquette teacher.

The most catastrophic downfall of her career might be in store for her if Prince Light marries an uncivilized, gruff outsider.

Knock knock knock.

Someone knocked on the door just then.

The maid remarked, “Madam, it’s now around the time he should be arriving.”

Quickly setting aside her tea cup, Kuina hurried towards the palace’s entrance, making sure to fix her appearance.

As the palace doors whipped open, Kuina witnessed the young merman dragging his feet and gripping onto a worn out shark doll covered in various sewn on cloth patches from the guard carrying it. The merman’s attire seemed shabby when compared with his shark doll, and his face was caked in dust. Everything about the child gave the impressio….

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