Mermaid Wharf

……

……

During these years of living alone away from my adoptive parents, I used to think that I was already a man who could stand alone. No matter how many setbacks I encountered, no matter how terrible the truth I pursued, it was impossible to break me down.

But now I hold the ambitious blueprint of the ten-year-old executioner, my breathing continues to accelerate unnaturally, and my hands and feet are so numb that I can hardly stand still.I leaned against the side of the refrigerator and gasped for breath, my eyes fell on the quietly curled silver tail in the depths, and my tears fell unconsciously on the scales that were still flickering in the lights.

When I realized that I fell in love with Veliga, I thought that even if there really would be a curse, it would be very far away; but when I thought this was just the beginning, I also stood at the end of it .

I stretched out my hand and gently stroked the tail of the fish that had lost its vitality long ago in the box. It seemed that the unwillingness and hatred of the mermaid before death still remained on it.After ten years of sleeping quietly in a darkened refrigerator, Velijia finally saw his lover again, but unfortunately he could no longer speak.

Thinking of the culprit who was still leisurely doing accounts in the captain's cabin, and thinking of all kinds of things after I boarded the Royal Ghost, I closed the lid of the box, feeling cold in my heart.

Perhaps from the very beginning, the word coincidence did not exist in the world.

It was already dawn outside the porthole, and Bjorn was squatting by the cabin door smoking a cigarette. Seeing me walking past him without saying a word, he raised his hand and flicked the cigarette ash between his fingers, and opened his eyes towards my back. He said, "You're not going to seek revenge from Captain Garcia, are you?"

My footsteps paused, but I still walked forward without hesitation.

"Don't be stupid, little Mano." Bjorn stood up, leaning against the bulkhead with his shoulders folded and sighed, "Even if you kill the little prince for him, what should have happened has already happened, It is a felony for civilians to murder nobles, even if you don’t want to kill yourself, you have to think about your adoptive parents who are still in the country, right?”

Hearing this, I hesitated for a moment, but turned around.Only then did I realize that he had been squatting in the freezer cabin for so long, and he might have read Angelo’s diary a long time ago, and he didn’t even seem to intend to seriously stop me, otherwise he would be caught by me with his burly physique. It seems a bit strange to throw it out so easily.

"Don't doubt me, little Mano." Bjorn looked at me and said quietly, "I have always been your friend. I am now, and I was also ten years ago."

I listened to the bosun's bewildering words with a frown, and then looked at his handsome side face which was somewhat melancholy in the sunlight, and suddenly a strange thought came to me. "...Bjorn, were you on this ship ten years ago?"

"Yes." He was still smoking slowly, "To be honest, when I saw you for the first time, I was really shocked. I used to think that things like the mermaid's curse were far away from me; for this ship For most of the forgetful guys on board, the nightmare was over long ago, but it wasn't until the moment you stepped on deck that everyone realized that it was actually just beginning."

I shook my head in a daze, and couldn't fully understand Bjorn's words. It took me a long time to come back to my senses, and I grabbed his lapel and asked, "In that case, what happened to the accident on the Polar Joy ten years ago?" What happened? Where did the missing people go? Velija...Vilika..."

My hands trembled slightly, and I realized that I didn't have the courage to continue asking.How I wish Bjorn could tell me that Mo'er is still alive, and Velija is also alive; but I am afraid to hear the true but cruel answer from him.After dejectedly letting go of the hand that was holding him, Bjorn was silent for a while, then suddenly said:

"If you want to know so much, why don't you go and see for yourself?"

He walked to the porthole and glanced at the sea in the distance, and said succinctly: "It is said that this strange curse of the mermaid is caused by both parties. Since Velija can go back to ten years ago, as long as you keep up now, you can naturally go back to the past." Ten years ago."

……

I followed his gaze towards the sea level at dawn, and found that there was still a vague white mist floating not far away. I don't know if it was my illusion. The huge black shadow that is almost the same as the Ghost.

I was stunned, and then I vaguely understood—if Bjorn ten years ago is also my friend, it means that he also met me on the Polar Joy.

"Brother has prepared a boat for you. If you make a decision, act quickly." Bjorn put out the cigarette in his hand, hesitated for a while, and said, "But I want to remind you that what has happened will not change, maybe Veliga was already dead when you boarded the Polar Joy; even if he didn't die then, as long as you are still together, the curse of the mermaid will never disappear, and it will kill you or him sometime in the future Take it away, so I don't actually suggest you take the risk..."

"Thank you, Bjorn." I interrupted him, and motioned for him to lead the way.

Bjorn looked at me for a long time before hesitant to speak, then waved his hand and said:

"Thank you, but if you can really change something this time, I hope you can be more gentle with me ten years ago."

At this time, there were clear footsteps from the deck above the head, as if someone had stepped down from the gangway and was approaching in our direction.Bjorn's face changed, and he quickly pushed me behind the cleaning rack with the broom in the corner, and then stood in front of me, looking at the person who came by calmly.

"...Have you done everything I have told you, Bosun?"

When I heard this voice, which I was already very familiar with but sounded like a demon at this time, I subconsciously straightened my back, and my knuckles clenched together were creaking; Watching Bjorn deal with the man without changing his face.

"Yes Captain, I have destroyed everything that should not exist."

Captain Garcia stood still in front of him, but did not make a sound, as if watching him through the black goggles.I felt his eyes stay on the cleaning rack covering me for a moment, then quickly moved away, and said lightly:

"Yes, that's all right. If there's nothing urgent at the moment, I think you can go and see a purple mouse that was just caught in the mate's trap; it's a big mouse, and looks It looks familiar, like someone's friend at Fisher's Wharf. However, because the first mate applied poison to the mousetrap this time, he seems to be seriously injured. He is currently locked in the water tank, and he is afraid that he will die soon. gone."

I was suffocated when I heard it, and then I remembered Percy who I had forgotten for a long time.According to the original plan, Percy should pick up Veliga from the boat and go back to the tribe together, but he didn't expect that not only did Veliga suffer bad luck, but he was also arrested by Captain Garcia and was used at this time To threaten the boatswain.

I saw cold sweat fall from Bjorn's forehead, and the loose knuckles were clenched again.I know that he is definitely not a double-faced traitor, but compared with Percy's life, whether he can successfully help me escape is obviously not so important, even I will choose to save Percy; After struggling a bit, he hurried up the gangway with his head down.

After Bjorn left, Captain Garcia unhurriedly adjusted his hat, and then walked back and forth in front of the cleaning rack with his hands behind his back, as if he had noticed me, and seemed to be just walking here.

I simply brushed aside the broom in front of me, patted the dust on my shoulders, and then walked out and looked at him coldly.

"...Ah, it seems that you still know about it." Captain Garcia didn't seem surprised at all, and he didn't have any panic and annoyance after his crimes were revealed. under control.

Most of his hair was covered by a large captain's cap, and the exposed sideburns were also covered with a black turban. I always thought that he was a clean freak who was afraid of getting head lice, but I never thought about him. He is also a blond young man closely related to mermaids.

"Don't look at me with such terrible eyes, Mano." Captain Garcia was playing with the compass in his hand, apparently ignoring my reaction, "You should know exactly what the mermaid curse is about. Even if Veliga didn't die at my hands, he would have been hanged by a drunken nobleman, slaughtered by a passing fisherman, or swallowed by a shark in the bottom of the sea; and what you should do now is actually to please me Mermaid expert, maybe I have some way to bring your lover back to life, don't I?"

These words were like a slap in the head, instantly forcing me to suppress the overly obvious resentment and hatred.I know that his words are half true and half false. Angelo's research on mermaids over the past ten years, if he can kill a mermaid, it's not necessarily that he doesn't know how to revive him.

I heard my voice almost squeezed out of my teeth:

"...tell me what to do."

"It's very simple, just do it with me once." He didn't seem to bother to pretend to be mysterious, he raised his finger and pointed at my chest, and said calmly, "The mermaid's curse sounds terrible, but it's hard to break it." It’s also very easy. You need to swear sincerely to their sea god that you will stay away from the mermaid for the rest of your life; and the first step is to stop being loyal to him, just have sex with someone other than him once, and let the sea god see It's up to your decision."

I looked at him and suddenly smiled.

"Do you think I might fall prey to a pervert who tortured and killed his lover?"

"But you have no choice, don't you?" He spread his hands towards me, without any intention of negotiating in his tone, "If you want to have sex with other people, such as that mermaid wizard, or if you are willing to stab your ribs Bjorn, I won't allow it; after all, only I can tell you Mo'er's whereabouts, right?"

The floor under my feet bumped a bit with the morning waves. I leaned on the bulkhead to stand firm, and my heart was still throbbing.This man in front of me is undoubtedly a real devil; he knows all my weaknesses and knows how to use them at the right time. Only now I have to sadly admit that compared with the powerful enemy who has already planned everything, I was completely passive and hopeless.

I took a deep breath and tried to remain calm and said: "I just want to make it clear that if you are thinking about the mermaid treasure, then I am sorry to tell you that Velija didn't have time to get it before I threw it overboard. Tell me the address of the treasure; I can't help you fulfill the treasure hunter's long-cherished wish, and now I am just a useless waste to you."

Captain Garcia looked at me thoughtfully for a moment, then shook his head with a sigh.

"You misunderstood, Mano." He walked to the porthole and looked at the calm sea, his voice became distant, "Ten years is really a long time... long enough to completely change a person. Maybe I have long It doesn’t matter if I change my mind; ten years ago, I was like an ordinary noble youth, dreaming of a famous spring and autumn dream, but ten years later, I just want to wander the sea with my beloved brother. Whether it’s a treasure or a mermaid , has long since lost any attraction to me.”

I froze for a moment, and said vaguely, "...brother?"

He turned his head and looked at me, his gaze under the goggle was always deep and treacherous. "Yes, Mano. Your father is my father, Viscount Garcia, and your mother is Phoenix—that is, the lady of the Blue Phoenix. Strictly speaking, I am her savior, You already owe me a lot of favors."

……

I took a step back, and my chaotic brain was already a little flustered. "Since I'm your real brother, don't you think this is abnormal?" Seeing those hands caressing the ends of my hair as usual, I resisted the discomfort and asked through gritted teeth.

"Is there?" He chuckled, "After all, I was not a normal human from the beginning."

When I saw the strange arc of his lips, I finally realized that Angelo himself is a complete freak; what he does is not so much the pursuit of romance and the unknown, but rather his own pursuit of the unknown. From beginning to end, I have been satisfying my exuberant and paranoid curiosity.It is not uncommon for such a person who already has a narcissistic complex to have a weird possessive desire for his younger brother who looks similar to him.

As if predicting that I would not refuse, he leaned towards me, and the hot breath from his nose touched my ears:

"Have you figured it out, there is only one chance, my blonde angel."

……

After an unknown amount of time, I finally calmed down, looked directly at him and said:

"it is good."