Chapter 644: Emotions running high
"Really?!" Serena exclaimed.
"We would love to take you up on your offer, sir Michael," said the old mermaid. Her demeanor had completely changed compared to when she first met Michael.
After all, he wasn’t just a normal human boy to them now. He was the person who brought them face to face with a Supreme Being and could possibly be the one to solve their Dao Heart problem.
"Attendants, please prepare the horse carriage," she said. "Sir Michael, please lead the way."
He immediately raised his hand and stopped them. "There’s no need for that. The journey would be too long if we just used a horse-drawn carriage. Even an automobile would be too slow."
Serena was confused. "But Metropolis is only a day’s cycle away from here."
"We’re not going to Metropolis. We’re going much further away into the Kings region and into the Parched Lands."
Both Serena and the old mermaid were familiar with the map of the Royal Continent. They had heard of the Parched lands, but they didn’t give it any importance because it was too far and it was said that the whole place was completely desolate, with only a few demi-humans still struggling to survive.
He saw their concern and immediately eased their worries.
"It’s fine. We’ll teleport there. Just gather in a small circle so that it’ll be easier to transport all of us."
The shadow underneath his feet expanded outwards, covering the shallow waters. The mermen looked around them, amazed and confused as to what was happening.
As he activated his [Shadow Transport] spell, the mana in the air significantly decreased, so much so that even the mermen took notice of it.
"He controls this much mana?!" the old mermaid gasped.
A second later, the shadow engulfed them all in a dome, completely covering their surroundings into darkness. They could see nothing but a black void in front of them.
Then, the shadow dispersed, retreating back into Michael’s shadow.
The mermen looked around them and were shocked at the sudden change in scenery.
There was no longer a vast ocean behind them, nor a muddy shore in front of them. All they could see was an endless expanse of dry, hot, sand that seemed to go through all horizons.
"Where—where are we?!" Serena asked.
"We’re in the Parched Lands. The Nation of Reborn, to be exact."
The other mermen gasped in disbelief. It was hard to fathom that they traveled such a long distance in such a short amount of time! They blinked, and suddenly, they were at the edge of the Royal Continent and away from the seas!
"It’s true..." the old mermaid muttered.
As a mermaid, she had a keen sense of all the water that she has touched or seen in recent memory. It was like a harmless pin was pricking her skin, giving her the water’s location.
And right now, she felt absolutely nothing. She was trying to sense the water she had just touched only a few moments ago, but she couldn’t find it anywhere.
The only explanation was that they really did travel all the way to the Kings region, no matter how absurd that sounded.
"Welcome to the Nation of Reborn!" he said to them. "Well, not exactly, I guess. This is just where I built the rollercoaster."
While the mermen were getting their bearings, they suddenly heard the sounds of metal clanking in the near distance.
Then, a scream.
"KYAAAHHH!"
The mermen immediately went into a defensive stance, thinking that there was danger around them.
"Yehey! Food!" Vivi beamed, immediately making her way towards the rollercoaster.
Once they realized that there was no danger, the mermen finally saw the giant metal structure in front of them.
It was unlike anything they’d ever seen before. It looked like the metallic bones of an ancient monstrous creature!
"Come on guys! You should see this!" Vivi urged, pushing Serena and the others forward.
The mermen group eventually walked closer to the roller coaster.
They looked up and saw humans riding on metal boxes, screaming and shouting as it sped through the tracks, going up and down in a loop.
"Those humans," the old mermaid muttered in wonder. "I know the looks on their faces. They’re both scared and excited!"
Those expressions were what all Mermen dreamed about. They yearned to feel that way. After all, it had been proven that that kind of emotion created the best strengthening of a Dao Heart!
Unfortunately, this kind of emotion only happens about once in ten years or even more. Those that were able to experience this were extremely lucky, and considered to have been graced by the Ocean King himself.
Yet now there were tens of humans all experiencing the same emotion at the same time!
She couldn’t believe it.
The ride came to a stop, and the humans were escorted out of their seats, only to be replaced by new ones who had waited in line.
And just like the first group, these humans also exhibited the same emotion while they tumbled around in the air!
She then looked at the gates and saw a large line of people patiently and excitedly waiting for their turn on the roller coaster. And surprisingly, they were also exhibiting excitement and fear even if they weren’t on the ride yet!
Serena and the old mermaid both came to a realization that this was not a coincidence. This was intentional! This was what a rollercoaster was made for!
"What do you think?" he asked them.
"THIS IS WHAT WE WANTED!" Serena exclaimed, rushing towards Michael and twirled as she ran around him.
ChatJK5 explained to him that this was a Mermen’s way of expressing their thanks. It was their equivalent of a hug.
"Sir Michael. If the rollercoaster can evoke this emotion on humans... then it can certainly do it to Mermen as well! You may have solved the greatest problem that we, as a species, have ever faced!"
The old mermaid sank to the floor, bowing down to him. The other mermen followed suit, making Michael feel awkward.
"There’s no need to thank me yet. I’m not sure that this roller coaster will be fit for mermen."
He built this with humans and other demi-humans in mind, which meant that the ’thrill’ factor was directed towards them, not mermen.
And as far as he could tell, Mermen culture and physiology was completely different to humans.
What he thinks to be scary may not necessarily translate to mermen. For example, maybe they weren’t afraid of heights. After all, they were used to swimming to deep depths which is quite similar to falling from a great height.
But of course, the solution to this was simple.
He just had to build a new rollercoaster designed specifically for mermen. This would be another huge undertaking, but it was very much worth it.
The look of joy and relief on Serena and the other mermen’s face made it worth it. They were celebrating while wiping their tears, making him feel quite emotional for them as well.
Helping other people become comfortable was his motto in life, and this would be the perfect thing to do that.
And of course, he’d be lying if he said that he was doing this out of the goodness of his own heart.
He was also thinking about money. Sand Dollars, in particular.