Chapter 652: Apothecary visit
Reed’s visit into Metropolis wasn’t official. They weren’t part of the horde of tourists that would be welcomed with a parade, that was why they went largely unnoticed by the general public. If one didn’t peek through the curtains of their carriage, then many would assume that they were just any other convoy of humans.
After all, unlike the other tourists who had a lot of time to spend to relax and enjoy Metropolis, Reed and his family were on a time limit.
Nixie’s Dao Heart was getting weaker and weaker by the day. They needed the help of a professional, the very best of the best.
And that was none other than Sinclair’s Elixir, a global conglomerate headed by the miraculous healer, Sinclair.
Their carriage stopped as they reached what seemed to be a large gardenscape in the middle of Metropolis.
Instead of walls, the whole estate was lined with shrubbery that was neatly cut into a tall rectangular shape.
The strong scent of medicine wafted through the air as precious herbs and plants were carefully positioned throughout the garden.
Just then, they saw a human watering the plants with a sprinkler can.
"We’re here to see Aerith," Reed said to him.
The farmer looked at him and nodded, before casting a magic circle in his hands. Eventually, the shrubbery wall opened up, allowing their carriages to go inside.
Reed and his convoy continued on before they finally reached the Apothecary.
At the very entrance, they saw a young woman with pink hair tied up in a ponytail waiting for their arrival.
Reed immediately got out of their carriage, carrying Nixie in his arms. He went up the stairs and begged, "Please save my daughter."
Aerith looked at the mermaid child, her eyes narrowing as she realized the severity of her condition.
"According to your letters, it seemed that her condition worsened even more than before," she said.
Reed had been trying to contact Sinclair even before he arrived in the Royal Continent. However, she was too busy and he was redirected towards one of her pupils, Aerith.
"Can you heal her?" Reed asked.
Aerith didn’t answer.
She then took out her Mithril Relic needle, manifesting the giant frog Diva above her.
Feeling for her pressure points, Aerith targeted the straight line dividing the child’s body.
The needle pricked the little mermaid’s skin, drawing blood that immediately transformed into a small toad.
These frogs made out of pure Aubility Power started to release slime from their body, injecting a healing form into Nixie’s skin.
The child’s expression softened for a second, her pain lessening. But a few moments later, she cringed as she felt another pricking sensation in her Dao Heart.
Aerith could only shake her head. "I’m powerless," she admitted. "Nixie’s disease is on her Dao Heart, and we both know that the powers of a Dao Heart and Aubilities are one and the same. If I try to force her healing, her Dao Heart would reject it almost immediately and make her condition worse."
Reed gritted his teeth.
"But don’t lose hope yet," she said. "I have asked for my senior’s help on this one. They’ll be more equipped to handle this than me."
...
...
...
While Michael was overlooking the construction of the roller coasters, he suddenly felt a reaction from one of his shadow clones.
He closed his eyes and felt around, eventually realizing that it was coming from the clones he left behind in the Duchess’ castle!
She’s trying to contact me.
He immediately transported himself back into Metropolis, standing face to face with Duchess Regina herself.
They were sitting in her dining hall, with plenty of food and drinks served on the table.
"Did you call me here for a meal, Duchess?"
"No" she said, using her handkerchief to wipe off RD Soda from her lips. "I called you for something better."
He was intrigued.
"My soldiers have just informed me that a group of mermen has entered Metropolis," she said.
"Mermen?"
"Yes. They came here ahead of the parade and immediately went towards our branch of Sinclair’s Elixir. Aerith is probably talking to them as we speak."
They went straight to an apothecary?
"Why?"
The Duchess shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. All I know is that the man leading the convoy is called Reed, and he has a lot of sway within the Mermen community. If he tells Mermen to do something, then they’ll most likely do what he says."
He could hear the hidden implication in the Duchess’ words. She was trying to hint at the fact that Reed was a lynchpin to his plan of getting the attention of all the other mermen in the Royal Continent.
"Thanks for the info, Duchess."
"No problem, fufufu... Just make sure to invite me to one of your projects next time."
He looked at her and saw the hidden threat in her eyes. It seemed that she had finally learned about the Nation of Reborn. And she was going to hate it if he didn’t invite her inside.
"Alright, Duchess. I’ll give you a personal tour of the Parched Lands once my projects are over," he promised her.
"You teleport me there," she demanded. "Even with the speed of your automobiles, I don’t want to spend weeks on end just sitting in a box. I’m too old for this."
"Fine. We’ll take the whole royal family too. It’ll be a family vacation. On me."
The Duchess’ face visibly lightened up. "Fufu, I’m looking forward to it."
I better be careful with this one.
The reason why he hadn’t voluntarily told the Duchess about the Nation of Reborn was because he didn’t want her to become like Duke Stelmane.
Even now, the Duke had been staying in the Nation of Reborn and completely neglected his duties in Angora City. He had enjoyed his time in paradise for far too much, and it looked like he had no intentions of ever leaving it.
He could only imagine the kind of chaos that would unfold in Metropolis if the Duchess disappeared for months and years on end.
He shivered.
...
...
...
After the Duchess’ timely hint, he went back to the Nation of Reborn to look for Serena.
He found them and all the other mermen lounging in the Lamia’s riverside property, basking in the sun and having a lot of fun.
They had decided to stay in Metropolis for the time being, especially after he revealed the rollercoasters to them.
And despite not being used to the cultures of the surface world, the mermen were quick to love the Nation of Reborn in its entirety.
"Hey Serena," he called out to her.
Serena turned around and waved at him with a big smile on her face.
"Woah!" he said, blocking his eyes with his face quickly blushing.
It seemed that she had relaxed far too much in the river, as she didn’t seem to be wearing any clothes!
If it weren’t for her curly red hair, then he would have seen...
Enough! he said, slapping himself silly.
"Uhh...why aren’t you wearing anything?" he asked her.
"What do you mean? I am wearing my clothes."
She had turned into a full mermaid!