Following Bart to the Teleportation Array, everyone stood on it and activated the array. This Teleportation Array leads directly to the center of the Mermaid Clan’s territory, Ocean City.
Ocean City is a very magical city because half of it is in water, and half on land.
This vast city is situated by the sea; just looking at the land portion, it’s a city no different from a human city, with the Imperial Palace at the center, then streets crisscrossing, and various beautiful architectures. But the lower part of the city is entirely built in the water. In other words, the upper part of the Imperial Palace is on land, while the lower part is underwater.
Shops are the same, meaning the first floor is underwater, and the second floor is on land. Mermaids’ tails can transform into two legs to walk on land, but the duration depends on the strength of magic power. So, Ocean City is built this way to accommodate mermaids’ dual lifestyles and also to facilitate interactions between the Mermaid Clan and other races.
The Teleportation Array is set up in Ocean City’s Magic Guild. This is also a building with a strong oceanic theme, the roof shaped like a large shell.
When Bart and the group arrived at Ocean City, there were already members from the Mermaid Clan waiting to transport them to the Imperial Palace.
The transportation in Ocean City is very convenient; one can take a small boat through the waterway or walk along the land streets on either side of the waterway. To ensure Bart and the group reach the Imperial Palace early, the mermaid sent to fetch them had already prepared a small boat.
After boarding the boat, Tianmiao observed the city with keen interest.
The small boat moved quickly forward, yet no one was paddling. At the front of the boat were two unidentified fish towing it along. These fish were as long as adults, harnessed with rein ropes, naturally and swiftly swimming towards the Imperial Palace without the need for the mermaid at the bow to guide them—clearly, they were intelligent creatures.
Xia Chuanyue sat beside Tianmiao, also observing the city.
"Their special product is pearls," Xia Chuanyue said casually while looking at the many pearl-selling shops on land.
"Indeed. Look below," Tianmiao poked her head out, gazing into the underwater world. Beneath the clear waters, she could see mermaids bustling about on the streets below.
"Wow! So many mermaids." Xia Chuanyue exclaimed in awe, "But the most abundant are the black-tailed ones."
"Yes." Tianmiao nodded. The Mermaid Clan, like the Elf Clan, is divided into several types, or one might say, there is a hierarchical distinction akin to social strata. The highest in the Mermaid Clan is the Golden Tail mermaid, the rarest, and most powerful in magic. Next is the Silver Tail, more numerous than the Golden Tail, but lesser in magic power. The last and most common, with the weakest magic power, is the Black-tailed Mermaid.
The tails of the Mermaid Clan signify their innate traits, unlike humans. There’s no scenario where a black-tailed prodigy rises to overthrow a Golden Tail mermaid; such an event is impossible. If there truly exists a highly gifted Black-tail, its tail color will change upon revealing its abilities.
Simply put, it’s akin to the story of the ugly duckling. The ugly duckling was never an ugly duckling because he was inherently a swan. A Black-tail turning into a Golden Tail simply indicates the mermaid’s Golden Tail was recessive, and upon awakening their inherent gift, the tail returns to its original Golden form. This is determined by the genetics of their clan.