Chapter 283

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Chapter 283: Getting Cards, and the Club Offers Mermaid Services

In Rin’s mind, the queen should either be as kind and elegant as Queen Gualarrap or have the dignified majesty he imagined.

Although the Mermaid Kingdom has very few people and is quite divided, their king should still have the dignity that belongs to a king.

However, the truth proved he was thinking too much.

Well, it’s not to say he had absolutely no dignity; at least when he first saw her, her noble and elegant aura could score a nine out of ten.

Until she opened her mouth and asked, "Sir, would you like to sign up for a card? The regular price is 88,888 gold coins, but the special price is only 10,000 gold coins, and new members get a 10% discount."

At that moment, Rin almost thought he was accompanying his mom at a beauty salon.

Looking at Queen Yilan’s friendly yet somewhat businesslike smile, Rin didn’t know how to respond.

If he made a sarcastic remark or showed some French disdain, would she slap him out of the cloud sea?

He forced a smile, bowed slightly, and tried to keep a proper manner.

"I don’t have that many gold coins, I’m sorry."

Yilan suddenly felt bored, her smile fading a little. She waved her hand and looked at Angela, "So, you’re not here to introduce new users?"

Angela rolled her eyes and exclaimed, "How can you say that! Why didn’t I have a ten percent discount back then?"

"There really wasn’t one at that time. Okay, okay, let’s not talk about those pointless things. So, why did you bring these two little humans? Was it just to meet your queen? We mermaids don’t have so many rules."

"Well, since we’re in the Cloud Sea, how can we not meet a mermaid? And this little girl is the hero now."

"Oh." Yilan replied with just one word.

After all, for the mermaids living in a paradise, who never take part in conflicts, the hero doesn’t mean much to them, as long as they aren’t here to steal money.

Angela changed the subject, "Rin’s last name is Phoenix, didn’t you think of anything?"

"Hmm? Now that you mention it… when he was introduced, where did he come from?"

"Gualarrap Kingdom."

Yilan was surprised for a moment, then she slapped her thigh and stared at Rin with shining eyes, "I didn’t notice before, but you come from the wealthy Gualarrap Kingdom, right?"

"Yes… I think so."

"Phoenix? Oh, I remember! Isn’t that Grand Duke Fenix? So, you are the young master of the Fenix family! That means your family must be very rich!"

Angela, holding back her laughter, said seriously, "My student is only going to participate in the College Cup. He just didn’t bring that much money, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a lot of money."

Yilan nodded with a bright smile, "Yes, yes, that’s right! He is a potential high-quality client. So, how about we reserve a membership card for you? After your College Cup ends, we’ll go to Gualarrap Kingdom to discuss."

"Huh?"

Rin was a bit confused; the key point was that he really wasn’t here to get a card. Angela was still desperately tugging at his sleeve, signaling him to agree.

Rin hesitated for a moment and finally nodded dismissively, "Alright, alright."

Yilan quickly pulled out a contract and placed it in front of Rin, looking eager.

Rin wanted to just agree with words and forget about it, but he never expected the other side to be so well prepared.

That is ten thousand gold! Even if the Mermaid Kingdom’s service is great and the purchasing agent is valuable, he still doesn’t want to make an investment that seems useless for now.

Moreover, Suyu has one of the best information networks, covering a wide range of topics. If he really wants something in the future, he can simply inquire through her information hub, so why seek far away?

However, the eager witch was making faces beside him as if not agreeing would cost him a fortune, which made Rin hesitate.

Alright, alright, I will trust the witch for now.

After all, she still owes him ten thousand gold, so it’s just right to use this to settle the debt.

What a pity, even before the ten thousand gold arrives, it’s already going out the door. Oh wait, there’s a discount; to be exact, it’s nine thousand gold.

My heart aches; I will remember this grudge.

Rin gritted his teeth and picked up the pen, suddenly understanding what Angela felt when she signed the IOU and how those forced to borrow money must have felt.

Alright, this witch better give me an explanation, or one day I will make her pay back ten times.

Rin glanced at the membership agreement; it was just a normal document, simple and clear, with no hidden traps. Reluctantly, Rin signed his name and pressed his thumbprint.

Yilan eagerly snatched the membership agreement, smiled brightly after a quick look, and with a kind face towards Rin, performed a quick change like a mermaid.

"Good child, we are all friends here. Come by often when you have time; we have many great things. By the way, a batch of new and interesting items just arrived a couple of days ago. Would you like to take a look?"

Rin was feeling a deep pain in his wallet; he had no mood for shopping at all and quickly nodded, his gaze towards Angela filled with more anger.

Angela chuckled and rubbed her hands together. "Yilan, my dear sister, look, I have already brought in a customer. About that rebate you mentioned…"

Yilan smiled softly and nodded. "Don’t worry, we always treat people fairly. In a moment, you can find Mermaid A, and she will give you 900 gold coins."

Rin was instantly stunned; he quickly regained his composure, clenched his fists in anger, and almost exploded right there.

At that moment, Angela gave him a look, signaling him to calm down, and he could only hold back his rage for now.

"By the way, there’s one more thing. Is Yiran in trouble again? I need to talk to her about something."

Yilan, who had been smiling, suddenly became serious and asked, "What do you need her for?"

Rin then explained his previous encounter with Yiran and what they had agreed upon.

Yilan rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache. "I wonder where this girl got her stubbornness from. If she leaves the Cloud Sea Secret Realm, she’ll cause a lot of trouble in no time."

Angela and Rin nodded in agreement; they had never seen such a careless girl in their lives.

Yilan looked Rin up and down and then glanced at the silent hero, as if making an important decision. She nodded.

"Alright, but I have another request… Could you befriend that girl? She has never been more than a kilometer away from the palace since she was born, and being the youngest mermaid, she doesn’t connect well with the other villagers. Everyone is so busy that she has always been lonely."

"I’m asking you this as a mother. One of you is Angela’s student, and the other is a hero. Both of you are trustworthy."

Without a moment’s hesitation, Rin asked, "Can we have a fee waiver?"

Yilan paused for a moment, bit her lip, and nodded firmly, "But I still hope your friendship is not based on money."

"Of course not, just a small gesture will do."

Rin certainly would not admit that Yilan’s words made him feel sorry for that little mermaid girl, and he couldn’t agree so easily, so he decided to come up with a clumsy excuse.

"But friendship is still about how well you get along." Rin added.

Yilan relaxed her brows and nodded, "But no matter how she pleads with you, please do not let her leave the Cloud Sea Secret Realm."

"Understood."

After chatting a bit more, Angela said goodbye and left with Rin and Emilia.

She was very familiar with the Mermaid Palace and knew exactly where Yiran the little girl was being held without needing anyone to guide her.

Seeing that no one was around, Rin stopped pretending to be elegant and said angrily, "What does this mean? You tricked me into joining to gain benefits, right?"

"Tsk, how can you say it’s so ugly to call it a lie?"

"Is this how a teacher behaves? How can you cheat your students out of money!"

Angela was unexpectedly splashed with water but didn’t get angry. She patted Rin’s shoulder and said, "Don’t worry, just listen to me."

Rin forced himself to calm down, still glaring angrily, wanting to see what excuses this old lady would come up with.

"First of all, I told you before that the mermaid trade network spans the world, and even the demon race has trades."

"Don’t be silly, if I want something, I can just go to Suyu’s information office for help."

"That would take so much effort! I can’t just have Suyu do everything for me. Who knows when my subordinate will deliver the message? The mermaids use underwater delivery, and they bring the goods to your door."

"And although Suyu’s information network is vast, it certainly doesn’t have the same depth in business as the mermaids do. Not everything can be found out."

Rin was not swayed at all, "Do you think I’m like you, buying everything I see? Totally foolish."

"Listen to me continue," Angela explained. "Also, they often visit various ancient ruins, so they are the most familiar with those ancient artifacts; others definitely cannot."

"Oh, now that you mention it, I remember. I can ask Queen Yilan about those symbols later."

Rin stroked his chin, "But I only have a little interest in ancient artifacts… After all, they are much more mysterious than magical devices. Just a little interest; it’s not necessary. Please go on."

"Think about it again. Is the world really so peaceful now? I dare say that in a few years, the Human-Demon war will break out again. Once the war starts, it will be hard to buy things across factions, even if there is an intelligence network."

When she said this, Rin was indeed a bit tempted.

If nothing unexpected happens, he will definitely join the Suyu faction, and soon Samuel will quickly start the war just because Suyu had disrupted the order and the war ended quickly.

But that brief battle completely shattered the surface peace between humans and the demon race. Each continent raised its alert levels, and customs became very strict, requiring proof for entry and exit.

Many of Suyu’s intelligence networks were dismantled.

By then, it will be quite difficult for him to obtain anything.

Rin thought for a moment, his expression softened as he nodded, "Okay, it’s just nine thousand gold, and it’s coming from you anyway."

Angela heard this and her face became a bit unnatural. Just then, they arrived at their destination, so she coughed lightly, removed the barrier at the door, and knocked.

"I don’t want to eat! I don’t want anything!"

The sound of a little girl throwing a tantrum came from inside the room.

Angela cleared her throat gently, "Little Ran, it’s me. I have a gift for you."

A rustling sound came from inside, followed by a voice saying, "Come in."

Angela opened the door, and as she entered with Rin and Emilia, Yiran, who had been eagerly looking at the door, immediately brightened and ran to Rin.

"Ah, it’s you! Rin, and… and Emilia! Hehe, did you come specifically to find me?"

Angela waved her hand, "This is the gift I mentioned. You all can chat slowly and become friends. I’ll be stepping out now."

"Okay, goodbye Aunt Angela."

"Goodbye, teacher."

In front of others, Rin was quite respectful to Angela and politely saw her off, closing the door.

When he turned around again, his gentle expression suddenly became proud and overbearing, which surprised Yiran.

"Troublesome fish."

Rin muttered with dislike, took out the notebook, and tossed it into the other person’s arms.

"I have answered all your questions; you can look for yourself."

"Really!?"

Yiran immediately lit up with a warm smile, quickly sat down at the table, shaking her imaginary legs while eagerly flipping through the notebook.

"Oh, I didn’t know there were so many little countries for humans. The sisters didn’t mention them."

"Wow, there are so many delicious foods."

Yiran looked at it eagerly, turned her notebook over, and pointed to a spot, asking, "What is this ice cream? Is it yummy?"

"…It is made with milk and soup mixed with juice. It needs to be kept cold, and it tastes pretty good."

"Hmm… I really want to eat it. Wow, I have tried this meatball before; my mother brought it last time. I didn’t know there were so many flavors."

Yiran was chattering away and drooling, showing no sense of decorum at all.

Rin wanted to say she could play when she grew up, but then he remembered what Angela’s group had mentioned. It seemed like this little mermaid had a hidden difficulty and might have to stay here for her whole life.

Sigh, that’s quite sad.

Well, who knows, since I am generous. Whether it’s the stray cats and dogs by the road or the fish by the water, I occasionally give a little to those who shamelessly pretend to be pitiful.

Thinking of this, Rin pulled out an ice cream from thin air and handed it to Yiran.

This was something he had planned to enjoy while sunbathing on the beach, and now it was being given away for free.

"This… looks cool and refreshing. Could it be ice cream?"

Yiran, not only unguarded but without any formalities, took it directly and took a bite.

Mermaids have a naturally low body temperature, so this bite didn’t make her teeth feel cold like a human would. Instead, she felt a joyful shiver all over, and a happy blush appeared on her cheeks.

"So good! Sweet and delicious! Rin, you are so nice."

They had only met twice, yet this guy was already using such a familiar name?

Hmm, maybe because her head is shaped like a fish, it’s easier to trick her.

Rin felt awkward being called that way. He frowned, stretched out his hand, and said, "Thank you for your patronage. It costs ten thousand gold, but today, as a special offer, it’s only nine thousand five hundred with a 5% discount."