Chapter 2478: Destination The Mermaid Queen was dumbstruck. “Of course, the Ocean races and the Fiend races are completely different races. Big brother, what makes you ask such a question?” The Peacock Princess also stared at Zu An in surprise, not expecting the latter to be confused about what was considered common sense here. “I had that misunderstanding because in the future, the Ocean races are a part of the Fiend races,” Zu An explained. The Peacock Princess was delighted to hear that. “It sounds like the alliance went through!” The Mermaid Queen, however, was worried. “Do the Fiend races annex our Ocean races in the future?” She was opposed to the Ocean races siding with the monsters, but she also didn’t want to be annexed by the Fiend races either. Zu An smiled. “Don’t worry, the Ocean races remain highly autonomous in the future.” It now made sense to him why the Ocean races had such a unique standing among the Fiend races, as opposed to the other groups, as well as why the old Fiend Emperor had spent a great amount of wealth and resources to liaise with the Ocean races each year, and why the Ocean races’ Dragon Kings didn’t pale much in comparison to the Human Emperor and the Fiend Emperor. The Mermaid Queen’s mind was put at ease. She slowly replied, “Our Ocean races were born in the ocean. We came to be together with the ocean. It’s rumored that our history far predates the Fiend races and Human race. “The Ocean races are diverse, each having their own culture and lifestyle, but we share a common faith—that of the Ocean Deity. It’s said that the Ocean Deity was born because of us, and it is thanks to her protection that we survived to this day...” Zu An keenly picked up on the pronoun and asked, “The Ocean Deity is female?” The Mermaid Queen shook her head. “The Ocean Deity has no gender, though both the Ocean races and Fiend races are traditionally inclined to see her as a woman.” Zu An was perplexed. “Don’t you have an idol of the Ocean Deity?” The Mermaid Queen chuckled. “Different Ocean races have different idols of the Ocean Deity, so there is no way of telling which one is the right one.” Zu An nodded in agreement. It was similar to how, in his previous life, he had seen idols of the same deity looking vastly different across different temples. He asked more questions about the Ocean Deity, but the Mermaid Queen didn’t know much. She didn’t even know whether the Ocean Deity truly existed, or was just a pillar of support for the Ocean races. Zu An chose to end the questions there. After all he had been through, he'd learned that secrets could only be uncovered at a price, and the truth would only come out at a certain time. The earlier talk about the Ocean races being under the Fiend races piqued the Peacock Princess and Mermaid Queen’s interest about the future, so they implored him to share more. They had gotten close over the last few days, and the two ladies were using all their persuasive methods to persuade him to talk. Zu An had no choice but to tell them about the future. Of course, he did filter out important things that could affect the past. Even so, the two ladies were still immersed in his stories, and they looked forward to the future. Time slowly passed, and the three of them drifted off to sleep. The following morning, the Mermaid Queen found herself sharing a bed with Zu An. She was lying in his arms, with her head resting on his chest. This caused her cheeks to flush, and she anxiously tried to recall what happened last night. We talked for so long that we started getting tired, so the Peacock Princess suggested for us to continue the conversation on the bed. The Mermaid Queen had initially found that suggestion ridiculous, but she wasn't averse to sharing a bed with Zu An. There were also other people present, so she didn’t think it was too much. Zu An had hesitated, but the Peacock Princess had energetically provoked him into accepting it, claiming, ‘What’s there to fear when we're all forthright and open? Could it be that big brother harbors lustful thoughts for us?’ Zu An couldn’t beat her argument, so they'd ended up lying on his bed and talking about the future. It was a good thing that the bed was wide enough to remain spacious even with the three of them. After overcoming the initial embarrassment, they quickly returned to the conversation. Hearing his words and taking in his scent, the Mermaid Queen had fallen asleep before she knew it. She was shocked at how lowered her guard was, for her to actually fall asleep next to a man. However, she soon smiled bitterly. She would never have permitted herself to share a room like that with another man, so such a thing would never have happened with anyone else. Her intact clothes meant that, to her regret, nothing had happened at all. She tried to carefully move away the hand next to her head, only to feel a soft and smooth texture. That can’t be big brother Zu’s hand. She quickly looked over and frowned in bewilderment. Sleeping next to her was the Peacock Princess, and the latter’s sleeping posture was much more open compared to her demure one. She was lying on her side, her hands wrapped around Zu An’s neck. Her leg was also resting on Zu An’s body, as if trying to hold him down. The Mermaid Queen’s face reddened. Fiend race ladies are so open. I would have died of awkwardness if I slept like that. Feeling a touch on her hand, the Peacock Princess slowly woke up. She instinctively rubbed her eyes before she finally registered the scene in the room. Her fair complexion immediately turned red. No matter how passionate she was, she was still a young woman. To hug a man to sleep like that—or maybe it would be more apt to use the word ‘clamp’—was embarrassing, and on top of that, someone else was present to witness it. For a moment, she even considered silencing the Mermaid Queen. “Morning.” The Peacock Princess quickly retracted her leg and awkwardly smiled at the Mermaid Queen. The latter responded with an enigmatic smile. That further reinforced the princess' desire to silence her. Hmph, if not because of the favor I owe big sis queen and my inability to defeat her in battle... She suddenly remembered the excuse Zu An had used against the North Sea Dragon King to rescue her. She'd found it utterly ridiculous then, but in a weird turn of events, they really had ended up sharing a bed for a night. It was only after the two ladies tidied themselves up that Zu An slowly woke up. “Morning.” “Morning!” The two ladies’ faces were slightly red. Zu An had long since woken up. It had been a terrible night for him; which normal man could remain unfazed when there were two gorgeous beauties sleeping right beside him? The Mermaid Queen was still fine—she had mostly slept peacefully except for the occasional snuggling up to him. The Peacock Princess, on the other hand, was an unruly sleeper. She had spent a lot of time either hugging or clamping onto him, sometimes even nuzzling against him. Zu An had only managed to hold back due to his self-control being tempered by his rich experiences. The room descended into inexplicable awkwardness. The Mermaid Queen cleared the air by saying, “We should be near the Purple Ganoderma Cliff now. I wonder if the Firecloud Cave is truly there...” Before she could finish her words, the Crystal Boat suddenly shook. The two ladies lost their balance and would have fallen down if not for Zu An quickly flitting over to support them. There was a frown on Zu An’s face. The Crystal Boat appears to have struck something.