Chapter 43 The reward demanded by the sea hag
The sea hag sat in front of the house, feeding a toad and a fat water snake - just like humans feeding canaries.
She is different from a mermaid. She does not have a beautiful fish tail, and her limbs are more human-like. She looks like an old woman covered in wrinkles, but has messy green hair like seaweed and sickly sea-blue skin.
Seeing the big lantern fish containing Lain and Aurora, the sea hag raised her head:
"Oh, it's a strange thing that two human beings are still alive in the belly of a big fish with a transparent belly!"
If it were any other time, Ariel, the sixth mermaid princess who was most favored by the old grandmother, came to her, it must be a big event worthy of the sea hag's full energy!
But today, this scene was so strange that the sea hag even ignored the existence of the mermaid princess Ariel!
"Hello, witch of the sea." Rhine said, "I came here to ask a question. And you are a profound wise man in the sea, you must know the answer."
"Nothing in the world is free. Human beings, if you have listened to my rules, you should understand that even if you answer a question, I will ask for compensation!" said the sea hag.
"Tell me your question, and I will decide the reward based on how valuable the question is!"
Rhine smiled knowingly:
"I found out that you and the dark witch Maleficent belong to the same witch group, and you use magic to communicate remotely from time to time.
"Do you know where Maleficent is now? Please tell me.
"And what other information do you know about the dark witch Maleficent or your group of witches?
"For example, what are the weaknesses of the dragon that Maleficent turned into, and how to defeat it?
"For example, how many members are there in your coven of witches? Who are they and where are they?
“I want to know all the above information!
"As for the price of each piece of information, you can decide whatever you want."
What?
The sea hag was startled by Rhine's question, her cloudy eyes suddenly widened, and her pet toad was shaken off her lap.
"Crazy! You crazy!"
The sea hag waved her hands roughly:
"Go away, human, I can't tell you!
"If I reveal the secret of Maleficent, the dark witch, or the secrets about our gathering, Maleficent and others will definitely kill me if they find out!
"Those guys are almost all legendary magic masters who have lived for countless centuries. They can destroy a powerful kingdom as easily as breathing and drinking water.
"Are you crazy as a human? You actually want to find out their secrets."
Those guys...what a strange description. Aren't you in the same group as them? Do you lack self-identity with this group and are just a fringe figure? Rhine vaguely guessed something.
The sea hag's rude rejection made Rhine feel a little troubled.
He began to prepare for the sea hag to offer an unbelievably high price for the above-mentioned information, and then the charismatic Aurora would forcefully negotiate the price.
Unexpectedly, the sea hag directly rejected the transaction!
"It seems that the coven of witches that Maleficent belongs to is indeed extraordinary. It feels like a cross-continental dark villain organization." Rhine thought.
Ariel was equally shocked.
She had heard too many horror stories about little mermaids looking for this sea witch to fulfill their wishes. No matter what kind of weird wishes they were, the sea witch could make them come true - at least literally. However, those who realize their wishes always have to pay a terrible price.
She originally thought that the two humans were just asking a question, not a particularly big wish, and the price demanded by the sea hag was relatively easy to bear.
Unexpectedly, when the sea hag heard the question, she was so frightened that she refused the transaction without even asking for a price.
This is probably the first time in the history of the maritime country!
"Destroying a powerful kingdom is as easy as breathing and drinking water! What a terrifying group this is?"
Ariel became more and more frightened as she listened.
"Are these two human friends actually here for such a dangerous purpose?"
Thinking of this, the mermaid princess became more and more curious about the origins of her two human friends - what identities do they have in the human world?
"Dear Sea Witch," Rhine advised:
"I heard your rules before I came here. No matter what kind of wish you have, you can always find a way to achieve it-at least part of it.
"In those legends, you always offer high prices, but never refuse the transaction itself."
If we can't get the answer from the sea hag, then the clues about the dark witch Maleficent and the gathering behind her will be cut off!
The sea hag was silent, lowering her head in thought.
Rhine took the opportunity to lightly kick Aurora on the left side with his right foot, just like what children often do.
Aurora immediately understood and began to negotiate with the sea hag.
A charismatic girl, whether leading a battle, bargaining, or persuading others, she is an expert! Her voice is literally magical.
She first praised the sea hag's magical powers, but then she was disappointed that the sea hag showed timidity that was different from the legend.
It was only then that the mermaid princess on the side discovered that the blond girl, who had been silent most of the time and only occasionally said a word or two, had such a beautiful voice, and every word was as beautiful as a song from heaven. Ariel once thought that the beautiful singing voice of a mermaid was beyond the reach of any human being - even the most ordinary little mermaid in the kingdom of the sea.
Now she blames herself for how arrogant her past judgments were.
"The humans on the earth are really crouching tigers, hidden dragons! Two human children, one is a profound scholar, and the other has such a beautiful voice."
Ariel thought, and she developed an infinite desire to protect her two beautiful and slender children.
Finally, the sea hag was persuaded:
"Okay. I promise you. I can't break my own rules!
"Okay. Your request is actually two, so I want to ask for two rewards!
"You pay the first payment first, and I will tell you everything I know about Maleficent. Including her and the location of the ancient castle, the power she possesses, and her possible weaknesses.
"If you can pay the second payment, I will tell you other things about our coven."
Rhine was overjoyed and said with a smile:
"Please tell me. What kind of reward are we going to pay?"
Rhine believed that Aurora had tried hard to use her natural charm to complete the bargain, and the sea hag would give a price that was barely fair.
"First of all, the first reward. The answer is a precious gift, which requires equal exchange. Since you asked me a question, I should also ask you a question in equal measure." said the sea ghost.
"I ask you three questions. If you can give satisfactory answers, it will be considered as paying the first reward! I will tell you all the information about Maleficent!"
"A problem for a problem? It does seem like a common form of challenge in the fairy tale world." Rhine thought.
From "The King and the Little Shepherd Boy" to "The Smart Farm Girl", being able to answer difficult questions is a standard feature of a wise man!
“It’s actually an answer to a question, great!”
Ariel was filled with joy and confidently introduced Rhine to the sea ghost:
"This silver-haired human boy is a knowledgeable anthropologist. I'm afraid there is no problem that can defeat him."
Fortunately, the two children are not required to fight sea monsters or dig out their eyes... the mermaid princess thought.
The sea hag smiled disdainfully:
"I have met many knowledgeable anthropologists, almost all of them are gray-haired old men and stubborn academics.
"I asked hundreds of scholars who claim to know everything about the exact riddle I am going to ask you next.
"No one can answer my riddle, no one can give me the answer I want! They all fall on the first question."
"It seems that the first question is difficult." Rhine looked serious.
The sea hag cleared her throat and stroked the fat sea snake.
"First question, this is a riddle.
"If you can't even answer the initial question, then the subsequent questions are meaningless. Because the subsequent questions are all successors."
The sea hag asked the first question:
"There is such a precious treasure in this world:
"No one can see it, but they use countless poems and articles to praise it;
"No one can touch it, but they can pollute and wash it;
"It is lighter than the wind, but more precious than gold;
"It is softer than fog, but it will never die after passing through the years;
"Humans on earth have it, but mermaids and other intelligent creatures in the sea do not;
"The most bizarre and strangest thing about this precious treasure is this - this treasure is more important to the dead than to the living!
"Now, my wise friend, tell me, what is this treasure?"
The sea hag finished reciting the riddle as if she were singing a poem.
Then she smiled.
She didn't expect the two humans to come up with answers.
If you want to answer the riddle, wisdom alone is not enough. You must know some prerequisite knowledge. And this knowledge is only known by a few wise men in the sea country. How can the humans in the upper world know it?
(End of chapter)