Pandora claims she is a mermaid, not a Siren, because Sirens have two tails. However, is this statement accurate? Maybe Sirens also have just one tail, and perhaps she isn't the princess of Atlantis at all, but merely a captured Siren. If she really were a princess, given the significant events among the Olympian gods, she should have reported back as soon as possible. Zeus wouldn't blame her for such a minor issue.
"Wow, a mermaid princess!"
"What's Atlantis?"
"It's an underwater kingdom of merfolk, and they say Plato once visited it."
"Actually, Plato never went there himself; he only found records about it. They say Atlantis was originally a huge island with a highly developed culture that shared a lot of knowledge with Greece. Later, because of an earthquake, Atlantis sank to the bottom of the sea."
"That's not true. Plato got it wrong. Atlantis was always an underwater mermaid kingdom, and sometimes parts of it would emerge above the water."
"Who would've thought they'd capture a mermaid? The god of wine is indeed formidable."
"I heard a mermaid's tears turn into pearls. Aren't we going to get rich?"
"Even if we have pearls on this tiny island, who are we going to sell them to?"
"We'll go back to Athens sooner or later, and then we can sell them."
"What if she won't cry? Should we hang her up and beat her?"
"What a lousy idea! What if we damage her? Just drip some lemon juice in her eyes."
"Where are we supposed to get lemons in this godforsaken place? There aren't any fruits here except the god of wine's grapes."
"Maybe we should just beat her..."
Linley quickly said to the mermaid, "Don't listen to their nonsense. You're free to leave anytime."
"It's true," the mermaid said.
"What?" Linley asked.
"My tears really can turn into pearls," the mermaid said.
"Uh... we don't need pearls right now..."
Just as Linley finished speaking, he suddenly received a system task: Obtain Pandora's tears and turn them into pearls.
"But I would also like to see if you can cry," Linley asked.
Pandora looked troubled and said, "Mermaids can't cry just because they want to. Only when we're heartbroken, moved, or hurt can we cry."
Isn't that just asking for a beating? Heartbreak and being moved are difficult, but being hurt only requires a stick. Linley looked at Pandora's head, thought for a moment, but couldn't bring himself to do it, and said, "Then find a place to stay for now. Can you come ashore?"
"I can, but I don't move quickly." Pandora crawled ashore, her tail swaying, and her crawling speed was actually not slow. However, she couldn't climb mountains and could only be carried by Linley when encountering steep paths.
Pandora was wearing a shell-made bra, with the rest of her body pressed against Linley, blushing and covering her face in embarrassment. When they reached the cave, the mermaid saw the pool and immediately dived in, not coming up for a long time.
Linley asked softly, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Pandora replied softly, which made Linley feel a bit relieved.
At this moment, Cora raised a question, "Lord Dionysus, why did you bring back a mermaid?"
"I found her on the Thunder. She's the princess of Atlantis, offered as a sacrifice to Zeus," Linley explained.
"But bringing her back like this is inappropriate. What if Zeus thinks you took his sacrifice?" Cora seemed a bit nervous.
"Stop overthinking it!" Linley replied impatiently.
Cora's worries were not unfounded. After all, the relationships among the Greek gods were intricate and their emotional entanglements were endless. Dionysus had a notorious reputation in this regard, with mistresses, wives, concubines, and even a true love who was, surprisingly, a man. After all, wine can cloud judgment.
Suddenly, Pandora exclaimed, "Lord, I think this pool is connected to the sea."
"It probably is," Linley responded.
"I can create a passage, so we can easily swim from here to the sea," Pandora suggested.
"Don't do that for now," Linley stopped her. "We're relying on this pool for fresh water. If it connects to the sea, it'll turn into saltwater, and we won't be able to drink it."
It was raining, and the rainwater seeped through the cracks in the rocks into the cave, collecting in the pool, which had expanded considerably. The pool was mostly fresh water at the moment, without any salty taste. However, if Pandora dug a passage connecting the pool to the sea, the mix of seawater and freshwater would make the water undrinkable. Even if some fresh water could be retained during rainy days, once the rain stopped, the contact between the two would leave the island without any drinkable water source.
"We could design a one-way valve to solve this problem," Pandora suggested.
"A one-way valve?" Linley asked, puzzled.
"It's a valve that lets water flow from the pool to the sea but not the other way around," Pandora explained, drawing a design on a stone with water.
Linley understood immediately; it was the same kind of valve used in toilets to prevent odors. He couldn't help but look at Pandora with new respect; the civilization of Atlantis was indeed advanced.
"I didn't know you were so knowledgeable," Linley sighed. "But unfortunately, we don't have enough steel or other materials here to make this one-way valve."
"There are enough materials on the Thunder. I just need some wood and metal," Pandora said. "With this one-way valve, we can build a passage from the pool directly to the sea."
"Even if we have this passage, what good would it do?" Cora questioned. "It would only be useful for you; the rest of us can't swim that far."
Pandora was momentarily speechless, "Dionysus can use it."
"Dionysus can travel by land," Cora countered.
"This route is more convenient," Pandora insisted.
"But also more dangerous. What if sea creatures use this passage to sneak in and assassinate Lord Dionysus? If the one-way valve breaks and seawater floods in, we won't have any water to drink. You're a mermaid and don't need to drink water, but we do!" Cora emphasized.
"Lord, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have suggested it," Pandora cried, her tears falling like pearls, making a tinkling sound.
"Task completed, obtained Pandora's tears." The system notification sounded.
Linley picked up the beautiful, shining silver pearls and couldn't help but sigh, this actually counted as completing the task.