The rest of the train ride finished peacefully. Phaestus' group and the royals of Dunlap received a royal welcome on arrival and took the imprisoned criminals into custody. The Merluka King and Queen Mother met Phaestus' group and the Dunlap royal family, taking them to the palace.

Most of the ladies went to rest while Phaestus, King Reginald Dunlap, the young king of Merluka, and the Queen Mother met in a meeting room. Phaestus finished going over the details with the Merluka royal family of the train trip.

"To think the church would do such things. Sending their fanatics after you." The Queen Mother said.

"We can't say for sure that the church ordered it, but they were the ones who labeled me as a heretic, driving their fanatical base to use violence to force people to follow them into the light, only to end in complete enslavement to their masters." Phaestus clenched his fists.

"We will put up a request with the Merluka Adventurer's guild to increase security onboard the train for the trip back to Meerka. I had one of my guards head there to commission the job."

The young king asked about the safety of the train overall, and Phaestus put his concerns to rest.

"I assure you, the train itself could take a military class spell and keep moving. The overall defenses of the train are very high. The biggest threat would be aboard the train. If they can take control of the engine, they could bring the train to a stop and assault it. I will be recommending some upgrades to Alta for the train to secure the engine." Phaestus said.

"That can come after our vacation." King Dunlap said.

"Ufufufufu. Of course. Tomorrow we will take you all to the royal beach. We will also have some casters with the [Water Breathing] spell so that you all will be able to enjoy it to the fullest."

Phaestus decided to change subjects and brought up his world map.

"Wow! What is this about Lord Phaestus!?" The young king asked excitedly.

"I created a few new spells. [Controlled Range Search: Merluka, Fanatics of the Church of Light]."

Several red dots appeared on the map in the city of Merluka, a few of which were in the castle.

"Lord Phaestus, is this displaying the locations of fanatics?" The Queen asked in awe.

"Yes. Let me zoom in on the castle here… Do you know these locations?" Phaestus asked.

"Um, that one is the servant's quarters, that is the kitchen, oh no! That last one is uncle's office!" The young king rose and charged off out of the room, the rest following closely behind.

Taelba was looking through paperwork at his desk.

"Here you go, my lord, your tea."

"Thank you." Taelba picked up the cup and went to drink when the door burst open.

"Uncle!" The young king rushed in, along with the others following him.

"Your majesty? What is it?" He placed the cup down and walked over to the young king.

"[Paralyze]." Phaestus paralyzed the servant.

"Lord Hephaestus? What is the meaning of this?"

Phaestus stepped up to the desk.

"[Detect Poison]. I heard of this Ulix root poison. Once ingested, it slowly deteriorates the internal organs over several months. The antidote is difficult to make, and if the damage goes unhealed too long, it becomes permanent. Lord Taelba. Drink this. It is what helped the Queen before. Just in case you ingested it before this." Taelba quickly drank the divine water, getting a warm feeling through his body.

"Thank you, Lord Hephaestus. I, I think I have been served this poison before. I have been feeling a bit sluggish lately."

Phaestus pulled out a dozen of the vials.

"Here, your majesties, you two drink too, just in case. Lord Taelba, please be sure to give these out to your ministers as well. Notify all of your nobles as well. Fanatics have been taking a lot of actions lately." Phaestus explained before sighing heavily.

"What's wrong, Phaestus?" King Dunlap asked.

"Ah, nothing, just kind of wish I had the magic level of Lord Tulsen. I think I could do a long-range, targeted summoning spell to bring all of them out of all the kingdoms to one location. Sadly, I am sure I would die if I tried."

The young king then gave an ingenious idea. "Lord Phaestus, why not share their existence with each kingdom? Let us take care of it. No point in you doing everything by yourself."

Huh? Heh. Hah. HAHAHAHAHAHAH! I... am an idiot! Phaestus stifled his laughter.

The young king seemed a bit disappointed, his mother and uncle giving a cold stare.

"Ah! Wait, sorry, I was not laughing at him or his idea. It is great. I am laughing at myself. Heheheh, I guess I have gotten too used to doing things myself that I lost sight of the best answer."

He kneeled down, bringing himself eye to eye with the young king.

"Thank you, King Merluka. This should greatly help the nations. [Group Call]."

Using his spell, he contacted the Alta council, Councilwoman Leelu of Obai, and the royal families of Meerka and Merluka.

"Hello, can everyone hear me fine? This is Duke Hephaestus."

The various leaders replied to him while being surprised to hear other rulers.

"Yes, I have currently connected the leaders of the allied kingdoms. I have emergent information for all of you. Fanatics of the Church of Light have infiltrated each kingdom. They are most prominent in Alta, Meerka, and Merluka. There are several in Obai and only a few in Dunlap." Phaestus explained.

"How are there so few in Dunlap?" Councilwoman Leelu asked.

"That would be thanks to Lord Tulsen. A while ago, he performed a mass purge in our kingdom." King Dunlap replied.

"Oh, that must have been frightening…." Mr. Barlett mentioned the various leaders agreeing unanimously.

"Hahaha, yes, Lord Tulsen can be intimidating, but he is not that bad of a guy. He helped me many times. Anyway, I plan to send some information to your minds. It contains the locations and names of the fanatics. You can handle things to your kingdom rules, but I do ask that you please be sure that you make sure that it is accurate. I would feel guilty if they were just loyal believers and peaceful. But if they mean harm to others, then I feel that they should be dealt with by your laws." Phaestus said.

The various leaders agreed to his terms.

"Now then. [Information Transfer]." Phaestus transferred his knowledge to the leaders.

Phaestus also took out several sheets of paper, transferred his knowledge for each kingdom to each pile, and sent them to each ruler or representative. The rulers thanked him for the information, telling him that they would investigate each person. He made sure to also inform them of the ones in the Merluka castle who attempted to eliminate Lord Taelba using Ulix root poison. Phaestus wanted to make sure that they would keep their senses open for possible assassination attempts. Phaestus ended the call with them, promising to make the spell available for purchase later.

He sighed. "These fanatics really don't make my life any easier. I really don't want to start a war. Too many innocent people would die."

"You're right about that Phaestus. War must always be a last resort." King Dunlap said.

"Anyway, you must be tired, King Dunlap, Duke Hephaestus, why don't you rest for the night." The Queen Mother suggested.

"That sounds great. I will go and retrieve my family. We will see you all in the morning." Phaestus found his wives and Ruby playing with little Leros, who was laughing happily.

"Oh, did everything go well?" Dite asked.

"Very well." He did not need to let them know what happened since Queen Delvirra was with them the whole time and was included in the discussion between world leaders.

"Anyway, I am ready for bed. It feels like it has been a long day. I am ready for some comfy clothes, some light entertainment, and nice long sleep."

Dite caressed his face. "You do look tired. Very well. Athena, Ruby, White, shall we retire for the night?"

They all stood and gathered around Phaestus.

"See you all in the morning." Phaestus said, transferring them to Haven.

Thirty minutes into their night in the Haven, Eric is lying on the floor of his living room with Ruby walking on his back.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh…" Eric moaned, a relaxed look on his face.

"See Papa! I told you I was good at massages!" Ruby shifted her weight and stepped back and forth.

“Thaaaaaaank you Ruuuuuuby. I really needed this…." Eric let out a long sigh.

Micah was feeding Leros while sitting on one of the couches while Rorroco enjoyed some stew on the other couch with Luna. A movie was playing on the television screen that they were watching. On the screen, a large man in sunglasses was riding a motorcycle while saving a kid.

"Ah! Watch out! The truck is going to get you!" Luna was getting really into the movie.

Her excitement causes the rest of them to laugh.

"You always get too into the movies Luna, hahaha!" Eric laughed as Ruby hopped off his back.

He thanked her, stood, and stretched a bit.

"That feels so much better. Thanks again, Ruby."

"Anytime, Papa!"

Micah asked if he had plans to start preparing to craft the sword.

"Nope. This week is just for family, for all of you. We came here to enjoy the beach. I am still surprised that something similar to swimsuits exists here, though they are not as high quality as those from my world. What did you girls say it was called?" Eric asked, sitting down next to Micah and taking Leros to hold him.

"Mer-wear. The clothes are made by merfolk so that they do not decay in water. I think it is made from deep-sea spider silk." Micah said.

Leros was laughing happily as Eric played with him.

"Deep-sea spider… That is either a crab or a terrifying creature…." Eric said with a concerned look.

Ruby giggled, "Heheheh, they are not scary at all. I've seen them before. They look like furry crabs without claws and big eyes. They are surprisingly cute and quite popular as pets in the coastal towns." Ruby started playing with Leros along with Eric.

"Sissy Ruby!" Leros called out.

"Ah! He finally said my name!" Ruby squealed in joy, picking him up and cuddling their cheeks together.

"I am honestly beginning to wonder about Leros. I feel like he might be a prodigy." Micah said. "Leros was only a few months old, and he is getting close to being able to walk while speaking more and more each day."

"He is close to walking? Dear gods, I have been too busy. Can you show me?" Eric asked.

Ruby and Micah had him sit on one side of the room against the wall while they sat on the other side with Leros.

"Okay, Leros! Show Papa you can walk!"

They laid him on his back. After a bit of struggle, he rolled over onto his stomach and got up on all fours. He crawled over to Micah with ease, using her crossed legs as a handhold. After a couple of minutes of climbing, Leros was now standing unsteadily, using his mother's knee to hold himself steady.

"Alright, Leros! You can do it!" Ruby cheered him on.

Leros turned toward Eric, who seemed tense and hopeful at the same time. Leros smiled and began walking toward Eric. Each step was unsteady, and he had to stop several times to re-orient himself by wiggling his arms about. After four minutes of effort, Leros fell into Eric's lap, giggling. Eric raised him up, smiling and praising Leros for his accomplishment.

"Leros good?" Leros asked.

Eric smiled warmly, hugging Leros to himself, "Leros is very good! You are the best."

Leros indicated he wanted to walk more, with a motivated look in his young eyes. Eric put him back down, and Leros continued his quest to master walking between his parents.

"I hope the twins will be as good as Leros." Rorroco said, rubbing her stomach.

"Twins...." Eric said, catching Leros on his latest round.

"Brudda?" Leros asked.

Eric smiled at Leros, "It is possible you may get a little brother or maybe a little sister, or both." Eric commented.

"Leros want sis!" Leros said. Leros stood once more and walked over to Ruby.

"Leros love sis!" He stated as he hugged her.

They all smiled and watched as Leros made a couple more trips back and forth before getting too tired to continue, nodding off in Eric's lap.

I love my family.

He picked up Leros and carried him to his crib while the ladies finished getting ready for bed. Ruby and Luna shared the spare bedroom together, so they went to their room. Eric took his wife designated spot in the middle of the bed while Micah and Rorroco took the sides.

The king-sized bed was just barely big enough for all three of them. Rorroco cuddled up to him while Micah took hold of one of his hands in both of her own.

"What were you thinking earlier?" Micah asked.

"Hmm? Oh, just... how happy I am. I honestly wondered if I would die single with no family to speak of beyond my parents and sibling in my last world. Yet, here, I have two women I love with all of my heart, of whom I would be willing to raze countries to protect. A loving daughter and son that I am so proud of I could burst. Then two more are on the way. I am willing to do anything necessary to protect this happiness, even if I have to pull a Lord Tulsen."

Rorroco laughed while Micah looked pensive over him, referencing the most feared and respected man in the world. He laughed because of her reaction.

"I love you all." He pulled Rorroco closer while kissing the back of Micah's hand.

The two blushed deeply at his declaration, but they cuddled closer to him.

I will protect this happiness. My family, my friends, my city, and my people. At some point, the church will come. I will complete the god blade, receive Hephaestus' blessing, and forge more works to strengthen us. I love this world and will not let it be destroyed.

Eric closed his eyes and allowed himself to drift to sleep with the warmth of the women he loved around him.

In the morning, Micah and Ruby were cooking breakfast for everyone while Eric spent some more time with Leros and Rorroco. Luna was upstairs playing video games, crying out each time she died in the game.

"What game is big sis Luna playing? Is it that tough one you die a lot in?" Ruby asked, setting some silverware on the table.

"Yeah, I tried playing that game, and I just was okay at it. I never got far in it, but Luna is determined to beat it for whatever reason." Eric said, going back to playing some word games with Leros to help him learn faster.

"Leros is doing well with the game." Micah said, setting a plate down for him and Rorroco.

"Come to mama Leros, time for breakfast."

Leros reached out, and she picked him to feed him. Ruby called out for Luna to come down while she sat with her own plate of food. Several minutes went by, and Luna still did not come down. Eric frowned and shifted her to the table.

"W-WHAT?! NO!? I almost beat the boss! And I…I… I'm sorry." Luna quickly changed her tune to the confusion of the others until they looked overseeing the senior goddess drinking some tea nearby.

"Oh, welcome, Senior Goddess, would you like some breakfast? I just finished and would be happy to make you some since I am going to make some for Micah." Eric said, getting up.

"Oh, thank you very much, Eric. I accept your offer." She moved over and sat at the table, right next to sweating, worried-looking Luna.

Luna nervously ate her cold breakfast while feeling the senior goddess's irritated aura directed toward her. Eric placed a plate of food down for the senior goddess. The dish had a sausage, an over-easy egg, a piece of toast, and a side dish of a small salad.

"Thank you, Eric. Now, Luna." The senior goddess took a single bite of her food.

"Y-Yes?!" Luna sat straight up.

"I hope you are taking your responsibilities seriously and not using all of your time to indulge yourself." The senior goddess said, enjoying her meal.

"I, I will do better. I'm sorry." Luna replied sheepishly.

"Anyway, were you just visiting today?" Eric asked the senior goddess while setting a plate down for Micah.

"Mm. I came to give you an update on the curse analysis. We have made a small breakthrough." She said.

Everyone tensed and looked to the senior goddess.

"Thanks to the various items you provided, we were able to find a way to track the core of the curse. We found out for sure that the source is the Pope of the Church of Light. We are trying to keep an eye on him to find out more information, but it is has been strangely difficult for us to observe him, even with our divine powers. We don't believe he is a being of Tartarus, but we believe he may have received their blessing. That would explain why we found him to be the source." The senior goddess explained.

"Blessing? Beings of Tartarus can bless people?" Eric asked in surprise.

"Yes. They are the opposite of us gods. We work to maintain, build, heal, and bless worlds. While they corrupt, break and destroy them. They hate that we have the power to create worlds and not them. Their desire for power is insatiable, as they will slaughter each other just for power." The senior goddess made a disappointed look.

"Have any gods tried negotiating with them?" Rorroco asked.

"Yes, and they paid dearly for it. The gods became corrupted, turning the world they watched over into their personal playground, leading many mortals to death. They even betrayed their fellow gods of that world, imprisoning them." The senior goddess said.

"What happened? Were you not allowed to intervene?" Eric asked.

"There are a lot of rules for us gods. We are not really allowed to involve ourselves with other world clusters." Luna chimed in.

"Correct, Luna. We could not get involved. Gods are allowed to do what they want with the world they maintain, to a point. We are not allowed to cause massive amounts of death and destruction in the world unless there is a very good reason. Like the need to destroy a Curse of Tartarus to save it."

"So those evil gods are still around?" Ruby asked, a bit scared.

"No. Those gods were killed, and the imprisoned gods were freed." She responded to Ruby's question.

"Oh. How did that happen?" Ruby asked.

"I... apologize, but I cannot tell you. It is not that it is a taboo subject. It was an order from the Omni-Gods that we are not allowed to speak of details." The senior goddess replied, a bit of nervousness in her voice.

"Omni-Gods? I am a bit curious about the ranks that you gods use." Eric asked her.

"That is a bit of a long explanation, one of which I sadly do not have enough time to go over. A later date, perhaps?" The senior goddess stood to leave but remembered one last thing to report.

"Oh, Eric, Elder was confident that you might be able to do something about it. At the beginning of next month, there is a Dark Moon. This is something else we were able to figure out, thanks to Lystmour. That is the day that the Pope will summon more people to this world."

Eric was surprised, but his face quickly changed to determination.

"Understood. I will see what I can do."

She nodded and vanished.

"Um, Papa, will we be heading back home now?"

He looked to Ruby and smiled warmly. "No, this week is time for family. I have plenty of time to plan. Now, who is ready to go have some fun?"

They all cheered and went about to get ready to head out.

They took several carriages out of the city of Merluka to the west for a few hours.

A large beach that was walled in welcomed them as they arrived through the main gate. In the water were several teal-colored towers reaching out from underneath the water, forming a large semi-circle from the beachfront.

"Wow, this place is pretty secure." Prince Alfa commented, looking around. He had a set of tight-fitting, light blue mer-wear clothes on.

I thought they were going to be like swimwear, but these are more like wet suits.

Phaestus thought in his black mer-wear. Dite was wearing red, Ruby blue, Athena gray, and White in white.

Queen Delvirra was wearing a dark blue alongside King Dunlap, and Lindi was in a white one.

King Merluka was in a white mer-wear, his mother was in a gold one, and his uncle was in a silver one.

There were several guards on patrol in the area and servants working from a lovely-looking building on the back part of the beach.

Several shaded areas were created using poles with tarps tied to them. Each site had a different number of chairs beneath the tarps depending on the size of the area. Some areas had only a couple of chairs while large ones had several.

"Welcome, my lords and ladies, my name is Arthur, and I am the royal curator of the Emerald Beach. Everything has been prepared for your coming. If you desire food, you can eat in the open dining area at the main building or request for it to be brought to you at the many sitting areas about the beach. Please just inform a server, and you will be attended to. If you plan to head into the water to view the reef, those who cannot breathe underwater, we have several casters that can assist with the spell at the small tower by the water. If you have any questions, please ask any of the staff of myself." Arthur bowed before them.

They all went about the beach. Athena and Queen Delvirra were pregnant, so they had little plans to do much more than relax and enjoy the weather, and the Queen Mother of Merluka joined them.

King Merluka and Lindi hung out together nearby the ladies to continue reading Lord Tulsen's books.

King Dunlap, Prince Alfa, and Lord Taelba headed to the main building to enjoy drinking on the large patio.

Dite went to join the other ladies along with Leros, taking along a few items from the Haven to let him play in the sand.

Ruby, White, and Phaestus headed to the beach tower to head underwater to take a look at the reef underwater. Phaestus checked his magic map for enemies and found a few within the Emerald Beaches as they were walking over. He notified Arthur, who quickly went to look into it immediately.

"Was he someone we could trust?" White asked.

"I am sure. Turns out that the curator here is related to the Merluka Royal steward. Lord Taelba told me that the family is fiercely loyal to the royal family. Arthur apparently made many enemies with the corrupt nobles who wanted to take this place for themselves."

"Come on, Papa! Big sis! I want to see the reef!" Ruby pulled at their hands to make them move faster.

They arrived at the tower, where a merfolk man in a simple, cool-looking robe appeared from inside the building.

"Welcome guests, I am assuming you wish to travel the ocean floor? Would you like me to cast a water-breathing spell for you?"

Phaestus waved his hand. "No need, I have the spell handled. I was curious if there are any precautions, places of note, or anything important we should know."

The man nodded his head and smiled. "Thank you for asking, good sir. Precaution-wise, please stay within the barrier that is formed with the various towers. The barrier will keep dangerous monsters out of the area. Next, please do not damage or touch the coral reef here. They take a long time to grow, and any damage could put them back hundreds of years. There are underwater gardens where we grow some medicinal plants. We ask that you look only. If you desire any of the herbs, we have them for sale at the main building. A place of note would be by tower three over there."

The man pointed to one of the towers.

"Near the base of the tower, it is said that you might be able to see a sea dragon."

"Dragon!?" Ruby exclaimed.

"Yes. Sea dragons are large serpents that live in the sea and are known to use powerful water magic. A few young ones have been spotted there recently. They are typically peaceful beasts and quite intelligent. If you are in luck, you may be able to see them. Over at tower six over there, it is the deepest part of the area. There is an underwater cave there where rainbow moss grows. It is a beautiful location I recommend to all." The man finished his explanation, and Phaestus' group headed to the water edge.

They waded into the water that was now above their waists.

"Alright, you two ready?" Phaestus asked. White and Ruby nodded excitedly.

He smiled, "Give us breath and strength of the ocean [Mimic Merfolk]."

Phaestus' spell gave them all the ability to breathe underwater, swim quickly, made their flesh resistant to the water, and make it so they could speak to each other. Phaestus opened and shut his fingers, admiring the magically made webbing. The three of them dove under the water.

"Whoa! This is amazing, Papa! Can you hear me?" Ruby asked, her voice sounding far too loud.

"Ouch! Sound travels faster underwater, so let's whisper. Yes. What shall we check out first?" He asked the two of them, his head reeling over the noise difference. Ruby apologized to them.

"I want to see the rainbow moss cave!" White said excitedly.

Both Ruby and Phaestus agreed, and they glided through the water toward tower six. Thanks to the spell, they could easily see underwater with the sunlight dancing about the surface.

The coral reef was massive, spanning the whole area of the shallows. The reef was a myriad of different colors with schools of various sized fish swimming about.

A merfolk girl around Ruby's age swam up to them. "Hello. Can you understand me?" She asked.

"Yes." Phaestus replied, getting a stunned look from the girl.

"Wait! You can speak back! But you are not merfolk. How are you able to speak too?" She asked.

"Papa created a new spell that let us mimic a Merfolk for some time. Isn't he great!?" Ruby said, puffing her chest out in pride.

"That is amazing! May I ask your name, good sir?" The girl asked.

“I am Duke Hephaestus of Lenmos.” He replied.

"Savior…" She said, tears coming to her eyes.

She explained that she was one of the enslaved people back when Merluka was plagued with corrupt nobles.

"You saved so many of us. I had plans to move to Lenmos in the year once I saved up enough money from working here."

Phaestus smiled warmly, "If you desire it, we will welcome you to travel with us when we head home next week."

She panicked, waving her hands in front of her, "I could not! There is no way I could impose upon the Savior in such a way!"

He laughed. "It is fine. You would not impose upon us. I intend to teleport us back. One more person would not impede me."

"T-truly?" She thought hard for a minute.

"Milord, would you permit me a couple of days to decide?" She asked.

"Take until the day before we leave if you need. Anyway, I believe you came to us with another purpose?" He asked.

"Oh! Right! I wanted to come and offer to be a tour guide for you."

"Sounds good to me. We were heading to the Rainbow Moss cave."

"Great! I can take you there! Oh… Sorry for the late introduction, milord and ladies. My name is Sherry."

They thanked her, and Ruby and White introduced themselves. Sherry led them deeper toward tower six.

Even though there was less light at their depth, it was not difficult to see with their [Mimic Merfolk] spell active. It took them about twenty minutes to reach the base of the tower. Sherry directed them toward a large cave entrance nearby, and they swam inside.

It's getting brighter…

They exited the tunnel into a large cavern. Around the bottom was more coral reef, but then along the top, a dazzling rainbow light show was happening above.

"Oh wow, I have never seen the moss this energetic. Maybe it is because of milord." Sherry said in wonder.

The ceiling was covered in moss that changed its color more energetically as they entered the cave.

He leaned over to White and whispered, "Could this be because of your divinity?"

"Nope. My divine power is completely sealed. This is definitely due to you." She replied.

"So pretty!" Ruby exclaimed, waving her arms up and down.

Silver-colored fish, whose scales reflected the dazzling color of the moss' glow, swam around Phaestus happily. Phaestus smiled and laughed. A few fish in the shape of a heart swam out and kissed Phaestus, Ruby, White, and Sherry on their cheeks.

"What kind of fish are those, Sherry?" Ruby asked, giggling at the fish that tickled her cheek.

"I cannot remember their technical name, but we mostly call them Kisser Fish. They rarely do this with anyone. They say that getting kissed by one means you are blessed by the gods. As expected of the Savior!"

All of the fish then moved away from them to the sides of the cavern, looking like they were expecting someone important to arrive.

"Sherry?" Ruby asked worriedly.

"I-I don't know."

It was then that two long blue serpents appeared. The serpents swam around them in a dazzling dance.

They had elongated snouts, sharp teeth with two long fangs, two horns that looked like coral, fur running down their spines to a tail that had a wide fin. The group watched as the myriad of colors reflected beautifully off of the shiny scales of the serpents. After dancing about a minute more, they came to a stop in front of them, loosely intertwining with each other.

"Greetings, blessed one." The serpents spoke in unison.

"What? You speak?" Phaestus asked.

"We do. I hope our dance pleased you." They responded.

That was a dance? I mean, it was stunning, but I had no idea what their purpose was…

"It was beautiful, but I had no idea of what your intentions were, so I was a bit uneasy." Phaestus responded.

"Our apologies." The two serpents bowed their heads.

"So, I am Hephaestus. This is my daughter Ruby, my sister White, and our friend Sherry."

"Greetings to you all. Our names are a bit long, but you may call us Luuk and Andal. We have come to extend an invitation to meet our mother, the ancient sea dragon the merfolk call Yvenfragallia."

"WHAT?!" Sherry cried out in amazement, hurting the ears of the others as she shouted, her mouth agape.

"S-Sherry?" Phaestus looked to her in concern, pulling his hands from his ears.

"Oh, um, Yvenfragallia is the guardian goddess of all merfolk! To meet her… Would be the greatest of honors!"

The two serpents looked as if they smiled at her comment.

Phaestus turned to Luuk and Andal, "We would be honored to meet her. Is it far from here?" He asked.

"It would not be long if you were to ride with us. Ten minutes at most."

A few dolphin-looking creatures with pointed snouts and double the fins on their sides swam into the cave.

"Well then, let me just recast my spell real quick, and we will come along." Phaestus said as he re-casted [Mimic Merfolk] spell on the three of them.

The four mounted the dolphin creatures, and they jetted off through the water after the young sea dragons.

During their journey, Phaestus made sure to contact Dite and Athena so they would not get worried. Though Phaestus felt Athena's reaction was a bit off, she did not seem worried, so he did not pay it too much mind.

"Papa! Look!" Ruby called out.

Phaestus looked forward and was struck in awe.

A giant teal palace came into view, lit up mysteriously by various light sources.

"Whoa…"

The palace looked to be perfectly maintained with no wear upon it. Intricate designs were masterfully carved into each bit of stone. Phaestus felt like he was looking at a massive piece of art. Luuk and Andal led them around the palace once so that Phaestus and his group could take in the full splendor of the location. Colorful coral and fish were all around, creating a more beautiful sight than the rainbow moss cave.

A few more minutes, their ride ended at the palace entrance, and they were led to the throne room by a merfolk woman. Luuk and Andal told them that they would see them in a bit. A seven-foot-tall woman sat upon a large throne at the end of the great, beautifully designed hall. Her hair was long and white, lightly flowing in the currents in the hall. She wore a set of armor that looked to be made from scales, similar to the blue sea dragons, but the ones of her armor looked like it was polished. Two red, coral-like horns protruded out of the top of her head behind the orichalcum crown upon her brow. She looked upon them with her emerald green, serpent-like eyes, with a motherly smile.

"Welcome, Blessed One. I am overjoyed you accepted my invitation." She stood and approached them.

She put a hand to her chest and bowed her head slightly. "I am Yvenfragallia. You may call me Yven."

"A pleasure to meet you, Lady Yven. I am Duke Hephaestus. You can call me Phaestus. This is Ruby, my daughter, White, my sister, and Sherry, a friend of ours." Phaestus responded, bowing his head to her.

Yven welcomed them all once more. A couple of teenagers who looked similar to Yven entered the room.

"Everything is prepared, mother." They said in unison.

"Thank you, Luuk, Andal. Shall we enjoy a meal?"

Oh, I guess the two of them can also shapeshift. Phaestus thought.

They were led into another room.

They were sitting at a table as multiple merfolk went about bringing in food and drinks. The drinks were different from what they were used to since they were made of small cubes that would melt in their mouths instead of liquid.

"This is delicious! What are these cubes?!" Ruby asked.

Sherry answered, "It is called Lido. It is an underwater crop that is said to be a drink of the gods."

"I've had better." White mumbled to herself. Phaestus quietly chastised her for being rude.

"I am curious, how is the meat here cooked?" Phaestus asked.

"Long ago, they used magma veins or vents. In today's time, we use magic devices." Yven replied.

"Sherry, from what you said earlier, it sounded like Merfolk rarely interacted with Lady Yven, yet there are quite a few here." Phaestus asked.

"Oh, well, what I said is true. There is an annual event called the Dragon Dance Festival. During the festival, several contests let merfolk compete to work at the palace for one year." Sherry explained.

Oh, so the staff changes each year.

"While they are here, they are trained in ethics, etiquette, and any field of study they are curious to pursue. Merchant, entertainer, craftsmen, or whatever. This is less of a palace and more of a school." Yven added with a smile.

They continued their conversation for about thirty more minutes when they finished eating and moved to a study.

"Lady Yven, I assume you invited us for something?" Phaestus asked.

"I did. I wanted to thank you and deliver a message." She said, sitting across from them.

"You see, I have a rare ability to be able to speak to the god of our world. For hundreds of years, the world seemed to be getting veiled in murky, unnatural darkness. Yet recently, that darkness has been getting pushed back aggressively. The seas feel so much more clean and peaceful, especially after you defeated that vile Kraken. I asked Lystmour if he had done something, but he informed me that it was you who has been combatting the Curse of Tartarus. Not to mention all the various artifacts that you have gotten to the gods so that they could analyze and deconstruct the curse. The curse has become severely weakened thanks to your efforts. For all of that, I am eternally grateful." Yven bowed her head to him.

"There is little need to thank me, Lady Yven. I started all this because of my disgust of what was happening to the Heroes. The more I learned of the Church of Light and its evil nature, the more I became driven to stop them. This world is my home. I cannot let it be corrupted." Phaestus said, determination in his eyes.

Yven blushed slightly before clearing her throat. "Well, that is very admirable. The message Lystmour asked me to pass to you is 'Thank you for all you have done. I heard of the project you were given by your master. I look forward to it.'"

"I heard that Lystmour has been doing everything he can to hold the curse back all these years." Phaestus said.

"He has. I have tried to assist as well, but the curse is quite dangerous for a being like myself. The Mark of Domination could be placed upon me. With how powerful I am, I cannot risk being enslaved. Though with your efforts, more than half of the world is safe for me to visit now. Though I am having trouble deciding where I wish to visit first." She said with a smile.

"If you desire to visit, we would welcome you in Lenmos." Phaestus replied.

Yven thanked him for his offer. "Now, I am sure I have kept you all from your families for too long now. Please accept these parting gifts."

A few Merfolk servants brought in a few cases.

"The first item contains some of my old scales. They would make splendid armor, better than orichalcum. The second is a pearl called The Heart of the Sea that has strong purifying power. The last item is simple, gold coins. I have little use for it, and I would be happy to invest in your efforts to cleanse our world of the curse."

Phaestus thanked her for the gifts and shifted them into his Haven.

At the entrance of the palace, the four dolphin creatures were waiting for them.

"Thank you again, Lady Yven. I hope that you will be able to visit Lenmos soon." Phaestus said, mounting the dolphin.

"Andal! Please come too! I want to learn that song." Ruby said.

"Of course." Andal replied.

The two of them became fast friends during the banquet. They all finished mounting the dolphins, said their goodbyes, and jetted off back to the surface.