Chapter 908: Purpose

In one of the hot springs a bit farther up the mountain, further away from the resort, a particular mermaid with luscious pink hair and an iridescently pink tail moved along smoothly under the water.

She went as deep as she could to feel the heat coming from deep within the volcanoes, allowing all the precious minerals in the water to treat her skin.

After around a half-hour of enjoying her time, she launched herself out of the water, transformed into a human, and flipped her hair back, putting her nude body on display.

As one might expect from a mermaid, she was quite curvy, with a natural scent that would make most people, men and women alike, salivate in lust. That was especially so after she just finished bathing in one of the world's best baths.

With water dripping down her newly shiny skin, she walked around the compound, bored.

"...What should I do today?" Coralia thought aloud. "Cultivate?"

She shook her head. "No. Too boring."

'I also need to keep Hana and Linnea safe. If I seclude myself, I won't be able to protect them properly.'

Of course, that wasn't the real reason. Truthfully, she didn't care about those two, or anyone else in the group aside from one person. She just wanted to earn some points with Mira and show her that she wasn't just a crazy stalker after her body. Even if that was the reality...

Unfortunately, Mira made it hard to help her. The amount of things she needed assistance with could be counted on one hand, and those things were already taken care of by other people.

There was also the fact that Mira would almost never accept help that she didn't already ask for. If she suddenly talked to her about wanting to teach her alchemy, array theories, or anatomies of aquatic creatures, Mira would boot her ass back to the ocean.

"...Should I pick up blacksmithing?" She wondered, giving it some serious thought. Like Mira, she was new to the concept. "Then, instead of one of us giving without receiving anything, we could both help one another out. That way, I can spend time with her, and she can improve faster. It's a win-win!"

'Plus, with my knowledge of runes, arrays, and formations, I can subtly help Mira in the later stages of forging. Surely, she won't reject my advances then, right? Or, at the very least, consider me as a member of the team.'

The more she thought about it, the better the idea sounded.

'...Luckily, I have everything I need.' She glanced at her spatial ring with a slight grin. Even she didn't know of all the stuff she had brought with her in preparation for this day.

Since the first time she saw Mira, Coralia knew she'd be a tough nut to crack. Other than being sincere, people like Mira preferred to surround themselves with those who were useful, self-reliant, and strong. They don't like their time being wasted and judge people based on their worth.

If there's a situation or problem, doesn't matter what it is, she would want someone who's always ready to face it head-on.

Thus, knowing that, she prepared for every possible scenario she could think of. It helped that she was already somewhat versatile before, but now it was on a whole other level.

'I've already found the perfect spot to practice, too. It's not too far away from the resort so that I can keep an eye on those two, but not so close that I'd bother anyone.'

Muttering something about touching those soft, luscious, fluffy tails, Coralia disappeared from her spot and reappeared underground, where she had already made the basic preparations for a forge.

With a thought, everything she needed to start making weapons and armor dropped onto the ground. In there, she had tons of resources up to the Earth-Grade, with even a few Heaven-Grade materials.

Some came from back home that she may or may not have stolen. While the rest she had either bought, were somewhere in the ocean, or were looted from a corpse.

Flipping her hair behind her head, Coralia worked on setting everything up. No longer than a few hours later, she was ready to begin.

"Now, time to show Mira my charm!"

***

While everyone was busy doing their own thing, there was one person who felt a little out of place.

No. "A little" was an understatement. She had no idea what she was supposed to do!

There was a time Linnea fantasized about being free from those bastards. She'd spend her time peacefully with her daughter, teaching her the ways of cultivation. Once Hana's bloodline fully matured and she was strong enough to go off on her own, they'd part ways, but secretly, she'd be watching over her.

Or maybe she never introduced Hana to the horrors of the cultivation world, kept her bloodline sealed, and lived somewhere away from all the chaos.

In her prime, she was strong enough to hold her head up high. Even crippled, her physical body was about as strong as an average Foundation Realm cultivator. Still weak in the grand scheme of things, but she won't die from some random bandits.

There were many scenarios she had visualized, but regardless of what she thought, it was always her and Hana taking on the world together. That's what she really wanted, to raise her daughter in peace.

Unfortunately, the world seemed to want to mess with her.

Instead of that dream life she pictured, she had merely exchanged hands, moving from one captor to another. At least, that's what it felt like.

While one was a tyrant that kept her locked up, in pain, and suffering, the other was... well... evil and chaotic.

She had the freedom that she had longed for, but she felt more trapped now than she did before! The doors were wide open; Linnea and Hana could leave whenever they wanted. Nobody was stopping or forcing them to stay.

In fact, everyone but Dominique would probably be happier if they weren't there. Two mortals following a group of mythical beings was, no doubt, a little burdensome.

'...Haaaa...' Linnea let out a long sigh as she lay down on a large outdoor bed. 'I hate admitting it, but we're trapped. Even just taking the environment into consideration, we can hardly leave Mira's side.'

At first, she didn't notice it, but while they were traveling in the freezing Northern Continent weather, someone (most likely Elenei) was always keeping them warm. Without her, they would've frozen several times over by now.

However, that was just the start. They had barely arrived on the Continent, and Mira had already offended people from the Central Continent.

Now, whether she liked it or not, she and Hana were on the radar of some rather unsavory beings. There was a good chance that the second they strayed a little too far away from the group, someone would pop out of the shadows and kidnap them, torture them for information, and then bury their ashes in some random frozen lake.

"A prison with no walls, huh..." Linnea muttered, reaching her hand out to grasp the air as she stared off into space. "And a warden who really should be behind those missing walls. What a crazy world."

She smiled wryly. To think that she, a proud member of the Silvermoon Wolf Bloodline, was reduced to this state.

'I can't even stop my daughter from being used as a test subject. Some Mother I am...' Linnea closed her eyes as she thought of how much Hana had grown while in Mira's care. Not only had her strength improved, but her mentality was more mature. She didn't seem like a little girl who knew nothing of the world at all.

'...I suppose that's my fault, for not being there when she needed me most. For not protecting her. But still...' The corner of her eyes became a bit watery, thinking about everything Hana had to go through over the years by herself. Wiping the tears before they could fall, she sat up on her bed. '

'I just want to watch my little baby grow up.'

...

As she sat there in silence, eventually Linnea looked up at the clear blue sky and sighed. "...What am I even doing, feeling sorry for myself? I'm back with Hana, that's all that matters. As long as we're alive, the rest can be sorted out."

Another bout of nothing but the wind rustling, water dribbling, and distant chatter passed by. Thoughts of training Hana, flying through the air with her, exploring the world, and enjoying life flashed by. Those images were then overlaid by the monstrous battles that took place whenever Mira fought someone. The enemies she faced, the damage she caused, her indifferent yet chaotic nature. Everything.

'I'm tired-tired of being captured. Tired of being held back and trapped. It's fine if it's just me, but what I can't stand is the fact that my daughter was dragged into this mess as well!'

That's when an idea sparked inside her mind. It was something she'd been thinking about ever since she was crippled, but now, she felt she might actually be able to try without being watched or tortured.

"I need to get my original strength back!" With that said, Linnea hopped out of bed and went to a more secluded spot. She was going to try fixing her broken dantian!