When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 198: Rewards From The King

Chapter 198: Rewards From The King

Shen Nianzu took a deep breath, and beneath the table, his hands clenched into fists. "I have a few desires, but I fear they are quite inappropriate to be discussed on the dining table. May I request a scroll and ink so I can write them down?" He had considered this carefully. It did not matter if he were to ask only for the return tickets, but he also had to inquire about the witch’s bane, which Gu Luoxin and Noir had no knowledge of. He did not have any qualms about letting Gu Luoxin know, as for Noir...

For Shen Nianzu, this curse would always be his hidden weakness, and his cautious nature did not allow him to share this secret with an outsider, no matter how reliable they seemed.

In fact, Shen Nianzu had over-thought the situation too much. Noir was not even remotely interested in his surroundings as he had already begun to doze off on his seat. Gu Luoxin and Jin Jiuchi did not think too much of it, as they trusted Shen Nianzu’s plan wholeheartedly.

On the other hand, it was the King who was pleasantly surprised. This request showed that Shen Nianzu was a man of culture who did not hesitate to reveal his heart’s desire, but was also conservative enough to find a way to be subtle about it. He was careful, considerate and more importantly, Ariel also liked him.

If previously, the King still held apprehension for his little baby girl’s groom-to-be, now he was starting to accept Shen Nianzu for real.

The scroll and ink was soon brought before Shen Nianzu, and with swift and decisive strokes, Shen Nianzu wrote a few things on it. The scroll was then presented to the King, who merely raised a brow before waving his hand and asking the guard to retrieve the rewards. "Is that all?"

"Yes," Shen Nianzu could finally show a genuine smile. The witch’s bane was truly here, he had not made this trip in vain! "That’s all."

Crack!

Gu Luoxin heard a muffled sound of something breaking and he turned his head, dumbfounded, to see Jin Jiuchi crushing the metal utensils into scrap with his bare fist. He swallowed heavily, "D–Da Shen...?"

Jin Jiuchi seemed totally unaware of what he had done. He tore his gaze from Shen Nianzu’s beautiful smile and shielded his food from Gu Luoxin with a defensive gesture, "What? Do you still want the shrimp? Let me tell you, they are all mine!"

"No, no, no!" Gu Luoxin quickly refused. Could he even steal food from this person? Caught between laughter and tears, he pointed at the scraps— ah no, now it had become a sprinkle of dust. "...Can you even eat with that?"

"Hmm?" Confused, Jin Jiuchi followed his line of sight and saw the utensils in his hand had turned to dust from how hard he was clenching his fists. Shocked, he asked Gu Luoxin, "How could it be so fragile?!"

Gu Luoxin: "..." Has it ever crossed your mind that perhaps you were the problem all along? With a dry laugh, he responded, "Yeah. I know, right?"

Shortly after, two guards returned while carrying a huge wooden chest in their hands. Gu Luoxin’s attention was immediately drawn to it, his eyes sparkling as if millions of stars swirled within. Even the food had not managed to make him this excited. "Damn...!" he wiped the corner of his lips to ensure that he was not drooling. He whispered in suppressed excitement, "This wooden chest looks like the one from movies, the kind filled to the brim with treasures!"

The King ordered, "Open it."

The guard moved to unlock the latch, and when the lid was lifted, what was revealed before everyone’s eyes was exactly like Gu Luoxin’s expectations— it was a chest full of gold bars, pearl accessories, antique swords, and various other treasures, even the ones he had never seen before!

Taken aback, Shen Nianzu snapped his gaze to the King. "This..." This was much more than he’d ask for!

The King let out a hearty laugh, "To be completely honest, we don’t lack this kind of thing. Since you’re going to marry Ariel, consider it as part of her dowry, won’t you?" Hearing that, Ariel blushed and cast a shy glance at Shen Nianzu.

Shen Nianzu stood up and bowed his head, his attitude solemn and full of respect. His eyelids did not even twitch as he took advantage of the generous and kind-hearted merfolk, as though he was really going to be their son-in-law. "Then, I have no choice but to accept His Majesty’s kindness."

He walked toward the chest, and at the same time, Lucius leaped down from Gu Luoxin’s lap to approach him.

There was nary a fluctuation on Shen Nianzu’s expression as he tossed the gold bars aside and rummaged through the chest. This action undoubtedly caused Gu Luoxin’s heart to ache so much, it was as if a layer of skin on his body was being peeled off. Boss, if you don’t lack the gold bars, then just give me one please! QAQ I haven’t seen one in my life, let alone touch or own it!

Meanwhile, Lucius had bodily plunged into the chest and emerged a moment later with a scroll in its mouth, which it handed to Shen Nianzu.

Stunned, Shen Nianzu carefully undid the scroll to discover that it was the return ticket, with the date being two days from now at seven in the morning! He sucked in a breath, gingerly rubbed Lucius’ furry head and spotted three other similar scrolls, handing two to the black cat. With a soft meow, Lucius carried the tickets over to Gu Luoxin and Noir, who were sitting at another table.

"Keep it safe," Shen Nianzu instructed Gu Luoxin seriously. "Don’t let anyone know that you have this. As for you..." he turned his gaze to Jin Jiuchi who looked confused because he had not gotten his share of the ticket yet. "I will hold onto yours for now. I will give it to you before we board the bus later." Somehow he had a hunch that he should not let Jin Jiuchi keep his own ticket, lest an unexpected accident would happen. After all, this was a treacherous place where people would kill just to obtain the ticket alone.

Jin Jiuchi blinked in surprise, and uttered happily, "Oh okay, Nian’er. You can hold onto anything that’s mine."

Shen Nianzu’s movement faltered and he shot Jin Jiuchi a warning glare. Did he even realize what he was saying? How dare he talk like this when... when Shen Nianzu had to marry another person – or to be exact, fish – soon?! He snuck a glance at the King, and a relieved sigh escaped his lips when he saw no suspicion in the merman’s eyes regarding their relationship. It was fortunate that the merfolk were fairly simple-minded, or else everything would become more complicated.

Shen Nianzu returned his focus to the chest and continued searching until his fingers bumped into a transparent glass bottle. Inside was a luminescent plant glowing with an otherworldly brilliance despite being surrounded by gold and pearl treasures. It grew in clusters, with translucent petals and vibrant tendrils that shimmered in a dazzling array of colors. Shen Nianzu could already imagine how beautiful it must look under the moonlight. Even through the sealed bottle, he could faintly pick up a potent essence that gave off a faint and sweet fragrance.

His fingers shook, and the corner of his eyes flushed in excitement. He needed not anyone to tell him, for his body, his soul and every fiber of his body which had become the vessel of the curse, could recognize this plant in an instant.

It was the witch’s bane!

His lapse of self control lasted only for two seconds before he forcibly gathered his composure, placed the plant into his prop storage and closed the chest. "Allow me to extend my sincerest gratitude to Your Majesty for your boundless generosity," he said again, this time more genuine.

The King’s laughter resonated through the hall as he dismissed Shen Nianzu’s formality, and the rest of the lunch banquet passed by smoothly. Following the meal, they were invited into an elevated platform where they would be able to witness the enchanting sight of the merfolk’s sacred dance in worship of the Goddess of the Sea.

Hundreds of merfolk came together in the open space for the dance. Their colorful tails weaved an intricate tapestry, swaying and undulating in harmony with the gentle currents. The ethereal melody of their voices, ranging from low to high, tenor to alto, reverberated throughout the ocean, creating an ambiance of solemnity and sanctity.

The sacred performance continued for hours, as if time itself had surrendered to the captivating display. As the sun dipped below the horizon and cast a golden hue upon the city, the dance and singing reached a crescendo, only to conclude with the sun’s descent.

The populace of Atlantis had gathered to witness the momentous occasion. Apparently, the King’s challenge had spread to every corner of the seven seas because not only were the merfolk in attendance, but other sea creature in various species as well, such as tortoises, octopuses, and even a few sharks. All of them were here to see the winner who managed to take the Princess as their bride.

The King cleared his throat and his commanding voice echoed across the space, capturing the attention of all present. "I extend my heartfelt gratitude to each one of you for gathering here today on this fateful occasion. As you are well aware, my beloved daughter Ariel was missing for two days, but now she has safety returned, and hereby I will mark the conclusion of the challenge!"

"With immense pride and joy, I’d like to seize this opportunity to announce Ariel’s union with Mr. Nian, a distinguished member of the human race!"

Cheers, shock exclamations and excited whispers spread like ripples through the crowd, who showed various reactions towards the news. Some were disheartened, while others were joyous. But overall, the atmosphere was exuberant and lively.

The King swept his gaze over the mass and his stern expression dissolved into a proud smile of a father, "As per our honored custom, Ariel shall perform her sacred mating ritual to seek the divine blessings of fhe Goddess. It is my honor to invite my beloved daughter to the stage. Let us all extend a warm welcome to Ariel, the one and only Princess of Atlantis!"

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A/N: Everyone, I forgot to share good news! Our lovely Ying has graciously decided to help me with the character pics QAQ I’ve seen the final result for JJ and trust me when I said that it’s awesome, brilliant, gorgeous and insanely cool! I can’t wait to share it to all of you and have it presented on the front page of the book, but let us wait for SN ^^