The place Zestia brought him was in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. To be specific, it was a volcanic island where both active and dormant volcanoes existed.

​It was a single island sprawling around 500 square kilometers, as Zestia had told him. From the air, Neo saw several settlements scattered in various spots. She explained that traders and locals lived there.

​Everything seemed to make sense to Neo, until they were surrounded by several humans with fish scales and fins for ears.

​"Mermaids?" Neo echoed, stunned.

​Looking at his flabbergasted expression, Zestia laughed. "Hehe, I assume it’s your first time seeing them?" 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

​"Of course," Neo whispered.

​She nodded. "I completely understand. Much like you, the outside world doesn’t know about them either."

​"They aren’t exactly like the fairy tales though. They are a subspecies that adapted to the volcanic thermal vents beneath this island. We call them the Spirit eyed Mermaid. While the rest of the world was busy with the System Synchronization on land, these people were synchronizing with the deep-sea mana currents. Because of that they gained a unique trait called ’Spirit Eyes’. And only with those eyes they can detect energy stones buried deep underneath the sea bed. Needless to say, if you want energy stones, their assistance is crucial."

​Neo absorbed the information, and watched them closely. Their eyes indeed looked different: much like white marbles fused within.

He also noted that their scales was gleaming with a metallic sheen, much like the Spirit-Iron he was used to working with. And they carried spears tipped with some kind of radiating dark metals.

​"They are also the protectors of the energy stones. They don’t take kindly to outsiders, but since you’re with me, they won’t attack... for now."

Just as she had said, the guards parted after whispering amongst themselves. From there, Zestia took the lead.

​"Where are we going?" Neo asked.

​"I have a friend here who might help us get those energy stones from the ocean," she replied.

​After fifteen minutes of walking across the sand under the scrutinizing gazes of the mermaids, they arrived before a bamboo house. Zestia knocked on the door.

​The door opened to reveal a sleepy-eyed dwarf. As soon as he saw Zestia, his eyes lit up with joy.

​"Zestia, my darling, you have come back!" he cried.

​He immediately rushed forward to hug her with full-tilt excitement; however, Zestia stepped away swiftly, causing the dwarf to lose his balance and stumble at Neo’s feet.

​Zestia clicked her tongue. "You’re still hung up on that, you nasty little dwarf? I told you, you’re not my type, and definitely not my height".

​The dwarf, Bambo, sulked. "Then why have you come here Zestia? I don’t want to talk to you anymore".

​He tried to retreat back into the bamboo hut, but Zestia grabbed him by the collar.

"We need your help to get some energy stones, Bambo," she said.

​Bambo grew angry and let out a scowl. However, when he saw her pleading eyes, he paused.

From the sidelines, Neo felt as if he were watching a third-rate romantic drama.

He felt awkward.

​He coughed and said, "Excuse me, my name is Neo. Can you help me get some of those energy stones? I’m willing to pay any price".

​Despite Neo’s gentle approach, Bambo scoffed disdainfully, "Zestia’s man-whore, you must think you can buy anything just because you have some money, right?

"Manwhore?" Neo repeated as if finding it ridiculous. In what way he looked like a manwhore for Zestia.

The dwarf didn’t care abkut his opinion though. He continued speaking in his own tone,

"Well, let me tell you what she didn’t: this isn’t as easy as it looks. Everyone who came here for those stones either suffocated to death or died by groveling before the mermaids’ feet. No political background or influence works here. Because the King of the Sea watches over this Island and its people. If they allow you take them, only then you can get them. If not, not even gods can help you."

​The atmosphere turned serious at once.

From the side, Zestia smiled. "Why are you making it sound so difficult now, Bambo? I have come here so many times, and everything was easy."

​Bambo replied, "That’s because the Black Market is closed now, Zestia. After you left, the previous Island Lord died, and a new one was chosen. This new leader is very strict regarding the export of energy stones, especially the ones absorbable by Beyonders like you."

​Neo’s eyes narrowed as he processed the information. The timing was unfortunate. He had arrived right as the political climate of the island had changed from loose trade to a localized lockdown.

If the new Lord was specifically targeting stones that provided Cosmic Force expansion, it meant the difficulty of his current mission had just skyrocketed.

​ "A new Lord? Who could have replaced the old man so quickly?" she asked, smirking.

Bambo answered,

​"The mermaids didn’t hold a vote, if that’s what you’re thinking. Strength speaks loudest in the Atlantic. This new one... they say he has the favor of the King of the Sea himself."

​

"Ah, then we are in some serious trouble, Neo," Zestia said, turning to him. "What should we do now?"

​Neo looked at the distant mermaid-kin and replied calmly, "I didn’t come here to play politics. I will get those energy stones, one way or another."

​"Didn’t you hear what I just said? They wouldn’t allow that now. You two should come back when the situation returns to normal," Bambo added in a cautious tone. "Zestia, take this madman and leave. I don’t want trouble knocking at my door."

​"Oh, come on, Bambo. Don’t be like this. Help us find a detector, at least. We’ll handle the rest of the extracting ourselves," Zestia proposed.

​Bambo paused, thinking hard. Then he sighed in resignation. "Fine, I’ll help you find a detector. But if you get into trouble, I won’t be there to help you. Remember that."

​"Yeah, yeah. Got it."