[Greek Mythology] The Demons Under My Command - Chapter 31

Waking up, Li Jia heard the end of the story, and she couldn’t help but sigh repeatedly with emotion.

“So true love isn’t confined to romantic love between a man and a woman.”

“Family affection and friendship are all forms of love. People have a too-limited view of love.”

“The one who kisses the mermaid isn’t necessarily a prince; it could also be her witch sister.”

“…”

Li Jia babbled on and on, until Hera waved for her to come to the table for breakfast.

It was her favorite: curry mashed potatoes and Greek omelet.

Seeing that her boss wasn’t eating, Li Jia helped herself.

She secretly glanced at Hera.

The boss was calmly looking at the scenery outside the window, the sea breeze lifting her hair, her golden locks dazzling and captivating.

Li Jia once again muttered to herself: A temptress, indeed a temptress.

Even the food seemed to taste better—beauty being a feast for the eyes was certainly true.

After Li Jia had eaten her fill, Hera pinched the soft flesh under her arm—this part always felt the best.

Li Jia was too lazy to resist and let her be; who doesn’t have a little quirk?

“The ‘Karmic Post’ is resolved, so when are we going home?”

Li Jia was starting to feel sleepy again. She missed the Warm Spring Stream, missed Winslow and Dorlene, missed the big bed and blanket in her deep sanctuary.

“A few days later. As a token of her gratitude, Qili has invited us to tour the Deep Sea Metropolis. Don’t you want to go?”

The word “home” made Hera’s brows slightly tremble, and an unconcealable tenderness filled her eyes.

She said she wants to go home.

Our home.

“Yes!”

When Li Jia heard about an interesting travel plan, even the biggest sleepy bug was chased away.

The Deep Sea Metropolis is located deep in the center of the Nasti’a Strait. The entire sea city is built along a massive underwater canyon, and in the architectural crevices, phosphorescent algae glow and surge in the currents, illuminating the entire city into a luminous dreamscape.

Qili is a mermaid, Eulia is a witch, and Hera is a god. Only Li Jia is a mortal, so Qili gave her two water-repelling pearls. One pearl could allow her to move freely underwater for three days.

Li Jia swallowed one pearl. The pale blue bead melted in her mouth, colorless and tasteless. She felt as if the tip of her nose now had the same water-draining ability as a fish fin.

Hera held her hand and followed Qili into the Deep Sea Metropolis.

It was somewhat like an aquarium, and Li Jia was dazzled. The architecture of the mermaid tribe was integrated with nature.

Palaces, towns, and streets were all built from translucent coral skeletons, shell fragments, and deep-sea-specific blue crystal ore. The architectural lines flowed smoothly like the sway of a fish tail. The domes and arches presented graceful curves, capable of withstanding the high pressure of the deep sea—both beautiful and practical.

Li Jia’s gaze was drawn to the circle of light above the central palace of the Metropolis, like a glowing interface. Seeing Li Jia’s curiosity, Qili explained, “That’s the Light Vortex. It’s the source of light for the entire Metropolis. It’s been there since I was born. That place is a deep-sea hydrothermal vent.”

“What would happen if it stopped glowing?” Li Jia asked.

“It won’t stop glowing. This is the light that illuminates the entire Metropolis. If it were to extinguish, the whole Metropolis would be plunged into darkness and panic. Without the Light Vortex, the children of the Metropolis would stop growing.”

“Our ancestor sacrificed herself before her death. The center of the Light Vortex has a continuous supply of mermaid wax-cores, protecting us,” Qili smiled, her eyes full of reverence when mentioning the ancestor.

Li Jia nodded. Soon, her attention was captured by other creatures in the Metropolis.

Around her, giant sea anemones spread like canopies, with colorful little fish resting among their tentacles. Spiral conch shells and clamshells stacked up to form an uneven pavement. Occasionally, a family of octopuses lay on it, playing dead.

It was truly fascinating. Li Jia reached out to touch them. They didn’t get angry, and most of them even interacted with her, responding to her touch.

There were also some embarrassed or shy deep-sea creatures, but most weren’t aggressive. Those who didn’t want to be touched would simply swim away and disappear.

The streets in the town were a playground for the little merfolk. They chased schools of luminous fish, their laughter turning into strings of bubbles, cute and innocent.

Dolphins were natural messengers, sea turtles carried goods through the various streets, and even fierce sharks were tamed, becoming the “living city walls” that guarded the Metropolis.

The residents of the Deep Sea Metropolis lived in harmony with the marine life, protecting one another.

“Humans and animals should be like this inherently.”

Li Jia tugged at Hera’s hand, pointing to the clownfish swimming around them.

“Humans possess subjective initiative and complex thinking abilities, allowing them to actively transform the world and create systematic civilization, while animals do not,” Hera squeezed the back of her hand, saying seriously, “You are the same as it.”

The “it” Hera was referring to was the clownfish.

Li Jia was a little annoyed. Wasn’t that saying she was simple-minded and strong-bodied? But she knew Hera meant no harm; she just liked to tease her.

Well, then, she should fight fire with fire.

Why couldn’t she tease Hera back? A mischievous thought suddenly welled up.

Li Jia thought for a few seconds, then pulled her hand out of Hera’s palm. “Yes, I’m just like it. If Your Majesty is dissatisfied, you are free to replace me, your apprentice, with a smarter person.”

She wasn’t arguing or being playful as she usually was.

Hera suddenly fell silent. Was she truly angry this time?

What should she say? What should she do?

The two stood together, looking at each other, speechless.

After a moment.

Li Jia started to feel awkward first. Why was she squabbling with a childish person?

Did she expect a high and mighty god to apologize to her?

Thinking of Hera bowing her head and apologizing, Li Jia “pfft-ed” and laughed. No, I can’t imagine it.

How could a high-and-mighty goddess willingly grovel?

It was too comical; the more she thought about it, the funnier it became.

Hera’s carefully constructed words were interrupted by her laughter, and her comforting gesture paused. “Why are you laughing?”

She should be angry right now. How could she laugh when she was angry? Was she sick?

Seeing the woman’s brows furrowed, Li Jia knew she was overthinking again.

Li Jia: “Because I think Your Majesty is so ‘meng’.”

“‘Meng’?”

What did “meng” mean? She was always saying words that Hera couldn’t understand.

“‘Meng’ means ‘cute’. I think Your Majesty is very ‘meng’.”

Li Jia’s mood instantly brightened. She had said she wasn’t illiterate; she also had knowledge points that Hera didn’t know and could teach her.

“Then you are also ‘meng’.”

Hera again squeezed the soft flesh under her arm. This had become their secret signal—pinched when happy, and also pinched when unhappy.

Li Jia felt that her boss must have an undeveloped child living inside her, only forced by the oppression of her divine duties to become an adult who strictly adheres to rules.

“I’m not as ‘meng’ as Your Majesty.”

Hera: “…”

The golden-haired deity coughed sternly twice. It was improper for a god to be called cute.

Li Jia watched Hera’s robotic expression, delighted in her heart. This counted as a successful tease. Every time Hera couldn’t out-argue her, she would remain silent out of sheer frustration.

“Not angry?”

Hera asked in a low voice.

“Not angry. How could I be angry with Your Majesty?” Li Jia didn’t want to tease her anymore and burrowed into her embrace, poking the flesh under her arm.

How annoying. Hera’s skin was firm, without an ounce of excess fat, let alone “bye-bye” arm fat.

“I’m sorry…”

Li Jia thought she had misheard. The three words came out fast and urgent, rushing past her ear like a gust of wind, leaving no echo.

Li Jia actually heard clearly what she said, but she intentionally pretended not to hear.

“What?”

“What did Your Majesty just say?”

Li Jia squinted her eyes, a provocative smile on her lips, and asked Hera with feigned bewilderment.

Hera turned her head away, pretending to look at the distant sea view, but secretly glancing at her with the corner of her eye. The skin on her neck was flushed light red.

Seeing that her boss was ignoring her, Li Jia didn’t press the issue further. It was best to stop while she was ahead.

In the outside world, the boss’s face was paramount.

Qili led the two of them into the Metropolis and gave them a key to the Metropolis Palace. Since Hera had helped Qili, the mermaid tribe leader expressed her gratitude. The key allowed them to enter and exit the mermaid royal palace freely; they were esteemed guests of the mermaid tribe.

Li Jia chose a sea-view room hung with seashell wind chimes. Pulling back the curtains revealed the distant sea view. When the sea breeze blew, the entire room chimed with the clear sound of wind chimes, making one feel drowsy.

Even the bed was shaped like a seashell, large enough to accommodate two or three people.

However, Li Jia felt that this room had a touch of naughty humor in it. The ceiling was one whole mirror. When Li Jia flopped down and lay flat on the bed, she could see her own round face.

Li Jia just lay sprawled on the bed, and Hera took off her shoes and sprawled beside her.

One who stays near vermilion gets stained red; having spent so much time with her, Hera had also become as lazy as she was.

There was nothing wrong with being sprawled out. Life is short—only about thirty thousand days. Societal progress relies on a small group of elites, and the rest, ordinary people like her, are more like fuel for the era, pushed along by the times.

She remembered the high school hundred-day-countdown-to-exam rally, where every student in the class would declare their lofty aspirations.

Some students said they wanted to be lawyers, advocating for justice for common people.

Some said they wanted to be scientists, contributing to the motherland.

Some wanted to be doctors, healing the world.

…Anyway, everyone’s ideals were grand and elevated.

When it was Li Jia’s turn, she picked up the chalk and wrote a few words on the blackboard: To live.

There was a sudden uproar below. How could anyone have such a boring ideal?

Li Jia only cared about having money every day, enough to eat well and dress warmly, and whether she could avoid encountering idiotic bosses and clients.

Now she had met a good boss.

She wanted to work for her for a lifetime.

After sleeping for a while, Li Jia reached out and tugged at the golden hair next to her. The person sleeping on her side immediately turned over. “Hungry?”

Li Jia was groggy. “Mm, hungry.”

“Then get up, change your clothes, and I’ll take you to eat something delicious.”

“Okay.”

Li Jia obediently got up and washed her face, finding an outfit in the bathroom. It was the attire of the Metropolis merfolk, resembling a modern Dunhuang style.

The dress was made of a layer of natural “scale-gauze” as thin as a cicada’s wing. These scales were not hard but were woven from a special substance secreted by mermaid scales, presenting a translucent light blue, each piece shimmering with a soft, pearl-like luster.

The gauze dress hugged her skin and extended to her ankles, outlining Li Jia’s delicate collarbone and slender neck and shoulders.

A belt made of coral branches and strung pearls was tied around her waist. The pearls varied in size, scattered across her waist like starlight embellishments. The belt didn’t constrict but cleverly outlined the curve of Li Jia’s waist.

Li Jia loved this dress and even tied her hair into a bun.

She then went out with Hera.

The Deep Sea Metropolis was inhabited by merfolk and sea animals, who were long accustomed to the presence of a god, so Hera didn’t hide Li Jia’s appearance.

After stepping out, she realized something was off. Why was her gauze dress so long? The other merfolk only wore tops, made like bikinis, covering only the essential points, very sexy.

Compared to them, her outfit was like comparing a master to a novice—overly conservative.

Li Jia gave Hera a look of complaint. Hera instantly understood her thoughts.

Hera: “You don’t have a fish tail. If it were shorter, you might catch a chill.”

Li Jia: “…”

The entire underwater world was filled with seawater and was naturally cold. Where did the idea of catching a chill come from?

Considering that Hera had specially custom-made it for her, Li Jia decided to forgive this tsundere, a woman whose words belied her feelings.

This was only her first day in the Deep Sea Metropolis, so when did Hera prepare the clothes for her?

It was impossible to determine.

Li Jia was in a good mood with a new outfit to wear, so she let Hera lead her on a leisurely stroll through the underwater world.

The tourist attractions and local customs everywhere were essentially the same, just with different window dressing. Food, drinks, entertainment, and merchants were like fixed NPCs in any world; the only difference was the cost of living.

“Tourism,” so-called, was just leaving one’s home to visit someone else’s.

Li Jia’s hobbies were just a few:

Eating delicious food, drinking delicious drinks, playing fun games, and then lying down.

The specialties of the Metropolis were primarily seafood, and Li Jia ate many delicious dishes:

Shrimp paste, braised sea cucumber, salt-and-pepper calamari rings, steamed crab, sour and spicy jellyfish head, grilled scallops…

Li Jia burped, tasting only seafood, and silently lamented that it was a good thing she didn’t have to live here long-term, or she would surely end up with high uric acid and gout.

Her boss didn’t eat; she liked to watch Li Jia eat.

…

One should not forget the well-digger when drinking the water. When traveling, it was necessary to bring back some local specialties. Li Jia was particular about the social etiquette of favors.

Li Jia would not forget Dorlene and Winslow, the two left behind, nor Linai, Artemis, and the three animal teachers.

She had met, known, and loved the people of this world, forming bonds.

Li Jia was someone who disliked trouble. In modern society, her ties to family were shallow, she had no friends, and no lover. She was also unwilling to meet new friends, inherently somewhat cold-hearted.

Interactions between people were often superficial, or rather, interactions were easiest only on a relatively superficial level.

Once they became complex, people became mutual labyrinths, enduring countless pains.

Li Jia was unwilling to endure pain.

After coming here, she had received far too many things she had never had before.

Li Jia suddenly realized that seizing happiness required more courage than enduring pain.

Now, she was reluctant to let go of either the good or the bad.

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