Shadow of the Beautiful World

Here, it's still as high as it was back then.

Merlin stood on the sea cliff outside Mercy Port. He stood on the edge of the cliff and looked down. The sea cliff with a height of tens of feet was not an insurmountable height for him now, but for Merlin back then As far as he is concerned, he risked his life to complete the leap to survive.

Have you jumped from here before, Merlin.

A lot of data jumped out of Icarus' lens, as well as the field measurement results of the cliff. She said to Merlin:

When you were an ordinary person?

It wasn't an ordinary person back then.

Merlin looked at the ocean at dusk in front of him, the setting sun reflected on the horizon looked so beautiful, and there were seabirds flying back and forth on the sea reflecting the light, together with the ships on the sea, the sight in front of Merlin's eyes was so beautiful. The sight looked so magnificent.

He replied to Icarus:

At that time, of course I was not as powerful as I am now, but I barely had some strength. I was plagued by bad luck. In order to solve my own troubles, I traveled around this land. I met Bruce. We arrived at Port of Mercy together, and then he Went to Europe, then I went from here to Florida overnight, then Texas, and then back to New York.

Oh, I was really embarrassed at that time.

Merlin stood on the edge of the sea cliff with his hips crossed, recalling the past, he said:

Give everything, just to get a hope of relief, and always worry about whether the out-of-control ability will hurt other people.

He was silent for a few seconds, and said to Icarus:

But when I think about it, I'm actually facing the same situation now. I'm trapped in a situation where I can't be free, those shackles called responsibilities, those burdens I've been given, and those I have to face... Maybe in 14 years, nothing has changed.

But you've grown stronger.

Icarus exhorts:

It's no longer like before, you can only accept it, you also have the power to choose.

Choose to admit defeat? Or choose to obey?

Merlin shook his head. He looked at the sea in front of him, listened to the tide lapping against the rocks at dusk, and watched the dark red Raven Spirit Victor flapping his wings and spreading joy in the air.

He said:

No, it's not enough, neither of these is what I want. I'm not strong enough to sway fate, and I'm not strong enough to get the best reward.

He took a deep breath, opened his arms, and faced the cliff in front of him. The black windbreaker was rustling behind him by the sea breeze. His body leaned forward. Amid Victor's loud neighing, Merlin's body A completely uncontrolled parabola plummeted into the sea dozens of feet below.

He felt the wind beating against his body, he felt the whistling in his ears, he felt the falling faster and faster.

He said in a voice only he could hear:

I still have to keep going, find my way out in the winding mud...

I am as powerful as I am, as free as I am.

hum

The moment before his body touched the icy sea water, the direction of the gravitational force exerted on him suddenly changed, and he stood on the water surface as lightly as a feather.

Between the shoes on the feet and the water, there are slight ripples that spread outward.

Merlin stretched out his hand, and the silver trident pendant fell from his palm, and fell into the sea water under his feet, like a coin dropped into the water, it disappeared in a flash of light.

After the signal was sent, Merlin waited patiently. After nearly 10 minutes, a group of rapidly jumping rays of light suddenly jumped up on the sea in front of Merlin's eyes. With the continuous zooming of the Icarus lens, Merlin could clearly see the seawater. The next Mercedes creature.

It was a huge blue seahorse dotted with green scales, with a beautiful saddle and bridle.

Just like a real galloping horse on land, this elegant and peculiar creature galloped towards Merlin, carrying Vico, the undersea man.

Well, this should be a unique mount in Atlantis, and it is indeed full of regional characteristics.

swish

When approaching Merlin, Vico threw away the reins, jumped up from behind the seahorse, broke through the water, and landed in front of Merlin.

He held the silver trident pendant in his hand, and he didn't have much smile on his face.

Vico is still exactly the same as Merlin remembered 14 years ago, and he hasn't aged at all. He is wearing a weird combat uniform and a waist knife like a stream of water. He looks at Merlin with eyes full of scrutiny.

What? Don't you know me?

Merlin spread his hands, and with a smile, he said to the man in front of the sea:

The memory of Atlanteans shouldn't be so bad, and I shouldn't be so old that you can't recognize me, right?

I'm just sighing.

Vico looked at Merlin and said:

That weak young man back then, in just over a dozen years, was able to let me hear about your reputation in Atlantis, Merlin... Director, the miracles you humans can create are amazing. The time is really unreasonable.

I'm just an accident, you can understand that I'm lucky.

Merlin said to Vico:

Maybe we can find a time to talk about what happened in Atlantis over the years, but not tonight. I have to go back to dinner later. The children are waiting for me.

So, Vico, let's cut the long story short.

Merlin looked around, stretched out his finger, and applied a magic barrier around the two of them. He said to Vico:

Do you know that in your Kingdom of Atlantis, there is a man named Namor?

Namor?

When Vico heard the name, his expression changed immediately. He looked at Merlin in surprise, and said:

Yes, I know him, Namor is not an unknown person in Atlantis, he promotes a dangerous and radical idea, and has a group of supporters who are not so peaceful, but he has been missing for more than a year Now, his followers are scattered... at least that's what my intelligence officer told me.

I met him, just a few days ago.

Merlin did not hide his encounter with Namor, he looked at Vico, he said:

I heard from Namor that the king of your Kingdom of Atlantis, Ovax, is in poor health and may pass away in a few years. Namor said that he also has the right to claim the throne, and he also said that he will not let him go. The throne goes to the son of Ovax... not Arthur, I mean the other son of that tyrant, Orm.

He does have the right to claim the throne, and he didn't lie to you about that.

Vico's expression became ugly. The royal attendant loyal to the royal family of Atlantis rubbed his chin and said in a deep voice:

Namor does have the bloodline from King Thakur in his body, which is the supreme bloodline of the Atlanta Sea Emperor inherited from the first era, but unfortunately, the bloodline and status he inherited from her mother are not enough for him Accepted by his subjects because he has the other half from the land in his body.

Like an old pedant, Vico said in a staid tone:

I know that you land people have passed the feudal era, but our Kingdom of Atlantis has its own national conditions here.

In short, what I mean is that what Namor has is only a weak claim. In terms of legitimacy, it is only slightly better than that of Little Arthur. In theory, as long as Prince Aum does not do stupid things, Namor It is impossible for Momo to ascend to the throne.

After finishing speaking, Vico narrowed his eyes, and he looked at Merlin:

But I think, if you come to tell me this news, does it mean that you and the forces behind you are preparing to support Namor to return to Atlantis and compete with Prince Aum for the throne? Are you planning to support a pro-lander? king?

No, this is not a good choice, Merlin, I advise you not to do this.

I don't care if Namor can ascend to the throne.

Merlin waved his hand, and he explained to Vico:

I'm also not interested in interfering in the internal affairs of Atlantis. In fact, I only care about one thing.

He held out a finger and said to Vico:

In the future, after the death of that brutal Ovax, if Namor and Aum break out in a battle for the throne, will it affect the underwater kingdom, and then affect the whole world? I don't want to see the subsea rushing out of the sea The Atlantean soldiers raised the tide and tried to flood the land.

You have to understand, Vico, that the force you have is something that I and my organization must take seriously.

Merlin says:

Maybe I may be thinking a little too much, but there are many precedents for such things in history. The city gate caught fire and brought disaster to the fish in the pond. I must make the necessary preparations for this.

Won't!

Vico said to Merlin with certainty:

In the name of my family, I can assure you that what you worry about will not happen.

Atlantis has an ancient solution to the dispute over the succession of the throne. In fact, the dispute over the throne will be limited to the circle of royal family members. Such things will rarely affect the stability of the country, let alone A civil war breaks out.

Since the end of the first era and the arrival of the Great Fall, the remaining four kingdoms of Atlantis have never interfered with land civilizations. We have been like this in the past, and we will be like this in the future.

All right.

Merlin glanced at Vico, and he said:

Then I will trust you for the time being, but I will still keep observing. Just like you are loyal to your king, I also need to be responsible for my civilization.

I can understand.

Vico nodded, and he said to Merlin:

We each have our responsibilities.

So if the succession of the throne and its impact are very important to you and me. I think we should deepen our mutual intelligence sharing.

Merlin finally showed his fox tail, and he said to Vico:

What do you think?

I think you just want to take this opportunity to plant an eye in the underwater kingdom and expand your vision to places you have never gone deep into.

Vico has served as a royal attendant for decades, and he is also an out-and-out old fox. He very straightforwardly stated Merlin's plan.

Well, it is.

Merlin spread his hands and said frankly:

But I believe that you also foresee that an era of less security is coming. I don't think those changes will only happen on land. Just imagine, if the underwater kingdom needs help, you and I will prepare in advance, maybe It will be the last straw.

You're just exaggerating a possible future.

Vico interlaced his fingers, staring at Merlin, he said:

But you're right, it's always good to prepare in advance. The frequent activities of the Trench Race over the years, as well as the private connection of those exiles, these things have outlined a disturbing future, perhaps a time of peace There really isn’t much left.”

Vico took off a silver bracelet from his wrist and threw it to Merlin. It was an exquisite instrument made of a special metal. It looked very advanced, at least more advanced than the communicators currently used by humans. many.

Hold it well. If there is any problem, I will contact you. Or you can use it to contact me when you notice some news related to the world of Atlantis.

ok

Merlin made an ok gesture, and when Vico turned to leave, Merlin suddenly asked:

Finally, I have a personal question. Have you undersea people ever had contact with Asgardians? They are aliens who live in a world called Asgard, the prototype of Nordic mythology.

I know who the Asgardians are, and I know where they come from, but in fact, there is no connection between us and them!

Vico waved his hand without looking back, and said:

Perhaps the undersea kingdom in the first era had contact with those aliens, but after the Great Fall, we have never seen them again.

The First Age and the Great Fall...

Merlin says:

Namor also said this. This should be the history recorded by you people under the sea. It sounds like it represents some past that no one on land knows. Can you lend me some related books? Old friend Vico.

Just think of it as satisfying the curiosity of a wizard.

Do you like history books?

Riding on his seahorse, Vico said to Merlin from below the surface of the sea:

Leave the address, and I'll have Arthur mail it to you.

Speaking of Arthur...

Merlin reached for his wand and said:

Let that kid keep a low profile recently, let him study hard, and become a decent marine biologist or simply a free sailor in the future.

The job of being a superhero ... has no future.