"Ha—"
In the early morning, Hill stretched as she got up. When she looked up, she saw the three girls staring at her uniformly. She knew that mermaids didn't need much rest, and it was fine for them to stay up for a night or two without sleep, but Sun Xiaoxiao and the other two were clearly exhausted.
The eyeball worms had disappeared at some point. Hill and the three girls stared at each other blankly, speechless for a moment.
"Duan, cough, cough, where is Duan Chen?"
Tian Qi asked hoarsely.
Hill shook her head.
"Shall I go and call him for you?" she tentatively asked.
"No, no, no! Don't go!"
Ding Ding's voice was also unexpectedly hoarse. If she hadn't been restrained by the dark ropes, she would have pounced on Hill.
"Huh?"
Hill was stunned.
"If you leave, what if those worms come back?" Sun Xiaoxiao's eyes welled up with tears. She didn't understand how Hill could have slept through their screams.
"No way, eyeball worms don't seem to appear during the day."
"Really?"
"Really."
Hill said with conviction, but the three girls didn't seem to believe her.
"Creak…"
As the atmosphere remained tense, the basement door opened. Duan Chen had changed into a new set of clothes. He looked like he had slept well and was full of energy.
"Yo, you've worked hard."
This was said to Hill.
What hard work? She slept like a pig. They should be the ones who had worked hard.
Ding Ding grumbled inwardly.
"The village chief is inviting us to breakfast and specifically asked me to bring you along. Let's go."
When Zhao Yuan came to knock on the door in the morning, he looked at Duan Chen with a strange expression.
"I thought you would have directly killed those eyeball worms."
Duan Chen shook his head.
"No, my sixth sense told me that if I had acted, I would definitely regret it."
Zhao Yuan smiled, waved his hand, and left.
Hill nodded upon hearing this. "I'll go upstairs to get dressed."
"Okay, Jun Ci and Yuan Yuan are not awake yet. See if Jia Yunlian and the others are awake, and call them down to go together."
"Okay."
After she left, Duan Chen hummed a tune as he approached. Sun Xiaoxiao and the other two girls shrank back. They were truly afraid of Duan Chen and couldn't even utter a threat. After being tormented by the eyeball worms yesterday, they had calmed down quite a bit.
However, when she thought about enduring this "torture" every night from now on, Sun Xiaoxiao just wanted to leave quickly.
To hell with the mission. Their lives were at stake, and they were still talking about missions?
"Do you... want to come with me to eat?"
Duan Chen looked at them, with other plans in mind.
This couldn't go on. Even with Hill, the priestess, the villagers, including the only clear-headed village chief Zhao Yuan, still harbored great hostility towards these three mermaids. If this hostility escalated to a certain point, Duan Chen couldn't guarantee their safety.
Originally, he didn't need to protect a few mermaids, especially those who had caused him so much trouble.
But last night, Du Qingyi had clearly stated that Sun Xiaoxiao and the others had sealed information about the Apostles and the Gate of Realms in their minds. If he abandoned them like this, he might encounter trouble later.
Duan Chen didn't lack teammates, but he lacked subordinates. After the deaths of Old Zhang and Gao Tiankai, he understood the importance of teamwork. Fighting alone was absolutely not feasible. He now had four teammates, but not a single subordinate.
He needed a few subordinates who would obey him absolutely.
Although Sun Xiaoxiao and the other two were a bit foolish, this was in front of Duan Chen. If they encountered other high-level agents, the three girls working together might not be much weaker than their opponents.
"Are you going? To eat with me?"
"No, no, no." Ding Ding was truly scared. She feared the hateful gazes she would receive as soon as they entered.
"Stop pretending. Are you thinking of getting rid of us as soon as possible?"
Tian Qi's mind was still sharp. She understood her status in Moon Ridge Village and knew that if this dragged on, it would inevitably cause unnecessary trouble for Duan Chen.
Given his personality, she didn't think Duan Chen would sit idly by.
He was definitely planning to take other measures.
"You're overthinking it. Even if I were to deal with you, it wouldn't be in the way you think." Duan Chen sat on the bed, propped his chin with his hands, his gaze deep.
"Oh... quite handsome."
"Idiot."
Sun Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes at Ding Ding without hesitation.
"I have a way to protect you, but I don't know if you're willing." Duan Chen began to lead the conversation.
"What? You would still consider protecting us?" Tian Qi found it unbelievable.
"Why not?"
"There must be conditions."
Sun Xiaoxiao had dealt with Duan Chen many times. Among the three of them, she had known Duan Chen the longest. She used to be Ye Yan's subordinate. After Ye Yan was killed by Wu Suowei, Gu Sang took over as the 03 Apostle, and she naturally recognized Gu Sang as her master.
Gu Sang was an acquaintance of Duan Chen and knew some things about him. He occasionally mentioned them to Sun Xiaoxiao before missions.
"Of course, there are conditions, and they are not difficult. We just need to change the contract."
Duan Chen did not intend to take them in like he did with Jin An and Melbourne. Firstly, their strength was insufficient. If they became stronger in the future, Duan Chen might consider it. Secondly, it was about their identity. The identity of mermaids was like rats crossing the street, hated by everyone. He was not sure if these three girls could be absolutely loyal to him.
He needed the power of the contract with the "two-legged sheep" to bind them.
"What content?" Tian Qi was still cautious and looked suspicious.
"It's very simple. You will leave the Apostles and become my subordinates."
"You're dreaming?" Sun Xiaoxiao scoffed without hesitation.
"Let alone the power the Apostles have over us, even if you could break through it, we might not agree."
Sun Xiaoxiao herself didn't realize that her address for Gu Sang had changed from "master" to "Apostle."
"I have a way to deal with their power. The issue now is whether you are willing. Working for me is the same as working for the Apostles, and I am not as ruthless as the Apostles."
Having experienced last night's "torture," the three girls deeply doubted his words.
"I don't think there's anything wrong with that. It makes sense."
Ding Ding pouted. She would be punished by Gu Sang if she failed to complete a mission, but with Duan Chen, he might not even bother to punish her.
"A wise bird chooses its tree."
Duan Chen simply uttered these six words, then summoned the contract, changed its content, and placed three parchments in front of the three girls.
Ding Ding did not hesitate for long. After a few breaths, she pressed her fingerprint.
Very good.
After an exchange of glances, Sun Xiaoxiao and Tian Qi sighed in unison and pressed their fingerprints.
Duan Chen smiled and untied them.