Shia decided to stay in the deep sea for a while with her younger mermaid sister.
The curse that had been rooted in this deep sea palace for many years must have been powerful enough to twist everything, so as a saint, Shia resolved to soothe that curse.
Removing a curse was no easy task.
In simple cases, if a curse was cast by someone, it could easily be lifted with a purifying miracle. But in this case, it was a massive curse cast on the deep sea palace itself and on all its inhabitants, turning it into a deep pit of curses. Shia had to travel all over the deep sea to comfort the curse itself.
To put it simply, this wasn’t just a curse; it was closer to a divine punishment.
Shia had made sharp remarks to Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess to not turn away, but the truth was, everyone in this sea was a being deserving of great punishment, cursed by a magnificent existence that should have ascended as a dragon.
Perhaps it was a bit twisted, but the price of taking the Imugi as a sister had finally caught up with her.
Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess didn’t possess a fragment of the Demon King, but she harbored hatred and curses strong enough to rival it.
Fact is, it’s abnormal. How can someone who doesn’t have a fragment of the Demon King hold hatred that could equal or exceed it…?
Since this was a new experience for Shia too, initially, she considered Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess as:
The curses flowing from her eyes tainted this vast ocean continuously, and the princess was like a living, massive conglomeration of curses and hatred.
As a result, the curses flowed from her eyes like living liquid. The makeshift blindfold made from woven mermaid scales was merely a temporary measure.
The curses had contaminated the sea and mermaids for a long time, meaning as long as Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess was alive, there was no way to break this curse.
But wasn’t it a bit much for the Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess to bear these cursed burdens just because she wanted a sister?
Shia had already made a promise.
“I promise a happy ending.”
Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess might not know what a happy ending was, but the only one she could trust and rely on was Shia, whom her sister’s spirit had brought.
Therefore, Shia decided to stay and purify the sins and curses of the Mermaid Princess.
The first thing Shia did for that was…
“So, how does sister taste?”
She was diligently grilling and salting the mermaid’s tail that ‘sister’ had possessed.
Chomp, chomp, chomp…
“It’s salty and nutty. It’s a flavor I’ve never tasted before…”
“Oh, that means it’s called ‘Jonnat’.”
“Jonnat…? What does that mean?”
“It’s short for ‘jonnage taste’.”
Upon hearing this, the younger sister nodded as if she agreed with Shia.
Perhaps because they were underwater, it seemed that even her little movements caused bubbles to rise from her body.
“I see. Sister’s flesh is jonnat.”
However, the viewers watching this scene felt a sense of cognitive dissonance.
–???
–What kind of conversation is this?
–?
–What am I even hearing…
–What the hell is this lolololol
–I’m gonna lose it lololol
–Sister’s meat… so precious…
–Did she cut off her own tail?
–Oh, it was her sister’s spirit that possessed her, so it’s her sister’s meat lolol
Though the viewers thought they were familiar with Shia’s antics and ridiculous behavior, what was this scene?
I mean, giving ‘sister’ meat to a mermaid princess with such a sad story…? To be accurate, although it was merely her sister’s spirit that temporarily possessed her, feeding her sister’s meat and exclaiming it was delicious made the viewers question their sanity, thinking, Is this right…?
“Oh, come on, don’t be so weird. It may seem odd, but this is necessary.”
–I mean, even if she was registered as a monster, she still looks like a human; how can you eat that lolol
“But… she did something wrong to me and offered it as an apology. I can’t throw it away… isn’t it more wrong to waste it without trying?”
–?
–?
–Excuse me?
–??
–What is this?
–Is this the returnee?
–Is this what a saint looks like?
Today, Shia, who was busy collecting endless hooks, felt an unreasonable hatred towards viewers who couldn’t understand her broader intentions.
It’s always me whom they blame!
“Younger mermaid, what do you think?”
At Shia’s words, Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess chewed thoughtfully on the meat that was vaguely defined as either hers or her sister’s.
She wasn’t entirely devoid of reluctance over eating the piece that she had cut off.
Though she had been classified as a monster by some greedy humans, mermaids were biologically beings close to semi-spiritual creatures that could survive on minimal repairs of coral or seaweed.
Before Shia arrived, Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess had always lived on coral and apple coral, so the fact that she was now eating this meat made her initial reluctance melt away like snow.
“Throwing it away would be a waste.”
“Right?”
“Indeed. Sister’s meat is jonnat.”
–I’m losing it
Seeing the mermaid princess speak so firmly and naturally made the viewers feel an ache in their heads.
–Shia controversy: Mermaid meat is jonnat.
–Wait, even the princess is saying this lolol
–Is this that…
–I give up thinking about it.
–lol what a newbie, the streamer’s craziness made their brain freeze.
–Of course, we’ve got a brain freeze too.
If an ordinary person were asked to eat a mermaid or a close variant of humanity, most would feel an intense sense of repulsion.
Of course, Shia felt the same way.
Outwardly, she appeared fine, smiling and naive, but the fact that mermaids resembled humans made her inner self as a saint feel pricked with guilt and conscience.
It was unavoidable that her heart ached a little, but it was a necessary step to lift the curse that haunted this sea.
Naturally, explaining this to the viewers wouldn’t make any difference; they wouldn’t understand a bit.
After this, Shia traveled around the deep sea with Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess, using purifying miracles to cleanse the curses and hatreds harbored by the sea.
She physically touched and purified the dark heaps of curses stacked like black reefs. Shia gently comforted important reefs, caves, and the dark curses within them scattered across the deep sea palace.
Along the way, they encountered numerous mermaids.
“Sister, sister, sister!”
“Princess!”
“You’re quite popular, younger mermaid?”
“It’s not about popularity; to them, I might be the only one they see.”
Although the mermaids were cursed directly by Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess, none of them resented her.
Rather, it would be accurate to say their resentment had been completely extinguished.
Because of that, Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess appeared to be always wearing a face that seemed like she wished to die every time she met another of her kind. But Shia had already mentioned this, and Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess must have realized it herself.
Since she had cursed all the mermaids, it was ultimately she, the Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess, who could help them.
While she felt like throwing up inside, as always, the princess continued to take care of her naive kin, who followed her like a sister.
Whenever a little one got hurt swimming into a reef, she would heal the wound. For those who couldn’t fit the overly large coral in their mouths, she would crush it into pieces.
She would gently pat the fins of those coming to her, asking for head rubs, and Shia would play with the mermaids using the tentacles hanging from her jellyfish hat, or affectionately rub against them.
Shia was particularly popular.
“Kya-hahah! Big chest!”
“Big! So big!”
“Kya-ha! Sister with the big chest!”
Her striking beauty and bust were evident even among the mermaids, and the jellyfish hat and tentacles on her head fascinated and intrigued the little mermaids. As a result, Shia gained the nickname “Big Chest Sister” among them.
Three days passed, and Shia continued her broadcast without stopping even once, exploring the deep sea with the mermaid princess.
Surprisingly, the broadcast received very positive reviews.
The deep sea palace, with countless lights shining brightly in the darkness, resembled a night sky filled with stars and beautiful scenery. The geometrically constructed reefs and countless deep sea flowers blooming within, as well as the massive schools of fish showcasing the grandeur of nature, drew the eye. Even though the mermaids’ intelligence had been diminished, they remained immensely beautiful in appearance.
There was hardly any intense battle scene or the usual chaotic antics of the streamer.
Shia, acting seriously as the saint she was, carrying out purification of curses and playing with the mermaid children, made for a soothing and healing broadcast in its own right.
–This broadcast is so relaxing.
–The noteworthy point of this broadcast: The streamer has been going nonstop for four days without a break.
–Honestly, even just watching the streamer swim with her breasts bouncing is healing lol
–For real lololol
–Oh, I’m going to do a collab here.
–lol
Above all, the viewers seemed pleased that they could constantly watch Shia.
Unless they were going to sleep or going out for work, the viewers watched Shia’s broadcast nonstop. Thanks to this, her broadcast recorded more than 80,000 average viewers for four days.
While the average was 80,000, the highest record even hit 200,000.
Thus, without any end, the broadcast of Mermaid Shia…
“Now, today, I will… share how to enjoy mermaid tail meat deliciously, without dipping sauce.”
Bam!
Suddenly switched to chaotic antics.
–Wait, suddenly?
–Hey, you crazy girl, what are you doing after four days of healing broadcasting ahhhhhhhh
Dang it!
–The chaos has begun!
–Stop the chaos!
“But, I’ve never understood. Who on earth am I talking to?”
Meanwhile, Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess next to her looked as if she didn’t understand what Shia was getting at.
Despite being a mermaid princess endowed with the wisdom and intellect of the Imugi, she still lived in a closed world with no knowledge of humans, their letters, or world affairs.
To the mermaid’s eyes, it must have looked like Shia was talking to a small metallic sphere all alone.
–Come to think of it, the mermaid doesn’t know Hangul lol
–Hangul isn’t the issue; I wonder if we can even communicate?
–Haven’t they been meeting on broadcasts well up to now?
–No, everything is translated through the drone’s language and neuro-filter.
–Oh, really?
“Hmm… viewers?”
“What’s a viewer?”
“This!”
As Shia’s tentacles, connected like an umbilical cord to her jellyfish hat, tapped against the drone, the chat window shook.
The Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess appeared bewildered by Shia’s conversation with an inanimate object.
“….I see now. I understand. It’s similar to talking to corals and reefs from loneliness.”
She regarded Shia as a pitiable being in a similar predicament to herself.
“Eh…”
If Shia had returned alone without Menelapie, Yoonjeong, or Yeonhwa, she might have truly gone insane from loneliness…
But for now, there was no need to dwell on hypotheticals.
Shia reclined comfortably like a mermaid on a rock, gazing straight at the drone in broadcast mode.
Although the cognitive filter made her chest appear somewhat suitable, the sight of her large purity pouch swaying with the ocean current kept even the viewers who despised the antics glued to their seats.
“By the way, should I cut off more of my tail?”
“No, don’t do that… Why would you intentionally cause pain?”
“I heard you’re making more mermaid tail meat…”
Sure, Shia’s antics were purposefully over-the-top, but upon reconsideration, this mermaid princess seemed seriously lacking in many areas.
“Actually, didn’t we just roam around this deep sea palace until now? Yet, I noticed that there were hurt children deeper down.”
“…….”
–Oh, them…
–That’s kind of sad…
–What are you saying?
–A bunch of injured mermaids were hanging out deeper down.
“Just to let those who might have missed the broadcast know again, mermaids don’t die. But they’re also not strong and lack self-healing capabilities, so they have to live in their injured state. To put it simply, they always feel pain and suffering.”
It wouldn’t be the case that this was an inherent trait of mermaids.
It seemed the great curse cast by Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess twisted the physical forms and lives of the mermaids.
“Even if an arm is severed, they don’t heal; they have to continuously feel the pain as the seawater grazes against the opened wound. Normally, there shouldn’t be any carnivorous predators threatening the mermaids in this deep sea palace, but…”
–Oh…
Damn..
“There are many humans that target mermaids and the resources here, right? While Hyung-An’s Mermaid Princess is blocking the entrance to the dungeon next to me, they still use dimensional holes to send machine anchors to extract resources.”
–Damn, that’s tragic…
“However, the injured mermaids deeper down were damaged by that machine anchor.”
–But what does that have to do with mermaid meat?
“Oh, I guess I need to show you this first… Ta-da!”
–?
–?
–?
–Wait, what the hell;
What Shia presented on the broadcast screen was a substantial amount of mermaid tail meat.
It wasn’t just one or two pieces.
Each piece of mermaid tail meat weighed at least 30kg. Given their diverse appearances, some could even weigh close to 100kg in just their tail sections.
The mermaid tails piled up like little hills indicated that numerous mermaids had been injured and cursed for a long time.
For the viewers, the good news was that there were no human-like upper bodies of mermaids present at all. It wasn’t because Shia had brought them but rather because she intentionally brought fish-like mermaid tails to avoid shocking the viewers too much.
The true depths of the deep sea were far more horrifying than Shia had imagined, but there was no need for her to mention that to the viewers.
“Yesterday, I used a great healing spell on a mermaid whose tail was severed, right? Naturally, her tail grew back, but the cut-off piece remained down there… hehehe…”
–hahaha
You got a haul, didn’t you haha
“Did you really pick that up haha?”
–hahaha
“Hey, you wild pig!”
“Did you really have to pick that up?”
“I’m just glad that I didn’t rip apart the mermaid’s upper and lower body.”
“Hey, what do you see me as?”
Shia understood the viewers’ reactions.
Yeah, go ahead, call me a bad and weird girl. I’ve been falsely accused and slandered many times in my previous life as well, so I’m quite used to it.
“Now, then! Sister mermaid, please come out!”
[Sure.]
At Shia’s call, a faint figure of the mermaid appeared, tethered to her by her tentacles like an umbilical cord.
To the viewers, it would seem like Shia had just called out for no good reason, but originally, a being that didn’t belong to this world like the Imugi could only just barely manifest in reality thanks to a saint’s calling.
The saint’s call was almost a miracle in itself.
If it weren’t for Shia, the sister would have been recognized as an evil spirit or a malignant existence driven by strong desire and would have been ignored when she asked for help.
“Sister…”
[Yes, little sister!]
However, the spirit of the sister was unstable.
The very existence was problematic, but since all the wisdom, strength, karma, and mystery she had as an Imugi had transferred to Shia, it was only natural that what remained in her sister was nothing but a simple wish.
The sister’s soul, which should have long since been extinguished, endured this long only due to that single wish to help her little sister.
In reality, the sister had desperately sought help from other humans multiple times throughout her life.
As long as the karma of a living Imugi hadn’t completely disappeared, she had tried to convey her desperate plea to those who came to the sea with whatever little power she had. Unfortunately, she mostly had been misunderstood as either a ghost or an evil spirit, and in her desperate hope for assistance, she sometimes attracted humans to drown them.
“Have you ever heard the legend that anyone who eats mermaid meat gains immortality?”
At Shia’s words, the younger mermaid flinched and shuddered.
She must have thought Shia was trying to eat her flesh to gain immortality!
–?
–No way.
–What’s that?
–Huh?
–What?
“Many people might not have heard about it. In Korea, there’s a legend that eating mermaids grants one both immortality and beauty. Japan probably has something similar.”
Then they would understand this story, right?
“Ahem, but how about this?”
Shia cleared her throat and pulled her palms up into the air as if receiving something, radiating a holy aura like a saint, and strained her voice.
[When they were eating, Jesus took the bread, and after giving thanks, broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying:]
–Oh; what a nice voice;
–Heh…
[“Take, eat; this is my body.” And after dinner, he took the cup, giving thanks, and said: “Drink from it; this is my blood.” Therefore, whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes again.”]
–Wait, is that the revised Common Translation of the Bible, 2064?
–What the heck, how do they know?
–But how does the streamer know the Bible?
–Geez, you’re kinda dumb. The Bible existed before that, you know?
–LOL?
–Wait, did she really think the Bible didn’t exist before 2024?
Clearly, many of her viewers were experts in pop culture.
“Well, that’s the end of my speech. Anyway, I’m sure you’ll understand now?”
–Understand what?
–What are you talking about?
–What do you mean, ‘understand what?’
They were completely lost.
“Miracles are not created from nothing. They manifest from people’s wishes, hopes, and collective miracles.”
Of course, Shia didn’t fully grasp the precise principles or realization methods of miracles herself.
At this point, her understanding was purely based on her experience as the deceased saint over 64 years.
“A curse that has corrupted the sea and mermaids for a long time can’t be solved with just one miracle. It’s going to take something significant, akin to the Last Supper of a Saint, for us to have any shot at this.”
Shia lightly spoke, but upon arriving at this deep sea palace, she had acted seriously as a saint.
She didn’t want the viewers to be shocked, so she hadn’t mentioned too much, but the true state of the deep sea palace was frightening and devastating enough.
If Shia had delayed just a bit longer, the situation could have spiraled into something irreversible.
“In that sense, I’m planning to hold a grand feast ceremony to lift the curses.”
–I didn’t even know that…
–Oh my…
What are you even saying?
–If you don’t know, you can just LOL.
–For real lol
“Now, I hope you understand. If any newcomers are here, explain to them or just go and watch the re-broadcast.”
Of course, aside from that, there was no denying that mermaid tail meat was indeed jonnat.
“So, now let’s start cooking the jonnat mermaid tail for the feast!”
Despite Shia’s aspirations for her own saintly outing, many viewers probably interpreted her words quite differently.
They probably thought the streamer was just using the feast ceremony as an excuse to devour the mermaid tail meat like a pig.
