The villains are redeemed, and the heroines cry and beg for forgiveness.

After a series of oral exercises, Little Conch, panting, pushed Gu Ran away.

It smells very good, it's very sweet, it's very soft, and it even has a slightly chewy texture.

This is Gu Ran's feeling.

"Oh my god, I can hardly breathe!" Little Conch playfully punched Gu Ran.

Gu Ran grabbed Xiao Hailuo's small fist and pulled her into his arms.

Little Conch's body stiffened, but after realizing that Gu Ran was just quietly holding her without making any extra movements, she slowly relaxed.

"Little Conch, or should I call you Eudora?" Gu Ran said softly, holding her in his arms.

"It's fine with me. Although I wasn't used to being called 'Little Conch' at first, I've grown to like it more after a while because it reflects our shared experiences," Little Conch said softly.

"What exactly happened? Can you tell me?"

After a moment of silence, Gu Ran asked, while his mind raced, trying to recall what the little conch had gone through and when the abnormality began.

After thinking it over carefully, Gu Ran had no clue.

Because the little conch stayed "at home" all day and didn't go out, and the mermaids didn't experience anything unusual.

Could it be related to the merfolk?

"Gu Ran... could you... help the merfolk reclaim that underwater ruin?" After hesitating for a moment, the little conch finally spoke, "If you can't, please don't force yourself for my sake. I don't want you to get hurt because of me."

Gu Ran thought for a moment and said, "Is that underwater ruin very important to your mermaid race? If it is, then I can help you take it back. Although my strength may not be enough right now, once I advance to the Golden Core stage of martial arts, I should be able to help you take it back."

The little conch shell was taken aback and asked, "How long will that take?"

"I don't know either. There's no fixed rule for these things. It often depends on fate. When the time is right, it will happen." Gu Ran looked at the little conch's face and asked, "What's wrong? Is the merman clan in a hurry about this?"

The little conch opened its mouth, then closed it again, and gently shook its head: "No."

In the end, the little conch shell simply rested quietly against Gu Ran's chest and never asked another question.

Gu Ran felt that Little Conch was hiding something from him, but she refused to say it, leaving Gu Ran helpless.

"I'll go ask Little Conch's grandmother tomorrow; she might know something about Little Conch," Gu Ran thought to herself.

As night deepened, the little conch shell shyly lifted its head from Gu Ran's chest and left her body.

"I should go back now, or my grandmother will scold me if I get back too late."

Gu Ran watched the little conch leave quietly, a thoughtful look in her eyes.

The next day.

dawn.

The mermaids, who had been making a ruckus all night, started yawning as they prepared to catch sea fish and gather seaweed.

Gu Ran snapped out of his five-heart-up-facing meditation posture, glanced at the sky, and prepared to visit Little Conch's grandmother to inquire about Little Conch's recent situation.

But before he had swum very far, he saw the little conch grandmother swimming anxiously toward him.

"Is Eudora with you?" Grandma Conch asked abruptly.

"No, what happened to Xiao Yudora?" Gu Ran frowned slightly.

Upon hearing Gu Ran's answer, Grandma Little Conch's expression suddenly changed, and then she continued to ask, "Did Eudora say anything to you last night?"

What we talked about last night?

"Last night she asked me if I could help the merfolk reclaim the underwater ruins." A sudden bad feeling rose in Gu Ran's heart. "What's wrong with her?!"

"So what did you answer? And what was her reaction?" Grandma Conch asked hurriedly.

"I told her I could help the merfolk reclaim the ruins, but if there's no rush, it would be best to wait until I advance to the Golden Core stage of martial arts, which is equivalent to a martial arts grandmaster for humans. That way, the chances of success will be the greatest. And then... she didn't say anything more," Gu Ran replied immediately.

Grandma Conch's expression changed several times, and finally she sighed, "Foolish, so foolish!"

"What happened?!" Gu Ran pressed. "Where's Little Conch? What happened to her?"

“Now that things have come to this, I won’t hide it from you anymore. Our mermaid race does indeed possess the method to open that underwater ruin, and Eudora stole the key to open it, presumably wanting to go there to receive the inheritance.” Grandmother’s face was grim. “During the days when Eudora was missing, was it because she used the teleportation skill attached to the conch necklace to leave the ocean and go to freshwater, and then her health deteriorated?”

Gu Ran nodded: "That's right, this should be a physical characteristic of the merfolk. But I've noticed that her complexion has improved a lot recently, so her health should be starting to get better."

The little conch's grandmother closed her eyes, her face filled with self-reproach: "Actually, her health did start to improve, but not by much, and then she came to ask me why... Ah, this is also my fault."

"Her deteriorating health wasn't actually due to leaving the seawater and going to freshwater, but because she was too far from the underwater ruins of the mermaid clan! As long as she doesn't return to those underwater ruins, she won't fully recover. And as time goes on, if the mermaid clan doesn't return to those underwater ruins soon, they will also gradually deteriorate in health, and may even die, just like her."

"This is actually the biggest crisis facing the mermaid race right now. However, to avoid unnecessary panic, I have kept this secret. But Eudora is currently in the worst physical condition, and she is my granddaughter, so I no longer hide it from her... If I hadn't told her about the current crisis facing the mermaid race and told her that if the underwater ruins could not be reclaimed as soon as possible, the entire mermaid race would be doomed, she wouldn't have thought of stealing the key to receive the inheritance."

"Because as long as she successfully accepts the inheritance of the relic, she will become the master of that relic, and can easily drive away those powerful sea beasts and ferocious beasts, and can also better protect the mermaid race."

"I think that's why she was so eager to receive the inheritance."

Gu Ran immediately asked worriedly, "But Eudora isn't very strong. With her strength, she probably can't even get past the outer perimeter of those sea beasts and ferocious beasts, let alone go to the ruins to receive the inheritance?"

Grandma Conch pondered for a moment, then gently shook her head: "It all depends on her luck. The key she stole is actually a treasure that shields the merfolk. If she knows how to use it, she can still avoid those powerful sea beasts and ferocious monsters."

Gu Ran couldn't stay still any longer.

If you're lucky, you can escape those sea monsters and ferocious beasts, but what if you're unlucky?

Wouldn't that mean we'd be buried in their enormous bellies?

Gu Ran finally understood why the little conch asked that question last night. It turned out that the crisis of the mermaid race had not been resolved and was getting closer and closer.

The reason she risked everything alone to receive the inheritance...

So it was because... I rejected you?

Gu Ran thought of his answer last night and felt guilty. If only he had discovered the real reason for the little conch's abnormality sooner.

"Why didn't she explain to me clearly that even if my strength wasn't yet sufficient to reclaim the ruins, I could still help her safely sneak into the ruins to receive the inheritance?" Gu Ran murmured to himself.

Grandma Conch shook her head: "It's not always better to have more people involved in this kind of thing. Besides, only the Mermaids can use that key. With her current strength, she can only roughly guarantee herself the most perfect concealment, and it's difficult for her to take you with her."

"Is it that short staff?" Gu Ran looked at the little conch grandmother with her empty hands and remembered the short staff she used to knock on the rocks when they met before.

“That’s right, that’s the key that the mermaids possess to open that underwater ruin, and it’s also the most crucial treasure that protects the mermaids, allowing them to hide in the ocean from those sea beasts and ferocious monsters.” Grandmother Conch nodded.

"If Eudora stole that key, wouldn't the merfolk be in great danger?" Gu Ran immediately thought of the current situation of the merfolk. "She probably didn't think of that."

Grandmother of the little conch: "It's because you cleared out those sea beasts and ferocious beasts that had been chasing the mermaids, making them safe. I guess that's why she felt at ease."

"Where are the coordinates of that underwater ruin? Take me there immediately!" Gu Ran said immediately, genuinely afraid that something might happen to the little conch.

“I’ll have Alice take you there. She knows the place, and she’s one of the fastest swimmers in our mermaid clan,” said Grandma Conch.

"Alright, let's not delay! I'll go get her, and then we'll set off right now!"

Gu Ran nodded.

......

When Ariel heard that the little seashell was going to receive the inheritance, her heart skipped a beat.

What a coincidence?

But wait, there should only be one key to open the ruins, right? If I'm receiving the inheritance inside the ruins right now, why is there another key?

Could it be that she and I didn't receive the same inheritance at the same ruins?

Do the merfolk have other relics and traditions?

Ariel was filled with doubt and confusion, and at the same time, some speculations that she had previously refused to consider arose in her mind.

However, this only made Ariel's mind more confused.

What exactly happened?

Is Eudora really a sister or younger sister she has never met?

Did Eudora die because of this incident?

Furthermore, Gu Ran's harmonious relationship with the merfolk at this time was completely beyond her imagination.

88. Arrival at the underwater ruins, deadly threat!

Having witnessed the journey, Ariel naturally understood the origins of the mermaids' friendly attitude towards Gu Ran. However, what puzzled her was how their relationship deteriorated to the point that all she heard from her mother were Gu Ran's infamy and the most vicious curses directed at him, completely devoid of any of the previous kindness.

“Eudora…” Ariel continued trying to recall the name, but still had no recollection of it.

"Go and look up the name Eudora. Ask the elder merfolk in your tribe if they have any recollection of this name," Ariel instructed her merfolk subordinates.

She felt that her mother seemed to be hiding something, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

......

In the light screen.

Alice was soon found by the little conch's grandmother.

Alice swam over, her face full of worry and concern: "Yudora...did she really go to that underwater ruin?"

"It's pretty much a done deal," Gu Ran said. "How quickly can you take me there? Can we get to the underwater ruins before her and stop her?"

Alice shook her head: "It's difficult. Eudora's speed is no slower than mine, and she also has a treasure that shields her, so she doesn't have to worry about those big guys in the sea. Therefore, she must be much faster than us."

Gu Ran still hadn't given up hope: "Perhaps when we get to that underwater ruin, we'll be stopped because there are too many enemies? Let's hurry up and go."

If she didn't not know the way, Gu Ran wouldn't want to stay here for even a second longer.