Episode 18: Polly Skodami Alkhams Fujiwara Takumi Poseidon?

Life’s like chocolate—you never know how sticky the next bite’ll be! As a righteous gent who rescued a stray street kid, I was utterly speechless.

Enough philosophizing later. Real work awaits! I hoisted little Bobo onto my back and headed to the Old Mage’s lab door. Master Joseph’s still tinkering with programming runes. Sigh… It’s never too late to mend your ways, Master!

“Master! Master! Get out here! I’ve got a huge surprise for you! Come look!” I chuckled inwardly. What face would Master Joseph make seeing Bobo? I couldn’t wait.

“Shut that noise, brat. Cook up something useful again?” The Old Mage’s raspy voice drifted from inside.

*Creak~* The door swung open. The Old Mage shuffled out, hair messy and steps shaky. How long’s he been at it? Balance work and rest, Master. I don’t want tomorrow’s magic paper screaming: “Aged Mage Drops Dead in Lab; Family Finds Corpse by Stench After Ten Days!” Seriously unfunny.

“Master, I’ll build you a massage chair soon. Wind-element triple-turbine runes for power. Life Element and water-element arrays to soothe body and soul. Earth-element runes for triple-rhythm massage on neck, back, waist. Ultimate golden experience!”

“Can’t you use that talent for proper rune development?”

“Helping the masses *is* proper! So… no massage chair?”

“Ridiculous! When did I refuse it? What’s this ‘surprise’?”

“Hehe, you’ll adore it!” I stepped aside, revealing Bobo. “Ta-da! One adorable little mermaid!”

“Hello, white-bearded grandpa~” Bobo chirped politely.

“……” Master Joseph’s face flickered—shock to rage, rage to confusion, confusion to deep thought, then calm acceptance.

“Master, you okay? Your face is like a slideshow.”

“Sigh… Well done. This is likely the safest solution.”

“Hehe, Master’s brilliant! You saw the cause instantly. Chatting with smart folks is bliss—unlike those two girls.”

“Those bright red stars on your face? Decor?”

“A totem! Symbol of great Bolshevism.” He’s teasing me. I’m just saving face.

“Nonsense. Why’s this child in Crescent Town? How’d you find her?”

“Her family sent her to Crescent Lake’s Sacred Beast for shelter. But Kos is asleep again—no one cared for her. I found her lakeside today. Leaving her? You know the trouble. So I brought her back.”

“Hmm, right choice! Kos slumbering so soon… the crisis nears.”

“White-bearded grandpa, you know Grandpa Kos too?”

“Yes, we’ve been friends for decades! What’s your name, child?”

“I’m Bobo. Polly Skodami Alkhams Poseidon.”

“Whoa, that’s long?” I blurted.

“Uninformed. Every century, the Sea Emperor Clan adds a middle name. Skodami marks Bobo as fourth princess—bestowed like a human’s hundred-day rite. Alkhams means ‘pearl of the sea’—only the Sea Emperor’s most cherished child earns it.”

“Bobo’s two hundred?”

“Big brother, Bobo’s 231!”

Don’t call me “big brother.” I’ve no two-hundred-year-old sister.

“The Sea Emperor Clan lives long—rivals the Elven Race. Two hundred years? Like a human ten-year-old. Calling you ‘brother’ is fine.”

“Master, where’ll Bobo stay?”

“A dilemma. Bobo’s young—can’t linger on land long. Her Sea Emperor blood shields her life, but her growing talents could suffer. I’ll clear the back garden for a pond.”

“Bobo won’t live in a puddle! Bobo loves land—not dark underwater!” Bobo pouted, tears welling. The Old Mage and I winced.

“Water’s enough, right?” I asked the Old Mage.

“Hmm. The Sea Emperor Clan is resilient.”

“I’ve an idea to keep Bobo on ‘land’.” I grinned slyly. “Hehe… but I need your help, Old Mage.”

“I feel my old bones rattling apart.”

“Grandpa~ Bobo fears the dark~!” Bobo unleashed cuteness overload. Super effective—the Old Mage’s vision dimmed.

“Fine, fine. I’m born to toil. Spit it out—what’s the plan?”

*******************************************************************************

Sunset painted the sky as we finished the new Rune Engraving Tool: hollow metal spheres pulsing blue ripples. Water-element crystals floated inside, windless. Two spheres—one large, one small—each with unique uses. I named them “Tidecalling Blue Heart.”

“Bobo, this giant one’s your home!” I held up the sphere, Bobo-sized. “Know water-element magic?”

“Yes! Bobo makes shaved ice with it since little~”

“Ah~ hehe. Expected.” I taught the mermaid to activate the large sphere. True sea-child—she mastered the water-gathering array in moments. Water elements swirled visibly around the orb. Soon, a house-sized floating water ball formed. Bobo cheered, diving in to swim gleefully.

“Bobo, out now! Brother’s got more gifts!”

“Big brother’s best! What is it?” *Flick!* Her tail propelled her from the ball into my arms. Sigh… soaked clothes again. Helle’ll scold me later.

I handed her the small “Tidecalling Blue Heart.” “This lets Bobo roam land freely.”

“Wow! A tiny home?”

“Nope—brother’s genius! Twin double-helix wind runes plus water crystals form a four-cylinder turbo hydraulic engine—insane power! Sixteen green wind crystals, top and bottom, etched with single-deflection air-pressure runes. Steer at will.” I bragged. (Truth: a beefy multi-speed wheelchair.)

“Sounds cool. How does Bobo use it?”

“Control the sphere. Step by step.” I guided her. “First, gather water like the big one—sit atop it. Second, feel the sixteen wind crystals and runes—move freely.”

The sea’s pearl shone true—magic talent stunned me. Minutes later, she zoomed wildly instead of wobbling! Next time I visit the Sea Emperor capital, I’ll hunt down who taught this princess to drift! Akina’s Speed God? Does the Sea Emperor sell tofu too? Next middle name: “Fujiwara Takumi.” Full name: Polly Skodami Alkhams Fujiwara Takumi Poseidon.

“Enough play! Crystals’ll drain soon!” I yelled. She’d nearly mastered cobra maneuvers and double-S lane changes. Do Sea Emperors have fighter-pilot blood?

“Brother’s stingy! Play a bit—swap crystals when empty~”

Rich-kid tone. This is Crescent Town, not your Crystal Palace! These two? I made them with Star Absorption Gloves—converted the Old Mage’s magic into rechargeables from scrap. See Master Joseph flat on the floor? She treats crystals like pebbles. Worse—they *are* pebbles at her home! Rich kid… be friends?

“Late now. Rest up. Brother’ll bring dinner. To your ‘room’~”

“Okay! See you tomorrow, brother~”

I hoisted the limp Old Mage toward the villa.

“Master! A legendary mage—dying over a few crystals? Embarrassing us before other races!”

“Brat! Stop mocking!” he wheezed. “Try it yourself! Abnormally erasing your soul imprint from magic hurts! Was it deliberate?”

“How? Why revenge for your teasing?” I deadpanned. “Releasing magic erases imprints too—but ownerless magic is weak, messy. Collecting it’s tedious, slow… and explosive. Forgot your last lab? The one in heaven?”

“You dare mention it? I’ll kill you!!”