一千八百二十章 我的女儿

爱丽儿缓缓走到艾莉丝的身旁，同样，抬起头来看着天空。
如今，夕阳已经完全西下，那愈合的天空现在却干净的宛如一块毫无杂质的玉石。
However, the countless stars sprinkled across this deep blue canvas evoke a desire in those who gaze upon this sky to reach out and explore.
爱丽儿耸耸肩，无奈地说道：“那些守护者们，一个个的走的到是快。最后甚至就连一个招呼都不打，我还想把祂们都介绍给你认识一下呢。”
艾莉丝笑了笑，脸上的笑容浮现出些许的疲惫：“或许……祂们之所以走得那么急，是为了给我留出更多的时间吧……”
爱丽儿微微一愣，脸上刚刚还浮现出来的笑容此时却是显得格外凝重起来。
她立刻走到艾莉丝的面前，伸手抓住她的肩膀，上下打量起来。
Even now, Alice still retains the appearance and demeanor of her youth. However, the weariness on her face is impossible to conceal, as if she is about to collapse at any moment.
“You... How come? Weren't you healed?! By the Four Guardians?!”
As Ariel expressed her astonishment, Alice stumbled, and her whole body collapsed at that moment.
Ariel quickly embraced her, slowly sitting down on the grass, holding her hand anxiously.
"The power of God... how could it possibly be easily given to others?"
Alice took a deep breath, continued smiling, and said——
“To personally experience the power of the divine in the final moments of my life, and then to fight alongside you, I feel incredibly fortunate. This is the cost... but for me, this cost is just too light, too light????????????????.”
At this point, although Ariel does not fully understand what has happened, she can mostly guess what the side effects of the powers of the Four Great Guardians are.
She is not someone who gets caught up in confusion. All along the way, she has been doing her utmost to hope to save Alice, her dear friend.
But... in this long journey of treatment, perhaps even Ariel herself has somewhat accepted the death of this friend, and deep down has already envisioned such a future.
Thinking of this, Ariel couldn't help but grip Alice's hand a little tighter, but then she slightly loosened her hold again.
She slowly exhaled, and said, "Miss, in the end, please let me call you 'Miss' one more time; I feel it's easier to say this way."
```htmlAlice did not object; she just leaned on Ariel's lap, gazing at the dazzling and brilliant stars in the sky.
At this moment, the stars were so beautiful that she couldn't help but reach out her hand, wanting to pluck a few of them.```
“Do you think humanity in the future can really win this war?”
Elise asked.
Ariel simply smiled lightly again, looking up at the sky, and said—
“We still have at least a thousand years ahead of us. In that thousand years, it's uncertain how far humanity can progress. It's even possible that someone in a future war a thousand years from now could strike some sort of deal with those outsiders and reach a certain balance.”
Alice let out a chuckle, playfully saying, "With thoughts like yours, are you sure there will still be people like you a thousand years from now who believe that as long as communication is possible, everything can be traded?"
Ariel appeared to be very confident as she said, “Why not? As long as there is communication between both parties, no matter if it’s coercion, bravado, or even a mutually destructive mindset, as long as there isn’t a complete communication barrier, there will always be various people finding various ways to face the crisis at hand. In my opinion, it’s a bit too far-fetched to think about these matters right now; what we need to do now is simply sow the seeds, and then we can live well in our generation.”
Alice gently nodded, no longer bringing up the topic.
After that, the two began to chat like the most ordinary of best friends, discussing their lives and daily affairs.
Ariel continuously shared the various problems she encountered at work, along with her own grievances and complaints. These things were previously unheard of for Elise, and she listened with great interest.
Alice would also share some stories about raising her child, spending time with the child learning and reading, and sometimes having tea parties with some of the former noblewomen to connect emotionally. Of course, Ariel hasn’t experienced much of this, so she finds it quite interesting to listen.
In this continuous idle chatter, gradually, gradually, Alice's voice began to grow softer and softer, and even her eyelids started to droop a little, as if she were about to fall asleep under this starry sky.
“Also, you know we recently organized a military-themed basketball game, and it was really lively! There were all sorts of people signing up! But it was truly chaotic with all the statistics and logistical work; it nearly drove me crazy! In the end, I just handed all that work over to my subordinates, and guess what? Hey! They actually did quite well! The game went smoothly! So, remember to delegate; you can't do everything yourself.”
“Otherwise, it could be fast death.”
“Ariel.”
At that moment, Ariel suddenly realized that she had spoken too quickly, hurriedly covering her mouth and looking nervously at Alice sitting on her lap.
At this moment, Alice closed her eyes, with her hands resting on her chest, and slowly said—
“Can you help me take good care of Meliti?”
Angel's expression shifted from playful to serious in an instant.
After two seconds of silence, she gently nodded and slowly said——
“I don’t have children, so if I could have a daughter, I would be very happy.”
Alice's face showed a hint of guilt as she said, "I'm sorry... I'm still bothering you at this time. Maybe in the future, you will have your own family... If it's inconvenient then, you can put her in the orphanage... your orphanage, I trust it..."
Ariel's hands gently brushed against Alice's cheek, carrying a half-joking tone as she said, "I won't be starting a family. Probably never in this lifetime."
艾莉丝反过来握住爱丽儿的手，眉头略微皱起：“你别这么说，你有你自己的人生……我的前半生已经很麻烦你了，我不想再用我的孩子困住你后半生……”
Ariel: "No, I'm serious."
"First of all, with my status, getting married is probably very difficult. Considering various political factors, my subordinates are actually advising me that it might be better to stay single for life and not get married."
Ellis: "This..."
Ariel: "Oh dear, miss, don't show such a sad expression. Politically, it's not suitable for me to get married, nor is it appropriate for a child of my bloodline to be born into this world. And in terms of life????????????????, I don't feel like I necessarily need to find a man to share a bed with. Perhaps... it's because I've experienced the power of the divine. After personally becoming a deity, do you think there are any men in this world who could catch my eye?"
Alice's anxiety and doubt slowly eased on her face, but there was still a trace of tension and guilt.
In response, Ariel lowered her head and whispered in her ear, "There's one last thing: I've actually been seriously injured, a very serious injury. The four great guardians have already made their judgment on me; I will never be able to have children in my lifetime."
```htmlAt that moment, Alice opened her eyes again, looking a little worried.
But Ariel smiled again, waved her hand, and said, "So, don't worry. Melty is not a burden for me. On the contrary, someone like me is lucky to have such a brave and cute daughter in this lifetime."```
“Therefore... Miss Alice, I will take good care of her. I will raise her, ensure she receives an education, help her face the storms, and support her in confronting the darkness and difficulties in life. At the same time, I will tell her about the many beautiful things in life, teaching her not to forget that there was once a very, very loving mother who is always watching over her from above.”
“She will have a happy childhood. Although I cannot guarantee that she will meet her prince charming and live happily ever after like the princesses in fairy tales, I can at least light her path a little. So that even after going through many pains, she will still remember the many beautiful things in life.”
Slowly, Ariel let out a deep breath. She raised her head, not allowing the tears at the corners of her eyes to fall. At the same time, she tried her best to maintain a smile, using that expression to hide the sorrow in her heart.
A meteor streaked across the sky, followed closely by a second, a third, and a fourth.
As if to commemorate the moment, the sky was adorned with a dazzling display of shooting stars, adding a unique brilliance to tonight's ambiance.
The hand that was holding Ariel now seemed increasingly weak and frail.
As the hand was about to drop, Ariel grabbed it back and placed it again on her chest, continuing, "Also, I'll make sure to keep a close eye on this little girl. From now on, she’s my daughter, right? I can’t let my daughter be fooled by some bad man. Especially that Arthur kid, I'll keep a close watch on him, don’t worry! As for that Cloud boy~~~ he seems a bit too stiff, I'm not sure if he'll change in the future."
Ariel's body swayed gently back and forth, as if she were telling a bedtime story. She lifted her chin higher, gazing at the stars in the sky.
“By the way, can you tell me how our daughter is doing in school? I actually don't know much about her academic performance. Do you think I should send her to Old Vine Tree Academy for further studies? I've renovated Old Vine Tree Academy since it is our alma mater, and many of the teachers have returned. We've also added many new teachers, and the teaching quality is good. Do you think Meili Ti can learn a skill there?”
Pa da.
```htmlNo matter how high she holds her head, the tears will ultimately roll down her cheeks.
This drop of tears fell onto Alice's cheek, but her face showed no signs of change.```
The long eyelashes cover the eyes of the most beautiful woman in the Blue Bay Empire, making her look as if she is asleep.
Yeah, today has really been too tiring; I should really take a good rest.
Ah...
In the distance, a warm house suddenly burst open like a cocoon, from which a small figure hurriedly emerged, rushing this way.
"Mom! Mom!"
A anxious female voice pierced through the night sky, and a figure stumbled over.
However, when she arrived here, what she saw was just a young girl, with a smile on her lips, peacefully sleeping in the embrace of another girl, quietly, forever, sleeping…
————
有关天空裂缝的事件处理，虽然就当事人来说牵扯关系巨大，但对于旁观者的其他人来说，就是一个某日天空突然裂开，然后又一个某日天空又突然愈合这样一个情况，从头到尾完全没有任何可以紧张的地方，也没人知道究竟发生了什么事。
The only detailed records of these events are found in the historical archives of the merfolk army. However, these archives are currently not suitable for public disclosure to all humans. After all, considering the current state of humanity, knowing that a foe more powerful than the Demon King is approaching this world and may arrive in at least a thousand years does not seem like good news.
The mermaid army left the forest and headed to the capital of the Hunting Constellation Empire to meet with the new young emperor. Regarding Connaugh's actions in the forest, where he killed many people, Ariel's explanation was that it was due to an overdose of medication, which ultimately led to his physical mutation and eventual madness. The mermaid army is willing to take responsibility for this incident and compensate the affected residents.
```htmlSince the Mermaid Army is willing to compensate, the Hunter's Seat Empire has no need to continue entangling, and after the discussion, both sides naturally agreed to release each other.
Returning to the territory of the Mermaid Army, now renamed to include seven provinces in the Fish Leap area, the matter of establishing a nation for the Mermaid Army finally began to be officially put on the agenda.```
For the merfolk army, establishing a nation is obviously a very important matter.
Upon returning to Hanhai City, Ariel immediately threw herself into her busy work, with countless issues waiting for her to address. Meeting many foreign diplomats every day has made her life even more fulfilling than before.
However, despite her busy schedule, she pushed aside all her work commitments to personally attend Alice's funeral as a friend.
Alice Blue's funeral was not luxurious.
In fact, one could say it was extremely simple for someone of her former status as the Empress of the Blue Bay Empire.
As a noble of a fallen nation, Ariel naturally cannot allow Alice's funeral to be grandly held from a political point of view. Instead, she can only build a slightly larger grave in a corner of the cemetery and slowly place the coffin containing Alice's body into that pit.
However, the funeral was not that cold.
After all, those present included not only Ariel and all the members of the Song of the Mermaids, but also many mermaid soldiers who had previously been trapped together in the Cocoon of Fate.
They witnessed this woman fighting for the world; even though she could not enter the Mermaid Military Cemetery to enjoy the glory due to procedural restrictions, at that moment, everyone held the deepest respect, reminiscing about this fallen warrior.
```htmlAt the funeral, Melite reached out to take Ariel's hand, silently watching as her mother's coffin was covered layer by layer with dirt.
Ariel thought Melite might struggle a bit, but she didn't expect this little girl to be even stronger than she imagined; she didn't cry or make a fuss at all throughout.```
Looking at such a child, Ariel silently nodded, sincerely feeling proud to have such a daughter.
“Mom Ariel, what can I do to make my mother's grave revered by thousands?”
As they were leaving the cemetery, Meliti suddenly asked a question.
Ariel was momentarily taken aback, but then she glanced at the elemental vehicle coming to greet her in the distance. After thinking for a moment, she said—
“Your mother sacrificed herself for this world. Her achievements are greater than any of us can imagine. Therefore, we will record this history and pass it down, down through the generations. Until the day we can reveal this history, your mother's grave will naturally become a place of reverence for many.”
“Just before that, Millicent should live her life well and not feel any pressure because of this or that situation~~~ I believe that your ability to grow up happy and joyful is Alice's biggest wish, right?”
As she listened to Ariel's gentle words, Melity nodded softly. When the elemental vehicle parked in front of them, she took a deep breath, and a smile reappeared on her face. She then followed her mother, Ariel, and got into the car, heading towards the future ahead.
In the 1314th year of the old calendar, and in the 2nd year of the new calendar, on the 5th day of May, the Merfolk Army successfully announced their establishment of a nation to the world, renamed the People's Republic of Singers, abbreviated as the Land of Song.
Although the name "Merfolk Army" is derived from sea monsters, these creatures impart their ferocity to their enemies while bestowing their most beautiful songs upon all their friends.
As a result, when the country's name was proposed, many people expressed concerns, believing that representing a nation through singing seemed too unserious. However, it was ultimately approved in the meeting, making the final decision.
The Land of Songs has officially become a recognized nation on the Golden Continent.