Chapter 873 — Transformation... Complete

"That's all right. It was what we promised from the beginning," Pythia said gently. "Though I am not human, I understand a race's wish to keep its original form to the very last moment... If that human who held out to the end knew that half a month ago everyone on this island, including you, the Pontiff, had already been transformed into nagas, he would most likely have killed himself—that would be a tragedy of no small order."

"...Such a violent transformation of life form has an immense effect on a person's body and mind, and before the transformation is complete, the human mind can neither imagine nor comprehend it," said Sol Storm in naga form, shaking his head. "Anyone who has not completed the transformation falls into deep terror during the mutation; too many have already mutilated themselves needlessly because of it."

"Fortunately we solved the problem of nagas losing their reason in the early stages of transformation; otherwise the chaos would have been far worse," Pythia said with a nod. Her gaze went toward a short distance away, where the seawater surged and a tower-like structure—formed of many pipes and antenna arrays, glistening in the sunlight—gradually rose to the surface. "I will leave the mind stabilizer here for a time. Once the last batch of nagas on the island have fully stabilized in thought and personality, they will be brought to the continent of Aiur."

That tower-like device was something the sirens had built after studying nagas for a time. To the sirens, masters of advanced technology, it was a very simple thing, and its function was equally simple—by ceaselessly emitting a "psionic song" inaudible to human ears but recognizable to sirens and nagas, it soothed those nagas whose minds were clouded from their recent transformation, allowing nagas who would originally have needed about a month to recover their memories and personalities to regain clarity within hours of completing their transformation.

The "psionic song" the sirens loved could hasten a naga's awakening, and the discovery of this phenomenon was entirely an accident—it originated months ago in a small episode during the "New Naga Citizens' Welcome Gala" the sirens held on the sunny beach. The deep-sea witch Hathaway had consumed an excessive amount of "giant squid extract," and the high witch, thrown into a state of severe excitement, broke through the royal guard cordon and, together with several other equally excited witches, performed a piece of death metal. The sirens love music and excel in every style, but the nagas who had only just embraced the deep sea had clearly not yet done as the locals did—in that mishap, more than half of the nagas fell into a deep coma...

Three days later, the deep-sea witch, waking from her hangover, thought it over and concluded that what had affected the nagas was not the instruments of that time, but the sirens' powerful "psionic song"—after which she conducted a series of experiments and confirmed her hunch.

After a complex series of tests and adjustments, the sirens produced the "mind stabilizer," which could quickly restore reason to newly transformed nagas. This advanced device consisted of two main components: a music player whose "sound" only sirens and nagas could hear, and a great mass of pipes and antennas to make the player look impressive.

Pythia withdrew her gaze from the mind stabilizer and sighed softly in her heart.

This was the extent of "technological research and development" the sirens could manage at present.

Fortunately, things were gradually improving. As more and more sirens mastered the secrets of arcane magic and came to understand and handle the natural laws of this world, the sirens' technology tree—frozen in ice for a million years—had finally begun to show the faintest signs of loosening.

The former Storm Pontiff, now leader of the nagas, Sol Storm did not know what his queen—to whom he had so recently sworn allegiance—was thinking at this moment. He was concerned only for the future of the Storm-born, and having received the queen's further assurance, he seemed much relieved. "We have had many years of friction with you... fortunately, it is finally over."

"The sirens never wanted war with anyone; it is only that our two sides could never communicate smoothly," Pythia said, returning from her thoughts. She smiled and nodded gently to the naga leader before her. "Now that you have sensed the sirens' goodwill through the echo of psionics, then as a celebration of our reconciliation... we will share the secrets of the deep sea with you as well.

"Welcome to the ocean. May this place become your new home."