The first batch that came with us to the Merman Empireâs capital...
Well, it wasnât a smooth ride.
Simply put, there were only a few that even volunteered to come and they were only kids that chose to come.
Since they were kids, it wasnât as if we could just take them away from their parents and naturally the parents didnât give permission for something as dangerous as this.
Those parents were set in their ways and only cared about their own safety, so they didnât want to take the risk of leaving the place that theyâve been calling home all this time.
Especially since it was to go to a place that was filled with people that they considered villains.
As such, it was hard to convince anyone to trust the Merman Empire and to go to their capital with them.
The only ones that we were able to convince in the end were the young adults.
Since they were young adults, it wasnât as if we needed to ask their parents for permission since they could decide on their own. Though in most cases, the parents certainly didnât agree with the decision that they made.
In most cases, the parents tried to convince them to go back on this decision before it was too late.
Some of them were convinced and dropped out at the last second, but there were some that were firm on this.
They were the ones that wanted to see the world outside.
Since they were young adults, it was only natural that they would be curious about the world outside of this small area that they had spent their entire lives in. This was a curiosity that couldnât be stopped by anyone.
If it wasnât for this, we really wouldnât have been able to convince any of them to come with us.
Though when they arrived at the Merman Empire, we found that there were many cultural differences between our races.
Since they were honoured guests, it was only natural that the Merman King had ordered for special rooms to be prepared for them. To make up for what the Merman Empire had done to their ancestors, he had even ordered for the best rooms to be prepared.
The problem was that when these guests arrived in the rooms...
"Are these really our rooms?"
The Merman King had come along just to ensure that everything was alright and he was a bit proud of what he had prepared, so he said, "Thatâs right, weâve spared no expense in preparing the best rooms possible."
"Really?"
That was the only response that the guests had when he said this.
A strange look appeared on the Merman Kingâs face when he heard this before he revealed a confused look.
During this time, the others that had come along couldnât help revealing slightly angry expressions. They thought that these guests were making fun of the Merman King when they said this.
"Is something the matter?" I stepped forward to ask them this question.
When the guests heard this, they revealed more respectful looks before saying, "It certainly is a big room, but there arenât any daily necessities at all. Itâs that it seems a bit lacking when it comes to hospitality."
"What are the things you need?" I asked when they said this.
Once they started listing the things that they needed, it became quite evident what the problem was.
It was a cultural difference.
The different races that had lived in the special zone that Aestum set up seemed humanoid because of their appearances, but it turned out that their biology was different from normal humanoids.
It seemed that the things that they needed were things that other races didnât.
It was common knowledge for them, but it wasnât as well known among the other races.
Especially the mermaids that had never had contact with them before.
Even if the Merman King had seen some of the houses that they lived in, he hadnât actually taken note of these things. After all, it wasnât as if he ever thought that these would be the things that he needed to prepare for them.
After all, it wasnât as if these things ever meant anything to the mermaids.
So in the end, the Merman King told the servants to prepare everything that was needed by these guests before saying, "I apologize for this. It seems that because of our cultural differences, these were things that we never thought of. Weâll have these prepared by the end of the day for when you return to your rooms."
The guests just gave nods to show that they understood.
They were trying their best not to make things hard for the group from the Merman Empire, but there really were a lot of differences between them because of their culture.
So in the end, I said, "Is there anything else that we should be aware of? Instead of leaving things as they are and making more mistakes, I think that it would be better for both sides to be direct with each other so there arenât any misunderstandings like this."
Both sides looked relieved when I said this.
It wasnât as if it was only the Merman Empire side that didnât want to mess this up.
For the side of those other races, this was their only chance to see the outside world, or that was what it seemed to them.
That was why they were planning on making the most out of this and ruining the relationship with the Merman Empire was not a good thing to do.
It was clear that both sides wanted this relationship to progress smoothly, but it also made things a bit tense since they were trying too hard.
It would be better if they had a chance to relax and be honest with one another.
That was why it was a good thing that I was here since I was the bridge between them.
I was the one that both sides trusted, so I used that trust to make it easier for them.
It was time for me to earn my keep.