At Merlin's house, the eldest sister Raven is holding the hand of the grumpy Lorna and standing beside Laura.

The little wolf girl raised her head indifferently, looking at the two girls in front of her expressionlessly, she was observing Raven, unlike the extroverted Lorna, Raven's aura was more restrained, she was wearing a long black dress, her beautiful and smooth long hair was draped over her shoulders, and with the temperament of being a raven, Raven looked intellectual, but it was difficult to be approached.

Truth be told, Laura is ready to take the provocation and then fight back.

In the "home" before, so many children did not always maintain peace with each other, and in that environment that was used as experimental material, there were always some unreasonable children who would provoke Laura for various reasons.

Laura is used to being targeted, just as she is used to beating up the provocateurs.

If necessary, let them shed a little blood, and the deterrent effect will be better.

She accepted Merlin, which is true, but it doesn't mean that Laura also has to accept Merlin's sister, and it doesn't mean that she has to compromise.

When Laura was observing Raven, Raven was also looking at the little wolf girl in front of her, and the indifference on this girl's face was really familiar. What Merlin said was true, this child's past was very similar to Raven's.

This gave Raven a strong sense of déjà vu, as if she had seen another lonely raven.

She reached out and took off her glasses, then brushed her hair, patted Lorna on the head, and said to her green-haired, unbehaving sister:

"Lorna, apologize to Laura!"

"No!"

Lorna pouted as she could hang the oil pot, and she said:

"You're all bullying me."

"Apologies! I say it again! It's your fault! ”

Raven accentuated her tone, like a real eldest sister, and under her stern gaze, Lorna quickly gave in.

Lorna is not a little villain, and she herself knows that she is not making this mistake, but because of the stubbornness of the child, she does not want to bow her head, but seeing that Raven is angry, she is very reluctant to turn her head, and says in a faint voice:

"I'm sorry."

Well, Lorna is actually afraid of Raven... Or that feeling of being both dependent and afraid.

She can talk back in front of Merlin, Merlin won't beat her, but she won't provoke Raven, Raven can be merciless when she beats her. When Lorna first arrived at home, she slept in a house with Raven, but she was beaten by Raven, who had a very strange temper at the time.

In the face of Lorna's apology, the little wolf girl shook her head, signaling that it didn't matter.

She still didn't speak, well, maybe because it was still very unfamiliar.

"Lorna relies on Merlin..."

Raven sat next to the little wolf girl, and she explained to Laura:

"Just like you rely on Merlin, maybe you don't know that Lorna was also picked up by Merlin, in fact, including me... Everyone came to this house in the same way, Merlin is a kind guy, he wants us to have a good life, so..."

"We also want to live in peace."

Raven took the initiative to reach out and put it on the always cold palm of the little wolf girl, Laura subconsciously wanted to pop out her claws, she was still not used to being touched by her. But the claw was blocked by an invisible force and could not be ejected.

"Don't be afraid, Laura."

Raven whispered to the little wolf girl:

"Like you, I've been through situations where you can only survive if you're on your toes, and I know the feeling of being helpless in the face of good intentions, but you're home."

"Here, you can relax, no one will hurt you, no one can hurt you here, and most importantly, you can't hurt anyone else here... Learn to make this place your home, but if you don't behave, I'll beat you up too. ”

Raven patted Laura on the shoulder, and she said:

"Merlin has enough things, we shouldn't trouble him anymore, bring your things, come with me, there is still a vacant room on the second floor, I'll take you to visit Goo Goo by the way..."

"First warning, Laura, don't get too close to it until Goo accepts you."

Seeing Raven stand up, Laura bit her lip, she also stood up, beside her, Lorna reluctantly helped the little wolf girl pick up her school bag, and the three girls stepped up the stairs and walked to the second floor.

At the edge of the hall, Frank hid in his kennel and watched the scene, he had just seen with his own eyes how Lorna's metal eagle was cut open by Laura, and it did not think that it had the ability to defeat Laura, which made the stupid dog's heart a little sad.

"Damn, there's another one who can't be provoked, the family status is -1 again, and the day of the beginning is far away."

"Mistress Carol, my big backer, come back quickly..."

————————————

Merlin doesn't know what's going on at home, but he believes that Raven, who is now stable and mature enough, can handle everything in the house.

What's more, the friendship between the girls is cultivated, and it is better for him, a big man, not to interfere.

Laura's past has made the child very cold, and she needs to find a way to make friends on her own, and if Merlin blindly protects her, it will make things worse.

Merlin is still very confident in the two younger sisters he has raised, and he believes that Lorna and Raven will always have a way to open Laura's heart.

And, Merlin does have important things to do right now.

In Port Grace, Maine, the dock is a little more dilapidated than it was 14 years ago when Merlin came over, but on the other side of the pier a new pier is being opened, and the lighthouse in Grace Harbor has not changed, exactly the same as Merlin had seen at the time.

"Bang, bang"

Merlin straightened his clothes and knocked on the door of the lighthouse.

Moments later, the wooden door was opened, and the lighthouse keeper, Tom Brown. Curry appeared in front of Merlin, Tom was much older than he had been 14 years ago, and his hair had thinned a bit.

After all, he is an ordinary person, and time is an inescapable poison for him.

"You're... Merlin? ”

But Tom still remembers Merlin, who sends gifts every year on little Arthur's birthday... It's the same with Barry, who receives a gift from Uncle Merlin every year.

Merlin didn't have time to come and see the children in person, but he hadn't forgotten them.

"Yes, it's me."

Merlin raised his hand, and he had two bottles of rum in his hand, and he said to Tom:

"It's rude that I haven't come to see you all these years, so I brought a gift."

"Haha, we've been on the phone, although we haven't met, but we're still friends, I guess you must have something to tell me when you come over."

Old Tom opened his hand and gave Merlin a hug, and he said:

"But good wine can't be wasted, we can drink and talk at the same time. Come, come in. ”

Tom welcomed Merlin into the lighthouse, where he lived as before, and the house in the lighthouse was cleaned up and tidy, and it was clear that Tom was still a man who knew how to live, as he had been in the past.

"Isn't Arthur here?"

Merlin sat on the couch, twisted the cap, and poured himself and Tom two glasses of wine.

Back then, Tom helped him find the undersea man Vico vividly, and in a sense, Merlin was able to survive the endless doom dissipated, and Tom also had a part of the credit.

It's not an exaggeration to say that Tom is Merlin's savior.

There wasn't much estrangement between the two either, and as Tom said, although Merlin hadn't been back all these years, they would occasionally talk on the phone.

"Arthur is out to sea."

Tom leaned back on the couch, his dog was too old to run, so he could only lie at his master's feet, and the dog seemed to remember Merlin, who had been staring at him with cloudy eyes.

"He's studying oceanography at Cornell University, and this semester it's like he's gone to the Indian Ocean for an internship, and it's probably going to be a few months before he goes home."

Tom picked up the glass and clinked glasses with Merlin, and the two men drank the wine from the glass, and they chatted and talked, and the atmosphere in the lighthouse seemed peaceful.

"Oh, is it just an investigation?"

Merlin took out a few pictures in a strange tone, handed them to Tom, who took a sip of wine and said to Tom:

"Some of my colleagues in Asia have recently heard outrageous rumours about the appearance of a strange young man in the Indian Ocean, wearing a mask, rushing out of the sea to help ships that have run aground or are in danger... In just over a month, many people have been saved. ”

Merlin blinked and said to Tom:

"Little Arthur is very active, he's doing what he can with his powers, you've raised him well, Tom, but... He's a little too high-profile. ”

Tom didn't speak, he looked at the pictures in his hand, which recorded different scenes, but in each scene, a guy who resembled his son left the country.

He wears an exaggerated costume-like wetsuit, wears a quirky mask, and gestures OK to the camera.

"Well, I advised him."

Tom said helplessly:

"Before he returned to Ci'en Harbor during the summer vacation, he caused a big storm because of saving people, I didn't let him save people, I also wanted to see my children make good use of their own strength and become a hero who helped others, but... He was still a young man. ”

"Young people like to be in the limelight."

Merlin answered:

"Don't be too him, Tom, Arthur is already very restrained, at least he knows how to wear a mask to hide his identity, you don't know how crazy those young people are on the streets of New York... Compared to those 'heroes' who sell their reputation and help others in order to win applause, Arthur has performed very well. ”

"To be honest, I've always been curious about what you do, Merlin."

Tom threw the picture on the table, and he said to Merlin:

"Back then, after you and Bruce left, a one-eyed guy came to the door and looked very bad."

"You're talking about my current boss, a guy who doesn't like him."

Merlin whispered:

"I can't tell you exactly what I do, Tom, and when you can rest assured, I may not be a good person, but I have never done anything bad. Also, this time, I have brought you a piece of news that cannot be considered good, which is my answer to the news that you asked me to inquire about back then, but I hope you are mentally prepared. ”

"Huh?"

Tom blinked, he put down his glass, and he said:

"About Atlantis?"

"Yes."

Merlin Says:

"I'll bring news of your wife."

"Really?"

Tom's expression immediately became agitated, he had been waiting for his lover Atlantana to return since 1985, when she was taken away by the fierce Atlantean soldiers, but he was just an ordinary person, and he couldn't gather any news related to Atlantis.

And Vico, the undersea man who trained his children, has been avoiding him.

This gave Tom a bad feeling in his heart.

"She... Is she okay? ”

Tom couldn't help but clench his fists, and he said:

"Have you seen her?"

"No, I didn't."

Merlin said calmly:

"But I recently met an Atlantean who is supposed to be Lady Atlanta's nephew by blood, and a distant cousin of little Arthur. He told me that Atlantana was thrown into the trench by the king of Atlantis more than ten years ago... It was a punishment, and theoretically there was only one end to being thrown into the trench. ”

Merlin looked at Tom, whose face was full of despair.

Merlin went on to say:

"But you don't need to despair, Tom, I've somehow confirmed that Lady Atlanta is still alive, and it's possible that she's just hiding somewhere."

"Really?"

Tom's eyes widened, he looked at Merlin, and he said in a pleading tone:

"Can you confirm that?"

"I can confirm."

Before coming to Port of Mercy, Merlin asked Parchment, who gave him the exact answer, that Tom's lover, Little Arthur's mother, Lady Atlanta, was indeed alive.

But Merlin didn't ask where the lady was, for the parchment would certainly not be so generous with telling him exactly where it was.

Merlin also wants to help Tom find his lover, but after being warned several times of the impending news of his fate, Merlin really can't afford to make any more noise.

"This... Tom. ”

Merlin took out the parchment and handed it to Tom, who said to him:

"You can understand it as a magical curiosity, you ask it a question and it will give you an answer, but you need to pay some price."

Merlin reminded:

"The price can be heavy, and if you really want to know where Ms. Atlanta is, you can ask it."

Tom barely hesitated, he took the parchment, took a pen from the side, and wrote the question on the parchment, and after a moment, Tom's expression changed a little, and the parchment made a request to him.

But Tom didn't hesitate too much, he drew a circle on the parchment, and the next moment the old man stood up abruptly, his face full of surprise.

Apparently, he got the information he needed.

"She's alive, she's there... She waited there, she remembered me, she was clinging to our fleeting memories of bliss... Great, great. ”

Tom was so excited that Merlin had to release an Axipha seal to calm him down.

Merlin asked:

"What does it ask of you?"

Tom hesitated, and when he returned the parchment to Merlin, he said:

"I can't tell you, it keeps me a secret, but that's about you... Also related to Arthur. ”

"Okay, I'll stop asking."

Merlin put away the parchment, and he said to Tom:

"I know you're happy right now, but I still want to warn you, Tom, it's best not to tell Arthur about his mother until he's strong..."

"I understand, I understand."

Tom nodded, and he said to Merlin:

"It's okay, I can wait, both Atalana and Arthur have a lifespan far beyond ordinary people, Arthur has enough time to prepare to pick up his mother, even if I can't see the day, it doesn't matter, as long as Atalana is alive, as long as she can still meet her son, everything will be fine."

"Well, if Arthur were going to act, if I was still there then..."

Merlin patted Tom on the shoulder, and he said:

"I'll help too. That's all for today, Tom, and I'm going to meet Vico. I want to talk to him about Atlantis. ”

"Then take this with you."

Tom walked into the room, and a moment later he took the silver pendant that Merlin had used to call Vico, and he said to Merlin:

"It's still the cliff back then, Vico often appears there, this time, I won't accompany you."

"Merlin, that piece of paper just gave me some extra warning."

Tom said to Merlin:

"Don't tell Vico that Atalana is still alive... The undersea man is loyal to his king first and only then examines his own private feelings, and I fear that this news will cause trouble for Atlanta. ”

Merlin nodded, and he said goodbye to Tom, saying:

"I know, take care of yourself, Tom."

"Continue to wait with confidence for your wife to come back... You'll be able to wait for her, and don't forget to invite me for a drink when the time comes. ”