Chapter 295 - 214: The Tables Have Turned
"Meowwaah..." Xiaoyue struggled to break free, trying to say she couldn’t breathe.
"Hmph." Shao Ya sighed with a smile.
’The rebellious kid was just sent away, and now I’m getting a taste of teenage angst.’
’And here I was talking about Xiaolan. Aren’t I just as bad? I used to look after Su Zhi like a little brother, but now *I’m* the one who’s lost, unsure how to approach him.’
"Maybe I’m overthinking this. It’s probably best to just let things happen naturally."
After a moment of thought, the girl murmured softly, it was unclear if she was speaking to Xiaoyue or to herself.
"If he forgets to eat, I’ll bring him food and then scold him. If he wants to cry, I’ll lend him my shoulder. If he forgets something when he goes out, I’ll bring an extra one, wait until he’s desperate, and then let him borrow it..."
"If he’s trying to get stronger, then I’ll get stronger too, so I can be his rock when he needs me. What do you think, Xiaoyue?"
"Meow-wow-meow."
Xiaoyue gave up trying to think.
He was just a little kitty. He really couldn’t understand such complex human topics.
"Alright, no more confusion!"
Her thoughts clear, the girl stood up and clapped her hands. "Time to go back to sleep!"
Xiaoyue let out a long yawn and followed her Beast Tamer back. ’I have no idea what we even accomplished by coming out tonight... Oh well, as long as she’s happy...’
The deep sea grew quiet in the night.
Su Zhi slowly emerged from behind a coral reef. A smile played on his lips as he watched the backs of the girl and her cat.
’You’ve always been my rock, you dummy.’
"Shan Bao, let’s teleport back. We can’t let them find out we’re not in bed."
"CHIRP!" Shan Bao’s excited reply came from the Beast Taming Space.
’I don’t know why Su Zhi is out here spying on people in the middle of the night,’ Shan Bao thought, ’but if I connect this to what Big Brother Yu Bao said... seeing Big Sister Shao Ya off downstairs was a secret ritual for getting stronger...’
’Then this must be some kind of new ritual, right?’
’I’ve now mastered a power-up ritual that even Big Brother Yu Bao doesn’t know—helping Su Zhi spy!’
’Yay!’
With a flash of Golden Light, Su Zhi vanished from behind the coral reef.
Not far away, the dark waters began to stir. The currents took on a specific shape, eventually revealing the figure of Han Lan.
Water Element High Level Extraordinary Skill: Hidden Water Field.
After exiting his hidden state, Han Lan stared at the coral reef, his expression complex.
"ROAR." The water behind him stirred once more, forming a slightly smaller Fish Dragon that bowed its head to report to Han Lan.
’Xiaolan has arrived safely at the Dragon Palace. The human girl escorted her back.’
"AWOOO!" Two more Fish Dragons swam over and reported two matters in succession.
’First, the foreign affairs elder and the Purity Abyss Alliance diplomats have reached a preliminary consensus. The two sides will meet tomorrow morning to discuss the specifics of establishing diplomatic relations.’
’Second, Abyssal activity has become increasingly frequent in recent years. The Common Defense Alliance hopes the Fish Dragon Race will join the united front to help resist the Abyssal invasion...’
’I know. You can all leave now.’
Han Lan shook his head, a hint of impatience showing. These were all important matters, but he wasn’t in the mood to hear them.
The Fish Dragons departed, and Han Lan swam alone to the coral reef. He leaned against the familiar yet strange structure, lost in thought for a long time.
Finally, as if he had made a decision, he let out a stream of bubbles.
·
「The next morning.」
Sunlight couldn’t reach the deep sea, but its inhabitants had their own unique way of sensing day and night.
When the Exotic Beasts known as Sunfish began to emit a soft, warm, and powerful glow, the slumbering sea life knew a new day had dawned.
*The principle is similar to a rooster crowing.*
"QUACK~" Xue Li stretched lazily and let out a cheerful cry.
This was the first morning she’d greeted as a Wave-Riding Duck. Full of ducky energy!
"Su Baby, you’re awake?"
The moment Su Zhi opened his eyes, he saw the girl lying beside him, her chin propped on her hands. She was watching him with that same motherly gaze as always. ’And to think, last night she was so confused she had to run off to clear her head.’
"Mhm."
Su Zhi remained impassive and replied with a smile, "I think I heard you sleep-talking last night. What were you dreaming about?"
"Huh?" The girl’s face flushed, and she grew instantly nervous. "I—what did I say?"
Su Zhi yawned casually. "I’m not sure. I only caught a few words here and there. Something about ’Su Baby,’ something about ’trying to get stronger,’ and something about being a ’rock’..."
"St-stop talking!"
Shao Ya’s face grew redder and redder as she scrambled to cover his mouth.
"It was a game! I’ve been playing one of those text-based games lately!"
"Oh, is that so? Well, it’s fine to play games, but you should also remember to ’try to get stronger,’ you know~"
"Mhm..."
The girl turned her head away, her face burning. ’Why do I suddenly get the feeling he has me wrapped around his little finger...’
’But I never talk in my sleep... How did he know? And how did he know those exact words? That’s too much of a coincidence...’
’Could it be... he was eavesdropping when I went out last night?’
’He... how dare he!’
’If he did, I’ll kill him!’
It was as if their roles had been completely reversed today.
The girl, flustered, tried to hide her thoughts, while the boy wore a teasing smirk. And so, a new day began.
·
Han Lan had diplomatic matters to attend to that day, so he left after breakfast. An elder of the Storm Fish Dragon clan came to host Su Zhi and his party.
Along the way, a Fish Dragon came with a message. As Ke Yan was an Alliance Member, the Common Defense Alliance required his presence at the meeting.
Ke Yan had no choice but to begrudgingly give up his paid vacation and head off to deal with official business.
Su Zhi and the others waved a reluctant goodbye to their instructor, so heartbroken they could only laugh.
After Ke Yan’s departure, the Elder Fish Dragon led the group to a massive stone passageway. The walls were lined with countless caves, and from each one, the calls of one or two Fish Dragons could be heard. Some caves even housed other Ocean Exotic Beasts.
The Elder Fish Dragon explained to the group: *This is the market under the jurisdiction of the Fish Dragon Race. Besides Fish Dragons, other members of the Sea Race also come here to trade.*
"WOOF! WOOF!"
Yu Bao, meanwhile, was enthusiastically translating the vendors’ calls for Su Zhi:
*Fresh fish for sale! Freshly caught big fish! Three small fish for one big one!*—from a fish stall.
*Building a blessed deep sea, warming the hearts of thousands of fish! Your perfect home is our top priority!*—from a nest-realty agent.
*Five hundred dried fish for one session! Seven hundred for two! Group fish welcome, no wrap, swallowing is...*
"Okay, let’s not translate that one!"
Seeing a female Fish Dragon holding up two indescribable mounds with seaweed straps and winking flirtatiously at passing male Fish Dragons, Su Zhi felt his skin crawl and quickly covered Yu Bao’s eyes.
He was experiencing a bit of Fish Dragon-induced culture shock. Apparently, there were some significant differences between human and Exotic Beast cultures—for example, this sort of transaction was conducted openly in the market...
Then again, thinking about the still-vigorous Han Lan Clan Leader, Su Zhi pursed his lips and figured it actually made sense.
The Elder Fish Dragon bowed its head to Su Zhi. *The Clan Leader has already spoken with the merchants. Please, take whatever you fancy. We will settle the costs with the merchants afterward. I shall not disturb you further.*
"Take care!" Su Zhi thanked the Elder Fish Dragon. "And don’t you worry, we won’t stand on ceremony! We’ll make sure you have a good report to give!"
The rest of the group struggled to hold back their laughter. The Elder Fish Dragon seemed amused by his words as well, grinning wide before nodding and departing.
Aided by the Vast Sea Condensed Pearl, the group wandered unimpeded through the market.
Cao Mingyu and Liu Yuhang went off to pick out resources. Fang Yuan took Lilith and left on his own, off to buy who-knows-what.
The Fish Dragon Market was far larger than any human shopping street.
If you ignored some of the less-than-reputable transactions, the place was actually a rare treasure trove.
"I knew you’d be looking at the naughty stuff."
Su Zhi tapped Yu Bao on the head. "We’re out on vacation, so you’ve been slacking on your training, haven’t you?"
"ARF!" Yu Bao seemed a little panicked.
’Are you kidding me? This is the deep sea! My Skills are all Earth Element and Fire Element! It’s hard enough just to use them here!’
"Yeah, yeah, you’re right," Su Zhi said with a knowing smile, tucking his hands away. He’d only brought it up casually and had no intention of arguing with the little guy.
But seeing Su Zhi’s dismissive attitude, Yu Bao got fired up, determined to find a way to show him a Skill...
"Su Baby, hurry! I found something cool for you!"
Just as Yu Bao was struggling to cast a Skill like a person trying to hold in a fart, the girl’s excited shout suddenly came from a nearby stall.
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