Chapter 298: We Are Different
The Piranha-folk were in the same stretch of sea, which was definitely not good news.
But thanks to the System’s protection, those on the raft needed an Island Entry Order to land on the Piranha-folk’s island, and the Piranha-folk, in turn, needed to meet specific conditions to find the Commonfolk drifting on rafts.
Come to think of it, the System had been quiet for quite a while, surprisingly having launched no new events.
If the recent spell of bad weather had been the System’s welcome party for the second batch of arrivals, then they had all certainly experienced its "enthusiasm."
After Faye Yardley agreed to let Jennifer stay on her raft as a temporary guest and arranged an empty room on the first floor for her, the System unexpectedly piped up in approval.
[Congratulations, Player Faye Yardley, on achieving the milestone: First Invitation of a Friendly-Leaning Otherkin to Board Your Raft Outside of an Event. Reward: Personal Reputation +100.]
’There’s an achievement for this? And a personal reputation reward?’
Faye Yardley found it absurd but was also a little happy.
’Outside of an event?’
That meant it wasn’t so easy for others to encounter an Otherkin outside of an event.
Even friends on All World Communication couldn’t use Invitation Cards to come here outside of an event.
For the last Island Master mission, either the System considered that mission’s duration an event, or the island itself was actually outside the scope of the sea survival game.
Regardless, getting so many pearls for free, plus a boost to her personal reputation, left Faye Yardley feeling quite pleased.
At lunch, she even considered adding an extra dish for Jennifer.
Willow Yardley’s cooking was truly exceptional. Any ingredient she touched turned into a delicious masterpiece, and Jennifer ate so much she couldn’t stop.
Faye Yardley couldn’t fathom how a child who looked to be only seven or eight could eat enough for three adults.
After the meal, Jennifer went to play with Eamon, and surprisingly, the two got along very well.
What Faye Yardley hadn’t expected was this: she had assumed the System’s barrier would prevent Cole Kensington from finding the Piranha-folk. But not only had he found them, he had secretly killed two of them.
Fortunately, he hadn’t brought their bodies back. Otherwise, Faye Yardley would have absolutely lost it.
"Why did you have to kill?"
Cole Kensington looked at Faye Yardley, momentarily unable to answer. He was a slave now; his feud with the Piranha-folk shouldn’t cause trouble for his master. But he hadn’t thought of that earlier. When his hatred flared and no one else was around, he had acted without thinking.
"You rode Bella to get there, didn’t you? Two people are dead over there. Do you think no one would have seen Bella? She’s so conspicuous." Faye Yardley felt a headache coming on. Cole Kensington, though not old, hadn’t caused any trouble since he’d arrived—in fact, he had been a great help.
She had never even seen the Piranha-folk. She couldn’t just assume that because Cole Kensington’s particular branch of Commonfolk had warred with one particular branch of the Piranha-folk, all members of both groups were now automatically enemies.
Of course, Faye Yardley wasn’t some politician, but she felt that, at the very least, this conflict shouldn’t be dragged between the Aquarians and other, unknown groups of Piranha-folk.
"I’m sorry." Cole Kensington admitted his mistake quickly, his attitude sincere. He couldn’t guarantee that no one had seen Bella, even though Bella hadn’t gone all the way there with him.
Faye Yardley grunted. "For the next two days, your punishment is to stay on the raft and fish. You’re not allowed to do anything else."
As for Bella, she was also ordered not to go running wild in the sea.
Then, she activated the raft’s Invisibility and changed course, heading away from the Piranha-folk.
Faye Yardley didn’t care whether this made others think she was a coward.
’Even with my current abilities, which put me at the top of the individual combat power rankings, is Cole Kensington really weaker than me? Not necessarily.’
’Cole Kensington is definitely not the strongest among his people, yet the Piranha-folk still managed to crush them, capture them, and sell them as slaves. Compared to them, what do we Aquarians in this sea survival game even amount to?’
Compared to the trouble and hatred they might attract, running away was no big deal.
Forcing Cole Kensington to sit still and fish was, for him, the greatest torture imaginable.
Jennifer, however, was quite interested. And whether it was good luck or great skill, she never once reeled in an empty line.
She even reeled in two Wooden Treasure Chests that afternoon, making her ecstatic. This, of course, made Cole Kensington’s expression darken further, as he, true to form, hadn’t caught so much as a strand of seaweed.
"Sister, can I open the chests?"
Faye Yardley nodded. "You caught them, so they’re yours. Go on, open them yourself."
Jennifer gave an excited leap and spun around a few times, then, unsurprisingly, fell to the ground with a THUD. She let out a wail of pain, and instantly, pearls and beads of gold began to stream from the corners of her eyes.
Watching this, Faye Yardley really wanted to facepalm and sigh. This was already the umpteenth time Jennifer had started crying from a fall since boarding the raft.
No wonder she had so many pearls and beads of gold; it would be weirder if she didn’t.
Walking over to help her up, Faye Yardley said softly, "Don’t cry. Crying too much isn’t good for you. Hurry up and open your Wooden Treasure Chests to see what goodies are inside."
After sobbing for a while, Jennifer finally stopped. "Thank you, Sister," she said softly, a little embarrassed.
Then, she opened the two chests.
But as Jennifer opened the chests, Faye Yardley was the one who received a System notification.
[You have received the blessing of the Merfolk. Obtained: Colorful Mermaid Pearl Necklace x1.]
The items Jennifer pulled from the chests were also quite different from what Faye usually found in Wooden Treasure Chests.
Inside was a beautiful sequined dress fit for a Merling, a pair of pink leather shoes, a pink butterfly hair clip, a pink doll, and a bag of rose seeds with special Attributes.
"It’s so pretty! I’m going to change into it right this second!"
Faye Yardley quickly said, "Willow, take her back to her room to change. Jennifer, we humans have all sorts of moral codes, and one of them is protecting one’s privacy. That should be universal, right?"
It would be better to let Willow explain the specifics to Jennifer; surely the Mer-clan had some unwritten rules of their own.
Once they had left, Faye Yardley sat down next to Cole Kensington and took out a fishing rod.
After a long moment, Cole Kensington lowered his head. "Sister, I’m sorry. I was too impulsive."
"Mm."
"It won’t happen again."
Faye Yardley turned to meet his gaze, studying him for a long moment before grunting in acknowledgment again.
After Faye Yardley reeled in a massive crab, she finally spoke again. "Kingston, I can understand your hatred for the Piranha-folk, but things here... they’re different from where you’re from."