Chapter 64
As she emerged from the dizzying sensation, Jiang Liu’s vision plunged into darkness. The sound of rushing water surrounded her, like a 3D surround sound system enveloping her completely.
Even though she was used to the System’s rough methods, Jiang Liu couldn’t help but curse, wondering if they could ever adopt a gentler way of entering instances.
She was thrown unceremoniously to the ground but surprisingly felt no pain. Reaching out in the darkness, she felt beneath her and found it to be a damp, sandy beach.
Was she at the seaside?
Jiang Liu pondered this, closing her eyes for a moment to let them adjust to the darkness. When she opened them again, her vision had gradually cleared.
Before her was a boundless sea. Even the dim night couldn’t diminish its splendor. The water was a translucent, deep blue, resembling a giant sapphire from a distance.
The sky was thick with clouds tonight. The moon had barely peeked out before being shoved back into the clouds, leaving only a faint sliver of light, just enough to keep one from getting lost.
She was completely alone.
An emotionless electronic voice echoed across the empty beach:
[Legend has it that across the distant deep sea lies a magical island. Anyone who sets foot on it will be blessed by the god of fortune and receive countless gold and silver. Xiao Ya is a fisherwoman from the coast. To save her terminally ill mother, she decides to risk everything to find this Lucky Island.]
[Beneath the deep sea, a mysterious and ancient clan has lived for generations. They are beautiful, with enchanting voices, and are known as ‘Sea Demons.’ Their songs often carry a deadly power, causing every person who attempts to venture into the deep sea to be buried at the bottom. Players are requested to assist Xiao Ya in successfully crossing the sea and finding the Lucky Island.]
[Main Quest: Successfully help Xiao Ya reach the Lucky Island.]
[Optional Side Quest: ???]
[Special Declaration: This is a points-funded instance. Side quests will appear randomly based on the choices of the players. Please proceed with caution.]
[Finally, we wish you a pleasant game.]
This time was different from before. A large, blue light panel suddenly appeared in front of Jiang Liu, and a few sentences quickly refreshed on it.
Looking at the three question marks after the side quest, Jiang Liu’s exasperation was almost palpable.
She tried to reach out and touch the panel, but just as her fingertips were about to make contact, the blue light abruptly vanished, and her vision returned to darkness.
In that brief moment, she clearly saw a flash of blue light from the ring on her left hand. A thought came to her, and she silently recited “mission panel” in her mind.
The pale blue light screen appeared again, lasted for five seconds, and then disappeared once more.
“So high-tech?” Jiang Liu touched the ring and remarked in amazement. She didn’t rush to get up from the beach, instead casually taking out her phone to check it.
There was no signal at the beach, so relying on it for communication was unrealistic. Fortunately, the other functions worked. She turned on the flashlight and, after confirming that there was no one around, took out the mysterious note from her pocket.
Her pocket was soaked with seawater, and the note was wrinkled and stuck together. Luckily, it hadn’t been soaked for long, and the writing had only faded slightly—a crookedly written character for “East.”
East?
Jiang Liu frowned, unable to identify whose handwriting it was for a moment.
She had seen Yang Caisi’s handwriting and believed that even if she used her left hand, it would never be this ugly. So, who was the person trying to pass this note to her?
If it wasn’t anyone she knew, then blindly following it would only lead to greater disaster.
Jiang Liu thought for a moment, then finally stood up from the beach, crumpled the wet paper into a ball, and tossed it into the sea, where it quickly disappeared.
For something of unknown origin like this, she would just keep it in mind but would never follow it completely.
Just as Qiao Ke had repeatedly reminded her to pay attention to the people around her, Jiang Liu had simply pretended not to hear. Firstly, she didn’t trust Qiao Ke’s position. Secondly, she trusted her own judgment of people.
Even if something really went wrong, she was confident enough to handle it and ensure she remained undefeated. This was Jiang Liu’s confidence.
She stretched, held up her flashlight, and wandered around for a bit. For now, she didn’t go near the water, instead turning to stroll along the area behind her.
The beach was vast and empty, with not even a couple of trees in sight. After walking for about half an hour, Jiang Liu finally spotted a tall tree in her line of sight. After estimating the distance, she quickly leaped up and climbed it.
As they say, climb high to see far. As soon as she reached the top, her field of vision widened. She took out a pair of sunglasses from her small bag, put them on, and began to survey her surroundings.
Zhao Ziming had tossed them to her. They looked like ordinary sunglasses, but they were actually high-powered binoculars. You could adjust the magnification through small details without being noticed.
It sounded impressive, but in reality, the thing was surprisingly cheap. Because they made everything dark when worn, they were far less cost-effective than using actual binoculars.
But Zhao Ziming had been so confident at the time, saying that he had heard of someone in an instance who survived by wearing sunglasses and pretending to be blind. From then on, he had treasured them like a precious artifact and had given a pair to Jiang Liu to pass on his good luck.
In this dim light, the sunglasses were actually a good tool. Looking out, it was pitch black, except for a faint glimmer of light on the sea to her front right. Jiang Liu initially thought it was a player, but upon closer inspection, she discovered—
It was a Mermaid leaping on the surface of the water.
The so-called light was the reflection of its fishtail scales under the moonlight, a scattering of tiny sparks.
Jiang Liu narrowed her eyes, intending to observe for a moment. But to her surprise, the Mermaid’s reaction was extremely sharp. From dozens of meters away, it accurately looked up, found Jiang Liu’s position, and quickly changed direction, rushing towards her.
Its speed was simply too fast. The original glimmer of light vanished in a flash, leaving only the faint splashes of water on the sea’s surface. In an instant, it disappeared from Jiang Liu’s sight, and a sense of foreboding rose in her heart.
But no matter what, it was the only other living creature on this beach besides her. Jiang Liu decided to meet it.
The Mermaid was no longer in sight. Jiang Liu quickly jumped down from the tree and rushed to the nearest point on the shore to wait, the dagger hidden at her waist already unsheathed, quietly waiting for its prey.
The creature’s speed far exceeded Jiang Liu’s expectations.
She hadn’t even gotten close to the water when a massive wave of water came rushing at her. She didn’t dodge, instead charging straight into it. Under the effect of the sunglasses, the shimmering reflection was infinitely magnified, and even the pillar of water couldn’t hide the creature’s figure.
It wasn’t until she got closer that Jiang Liu realized it was an injured creature.
The salty sea breeze was mixed with a trace of blood, much stronger than that of a human. Half of the scales on its fishtail had been forcibly ripped off, and the remaining ones were sparsely sticking up. The surrounding water was stained with a thick layer of blood, and only the tail was feebly flapping, creating splashes of water.
The Mermaid was even more cautious than her. It had curled up into a defensive ball, with only its head floating on the surface of the water. Its wet, golden hair clung to its pale cheeks, and as soon as it opened its mouth, a strange and magical song echoed throughout the world.
Jiang Liu couldn’t describe what kind of voice it was. The moment it entered her ears, her mind became dazed, her vision blurred, and the surrounding seawater seemed to twist and was about to engulf her.
It seemed this was the ‘Sea Demon’ the System had mentioned.
She forcefully covered her ears, understanding that she couldn’t face a magical attack head-on. She had to endure the dizziness and rush forward to accurately stuff something into the Mermaid’s half-open mouth.
The song had just begun when it came to an abrupt halt.
The Mermaid stared blankly at Jiang Liu, its mouth almost overwhelmed by the sweet taste, and it forgot to move for a long time.
In its hundreds of years of life, this was the first time it had encountered a human who used this method to shut it up.
Jiang Liu, on the other hand, looked at her empty hand with a bit of heartache.
In her haste, she had pulled out the chocolate cookies she had swiped from the hotel restaurant. She had intended to eat them as a snack after entering the instance, but who would have thought she’d end up giving them to this thing?
The wind gradually dispersed the clouds, and the bright moon hidden beneath appeared once more. The beach fell into a momentary silence. The human and the fish stared at each other for a long time before the Mermaid lady finally spoke first.
“Crunch.” The sound of the cookie being bitten was clear. The Mermaid tilted its head at Jiang Liu and spoke in a crisp, childlike voice, “Delicious. Got any more?”
Jiang Liu was silent, her gaze lingering on its bloody fishtail for a long time before she bent down and pulled out two more pieces of candy from her bag.
The Mermaid seemed to be tasting sweetness for the first time. Savoring the rich flavors, its eyes lit up, and its fishtail leisurely swished in the water. It finally let down its guard and spoke in a muffled voice, “Are you also trying to cross the sea?”
“I need to help someone cross the sea,” Jiang Liu replied.
“Are you a boatman?” The Mermaid looked her over, its tone suspicious.
Jiang Liu was speechless again. Did she look like a boatman?
But reason told her it was better not to discuss such questions with a non-human creature. She quickly changed the subject. “That’s not important. I’ll help you heal. Can you help me find someone?”
After all, she didn’t even know where the so-called fisherwoman Xiao Ya was right now.
Seeing that Jiang Liu showed no signs of aggression, the Mermaid completely relaxed. Its pair of emerald green eyes blinked gently, and it took the initiative to speak, “You can call me Lin Sa. I’m sorry I can’t help, but if you can deliver a message to my mother for me, my clan can grant you one request.”
As she spoke, Lin Sa looked back at the dark sea, her expression anxious again. “There’s not much time. I have to leave soon. Are you willing to help me?”
Two question marks appeared above Jiang Liu’s head. She tentatively nodded and saw Lin Sa give a smile. She pulled a scale from her fishtail, tossed it to Jiang Liu with a pillar of water, and quickly disappeared.
[Congratulations, player, for obtaining the item ‘Mermaid Princess’s Scale’ and unlocking a side quest. Successfully infiltrate the seabed to bring Lin Sa’s message back to her clan. Upon completion, you will receive the reward ‘Lin Sa’s Promise’.]
As soon as the System’s voice faded, a beam of light from behind instantly illuminated her surroundings. The sudden, blinding light made Jiang Liu subconsciously close her eyes, and then she heard a vigilant voice from behind. “Hands up, don’t move!”
Jiang Liu raised an eyebrow, used the light and the shadow it cast to determine the person’s location, and pretended to raise her right hand as if in fear.
The person behind her had just breathed a sigh of relief when they saw her swiftly turn while raising her hand. A cold glint shot out from Jiang Liu’s right hand, striking his wrist with speed and precision. His arm trembled and went limp, and the flashlight rolled to the ground.
Before he could react, a figure had silently appeared behind him. A cold dagger pressed against his neck, and a smiling voice sounded by his ear, returning the words verbatim.
“Hands up, don’t move.”