Chapter 77

“What’s this?” Jiang He belatedly came to his senses, scratching his head as he stared at the recording pen in Jiang Liu’s hand. He wondered why Zhang Xiaochen would leave him such a strange thing.

Jiang Liu clutched the pen tightly, refusing to let go, and stuffed it directly into her pocket. When she looked up, the tear was gone, replaced by a deep thoughtfulness that fell upon Jiang He. Her tone was uncharacteristically urgent. “What else did your brother say?”

Jiang He was stunned for a moment, then shook his head. “He just said to come down, that he had something to show me.”

Jiang Liu pursed her lips, the questions in her heart growing stronger.

This was left for her.

Zhang Xiaochen knew she was with Jiang He, so he used this method to leave things for her.

But what was his purpose? To help her remember her past memories?

Why would Zhang Xiaochen know about this past that even Gao Yuan was unaware of? And how did he even manage to get these things?

She took a deep breath, managing to calm the churning thoughts in her mind, then turned and strode forward. “Let’s go inside and see.”

No matter what, she had to figure out what had happened to her.

Jiang Liu walked quickly, as if suddenly in a hurry, hastily following the instructions of the Scale, not sparing a single glance for the eye-catching scenery around her.

Jiang He had just nearly drowned and was now struggling to keep up. He couldn’t help but run a few steps in the puddle to catch up to Tang Ruo, asking with a puzzled look, “What’s wrong with her?”

She used to be so unhurried no matter what happened. Why the sudden change?

Tang Ruo gave him a “don’t know” look and quickly followed.

Jiang He pouted, cursing them both for being so tight-lipped, their mouths harder to pry open than a sealed gourd.

But since he was already here, he wasn’t about to admit he was no match for two girls. He took a deep breath and followed closely behind them.

The journey was very quiet. The imagined scene of countless mermaids laughing and playing in the water did not appear. The fairytale-like underwater castle seemed to be just a dead city. Even the two children who had been secretly observing Jiang Liu from behind the reef were now nowhere to be seen.

All that was left was the sound of the three of them walking. Jiang Liu looked around and saw that every door was wide open, but there was no trace of anyone inside.

“Something’s not right,” Tang Ruo muttered. She walked a few steps forward and pushed open a door, only to see that all the living facilities inside were complete. There was even some seaweed on the table, which was probably the mermaids’ food.

Jiang Liu didn’t stop. The closer she got to the destination, the faster the Scale flickered, as if eagerly anticipating something. It finally stopped in a resplendent palace, and as if losing all its strength, it fell vertically from mid-air, caught steadily by Jiang Liu’s hand.

“We’re here.” She paused for a moment, intending to knock on the door, but unexpectedly, the magnificent door, as if sensing the energy on her, opened on its own without a breath of wind.

The scene inside was beyond Jiang Liu’s expectations.

It was no underwater wonderland, and it certainly didn’t match the brilliant decorations. Hidden behind countless pearls were innumerable severed limbs and broken bodies. The ground, covered in blood, gave the palace a cold, hard feel.

The two behind her gasped, unable to believe that this was the legendary Sea Demon clan.

They were clearly in a worse state than the players.

Countless mermaids curled their tails and huddled in the corners, only daring to peek out to observe the newcomers. The carpet in the middle had become a literal river of red. The woman on the throne at the top had a face full of sorrow, her fishtail covered in wounds, as she tentatively looked at Jiang Liu.

“You have Lin Sa’s aura on you. You’re not with those hunters, are you?” The woman’s voice was weak, and she leaned listlessly against the throne for support, her tone light but carrying a natural authority.

The path here had been all blood-red. The sudden sight of the gold of the crown on her head made Jiang Liu feel a bit unaccustomed. She held out the Scale and, after a moment’s thought, said, “Entrusted by Lin Sa, I’ve brought this to you.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the Scale seemed to sense something. It struggled to rise from Jiang Liu’s palm and flew towards the woman on the throne.

Jiang Liu didn’t know what the queen did, but she felt the whole world shake. The bloody scene before her disappeared, and a scroll painting slowly unfolded in front of her.

Most of the azure sea had been dyed scarlet. Countless mermaids were imprisoned, while the remaining few, unable to find their way home, desperately fled and hid in the water. Lin Sa’s delicate voice was tinged with urgency.

“The entire sea has been taken over by them! Mother, we must find that island. Our companions are all imprisoned there!”

The last sentence was already choked with sobs. As the heavy words fell, the slowly unfolding scroll in front of them also vanished, and the original scene in the palace reappeared, shaking everyone to the core.

Jiang He stared blankly at the woman on the throne. “What’s going on? Weren’t you the ones luring humans at will?”

This was clearly different from what the mission said. How could the mermaids… how could they have ended up in this state?

The woman sighed, a bitter smile in her eyes. “Many people have come to that island. They all want our blood to make medicine.”

The higher the level of the mermaid, the greater the value of their blood. After the toxins were purified, it was highly sought after. It was precisely because of this that they were caught off guard.

She was already very weak, her face so pale it was almost transparent, but she still did her best to pull herself together and managed a faint smile. “Thank you for bringing back news of Lin Sa. I am very glad to know she is still alive. Now you can make a request, and our entire clan will do our best to fulfill it.”

The woman was looking at Jiang Liu, her gaze already a bit hazy, clearly unable to hold on for much longer.

The air fell silent again. Jiang He and Tang Ruo, knowing they had nothing to do with this, took a slight step back, not competing for the promise, but both looking at Jiang Liu.

Jiang Liu fell silent, lowering her head in thought for a long time, so long that all the mermaids present grew anxious, afraid that this would be a request they couldn’t possibly fulfill.

Finally, Jiang Liu spoke.

“The island you mentioned, is it the so-called Lucky Island?”

The woman nodded, leaning tiredly against the throne. “That’s right. But the so-called treasures are just things our people gave away casually. It has now been occupied by humans. If you want treasure, it’s everywhere here.”

Jiang Liu finally looked up, her gaze fixed on her, her tone very firm. “There’s a fisher girl by the sea named Xiao Ya. Her mother is sick and wants to go to Lucky Island to seek medicine. Can you help her?”

Instantly, countless surprised voices arose. Someone subconsciously blurted out, “You’re not making a wish for yourself?”

“I don’t need to.” Jiang Liu’s voice was very light as she stood alone on the red carpet, her back ramrod straight.

The woman on the throne was silent for a moment, then nodded readily. “Alright. This bottle of medicine can cure all illnesses. Take it to her.”

As she took the glowing potion bottle, a smile finally appeared on Jiang Liu’s tense face. Then, she heard the electronic sound in her ear again.

[Congratulations, player, for completing the phased mission. There are now two paths to choose from.]

[One: Leave the Mermaid Sea Region and reunite with Xiao Ya. Successfully return to the initial beach to treat Xiao Ya’s mother. After completing the mission, you will successfully withdraw from the Main Quest and only receive Base Points.]

[Two: Side Quest. The legendary Mermaid Sea Region is under a large-scale attack. Princess Lin Sa has gone alone to rescue her imprisoned companions. Please proceed to Lucky Island as soon as possible to help with the rescue. Rescuing one mermaid grants five points.]

[Note: The Side Quest will activate Faction Mode. In this mode, killing enemy players also grants points. Successfully rescuing all mermaids and eliminating all enemy players will be considered a Grand Slam, and points will be doubled.]

[Please make your choice as soon as possible.]

The cold electronic voice echoed around them like surround sound, and two options suddenly appeared in front of Jiang Liu.

Everyone around her seemed to be frozen in silence, as if waiting for their answer.

She didn’t make a choice immediately, but instead turned to look at Tang Ruo and the other who had stepped back.

Tang Ruo shrugged lightly. “I’ll follow you. Besides, Xiao Rui is on the island, so it’s not a bad idea to go check.”

Although it was unlikely their group would trigger the quest, who knew if the other group of players on the island would go crazy and start attacking people. She still had to ensure her brother’s safety.

As for Jiang He, he nodded his head repeatedly. “My brother is definitely on the island. I have to go too.”

Jiang Liu closed her eyes, suddenly feeling a bit weary.

This game seemed to understand everyone’s inner thoughts completely, using people’s weaknesses to lure them in the direction it wanted.

And it wasn’t just this time. The same applied to Zhang Xiaochen and Jiang He, and Xu Meng and Tang Ruo.

So what about her? What was the reason for every step she took?

Of course, this thought was quickly dismissed by Jiang Liu, because that name appeared in her mind once again.

Yang Caisi, Xiao Si—what kind of stance was she taking in this game to push these developments?

Jiang Liu took a deep breath. Without opening her eyes, she heard her own calm voice echo in her ears, “What exactly does ‘eliminating players’ mean?”

If it meant they had to kill, wasn’t the system encouraging them to kill each other?

Fortunately, things were not as cruel as Jiang Liu had imagined.

[Causing a player to willingly give up the mission is considered elimination.]

In other words, the points for killing enemy players were purely bonus points.

Jiang Liu breathed a sigh of relief and finally opened her eyes, her voice clear and loud. “I accept the Side Quest.”

A “ding” sound echoed in her ear, the notification that the quest had been accepted.

Everyone around her came back to life. The queen NPC’s eyes were filled with worry. “My daughter Lin Sa has gone to the island alone. I am constantly worried. If you are willing, could you go and help?”

Jiang Liu nodded quickly, trying to skip the tedious plot and get straight to the point. “I’ll go help. What can you give me in return?”

“In this sea, I am all-knowing. You may ask anything.”

The queen’s eyes lit up, as if praising their courage, and even her tone carried a bit more strength.

The three of them exchanged a quick glance, and three questions were quickly thrown out.

“Is she (he) here?” — from Tang Ruo and Jiang He.

Only Jiang Liu moved her lips and asked a question that surprised everyone.