During the first five million years, Fan Li learned from the mouths of certain Sea Race prophets that millipedes had appeared on an island in the Sea of Stars. In a mere forty million years, they evolved from a lake-dwelling communal system to a forest survival system.
Over ten million years later, a behemoth second only to the *Cameroceras* in length emerged in the ocean. Weighing up to four tons, it preyed on various seafloor hunters, becoming the new overlord of the ocean for tens of millions of years; even orthocones and sharks were merely its prey. Its name was the *Dunkleosteus*. Although they did not attack the Sea Race directly, they would destroy food storage facilities and raid markets. To resist them, the Sea Race even built fifty-meter-high city walls and arcane protective nets for Saint Yegana.
During this period, the cluttered stone tablet where Fan Li’s blue-green algae resided was moved outside the city by the Sea Race. However, because it was snagged by the corner of a rock, the algae’s position remained unchanged.
Fifty million years later, ancient insects appeared on land, all of them wingless apterygotes.
Then, during the Late Devonian, a global volcanic eruption occurred on Earth, incinerating countless marine organisms. As decaying plant matter from the land entered the seawater, it consumed massive amounts of oxygen. Another mass extinction claimed the lives of innumerable creatures, causing fierce predators like the *Dunkleosteus* and *Cladoselache* to vanish completely from the stage of history. Simultaneously, the generation of Sea Race members carrying the genetic traits of the *Dunkleosteus* and *Cladoselache* also reached the end of their lineage.
Sixty-five million years later, fish evolved lungs, and some of them, like the millipedes, walked onto land...
Finally, one hundred million years ago, the Eight Great Primordial Gods were born one after another. The Lord of Ether emerged from the Temple of Memories and appeared in Saint Yegana.
In the role of an absolute bystander, Fan Li waited for the only love of her life.
Regrettably, in the ocean of a hundred million years ago, the Lord of Ether knew no one. The civilization of that era was mere child's play to him; having lost Deep Blue, he had also lost the joy of exploring the unknown. He came in haste and left in haste; his presence was powerful, yet it was but a flash in the pan, and he never appeared again.
Next came the Carboniferous period of the Paleozoic era ten million years later, when winged insects of the *Palaeodictyoptera* order were born; dinosaurs took forty million years to appear on land and in the sea.
During the Mesozoic era, the supercontinent Pangea broke apart, slowly splitting into two landmasses: Laurasia in the north and Gondwana in the south. While giant dinosaurs ruled the Earth, the most powerful creature in history—the Megalodon—also appeared. Although Fan Li had read records of the Megalodon in many history books and knew its habits, she was still shocked when it appeared in the waters above Saint Yegana, its thirty-meter length blocking the light, revealing over two hundred teeth, each eighteen centimeters long. Even more cunningly, when viewed from above, the Megalodon’s back blended with the seawater; from below, its belly merged with the sky. Strong and skilled in camouflage, it was practically a fish version of Su Shiye.
Fan Li frequently witnessed Megalodons hunting. They would always attack the prey's tail first to hinder its swimming, then leap up from below, using a bite force far exceeding that of a Tyrannosaurus Rex to crush the prey's skull in a single bite. Whenever this happened, blood would dye the seawater red, quickly flowing into the waters of Saint Yegana, leaving the Hunter tribes excited and thirsty.
Consequently, the Hunter tribes carrying Megalodon genes were also arrogant, often slaughtering the Marine tribes at will; even the Sea God race could not suppress them. Before the descendants of the Primordial Gods were born, the Megalodon tribe served as the "Lord of the Holy City"—the supreme leader of Saint Yegana—on several occasions. "Megalodon" had effectively become a synonym for ocean domination.
Once, while the Megalodon tribe was constructing a base outside Saint Yegana, they moved the stone tablet that held the blue-green algae and cast the algae into the sea. The colony of algae where Fan Li resided drifted slowly with the currents, circling the global ocean for countless cycles.
In the thirty million years following the emergence of the Megalodon, Gondwana also gradually disintegrated. One part moved toward the northern waters, becoming what would later be India; another part moved northeast and, over ninety million years, split again into the continents of South America and Africa. Africa continued to move north, India reached Asia, and the Tethys Ocean was closed off, pushing the Himalayas from the seabed to become the world's highest peaks.
During this period of constant tectonic shifts, a small portion of the Sea of Light’s script spread to the Abyss, but it failed to drive the Abyss's development. Placental mammals and primates appeared in succession, marking the imminent exit of large organisms from the historical stage. Thus, the dinosaurs went extinct. Their disappearance gave mammals more room to grow. Mammals began to increase in size and diversity. A period of volcanic activity caused ocean acidification, triggering another mass extinction where 90% of species vanished, which also created the cradle for the emergence of whales.
The Sea Race had long lifespans, and the ocean provided vast living space. Lacking the conflicts and territorial consciousness of humans, the Sea Race's civilizational progress remained slow throughout this long evolutionary history.
After the Seven Primordial Gods gradually transitioned into consciousness, their offspring—the Sea God descendants—appeared, dividing the waters outside Saint Yegana into seven parts ruled by seven Suzerains. Within the domains of the Seven Seas, every new Suzerain was a Sea God descendant, possessing a lifespan of 100,000 to 300,000 years. Initially, Saint Yegana was governed jointly by the seven Suzerains, with the Suzerain of Mise, being closest to the city, having the greatest say. However, as the other Suzerains grew dissatisfied with Mise's governance, they established the positions of Dictator and High Envoy in Saint Yegana. They decided political rulers through popular elections and religious rulers through recommendations by high-ranking Sea Race members, laying the foundation for the political form of the Sea of Light for the next thirty million years.
The first Dictator proposed the concept that "Arcane arts are the core strength of marine civilization." Consequently, the Sea of Light entered a golden age of arcane development, using arcane arts to drive the progress of traditional industry. Metal smelting techniques improved, production increased, and metal was gradually applied alongside raw materials like stone and coral in various fields.
Compared to the Seven Primordial Gods, the divinity of their offspring was weakened by the development of civilization. As they intermarried more frequently with the ordinary Sea God race, their lifespans shortened with each generation. The more they emphasized bloodline supremacy, the less they could prevent ordinary Sea God members from seeking to climb the social ladder through them. Massive intermarriage produced massive friction, tragedy, and new life. As selfishness and desire intensified, the character of the Sea God descendants became increasingly similar to that of the ordinary Sea God race. They learned to train armies, invent weapons, command fierce beasts, build fortresses, cultivate factions, and engage in intrigue... using all sorts of methods to vie for dominance over the ocean. The Megalodon tribe had always been the arch-enemies of the Sea God race, and now they were utterly incompatible with the Sea God descendants. Unfortunately, before the Sea God descendants, they were so insignificant—their lifespans were not long enough, they could not use arcane arts, and their intelligence had a ceiling. They could only fight with brawn, not wit, expressing their dissatisfaction through crime and slaughter. Because of their defiance, the Sea God race developed a strong hostility toward the Megalodons, driving away or hoarding their prey, the whales, which accelerated the Megalodons' extinction and, by extension, eliminated the Megalodon tribe as ocean overlords. Although the subsequent Shark tribes remained dissatisfied with the Sea God race, the disparity in strength was too great, and they could only resign themselves to serving the Sea God race. As for the Marine tribes, they remained like ants, struggling to survive in the cracks between powerful opposing forces.
The fact that power over the ocean had returned completely from the Hunter tribes to the Sea God race did not bring them satisfaction. During the period when the Megalodons approached extinction, the Sea God race's desire for conquest had no outlet, so they began three million years of internal strife, which spurred the invention of mechanical naval vessels.
Fan Li wandered within the endless ocean, watching the world change day by day. One day, this colony of blue-green algae was harvested by the Sea Race of the Sea of Riven Skies to be made into ornamental marimo balls. They were taken to a market and sold, kept for over two hundred years, then thrown away to continue reproducing, drifting, and circling the Earth with the currents... Finally, on one occasion, the algae returned to Saint Yegana. They were trimmed by a gardener and placed at the entrance of the newly built residence for the Dictator—the White Eagle Palace.
It was too much of a coincidence. Fan Li had thought she would never return. Although naval vessels were not yet fully ubiquitous in the Sea of Light and Saint Yegana was still filled with beast tamers and biological mounts, it was already infinitely close to the version she knew.
Because she was at the center of power, with people coming and going from the White Eagle Palace, Fan Li learned of countless political scandals and witnessed the assassinations of twenty-four politicians. Interesting and terrifying events grew more frequent, but she did not feel time passing any faster than before. Like a prisoner who has served most of a life sentence, the first few decades might pass in the blink of an eye, but the final year or two before release becomes exceptionally anxious and difficult to endure.
When the Burning Era arrived and Xing Yun visited the Dictator at the White Eagle Palace for the first time, Fan Li practically wanted to jump out of the algae colony and leave Saint Yegana with him, to follow him as he fell in love with his wife and wait for the birth of his son, Xing Hui.
On December 31, 24472, the Dictator’s wife, Suzerain Shengti, came to Saint Yegana from the Sea of Approaching Winter to spend the New Year with her husband, from whom she was often separated. In the evening, the Dictator sat with her before the gates of the White Eagle Palace, looking up together at the shimmering Sea of Starlight.
"Let's have another child," the Dictator said.
"How about calling them Breeze?"
"Why not Feng Jin? It sounds better, and it has the feeling of a gentle breeze flowing upward."
"A very tender name. Good, let's call them Feng Jin. It suits both a boy and a girl."
This old couple, whose relationship was usually cold, rarely shared such a romantic night, even though they knew that starting the next day, they would likely return to their usual business-like mode of interaction.
However, for Fan Li, the most important moment was the stroke of midnight.
As the Dictator and his wife chatted, the entire city of Saint Yegana entered the countdown. Eternal Square was brightly lit, and the synchronized shouts of the citizens rang out: "5, 4, 3, 2, 1!"
As the final shout rang out, the clock tower struck twelve. Arcane fireworks blossomed in the waters above Saint Yegana, and cries of "Happy New Year" spread throughout the city.
"It's 24473 now. Time passes so quickly," Suzerain Shengti couldn't help but lean her head on her husband's shoulder.
Yes, it was the year 24473 of the Burning Era.
Finally, this year had arrived!
Even though at this very moment, he was still in his mother's womb, Fan Li felt supreme happiness. Thus, for the next hundred-plus years, she immersed herself every day in the joy of imagining what he was doing.
Over a hundred years later, while the Dictator was conversing with someone at the entrance, he said, "In this Abyss Resistance War, there's a young boy who performed great service. His hometown is the Sea of Stars; he's very impressive."
"I know him. He has close ties with the Auda Clan, and his combat ability is leagues ahead of his peers."
Hearing this, Fan Li was beyond excited—he was coming, he was coming! The man who would change the history of the Sea of Light was about to arrive!!
Having lain like a corpse in a patch of blue-green algae for over four hundred million years, boringly performing the same vibrations for over four hundred million years, Fan Li had thought she possessed the mindset of an old woman. Yet, hearing this name, her blood still boiled.
She scurried and moved with even greater force, as if she had become the most powerful force in the universe.
As luck would have it, when the next Dictator took office, the algae colony was moved indoors. Fan Li was so angry she wanted to explode, because it meant she had no way to see the person she wanted to see from outside. She endured, counting the days as if they were years, until she heard the Dictator in the office mention Su Shiye's name with contempt, until he began to curse Su Yi and Su Shiye every day, until the White Eagle Palace stood vacant for a long time, and until a group of cleaners came in to tidy up...
Finally, on a sunny afternoon with light flooding the room, the door pushed open with a "creak," and a tall, majestic middle-aged man swam in first.
"Respected Lord Dictator, this way please."
Under the guidance of this politician, the newly appointed Dictator swam into his brand-new office.
"Just call me by my name," the young man said with a slight smile. "Su Shiye. It's simple and convenient."
At this moment, Fan Li, within the micro-particles, stopped for the first time in a long while, no longer using every ounce of her strength to move. She had only consciousness; she could not weep, and she had no heart to feel pain. Yet she knew she did not feel wild ecstasy.
She only felt that it was worth it.
Even if her life ended at this moment, it seemed there would be no regrets.
It turned out that happiness was so simple. Just to see him one more time, and it was within reach.
Su Shiye moved quickly, arriving by the window in the blink of an eye, before the stand where the marimo was placed. At such a close distance, he looked up to gaze at the scenery outside. His "Eye of Flame" yellow sapphire earring swayed gently; his face was clean and handsome, and his eyes swirled with the high-spirited flair unique to him during this period.
"The lighting here is quite good."
"Yes. The office of the Dictator of the Sea of Light must have the best lighting. Lord Su Shiye, is there anything else you need added?"
"Add a few more bookshelves to the study."
"You've seen the study? Are that many bookshelves not enough? They're all empty right now."
"Once Academician Su Yi moves in, they won't be empty anymore. Her ability to organize a room is terrible; books that don't fit will be left on the floor."
"Haha, I understand. I'll have them see to it immediately."
"Very well, Lord Su Shiye."
The Dictator stood by the window for a long time, the contours of his face cast in large shadows by the interplay of light and dark. Fan Li spent just as much time confirming everything.
It really was him. It was his appearance, his voice, his very person.
To countless members of the Sea Race, he was the majestic Dictator, the rebel against tradition, the man who always stood at the pinnacle whether in light or darkness. But as all the most beautiful and painful memories woke Fan Li from her consciousness, his face gradually became familiar and filled with emotion. Those were the emotions she had bestowed upon him, because after he left, after every night of nightmares passed and she opened her eyes, she was always filled with a heart full of heat and sorrow, longing so desperately to see this profile.
Su Shiye—this name, which held multiple meanings in the history books, had only one primary definition in her dictionary: lover. Even if they were separated by hundreds of millions of years and different dimensions of space. Even if they could never embrace again.
It is so good; I have finally seen you again.
Even in a time that has already passed, even in a river destined to flow toward tragedy, we have met again. And it was not behind an iceberg, nor in the sorrowful memories of waking at midnight, but the real you—confident, vivid, and high-spirited—breathing right before me.
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 房角石 | Cameroceras | An extinct genus of giant orthoconic cephalopods. |
| 邓氏鱼 | Dunkleosteus | An extinct genus of large arthrodire fish. |
| 裂口鲨 | Cladoselache | An extinct genus of primitive shark. |
| 古网翅目 | Palaeodictyoptera | An extinct order of primitive winged insects. |
| 劳亚古陆 | Laurasia | The northern of two large landmasses that formed part of the Pangea supercontinent. |
| 冈瓦纳古陆 | Gondwana | The southern of two large landmasses that formed part of the Pangea supercontinent. |
| 巨齿鲨 | Megalodon | An extinct species of giant shark. |
| 霸王龙 | Tyrannosaurus Rex | A species of large theropod dinosaur. |
| 独.裁官 | Dictator | A high-ranking political title in the Sea Race civilization. |
| 大神使 | High Envoy | A high-ranking religious/political title in the Sea Race civilization. |
| 米瑟 | Mise | One of the seven regions/Suzerains. |
| 裂空海 | Sea of Riven Skies | A specific sea region. |
| 临冬海 | Sea of Approaching Winter | A specific sea region. |
| 圣提 | Shengti | Name of a Suzerain. |
| 风晋 | Feng Jin | The name chosen for the Dictator's child. |
| 永恒广场 | Eternal Square | A landmark in Saint Yegana. |
| 奥达 | Auda | Name of a prominent clan. |
| 苏伊 | Su Yi | A character, referred to as an Academician. |
| 焰之眼 | Eye of Flame | The name of Su Shiye's sapphire earring. |
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