Due to a single statement from Bu Keni, the police established a special investigation headquarters, and the commissioner ordered an immediate and thorough inquiry. A large number of investigators appeared at Luoya University, and all freshmen from the Arcane Department who had attended the wedding were called in for questioning.
The university set aside a large room for the proceedings. Aside from the students being questioned, others from different years and colleges gathered outside the door to watch the commotion. Fanli, Xinghai, and Liuxiang waited by the entrance, flanked by two police officers. One of them was grumbling under his breath, "The task Mr. Bu Keni set is nearly impossible. He didn't even see what the person eavesdropping on him and his wife looked like, yet he expects us to find them."
"Didn't he say they had ear fins? So, we're looking for a young Oceanid female, long curly hair, medium build—about one point nine to two meters tall. Since he only saw a shadow, the body color is unknown." At this point, the officer pointed at Fanli. "About this height."
Fanli quickly lowered her head, terrified that a flicker in her eyes might betray her guilt.
"Hey, aside from the hair not being long, she fits your description perfectly." The officer stepped closer, scrutinizing Fanli intently. "Has your hair always been this length, or..."
Fanli glanced at Liuxiang, who also looked somewhat surprised. Fanli was debating whether to show her student ID to prove she had always had short hair or to honestly admit she had worn it long that day. Just then, the officer looked up and barked at someone behind them, "Hey, you there! Why are you standing so far away?"
the students looked in the direction he was pointing. A male of the Flag Clan stood outside the crowd. He was tall and thin, with black hair and green eyes, his arms crossed, and a seaweed chain tied around his wrist. Fanli remembered him—he was the senior she had met at the school gate on the first day, Lina’s ex-boyfriend.
The Seaweed Senior replied casually, "I don't belong to your investigation group."
"Are you an upperclassman?" Seeing him nod, the officer continued, "Did you know the deceased?"
"We were classmates. Not close," the Seaweed Senior said with an air of indifference.
"Come inside for questioning."
"I really wasn't close to her. We barely spoke, and I didn't attend the wedding. I don't know what I could possibly tell you."
Liuxiang looked at him and tugged on Fanli’s arm. "He’s lying."
"How so?"
Liuxiang vaguely remembered that Miss Bubble had returned to campus once before the wedding.
At the time, Bubble had appeared alone at the entrance of the Arcane College. She had bent down to pick up books she had dropped all over the floor. The Seaweed Senior had gone over to help her. In the past, if she had dropped a coin, let alone a pile of books, twenty boys would have rushed to help, cleaned it with disinfectant, and presented it to her with both hands. But that day, her male fans had vanished; only the Seaweed Senior was still trying to please her.
Then, several men dressed as guards approached, warning him to stay away from Mr. Bu’s fiancée. Bubble had quickly stopped them, explaining he was only helping. The Seaweed Senior straightened the pages of the last book and handed it back to her. Though he was smiling, his emerald eyes looked hollow. "Congratulations. You’re going to be a mother soon."
"Thank you." Bubble took the book but never dared to meet his eyes. "I’m leaving."
She didn't get a reply, but she saw a card he had tucked inside the book. Unfortunately, as soon as she pulled it out, the surrounding Hunters—with their superhuman vision—caught the contents: *Cherish the happiness you have. Treat your husband well. Not every man can be like me.*
Many students present had seen the card, and Bubble had been mortified.
After recounting this scene to Fanli, Liuxiang rolled her eyes. "Miss Bubble really wasn't very bright—sorry, I know she’s dead and it’s immoral to say, but seriously. With so many Hunters around, couldn't she have waited until she got home to look at the card? Or did she just want to show off that someone was still chasing her even though she was getting married?"
Inside, the Seaweed Senior played dumb to every question. The police eventually had to let him go. As he silently turned to swim away, Liuxiang felt a surge of disgust. In high school, she had always liked him, but everyone knew he was Lina’s "property," so she had kept her distance. But after starting university, she couldn't understand why he was willing to be a backup for a shallow, power-hungry girl like Bubble. And even now, he was still trying to protect her! Frustrated, Liuxiang swam forward and said loudly, "Officer, he’s lying. He pursued the deceased. Before she got married, the two of them were quite close."
As a result, she received a cold glare from the Seaweed Senior and was pulled into the room for questioning along with Fanli.
The officer tapped his fin and said nonchalantly, "Alright, which one of you is lying?"
"He is, obviously! He chased Miss Bubble; many upperclassmen know about it. Officer, you can ask around," Liuxiang said, habitually taking the initiative.
"I’ll give you a chance to defend yourself," the officer said, looking at the Seaweed Senior.
"It involves personal privacy. I don't wish to speak of it."
"My patience is thin. If you don't talk, I’ll have to send you to the interrogation room. You can protect your privacy there."
Instead of backing down, the Seaweed Senior grew angry. "Don't bother with the interrogation room. Just kill me, alright?"
"You little..."
The officer was about to reach for his handcuffs when Fanli reached out to stop him. She turned to the Seaweed Senior. "Senior, have you considered that if you don't speak, this matter will never be resolved?"
The senior blinked. "What does that have to do with me?"
"No one will ever know how Miss Bubble really died."
The corner of his mouth twitched into a smile. He tried to look carefree, but it only came across as awkward. "We dated. We broke up."
"You dated?" Liuxiang looked at the officer. The officer raised a hand, signaling her to stay quiet and let the senior speak.
"Yes. A boring story of an ordinary male college student whose girlfriend was snatched away by a powerful old man."
The Seaweed Senior wasn't just handsome; he was Lina’s ex for a reason. He was attending university on a scholarship. His father was the chairman of a small beast-taming company, and his mother was a stay-at-home wife who looked fifty years younger than her actual age. Their household had eight slaves. He was one year ahead of Bubble and also a student in the Arcane College. They had accidentally bumped into each other while changing classrooms and became friends by chance. After that, it was a very ordinary romance between a senior and a junior. When Bubble struggled with a problem, she asked him for help; he tutored her, and one thing led to another until they were boyfriend and girlfriend.
But Bubble was famous and never dared to go public. Whenever anyone asked about their relationship, the Seaweed Senior would only say he was pursuing her but hadn't succeeded yet, protecting her reputation.
Bubble was slow to react and had poor concentration. Her social and organizational skills were mediocre at best. No matter how hard she tried, her grades always hovered on the edge of failing. He ended up writing several papers for her; the grades were always S or A, to the point where her professors questioned the authenticity of the authorship.
Then one day, Bubble suddenly told him she wanted to break up because she had fallen for someone else. He was shocked; it was the first time someone had stolen a girlfriend from him. But no matter how he tried to convince her to stay, she remained firm and then vanished. A few days after the breakup, he saw the gossip news about her dating Bu Keni. After confirming with her that her new flame was indeed Bu Keni, he offered his blessings and never contacted her again.
The police didn't think much of the story, but Fanli found it strange.
In the human society Fanli knew, there were indeed many young girls who liked to climb the social ladder. They usually shared common traits: growing up poor, facing economic and mental pressure from parents, and then entering a high-class environment through education. They might become vain and unable to resist the temptation of an older man’s resources. However, according to accounts, news reports, and interviews, Bubble was the daughter of a successful entrepreneur. Her family was harmonious, and her father doted on her. While her grades at Luoya weren't good, her beauty had secured her the help of a boy like the Seaweed Senior. If she had continued a normal relationship and married him, her standard of living would have improved significantly. Why was such an excellent boyfriend relegated to being a secret lover? And why did she sacrifice him and risk having sterile offspring just to marry an old man?
If a woman achieves social mobility through marriage, she usually doesn't gain much for herself; it’s all for the children. But Bubble and Bu Keni’s child would be infertile, making the "climb" seem even more meaningless.
"Because Miss Bubble admired the aura of a successful man like Bu Keni." This was the explanation almost every male gave for why Bubble fell for him. Fanli found this explanation too simplistic and crude.
Fanli came from a wealthy background herself. She knew that when a girl has enough financial security and family love, she is more likely to want to marry a Prince Charming rather than an old man who only offers status and resources.
Of course, perhaps the prestige of the Bu Clan was truly that dazzling, or perhaps the aesthetics of Bubble’s race were different from humans, or perhaps trying to understand non-human psychology with human logic was inherently flawed.
But Fanli soon found she didn't have to worry about the murder case much longer. Her prayers were finally answered by a news report: the Saint Yegana government planned to lift the sea-departure ban early.
She didn't have to wait three months!
Fanli felt her life fill with hope; she felt truly alive again.
After school, she took a public transport vessel to the Sea Departure Registration Bureau to apply for a permit. Then she returned to the slums, scouring discount stores for cheap alternatives to surface equipment and stockpiling discounted land-use compressed rations.
The investigation into Bubble’s case continued. Two days later, the fervor had died down slightly, and the atmosphere at school was no longer overly tense. However, Bubble’s death remained the favorite topic of conversation during meals.
On the morning of Saint’s Day, there was a lecture on Arcane Theory. Fanli met the "Double Si" couple at the door—the pair she had met in Life Arcane class. They warmly led Fanli inside and found a spot in a front-row corner. This position ensured they wouldn't be stared at by Hunters or Sea Gods, yet they could still hear the professor clearly. Their survival instinct was remarkably strong.
The couple had both come from the Red Moon Sea Outer Prefecture. The girl was named Feisi and the boy Lansi. Their names sounded like siblings, but they were childhood sweethearts who had been together since middle school. Because their grades were always first and second in their year, they were able to continue being "conjoined twins" even while studying at a university far from home.
As was her habit, Fanli yawned before class began and slowly slumped onto the desk.
"Truly a god of study. Even with something this big happening, she still sleeps her way to double S grades." Feisi opened the *Red Moon Sea Morning Post*, sighing as she looked at the photo of a radiant, smiling Bubble. "I knew her and Bu Keni would end in tragedy. Sea Gods and Oceanids sound similar, but they aren't even the same species. They shouldn't marry. They only got married because Bu Keni used some excuse about Bubble’s father saving him to fabricate a military rank for himself, just so he could barely qualify to marry her. And even if she hadn't died, marrying him wouldn't have given her the Bu Clan’s 'Flower Eye' emblem. What was she even after?"
"I don't know much about the rules of the Sea God descendants," Lansi frowned. "But why does Lina have the Auda Clan emblem?"
"Because Lina’s mother was officially promoted to Chief Steward of the Auda Patriarch this year. Since ancient times, it’s rare for a Holy Sea Patriarch to hire a Hunter as a steward, because stewards are eligible to wear the clan emblem. Now Lina’s family holds immense power in the Starry Sea; even the municipal officials of Lingu City in the Kingdom of Er have to give her mother some face. And since she’s close with Kaimo, she walks around school like she owns the place..."
Over the past few days, Fanli had learned from various sources that the Light Sea consisted of the Holy Capital and seven federal autonomous sea regions. Whether in Saint Yegana or the Seven Seas, there were well-established religious and political systems. Religion and politics often intersected, cooperating or checking one another.
The highest political leader of the entire Light Sea was called the "High Archon," and the highest religious leader was the "Great Oracle." Both resided in Saint Yegana. The highest political leader of a Seven Seas government was the "Regional Governor," and the highest religious spiritual leader was the "Patriarch."
Kaimo was the son of a general in the Glazed Legion and the nephew of the Vice Governor of the Red Moon Sea, which explained his arrogance at school. Fanli had been staying far away from that group of "second-generation" elites lately.
But what kept her on edge was the police’s relentless investigation.
Every time she saw a sea-dweller in a police uniform or heard mention of Bubble, her heart would skip a beat. She constantly told herself to stay calm, that she was the only one who could help herself now. If she lost control of her emotions, things would truly go south.
So, she kept a low profile at school, enduring the days in her usual manner. Just like now, even though her mind was sharp, she lay on the desk pretending to sleep.
Suddenly, an exuberant voice rang out, startling her so much she bolted upright.
"Whoa! You guys actually managed to latch onto the Double S Goddess!!" The boy had short, bright orange hair. His ear fins and tail were also primarily orange with horizontal white stripes, making him look particularly "warm," as if the seawater couldn't cool him down. He leaned in and extended a hand to Fanli. "Hello, Goddess! I’m Youcan. You can interpret it as 'Especially Radiant.' Hahaha!"
Fanli shook hands with Youcan. She intended to shake up and down, but found his way of shaking was side-to-side, like the wagging of a fish tail.
He had round ear fins, a textured tail, and large, round eyes. He seemed perpetually excited. "Goddess, what’s your favorite kind of shrimp? Have you ever tried Bodhi Horseshoe Crab?"
"Uh... I don't really like things with hard shells."
Fanli shook her head and yawned again, intending to go back to sleep, but Youcan wasn't about to let her go. He sat down, propping his chin on his hands, his eyes sparkling. "Then what about Tofu Dragonfish? The skin is very soft!"
"No... I haven't..."
"How about Vinegar-Pickled Amaterasu Mackerel?"
"That’s enough, Youcan," Feisi said, sounding annoyed on Fanli’s behalf. "The whole Light Sea knows you’re a glutton. Why don't you be quiet and get ready for class?"
"But class hasn't started yet..." Youcan said piteously.
"You spend all day researching food, yet you’re still as thin as a ribbonfish. Why don't you try eating a shark? It might be very nourishing," Lansi joked.
Youcan didn't catch the sarcasm. Instead, he said quite seriously, "No, that won't do. Shark meat doesn't taste good."
"How would I know if shark tastes good?"
"Even if you don't study biology, you’ve seen plenty of the Shark Clan. Sharks are terrifying! Their muscle content is over eighty percent. They can swim a hundred meters in an average of 4.78 seconds. They have 1.2 tons of palm strength—one-handed! One-handed! Their bone density is four times ours! A Great White Shark’s arcane limit is SS-rank, with an average value of 24,834, second only to the Sea Gods' SSS. They are the supreme arcane experts among the Hunters! What are they? They’re evasion-type tanks with pure critical hits and pure output, wearing seven pieces of crit gear, seven pieces of constitution gear, seven pieces of damage gear, and seven pairs of speed boots! Thinking about shark meat from that perspective—it’s definitely too tough to chew. It wouldn't taste good..." At this point, Youcan suddenly stopped, as if someone had flipped his master switch. Then, as if his soul had left his body, he let out a soft sigh. "My... Lord of the Ocean..."
Fanli was curious about what he was looking at when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned to see Liuxiang sitting down beside her.
Cascades of brown hair fell over her cheeks, swaying slightly in the water. Liuxiang impatiently tucked her hair behind her ears and pulled her textbook out of her bag before greeting Fanli’s three new friends.
Youcan was the furthest from Liuxiang. So, when she greeted him, he leaned halfway across the desk to reach out and shake her hand, as if he were afraid she might tire herself out by standing up. For this, he was cursed at by a Hunter in the back row: "Clownfish bait, get down! Your heartbeat is too loud!" Youcan wasn't angry at all. "I’m so sorry my vitality is so exuberant that it’s bothering you. Want a bite? A healthy, growing clownfish!" Clownfish were also known as anemonefish, having a symbiotic relationship with sea anemones. The Anemone Clan was Youcan’s race.
Then, Fanli saw Xinghai appear at the classroom door. He walked in, scanned the room, and his eyes met hers.
The previous day’s classes had all been electives, so she hadn't seen him all day. After everything that had happened, seeing him now felt like the relief a girl feels when she sees her boyfriend after being bullied. She stood up and waved to him. "Xinghai!" She pointed to the seat next to Liuxiang, indicating it was empty.
Youcan, Lansi, Feisi, Liuxiang, and the surrounding students all looked over.
However, as Xinghai swam in, she realized he wasn't alone. Lina, Kaimo, the Fierce Princess, and a group of Hunters were right behind him. They found their usual spots in the front row and sat down.
Xinghai glanced at Fanli and then sat down with them.
If birds could survive underwater, a crow would surely have flown over Fanli’s head right then, cawing mockingly.
"What are you doing?" Liuxiang covered her face with both hands, feeling even more embarrassed than Fanli. She didn't want to be stared at or whispered about by the other students.
Feisi gave a dry laugh and activated a soundproof barrier around the five of them, trying to lighten the mood. "Fanli’s environment back home was probably simple. She hasn't dealt with many Hunters. It’s normal."
Lansi also tried to smooth things over. "It’s fine, it’s fine. She was just being friendly. It’s not her fault the other side is so arrogant. Fanli, I don't know how things are in Luoya, but back in our high school, there were plenty of Hunter students. Our Oceanid circles and the Hunter circles never intersected."
Feisi sighed.
"It’s the same everywhere. And girls who hang out with Hunter boys often have to find an entirely new circle where no one knows them if they want to find an Oceanid boyfriend. Because no Oceanid man wants to marry a woman who had a Hunter ex. They might play around, but they won't marry her..." At this point, she pointedly looked at Lansi. "Am I right?"
"Absolutely. Honey, if you suddenly told me you’d dated an Orca or a Shark before me, I’d break up with you instantly."
Feisi turned back to Fanli. "So, for your own sake, don't take the initiative to talk to Hunters anymore, okay?"
"Ah, I see. Okay..." Fanli felt ashamed for causing them trouble.
"Can I ask why?" Youcan asked curiously.
"Youcan, why are you asking the kind of question only a brain-dead girl would ask?" Lansi slapped the desk. "Would you want to marry a woman who was a Shark man’s leftovers?"
Youcan slapped the desk right back. "Hey, you chauvinist! How can you talk about girls like that? They’re living human beings—I mean, people—not objects! What do you mean 'leftovers'!"
"Ugh, I can't talk to you..."
Liuxiang finally took her hands off her face, looking helpless. "Li-zi, I told you at the school gate. Hybrids never, ever consider themselves Oceanids. They only acknowledge the Hunter part of their blood. When you said Xinghai was a good person, I thought it was weird. Where did that good impression even come from? He’s in the circle with Kaimo and the 'Black Coral Goddess Gang.' He probably looks down on ordinary Hunters, let alone us. Calling out to him like that... do you want us all to be seen as Hunter-lickers? Sigh!"
"I’m sorry."
Unable to explain that modern human society didn't have such blatant racial divides, Fanli could only scold herself internally, vowing not to make the same mistake again. *Xinghai is a Hunter, Xinghai is a Hunter. Don't talk to him when people are around...*
But she suddenly noticed the other four had stopped talking. They were all staring in unison at the space behind her head.
Feisi blinked and deactivated the soundproof barrier.
Xinghai had been standing next to Liuxiang for who knows how long. Once they finished their conversation, he looked at Liuxiang. Liuxiang instinctively stood up at lightning speed, pulled Fanli into her seat, and sat herself down between Fanli and Feisi.
Xinghai sat down next to Fanli and placed his bag on the floor.
Remembering Feisi’s lecture, Fanli could only open her *Level 1 Arcane Theory* textbook. Her hands were stiff on the desk as she held her breath, staring fixedly at the pages, pretending to read while keeping her distance.
"Kaimo took my textbook." With that, Xinghai pulled Fanli’s book toward the middle of the desk and leaned slightly toward her.
Fanli instinctively pressed down on the book, but out of politeness, she immediately let go.
Under the watchful eyes of the surrounding students, Xinghai propped his temple on his knuckles and openly shared the book with her. He was so close; the sharp line of his jaw was clear, his light gray hair danced slightly in the water, and the beauty mark on his nose highlighted its elegant bridge. His profile was stunning.
However, Fanli was in no mood to admire his face.
She only knew that the silence around them was giving her goosebumps...
To make matters worse, Xinghai spoke: "After class, let's go buy some food for Little Sunflower."
Worse still, Fanli didn't react immediately. "Little Sunflower?"
"The pet I’m helping you raise."
Worst of all, these words were not soundproofed.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 旗族 | Flag Clan | A race of sea-dwellers, likely based on sailfish or flagfish. |
| 独.裁官 | High Archon | The highest political leader of the Light Sea. |
| 大神使 | Great Oracle | The highest religious leader of the Light Sea. |
| 海域执政官 | Regional Governor | The political leader of one of the seven sea regions. |
| 宗主 | Patriarch | The religious/spiritual leader of a sea region or clan. |
| 鲜花眼 | Flower Eye | A specific clan emblem belonging to the Bu Clan. |
| 尤灿 | Youcan | A new character, an Oceanid of the Anemone Clan. |
| 海葵族 | Anemone Clan | A race of sea-dwellers (clownfish/anemone fish). |
| 霏思 | Feisi | An Oceanid student, part of the "Double Si" couple. |
| 蓝思 | Lansi | An Oceanid student, part of the "Double Si" couple. |
| 小葵花 | Little Sunflower | The name of the pet Xinghai is helping Fanli raise. |
| 黑珊瑚女神帮 | Black Coral Goddess Gang | A social clique at the university. |
