After dinner, the Double Si couple headed home. Fan Li, Hong Meimei, and Xing Hai made their way toward the slave market.
As darkness descended, the Light Sea underwent a complete transformation, like a parade of a hundred ghosts. A massive influx of deep-sea inhabitants began their vertical migration into the territories of the Light Sea. Humboldt squids—dubbed "Red Devils" by Spanish fishermen—stretched their two-meter frames, flashing red and white signals to their kin. In their pursuit of lanternfish, they chased their prey from the Twilight Zone into the Sunlight Zone, sometimes even leaping above the surface. Oarfish, the longest bony fish in the world at fifteen meters, rose from a thousand meters below. Sporting "crowns" atop their heads, they snatched up small crustaceans hurrying through their shallow-water commute. Greedy tiger sharks also emerged to forage; driven by a predatory instinct that saw them replace over twenty thousand teeth in a decade, they devoured every living thing in sight. Manta rays remained active day and night, spreading their soft, flat wings like floating banners as they swam in circular patterns, using the resulting currents to drive prey into their traps—the ultimate aesthetic of an ocean dancer.
Watching the dynamic beauty around them, Hong Meimei made a "shh" gesture. "We have to be careful. The Abyssals also have the habit of vertical migration."
Without the sun, the pitch-black outskirts of Luoya looked somewhat terrifying. However, countless firefly lamps drifted and swirled with the waves, keeping the slave market brightly lit.
Though she knew slavery was legal in the Light Sea, the actual sight of slaves being traded gave Fan Li a profound shock. They were kept in iron cages, barely clothed. Large cages held crowds, while small ones held individuals. Every slave had an iron chain fastened around their neck or tail fin, which was then securely locked to a railing. Passing buyers would haggle with slave owners, prying open the slaves' mouths to check their teeth or squeezing their muscles.
Most slaves were criminals, prisoners of war, or the descendants of slaves. Almost all were of the Sea Race; hybrids were rare and cost five times more, while members of the Predator Race were even rarer, their prices ten or dozens of times higher. Beside the stalls of wealthy slave owners stood fierce, burly men wearing red crowns and armed with tridents and fish-crossbows. These were "Slave Hunters," specialists in tracking down runaways.
"Sigh, they’re still so expensive," Hong Meimei remarked, checking the prices one by one. "With such a steady supply of slaves these days, why is the price still so high?"
"The price is... high?" Fan Li double-checked the figures. An ordinary slave cost only three to five hundred Drops—you could trade a dozen of them for one Arcane Arts textbook.
"Yeah, didn't you know? In the last era, the price of a slave once dropped to 4 Drops. Back then, slave owners with a thousand slaves were as common as cow hair."
"4 Drops? Are you serious..." Fan Li touched her pocket, suddenly feeling as wealthy as a nation.
"That was a special period," Xing Hai said, shaking his head. "Post-war economic decline, deflation, and the government and military were desperate for money. A massive influx of prisoners of war and criminals flooded the market. Many poor people couldn't afford to eat and sold their children to slave owners. Besides, there’s a huge difference between 1 Drop back then and 1 Drop now."
Hong Meimei curled her lip. "True. And during wartime, many slaves hoped to gain property through battle to redeem themselves. Those clearance prices were just a temporary frenzy—a bubble. I’d better just keep saving up."
"Why do you want to buy a slave?" Fan Li asked.
"Once we’ve saved enough, the three of us plan to move to a bigger house. Naturally, we’ll need a slave to go with it."
"Aren't we all part of the Sea Race? Why enslave our own kind?"
"Own kind?" Hong Meimei looked at her as if she were a monster. "Fan Li, no one in your family is a slave, right?"
"No."
"Good. Otherwise, I wouldn't be friends with you. Don't go around saying 'own kind' so carelessly in the future."
Fan Li felt her cultural values being overturned. Why would a member of the Sea Race living in the slums discriminate against a slave of the same race?
After listening in silence for a while, she realized that even if the race was the same, a slave was the property of a citizen and possessed no legal personal rights.
To Fan Li, this was an incomprehensible phenomenon.
As loneliness intensified in the modern human world, a large number of "pooper scoopers" had emerged who pampered their "masters" to the heavens. Economic reports from 2019 showed that cat food sales in Chinese online stores had surpassed baby food; the status of animals was nearly higher than that of humans. But to the Sea Race, slaves were lower than animals.
Seeing those emaciated slaves locked in cages, contrasted with the slave owners nearby who were so fat they practically glistened with oil, a nameless fire slowly rose in Fan Li's heart... Looking at Hong Meimei, she even found her a bit detestable.
Born into such a harsh environment, what fault did these children of the Sea Race have?
As fellow living beings—even of the same race—how could they discriminate and trample upon one another like this?
It was a good thing she wasn't born into this world; otherwise, she would probably be too angry to eat.
Just then, a slave owner swam over and gestured for them to follow. He was obese with dark skin, wearing an exaggerated emerald and gold ring on his right thumb, looking like an Arab butcher who had struck it rich overnight. Xing Hai didn't intend to pay him any mind, but Hong Meimei went over out of curiosity, and Fan Li followed.
The slave owner introduced a boy displayed alone in a large cage. "This one is a high-quality slave from the 'High Intelligent One' bloodline. He's only fifty-five, but his tail is already very long; he’ll be a large-framed slave in the future. He has the distinct temperament of the 'High Intelligent One,' and his adult weight is expected to reach 170 pounds. One eyebrow is slightly higher than the other, but otherwise, he is perfectly symmetrical with flawless ear fins. We don't neuter our slaves; he can be kept as a breeder later. He’s already been vaccinated against parasites and had a full physical. He’s yours for just this much." He held up his fingers to indicate a price.
The boy in the cage had a pale gold tail and ear fins, rose-colored hair, and eyes the color of the deep sea. His features were delicate and regular, like a child star from a classic old movie. Seeing the customers approach, he curled into a ball, trembling violently. The iron chain at the base of his tail fin had rubbed the skin raw and bloody; rust was mixed into the wound, and Fan Li wondered if he would get tetanus...
"'High Intelligent One' bloodline? Boss, you're impressive, being able to get your hands on such high-end goods."
Hong Meimei was about to reach out and touch his head, but the slave owner blocked her. "Wait, this stock is from Feili Town in the Starry Sea; no touching. We only do pureblood slave breeding; we don't sell second-hand goods."
"Is there a certificate?"
"No certificate. If there were a certificate, it would definitely be a fake."
Hong Meimei looked at the slave with great satisfaction. "Boss, is this from the 'High Intelligent One's' paternal or maternal line?"
The slave owner partially covered his mouth and leaned in, lowering his voice. "The grandchild's line."
"Grandchild? How is that possible? I've never heard of the 'High Intelligent One' having children. You're selling fakes."
"How is it impossible? The news was just suppressed by the Holy Capital. The 'High Intelligent One' does have descendants, and they were bred right there in the Starry Sea."
"No, I still don't believe it."
"I've been in the slave trade for fifty-eight years. Do you think I know less about the inside of this industry than you? Believe it or not, it's up to you."
"Forget it. If it’s true, I wouldn't dare keep him. If I were caught, it would be the death penalty."
"If you don't tell and I don't tell, who’s going to know who his grandmother was? Just keep a low profile. Well? Why don't you let your friend consider it? Buy him to play with at home?" The slave owner’s small eyes darted toward Xing Hai.
In truth, he had set his sights on Xing Hai from the start, not Hong Meimei. Although Xing Hai was a hybrid, his appearance was superior and his temperament noble and elegant—he had more presence than many of the Sea God Race. To the owner's seasoned eyes, he was likely the illegitimate son of some powerful noble. Such people didn't lack money; what they lacked was status and the pleasure of standing above others. They were the most generous customers in his line of work.
"I don't buy fakes. Let's go." Xing Hai walked away without looking back.
They wandered to the end of the market and rested in a relatively secluded spot. After swimming all day, Fan Li was a bit tired. She stretched and asked with feigned nonchalance, "Actually, I don't understand. Who is the 'High Intelligent One'?"
Hong Meimei looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping, then leaned into Fan Li's ear and whispered, "Lord Su Shiye comes from a commoner background and has a non-biological younger sister. This sister’s IQ was off the charts. Later, during the war, the siblings were separated for a few years, and during that time, she was sold into the slave market. 'The High Intelligent One' refers to Lord Su Shiye's sister. A 'High Intelligent One' slave refers to a slave who carries the bloodline of that sister’s biological parents or their relatives."
"You mean... Su Yi?"
"Oh right, I just remembered, you study Arcane Arts, so you definitely know Su Yi. Yes, it's her. You didn't know she was once a slave, did you?"
*What on earth? Mom was a slave?!*
Impossible. She didn't believe a single word these liars said! But she quickly thought of something else—
"Wait, Su Yi and the Dictator aren't blood-related?"
"They’ve never said so publicly, but the slave owners all say they aren't."
"Are you sure?"
"Not certain, but I think so. After all, Su Yi looks like a member of the Sea Race no matter how you look at her, while the Dictator is a purebred Predator. It's impossible for them to be blood-related."
*So, this uncle might not even be a real uncle...*
"If the Dictator found out about this, wouldn't it be a huge disaster?" Fan Li asked, puzzled.
"Documents have already come down from above. Nowadays, if a slave owner is caught selling a 'High Intelligent One,' the only outcome is death. It's just that we're in the Red Moon Sea, and Saint Yegana's reach is limited. But that boss's story just now was absurd. He said that boy was the 'High Intelligent One's' grandson because she had bred with other slaves. Actually, Lord Su Shiye is over two hundred years old; if the 'High Intelligent One' had children early, it's theoretically possible for her to have grandchildren. But I still think the numbers are so small, there's no way we'd happen upon one so coincidentally."
"But with the Dictator's current status..." Fan Li felt something was off no matter how she thought about it. "Wouldn't it be easy for him to redeem all of his sister's distant relatives? Why would he allow them to continue languishing in the slave market?"
Hong Meimei clapped her hands hard. "That makes sense! Why didn't I think of that? Fan Li, that little brain of yours is too sharp!"
"Rumors spread in patterns. When the cost of accepting a rumor is much lower than the cost of verifying it, it spreads exponentially. The cost of accepting this rumor isn't high."
"Oh!" Hong Meimei didn't understand.
Xing Hai hadn't spoken the whole time. He was swimming fast, pressing his hand against his forehead, his body swaying as if his head weighed a thousand pounds. But Fan Li was talking to Hong Meimei and didn't notice.
As she swam leisurely with Hong Meimei along the slope of a seamount, Fan Li suddenly stopped. She noticed a large expanse of snow-white minerals ahead; if she hadn't looked closely, she would have thought it had snowed in the ocean, leaving behind a snowy mountain range. She said suspiciously, "Why is that patch of coral over there white?"
"Fan Li, is your eyesight that good? Why does it still look blue to me..." Hong Meimei rubbed her eyes, but with fewer cone cells than Fan Li, she couldn't see the colors clearly. She squinted for a moment, then suddenly turned and shouted, "Oh no, we have to leave, now!"
"What's wrong..."
At that moment, four young Sea Race girls swam rapidly toward them, letting out faint, trembling whimpers. "What should we do? The coral is bleaching... are there Abyssals nearby? We're so scared..."
Fan Li felt only a sense of danger but had no idea what was happening. One of the girls was shaking the hardest, crying as she said, "Sister, please hold me, I'm so scared, save us..." She slowly approached Fan Li.
Her small face was covered in rolling tears. Fan Li felt a momentary pang of pity, her eyes glazing over. Just as she was about to go up and hug her, she heard Xing Hai's voice ring out from behind: "Get back!"
Simultaneously, the girl's eyes turned completely blood-red, sharp fangs extended from her mouth, and her fingernails grew by more than five centimeters. Her body bulked up, her muscles tensing in a single second. Letting out a raspy hiss, she lunged to bite Fan Li's neck! She was too fast; Fan Li didn't have time to retreat. Just as she thought she was done for, she was knocked aside by a powerful wave of water.
The four girls transformed into black-haired Abyssals with red eyes and fangs, sent flying fifteen meters away by that water wave. But their counterattack was lightning-fast. Fan Li saw a figure dash forward like a bolt of white light, blocking their path and successfully drawing their ire. They stopped attacking Fan Li and Hong Meimei, roaring as they charged at that "lightning bolt"!
Four dark shadows and one white light collided, separated, tore at each other, shifted positions, and collided again... it was a dizzying blur. It wasn't until waves of water buffeted her and the scent of blood in the seawater entered her gills that Fan Li realized this wasn't a dream, but a real scene.
The white light was Xing Hai. He held a short dagger, locked in combat with the Abyssals.
Soon, two of the dark shadows were defeated, their necks slashed. They fell heavily to the ground, kicking up thick clouds of silt. The third was enraged beyond measure and bit down on the arm Xing Hai used to hold the dagger. With a *clang*, the dagger fell into the mud! The Abyssal thrashed her body and tail violently, trying to tear his arm off, but golden lightning danced in his palm, quickly condensing into a sphere that he slammed down onto her head. She let out a muffled groan and tried to escape, but her body was hit by a powerful current, leaving her trembling at a high frequency.
The last Abyssal was caught between advancing and retreating. She hadn't eaten in twelve days, but the Light Sea inhabitant before her didn't seem as weak as they had predicted.
Fan Li glanced at the dagger buried in the sand, went over to pick it up, held it high, and swam toward the last Abyssal. The Abyssal looked at her, then at Xing Hai, and was so terrified she bolted toward the edge of the cliff and jumped off without looking back. Hong Meimei wanted to follow and look, but Xing Hai said, "Don't. There might be more down there. We need to leave quickly."
Only then did he cast aside the unconscious Abyssal he had electrocuted. As he swam, he pressed his hand against his wound. Fan Li took a bottle of healing medicine from her bag and went over to help him apply it, only to see blood continuously diffusing into the seawater from between his fingers. She gently pulled his hand away and found the bite was very deep—she could vaguely see bone. Her face crumpled in worry. "Xing Hai, you... you're hurt so badly. Let's get to a hospital..."
"It's fine, just a minor injury."
Xing Hai threw the three unconscious Abyssals over the cliff, then led the girls toward the center of Luoya, using Arcane Arts to heal himself as they swam.
Hong Meimei watched his wound slowly knit back together, looking at him with the wonder of someone who had found treasure. "Fan Li, this classmate of yours is amazing. One against four—truly worthy of being a shark."
"Yes, yes, the way you saved us just now was so cool!"
Seeing the stars in Fan Li's eyes, Xing Hai smiled and said faintly, "If I were truly strong, I wouldn't have been injured."
"Don't be modest, those were Abyssal Predators!" Hong Meimei exclaimed.
"Actually, I didn't have the strength left to deal with the fourth one, but she saw Fan Li holding a dagger and was actually scared into jumping off the cliff. She was too young—timid and lacking combat experience."
Fan Li laughed. "So, my little act was useful after all? Did she go back to the Abyss?"
"Yes."
Hong Meimei shuddered. "I've only ever seen Abyssals at the execution grounds before. I didn't know they could shapeshift..."
"A large portion of Abyssals have the abilities of a mimic octopus. Their predatory instincts have caused them to evolve many traits that Light Sea inhabitants don't have—such as shapeshifting, color-changing, becoming transparent (which is essentially invisibility), and bioluminescence in the dark. Not to mention the fangs and claws; all deep-sea fish look like that."
"How terrifying."
"Light Sea inhabitants are more terrifying, because we are the ones who made them this way. The ancestors of the four Abyssals we just fought were close relatives of ours, but they can only live in the abyss and the darkness. Just like gulper eels, Abyssals can never see the sun in their entire lives. At most, they follow migrating creatures up to hunt; the rest of the time, they remain motionless in the abyss—to reduce energy consumption."
"No wonder all the ghost stories I've heard since I was a kid are about the deep sea." Hong Meimei’s face was pale, and she gave herself goosebumps just talking about it. "Think about it, if we fell down there, we'd be eaten by a swarm of Abyssals until not even our bones were left."
"That's how it is. As long as they are in our territory, they are very afraid of Arcane Arts. But once we are in their territory, even if their level of civilization is far behind ours, we are at a disadvantage. The Abyssal Illusion alone is enough to put us on the defensive."
The Abyssal Illusion occurred because, during the evolutionary process, the danger of a Light Sea inhabitant falling from a height was greater than the danger from above. The estimated height from a high point looking down would be much greater than the estimate from a low point looking up. For example, if the abyss below that cliff was a hundred meters deep, their vision would tell them it was three hundred. This was a massive error in combat. Thus, for over four hundred million years, the Light Sea had been plagued by the abyss, yet remained helpless against these fearless Abyssal demons.
"Well, there's no helping it. Everyone wants to live where the sun shines," Hong Meimei sighed. "I once dove to the edge of the Twilight Zone, and I was completely overwhelmed by a sense of dread..."
They returned to the slave market and were about to head to the hospital when they saw a crowd gathered around the execution platform. Hong Meimei clicked her tongue. "Oh, another beheading."
"Looks like more Abyssals were caught."
Fan Li curiously poked her head out to look, only to see an Abyssal screaming hoarsely and angrily amidst a chorus of cheers as he was forcibly pinned to the guillotine. Then, the executioner released the hundred-kilogram blade. Without even the priest's prayer afforded to ordinary criminals, his life was ended.
Blood stained the seawater red. The head, eyes rolled back and expression furious, rolled lightly on the ground before being bagged by the judicial department and tossed to a pack of hungry tiger sharks.
Fan Li was stunned senseless by this barbaric and cruel scene, unable to even let out a cry. Then she noticed that not a single person in the crowd felt afraid; instead, they were discussing it as if they had watched a good show, some even jeering. Thinking that using the forbidden soul-exchange art would lead to such an end, Fan Li felt her neck grow cold and her head feel precarious. The fear of death gnawed at her nerves like a swarm of termites.
But before the first shock could pass, another eerie sight appeared before her. Under the shoving of soldiers, the civilians on the road automatically made way. Two morticians swam to a higher position carrying a stretcher. On the stretcher lay a corpse that had stained its white shroud red. Even though it was covered, one could see that the left side of the body was nothing but bone, propping up the white cloth like a clothes hanger; the right side was intact, bulging the fabric high.
"That slave owner from before is dead?" Fan Li said in shock.
"That way of dying... it must have been the work of an Abyssal," Xing Hai said.
The morticians swam quickly, and the corpse's right hand slipped out from the stretcher. It was a fat hand, wearing an emerald and gold ring on the thumb. But soon, the hand was pushed back and covered again under the blood-stained cloth.
Later, Hong Meimei went home, and Fan Li accompanied Xing Hai to the hospital to have his wound dressed. After coming out of the treatment room, Xing Hai looked down at her. "Are you okay? You've looked worried since earlier."
Fan Li's mind was filled with the falling head of the Abyssal and the hand wearing the ring; her thoughts were a mess. She lowered her head, shook it vigorously, and swam out of the hospital.
Luoya at night had a stillness that came after the bustle had faded. The waves felt as if moved by a great wind, carrying calls from the surface and whispers from the depths, stroking the salt-submerged grasslands and swaying the crimson coral clusters that looked like flowers of life.
Seeing Fan Li just swimming forward with her head down, Xing Hai followed closely by her side and said softly, "If it's not inconvenient to say, is there anything I can do to help you?"
"I..." Fan Li stopped, her pleading eyes half-hidden by her hair. "I... I want to go to the surface. Can you help me?"
"Going to the surface isn't difficult, it's just that there's a sea-exit ban right now. Once the ban is lifted, I can take you anytime."
"But how much longer until it's lifted?"
"I don't know... hasn't the Holy Capital already released news? It might be half a month to a month at most."
Too long. She was afraid that before then, her head would already have rolled. She said with a hint of entreaty, "Xing Hai, about wanting to leave... I've only told you."
"Mm."
Although it didn't sound like a major matter, Xing Hai could already sense that this was a very important secret to her. He swam side-by-side with her for a while longer, gazing at the dreamlike swarms of bioluminescent jellyfish in the distance, and smiled. "In your hometown, what are the wedding vows like?"
"Whether in poverty or wealth, in sickness or in health, I am willing to share your hardships and grow old together until death do us part... that sort of thing."
"It's similar in my hometown. But we also include religious vows to the Ancestral Gods. I'm an atheist, so I don't think vows of love made for the sake of a deity are particularly great. What's great is a man defying his DNA's instincts to selectively sacrifice himself to love his wife."
"Are you thinking of your father?"
"Yes. I remember how much he loved my mother, and I remember him telling me that if I met a girl I loved, I should treat her with all my heart. I also remember my parents trying everything they could to make sure I survived. But it seems their efforts were in vain."
"Why?"
"My health is very poor." Xing Hai paused. "I have severe Negative Memory Consumption Syndrome."
"Negative Memory Consumption Syndrome?"
"Yes. I often get headaches, and in severe cases, I fall into a state of suspended animation. This state usually lasts fifteen minutes to half an hour. After waking up, my health isn't affected, but large gaps appear in my memory—and these gaps seem to have been very painful memories. For example, I know I had a long period of unhappiness during my childhood—I saw it in essays I wrote in elementary school—but I have no impression of it now. I also don't remember the events around my parents' deaths or how I felt then. Because of the large gaps in my memory, I often check the time and date after regaining consciousness and find they don't match up."
*There's actually such a disease in the Light Sea...* Fan Li was surprised, but also felt very worried for Xing Hai. "A life completely without sorrow... it seems hard to imagine."
"Sorry, Fan Li, I've made you uncomfortable." Xing Hai smiled helplessly. "I'm only telling you this as an exchange of secrets. I've only told you this, as well."
"Mm, I won't tell anyone else."
After the day's experiences, Fan Li missed her old life even more. She missed her father, her old friends, her university admission notice, everything about the human world...
She had made countless plans for her future departure, but she hadn't expected that day to come so soon.
The next morning, Fan Li swam to the first floor, intending to check the news and books before going to the Marine Expo to see Su Shiye. But the moment she turned on the television and heard the news, she froze.
Dangdang let out a scream and flew over to grab her hand, smiling like a spring flower, the bioluminescent glands on her ear fins shaking along with her. "Li-zi! Ahhh, this is great! The long lockdown is finally over!!"
On the Red Moon Sea news, a reporter was interviewing the Luoya City Magistrate. The headline on the screen read: "Saint Yegana Maritime Department: Sea-Exit Restriction Lifted."
The news anchor's voice followed: "Recently, the Saint Yegana Maritime Department announced the official lifting of the sea-exit restriction. 37,942 Saint Yegana citizens have already completed their exit registration, reaching a 184-year high. The Maritime Department claimed that over the next two weeks, restrictions in other sea areas will be lifted successively. The next area to open its sea-exit policy to citizens is the Red Moon Sea, starting at 7:00 AM on October 15th. The Dictator of the Light Sea, Su Shiye, accepted an interview in Luoya, the capital of the Red Moon Sea, stating that to thank the citizens of the Light Sea for their active cooperation with the Holy Capital government's investigation, all exit registration fees from now until December 30th this year will be covered by the Saint Yegana government..."
Seeing Su Shiye's focused eyes and sharp profile on the news, Fan Li felt like weeping with joy.
*Uncle, whether you're my real uncle or not, I'm going to call you my good uncle right now!*
***
**Glossary**
