Chapter 29 - The Weight of History
Learning was supposed to be a joyful endeavor, but when pursued with excessive intensity, it inevitably became a burden.
Fanli had initially been like a parched sponge, capable of rapidly absorbing and memorizing any amount of the "water of knowledge" poured into her. However, as time passed and the novelty faded, she found herself with no time for socializing or entertainment. Often, because she had studied too much the night before, she would lie motionless in bed for twenty minutes after her alarm went off, unable to move. It was only through the repetitive self-suggestion of "I love learning, learning makes me happy" that she would finally spring up to begin another day of battle.
Through a period of grueling effort, Fanli quickly caught up with her coursework, reaching the level of an average honors student. She no longer had to feign sleep in class; whenever a teacher called on her, she could provide a perfect answer. Yet, she knew that at best, she was now on the same level as Lina or the Genius Eros. The gap between her current state and the Double-S rank that Lina dreamed of was as vast as the social chasm between Miss Bubble and Booker.
Her favorite subject, naturally, was the Arcane History taught by Ye Jia. His lectures were always engrossing, and the seminar discussions were equally fascinating.
The subject she found easiest was Sea Race History, as she felt that history didn't require much mental gymnastics—only memorization and understanding. However, when the first essay for Sea Race History was assigned, she realized it wasn't nearly as simple as she had imagined.
"For the essay topic, refer to your course syllabus," the professor announced. "Choose one of the following historical figures and analyze the controversies and impacts they had on their respective eras."
Following the professor's instructions, Fanli opened her manual and scanned the names:
Any of the Seven Progenitor Gods of the Holy Sea (Life Era), Mise Meina (Golden Era), Gath Yaodeng (Mechanical Era), or Su Shiye (Burning Era).
They were all famous dictators or military strategists. As a student currently occupying the body of Su Shiye’s sister, she naturally gravitated toward the one who piqued her interest most.
Not many students in the class chose Su Shiye. Initially, she didn't understand why, but as she began preparing her thesis, she realized that the more she read about Su Shiye’s life, the harder it was to comprehend his motivations. His actions were riddled with contradictions. For instance, before obtaining his Aetherial Body, he had been a quintessential utilitarian and a war-loving militarist. Regarding his various behaviors, the Gath Patriarch had offered only one comment: "He simply wants to be the Dictator." Yet, once he actually attained that position, he pushed through several equal rights movements.
Analyzing a leader with such a complex personality was far more difficult than choosing a deceased historical figure whose conclusions and deeds were already set in stone. With the latter, one only needed to add a few personal insights to produce a complete paper.
However, writing about a figure everyone else avoided was the only way to ensure the professor wouldn't realize she might actually be inferior to her peers. She remained steadfast in her choice of Su Shiye.
In the library, Fanli looked up the grading criteria and found essays written by previous Double-S students. These papers shared a common trait: they were more accessible and engaging than S-grade essays, with a passion for academic pursuit radiating from between the lines. At first glance, the S-grade papers seemed more profound, but as she read word by word, she realized that the Double-S rank was a symbol of reaching near-perfection. They had transcended the level of pedantic word-chopping and entered a realm where profound thoughts were wielded with effortless grace.
Su Yi’s Arcane History essay was even more extraordinary. Aside from the technical terminology, her analysis was so clear that even a middle schooler could understand it. Yet, the essay discussed a completely innovative perspective. Even with her limited knowledge, Fanli knew that in the academic world, this paper was the equivalent of the first pair of trousers worn by a European woman, Newton’s apple, the classic *Records of Searching for the Spirits* in literature, or *Gone with the Wind* in cinema. Regrettably, it was quite short, leaving much for others to expand upon, but Su Yi’s position as a pioneer was unshakeable.
This was a level of mastery that could not be imitated in a mere year or two. If she couldn't achieve a Double-S rank before the final exams, her persona as a "God of Study" would utterly collapse.
Su Yi was more than just brilliant. Considering everything the girl had experienced since childhood, one could deduce how hard she must have worked without even trying. It could even be said that studying was her everything. She had no noble status, no elite bloodline, and she cared nothing for her own beauty; she had only her brilliant mind. It was the only path through which she could realize her self-worth. The sheer scale of her effort was something that Fanli, a favored daughter of heaven, could never hope to touch.
And to try and approach Su Yi’s level in such a short time...
Fanli let out a long, heavy sigh, blowing a string of bubbles that carried the weight of her exhaustion. The gap between her and Su Yi was simply too vast. If a person could only jump one meter and you told them the new goal was 1.2 meters, they would work hard to try. But if you told them the new goal was 100 meters, they would likely faint on the spot.
That was exactly how Fanli felt now.
Once again, she felt the urge to give up. She spent an entire evening in self-imposed isolation, tossing and turning in bed, her mind a whirlwind of chaotic thoughts until she finally fell asleep at two in the morning.
In the past, whenever she hit such an emotional low, she could usually recalibrate quickly. After all, her competitors had always been humans of the same age. Between humans, there was no racial segregation, and the gap in IQ was never that significant; most of the time, diligence could make up for a lack of talent. If it couldn't, it didn't mean one was too dull, but rather that one hadn't thought deeply enough.
But now, Su Yi’s essay was like the poem *A Visit to Sky-Mother Mountain in a Dream*—anyone could memorize it and marvel at its divine prose, but no one except Li Bai himself could have written it.
Closing her eyes, she began to imagine another scenario: what if she woke up to find herself a white-haired old woman? Her youth gone, her beauty faded, her strength spent, and even her sharp mind withering away day by day. Her life would be ending, and nothing could be undone. Looking back at this day from her youth, what would she do? Would she lie here in a daze, wasting her days, or would she give it one more hard try?
At that thought, Fanli bolted upright in bed.
No! Today was still a day for fighting, a day to never admit defeat!
She charged off to the school’s self-study hall like she was powered by an electric motor. No one could see her combat spirit or her indignation; they only wondered if the little girl’s tail was cramping or if she had taken the wrong medicine.
That day, after the Arcane History seminar ended, Fanli sat in her seat and finished reading another *Biography of the Dictator* by a different author. She was in a rush to head to the library to borrow more books when Ye Jia called out to her.
"Su Shiye’s original intention for military expansion was to eliminate social classes, not merely for power as most people claim," Ye Jia said, leaning against the wall with one hand on his hip in a relaxed posture. "You should know that his background wasn't poor; he didn't come from the 'grassroots' family described in many disorganized records. His father was a high-ranking military officer, and his mother was a renowned beauty. If one must call him 'grassroots,' it’s only in comparison to the descendants of the Sea Gods. A person raised in such a harmonious family wouldn't have such a frantic pursuit of power. Those who obsess over power usually have nothing left to lose and want to gamble everything, or they are about to lose everything and are forced to rebel. None of that fits Su Shiye’s life."
"So that’s how it was..." Hearing Ye Jia’s explanation, Fanli understood many things, but she also felt her face flush—Professor Buke had caught her secretly reading extracurricular books during class.
Ye Jia, sensing her embarrassment, gave her a playful wink. "Commoner fairy, your teacher knows that the essays for the Sea Race History course aren't easy to write. There’s no need to feel ashamed."
"Thank you, Professor Buke..." Fanli stuffed the *Biography of the Dictator* into her bag and sat up straight. "There’s something I don't understand. If he wasn't of grassroots origin, why do so many documents claim he was?"
"That was by Su Shiye’s own decree," Ye Jia chuckled. "Interesting, isn't it? A young master from a military family insisting on making everyone believe he was leading a peasant uprising. Just look at his history. He went from the Sea of Stars to Saint Yegana, became a Tribune, then returned to the Sea of Stars to overthrow the Archon’s regime and become the new Archon himself, all while becoming brothers with Aize. This entire process took less than twenty years. Without his father’s background and the support of the Mise Clan, he couldn't have succeeded so quickly. But that was the ceiling of his original social class. His path to becoming the Dictator afterward was a bloody one, a path of slaughter. When he reclaimed the Resurrection Sea, the killing was like a bulldozer. You should research what drove him to push so hard and gamble so much; that will make your essay truly brilliant."
"I will! Thank you, Professor Buke!"
Following that, Fanli devoured twenty-three books and flipped through 254 newspapers. She was thinking about the essay even while eating. She didn't see You Can and Liuxiang being affectionate next to her; she didn't hear Feisi and Lansi inviting her to a stage play over the weekend. Even when they grabbed Xinghai and told him to shake her awake, she didn't notice...
Ye Jia was right. Su Shiye was truly not a simple opportunist. He had crafted an image for himself and allowed his enemies and allies to craft different images for him, all of which seemed to serve his long-term plans.
The political views he proposed didn't have the hypocritical altruism of religious proselytizers; instead, they carried the persuasive power of a coupling effect. He believed that the reason the undersea civilization’s progress was slowing down—even approaching stagnation—was precisely because the Sea Race relied too heavily on the spiritual heritage and Arcane systems left behind by Deep Blue. A civilization was like a building; it needed constant innovation to avoid falling behind. But a building had a limit. When the degree of renovation reached its peak, it could only be destroyed and rebuilt, or be surpassed by others.
Su Shiye believed that the greatest enemy of the Light Sea was not the Abyssal Race, nor themselves. In a civilization that used a republican system for politics, where war was constant and various sea regions were still fighting over territory, they couldn't even speak of unity, let alone innovation. Regional autonomy was important, but to protect the Light Sea’s territory, the centralization of the Holy Capital should be higher than regional autonomy to accelerate civilizational development and confront the common enemy of the Sea Race. Therefore, the most important thing for the Sea Race was to establish a social system that infinitely approached equality for all. Only by eliminating classes could internal strife be eliminated and a united front be formed against external threats.
Such speeches naturally garnered cheers from the Ocean Race, opposition from the Sea God Race, and scoffs from the Predatory Tribes. When a reporter asked who the "common enemy" was, Su Shiye’s answer made even the Ocean Race laugh—the creatures on land.
This statement also triggered laughter from many descendants of the Seven Gods, Arcanists, biologists, geographers, and so on. It was common knowledge that the masters of the land were humans, whose civilization lagged behind the Sea Race by hundreds of millions of years. Even in their most developed toilets, a group of people had to share a single sponge stick soaked in a bucket of water to wipe themselves. When they waged war, they grappled like chimpanzees; they were barely better than cave-dwelling savages. Compared to the genes of the Sea Race, humans were so frail that even a naturally disabled shark could snap their necks with one bite. In terms of geography and resources, the land couldn't compare to the ocean, which occupied 70% of the Earth’s surface. Most importantly, humans could never find the Sea Race world, which was protected by Arcana and hidden within the fourth dimension. The Creator didn't know of their existence, Deep Blue had given them no talents, and even the lowest-tier Ocean Race member could crush them in strength and lifespan. They were an abandoned species.
But Fanli, coming from the land, quickly understood Su Shiye’s sense of crisis. The Sea Race was born 430 million years ago, while humans were born only about six million years ago. The culture of the Sea Race originated 430 million years ago, while human culture originated only 4,000 years ago. The result of individual struggle for the Sea Race was consumption, while the result of their overall culture was balance. For humans, individual struggle resulted in balance, but the result of their overall culture was consumption—Homo sapiens had migrated across the entire land and ruled the Earth 27,000 years ago. Neanderthals, Homo ergaster, Homo erectus, mammoths, marsupial lions, megalanias... unlike the creatures in the ocean that went extinct due to natural factors, the extinction of these creatures was all linked to the interests of Homo sapiens.
In the marine food chain, all creatures adjusted their survival patterns and genes around sharks. Yet for 400 million years, the genes, appearance, and habits of sharks had barely changed. Biological evolution was slow, and the marine world was in balance.
Starting 500,000 years ago, the brain capacity of Homo sapiens began to increase at an unprecedented rate, and their civilizational development was like a motion of variable speed, containing an acceleration akin to a time bomb. Biological evolution could not keep up with the impact they had on the environment. They were more terrifying than sharks.
The wise are often lonely. Logically, this "human threat theory" should have been highly controversial, sparking heated debates across various fields just like Su Yi’s Micro-particle theory. But Su Shiye’s views didn't receive everyone’s attention. This was because he was not only a brilliant thinker and military strategist but also a successful politician. Unlike Su Yi, who always exposed the sharpest side of a problem for everyone to see, no matter how grim or desperate the issue he discussed, he always managed to append a speech at the end that inspired positive hope. His eloquence was a sharp sword that helped him ascend to the position of Dictator, but it was not conducive to making the entire Light Sea realize their crisis.
Many in his party were far less mentally strong than he was. Sometimes they would even say pessimistically that the current Sea Race world was like a magnificent building infested with termites, and the end was not far off. However, one must settle internal matters before resisting external threats. With the Light Sea so divided, who would dare to proactively launch a war against the land, where the Sea Race was at a complete disadvantage?
In the eyes of the Seven Sons of the Holy Sea, everything Su Shiye said was utter nonsense.
As for what the Light Sea would become after 2,271 years, no one knew. Even Fanli, who came from the 21st century, didn't know.
But these summaries were enough for Fanli to have a general framework for her essay. She slowed down her thinking and suddenly saw a hand waving in front of her.
"Goddess? Goddess?" You Can withdrew his hand. "Have you finally tuned your brain frequency back to our level?"
"Huh?" Fanli finally snapped out of it.
"Do you have any plans for the weekend? Are you going out? I asked Brother Xinghai to play the new game I bought, but he said he wanted to watch you."
Fanli blinked, looking at Xinghai in confusion. "Watch me?"
"Feisi and Lansi asked us to see a stage play, and You Can asked me to play games," Xinghai replied matter-of-factly. "If you’re free this weekend, I’ll stand You Can up."
You Can looked miserable. "Brother Xinghai, do you really have to prioritize romance over friendship like this?"
In truth, the other four had already assumed there was something going on between Fanli and Xinghai, but no one had ever said it so openly. With You Can blurting it out, the atmosphere instantly froze to the breaking point.
"You’ve got it backward," Fanli cleared her throat and replied quickly. "It’s prioritizing friendship over romance."
She was feeling proud of her quick wit, but she didn't expect Xinghai to immediately contradict her.
"You Can, if Liuxiang asked you to accompany her, you’d stand us up too," Xinghai said with a faint smile, still perfectly composed.
"That makes a lot of sense, I can't even argue!" You Can nodded. "Men all prioritize romance over friendship! I’m not a hypocrite!"
"Mm." Xinghai pushed the cooked scallops he had just ordered toward Fanli.
The other two boys acted normally. Feisi and Liuxiang exchanged a look and then both looked at Fanli.
Fanli looked at the scallops on her plate, feeling like she was sitting on pins and needles. She didn't dare turn her head, her heart screaming, *Aaaaaah, Xinghai, what are you saying?! Oh my god, I’m so embarrassed, someone save me! My poor heart can't take this!* But her face remained a mask of calm and wisdom.
Even more awkwardly, the other four eventually took the hint and slipped away early, leaving Fanli and Xinghai alone to finish their meal. Xinghai chatted with her about class topics as if nothing had happened, never mentioning the confusing conversation with You Can. He must have heard her heartbeat, but he didn't bring that up either.
Fanli truly felt from the bottom of her heart that cosplaying as Su Yi could indeed resolve most of the world’s awkwardness.
The next morning, before dawn, Fanli rushed downstairs in high spirits, prepared to memorize obscure Sea Race vocabulary in the living room—she had mastered most of the daily vocabulary by now and rarely needed her consciousness dictionary. But as soon as she reached the living room, she saw a male Rusty-red Angelfish standing by the window. He had sharp, orange-red short hair and was shirtless. His physique was tall and straight, the muscles of his back and shoulders brimming with masculine energy. His red-orange-blue-edged tail was long and powerful, possessing a kind of sexy, wild beauty.
Seeing this physique, Fanli felt a bit shy, thinking it was no wonder Mr. Red could marry two wives despite having little money...
But then she suddenly remembered that Mr. Red’s hair wasn't this color. Moreover, this man was practically a bodybuilder of the Sea Race, quite different from Mr. Red’s sickly, wandering poet vibe. Curious, Fanli walked up and whispered, "Um, excuse me..."
The man turned around. His eyes were resolute and deep, with thin lips and a square jaw. He was handsome and masculine but looked like someone you shouldn't mess with. Yet, Fanli felt she had seen this face somewhere before.
After their eyes met, the handsome man smiled at her. "Morning, Fanli."
"Morning..." Fanli was too embarrassed to ask who he was, so she just sat down and read silently.
"I’ve finished making breakfast. I’m going to take some up to my wife now. Can you serve yourself?"
"Sure."
Fanli didn't even know who this "wife" referred to. Had Mr. Red gotten plastic surgery? Or drunk some transformation potion?
She only saw the man pick up his clothes from the sofa and drape them casually over himself. Before he could even fasten them, the younger "sister" of the Red family came swimming slowly downstairs, yawning. "Good morning, Fanli. Why are you up so early... I didn't sleep well at all..."
The handsome man hurried over to support her. "You’re up too early. You’re pregnant; you should rest more."
"At least you know I’m pregnant, yet you still made it so painful!" At this, the younger sister nudged him with her elbow. "My whole body feels like it’s falling apart. What if you hurt the baby?"
"I’ve wanted to do this for a long time. Every time I saw you looking so shy in his arms, I thought that if I were your man, I would definitely cherish you and never let you get hurt." Saying this, the handsome man couldn't help but kiss her.
"Don't mention that scumbag anymore. Let him die in the arms of the neighbor’s wife..."
Though she was saying words of feigned anger, she said them against his lips. Within two seconds, all words were swallowed by the handsome man’s passionate kiss. The two of them completely ignored Fanli, lost in their long, lingering embrace.
Fanli stared, dumbfounded, completely bewildered by the situation. Feeling like a third wheel, she quickly looked away and focused on her book.
So, the younger sister had a new lover? Then where did Mrs. Red and Mr. Red go?
After what seemed like forever, the two finally stopped. The younger sister draped her tail over the man’s, their tail fins intertwining and rubbing affectionately. "Hubby, when are we going to change the marriage certificate and remove that scumbag’s name?"
"Anytime. I’ve already collected all the evidence of his infidelity anyway."
Fanli finally couldn't hold it in. "Remove his name? What does that mean?"
The handsome man pulled the younger sister into his arms and said seriously, "Oh, Fanli probably doesn't know the laws of the Rusty-red Angelfish tribe. The *Light Sea Federation Marriage Law* stipulates that among the Rusty-red Angelfish, if a husband cheats with a female outside his wives, the wife has the right to remove his name from the marriage certificate without his consent. If he has more than one spouse, all spouses must sign unanimously to remove him."
"He probably thought I loved him so much that I could never side with Big Sister. But the two of us decided we don't want him anymore." At this, the younger sister looked up teasingly at the handsome man. "Isn't that right, 'Big Sister'?"
"You can't call me that anymore."
"Alright, Big Sister Hubby."
"Wait... you, you called him 'Big Sister'?" Fanli felt as if she had been struck by lightning. "Sir, could it be that you are... you are..."
"I see you didn't recognize me. I’ve changed sex."
It was actually true. This handsome man... was Mrs. Red!!
"H-h-how did you change?"
"Good question." Mrs. Red rubbed his chin, thinking for a moment. "I honestly don't know how it happened. I just thought: 'I can't let my sister be without a child, I’m going to elope with her, so it’s time to become a male,' and it just happened naturally. It’s an instinctive thing; you just do it."
"Some things are indeed hard to explain," the younger sister laughed. "Just like how female Orcas can store countless 'little tadpoles' from males in their bodies and precisely extract the ones they want to get pregnant. I was once curious how they did it, with no eyes to see and no hands to touch... but they just have that function. Our tribe’s sex-changing must be hard for others to understand too."
So, this was a story where a man married two wives, the three of them lived together but he wasn't satisfied and stole the neighbor’s wife, only to be discovered by his first wife, who then turned into a man, got the second wife pregnant, and now the two of them were working together to dump him...
Now Fanli remembered what the female octopus doctor had said to her on the day of the genetic test: "When your boyfriend mates with other female sharks, are you planning to marry a shark wife? Are you sure you can handle that?"
She had been completely confused then, but now she understood.
The Rusty-red Angelfish tribe practiced polygyny, but the males were generally insatiable and naturally loved stealing other people’s wives. When a male ran off, the largest female would turn into a male and take his entire harem with him. So, while Mr. Red was out stealing women, Mrs. Red had stolen the younger sister away.
During the genetic test, Fanli had used Mrs. Red’s nail to deceive the system. The doctor had been fooled into thinking she was a Rusty-red Angelfish. That was why she thought it was strange for Fanli to be with Xinghai. According to the characteristics of the Rusty-red Angelfish, if Xinghai cheated, she should have taken over Xinghai’s harem. And Xinghai’s harem would likely be sharks...
No wonder it was hard for the Ocean Race and the Predatory Tribes to unite. The differences in their biological genetic traits were simply too vast.
What a miraculous Earth, what a wondrous ocean...
Fanli’s worldview was shattered once again.
What about the moral integrity of marine life? Integrity? There was no such thing.
***4.3 Mini-Theater***
Fanli: "Today, by the request of our readers, the Little Fishies, we have a wealth ranking! In first place, Lord Su Shiye!"
Su Shiye: "Hmph. What’s a thirty-million-drop diamond ring? I’ve even conquered the commercial empire of the Red Moon Sea."
Fanli: "In second place, Gath Xitian!"
Xitian: "It doesn't matter what rank I am. I haven't even appeared yet. No one remembers me anyway. =_="
Fanli: "In third place, Buke Yejia!"
Ye Jia: "You wouldn't have guessed, would you, ladies? Professors can be rich too."
Fanli: "And in last place, Xinghai. *Sob*, let’s hug our poorest male lead and cry..."
Xinghai: "I may not be wealthy, but my money and my person are 100% yours."
*Her 4.3 Billion Years* by Junzi Yi Ze, To be continued...
