That same evening, Mrs. Red and Ms. Red moved out at lightning speed. It wasn't until 1:00 AM two days later that Mr. Red realized they were gone. His neighbor had been away on a business trip, and he had just finished spending three inseparable days and nights with the neighbor’s wife. Humming a little tune as he returned home, he was busy rehearsing a vivid description of the "storms" he had encountered on his "trip" for his two wives, only to find the first and second floors mostly stripped bare. Where the framed wedding photo had once stood, only a scrap remained.
It was his head, cut out from the wedding portrait.
"Wife? Honey?" He looked around frantically, suddenly realizing what had happened. He collapsed onto the floor in tears, his tail thrashing the ground with a rhythmic *thwack-thwack-thwack*.
Witnessing this scene, Dangdang ran over to ask Fanli what was going on. Fanli gave her a brief summary of the events. Dangdang’s lip curled. "Wow. What a scumbag. He got what he deserved."
Fanli also felt that Mr. Red didn't deserve a shred of sympathy. But she quickly looked up at Dangdang, her eyes filled with sudden realization—wait, Dangdang! So the person Mr. Red cheated with really wasn't her? Remembering the incident with the necklace at Miss Bubble’s wedding, she asked, "When your boyfriend gave you that necklace, he didn't give it to you directly, did he?"
"How did you know? That cheating scumbag downstairs was working as a waiter that day. My boyfriend had him deliver the necklace to me. That’s why I don't really like having dates with my boyfriend at home; I don't want that guy knowing too much and running his mouth."
As expected, she had misunderstood her. Fanli felt a flush of shame, remembering the long lecture she’d given Dangdang about not being "the other woman." So, who was Dangdang actually seeing?
"Isn't your boyfriend also a father?" Fanli asked cautiously.
"I just like fathers who own houses; I don't like fathers who have wives. If a father has a wife, he has to get a divorce before I’ll date him. Besides, my boyfriend has never been married."
Hearing the first half, Fanli thought there might be a sliver of morality left in Dangdang’s Leaning-Tower-of-Pisa-esque values, but the end of the sentence nearly made her faint again. "Never been married? And he has children?"
"Yeah, he has many women and many children. One of his daughters is actually exceptionally talented. But he’s never been married."
"And do you think he’ll marry you?"
"Of course not. Why?"
"..."
"Don't be like that. You might even know who his daughter is. Once I officially introduce you to him, you’ll understand why I’m so obsessed with him—oh, and he has such a huge house!"
"With an obsession like that, you might as well change your name to 'House Girl.'"
"Hey, that’s not a bad idea. My boyfriend even said that if we break up, the house is mine. You can call me 'House Girl' then."
"Stop. Please." Fanli clutched her head. "Let me be a normal person for a few days. I can't handle any more shocks."
***
Regarding her studies, aside from the slow progress in Core Arcane Arts, her other subjects were improving rapidly. However, her living situation was becoming tricky. Although she had sold the Melo Pearl and had over a hundred and twenty Flumen in savings, she couldn't just live off her capital forever. She had to find a way to earn money.
Fanli spent her extracurricular time applying for part-time jobs at various companies. Most rejected her because of her student status or her non-standard Sea Race accent. She knew that with her current knowledge, she was qualified for a decent part-time job. They were just using those as excuses.
The current political climate in the Red Moon Sea emphasized racial equality, but systemic discrimination was deeply etched into Sea Race culture. Her race was her original sin. Furthermore, her ID card explicitly stated "Storm Sea"—and ever since the Marine Expo where Su Shiye gave the opening speech, the Red Moon Sea had picked a side. They followed the Holy Capital Party.
Thus, even with her Luo'ya University student ID, these companies found every excuse to turn her down.
Finally, she found a job that didn't require speaking.
The ocean was full of "cleaning stations." In these places, many "cleaners" serviced the bacteria and parasites on passing marine life. For instance, two bluestreak cleaner wrasses would work together: one eating bacteria inside a diagonal-banded sweetlips' mouth, while the other cleaned its skin. Rock shrimp would nibble the dead skin off a crocodile snake eel and provide a "full-body polish" for a saddleback clownfish until it sparkled. A giant moray eel, covered in ochre spots, would open its thick lips, and a pinnate spadefish would lie flat and relaxed, waiting for the cleaner wrasse to tend to their mouths and skin. A Javanese moray eel would make a special trip to a cleaning station, opening its mouth wide to let elegant cleaner shrimp eat the parasites between its teeth and on its gills.
Millions of years of evolution had given these serviced marine creatures a powerful ability to recognize their helpers. They would never eat a creature bearing the "cleaner" markings, such as the bright white stripes of a cleaner shrimp.
Consequently, these bright white stripes had become the logo for various cleaning companies in the Light Sea. The Sea Race world had similar service companies, though they were much more commercialized. They didn't just provide full-body bacterial cleaning for the Sea Race; they also cleaned their possessions, much like a dry cleaner.
Competition among these companies was fierce. The two largest cleaning firms used the cleaner wrasse and the rock shrimp as their respective logos, competing as ruthlessly as KFC and McDonald's. Their advertisements always featured the marine animal corresponding to their services: for example, the logo for dead skin removal and dental care was the cleaner shrimp or rock shrimp, while the logo for mount cleaning was the moon wrasse.
Fanli's job was simple: she worked in a small cleaning and care company, looking after various "cleaners." Her workspace was limited to the company's "workshop," and her interactions were solely with the marine animals. It was relaxed and stress-free, but it was indeed the lowest form of manual labor. People who did this work were ordered around and treated with no dignity. Her colleagues were either hot-tempered laborers, illiterate middle-aged women weighing two or three hundred pounds, or orphans with severed tails... Forget people her own age; there wasn't even another university student in sight.
Fanli had always felt that "doing chores" and "working a job" were two different things. Working meant serving others to learn something; doing chores was merely trading time for money, devoid of meaning. If one had the opportunity to learn while young, they should focus their energy on studying, accumulating experience to earn money through wisdom, and improving their own life and the lives of others, rather than simply outputting labor. Therefore, she had never wanted to do menial chores in places like fast-food joints just to prove her financial independence.
But now, for the sake of survival, she had crossed that line. For a wage of 25 De per hour, she was doing chores in the lowliest of places.
To protect her, Xinghai insisted on escorting her even to her part-time job. To maintain her last shred of dignity, Fanli lied to him, saying she worked as a receptionist. Because of this, she never let him get near the company. Even so, if she worked four hours every single day without rest, she would only earn 30 Flumen a month. After paying rent and buying food, she was still penniless, unable to accumulate any wealth or even afford her textbooks.
So, she spent 12.5 Flumen on a broadcaster—a small portable radio—to study Sea Race culture and advanced Sea Race language on a fixed channel called "Luo'ya Business and Political Dialogues." This channel had no other content, not even music; it was just 24 hours of continuous conversation.
With the help of this program, her linguistic abilities improved by leaps and bounds, and her pronunciation became much more standard. She only hoped she could find a higher-paying part-time job soon.
Because her life was packed with studying and working, Fanli's time management skills also improved drastically. She had already submitted her first paper and begun preparing a short thesis for Arcane History. Busy as a spinning top every day, her interest in other matters waned. So much so that one day at lunch, when she saw the usual aggressive displays in the cafeteria, she didn't react at all.
At that moment, Princess Han was sitting on her boyfriend, grabbing the hair at the back of his head to make him look up at her while she thrust her tongue deep into his throat, their tails entwined like a twisted dough stick. Forced to witness such a scene, many conservative girls still felt offended.
"It’s really disgusting, isn't it?" Feisi looked at Princess Han, suspecting the two were practically mating right there. She cast a soundproofing spell. "Even though I’ve seen many girls who don't respect themselves and mate before marriage, it’s rare to see someone as casual about it as the Orcas."
Fanli’s focus was on the phrase "mating before marriage is not respecting oneself," but she didn't dare ask, fearing she’d say the wrong thing. Coincidentally, Liuxiang spoke up for her. "Mating before marriage is not respecting oneself? Princess Han’s messiness aside, what if people are in a serious relationship?"
"If it’s a serious relationship, they should be even less likely to mate before marriage, shouldn't they? Raising offspring together is a sacred thing. How can you just mate with someone so casually?"
"I agree with you!" Dangdang stood with her hands on her hips, her chest puffed out in righteous indignation. "I also think that before getting enough security, a girl shouldn't just give herself away! If a man doesn't have a house and no experience in raising children, he’s extremely unreliable! You can't have kids with him! Having a house is a different story!"
"Feisi, haven't you and Lansi been together for over thirty years?" Fanli said in surprise. "Don't tell me that for thirty years, you two have always..."
As if flaunting her capacity for abstinence, Feisi deliberately deactivated the soundproofing spell. "Of course not! Do you think we’re that casual?"
"Wow, how do you do it..." Even in human society, such a couple was unheard of.
"Because we are being responsible to ourselves and to our partners."
"Feisi, your level of conservatism feels almost feudal to me," Liuxiang said, unable to listen any longer. "No mating for over thirty years? Please, can a love that is completely detached from sex for that long even be called love? It doesn't matter to you; girls are generally better at enduring it anyway, and you can go around showing off that you’re a virgin. But have you considered Lansi’s feelings?"
Feisi paused, her face turning red. "I’m sorry to disappoint you, but Lansi’s thoughts are exactly the same as mine. Otherwise, we wouldn't have lasted until today. If a man loves you enough, he will absolutely never force you. Only a man who doesn't love you will use the banner of 'love' to force you to sacrifice yourself and pay a painful price just to satisfy his private desires."
"You’re right, if he loves you, he won't force you. But he is forcing *himself*. If you loved him, you wouldn't let him torture himself."
"Liuxiang, if you want to learn from Orca women, that’s your freedom, but please don't try to drag girls who uphold their chastity down with you! And don't try to label me as 'feudal,' because you and I both know that my way is the right way!"
"You..." Liuxiang took a sharp breath, her gills flaring wide. She didn't speak for a long while, her face slowly turning red. "I don't even know what to say."
"Alright, alright, every race has a different culture," Fanli said, waving her hands with a smile. "Feisi is right, Liuxiang is right, even the Orcas are right. Everyone has different genes, so naturally, the corresponding marriage and dating customs are worlds apart. Let’s just agree to disagree."
"Fanli, I thought you would be a bit different. Because you look like a good girl." Feisi frowned at her. "Does that mean you also approve of premarital mating?"
"No, I haven't thought about it that much. I just feel like there’s nothing to argue about. Who’s right or wrong isn't important; it doesn't affect our—"
Before Fanli could finish, Liuxiang slammed the table. "Oh, so now you’re starting to attack Fanli too? I only held back my words for Li-zi’s sake. Since you won't even let her off the hook, don't blame me for being blunt. I just want to ask you, Feisi: are you an object?"
"What on earth? Of course not!"
"Then why do you treat yourself like one? Is it that when you 'finally' marry Lansi, you’re going to tie a ribbon around your neck before mating so he can gently pull it, unwrap the gift, and then enjoy you? Congratulations, from then on, you’ll be his property. If he tells you to go east, you won't dare go west; if he tells you to go north, you won't dare go south. And then, he’d better not cheat or commit domestic violence, because you’ve already treated yourself as his possession. You won't be able to leave him; you’ll just have to endure it! If you choose to divorce, well, sorry—men like women, and you’re just an object. A divorced object is second-hand goods, and we all know nobody likes second-hand goods!"
These words were incredibly lethal. Fanli and Dangdang were turned into wooden statues, so stunned that a needle prick wouldn't have elicited a sound.
Fanli expected Feisi to fly into a rage and scream back at Liuxiang. But Feisi didn't. She just went silent for two seconds, then looked up. "You’re overthinking it. Lansi won't have that opportunity. Neither of us will have a second choice. Perhaps the education you received wasn't as strict as mine, but as a friend, I still want to say: a girl must respect herself. Don't just give yourself to others casually. Mating is an act that simulates the breeding of offspring; we must all be responsible for our descendants. Don't let your children feel later that their mother and father were 'unclean' with other members of the opposite sex before marriage..."
"You can shut up now!" Liuxiang interrupted her angrily. "Who I mate with has nothing to do with you!"
"Liuxiang, you haven't already lost your virtue before marriage, have you? If that’s the case, then I can only say I’m sorry. But not being a virgin only means you’re unclean; it doesn't mean your life is over. You can find a boy who also isn't a virgin and get marr—"
With a loud *bang*, Liuxiang slammed her chopsticks onto the table, stood up, swung her bag over her shoulder, and swam away.
For the next two minutes, the water was saturated with molecules of awkwardness. Fanli and Dangdang kept their heads down, eating. Feisi poked the shrimp on her plate until they were a paste. Finally, she summoned the courage to speak. "Did I... speak too harshly?"
"Yes," Fanli said softly.
"More than harshly," Dangdang whispered. "That was practically one of the Dictator’s Type-9 Uranium Bombs."
"But we’re still so young. Even setting aside cultural differences, we shouldn't spend so much energy on mating. Breeding is something to be done after your studies and career are basically complete. Right now, in the prime of our lives, what’s the point of spending so much time venting lust and affecting our futures..."
"You could have told her that just now." Fanli didn't move her head, but her eyes darted toward the direction where Liuxiang had angrily departed. "...She might have actually agreed with you. Liuxiang works very hard too."
Feisi let out a long sigh, slapped her forehead twice, and then propped her head up with one hand. "You’re right. My emotional intelligence is too low."
"You guys are all top students. I just want to find a man," Dangdang said, looking at Fanli and mimicking her soft voice. "The kind with kids."
The topic of female conservatism was indeed one that sparked massive controversy regardless of the era or cultural background. Seeing her two friends at such odds gave Fanli a headache, but she didn't know how to mediate or even how to start. Unexpectedly, during the afternoon class, Xinghai sat beside her and took the initiative to bring it up.
"You guys had a big fight at lunch."
"Ah, you heard." Fanli was startled for a moment, then scratched her head. "Oh right, Feisi deactivated the soundproofing later. So embarrassing. Actually, Dangdang and I didn't join in; it was Liuxiang and Feisi who had the falling out."
"Yeah, I know."
"Girls are so boring, aren't they? Fighting like that over something like this."
"Boys are the same. There’s always a group bragging about how many women they’ve slept with, and another group saying 'I’m so jealous' while actually looking down on them."
"Haha! But you guys wouldn't be stupid enough to start a fight over it."
"We’d just start a physical fight. Isn't that even stupider?"
Fanli was amused by him. She was about to say, *Xinghai, you actually have a sense of humor,* but after laughing for a while, she realized he wasn't laughing. For a moment, she felt like an idiot for having such a low bar for humor. Consequently, she stopped laughing and felt a bit deflated. Seeing this, he actually smiled. "Fanli, your inner world is truly rich. I’m curious how a person’s emotions can change so drastically in such a short time."
"Ha, so you know my emotions fluctuate a lot."
"I’m a Shark."
"Half-shark," Fanli poked him—they were now comfortable enough to joke like this. "Think what you want; I’ll take that as a compliment."
"You certainly know how to rationalize things. Actually, hearing them argue like that today, what I wanted to know most was your opinion. Unfortunately, you didn't say anything."
"My opinion?" Fanli pointed at herself. Seeing Xinghai nod, she looked up and thought for a moment. "I haven't thought about it that much. I probably agree with the point Feisi made later—that grades are the most important thing right now, and we should focus our energy on studying."
"Exactly the answer 'Academic Deity Li' would give. I see."
Fanli screamed internally, *Please let it go, stop calling me 'Academic Deity'!* Every time someone called her that, her fear of the final exams grew. So, she quickly changed the subject. "Asking only me is very cunning. Young man, hand over your own answer."
"Hmm?"
That soft, rising "Hmm" made Fanli’s heart flutter, nearly sending a shiver through her. She cleared her throat and said, "Whose opinion do you agree with?"
"Neither. Like you, I think it’s a matter of individual free will. We have no right to interfere with others, nor is there any need to change them. Just be yourself."
"Then do you think it’s more important for a girl to be independent and thoughtful, or conservative and submissive?"
"Boys think very simply; we aren't as complex as you girls. We don't care if a girl is thoughtful or conservative. We just like the ones who are pretty and wild."
Fanli burst out laughing. "Sorry for asking a Shark that question. My mistake."
"But if you’re asking for my personal opinion, I think love is the most important thing."
"Huh?"
Since cutting his hair, Xinghai had been rather cold and stoic. His giving such a sentimental answer caught Fanli off guard.
"Before falling in love with someone, I might have many requirements—for example, I’d hope she’s pretty, smart, loyal, and has high emotional intelligence. But once I truly fall in love, none of that matters anymore. No matter who she is, I accept her."
Xinghai answered calmly yet with absolute certainty. He probably didn't realize it, but those words struck a chord deep within Fanli.
Her thoughts were exactly the same as his.
***
A week later, after the Sea Race History class, the professor asked Fanli to stay behind. With a grave expression, she said, "Fanli, that thesis you wrote... it has been forwarded to the Dictator’s government."
"What?" Fanli was so shocked she inhaled a large gulp of water. "Why?"
"Your thesis takes a very unconventional stance. Not only does it highly praise the Dictator’s 'Land Threat Theory,' but you are also the first person to write about him in that way. The faculty’s opinions are heavily polarized. Half think your ideas are unique and fresh and want to give you a double S; the other half say the whole thing is nonsense and want to fail you immediately. Because the debate was so heated, a few scholars with connections in Saint Yegana read it and said this article must be seen by Lord Su Shiye. So, a copy is already on its way to Saint Yegana." At this point, she patted Fanli’s shoulder. "Prepare yourself mentally; the outcome could be very good or very bad."
Fanli was dumbstruck. She began to feel she had been too clever for her own good.
Seeing her worried look, the professor felt a bit of pity and added, "But don't worry too much. Many people discuss Lord Su Shiye; he has always been rather indifferent to it. This might just disappear into the void."
Before the grade for the thesis was even out, it had already been uploaded to the university library. Students could read it online using phantom projectors. Consequently, the paper sparked considerable controversy throughout Luo'ya University. The students' comments weren't as mature or rational as the professors'; their arguments were even more intense. Some said she wrote it just to suck up to Su Shiye—that the dictator couldn't possibly be as kind as she portrayed, and that the struggles of those in high positions were never that simple. Others said Fanli truly lived up to her title as an Academic Deity; they had heard of her fame before but felt nothing, yet after reading her thesis, they finally understood what it meant to be extraordinary. Still others said it was just an ordinary paper, and people were only making a fuss because the author was the legendary Fanli, combined with some conspiratorial mystique...
Fanli had originally just wanted to get as close to Su Yi’s level as possible, so she’d taken a unique path to pass all her tests with high marks while keeping a low profile. She hadn't expected it to backfire like this.
Her biggest fear now was the police suddenly taking an interest, saying, *Hey, this Academic Deity looks a lot like our suspect. Come on, let’s do a genetic test.*
This scenario had appeared in her dreams several times already. Each time, she woke up shivering.
She couldn't go on like this. Regarding the physiological obstacles she faced in learning Arcane Arts, she had to find a solution quickly, or she would never solve the mystery of the Soul Forbidden Art. Thus, she spent even more time buried in the library.
Naturally, the library had no literature on the Soul Forbidden Art itself. However, there were many criminal law books that recorded cases of those who had used it. She finally found three key clues.
The first was a good clue: most users of the Soul Forbidden Art had connections to the illegal underground market. These underground markets were spread across all the major cities of the Light Sea, like cockroaches that could never be fully eradicated. This "illegal underground market" was likely the black market Xinghai had mentioned.
The second was also a good clue: after using the Soul Forbidden Art, a second exchange could be performed. In other words, she could switch back.
The third clue was very bad: the Soul Exchange Art required a massive consumption of one’s own stored arcane energy. Only a Hunter Race body could withstand a second exchange. If a Sea Race body attempted a second exchange, the theoretical probability of death was 99.97%. In the history of the Light Sea, there had not been a single recorded case of survival.
So, she still had to find a way to become a Hunter Race first.
Fanli began searching through various channels for a way to get into the black market. Within a few days, she had a lead.
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
---|---|---
清洁站 | Cleaning Station | Locations where marine life goes to have parasites removed by "cleaners."
裂唇鱼 | Bluestreak cleaner wrasse | Labroides dimidiatus, a common cleaner fish.
岩虾 | Rock shrimp | Often refers to cleaner shrimp in this context.
条纹胡椒鲷 | Diagonal-banded sweetlips | Plectorhinchus lineatus.
食蟹豆齿蛇鳗 | Crocodile snake eel | Brachysomophis crocodilinus.
鞍斑双锯鱼 | Saddleback clownfish | Amphiprion polymnus.
豆点裸胸鳝 | Giant moray eel | Gymnothorax javanicus (also referred to as Javanese moray).
尖翅燕鱼 | Pinnate spadefish | Platax pinnatus.
丽尾瘦虾 | Elegant cleaner shrimp | Leandrites cyrtorhynchus.
新月锦鱼 | Moon wrasse | Thalassoma lunare.
德 | De | A smaller unit of currency (100 De = 1 Flumen).
广播器 | Broadcaster | A portable radio device.
落亚商政会谈 | Luo'ya Business and Political Dialogues | A radio program Fanli uses to study.
陆地威胁论 | Land Threat Theory | A political theory proposed by Su Shiye.
圣都党 | Holy Capital Party | A political faction aligned with Saint Yegana.
九号铀弹 | Type-9 Uranium Bomb | A powerful weapon mentioned by Dangdang.
