Chapter 56 - The Secret of the Red Moon Bank
Quinti and her entourage remained oblivious to the brief, charged exchange that had just occurred. She merely watched Fanli from a distance, her gaze as cold and unyielding as glacial ice.
"I told you, didn't I? She won't leave Xinghai," Lina said, swimming over with a respectful posture that was far more subdued than her days at Luoya University. "Fanli knows exactly what she wants. Even if ten thousand people are chasing something, if she doesn't want it, she won't spare it a second glance. Trying to win her over is impossible—unless you're willing to lower yourself to her level."
"Hmph, stop trying to sow discord. You’re only saying that because you don't want me to recruit her," Quinti said, her lip curling slightly. "I know all about what happened between you and Fanli back at Luoya."
"I’m just telling the truth."
"Well, congratulations. I’ve decided to give up on her. But it’s not because your words worked, nor is it because I dislike her. So, don't flatter yourself." With that, Quinti turned and swam away.
Lina didn't say another word, nor did she expose Quinti’s bravado. She knew exactly why Quinti had given up on Fanli—it was the same reason she had once given up on her herself.
Though Fanli was merely a member of the Ocean Race, she only accepted cooperation; she refused to be conquered. To someone like Quinti, or the old Lina, such a girl was no different from an enemy.
"Oh, and Lina," Quinti called back, her tone carrying the spoiled yet firm authority of a high-born lady commanding a subordinate. "I know what you were like before, and I won't hold it against you. But this is my territory. In my domain, my people do not use violence, and they do not embarrass me. Whether it's you or the people around you, if you want to defeat an opponent, do it with actual results. Understood?"
"Understood," Lina replied, lowering her head with a hint of resentment.
Beside her, the "Fierce Princess" was so livid that the veins on her neck were throbbing. She activated a soundproofing spell, ready to snap, *'Who does this Sephi Quinti think she is?'* but Lina immediately clamped a hand over her mouth.
"Don't you realize your pathetic arcana can be cracked by a God-kin in a second?" Lina pulled her hand away impatiently. "In this place, neither I nor Fanli have any say. The best we can hope for is to stay in Lady Sephi’s good graces. So, keep your temper in check. I don't want to be humiliated again."
***
After the evening’s activities concluded, Fanli returned to her dormitory and opened the letter she had previously dismissed as junk mail. It was a reward for research results sent by the Luoya City Center for Disease Control. When she saw the numbers printed on the parchment, she rubbed her eyes in disbelief: 2,599 Drops. The funds had already been automatically deposited into her Red Moon Bank account.
Furthermore, the letter stated that as subsequent clinical trials yielded more results, she would continue to receive royalties.
She didn't even care about the future dividends. 2,599 Drops!
In that fleeting moment, Fanli felt as though she had become the wealthiest person in Saint Yegana.
But the feeling was quickly followed by a desire to kick herself. She had been in the Red Moon Sea for nearly a year, living in poverty for so long, yet she had never once thought to go to a bank and check her account. Su Yi must have kept at least a basic living allowance in there; no wonder she couldn't find any spare change in the Luoya house.
Still, she doubted Su Yi would be extravagant enough to leave more than 2,599 Drops in an account. This was a fortune—and she had earned it herself!
Coincidentally, there was a branch of the Red Moon Sea Bank near their dormitory. The next morning, she headed there as soon as the doors opened.
The Red Moon Sea Bank was the largest central bank in the region, operating under the Buke Clan. Even a random branch in Saint Yegana was ostentatious. The architecture followed the classic Luoya magical style, with a massive "Flower Eye" logo sandwiched between the words "Red Moon Sea" and "Bank." From the walls to the floors, every surface was polished to a brilliant shine. White-collar workers and students stood in long, orderly queues. The tellers sat behind Double-S-class arcane protective glass; most were of the Cephalopod Race, performing their duties with multi-armed efficiency.
After living in Luoya for a year, seeing this architecture actually gave Fanli a sense of familiarity. Seeing it shine so brightly even in the capital filled her with a strange sense of pride.
Thanks to their high efficiency, Fanli only had to wait twenty-five minutes. However, when she provided her name, the teller told her that no such account existed. Stunned, she asked them to double-check, but they insisted they couldn't find her ID number in the system.
She showed the reward letter to the staff member, who frowned. "This is the Red Moon Bank, not the Red Moon Sea Bank."
"Oh... I must have misread it..." Fanli tapped her forehead. "Do you know where the nearest Red Moon Bank is?"
"I've never even heard of that bank. It’s probably a private institution," the teller said, shaking her head. "In the future, you should choose a major bank for your accounts. They’re safer and more professional."
Fanli asked the dormitory manager, who also hadn't heard of it, knowing only the Red Moon Sea Bank. Eventually, she went to a supermarket and found an 878-page *Encyclopedia of Saint Yegana City Information*. She flipped through it on the spot and, after five minutes, finally found the address for the only Red Moon Bank in the city. She quickly jotted it down. Just as she was about to look up the specific route, a clerk warned her that she couldn't read the book without buying it. Seeing the exorbitant price, she reluctantly put it back on the shelf.
But then, a slender hand reached out and picked it up again. She looked up instinctively, her eyes lighting up. "Oh!"
"I'll buy it for you," Xinghai said with a smile, placing it in his shopping basket.
"I knew you were the best! Love you!" Fanli swam up a bit and pecked him on the cheek. He looked down and smiled, seemingly unaware of his own expression.
In addition to the book, Xinghai’s basket contained various ingredients. A sudden inspiration struck Fanli. "Tell you what, I'll cook tonight as a reward."
"Alright."
Fanli began to seriously deliberate whether to buy the head of a needlefish for a salt-boiled dish, the middle section for grilling, or the tail for sashimi.
"Perfect. Needlefish are at their fattest in early summer. It's a bit late now, but the flavor should still be good..." she murmured to herself while inspecting the white fillets, but she received no reply. She looked around and realized Xinghai had vanished. Shrugging, she continued to wonder if she should just buy the whole fish and make three different dishes.
It made sense; although Xinghai looked lean, he was a male of the Predator Race, and his appetite wouldn't be small. She stopped hesitating and began comparing a row of fresh, whole needlefish.
At the counter, a plump saleswoman was squeezed into a small chair, her head turned toward a soap opera titled *Goby Tribe: Saint Yegana Will Forget You Tonight*. She was using a spoon to scoop out flying fish roe—which looked like clusters of spider eggs—and shoving large mouthfuls into her mouth. Hearing the young man at the counter stammering for a moment, she expertly fished out five colored boxes of varying sizes from the display case and tossed them onto the counter.
"Pick the style yourself. If it’s not enough, just say so... Wow, look at this scumbag! If it weren't for his wife, he wouldn't even have a foothold in the Holy Capital. His wife slept with a tycoon and gave him all the money, and now he’s actually turned into a female to steal his wife’s sugar daddy? Are all the Gobies in Saint Yegana dead? What is he even trying to achieve? I can't stand people like this!" The latter half of her speech was, naturally, a commentary on the drama she was watching.
"You have to keep watching to understand," a younger clerk nearby added, gesturing wildly. "He actually liked the tycoon from the very beginning! It’s just that back then, the tycoon abandoned the tribe to start a business in Saint Yegana, so he had no choice but to become a male and marry his wife."
"That is disgusting!"
"The tycoon is a scumbag too. When he first arrived in Saint Yegana, he also turned into a female and served as another big boss’s concubine for eleven years. Otherwise, how do you think a country bumpkin like him got the money to start a business?"
"I’ve seen that part. I didn't expect the male lead to be so morally bankrupt... Wait, don't give me spoilers! I like to curse while I watch!"
After venting for a while, the plump woman realized the boy next to her hadn't said a word, nor had he selected any of the products she had offered. She glanced at him, intending to push the boxes closer, but then she froze. "Ah, so you're from the Shark Tribe. Sorry, I saw your girlfriend was from the Ocean Race and assumed you were too..." She swept the boxes away and pulled out two much larger ones. "My apologies. Shark Tribe members don't usually buy these, so we only have these two types: ultra-thin and beaded. They only come in one size."
Xinghai took the ultra-thin ones, paid silently, opened the box, and stuffed the twelve sealed, transparent gel-like items into his pocket before tossing the box into a nearby trash can. He was about to hide them away when Fanli snatched them. She bundled them with the chosen ingredients, intending to pay for everything together.
Xinghai looked startled. "That..."
"Hmm?"
"It's nothing. I'll handle it," Xinghai said awkwardly, positioning himself between Fanli and the bag.
"How can I let you do that? You already bought the book. I'll take care of the rest."
"Aren't you cooking dinner?"
"Yeah, I am."
"I buy the groceries, you cook. It's only fair."
"True." Fanli happily stepped aside. "Then next time you cook, I'll buy the groceries."
The two saleswomen watched as Xinghai let out a massive sigh of relief once his back was turned to Fanli. After the couple left, the younger clerk leaned over and whispered, "Do you think they're actually boyfriend and girlfriend?"
"Looks like it, but who knows."
"A Shark dating an Ocean Race girl seriously? I don't buy it... but..."
"But what?"
"I think that boy genuinely likes her. I've been running this shop for a long time, and that's the first time I've seen a Shark male buy protection." Because female sharks could biologically prevent pregnancy, they rarely used them. When a Shark male mated with an Ocean Race female, they usually didn't care if she got pregnant. In fact, many Ocean Race women actively sought to have hybrid babies.
"That Shark boy seems to really like that little Ocean girl. He almost seems... afraid of her."
"You think so too? I agree. A Predator being afraid of an Ocean Race member... even the taxi-vessel drivers in Saint Yegana have probably never heard of such a thing."
***
In the dormitory buildings of Saint Yegana University, students had private rooms, but the kitchen was shared by the entire floor. Xinghai’s floor housed eight students, but during the summer break, only three were present, including him. By the time they returned, the kitchen was empty, leaving the vast space entirely to them.
"Alright, leave the rest to me!" Fanli snatched the woven grass shopping bag and began taking things out one by one. Then, she encountered the items Xinghai had bought. She held one up, inspecting it. "What’s this?"
Xinghai opened his mouth but remained frozen in place, unable to speak.
"So mysterious... You're not up to no good, are you?" Fanli gave him a mischievous grin and made a motion to tear the packet. "If you don't tell me, I'm opening it."
"Don't."
"I can't open it?"
Xinghai turned away, switched on the television, and feigned indifference. "Go ahead."
Fanli saw there were plenty left, so she tore the one in her hand. The object she pulled out looked like a transparent medical glove, but it was much thinner, almost weightless. It was coated in a gel-like substance on both sides, sticky and somewhat reminiscent of a face mask. Furthermore, this "glove" only had two finger-sleeves, but at a glance, the dimensions seemed completely wrong.
"Is this... for cooking?" Fanli was puzzled. "Which two fingers do you put in here?"
Xinghai didn't answer. He stared blankly at the TV, changing the channel every five seconds.
Fanli tried putting her index finger and thumb inside, but the length and size were wildly off. She tried her index and middle fingers, but it was still wrong. Her fingers didn't even reach halfway into the "sleeves." She finally surrendered. "Xinghai, what on earth is this?"
Xinghai had his elbows on his tail-fin, his entire face buried in his palms, looking utterly defeated.
"Is it a preservation bag? For the fish?" When her question still went unanswered, Fanli tugged at the two sleeves, marveling as she compared them to the needlefish they had just bought. "Wow, it stretches so far. It really could fit a whole fish. Is that it? What's wrong with you..."
Xinghai immediately stood up, swam to her side, snatched the "sleeves," and blew into the opening with all his might, letting seawater rush in to fill it. Once it had puffed up into the shape of two translucent rabbit ears, he tied a knot at the base and placed it on Fanli’s head. "This is how you play with it."
"It's a decoration?"
"Yeah." He turned her around to face the mirror and wiggled the two inflated ears. "Is it cute?"
Fanli couldn't be sure if it was an illusion, but she thought the tips of his ears looked a bit red. She didn't press him, however, and simply nodded vigorously. "Cute!"
Then, she used some seaweed to tie the "rabbit ears" to her head and hummed a little tune as she started cooking.
Of course, she knew these weren't rabbit ears. But seeing how embarrassed Xinghai was, she didn't want to make it harder for him. While cooking, she thoughtfully touched the "ears." At the same time, she remembered that male sharks had two claspers...
Xinghai had bought these because he wanted to... with her...
Had he taken what she said at the club seriously? Her mind was a mess.
Yet, knowing he had such thoughts didn't repel her at all. Instead, it made it impossible for her to think straight.
Fortunately, she had work to do. If she had been standing right in front of him, they both probably would have died of embarrassment.
After a long while, Fanli used an arcane air-bubble to bring over the prepared needlefish head. "Come on, dinner's ready! It's great that your place has cookware for hot food. I love eating cooked meals."
"Yeah."
Fanli placed a piece of fish on his plate, only to see him bring a morsel directly to her lips. She blinked, then opened her mouth to accept the food he fed her. "Thank you," she whispered, looking down.
"I should be the one saying thank you. You made the meal."
Their communication had suddenly become incredibly polite.
Throughout the meal, the atmosphere remained bizarre. They spoke barely a tenth of what they usually did. After finally finishing and cleaning up the mess, Fanli wasn't sure if she should stay or return to her own room. Then, she saw Xinghai swim out of the kitchen and look back at her. "Lili, come here."
Though he always called her "Lili" with a gentle voice, this time, there seemed to be... a deliberately suppressed emotion?
Fanli followed him. During the swim from the kitchen to his bedroom, her heart hammered against her ribs. The moment she entered, the door was closed. The displacement of water against her skin made her feel exceptionally sensitive. Then, she was pressed against the door. He lowered his head, his lips brushing hers repeatedly. He interlaced his fingers with hers, pinning one hand against the doorframe, while his other hand supported her waist, his tail entwining with hers.
Fanli looked at him in a panic, feeling a sudden, inexplicable fear. He continued to kiss her softly, his voice low and slightly raspy as he asked a question that felt like a bolt of lightning: "Is this too much effort... do you want to sit on me?"
She was completely stunned.
*What kind of demonic suggestion is that?!*
"Don't be afraid, Lili," he whispered. "I'm not that scary. I won't eat you."
Despite his words, Xinghai began trailing light kisses along her earlobe, moving down to the nape of her neck before stopping. "...Just relax." His voice was gentle, but something was vibrating in his chest—a low, primal purr of a predator. It was a dangerous sound that made the blood boil, something entirely inhuman. She had never known Xinghai could react this way, and it made her own blood race. Yet, even as his body released such obvious signals, his voice remained unchanged, perhaps even gentler than usual, which only added to her confusion.
And in this embrace, she finally gained a clear perception of the sheer volume of a Shark's claspers.
Fanli was now absolutely certain that appearances were deceiving. Xinghai was no "herbivore" sweetheart. He was a Predator. He was a Predator! Half the blood in his veins belonged to a race of hunters!
But more than Xinghai’s intensity, Fanli found her own reaction terrifying.
She was conflicted. Part of her was secretly anticipating something she couldn't name, while another part was genuinely frightened by his transformation.
"But, I..." Fanli closed her eyes and took several deep breaths, trying to calm her emotions. "Wait, Xinghai, I'm still really scared..."
"...What?"
"I didn't originally believe in premarital sex, but for you, I'm willing to set that aside. It's just... can we go slower? I'm actually looking forward to it, but I have zero experience, and I'm just..." She was becoming incoherent.
Xinghai released her hands, and the vibration in his chest slowed. "Wait, did you think I wanted to mate with you viviparously?"
Fanli looked confused. "Isn't that what you meant?"
"Of course not. We aren't ready to be parents yet, are we? Besides, for hybrids, we can use the broadcast method of the Ocean Race, or the methods Sharks prefer: oviparous, ovoviviparous, or viviparous. Viviparous mating is just one option."
"Is that so?" Fanli tilted her head. "But don't most couples prefer viviparous mating because it ensures the highest quality gametes and the strongest offspring?"
"It's mostly the same. Sharks generally don't marry; they can use any method. Once the young are born, they have incredible survival instincts and can be left to fend for themselves."
"Truly a race of warriors..."
"We’re going to raise our children together. So, if you prefer it, viviparous mating is fine too." At this, Xinghai paused and gave a bitter smile. "Wait, you might return to the surface. I’m thinking too far ahead."
"It's not too far," Fanli said, shaking her head. "My lifespan is long enough now. I can stay here for the next two thousand years."
For a moment, even the seawater seemed to freeze. Xinghai blinked rapidly, certain he had misheard. "What did you say?"
"I can grow old with you," Fanli said, tapping the tip of his nose with a small smile.
Xinghai froze for another four or five seconds. Then, he suddenly hoisted her up and began spinning in circles around the room.
"Whoa! I'm getting dizzy! Dizzy, dizzy, I'm dizzy!"
Fanli grabbed his shoulders, intending to tell him his reaction was too dramatic, but he pressed her onto the bed and began kissing her wildly...
"Lili, I'll make you happy."
"Thank you for staying for me."
"I'll cherish you and spoil you for the rest of my life..."
"Everything I have is yours."
...
His passionate words, matched by his fervent kisses, were almost more than Fanli could handle. She felt a strange sensation beginning to stir in her tail... Sensing something was about to go wrong, she tried to push him away, but Xinghai was the first to let go. He sat up, his expression frustrated as he gulped down seawater.
"Doesn't it... hurt?" Fanli asked, feeling a pang of sympathy for him.
"Compared to your sense of security, a little physical endurance is nothing." Xinghai took her hand and placed it over his heart, using the water to smooth her messy hair. "We'll save our first time for after we're married. It's a promise."
Fanli’s heart was a whirlwind of emotions. There was a bit of heartache, a lot of sweetness, and the profound touch of being truly cared for. She hugged him from behind, resting her chin on his shoulder. She caught sight of Little Sunflower lying lazily in the corner fish tank and kissed Xinghai’s cheek. "Choosing to be with you was the best decision I ever made."
***
Early the next morning, Fanli followed the route provided by the *Encyclopedia of Saint Yegana City Information* and took a public transport vessel to the stop nearest the city’s only Red Moon Bank.
The two-and-a-half-hour journey made her feel as though she had left Saint Yegana entirely. After searching for nearly thirty minutes, she put down her map at the entrance of a small alley and saw a dilapidated little storefront. If it weren't for the rotting sign hanging above it that read "Red Moon Bank," she would have assumed it was a low-end black market shop selling hallucinogens.
It seemed she had expected too much from Su Yi.
The interior of the bank was filthy. Breathing in there felt like her gills would get clogged with bacteria. Behind a row of rusted iron bars, a single Ocean Race employee was dozing off. Fanli called out to her, and the woman rubbed her ear-fins before sitting up. She took Fanli’s ID and hauled out a ledger as thick as a brick to look up her name.
Fanli was truly impressed by Su Yi’s lifestyle. A brilliant Academician, yet she lived like this? Living in a slum in Luoya and choosing the shabbiest bank possible... was all that education for nothing? She couldn't help but feel a surge of pity for Su Yi, even considering leaving a few hundred Drops for her if she were still around.
An hour and a half passed. Fanli had actually fallen asleep when the staff member nudged her awake. "Miss Fanli, your bank card and passbook have been reissued."
Fanli took the card and passbook, yawning as she flipped the book open casually.
At 8:00 AM yesterday, 2,599 Drops had been deposited. The sender was the "Luoya City Center for Disease Control."
*Excellent. Being rich feels great. Such a sense of achievement.*
Then, Fanli glanced at the previous transaction. She froze, feeling as though she had been slapped across the face.
On September 17th of last year, a deposit of 2,600,000.00 Drops had been made. The sender was the "Black Crocodile Guild of the Storm Sea Underground City."
The current balance of the account: 2,671,469.47 Drops.
"..." Fanli’s mouth began to twitch uncontrollably.
2.67 million Drops?! Was there something wrong with her eyesight?!
So, what had she been doing this past year? She had been working herself to the bone, so exhausted that she wanted to collapse in the classroom every day, and she hadn't even earned as much as the interest on this account?!
And the largest sum she had earned all year wasn't even a fraction of the "pocket change" Su Yi had lying around?
She withdrew eight thousand Drops in cash and clutched the bag of money like a thief as she hurried out of the bank and boarded the return vessel. But as soon as she sat down, she realized how accustomed she was to being poor—why hadn't she taken a private taxi-vessel?
In short, the feeling of sudden, overwhelming wealth left her reeling. Before she could process it, Feisi called her. "Lizi, I have some terrible news. I hope you won't be too upset when you hear it."
"Go ahead."
"I just heard from a senior at the Red Moon Sea Social Club that the university changed its policy. The scholarship exam has been canceled. They’re using our Luoya advancement exam scores instead. But if your score was below 350, you don't get a full scholarship..."
"What? Doesn't that mean I'm out?"
"Yeah. Why did you have to pick a fight with Lina? Now you have to find a way to scrape together 6,800 Drops in Holy Capital currency, and that's just for the first half of the year. You'll need another 6,800 for the second half—by the Great God Buke, that is a massive sum! Lansi and I have tried our best, and we can pull together about nine hundred Drops, maybe a thousand. You'll have to figure out the rest. Maybe ask Xinghai if he can..."
"I understand," Fanli said, her eyes shining with an intense light. "Don't worry. I'll find a way."
What did it mean to be rich? It meant being exactly like her.
Right now, she felt so inflated with confidence she was like a puffed-up boxfish.
She decided that from this day forward, she would no longer be called Fanli.
Please, address her by her full name: Fanlier Xin Jiana Liyingshang J.Q. Blood-Leaf Loli-Lan Ningyu Binglan-Li Leiyi Rubing Miaoya Leiluo Binghua Purple-Butterfly Dream-Pearl Yuling Xie’er Phantomhive Xiaying Liuli-Wu Ya Leiyue Ai Mengyue Yuelan Lan-Sakura Purple-Butterfly Lixin Leiqiluo Feng Yanyuan Xiluo Jiu-Xi.
***4.3 Mini-Theater***
Fanli: "The joy of the wealthy is something you commoners wouldn't understand."
Lansi: "Good grief, the Goddess of Academics is personally demonstrating 'The Psychology of the Nouveau Riche.'"
Su Shiye: "As expected of our wealthy Lili. I’m clinging to those thighs. Someone pass the boss a cigarette."
Xitian: "Hello? Su Shiye, where is your dignity? Do you even have a face?"
