Five minutes later, Fan Li looked up with a pale face, saw the signs on the two doors—a mermaid and a merman—and swam into the mermaid’s side.
As it turned out, there were indeed toilets under the sea. However, they were more like dressing rooms; the sea-race girls inside were mostly just tidying their appearances. A few who needed to relieve themselves used long, cylindrical commodes. Fan Li wasn't entirely sure how to use the device, so she simply sat on it lightly. The moment she released a bit of tension, the urine was instantly sucked away, giving her quite a start.
The water temperature didn't get warmer. That was a relief.
But when she considered that the excretory organs of the sea race were located beneath their hips, she still found the whole thing rather eerie.
Outside the stalls, the girls were grooming themselves before the mirrors, adjusting their colorful fish tails and hair. No one paid Fan Li any mind. She caught her reflection in the mirror: her ear fins and tail were a shade of teal, and her shoulder-length curls bounced up and down like seaweed, the color of freshly brewed wine. Her bangs were thick, resembling an unevenly sliced watermelon rind—it looked a bit silly. Fortunately, her features were delicate, and her deep blue eyes were large and bright. Coupled with her curious gaze, she looked somewhat adorable. The white, sack-style tunic she wore was likely the Luo Ya University uniform. On her upper arm, she wore a silver armlet shaped like a sea serpent, giving her a slightly Ancient Greek flair. She had a slender build; when she flicked her tail, her waist swayed as gracefully as a willow branch.
Overall, she had plenty of youthful charm but lacked the sultry, feminine allure of the mermaid princess she had imagined.
Taking this opportunity, she rummaged through her bag and found her ID card. It read:
*Fan Li, Female, Unmarried. Born November 4, Year 24647 of the Burning Era. Ocean Race. ID Number: *********.*
*Issuing Authority: Bhoga City Police Department, Harijin County, Storm Sea.*
So, the original owner of this body wasn't a local. Given that she had a marriage contract, had she come all the way to the Red Moon Sea because the teaching quality at Luo Ya University was exceptional, or because she really had broken off the engagement?
The ID photo was dynamic. In the picture, the original Fan Li had her lips slightly pursed and her eyes as cold as ice. Her eyes weren't fully open, which made them look longer and emphasized her double eyelids. Despite having the same short, curly bangs, the hairstyle didn't look silly on her at all; instead, it made her look intelligent and capable.
Fan Li instantly found inner peace.
It wasn't the bangs that were silly; it was her.
She found another letter. The stamp featured a tropical fish with two leaves entwined around a red moon on its head, supporting a gorgonian coral crown. The content was as follows:
*Dear New Student,*
*Welcome to Luo Ya University of the Light Sea Federation’s "Radiance Project."*
*Our school stands with the majesty of the undersea mountains and inherits the vastness of the Red Moon Sea. With the spirit of the coral and boundless beauty, we boast a long history of tens of millions of years as the glorious Coral Reef Academy. Under the protection of the Buke Sect and with the Deep Blue God forever in our hearts, we offer you the finest education in the entire ocean. May you be insatiable in your learning and ambitious in your goals.*
*The university has decided to admit you into the Arcane Academy. Congratulations on your admission to Luo Ya University!*
*Luo Ya University*
*7 Antioch Road, Jente District*
*Luo Ya City, Red Moon Sea*
She found no clues that could lead her back to her original body, which left her feeling a bit dejected. She wanted to look through the other documents and newspapers in her bag, but realizing she couldn't lose Dangdang, she hurriedly stuffed the notice back into her bag, left the restroom, and swam back to the queue.
Dangdang and the swallowtail girl had already made it inside. Dangdang pulled the swallowtail girl over, her eyes sparkling. "Li-zi, it turns out you two are in the same department! Aren't you happy?"
"Li-zi?" Fan Li’s mouth twitched.
"Yeah! You're especially cute today, all soft and adorable. Not like before, always keeping everyone at a distance. So, I’ve decided to call you Li-zi! A big, round, golden pear!"
The swallowtail girl reached out to Fan Li. "By the way, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Liuxiang."
"Hello, Liuxiang," Fan Li shook her hand. "I'm Li-zi."
The line inside folded back on itself nine times, filling the entire hall. At the corners of the queue, many counselors and student representatives were waving brochures for their respective colleges at the freshmen.
—"New students, did you know there's a creature with a bite force exceeding that of a T-Rex? That’s right, the Megalodon, active only during the Life Era! Join our Archaeology Department! The mysteries of the Megalodon, Livyatan, Catshark, and Stethacanthus are waiting for you! The future Light Sea Institute of Paleontological Resurgence needs you!"
Dangdang’s eyes grew even brighter. "Extinct creatures! That sounds so interesting!"
Liuxiang added in a low voice, "In the Archaeology Department, you either stay at the school as staff or you stay at the school as staff. You can't find a job outside."
—"The Mortuary Academy is recruiting! Find the job with the highest employment rate and the highest starting salary... Don't be intimidated by death; the design and structure of crystal coffins are a new form of art..."
Liuxiang mimicked the recruiter’s slumped shoulders and spoke in a half-dead voice, "This job has nothing but money. And even then, it’s not enough money."
"But someone has to do these jobs. People who choose this major are quite admirable!"
—"The Potion Bottle Design Academy is recruiting! We exist in symbiosis with the Potions major. The vast number of potioneers needs you! The Light Sea Federation needs you!" The shouting student pulled out a finished amethyst bottle and pressed the cap, but the spring broke, and the lid flew out, hitting him in the face.
Dangdang looked pained. "Ouch, that must hurt. I hope he manages to recruit someone."
"They’re all hoping to snag people for their colleges now. I don't know what they're thinking. How could anyone smart enough to get into Luo Ya be foolish enough to pick an unpopular major on a whim?"
*You can still change majors!* Fan Li felt as if she’d been granted a reprieve. "Which majors are hard to pass, and which are easier?"
"The ones shouting right now are all easy to pass. The popular ones are tough," Liuxiang sighed. "The most popular and high-pressure one is, of course, our Arcane Academy. Following that are Slave Management, Maritime Politics and Diplomatic Relations, Business, and Music."
"Dangdang’s major isn't bad either."
"The music of the Light Sea race is, of course, top-tier." Dangdang hummed a little tune and pointed to a dynamic concert poster on the wall. "Look, Randy Rose, my senior fellow student and the legendary diva of the Starry Sea. There are rumors she went on a private polar adventure with the Dictator—on land!" On the poster, a dolphin-race woman in a silver sequined dress swam as she sang.
"Adventure on land"? That meant the sea race could go ashore! In other words, putting aside the soul-swapping, the stamina required for long swims, and the complexities of borders and customs, she could swim back to her father!
"Li-zi, have you finished filling out your form?"
Dangdang’s words interrupted her thoughts. She remembered there was a form in her bag, took it out, and showed it to Dangdang. Dangdang gave her a thumbs-up.
Clutching the form, Fan Li began to ponder another question: On land, the refractive index of light in paper is 1.53. The medium consists of disordered fibers and is porous. In room-temperature seawater, the refractive index of light is about 1.34. If you soak land-paper in seawater, the fibers fill with seawater (mostly water molecules), reducing refraction and reflection, which makes the paper transparent. Yet this paper—she held the admission notice up to the light—treated the seawater as if it weren't there. It wasn't transparent at all.
Fan Li squinted and scratched the paper with her fingernail. Its surface was as smooth as a phone screen. Was this undersea paper coated with waterproof material, or was it made of a material with a higher refractive index? It was also strange that such a smooth material could absorb ink...
She pulled the *Red Moon Sea Morning Post* from her bag, intending to observe the newspaper's material further, but her attention was snatched away by the headline photo.
It was also a dynamic color photo. A man was being interviewed by reporters, the camera focused solely on him.
Silver hair fell to his shoulders like a drape of moonlight. One side was tucked behind his ear, revealing a golden gemstone earring that made it even harder to ignore his face.
Actually, using the word "beautiful" to describe a male felt inappropriate. But for this man, Fan Li could think of no other word.
The man wore a toga embroidered with gold thread. On his golden circlet was an eagle with outspread wings, holding a ruby in its beak. His eyes were narrow, his eyebrows tracing the sharp line of his brow bone, looking exceptionally spirited. His lips were so pale they almost matched his skin tone, the corners turned slightly downward. On the left side of the tip of his nose, there was also a beauty mark. Perhaps because his nose was more prominent, his mark was even more noticeable than Xinghai’s. His pupils were the color of a shallow sandy beach, like two pools of ghostly golden springs piercing through autumn mist. But such beautiful irises were paired with vertical pupils; even with a face that scored perfectly from an aesthetic standpoint, he didn't look human.
These were the eyes of a top-tier predator, possessing only the cold indifference of natural selection's "kill or be killed."
He breathed shallowly, and the muscle lines on his chest and his armlet-clad arms rose and fell slightly. Even as a silent moving image, he exuded a sense of combat prowess.
The city behind him was different from Luo Ya; it was a place of magnificent gold and jade, not looking like the seabed at all. But behind this man, even the most ornate architecture was merely a backdrop.
Above his photo was a striking, massive headline: "Dictator Visits Red Moon Sea, Set to Attend Opening Ceremony of Sea Expo."
The range of the ocean reachable by sunlight was collectively known as the "Sacred Federal Republic of the Light Sea," composed of eight autonomous sea regions, abbreviated as the "Light Sea." The "Dictator" was the supreme leader of the Light Sea.
Fan Li stared at the man’s photo a few moments longer. Was he the Dictator they were talking about?
Nature was truly wondrous; how could such a terrifying yet beautiful creature exist...
"Li-zi, what’s wrong now?" Seeing Fan Li staring at the photo, Dangdang quickly shook her shoulder. "Why have you acted so weird both times you've seen this news today?"
"I understand." Liuxiang leaned in as well, looking at the Dictator’s photo with a look of yearning. "Every time the news shows the Dictator, I stop and look for a while too. He’s too handsome. He truly is a man with an Ethereal Body."
"It’s a pity his looks are directly proportional to the intensity of his governing style. It’s suffocating! If only he were gentler—no, a lot, lot gentler—he’d be perfect."
"There’s no helping it. If he hadn't suddenly appeared, the ocean would still be fractured."
"Divided in two isn't much better than being fractured... He’s clashing so hard with the Storm Sea right now, holding military exercises at the drop of a hat. Who knows if it’ll affect our Red Moon Sea again. Anyway, this man is terrifying, and we, caught in the middle, are so pitiful!"
The Storm Sea and the Red Moon Sea were both autonomous regions within the Light Sea. Fan Li was currently in Luo Ya, the capital of the Red Moon Sea.
Fan Li wasn't really listening to their chatter. She just tilted her head and shook the newspaper, her science-student habits kicking in—what exactly was the chemical composition of undersea paper? Without a power source, how did the images move?
But as she tilted her head, her gaze drifted past the edge of the notice and met a pair of cold eyes.
She recognized the owner of those eyes instantly—it was Xinghai.
He was waiting at the corner of the front of the line, cradling two gold-rimmed, black-covered textbooks, looking like the only still point in this dynamic world.
She didn't know how long he had been watching her, but the coldness and hostility in his gaze made him seem like a different person. Flustered, she blocked her face with the newspaper. After two seconds, she felt that was rude, so she stuffed the paper into her bag and tried to smile at him to show friendliness.
But Xinghai was no longer looking at her. In front of him, two girls with vertical pupils had turned around and were talking to him incessantly. He listened patiently, nodding and giving brief feedback. The look he’d just given Fan Li seemed like a mere hallucination.
At that moment, someone nearby shouted: "Fire-roasted barnacles! Yu'an-yaki! Salt-grilled needlefish! Sake-steamed goose barnacles... Come to the Open Flame Cooking Department of our Culinary Academy! Learn to make delicacies that can only be tasted on land! Do you know how to cook? Master this skill, and you'll be the next God of Chefs! Only one spot left, we’re just waiting for you!"
Fan Li’s ear fins perked up. "You can even switch to this?"
"Open flame cooking has always been quite popular," Liuxiang said. "But those who want to learn to cook usually go to vocational schools. Who would specifically test into Luo Ya University for that?"
Fan Li was tempted.
At that point, they passed through a ring about four meters in diameter. The outer edge of the ring was lined with half-open shells, each holding a stack of brochures. When students passed through the ring, they only had to hold up their filled-out forms. The ring would emit different colored lights, "scanning" the forms in their hands, and then use water ripples to deliver the corresponding major’s introductory pamphlet to them.
Fan Li followed their lead and held up her form. A purple light swept over it, and the ring-shaped bookshelf emitted the singing voice of a heavy-set soprano: "Welcome to the Arcane Academy!" Then, from the largest shell, a pamphlet opened up and "flew" into her hand as if it had grown wings.
She quickly skimmed through it and learned that Arcane Arts was a discipline combining divine power and science, integrated into every detail of sea-race life. The academy had as many as 29 departments, with branches like "Beast Taming Arcane," "Elemental Arcane," "Military Arcane," "Medical Arcane," and so on. Among them, "First-Class Arcane" was the most academic and difficult major to get into. Furthermore, starting from Second-Class Arcane, the studies would become more specialized, and the learning location would shift from Luo Ya University to Saint Yegana University.
Saint Yegana University was ranked first in the sea-race world, located in the power center and economic heart of the Light Sea—the "Holy Capital," Saint Yegana. Travel expenses, accommodation, and tuition for Saint Yegana could all be covered by scholarships—the specific mention of travel expenses suggested that Saint Yegana was likely very far from Luo Ya.
It seemed the original owner of the body had long planned for a long journey. If she changed majors, would it mess up those plans?
Fan Li looked at the manual, then at the open-flame cooking recruiter who was still shouting. She was torn: if she chose Arcane, she would definitely fail; but if she didn't stay in this body for long and changed the original owner's major, wouldn't that be a sin?
Suddenly, a chubby Ocean Race boy shouted "Me, me, me!" and rushed toward the Culinary Academy recruitment desk, slipping and sliding. Fan Li knew she had no time to hesitate. She rushed over and said, "I want to join your academy too."
"Students, there's only one spot left." The recruiter looked left and right. "Why don't you two discuss it?"
The chubby boy’s eyes widened as he looked her up and down. "Classmate, could you please have a heart? I’ve been eating since I was a kid just so I could become a chef graduated from a prestigious school. Now that I’ve eaten myself into this shape, every book I open looks like a menu. Do I have any other way out? Do you have the heart to do this to me?"
"Then why didn't you sign up earlier?"
"My parents wouldn't let me. They insisted I study law and they’re still watching me at the school gate. I snuck over here to change it!"
The recruiter grabbed his hands, eyes shining. "Our department needs students with your rebellious spirit and dreams."
Fan Li suddenly felt her reason for choosing the major was too tacky, but she wasn't willing to give up. She said to the recruiter with a long face, "But I want to learn open flame cooking too."
"Classmate, what major were you originally enrolled in?"
"First-Class Arcane."
"First-Class Arcane!!" The chubby boy sucked in a mouthful of seawater and shouted excitedly, "When I was little, I said I wanted to be an Arcanist in the Holy Capital. Do you know what my brother said? 'Remember your dream, never lower your standards, just endure and this life will pass.' That’s why I chose the more realistic dream of being a chef, do you know that?!"
"Wait, classmate, if we can swap academies, I also want to..."
"We’re both fish bait, yet you’ve already been admitted to the Arcane Academy and you’re still fighting me for a spot! Is there something wrong with your brain, or is there something wrong with mine?!"
"No, I..."
"You’re giving up the Holy Capital, giving up the chance to mingle with the Sea God Race, giving up looking at god-tier handsome professors, giving up a job with a starting salary of a hundred thousand pearls, giving up a future of academic and social leaps—just to fight me for cooking?!"
"No, you misunderstand..."
"What else is there to say! Tell the truth, you’re just here for attention, just to show off your entrance exam scores! Right?!"
"Calm down, actually I'm not..."
"I can't calm down! Teacher, you tell me, does she make sense? She makes no sense! The world is so dark! I don't want to live anymore!!!"
In the end, both Fan Li and the recruiter surrendered to the chubby boy’s fury.
Aside from cooking, no major would be easy. Changing departments didn't seem to matter much anymore. Fan Li swam back to her original spot numbly, only to find that Xinghai was now lined up with Dangdang and Liuxiang.
"Welcome back to the Arcane Academy," Xinghai said with a faint smile.
The two girls who had followed him weren't nearly as friendly. They looked at Fan Li as if a wild animal had spotted its natural enemy.
Fan Li tried her best not to pay them any mind to avoid another scene. "You’re a freshman in the Arcane Academy too?"
"Yeah. I didn't expect us all to be freshmen, and for the three of us to be in the same department."
Dangdang nodded vigorously. "Yeah, yeah, what a surprise. I thought Xinghai was much older."
"Hey, what are you saying!" The vertical-pupil girl beside Xinghai launched an attack. "What do you mean 'much older'? Do you think you look young? Do you even know how to talk?"
Someone pushed from behind, and Xinghai instinctively shielded Fan Li, saying gently, "It’s a misunderstanding. In Dangdang’s tribe, saying a male is old is a compliment."
Dangdang’s liking for him surged, and she spoke even faster. "You really are different from other Shark-race people! The major you guys chose is a long-term commitment. When you go to Saint Yegana later, you can look out for each other..."
"Pfft." The vertical-pupil girl curved her index finger over her lips and looked down, laughing. She didn't say anything, but Dangdang felt the full weight of her contempt.
"What, you think my bestie isn't worthy? She’s a Double S woman. If you think it’s funny, why don't you show your own transcript?"
The vertical-pupil girl was stunned for a moment, then resumed her smile. "Stop bragging. In this year’s freshman class, only one person scored a Double S. Haha, and that’s your friend?"
"Sorry, but it *is* my bestie!" Dangdang acted as if she were the one who had scored the Double S, putting her hands on her hips and puffing out her small chest toward the girl.
"An Ocean Race student scoring a Double S? Classmate, I mean no offense, but with your level of common sense, how did you get into Luo Ya?"
The other girl nudged her and whispered, "I heard that the top scorer from the Storm Sea really is from the Ocean Race..."
The vertical-pupil girl’s face filled with embarrassment. She pretended not to hear and sullenly turned back to talk to Xinghai.
Fan Li continued chatting with Dangdang and Liuxiang, and soon it was their turn. Just as she was about to swim to the registration desk to sit down, she saw Xinghai, who had just finished, slowly approaching. He leaned one elbow on the railing, leaning forward with a slight smile. "See you in class, 'Li-zi'."
Fan Li felt his attitude was a bit strange. But she couldn't put her finger on why.
After completing her freshman registration, she returned to Dangdang and Liuxiang, only to find that the surrounding students had retreated several meters, leaving only the quiet flow of seawater. Three shadows appeared on the ground. She turned around.
"So, you're Fan Li." The speaker was Lina.
Fan Li had no choice but to nod.
"Sorry, I need to borrow this girl for a moment." Lina dragged Fan Li aside, circling her with her friends. "Actually, you're quite pretty, and you're smart enough to be in the same department as me. Not bad. Now that you're in university, do you have any wishes?"
*Did wanting to go to the surface and turn back into a human count as a wish?* Fan Li felt bitter and couldn't say it. "I’ve already gotten into my dream university. I don't have any wishes."
"If you want a boyfriend, even if he belongs to someone else, he can be wrapped up and given to you as a gift," said the girl who was the prettiest and had the best grades in the "Black Coral Goddess Gang," calling herself "Genius Eros."
Fan Li didn't know what their goal was. she didn't dare shake her head, nor did she dare nod.
"Speak up, little bait," the Fierce Princess said, narrowing her eyes. "Do we look like people with nothing better to do?"
***
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