“What do you mean by ‘that kind of man’? You’re insulting yourself too, you know!”
I was starting to get angry. But my brother seemed even angrier than I was; he ignored me entirely and swam back into the dining room.
Upon entering the restaurant, I saw Arno and a group of boys poking their heads out, wearing mysterious, smiling expressions as they looked in a certain direction. I swam over to take a look and, without realizing it, probably wore the same expression as them—there sat a young girl, her head bowed as she and Sister Xun Yue played with a small lobster.
The girl wore a white, off-the-shoulder silk gown. Her long, straight silver-white hair draped over her shoulders and collarbones, cascading all the way down to her waist. Two long, sapphire earrings swayed against her heart-shaped face. The wrist she used to poke at the lobster was adorned with a string of large, lustrous white pearls; her wrist was so delicate and slender it looked as if it might be crushed by the weight of the pearls at any moment.
Hearing someone enter, the girl looked up. The corners of her eyes drooped slightly, and her amber eyes were brighter and more enchanting than the pearls on her wrist.
This was no mere member of the Sea Race; she looked exactly like the legendary lunar goddess in her maiden form.
At first sight, I was truly struck by her beauty. But considering that descendants of the Sea Gods were usually cold and aloof, I decided to remain dignified and not act like too much of a fangirl, so I stayed silent.
“Little Fanli, you’re here. Let me introduce you.” Sister Xun Yue stood up and pulled the girl beside her to her feet. “This is my good friend, Shengti Fengjin, the little princess of the Winter Sea. You’ve heard of her. Fengjin, this is Sui, the sister I grew up with. I’ve mentioned her to you many times. She had quite a run of bad luck as a child and was kidnapped into the slave market, but instead of being sold, she ended up becoming the mastermind behind the scenes and even established a principality.”
Shengti Fengjin clasped her hands over her chest, her eyes seemingly filled with starlight. “I know, everyone knows. Sui... my Goddess of the Boundless Ocean.”
“Goddess?” I pointed at myself and scratched my head sheepishly. “No, I’m just a researcher. You’re the goddess. Princess Fengjin, I’ve heard so much about you.”
“No, no, no, I’ve heard so much more about you. You’re even more beautiful in person than in the books—so beautiful.”
“Wait, did I just get called beautiful by a celestial maiden? I’m panicking...”
“Alright, alright,” Sister Xun Yue pulled me over and sat me down next to Fengjin. “Stop trading empty flatteries and just sit down and chat quietly.”
Fengjin and I glanced at each other, the atmosphere between us somehow both tense and exciting. Then, we both started to speak at the same time, told the other to “go first,” and finally covered our mouths and giggled.
At that moment, a red-haired Orca woman swam over and stood silently nearby.
“Liefu, what is it?” Fengjin looked back at her.
Liefu leaned down and whispered to Fengjin, “Princess Shengti, let me introduce you to the Archon of the Starry Sea.”
“Hmm? Who are you talking about?” Fengjin was still quite innocent; though she pretended not to understand out of modesty, she quickly stole a glance at my brother, a layer of pink rising to her cheeks.
“It is Lord Su Shiye. Please follow me.”
Liefu led Fengjin away. Before she stood up, Fengjin whispered to me, “I’ll be right back.” Then, she picked up her skirts and swam toward my brother.
Fengjin’s tail was truly beautiful. Although most descendants of the Sea Gods had golden tails, everyone’s physique and tail length were different, as was the intensity of the gold. The curve and color of her tail were nothing short of a work of art.
As she swam toward my brother, her golden tail fins danced like gossamer silk, shimmering brilliantly. I felt as though Arno, standing by my brother’s side, was about to melt into the floor. But the way my brother looked at her was no different from the way he looked at Arno.
“I can’t take it, the Archon is so handsome, so masculine.” After Fengjin returned, she cast a soundproofing spell around the two of us, patted her chest, and covered her burning cheeks. “Talking to him, I had to constantly use Arcane arts to control my heartbeat; my mental energy is almost drained. If every man of the Predator Race was like him, it would be too difficult...”
“My brother is quite handsome, but he’s mean to me. I don’t even want to look at him.” I glanced at my brother and, sure enough, he glared at me again. He had the nerve to glare at me! How annoying—this guy actually wanted to use me as a tool for a political marriage!
“Ah.” Fengjin covered her mouth. “That’s right, I forgot, you’re his sister... My God Shengti, you must never tell him what I said...”
“I wouldn't want him to know you think he’s handsome anyway, or he’d be insufferably smug. Hmph.”
On the way home that night, I kept winking and nudging my brother. “Brother, what do you think of Princess Fengjin? She said you’re very handsome and masculine. You’re quite the lucky man!”
“I felt nothing.” My brother wasn't as happy as I expected—not even by 0.0001%. He rested his chin on his hand, staring expressionlessly out the window.
“What do you mean ‘nothing’? She’s so beautiful and you felt nothing?”
“She’s just a female descendant of the Sea Gods. There are many women like that.”
I was genuinely confused. This man was so hypocritical. In the restaurant just now, he was clearly friendly to everyone, graceful and charming with a ready smile, even casting flirtatious glances at the girls—a perfect elegant nobleman. Yet the moment we were in private, he reverted to this ghostly attitude. I really wanted to turn into a remora and suck his deadpan expression into a gaping monkey face.
Sometimes, I felt there was a genuine wall between the thoughts of men and women. Even with a brother as close as mine, it was no exception. So, I decided to temporarily abandon my brother and throw myself into the embrace of my new girlfriend.
And so, Shengti Fengjin and I fell in love.
No, what nonsense am I saying.
Best friends are a kind of "destined" metaphysical phenomenon. Some girls you meet every day, yet you can't find a single thing to talk about; others you meet once and the love never ends. If she is incredibly beautiful and shares your values perfectly, it can truly be better than a romantic relationship.
Shengti Fengjin was my "the one."
She was the same age as me, but because the Sea God Race started school later, she had only just enrolled as a freshman this year. She was a philosophy student at the University of the Sea of Light with an S-rank entrance score. She loved reading all kinds of books, and her vast knowledge was completely at odds with her "trophy girl" looks.
I told her that walking with her on campus made me embarrassed because of the high rate of people turning their heads to look. Interestingly, she told me the exact same thing.
Fengjin’s most precious virtue was her support for equal rights. She said she liked me so much because she felt I had put a lot of effort into the equal rights movement in the Sea of Light. She also agreed with the liberation of slaves, often lamenting how difficult their lives were and saying it would be wonderful if slavery could be abolished.
For a high-born princess to propose such ideas, I naturally admired her greatly. But after hearing my confidences, my brother poured cold water on me once again: “Don't just listen to everything a delicate young lady says. Politics is never as easy as you two think.”
I decided to keep the wall between my brother and me standing and continued to enjoy myself in the embrace of my best friend.
But I only found out later that our encounter with Fengjin was no coincidence. At that time, the Winter Sea had not yet been reclaimed by any faction. Liefu worked for the Winter Sea government and, through the Winter Sea Archon, had clung to the thighs of the Shengti Clan, hoping to arrange a perfect encounter between Princess Fengjin and Young Master Aoda.
But things went contrary to her wishes. The person Fengjin fell for was my brother; she didn't spare a glance for the men of the Aoda Clan.
The Winter Sea Archon had once been the Vice-Archon of the Sea of Resurrection and was a world-renowned racist. He resolutely opposed my brother—a member of the Predator Race—holding power over the Sea of Light. Later, when he learned that my brother and Shengti Fengjin were engaged, he exploded with rage and wanted nothing more than to kill Liefu. Knowing she was finished with him, Liefu turned around and sold his political secrets to the Shengti Clan. That man, who had once pitied her tragic birth as a single mother of many children, was thus beheaded by the Shengti Patriarch—Fengjin’s mother.
Such a venomous person was naturally someone my brother didn't dare use himself. So, he planted Liefu within the Aoda Clan. By then, he was already the Dictator. To show their loyalty, the Aoda Clan gave Liefu a position of great importance, making her the Grand Steward of the Aoda Clan.
Liefu had originally been a low-level Orca, but through this series of divine maneuvers, she successfully achieved fame and fortune, her name resounding throughout the Starry Sea. But it was also because he knew what she had done and saw her becoming increasingly intoxicated by power that her boyfriend, Byrne, left her. At that time, her and Byrne’s youngest daughter hadn't even started primary school.
Of course, all of that is a story for later. On the second day after meeting Fengjin, I was startled at school by a fussing Night Jue.
“You’re going to marry Gasi Xitian?” Night Jue blocked my path, his face full of mockery. “Not that I intend to laugh at you, Dr. Sui, but you’ve barely spoken a few words to him. Can you marry without love?”
He emphasized the word “Doctor.” I took it as his jealousy over me skipping grades to get my doctorate.
“Oh, you’re the son of Bukobalu, and yet you support free love?” I replied calmly.
“Why can’t the son of Bukobalu support free love? I resolutely oppose political alliances and arranged marriages.”
“Then don't ever expect to become a Patriarch in this lifetime.”
“So if I’m not a Patriarch, you look down on me? Does that mean as long as someone can become a Patriarch, they can marry you?”
I didn't really mean anything by it; I just wanted to argue with him. I didn't expect him to take it seriously. I rolled my eyes at him. “Buko Night Jue, don't insult people, or I’ll make you wet your pants in our next debate!”
“I’m not insulting you, I’m seriously asking you this question: Is it true that as long as a man becomes a Patriarch, he can...”
“Of course not!” I interrupted him impatiently. “I don't want to get married at all. If my brother forces me, I’ll jump into the Abyss and kill myself right in front of him.”
“You can rest assured, this isn't something you should worry about. Aside from Gasi Xitian, no one else would be that blind.”
“Prepare to die!” I threw an Arcane water bomb and chased him through several streets.
When I went back that night, I voiced a strong protest to my brother: I wanted to study, not marry Gasi Xitian. My brother said nothing; he just pulled me in and held me silently for a long time.
Soon I learned that the person who had spread the news of the engagement between Gasi Xitian and me wasn't my brother, but Gasi Xitian himself. Like some cool, overbearing CEO, he went around telling everyone that I was desperate to marry him, but he was still considering it.
As everyone knew, Sui was a member of the Ocean Race.
One can imagine how much trouble such rumors would cause me.
But the fact that narcissistic men will eventually be slapped in the face is a universally recognized law.
The stupid public opinion triggered by his chauvinism was soon drowned out by the brilliance of his "Auntie Sui." Almost every article I published in various journals received recognition from the academic community. I tinkered with many miscellaneous, harmless potion formulas and threw them all to the Black Crocodile Guild; those business-minded fellows packaged and sold the potions, made a profit, and then allocated educational funds to the Principality of Charybdis. My cross-sea pen war with an Academician from the Amaterasu Arcane Institute in the Sea of Riven Skies lasted for seven years and six months...
December 3, 24617, was the pinnacle of my life. At St. Yegana University, in front of over a thousand people, I read my thesis on Ether Radiation, forcefully striking the concept of "Micro-particles" onto the public screen. All my opponents finally chose silence and withdrawal.
From that day on, I was no longer a Doctor, but a famous Grand Arcanist—Academician Sui of the St. Yegana Arcane Institute.
At the same time, my brother, allied with the Aoda Clan and the Bodhi Sea, began to force the Dictator of the Sea of Light to abdicate.
Everything seemed to be going so smoothly; we were moving in the planned direction of our lives. But even a cornered dog will jump over a wall, let alone a Dictator who already possessed no small amount of ambition.
***End of Memory Fragment Six***
After a winter break, Fanli possessed Sui’s complete memories.
Since becoming a member of the Sea Race, the one thing she hadn't understood was why Sui had chosen her to be the scapegoat, why "Fan Li" and "Fanli" were so similar, and why the transfer student looked so much like Xinghai. Now that she knew the cause and effect, she just felt like laughing, yet also felt like crying.
Sui knew that the new Fanli would definitely complete the upcoming tasks. These were all part of the plan arranged long ago.
Reopening the window and looking out at St. Yegana, Fanli’s state of mind was completely different than before. Memory gave the Sea of Light more meaning and also let her know clearly what she needed to do next.
There were many people in this world who needed her, and she had arrived neither too early nor too late, but just at the right time.
It was just that the timing wasn't ripe yet, and it wasn't suitable to alert the enemy. So after school started, Fanli began taking transformation potions to hide Sui’s appearance, attending classes as usual. Privately, her mind was no longer on academics but focused on military news, seriously studying the confrontation between the Holy City Party and the Storm Party, as well as the movements of Su Shiye, the Storm Sea government, and the Gasi Clan.
On Mithra Day, in the first Basic Combat Theory class of the semester, it was customary to test each student’s Arcane Potential rating. However, this class was held outdoors, with three hundred people divided into five groups proceeding simultaneously.
Ryuka was at the front of the line. She swam over and placed her hand on the measuring device. Then, three "beeps" sounded. On the dial, which looked like a thermometer, a red line rose a short distance from the bottom, paused for two seconds, and the large, dark orange letter "C" appeared at the top of the dial.
When Aoda Allen was tested, two sets of five "beeps" sounded. The scale was refreshed twice, and "SS" appeared at the top of the dial.
Then it was Sefi Kunti’s turn. She swam to the front and proudly extended her delicate hand. Three sets of "beeps"—five, five, and then three—sounded as the red line jumped rapidly three times.
“Still 3S, very good.” Professor Wennan nodded with satisfaction.
Later came Yujin. He had played tail-ball with someone over the break and sprained his tail; he swam with an unsteady center of gravity, as if he had a broken fin. Professor Wennan looked at his small tail with a scrutinizing gaze, scaring him so much he immediately tucked his upper lip under his lower one and extended his hand with his eyes closed.
Three sets of "beeps"—five, five, and then two. SSS.
“Increased by one notch?” Professor Wennan looked back at Kunti. “Feeling any pressure? This boy has a future.”
“Hmph. Just an occasional measurement error. Even if he’s still developing, how could talent increase so easily?” Kunti said dismissively.
At this time, several of the boys kept looking back at the line behind them, whispering:
“Have you noticed? Since Fanli came back from the winter break, her temperament seems to have changed a lot.”
“I noticed! I always thought I was a straight guy who only knew how to look at a girl’s face and didn't understand things like 'temperament.' But Fanli really has changed, like she’s a different person.”
“She has a bit of an ice-mountain goddess vibe. I don't dare get close anymore...”
“If she’s an ice-mountain goddess...” Allen rubbed his chin with a wicked smile, “then I’m even more interested. I love cold women; they’re much better than clingy babies.”
Clearly, Allen said these words intentionally for Kunti’s followers to hear, including Ryuka. Ryuka glanced at Kunti and deliberately made her own comment louder: “People who forget their roots are the most disgusting. I said it long ago—Fanli may be from the Ocean Race, but she has high aspirations. she thinks she can rival the Sea God Race and feels a mixed-blood boyfriend isn't good enough for her. Now she thinks she can steal a boyfriend from the Sea God Race.”
Ryuka’s words were highly inflammatory. The students of the Kunti faction were disgusted, and even the neutral students couldn't help but show looks of contempt. Only Fanli’s loyal supporters tried to argue back, but they were ignored by the Kunti faction.
In the queue, Fanli only wanted to get through the class quickly. She had no interest in the school’s interpersonal drama, so she didn't look deeply into what they were saying. But Mithra and Ge had explosive tempers and started bickering with them again. With Lina and Kunti backing her up, Ryuka wasn't even very afraid of Ge anymore, claiming that Ge only defended Fanli because she enjoyed being flattered by that "sycophant" Fanli.
Finally, it was almost Fanli’s turn. She said in a voice neither loud nor soft, “Ryuka, talk less. Don't insult others as sycophants and end up insulting yourself.”
Ryuka trembled with rage, pointing at her. “Even if I am a sycophant, I still remember I’m from the Ocean Race! Unlike you, who flies the flag of the Ocean Race while thinking you’re a Sea God, trying to stand on equal footing with Kunti! I see you don't even respect Lina anymore!”
Hearing this, Lina frowned. She found Ryuka annoying and also hated Fanli.
Kunti had already been on the verge of exploding, and now she was triggered again. She shouted, “Fanli, you have the nerve to stay in this school? Really, you should think about Ryuka’s words. The reason you’re so disliked is because you’ve forgotten your origins and your race!”
“Aren't you from the Populist Party? Revealing your true colors so soon?”
Professor Wennan frowned. “Actually, Fanli, there’s no point in saying so much. There’s really nothing that can be done about talent. You are very smart, but also very arrogant. Young people always have to pay the price for their past arrogance. Look at your final exam results from last semester; you were only ranked ninth in combat. If you don't study hard this semester, you’ll be expelled. And yet you still have time to wag your tongue...”
“Who exactly is the arrogant one?” Fanli smiled. “Is it me, or the 'talented' contestant who only knows one move and can only attack in one direction—Princess Sefi?”
Kunti had intended to tell her to get ready, but she was so enraged by these words that she crossed her arms over her chest and then flung them wide. Immediately, an ice dragon surged out of the seawater in front of her, its massive maw and fangs bared as it roared and charged toward Fanli!
Everyone, including Professor Wennan, was shocked.
No one expected Kunti to have learned the Ice Blade Dragon so quickly! This was a Grand Arcanist-level offensive spell that students usually couldn't master, and one mistake could result in a fatality!
Professor Wennan hurriedly swam forward, wanting to prevent the disaster, but his position and distance made it difficult. He could only stare with wide, terrified eyes.
Fanli’s right hand drew a semi-circle in the seawater, then clenched into a fist. Simultaneously, a long phantom of a divine staff appeared in her hand, and she swung it forward with force!
The surrounding marine life froze for two seconds, then their speed tripled as they fled further away.
Nearby sea anemones retracted their tentacles like turtles. Crabs and lobsters hid beneath rocks and coral branches.
A tsunami-like wave surged toward Kunti. The Ice Blade Dragon let out a wail on the spot and was shattered by the torrent! Kunti and the other students were swept dozens of meters away by the wave.
The three thousand corals spreading outward from Fanli as the center stopped their movement in unison. A second later, they erupted with bubbles and "smoke," completing their spawning ritual—which usually followed the moon and tides—ahead of schedule.
Because the Arcane power deep within her body was activated, Fanli’s transformation potion failed. With that movement, her short hair grew long in a second, flowing down to her waist like a red-rose waterfall. Then, as if in a relay, a silver light flowed down from her waist, gradually dyeing her dark green tail into a watery blue and "stretching" her tail fin by at least fifty centimeters. Afterward, the silver light did not disappear but remained suspended over the entire surface of her tail.
Fanli used Arcane arts to control the reversion of her facial features, preventing herself from turning back into Sui.
However, this didn't stop everyone from being struck dumb with shock.
As everyone in the entire ocean knew, only one person had a silver, nearly transparent tail glow: Su Shiye.
This was the symbol of the Holy Spirit Fin, and the symbol of reaching the pinnacle of Arcane divine power.
Kunti, Xiami, Ryuka, and the others were completely stunned.
“You...” After a long while, only Lina spoke up in shock, asking a foolish question. “Fanli, you... you’re from the Sea God Race?! Since you’re a Sea God, why did you pretend to be from the Ocean Race and lie to everyone for so long?”
“Sea God Race, Ocean Race—to me, they are the same.” Fanli opened her right hand, letting the phantom of the staff vanish. “I am of the Sea Race.”
“Fanli, you’re a descendant of the Sea Gods?!” Allen exclaimed in astonishment.
“I don't think so.” Fanli pinched a lock of her hair. “No white hair.”
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Fanli swam to the testing device and extended her hand. The silver Arcane light swirled in her palm several times, like a mobile phone with no signal, failing to produce a reading for a long time.
“What’s happening...” Professor Wennan knit her brows.
Just as she spoke, a red line shot up! Its speed was comparable to the speed of sound. Then, the symbols above sluggishly followed, their color turning more and more golden:
“Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep!” — “S”
“Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep!” — “SS”
“Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep!” — “SSS”
“Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep!” — “SSSS”
“Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep!” — “SSSSS”
“Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep!” — “SSSSSS”
After repeating six times, the data had reached its limit, but the red line had shot to the very top. Because Fanli’s Arcane energy had converted into kinetic energy, it continued to surge upward like a bullet hitting a thin sheet, shaking violently from side to side!
Finally—
*BANG!!!*
Water splashed everywhere as the Arcane Potential testing device exploded into fragments, shards scattering into the surrounding students. They scrambled back, a chorus of gasps rising from the crowd.
Kunti covered her mouth, swallowing a large gulp of water. Lina and Ryuka’s jaws nearly hit the floor.
Aside from that, everyone looked as if they were experiencing a pupillary earthquake.
Fanli quickly withdrew her hand and looked up at Professor Wennan with concern. “I didn't even touch it... I... I don't have to pay for it, do I?”
***
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