Four hours later, at the police station, Dangdang was helping Fan Li fill out a registration form for her signature. Dangdang’s mother bowed and scraped as she apologized, “I am so sorry, Officer. The child certainly didn’t do it on purpose. She’s a good student; she’s probably just under too much pressure from her studies...”
It was only at this moment that Fan Li learned there had been a travel ban on all citizens of the sea for some time now—due to political reasons. Currently, the entire surface was covered by an arcane web; light and air could pass through, but not even a speck of plankton could dream of slipping out of the ocean.
It was no wonder the original owner of this body had chosen this specific time to swap souls. She had known all along that once Fan Li arrived, she wouldn't be able to leave.
But who did that woman think she was? Did she think a simple "You can't go back" would make Fan Li give up? And she wanted Fan Li to tell "that man" something about killing him again? Who even was "that man"? None of this was her business! Those few short lines on the paper were insufferably arrogant. Fan Li refused to believe in this "fate." She had to go back! There was always a way; she wouldn't just sit around and wait for death!
Fan Li’s heart was a tempest of rage, but her face remained as still as stagnant water. Because her expression was so sour, Dangdang secretly swatted her tail with a fin several times.
The Banner-tribe officer nodded with his eyes closed, looking as though he were trying to reassure her. “It’s alright, ma’am. I understand. The Arcane Department at Luoya University can drive anyone mad. My youngest uncle graduated from that college, and he’s completely unable to communicate with us in a normal way. In his eyes, even picking up girls requires a wave of arcane linguistic analysis before he can decide whether to approach. As a result, he’s been single his whole life.”
A Shark-tribe officer said coldly, “This girl, Fan Li, doesn't look suspicious, but every case of an attempted surface crossing must be reported to St. Aegana. It involves the escape of rebels, so the situation is grim. The Lord Archon personally reviews every single case. There have already been six cases from Luoya this month; it’s not a good sign.”
“Sigh, I know. We just need to follow orders; no need to ask why. But if the entire Sea of Light remains blockaded like this, the citizens will get depressed. Let’s just try to be understanding.”
“Fine, say no more. This Oceanid girl is just a student; there’s not much else to say. You three may go. Fan Li, remember not to make the same mistake again. If you try to go to the surface again, you’ll be detained for observation and interrogation.”
Dangdang’s mother pressed Fan Li’s head down, forcing her to apologize, thank, and bid farewell to the two officers. Once they were outside, Dangdang pinched her arm. “Fan Li, you’re the one who’s always talking about the travel ban. How could you knowingly break the law?”
“When will the ban be lifted?” Fan Li frowned, intentionally acting impatient as she flicked her tail hard. “I’m bored to death!”
“Heaven knows. It’s been nearly a month. It’s the same for everyone, so just settle down.”
Back home, Fan Li finally regained her composure. Following the prompt in the original owner’s memo, she found the corresponding book on the shelf. Opening it, she discovered it was a box disguised as a book, containing thirty small vials of medicine. She drank a drop and then rummaged through another drawer.
Among a pile of documents, she saw a passage of handwritten text:
*Blood, death, and dread, a surging tide of ruin;*
*Gold, power, and shame, unfolding cruel waves.*
*This is the clamor of the Sea of Light,*
*The glory of civilization left by the Creator.*
*Those divine hunters who hold privilege*
*Are the first to evade the poison of the Abyssals;*
*Those abandoned souls of the slums*
*Use that same poison to fill their bellies.*
*Listen to the screams of the lashed slaves,*
*Look at the wailing of the homeless children.*
*Like a dark wilderness thirsting for rain,*
*They still hope to be embraced by life,*
*Longing to cast off the handcuffs woven of tears.*
*How I wish to turn into thunder,*
*To split open the shell of these black mountains;*
*How I wish to turn into a storm,*
*To sing a song of peace and plenty for them;*
*How I wish to turn into a sharp sword,*
*To shatter the cage and release eighteen hundred million prisoners.*
*Even if Death surrounds me,*
*Even if my heart stops beating,*
*Even if I burn my life away!*
*Lord of All Living Things, Mother of History,*
*Please grant me guidance in the pursuit of truth,*
*To fight for their innate pride of freedom.*
*Finally, one day,*
*Just as Deep Blue rules the ocean,*
*Every person shall rule their own destiny.*
—Sui
The poem was written with great fury, the strokes of the pen so sharp they had nearly torn the paper. Reading it through, Fan Li felt her heart tighten, even though she didn't understand this world. Was this the original owner’s handwriting? If so, with so many ambitions to fulfill, why would she leave this body? And who was this "Sui"? A poet?
With many questions, she continued to search the box. Something beneath the documents reflected the light, catching her eye. Pushing the papers aside, she saw a blue gemstone the size of a walnut. Not even the eyes of the purest Ragdoll cat could possess such a beautiful color, let alone such brilliance. When she realized this wasn't an ordinary sapphire but likely a diamond, it felt even more incredible.
However, if it were a diamond, it would be at least 80 carats. Could such a massive diamond exist, even under the sea? And in the home of a poor girl?
She placed the gem inside a bubble and used a quill from the desk to dab a bit of ink onto it. On the facet, the ink left a smooth, continuous line—it really was a diamond!
She went next door to ask Dangdang’s mother about the market price of diamonds. She learned that they currently cost three hundred to a thousand Fulumen per Deek, depending on quality. From Dangdang’s mother’s gestures, she gathered that one Deek was roughly 0.4 to 0.6 carats.
From the shouts in the market earlier, Fan Li had also gathered some information: Fulumen and Drops were the currency units of the sea-folk world. One Fulumen equaled 100 Drops. If the price of a fish was 85 Drops, comparing it to prices on land, one Fulumen should be in the range of 80 to 150 RMB.
A rough comparison of diamond prices in the sea versus on land put them in the 30% to 90% range.
Colored diamonds and "pigeon egg" sized stones usually increased in value exponentially. But even if she calculated the diamond's price like she was selling pork, this stone was worth a Porsche.
Fan Li went back to observe the large blue diamond and suddenly noticed the marriage ring on her tail fin. She tried bringing the blue diamond close to the ring. With a "click," the diamond was sucked onto the ring, emitting a brilliant light at the connection point. Golden patterns spread like vines from the base of the ring into the interior of the diamond, gripping the two together like the roots of a tree.
She quickly pulled the diamond off with force and held it up to the light to inspect the interior. Once the golden patterns disconnected, they slowly faded, but with the help of the light, she saw a line of floating text inside:
*To my wife. The Burning Era.*
Fan Li felt even more like crying. Was there something wrong with the original owner’s head? She had such a wealthy fiancé and such good grades—why didn't she cherish them? Why did she have to steal someone else's life!
The inscription was followed by a signature, a series of squiggles that Fan Li’s internal dictionary couldn't recognize at all.
The emblem was easier to identify: a line drawing of a woman with her head bowed. Her long, curly hair cascaded down, intertwining with the ocean waves until it became part of the sea. Below the hair, a line of letters was cast: "G·A·I·O·D".
The internal dictionary helpfully expanded and translated the abbreviation:
*GratiAs Agere InfinitI OceanIs DominatorI.*
*Give thanks to the Ruler of the Infinite Ocean.*
Fan Li tried to trace the drawing on a piece of paper, copied the phrase, and took it next door to ask Dangdang’s mother what it was.
After staring at her poor drawing skills for a long while, Dangdang’s mother said nothing, but Dangdang laughed. "Li-zi, have you gone mad for money?"
Fan Li blinked and immediately said, "Who doesn't like money?"
"You’ve got some nerve, drawing our god, Deep Blue, like this."
"Then, if there’s a map of Deep Blue inside a gemstone, what does that mean?"
"Now you’ve stumped me. I don't know." Dangdang looked at her mother, who also shook her head.
Fan Li returned to her room and pulled out the coins she had on her. Observing them closely, she found that the patterns on the back of each coin were different and colorful, but the front was always the same: identical to the drawing of the woman in the diamond, except that below "G·A·I·O·D" were large numbers like "1," "5," or "10" and a small "Drop."
Based on this, the "Ruler of the Infinite Ocean" must be the "Deep Blue" Dangdang had mentioned.
Fan Li had been raised as a materialist and couldn't understand the sanctity of some Great Ocean God. But she understood very well that being able to print the face of currency onto a diamond to use as an emblem was something no ordinary person could do. This blue diamond was surely priceless. If the diamond and the marriage ring hadn't fused perfectly, she would have assumed the diamond was stolen. After all, based on the life of this poor girl, possessing such an expensive token of love was truly strange.
But no matter who the original owner was, Fan Li’s head throbbed with anger. She threw herself onto the bed and drifted off to sleep before she knew it.
Sometime later, she was woken by the growling of her stomach.
The world outside the window was stained by the sunset, with long tongues of fire burning at the edge of Luoya. She swam downstairs and heard a woman’s voice from the living room: “Fan Li?”
Pushing the door open with a response, she saw a male sea-dweller sitting on the sofa. Propped up on the table was his striking red-orange fish tail. He had short, dark blue hair, black stripes on his tail, and blue edges on his fins. Like many Oceanids, he had ear-fins with the same texture as his tail, resembling a Red Lightning Angelfish.
In the cradle, a baby was crying incessantly, but he seemed deaf to it, resting his hands behind his head as he watched "TV"—a rectangular piece of imitation octopus skin hanging on the wall. Utilizing the principle of the special organic network of octopus muscles and pigment cells, it changed textures in very short units of time to present different images.
A female sea-dweller of the same species was cooking, her hair the same red-orange as her tail. Seeing Fan Li enter, she pointed to a stack of mail on the table. “Dangdang asked me to tell you that school is starting soon. There’s a letter from your university. Remember to choose your courses today...” As she spoke, the baby’s crying interrupted her. She couldn't take it anymore and, suppressing her anger, said to her husband, “Honey, could you please stop watching that boring news for a second and hold the baby?”
“Crying a lot when they’re little is good for her lung capacity,” Mr. Red chuckled, his tail swaying slowly.
“For Deep Blue’s sake!”
Mrs. Red was about to drop the mussel shell in her hand to go pick up the child when another girl pushed the door open, grabbing the baby first. She said to Mrs. Red, “Sister, I’ll take care of the baby. You go ahead and finish.” Looking at her features, she seemed to belong to the same species as the couple.
“Sister, you really are the best.” Mrs. Red made a kissing gesture toward the younger woman and shot Mr. Red a glare. “What use are you? The two of us should just live together.”
“So, with two beauties by my side, I am the luckiest man in the world.” At this point, Mr. Red glanced at Fan Li. “Wait, today it’s three.”
“Don't you go getting any ideas about Fan Li. Go back to your news.”
Fan Li found the letter from Luoya University on the table. Opening it, she learned that there were four core courses after enrollment: Arcanology, Potions, Life Arcana, and Arcane History. There were also four elective courses; two had to be from the College of Arcane Studies, while the other two were free choices. Reading the elective list silently, she held her pen and felt utterly lost.
“Fan Li, you must be hungry. Do you want to eat with us?” As if by magic, Mrs. Red was quickly preparing the food with one hand.
“Yes, thank you!”
Fan Li felt grateful, but when the food was actually placed before her, she swallowed hard. She felt that sea-folk food was truly not something a human could accept: one dish was raw mussels topped with some cream, but they were clearly not entirely dead, as two tiny pea crabs were crawling between the shells; another dish was brown algae mixed with krill. Although the krill were dead and peeled, they were also raw. Through their completely transparent bodies, she could see their orange internal organs.
Seeing Fan Li stare at the krill for a long time without moving, Mrs. Red smiled. “The krill isn't alive, but it was just shipped from the Matthew Ice City this morning. I froze it immediately after I got it; it’s very fresh. If you want to eat something live...”
“No, no, I like it.” Fan Li waved her hand, picked up the "stabbing chopsticks" from beside the plate, and began to eat.
Here, they were called "stabbing chopsticks." One was like a regular chopstick, while the other had a "stabber" on the end—a specialized sea-folk utensil used to pry meat from fish bones or crab shells. She skewered a krill and brought it to her mouth.
*It’s just sashimi, just sashimi. No big deal...*
She closed her eyes and took a bite of the krill, swallowing it whole. The texture was slimy and smooth, cool and refreshing. Actually... it tasted pretty good.
The sound of chaotic reporter questions came from the TV. Mrs. Red glanced at the news and clicked her tongue. “I feel like the Lord Archon hasn't smiled as much since Princess Fengjin passed away.”
“I understand him completely. If I lost you, I’d want the whole world to be destroyed along with you. Lord Su Shiye is already very merciful.”
“You and your sweet talk. I’m not falling for it.” A trace of disdain mixed with pleasure appeared in the corner of her eyes.
“What if you lost me? Would you feel like the whole world was destroyed too?” the girl holding the baby asked.
“I would, but the pain would be a little bit less. After all, you haven't given me any children.” After saying this, Mr. Red gave her a wink.
“I may not have given you children, but I’m helping you raise them.”
“Little darling, that’s not enough. You should still have one.”
Mrs. Red snickered. “That’s enough, you two.”
This joking seemed a bit much. Mrs. Red was surprisingly broad-minded, and the younger sister didn't seem offended in the least.
Fan Li glanced at them and then followed Mr. Red’s gaze to the TV screen.
The person on camera was the Archon. A reporter’s microphone was pointed at him. This time, his attire wasn't as formal as it had been in the newspaper; he wore a simple open-collared shirt. But with his earrings swaying slightly and his sharp golden eyes—like a sunset melting beneath a glacier—his appearance was still captivating.
—“Lord Su Shiye, what are your thoughts on the recent mass riots protesting the travel ban?”
—“By mass riots, do you mean the one in the Winter Sea yesterday?”
—“Yes, Lord Su Shiye.”
—“Then I have a question for the Governor of the Winter Sea: Have you executed the orders issued by St. Aegana? If not, please show some self-respect and do not interfere in the internal affairs of the Sea of Light.”
“So domineering!” Mr. Red moved closer to the TV with his plate to watch the interview. “‘Do not interfere in the internal affairs of the Sea of Light’—translated, doesn't that just mean: either you listen to the Holy City and Daddy Archon, or you’ll be treated like barbarians? Fight, fight! Let the Winter Sea act up! The result of acting up is a beating! Honestly, look at our Red Moon Sea; we’re much more developed than the Winter Sea, yet we’re so chill. Just follow the lead of the Holy City big brother!”
“The Red Moon Sea wasn't always chill,” Mrs. Red interjected. “It was beaten by Su Shiye until it had to be chill.”
“That’s enough. It shows the Red Moon Sea knows that those who recognize the facts are heroes. The Lord Archon is wise, divine, and peerless!”
Mrs. Red rolled her eyes. “Eat!”
—“Lord Su Shiye, many have pointed out that the tension between the Holy City and the Winter Sea is related to the passing of your fiancée.”
—Su Shiye simply nodded.
—“So, what are your thoughts on that claim?”
—“No thoughts. It is a fact.”
—“Do you feel you need to take responsibility for this matter?”
—“I am willing to take responsibility for the Winter Sea; after all, it was the home of my late fiancée. But whether they are willing to let me take responsibility—ask them.”
Mr. Red slapped the table hard with his tail, knocking Fan Li’s pen to the floor. “I love Su Shiye’s elegant yet aggressive way of speaking!”
—“Lord Su Shiye, many citizens are concerned about when the travel ban will be lifted.”
—“Rebels have escaped from St. Aegana; we must enforce this strictly. But it will not exceed three months.”
Fan Li finally heard some useful information. Three months. It wasn't too long, but for someone pretending to be a god-tier top student, it wasn't short either...
She thought about just not going to class. But staying in this dump for three months seemed even more painful. She might as well go to school.
Beside her, Mr. Red continued his mindless praise of Su Shiye. Eventually, Mrs. Red got annoyed by the noise and switched the TV to the weather channel. A map of the seabed, completely different from the surface, appeared on the screen:
“Weather jellyfish are sinking en masse to avoid infrasound waves from the southwest storm. From 0:00 to 14:00 on October 1st, there will be wind and waves in the western part of the Red Moon Sea, except for a few villages. The water temperature across the Red Moon Sea remains stable at around 24°C. Experts remind all sea-dwellers to be careful to avoid the storm...”
October 1st? Fan Li remembered that when she went for her swim in the ocean, it was clearly August.
Forget it, don't think about it. If people can turn into fish and urine can come out of a butt, a discrepancy in time is nothing to get worked up about.
Mr. Red cleared his throat and sat back in his seat, listening intently to the weather forecast. “Darling, you’re going out tomorrow, right? Remember to watch the jellyfish, be careful of the waves, and if you run into trouble, tell me immediately, okay?”
“Okay, honey, I knew you loved me the most.”
The one who answered wasn't Mrs. Red, but the younger sister. After speaking, she kissed her index finger and blew a kiss toward Mr. Red.
Fan Li’s eyes widened, and she instinctively looked at Mrs. Red. Mrs. Red still showed no sign of discomfort; instead, she looked at the younger sister with motherly affection. “This guy is unreliable. You’d better contact me instead.”
“Okay, Sister, I love you!”
Fan Li had originally thought that different cultures might express friendship differently. Perhaps for their species, men could be a bit more intimate with female friends. But after dinner, she saw with her own eyes Mrs. Red continuing to soothe the baby while Mr. Red put his arm around the younger sister’s waist, and they swam up to the second floor together.
She looked at their retreating backs, then at Mrs. Red. Everything was calm; nothing was out of the ordinary. It took Fan Li a long while to recover from the shock.
Finally, among the arcane courses, she chose Arcane Sea-Linguistics and Abyssal Fel-Energy Studies. For the non-arcane courses, she chose Sea-folk History from the College of History and Terrestrial Cuisine from the College of Culinary Arts.
She had just finished the form and signed her name in the bottom right corner. When she went to write the date, she remembered the weather station had said tomorrow was October 1st, but she didn't know what year it was.
She suddenly remembered something very important—her ID card!
She swam upstairs quickly, found the ID, and flipped it over. Date of issue: August 14th, Year 24729 of the Burning Era. The holder’s birth year was 24647. Subtracting the two gave 82.
Dangdang had said the original owner was eighty-two years old. In other words, this year was 24729. This ID had been issued to the original owner only a month and a half ago.
She looked at the note left by the original owner again. The signature was "The person whose name you do not need to know"—not "identity."
It turned out the original owner’s real name wasn't "Fan Li" at all. "Fan Li" was just a fake identity! And the reason she chose that name was likely because she had found her scapegoat, Fan Li, and chose a sea-folk name that sounded similar.
This way, everything made sense. With a wealthy fiancé and the ability to get the Storm Sea police station to issue a fake identity, the original owner had other motives for becoming human, and it had been meticulously planned.
Despite her emotional dislike for the original owner, Fan Li couldn't help but be impressed. For the sea-folk, eighty-two was roughly equivalent to seventeen or eighteen for a human. Someone from such a low-class background had already snagged a rich fiancé and started acting like a high-IQ criminal. Meanwhile, at eighteen, Fan Li hadn't even been in a relationship, and even after entering society, she was just scraping by.
Though she lacked the other woman’s boldness for grand schemes, Fan Li’s spirit was resilient. Since there was a forbidden art to swap their souls, there had to be one to swap them back. She’d just happily assume that for now.
Fan Li wrote "September 30, 24729" in the bottom right corner of the *Luoya University Level 1 College of Arcane Studies Course Application Form*. As soon as she signed it, there was a *whoosh* as the paper flew up, tucked itself into an envelope, drifted out the window with the current, and flowed into the flying-fish-shaped mail collector in the street outside.
Ah, school was starting...
Fan Li looked at the drifting paper with grief, as if she could already see her future exam papers marked with a large, bright red number: Zero.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 旗族 | Banner-tribe | A specific race or tribe of sea-folk. |
| 鲨族 | Shark-tribe | A specific race or tribe of sea-folk. |
| 圣耶迦那 | St. Aegana | The political or religious center of the sea-folk world. |
| 独.裁官 | Archon | A high-ranking political title, literally "Dictator." |
| 浮卢门 | Fulumen | A unit of currency in the sea-folk world. |
| 德洛普 | Drop | A smaller unit of currency (100 Drops = 1 Fulumen). |
| 帝克 | Deek | A unit of weight for gemstones in the sea-folk world. |
| 苏伊 | Sui | A name mentioned in the poem found by Fan Li. |
| 燃烧时代 | Burning Era | The name of the current epoch/calendar era. |
| G·A·I·O·D | G.A.I.O.D. | Abbreviation for "GratiAs Agere InfinitI OceanIs DominatorI" (Give thanks to the Ruler of the Infinite Ocean). |
| 深蓝 | Deep Blue | The deity or ruler of the ocean. |
| 戳筷 | Stabbing chopsticks | A specialized sea-folk utensil with a prong for extracting meat. |
| 风晋公主 | Princess Fengjin | A deceased royal figure mentioned in the news. |
| 苏释耶 | Su Shiye | The name of the Lord Archon. |
| 临冬海 | Winter Sea | A geographical region in the ocean. |
| 红月海 | Red Moon Sea | The geographical region where Fan Li is currently located. |
| 气象水母 | Weather jellyfish | A biological indicator used for weather forecasting in the sea. |
| 马太冰城 | Matthew Ice City | A location mentioned as a source of fresh seafood. |
Enjoying the story? Rate this novel:
Her 4.3 Billion Years | Chapter 8 | The Burning Era | Novela.app | Novela.app
