**Memory Fragment 10**
On June 28, Year 24669 of the Burning Era, Carnation died in her luxury mansion in Luoya.
Her final appearance was far from beautiful. Her short hair was a tangled mess, and her eyes bulged like a goldfish’s, as if telling the world she had died with deep regrets. Of course, no member of the sea race who dies from an overdose of blue-ringed octopus venom ever looks particularly graceful.
For two years prior to this, I had been living in the Rift Sea, working with Arcanists to prepare for the first All-Ocean Neutrino Arcana Conference. Perhaps out of resentment toward me and Sect Master Shengti for forcing him to marry Feng Jin, my brother acted as if Feng Jin didn't exist whenever I wasn't in Saint Yejana. He engaged in high-profile polyamory, and Carnation was so arrogant she practically moved into the White Eagle Palace.
Just how many rumored girlfriends did my brother have? Every time Feng Jin called to mention their names, I felt a crushing sense of intellectual defeat. How on earth did she manage to memorize the names, appearances, ages, races, educational backgrounds, professions, family statuses, birthplaces, the time of their first meeting with my brother, and the location of their last date for every single one of them?
"Just give me a serial number, honey," I finally conceded.
Feng Jin assigned them numbers and proceeded to tell me all their stories.
Less than five minutes in, I absentmindedly flipped through the book in front of me, *The Cultural Evolution of Life Arcana and the Burning Era*. I shook my head, forcing myself to focus on Feng Jin’s voice.
Eight minutes later, I frowned and asked, "Which number gave him the black coral necklace he wore last Mise Day? Which one was torn away by Carnation yesterday at the Municipal Governor’s birthday party for asking to mate? And which one is the one you think is pretty and gentle but actually annoying and fake?"
"Number 7, Number 27, and Number 12," Feng Jin answered instantly.
After hanging up, I blew bubbles for about thirty seconds, feeling immense pressure. I then memorized fifty pages of *The Cultural Evolution of Life Arcana and the Burning Era* to confirm my memory wasn't failing before I finally regained a shred of my dignity as an Academician.
*Every profession has its masters,* I thought. I really couldn't be too proud in the future; I had to approach every scholar who possessed high talent in their specialized field with a heart of reverence.
My brother’s outrageous antics continued one after another. Even far away in Tianzhao Chanyou, I heard rumors that he might break off the engagement. And because Sister Xun Yue had praised him several times in the media, the rumors shifted to him marrying her instead.
The trajectory of Carnation’s relationship with my brother went from extreme sweetness to total collapse. At first, he treated her almost like a semi-public girlfriend, but she suddenly lost control of her emotions and cried twice in front of the media. No one understood what was wrong, only speculating it was related to him.
Then, Carnation suddenly moved back to Luoya and never returned to Saint Yejana.
After leaving him, her career began to decline. She released a new movie and had to travel across the ocean to promote it personally—previously, she only had to attend the premiere at the Saint Yejana Grand Theater. Once, she came to the Rift Sea for a press conference and sent me front-row VIP tickets. I attended the premiere and went backstage to give her a basket of fresh seaweed and a card. I intended to leave quietly and return to my experiments, but I happened to run into her.
I quickly took off my glasses, let down my low ponytail, and brushed my hair as a sign of respect.
Under the crimson curtains, she was surrounded by a group of tall Predator Race bodyguards. She had her classic comma-shaped sideburns and short black hair, a white fur shawl, and a low-cut red dress that accentuated her curvaceous figure. Her eyes were the purest deep blue sapphires of the night... Carnation was the kind of stunning beauty who stole your breath at first sight, even before she curved her lips into a smile. It was no wonder Arnold said, "In the army, any soldier who doesn't jerk off to a Carnation poster every day can't be called a man."
It was no wonder she was so confident.
But the moment Carnation saw me, she froze. Her eyes rimmed with red, and she finally broke into trembling sobs.
"Su Yi, nothing makes me sadder than seeing you in a foreign land," she sobbed. "I told myself from the beginning that your brother wouldn't fall in love with me. But after all these years, he never gave up on me, so I couldn't help but overthink. I wondered if he really wouldn't be able to marry Feng Jin and would marry me instead. But I only recently realized that even if it isn't Feng Jin, it will never be my turn."
"You gave him your heart."
"Yes, I gave him my heart." She covered her eyes, not wanting to show her tears. "Because of him, I rejected many excellent men. Then I became desperate and intentionally brought other men in front of him, hoping to make him jealous. But do you know what he said?"
I knew the answer, but I shook my head.
"He said if my boyfriend encountered difficulties in his career, he could provide help. When he said that, he wasn't angry or sad; he even looked a bit relaxed."
"Then just get a boyfriend and let him help your boyfriend rise. Isn't that the best of both worlds?"
"Su Yi, I'm not of the Predator Race. I might look carefree, but in my heart, I can only love one person."
"It's not worth giving your heart to him."
"Yeah. He gave me so many things, but he never once kissed me."
"Never kissed you?" I was stunned. "You were together for so many years and never kissed?"
Carnation nodded with a bitter smile. "I asked other girls who dated him. Not a single one has kissed him. At most, a brush of the lips."
Thinking of the night my brother acted like a lunatic by my bedside, I immediately closed my eyes and shook my head twice to stop the thought. "Then what did you do when you were together? Hold hands and go out to watch the moon?"
"We did what men and women are supposed to do, but we didn't kiss."
"..." I stared off into space, speechless for a long time. "Even though he's my brother, I still have to say, you should just play around with a man like that. If it's just for fun, he's an excellent partner—handsome, rich, and romantic. But if you're thinking about marriage, you'll be too disappointed."
"Before I left Saint Yejana, it was because I learned a secret that I thought about taking things further with him, but I failed..." At this point, Carnation looked up cautiously, her gaze a bit haunting. "I've kept this secret for so long. I can't tell anyone, but I really want to tell you..."
"What is it about?"
"It's the highest military secret of the Holy City Party."
"How would you know that? Did my brother tell you?"
"No." She paused, her expression solemn. "It was Shengti Feng Jin."
In the end, Carnation didn't say anything. Perhaps seeing me had stirred her emotions, reminding her of every little detail with my brother. She kept the secret, but that night, she told the media she was going to go public with a secret of the Holy City Party. That day was June 27, 24669.
On June 29, news of Carnation’s suspected suicide spread throughout the Light Sea.
But everyone knew her unnatural death likely had nothing to do with suicide.
While feeling grief for her, I also felt a sense of relief. It was a good thing she hadn't told me the secret. Otherwise, given my brother's personality, heaven knows what he would have done to me.
On July 1, 24669, the first All-Ocean Neutrino Arcana Conference officially opened at Tianzhao Chanyou in the Rift Sea. Nineteen of the top Arcanists in the Light Sea attended, focusing on topics such as neutrino theory and fel radiation phenomena. Regrettably, there were no breakthrough developments during the fourteen-day conference. What changes did neutrinos mean for Light Sea Arcana? What secrets were buried in the theories? What was the significance of the Su Yi Constant δ? One Grand Arcanist told reporters, "δ is like a plague; no one in the Arcana world can escape it."
I admit, I was affected by the news of Carnation's death.
It wasn't the first time my brother had killed someone, and Carnation had indeed touched a political and military nerve she should never have meddled with. But her purpose in making that statement was nothing more than to get him to coax her. Even a romance idiot like me understood that logic; I didn't believe my brother didn't. Yet, he still killed her.
They had been lovers for forty-one years. She loved him until the moment she died, yet he killed her just like that, and from a distance, too—he didn't even bother to see her one last time. Was there anyone he couldn't kill, anyone he couldn't abandon?
So, after the conference ended, I immediately rushed to Luoya to attend Carnation's funeral, then returned to Saint Yejana.
When I saw my brother, neither of us mentioned Carnation. To be precise, other than asking about each other's health, we had completely stopped talking about our lives or social circles. When he asked about the conference at Tianzhao Chanyou, I told him what I had already prepared: "The conference didn't have much progress, but my personal research has had a qualitative leap. Recently, I've been researching a Soul Exchange Art. It can transcend time and space, race and medium, bringing anyone's soul into the body of the person being exchanged."
"Really? That sounds rather mystical," my brother said, half-doubting.
"It is quite mystical. It hasn't succeeded yet. But if it does, our civilization's development will have a qualitative leap."
"You should stop thinking about civilizational development for now. Don't forget you're doing illegal research; you'll be sentenced to death if you're caught. If you want to keep doing it, stay in Saint Yejana. At least I can protect you."
"Okay, then I'll keep working hard."
Of course, it was all a lie. There was no such Soul Exchange Art; I was simply making early preparations for my escape.
The year 24669 was the most peaceful year in a century. Starting in 24670, due to territorial friction and conflicts at the borders, the Holy City Party officially declared war on the Storm Party. The Star Sea, Lindong Sea, and Bodhi Sea belonged to the Holy City Party. The Rift Sea stood on the side of the Storm Party. The Red Moon Sea remained neutral. The Resurrection Sea had a tough yet ambiguous attitude, appearing to lean slightly toward the Storm Party, yet also seeming like it didn't want to help either side, wanting to form its own faction.
Ever since my brother’s marriage alliance with Feng Jin, the Holy City Party’s strength had reached an unprecedented peak. Thus, anyone with eyes could see that the Storm Party had no desire to fight the Holy City Party at all; it was purely my brother picking a fight with their entire clan because he failed to force the Gasi Clan to submit.
By the eleventh year of this war, which was 24681, I turned two hundred years old. Then, I fell into a coma again, this time for a week.
***End of Memory Fragment 10***
"Awake?"
The clear sunlight was dragged into a murky orange, leaving only an ambiguous atmosphere in the seawater. A man spoke from above with a whisper-like softness, intending not to disturb his lover in bed, yet his excessive tenderness radiated an overwhelming surge of hormones.
The chandelier flickered to life, illuminating the hand-woven coral carpet from the Resurrection Sea beside the classic four-poster bed. Fan Li rubbed her eyes, rolled over, and looked up to see Su Shiye already fully dressed. He was leaning beside her, propping his head up with one hand, his expression lazy. Silk curtains swayed behind him in the current, and tiny bubbles flowed through the seawater.
Just seeing him filled her heart with sweetness and happiness. But strangely, even though they had done everything, she now felt a bit shy about touching him. She simply yawned, hugged her pillow, and looked at him lazily. "Why isn't it light out yet..."
"It's not that it isn't light; it's that it's almost dark."
Fan Li snapped awake instantly. She sat up, wanting to get out of bed, but let out an "Ah!" and nearly forgot the fact that she was practically semi-paralyzed.
"Silly Li, you need more rest." Su Shiye laid her back down. "Wait for me, I'll be right back."
With that, he went out to order the slaves to prepare food for her.
Fan Li curled herself into the byssus quilt like a child who had done something wrong. What was the date today? She counted; it should be the 7th. Since the night of the 4th, what kind of decadent, debauched life had they been living? Staying up late, eating in bed, doing it in terrestrial form when the mood struck, mating in marine form when they’d rested enough, drinking, feeding each other, every kiss lasting over twenty minutes... When You Can called to ask about the thesis, her brain was still a muddled mess from fooling around with Su Shiye. The most exaggerated part was sleeping later and later; from yesterday until this morning, she had been truly exhausted and only fell asleep when it was already light. As a result, she had slept through an entire cycle.
Was this really her? It didn't seem like her at all.
Too much lack of restraint...
Moreover, she couldn't look Su Shiye in the eye now. The moment she saw him, her mind filled with messy thoughts; the moment she thought of him, her entire body had a physiological reaction. He was very intense in bed—sometimes dominant and rough, sometimes gentle and seductive—but once they were out of bed, he rarely said anything too over-the-top, leaving only tenderness.
To prevent anyone else from seeing her body, Su Shiye took the food from the slave and came over to feed her personally. "There are bones, be careful."
Fan Li took a bite and whispered, "Has any girl ever told you that you're the model of an ideal lover?"
"Do you think I am?"
"Of course... has anyone said it?"
"Now someone has." Su Shiye smiled slightly. "It seems Li-li is quite satisfied with my performance."
"More than satisfied, it's a bit too perfect..." Fan Li buried the lower half of her face in the quilt, carefully revealing only her eyes. "Then... am I your ideal lover?"
Su Shiye’s smile deepened, but he didn't speak.
Only then did Fan Li remember that Su Shiye seemed to always prefer the "femme fatale" type of great beauties, and she wasn't that type at all. It felt a bit awkward.
Su Shiye silently finished feeding her, set the tray aside, and looked at the girl before him.
Fan Li was currently in her natural form, unclothed, with thick deep-red curly hair and a bit of the quilt covering her chest. Her blue tail swayed gently, her skin glowing like a pearl and as fair as mutton-fat jade. Her waistline and hip line were exquisite. But the most beautiful part was her natural eyelashes and her large eyes, the same color as her tail, so bright and moving they held a hint of innocence.
"You are my ideal wife."
While saying such things, he was using his mouth to feed her the red wine "Profane Love." Fan Li gripped his collar, feeling it was almost frightening. It had been three days since they confirmed their most intimate relationship, but kissing him still made her feel an involuntary electric shock, followed by a numbing sensation from her spine to her tailbone.
"But as for an ideal lover, you are that too," Su Shiye whispered. "The first time, and it was three times. Truly worthy of my Li-li; you've opened my eyes."
"Don't... don't say it." Fan Li was much more awake now, her face turning a deep tomato red. "Don't say things like that out loud!"
"What's there to be ashamed of? It's just the two of us." Su Shiye pulled her close and kissed her forehead. "Besides, I didn't expect Li-li to be so 'well-endowed.' I never noticed before."
Infatuation didn't just exist at the beginning.
On Buke Day, Fan Li went to class but was constantly distracted. No matter what she did, she thought of Su Shiye. Although she already knew the material, the feeling of losing control and being unable to listen to anything made her heart race.
The longer she was with him, the more she liked him. The more they slept together, the more she liked him; she felt no fatigue at all, only a desire that was being expanded without boundaries. This man was toxic.
But Su Shiye had no intention of letting her off so easily; he was everywhere.
At 12:30 PM, after Fan Li had finished lunch with the Blue Silk couple, You Can, and Jante Yujin, she sat on a bench outside the teaching building to chat while waiting for the 1:00 PM Arcana Politics lecture.
Besides them, other students were resting nearby. But Fan Li’s tail was too eye-catching. As soon as she sat down, she attracted many gazes, including those of Allen, Kaimo, and Lina not far away. Allen observed her from a distance for a few seconds, noticing that not only was her tail incredibly beautiful, but her cheeks seemed pinker than usual, and her eyes were full of watery softness. Every gesture was filled with womanly charm, making his heart skip a beat.
"Lizi, did you preview Arcana Politics?" Feisi sighed, clutching her textbook. "I think this course is so hard. There's no Arcana at all; it's all politics. I kind of regret choosing this class..."
"I haven't." These past few days, she had been nearly tormented to death by Su Shiye; she had no time to flip through books.
"No preview? Is it because you don't have money to buy the book again? I'll take you to print a copy." The person speaking wasn't Feisi.
Hearing this voice, Fan Li and the others all looked up in unison, expressions of shock on their faces.
Fan Li looked down and rubbed her eyes, then looked up again at the youth speaking behind her.
Clear water-blue eyes, ash-white short hair, a somewhat thin but tall and straight build, bony and fair fingers, and his favorite white shirt... She wasn't mistaken; it really was Xinghai!
Blue Silk: "What the hell... Xinghai, what have you been up to lately? You disappeared for so long!"
You Can: "Ahhh! Brother Xinghai is back!! We missed you so much!"
After a milky "Brother Xinghai" from Yujin, he patted Yujin’s head and accepted the interrogation of his friends one by one. His vague answers weren't technically lies.
"So you were busy with other things. We thought you and Lizi had broken up forever," Feisi patted her chest. "It's great that you're still together. But did you notice Lizi turned into a Sea God Race? Why aren't you surprised at all? You knew already, didn't you?"
"Yes, I knew long ago."
"Then... have you thought about how to solve the child problem in the future?"
"As long as there is true love, reproduction isn't the most important thing." Xinghai held Fan Li’s hand. "I don't care if we have children. But if Li-li wants them, we can just buy a batch from the Sea God Race sperm bank."
"That's wonderful!!" Feisi was so moved she almost cried. "I knew you guys wouldn't separate so easily. You're a match made in heaven!"
Fan Li, however, felt a bit dizzy. She stood up and dragged Xinghai to a corner, casting a soundproofing spell. "Su Shiye?"
"Right now, I'm Xinghai."
"What are you doing..."
"I missed you."
She looked at the time on the school clock tower. Because they had been dawdling in bed this morning, she had been late for her Macro Arcana class. It was now not even 1:00 PM. By her count, they had only been apart for about three hours.
Fan Li knew Xinghai was clingy. But was Su Shiye this clingy too?
"No, I mean, how did you turn back into this?" Fan Li asked.
"Mimicry Xinghai was originally a byproduct of the Aether Body. Now the byproduct is gone, but I can still change back to my previous appearance. That's why I said, I will become whatever you want me to be."
"I see..."
"I don't have a clone now, so I won't have as much time as Mimicry Xinghai did. I can only occasionally accompany you to class. But I still have time to be with you at night. No matter how busy I am, sleeping together is no problem."
"Sleeping together?" Previously, Fan Li and Xinghai lived separately. This request left her a bit dazed.
"Yes. Sleeping in my arms every night, okay?"
Even though they had done everything, hearing him say this still made her very shy. She could only say dryly, "Is it... that once you become Xinghai, you develop a clingy personality?"
"Of course not. I'm in my own body now, just the appearance has changed." Xinghai’s smile vanished, and he said coldly, "So you're blaming me for being clingy?"
"No, no, no, that's not what I meant."
"Really?"
"Really. I like you being clingy." Fan Li looked up at him and waved her hand in front of him. "I was just curious. I want to be with you every day too."
Then, Xinghai’s eyes crinkled into a smile. He cupped her face with both hands, his tongue swirling around her lips before dominantly invading deeper.
Her chest was once again filled with thick, sweet honey.
But Fan Li still really wanted to say: *Su Shiye, you're so childish...*
To her, this was just another moment of being in love with him.
But to the other students, it was a different story. They only saw that Xinghai had returned and become very possessive, kissing the usually dignified and ascetic Fan Li until she was dazed and slumped weakly in his arms.
Previously, even Blue Silk and You Can had occasionally thought that Xinghai couldn't keep up with Fan Li’s pace and that the two were becoming less and less suited for each other. But now, Fan Li had become a Sea God Race, yet in front of Xinghai, she had instead become like a little girl facing her idol. What was going on...
You Can: "So Brother Xinghai’s way of conquering a goddess is... truly hard to describe in a few words."
*To be continued...*
***
**Glossary**
