Chapter 101
Night fell, and the deep ocean was quiet and still.
The merpeople’s crystal houses glowed softly, the only source of light in the darkness.
Xing Nuo, nestled in his shell bed, hearing Lia leave, quietly opened his eyes.
He removed the two small pieces of seaweed from his ears and poked the little octopus sleeping on his bedside table.
The little octopus, always sleepy and sluggish, its tentacles clinging to Xing Nuo’s curls, yawned and asked:
“Leaving now?”
Xing Nuo nodded, climbed out of bed, and neatly folded his merfolk silk blanket.
He picked up the small pile of sparkling gems on his nightstand and placed two on each of the other little merpeople’s beds.
Having distributed the gems, he sighed contentedly.
“Okay, let’s go.”
It was time to continue his journey.
The little octopus, its tentacles waving weakly, trying to wake up, pointed the way.
The merpeople were asleep, and their territory was quiet and empty.
Xing Nuo easily reached the coral reef, swam through the colorful, glowing corals, and reached the edge of the merpeople’s territory.
He looked back at the crystal palace in the distance.
The little octopus was still chattering.
“My lair much bigger! And full of tweasures!”
Xing Nuo turned back, hummed, and, expertly swishing his tail, swam away.
Moments later, two mermen emerged from behind the coral reef.
The clan leader and the elder, watching the little merman swim away, sighed softly.
“The little merman longs for freedom.”
“He doesn’t belong here. Although our clan can offer him the best care, a wild merman might not need it.”
They didn’t try to stop him, respecting his decision, and watched him go.
The ocean at night was dark and dangerous.
Xing Nuo swam past the coral reef, the light fading, the water turning pitch black, and he rubbed his eyes.
The little octopus on his head moved, then detached itself.
Xing Nuo, feeling a lightness on his head, asked:
“Little Octopus, where you going?”
The little octopus, swimming incredibly fast, didn’t answer, disappearing into the darkness.
Xing Nuo, looking around, confused, suddenly saw the little octopus return, followed by a swarm of glowing blue jellyfish and sea angels.
The jellyfish pulsed, their delicate tentacles emitting a soft light, swimming towards him with the tiny, star-like sea angels.
The little octopus, at the front of the group, pointed with a tentacle.
“See? I brought you lights!”
Xing Nuo, looking at the glowing jellyfish and sea angels, his eyes wide with wonder, asked:
“So pwetty! Little Octopus, they youw fwiends? They here to help us?”
The jellyfish and sea angels, coerced into this task, glared at the little tyrant octopus, but didn’t dare protest.
The little octopus swam back to Xing Nuo’s head and settled down comfortably.
“Of course not. I have no friends.”
Xing Nuo touched the little octopus’s head, his expression thoughtful.
“Why? Little Octopus no have same kind…no have fwiends…you all alone in ocean?”
The little octopus wanted to say that it didn’t need friends or family.
It was the only SSS+ level monster in this ocean!
All the other weak and insignificant creatures had to get out of its way!
It had lived in this ocean since its birth, alone, and didn’t need any company.
But Xing Nuo’s warm hand on its cool, smooth head felt strangely comforting.
It stopped flailing its tentacles and, looking at the glowing jellyfish and sea angels, remained silent.
Xing Nuo, rubbing the little octopus’s head, his eyes curving into a smile, swished his tail and swam forward.
“It’s okay. I fishy now too. Can be with you.”
The ocean was vast, and having a companion, even a difficult journey could become an adventure.
The little octopus hummed, its tentacles tightening around Xing Nuo’s hair, as if afraid of being left behind.
Following the glowing jellyfish and sea angels, Xing Nuo, carrying the lazy little octopus, who preferred not to swim himself, reached its lair.
Just then, the sun rose above the horizon.
The little merpeople in their shell beds woke up, tossed their blankets aside, and swam out to find Xing Nuo.
“Little Gold, Little Gold! Let’s go play in the palace today!”
The red merchild, not knowing Xing Nuo’s name, had given him a nickname.
But Xing Nuo’s bed was empty, even the gems he had placed on the bedside table were gone.
The red merchild was stunned, then put his hands on his hips angrily.
“Who stole Little Gold’s gems?! I’m telling Clan Leader and Elder!”
The light blue merchild, more sensitive, swam over, holding the two gems that had been placed on his own bed, his face filled with confusion.
“Little Gold’s gems…on my bed.”
Another merchild also swam over. “Mine too! Two gems!”
The little merpeople, completely bewildered, swam to find Lia, chattering excitedly, asking her where Xing Nuo was.
Lia, having been informed by the elder, her face sad, gently patted their heads.
“The little golden fish has gone to where he wants to be.”
The little octopus’s lair, as it had claimed, was enormous.
Three or four stories high, making Xing Nuo feel incredibly small.
He called out softly, his voice echoing through the vast space.
“Little Octopus, your lair so big!”
The little octopus, its usual laziness gone, detached itself from Xing Nuo’s head, its tentacles waving, its expression filled with pride.
“Of course! I have countless treasures here! And my tentacles so long…need big lair!”
Xing Nuo, looking at the little octopus’s tentacles, which were shorter than his own arm, giggled.
“Okay. We go inside now?”
The little octopus hummed, leading Xing Nuo inside, its tentacles slapping the walls, activating the glowing orbs.
“These crystal pearls…I stole them. Pretty, right? Merpeople don’t have this many!”
Xing Nuo swam closer to the pearls, examining them. They were identical to the ones in the merpeople’s palace.
“Teacher Xiao Song said…good children…good octopus…no steal from merpeople.”
He had slightly modified Teacher Xiao Song’s words, his tone serious.
The little octopus ignored him, flailing its tentacles, amused by his little brother’s attempt to lecture a notorious sea monster.
Its beady eyes twinkled with amusement as it led Xing Nuo deeper into its lair.
“No other fish dare come here. They’re afraid of me. Where my scent is…no other fish or monsters.”
Boasting about its power, it led Xing Nuo to the deepest part of its lair.
Xing Nuo’s eyes widened at the sight of the glittering treasures filling the cave.
The little octopus hadn’t been exaggerating. Its lair was overflowing with treasures!
“So many!”
A small mountain of treasures!
Gems, crystals, and rare underwater plants, piled haphazardly on the floor.
Red crystals tumbled down the small mountain, landing at Xing Nuo’s feet.
The little octopus swam to the top of the treasure pile, its small, transparent body almost invisible against the glittering gems, finally looking like the powerful sea monster it claimed to be.
“These all my treasures!”
It proudly puffed out its chest, then started searching for something.
Xing Nuo, rubbing his dazzled eyes, also swam over to help.
“Little Octopus, what you looking for?”
The little octopus, its tentacles flailing, tossing gems aside, replied:
“A small box…with a lock…something inside.”
Xing Nuo hummed and joined the search, digging through the treasure pile.
The little octopus finally found a small box under a large, purple pearl.
“Found it!”
It hugged the box with its tentacles and swam over to Xing Nuo, offering it to him.
“Open it.”
Xing Nuo, surprised, tilted his head. “For me?”
The little octopus nodded. “Yes! Open it!”
Xing Nuo, looking at the mountain of treasures, thought it must be a gift, a small gem from the little octopus.
Although he didn’t need it, he didn’t want to refuse the kind gesture.
He took the key and opened the box.
It was empty.
Before Xing Nuo could ask, the little octopus exploded.
“Someone stole my treasure!”
It sensed a human’s scent inside the box!
“Someone must have coveted my treasure and stolen it!”
Its beady eyes turned cold, and it slapped a nearby gem with its tentacle, shattering it into dust.
Xing Nuo quickly tried to comfort it.
“It’s okay, Little Octopus. You still have so many tweasures. No angry.”
But the little octopus wasn’t appeased, its gaze fixed on the empty box, its voice icy.
“This different. This treasure…not like others!”
