Chapter 105
Yoe’s condition on the crystal bed wasn’t good. His tail was severed in the middle, the bone exposed.
Only the merpeople’s strong regenerative abilities had kept him alive.
The clan leader and the elder were channeling their mental energy into him, healing his most severe injury.
Lia had taken the little merpeople out of the room so they wouldn’t disturb the elders.
The little merpeople, surrounding Lia, their faces tilted up, peppered her with questions:
“What happened to Yoe? Why is he hurt?”
“Wasn’t Yoe lost at sea?”
“Where’s Little Gold? Did he come back with Yoe?”
They chattered excitedly, their questions endless.
Lia, just as confused, unable to answer them, led them to another crystal bedroom.
A female elder stood by the bed. Seeing them, she smiled gently and waved.
“Lia, are you here to see Little Gold?”
Not knowing Xing Nuo’s name, they had temporarily nicknamed him “Little Gold,” a name that sounded cute and cheerful.
Lia nodded and peeked inside, afraid of seeing Xing Nuo also lying injured on a bed, his tail severed like Yoe’s.
The sight of Yoe’s injuries had been too gruesome, and she and the little merpeople hadn’t dared enter, just peeking nervously from the doorway.
The female elder smiled and said softly:
“Little Gold isn’t injured. He’s just exhausted and fell asleep.”
She was very fond of young merchildren and gently stroked Xing Nuo’s pale golden hair, her eyes crinkling at the corners.
“Little Gold is such a beautiful and brave little merman!”
The chubby, red merchild, the bravest among them, swam inside, saw Xing Nuo sleeping soundly on the bed, and sighed in relief.
“I was so worried! Yoe was so badly injured, I thought Little Gold was hurt too!”
The other little merpeople also swam in, circling Xing Nuo’s bed, their faces breaking into smiles.
“Yay! Little Gold is okay!”
“Little Gold and Yoe must have encountered a monster! Yoe protected Little Gold and got hurt!”
The female elder chuckled softly, her seaweed-like hair floating in the water.
“No, it was Little Gold who protected Yoe!”
The little merpeople’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Really? Little Gold is that strong?!”
“But Little Gold is even smaller than us!”
They knew Little Gold couldn’t even sing properly, his tail small and weak, his demeanor sweet and gentle. How could he have protected Yoe?
Shouldn’t it be the other way around, the adult protecting the child?
Their curiosity piqued, they crowded around the female elder, peppering her with questions.
The elder, afraid of waking Xing Nuo, led them outside.
Looking down at their eager, little faces, she smiled and began her story.
“The patrol found Little Gold and Yoe in the coral reef.”
“Yoe woke up and said he hadn’t been lost at sea, but captured by monsters.”
The little merpeople gasped, their faces a mixture of fear and indignation.
“So scary! Those monsters are so mean!”
“How could they capture Yoe?!”
The elder’s expression hardened for a moment, then softened as she continued.
“That’s why you shouldn’t leave the clan’s territory. There are many dangers and monsters outside!”
“Yoe was on a ship. Little Gold found him and rescued him. They escaped into the ocean and encountered a giant shark!”
The little merpeople, captivated by the story, their eyes wide with wonder,
their mouths agape, were filled with admiration for the brave Little Gold, who had saved Yoe.
How could he be so brave?!
He had not only attacked the humans on the ship with a wooden crate, but had also jumped into the ocean with Yoe, then bravely led him into the coral reef to escape the giant shark!
And he had even used the poisonous coral to defeat the shark!
“Little Gold is so amazing!”
“He’s the strongest little merman!”
“He’s so brave! I would be too scared to face a shark!”
“I want to be like Little Gold, fighting sharks and monsters!”
Their eyes shining like little lightbulbs, they looked at the elder, eager to go and fight a shark themselves.
The elder patted their heads, calming them down.
“No, you can’t. Sharks are much more dangerous than you think! You mustn’t leave the clan’s territory before you’re grown up!”
Their mental powers were still weak, their tails too small and fragile. They wouldn’t stand a chance against a shark.
“Little Gold’s situation is unique. He shouldn’t have had to face such dangers.”
But after hearing Yoe’s story, the clan leader and the elders had a newfound respect for the small, seemingly weak, Little Gold.
To have survived alone in the ocean for so long, he must possess a unique strength and courage!
Little Gold is truly special!
Xing Nuo slept for an entire day, finally waking up the next morning.
He opened his eyes and saw a group of little merpeople surrounding his bed, their faces close to his.
Seeing him awake, they cheered.
“Little Gold is awake!”
“I want to touch Little Gold! I want to be brave like him!”
Xing Nuo, still groggy, his hair a mess, his head being patted by the excited little merpeople, blinked, confused.
As his memories returned, he asked:
“Injured merman?”
After a series of gestures and confused chirps, the merpeople finally understood that he wanted to see Yoe.
Lia and the female elder, smiling gently, ruffled Xing Nuo’s hair and led him to another bedroom.
Merpeople had strong regenerative abilities, and Yoe’s severed tail was already healing, his face, although still pale, regaining some color.
Yoe was eating when they arrived. Seeing Xing Nuo, he waved.
“Little Gold, come here!”
He instinctively tried to lift his tail, but a sharp pain shot through him, and he winced, unable to move.
Xing Nuo slowly swam over and, seeing that Yoe’s wounds were bandaged, sighed in relief.
He was about to speak when Yoe offered him a piece of fish.
The fish was tender and smooth, and Xing Nuo, caught off guard, swallowed it before realizing it was raw fish.
He frowned and stuck out his tongue.
It wasn’t fishy, but it wasn’t tasty either.
Lia swam over, smiling, and stopped Yoe.
“Little Gold prefers fruit.”
She offered Xing Nuo a plate of fruit, her eyes kind.
Xing Nuo, who was indeed hungry, ate a few pieces.
He looked up, his tummy no longer rumbling, and saw the little merpeople still there, their eyes fixed on him expectantly.
Thinking they also wanted some fruit, he offered them his remaining pieces.
The little merpeople shook their heads, pushing the fruit back.
“Little Gold! Tell us about your adventure!”
“It was so amazing! We want to hear more!”
They had been pestering the elder all afternoon, wanting to hear the story again and again!
Lia, watching them, rolled her eyes and, smiling, led them away.
“Alright, alright, let Little Gold eat in peace!”
Xing Nuo, confused, took the fruit back and, after finishing it, wiped his hands and mouth with a piece of seaweed.
Seeing that Yoe was doing better, he found Lia and told her he was leaving.
“I go back to ship…find Little Octopus.”
After a long and confusing exchange of gestures and chirps, the clan leader arrived, and they finally understood that Xing Nuo wanted to return to the cruise ship.
The clan leader and the elder, their faces grim, looked at Xing Nuo’s determined expression and made a decision:
“We’ll send our strongest warriors with you!”
They wouldn’t be bullied!
Two of their clan members had been captured, and another was still in the monsters’ hands!
They wouldn’t let the little merman fight alone. They would go with him!
They would rescue their kin and kill the monsters!
Xing Nuo, after much gesturing and miming, finally understood that the merpeople were coming with him.
He was surprised, then nodded in agreement.
He swished his golden, shimmering tail and swam towards the surface, leading the strong, young merpeople.
The midday sun was bright and dazzling.
The cruise ship with the red skull and crossbones was eerily silent.
Most of the monsters were dead or injured, and the players, having used their high-level cloaking props to avoid the little octopus, had barely survived the night.
But one of the players was on the verge of a breakdown, his face in his hands, wailing.
“Who took the monster’s treasure?! Just give it back!”
The other players, sprawled on the floor, their faces pale and dazed, said:
“How should I know?!”
They clearly remembered the treasure they had taken was the high-level energy pearl!
The system had even identified it as an SS+ level energy pearl with no special attributes, capable of boosting their power!
They had all seen it!
There hadn’t been any other treasure!
