Lin Gui couldn't quite explain why he had become interested in a broken glass bead.
It was just that whenever he held it, he felt a strange sensation in his heart.
He soon discovered the source of this anomaly.
Night fell.
In a small restaurant on Twin Reefs that overlooked the Silent Sea.
The reason he chose a place run by goblins was simple.
First, although the place was humble, the beds were kept clean.
Second... Theia’s gaze toward him had been growing increasingly strange.
Lin Gui was afraid that if they slept in the carriage at night, Theia might try to do something to him right in front of Eve’s face.
And so, following the scholar’s recommendation and under Theia’s resentful gaze, he found this establishment.
He opened his palm. In the dim light, the glass bead was emitting a faint, ghostly blue glow.
A powerful soul fluctuation emanated from within it.
Since awakening Eyes of the Netherworld, Lin Gui had become exceptionally sensitive to the presence of souls.
His eyes instantly turned grey.
His vision shifted, and the colors of the world faded, leaving only the clearly visible halos of souls.
Then... he saw it.
A translucent soul of a muscular merman.
He was sprawled lazily atop the glass bead, looking thoroughly bored.
He had a robust upper body with distinct eight-pack abs.
His lower half, however, was an ethereal fish tail that dangled listlessly.
At that moment, this merman fellow was picking his nose with a finger in a most uninhibited manner.
He finished picking and flicked it, sending the spiritual mucus flying toward Lin Gui’s face.
Although the ghostly snot had no physical form, Lin Gui still felt a cold sensation on his cheek.
The merman’s soul let out a deep sigh, his face filled with a look of utter despondency.
Lines of irritation appeared on Lin Gui's forehead.
"I say... that's not very civilized of you."
The finger in the nose suddenly froze.
The merman’s soul was stunned. He looked around suspiciously.
The room was empty; there was no one else but Lin Gui.
He tentatively looked at Lin Gui and found that the other’s grey pupils were locked firmly onto him.
"Sigh..." He let out another pessimistic sigh, muttering to himself, "How can this ugly human see me?"
"With this level of strength, he's not even fit to scrub my latrine..."
Lin Gui’s face turned completely dark.
He pinched the glass bead, stood up, and walked toward the corner of the room.
There stood a simple toilet in the goblin style, made from a crude wooden barrel.
He made a gesture as if he were about to drop the bead inside.
"Wait! What are you doing!" The merman’s soul reacted instantly, screaming aloud.
"Sending you into the cesspool to clear your head."
"Don't! Brother! Boss! I was wrong! You're handsome and dashing! Your strength is unparalleled!"
After a bit of "friendly" exchange and several threats,
Lin Gui sat back on the edge of the bed, pinching the bead as he asked,
"Who are you? Why didn't you go to the Netherworld Sea after you died?"
The merman’s soul immediately puffed out his chest with pride.
"I!! I am..."
He began with great momentum, but then he faltered, his mind stalling as he thought it over.
An embarrassed look appeared on his face.
"Uh... I forgot."
"When I woke up, I was trapped in this lousy bead, drifting all over the ocean."
"Later, I was caught in a fishing net, and that pretty girl picked me up and used me to level a table leg."
"After that... she had a goblin rebuild the table and tossed the original one with the broken leg."
"I heard... the North Wind caravan arrived at Twin Reefs a month early, so she hurriedly dug through some junk at home, picked me up off the floor, and took me to her stall."
The corner of Lin Gui’s mouth twitched as he listened.
It turned out that the mermaid vendor, who looked so sweet and innocent, was essentially a scammer.
He lifted his hand and looked at the fluorescent seashell bracelet Theia had insisted on putting on his wrist.
He remembered how the mermaid vendor had talked it up so extravagantly back then.
Claiming that the bracelet had an extraordinary origin and that she had risked her life crossing the territory of terrifying deep-sea demons to find it.
To trade for this thing, Theia had used one jin of meat, which was equivalent to hundreds of gold coins.
Thinking about it now, there probably wasn't a single word of truth in that girl's mouth.
Moving on:
Rather than the soul attached to it, Lin Gui was more interested in the glass bead itself.
As the greatest weakness of Shroud of the Gloomy Night, Lin Gui knew well how elusive souls could be.
Yet this bead not only managed to bind a merman's soul and prevent it from going to the Netherworld Sea,
But it also allowed the soul to maintain such clear intelligence.
This in itself was highly unusual.
He placed the glass bead on the table, flicking it with his finger so it rolled back and forth.
"Where did you find this bead?"
The merman’s soul crossed his arms, his tone arrogant.
"Why should I tell you, human?"
Lin Gui: "..."
He silently picked up the bead and walked toward the toilet once more.
"Wait! I'll talk!" the merman yielded instantly. "I can't remember the exact location."
"But where I woke up, the seafloor was covered in these shiny beads."
Lin Gui raised an eyebrow.
On the continent, any item related to souls was rare and precious.
But according to this soul, these beads seemed to be everywhere on that part of the seafloor?
Lin Gui pressed for more details.
After all, this was a wonder capable of storing souls.
Even if he couldn't use it himself, taking it to the City of a Thousand Towers could net him an astronomical amount of resources.
In Akara, there were many things that money simply couldn't buy.
Unfortunately, the merman’s soul was incoherent and couldn't provide any more useful information.
Lin Gui sighed and made a motion to throw the bead again.
"Don't abandon me!"
The merman’s soul truly panicked.
"You're the only human who can see me! I need your help!"
"Huh?" Lin Gui asked, puzzled. "Help you with what?"
"Help me... help me deliver a message to the City-State Alliance Council!"
"What message?"
The merman’s soul suddenly choked up.
He clutched his head in pain, his translucent body trembling slightly.
He tried hard to remember, his features scrunching together.
"It’s... a very important message..."
"Regarding... danger... calamity... sinking..."
"Sea... fear... God..."
He muttered intermittently, his gaze becoming confused and frantic.
"I clearly remember... it’s extremely important..."
"But... what exactly was it..."
He beat his head forcefully, but he couldn't recall anything.
Only an empty echo vibrated deep within his soul.
"Why can't I remember!!!"
The merman soul's emotions began to fluctuate violently.
His form started to warp and flicker, becoming extremely unstable.
Those eyes, which had been dazed, suddenly turned blood-red.
A tyrannical aura spread out, and he seemed to transform into a hideous monster in an instant.
And the power radiating from him actually carried a hint of the Legendary rank!
This guy!! He had been a Legendary in life!
Lin Gui’s eyes narrowed. Without hesitation, he reached out.
The oak staff leaning against the wall immediately flew into his palm.
Mana surged around him; Shroud of the Gloomy Night was on the verge of being activated.
Right then, the system's voice rang out abruptly in his mind.
【Ding! Extra Commission updated!】
【Content: Escort the amnesiac merman's soul to the headquarters of the City-State Alliance Council, Emergency Disaster Response Office.】
【Route: Planning will begin once the Host confirms the start of the mission.】
【Time Limit: None】
【Reward: Special Magic · Merman's Gills (Allows free breathing underwater)】
【Risk Hint: The amnesiac soul is in an extremely unstable state, which may trigger unknown risks.】
Rate on N.U.
