Ning Busan had thought that following the route on the map would bring him to the deep sea in no time.
However, the ocean was nothing like dry land. Discerning directions was near impossible, and with the Sea of Mists shrouded in dense fog year-round, visibility was incredibly low. Before long, Ning Busan had completely lost his bearings.
He wanted to find a passing sea monster to ask for directions, but the Sea of Mists was too close to the human world and too far from the deep sea, meaning sea monsters rarely ventured here.
Just like that, Ning Busan swam alone in the ocean for three days until he suddenly heard a strange vibration echoing from the distance.
Alert, Ning Busan raised the fins behind his ears.
It was a sound he had never heard before. It resembled a musical instrument, yet carried a metallic quality.
Suspecting he might have run into a singing sea monster, Ning Busan swam toward the source of the sound.
As he drew closer, the sound grew clearer. Rounding a patch of coral reefs, he finally spotted the source.
It was a row of silver metal tubes.
They swayed gently in the ocean currents, clinking against one another to produce a pleasant melody.
Just as Ning Busan was wondering where this contraption had come from, an almost transparent net blanketed the area, trapping him inside.
He had no idea what material the net was made of, but its surface was covered in tiny, hair-thin barbs that were incredibly tough.
The more Ning Busan struggled, the tighter it wrapped around him. The sharp threads sliced into his tail, leaving bloody streaks across his scales.
The net began to constrict, dragging Ning Busan toward the surface.
From above, Ning Busan heard human cheers: “Another catch is hooked!”
The shadow cast on the water grew larger and larger. It was a human ship.
Ning Busan was hauled onto the deck, still tangled in the net.
A sailor named Nisha rubbed his eyes in disbelief, then shouted in excitement, “Captain! A merman! A merman! I caught a merman!”
Ning Busan surveyed his surroundings.
The pirates on the deck abandoned their tasks and crowded around, their eyes gleaming with greed and cruelty.
Ning Busan estimated there were at least two hundred pirates on this ship.
Although he couldn't break free from the net, he could still use high-tier magic like Wrath of Thunder to summon a storm of lightning and sink this ship right here and now.
A man with three scars on his left cheek emerged from the cabin. He was Ferrin, the captain of this pirate ship.
Captain Ferrin scrutinized Ning Busan for a long moment before asking in a low voice, “Are you the boss that other merman was talking about? Did you come to rescue him?”
Hearing that there was another merman on board, Ning Busan decided to bide his time.
Sailor Nisha was still gloating. “Boss, once we get back to the Dawn Empire and sell these two mermen, the crew won't have to worry about money for the rest of our lives.”
Captain Ferrin snarled, “Idiot! Don't you think it's ridiculous that a device meant for catching low-grade sea beasts managed to catch a merman?”
“This merman must have some other motive; he couldn't have come alone. How could any merman fall for a trap like this?”
Ning Busan: “...”
Though there wasn't a single insult in those words, they stung worse than any verbal abuse.
Talk about bloodless humiliation!
Ferrin calculated the distance in his mind and made a decisive call. “Set sail and head back immediately. We'll dock at the nearest port.”
“We can reach Mist Bay in two days. It's safer to sell both mermen there.”
Sailor Nisha pointed at Ning Busan. “Captain, where should we lock this one up?”
Captain Ferrin glared at him in frustration. “Idiot! Do you even need to ask? Do you have a second magic array capable of trapping a merman?”
“Right, right, lock them up together! Captain, I'll put him away right now!” Sailor Nisha grabbed the net trapping Ning Busan and dragged him away.
The lower deck.
Sheldon curled up in the cramped space. Seawater seeped through the cracks of the damaged wooden planks, soaking his torn scales.
Hearing the sound of the lock turning above, Sheldon assumed it was another human coming to pluck his scales, and a look of deep hatred flashed in his eyes.
But a moment later, his eyes widened in surprise. He had never expected to see one of his own kind here.
Sailor Nisha roughly dragged Ning Busan inside.
A fierce glint flashed in Ning Busan's deep blue eyes.
Annoyed, Sailor Nisha spat, “Keep glaring at me and see what happens. Believe it or not, I'll gouge your eyes out!”
Ning Busan didn't want to waste his breath on such a person. He only uttered three words: “Just you wait.”
Sailor Nisha sneered contemptuously. “You're already caught, yet you still dare to act so tough? You don't honestly think you can escape, do you?”
With that, he tossed Ning Busan down, relocked the door, and walked away laughing.
Ning Busan looked at the merman beside him. This was the real reason he hadn't resisted earlier.
Since he didn't know the way to the deep sea, wouldn't it be easier to just find someone who did?
Ning Busan blinked. “Excuse me, could you help untie me?”
It was hard to break free from inside the net, but opening it from the outside was a simple task.
Sheldon slid over to Ning Busan and began untying him. “Little pup, how did you get caught by humans?”
The “pup” Ning Busan lied without batting an eye, “I couldn't find my way back to the deep sea.”
“You poor little pup. Don't be afraid. My boss will definitely come to rescue me, and I'll take you with me when he does! My name is Sheldon. What's yours?”
“Ning Busan.”
Sheldon tossed the net aside and explained to Ning Busan, “This kind of net is made from deep-sea vines and special steel cables. It's incredibly tough and specifically designed to hunt deep-sea creatures like us.”
Ning Busan asked, puzzled, “The sea monsters guard the deep sea, which keeps the xenos from invading human waters. We don't have any conflict of interest with humans, so why are they capturing us?”
Sheldon said angrily, “Because a sea monster's scales, blood, and even hair are precious magical ingredients used to brew magic potions.”
“These pirates make a living by hunting sea monsters, and they have many others locked up on this ship. Humans are a greedy, selfish bunch. They even auction off beautiful sea monsters just to satisfy their disgusting desires.”
At this point, Sheldon suddenly grew despondent. Hugging his tail, he said aggrievedly, “They plucked my scales. My tail isn't beautiful anymore.”
Sheldon's blue tail was covered in wounds. Many of his scales had been brutally torn away, exposing bloody, raw flesh.
The rocking of the ship caused his tail to twitch occasionally, squeezing out traces of blood that dripped onto the deck, mingled with the seawater, and vanished.
Just looking at it made Ning Busan's skin crawl in sympathy.
There was nothing a single healing spell couldn't fix. If one wasn't enough, then two would do the trick.
Before long, the wounds on Sheldon's tail completely healed.
“How did you do that?” Sheldon touched the newly grown scales over his wounds, utterly thrilled. “This is amazing!”
Ning Busan smiled faintly.
Now that he had found a merman to guide him, there was no longer any need for this ship to exist.
Rate on N.U.
