Chapter 1126: Chapter 1124: Mutation
In fact, Fu Qian had a fairly specific destination in mind for this trip to the Sea of Ashes.
The Starry Prism, before its fall, had swallowed a mirror and provided a star map.
And under the sinful trade with Yuan Shan, the employees of the Night Watchman in Shangjing couldn’t resist the temptation of a week-long vacation. Racking their brains, they finally came up with coordinates deep within the Sea of Ashes.
Considering that the mirror was acquired in the real world, and the similarly sourced Bronze Headband also contained what seemed like a warning perennially left by Ji Feng, mentioning the ashes.
Thus, after the research at the Academy, Fu Qian believed that the likelihood of these two things being a mere coincidence had greatly diminished. The coordinates were worth investigating.
Of course, even so, Fu Qian was in no rush to set off.
The destination is one thing, but the process is the key.
That place may be special, but not in terms of traits.
The goal of this journey is to seek fortune, focused on one thing only—mysterious connections, mutual rush.
Regrettably, since officially entering the Sea of Ashes, Fu Qian had not felt any predestined connections.
It seems that the causal entanglements hinted at by the Blasphemous King were just illusions crafted to deceive.
Such a level of misfortune was not unexpected.
Therefore, Fu Qian’s current strategy had also been planned in advance—broadcast his arrival, gather responses, and interpret the attitudes.
Specifically, now it meant he had brought a ship full of guests and a mermaid to the Sea of Ashes.
Next, he had to see what kind of disturbances they would cause and how the Sea of Ashes would respond.
If nothing special emerges, then on the way to the destination, stir up even greater disturbances.
And what if still nothing by the time he reaches the destination?
That seems to be the best outcome—there would be no need to ponder over a choice of traits.
Head straight for the Half-step Moon, offer the coordinates recorded through the White Ring to the Red Moon, and let It help open the pathway, in search of "Eternity."
The more one explores the unknown, the clearer one’s thoughts must be.
...
It’s clear to see that blood is indeed very valuable.
Leaving the landing scene, Fu Qian, who had just exited from Blood Conquest, did not slow down and did not even bother to conceal his presence.
Now was the time for greetings, no need for pretense.
Racing forward like this, he soon arrived at the end of the Thread of Concern.
This was the far side of the landing point, the angle between two connected floating islands.
Among the rugged boulders, the mermaid that had narrowly escaped death was quietly shrinking into a corner.
The mermaid, which had been humming happily just a moment before, was now biting its teeth tightly, silent, not even daring to peek out.
Lacking in survival experience, is it indeed still a child?
No wonder it fell into every pit.
Roaming aimlessly alone, making noise at will, fleeing thoughtlessly, choosing an obviously easily concealing spot in danger to hide...
The only fortunate thing, considering the high cost of blood, was that the spot where it was speared, the hasty bandaging was formidable, standing here one couldn’t smell any blood at all.
But even so, Fu Qian was sure that as long as Lann and his party stayed in this area for any length of time, they would surely be able to find this place and then discover it.
Unless this mermaid, just like in the fairy tales, grows a pair of legs to crawl over to another island, it might be a bit safer—huh?
From a superior vantage point, Fu Qian made this remark with unrestrained emotion and was subsequently taken aback the very next moment.
Amidst the uncanny sound of tearing, the mermaid’s tail, which was clearly not injured, bizarrely bled, and the overlapping blue and red hues became distinctly separated and eventually fully divided.
Did it actually split into two? Though they still look like tails.
Having just lamented that the little mermaid seemed not to have sparked the interest of the Sea of Ashes, Fu Qian was now experiencing for the first time the peculiar changes of this Forbidden Area as he watched the mermaid’s tail split before his eyes.
Hiss—
At this moment, a suppressed cry of pain also rang out. Recovering from the agony of her tail being torn apart, the little mermaid gazed blankly at her own transformation, clearly terrified.
However, perhaps it was an innate talent that enabled her to quickly manipulate her new tails, flapping them left and right, even in opposite directions in red and blue, gaining an agility akin to a pair of legs.
This unique transformation seemed to have a specific target, as he himself didn’t feel anything.
Fu Qian did not disturb the growth of the little mermaid, silently evaluating himself, only to be disappointed that there was no indication of growing an extra leg.
Plop!
At that moment, the mermaid undergoing mysterious changes seemingly mustered sudden courage, wriggling out from among the strange rocks and leaping directly into the ashen waters.
Although this special seawater markedly interfered with perception, Fu Qian could still confirm that she was rapidly swimming towards the Depths of the Sea of Ashes.
Was there some kind of call she perceived?
Trying to understand the scene before him, Fu Qian did not act hastily because someone had already made a move.
"Don’t go!"
With an urgent shout, a figure leaped out from not far away, dashing a few steps in the direction of the mermaid.
Following his movement, a small whirlpool appeared on the surface of the sea, attempting to trap the fleeing mermaid.
However, it was one step too late; the mermaid nimbly avoided it.
Even such change startled her once more, mistaking it for a pursuer’s arrival, which made her scramble away even faster.
This reaction visibly frustrated the one trying to stop her, who then directly dove into the sea.
What was magical was that he could actually walk directly on the surface of the water and did not sink.
After pursuing for a distance, a greyish-green object was flung from his hand.
Was that, a seed?
Despite the speed, Fu Qian could make out that it was about the size of a walnut, its surface densely covered with fine lines, clearly indicating that the shell was quite sturdy, yet it could not restrain the burgeoning vitality it emitted.
It was obvious that such an object was unlikely to be used to catch fish, but the mermaid, now paranoid, clearly didn’t think so.
Restricted by underwater rocks, she couldn’t dive too deep, but with Transcendent alertness, she swiftly dodged to one side the moment the other’s seed was thrown.
There was no doubt she had evaded it again, but before she could take further action, something abruptly wound around her waist.
In that heart-stopping moment, more restraints appeared, drastically slowing down the mermaid, forcing her to surface once more.
Upon a glance, her entire body was now entwined by vine-like tentacles.
But unlike his usual methods, these tendrils were not made of flesh and blood, rather they were wooden.
The familiar greyish-green surface bore familiar fine lines, seemingly extending from the submerged seed and coiling into a cage.
This was not the end; in the next instant, a plant of the same hue burst forth from the sea like the legendary beanstalk, shooting up into the sky and lifting the trapped mermaid into mid-air.