Chapter 1128: Chapter 1126: The Origin of the Fishmen
"Understood."
Fu Qian looked at Delanlay, the Friend of Nature.
"So you pursued into here to witness those Butchers departing? Forgive my frankness, but it seems they’re doing alright, and your Sea God doesn’t appear to have followed."
"They may have to wait a while longer, until what’s tainted on them wears off, it seems they could return without achievement."
"And if they are daring enough to explore in this direction."
Fu Qian pointed at the Mermaid above their heads.
"They might not return without accomplishing anything."
"I also didn’t expect the Mermaid to escape in this direction..."
With Fu Qian’s reminder, Delanlay looked up at the tree canopy, his expression unable to hide his regret.
"If I knew, I would have acted a bit sooner... As for the Sea God, even though He is also reluctant to enter this place, the feeling He gives this time really is different from usual."
"Oh, what is He like normally?"
Facing someone who seemed well-versed in marine situations, Fu Qian did not shy away from asking outright.
"Are you sure you want to have this idle chat here?"
The other party seemed so interested, Delanlay couldn’t help but make a strange expression.
"Don’t forget the gunshot you just fired, it makes it very easy for this area to be noticed."
"Are you sure that’s easier than the one on the tree?"
Fu Qian asked, surprised.
"...I can’t bring it down."
These words directly plunged Delanlay into silence; after a moment, he admitted his own helplessness.
"How come? Isn’t that tree planted by you?"
Fu Qian’s inquiry was so natural, gently leading.
"Yes, but normally it should not have grown this big... and now I can’t communicate with it at all."
Under the shadow of the giant tree, Delanlay couldn’t help but grasp onto the hanging roots in front of him.
"Things are too unstable here, life forms can easily undergo uncontrollable distortions, which is why I didn’t act initially."
"I see, and here I thought it was because you saw me here."
Following this, he looked up, observing the finally quiet Mermaid, Fu Qian making sounds of tsk tsk.
From Delanlay’s reaction, while the scene was eerie, it wasn’t too exaggerated for the Sea of Ashes.
"Your arrival was indeed unexpected..."
Caught off-guard, Delanlay’s expression stiffened for a moment, then admitted he had hidden himself after seeing Fu Qian.
"You seemed too dangerous, so I wanted to first ascertain your intentions, but I never expected it would want to venture deeper..."
"A reasonable judgement."
Fu Qian affirmed Delanlay’s evaluation of himself.
"So the Mermaid’s tail splitting into two, is this also a distortion of life form?"
"This is a classic change, in fact, it’s also why even the Sea God is reluctant to enter here."
Delanlay nodded.
"Mutations can occur at any time, challenging the imagination, and most of them may not revert even if you return to the outside."
"It’s clear you know this place well."
Having gathered many pieces of information, Fu Qian was not stingy with his praise.
"That’s because I chose to communicate with these beings instead of slaughtering them."
Delanlay’s voice carried anger.
"Much of what I know was told by them."
Really a Druid class nature enthusiast, isn’t he?
Fu Qian silently sighed, pointing at the Mermaid.
"Did it tell you why it wanted to go to the Depths of the Sea of Ashes just now?"
This...
Faced with Fu Qian’s question, Delanlay thought for a moment and emitted a strange series of sounds toward the Mermaid.
Unfortunately, although it sounded non-aggressive, the latter darted around in a nervous frenzy again.
"It seems to have been frightened and refuses to communicate with me."
Delanlay sighed.
"However, there was a saying that, just as Mermaids use their singing to mesmerize sailors, they too would be called by something from the Depths of the Sea of Ashes."
"Those who respond to this call mostly never return, but if they survive, they are transformed into another form."
Another form?
Fu Qian frowned slightly, remembering the cage in Gerard’s hands.
"Fishmen?"
"Yes."
So those special creatures came about in this way.
Mermaid creations twisted? Not to mention anything else, in terms of appearance, this distortion is akin to plastic surgery.
Even in terms of Ranking, the Fishman in Gerard’s hands clearly possessed Divinity, which was far beyond this little Mermaid with only a hint of Transcendent aura.
If the little Mermaid really did hear the call just now, it might explain why it agreed so readily.
"Although visually stunning, these twisted creatures often become cruel and bloodthirsty, no longer friendly towards humans, and are almost one of the last things people want to encounter at sea."
So, that’s why they weren’t included in the Night Watchman’s protected list, huh? Indeed, becoming superior isn’t always a good thing.
Fu Qian nodded slightly to show his understanding.
"Congratulations, it looks like you successfully prevented a naive Mermaid from falling."
"...provided it survives."
Although not entirely sure if Fu Qian’s congratulations were sincere, through careful interaction, Delanlay could tell that he really wasn’t too intent on killing, finally relaxing a bit.
"Lann and the others could discover the situation here anytime; if we don’t let it down quickly, we might fall into their hands again."
"Aren’t you being too optimistic?"
"...What do you mean?"
"If they lack the courage to run amok, at least a group of experienced people, how could they not find a high point to observe their surroundings?"
Fu Qian pointed to the hill behind him.
"Are you saying they might have already noticed us here?"
Involuntarily glancing towards the silent hilltop, Delanlay’s complexion became extremely ugly.
"Considering you even hung it up specially, yes, I think it’s unlikely they haven’t noticed."
Fu Qian affirmed his guess.
That...
Delanlay was clearly conflicted.
Compared to the Mermaid, he was undoubtedly more of a target for Lann and his group. If they were truly discovered, even the deterrence of the Sea of Ashes might not stop those people’s vengeful hearts.
But if he just left, he would be directly abandoning the Mermaid here, especially after preventing it from escaping,
"Could you please help me?"
After hesitating for a while, Delanlay did not simply walk away, but instead sought help from Fu Qian.
"Sure."
Fu Qian looked at him and snapped his fingers.
That was too straightforward, wasn’t it?
Wondering if the other party was playing a joke on him, Delanlay’s expression suddenly changed the next moment, and he swiftly dodged to one side.
Mid-motion, two massive tentacles burst out of the water beside him, fiercely striking the giant tree, emitting a deafening sound.
The force carried was so violent that the branches, originally as hard as steel, were directly reduced to countless fragments, scattering all around.
Amidst the screams, the Mermaid at the top of the giant tree, along with the cage binding it, plunged into the water.