Chapter 332 - 305: The Origin of Tuiyuan
GLUG GLUG.
GLUG GLUG...
The Fishmen hiding in the mounds swam out from their burrows.
As more and more Fishmen closed in, the space around them grew tight. Du Yu’s expression turned cold, his hand reaching for the Fish Spear on his back.
HMMMM—
A low hum emanated from behind them. The surrounding Fishmen, who had been closing in, instantly scattered like a startled school of fish.
Behind the dispersing Fishmen, a massive shark slowly swam over.
When it drew closer, Qin Ziwen took a better look. That was no shark; it was clearly a large Fishman that bore a strong resemblance to one.
The creature came to a stop and spread its long arms. Qin Ziwen looked up; it stood over five meters tall. It had a pointed nose, a wide face, and when its lips parted, its teeth were as sharp as saws.
Based on its physique, this Fishman was different from both the Artisan Race and the Muddy Race. Recalling the other two branches of the Fishman Race, its identity seemed obvious. ’It must be one of the Hunting Race Fishmen,’ Qin Ziwen concluded.
Pura swam over and said to Qin Ziwen, "Master, this is a Sacrificial Race Fishman. It should be the leader of this Fishman Tribe."
A flash of astonishment crossed Qin Ziwen’s eyes. He carefully studied the muscular, shark-like Fishman, then turned his head to look at Pura. ’If the Sacrificial Race is this intimidating, how strong must the Hunting Race be?’
With something in his mouth, coupled with the difficulty of speaking underwater, Qin Ziwen couldn’t voice the questions swirling in his mind.
HMMMM. The Sacrificial Race Fishman let out a low hum. Its voice was deep, and as it spread through the water, it created ripples of shockwaves.
"Master, it is inviting you to the Sea Temple," Pura said. "The Sea Temple is the most sacred place for the Fishman Race, typically used only for rituals or to receive honored guests."
Qin Ziwen nodded.
The Sacrificial Race Fishman turned and led the way, with Qin Ziwen and the others following behind.
Along the way, the path was lined with earthen mounds. Their surfaces were covered with things like shells and coral, mixed with seabed mud to form structures.
They looked a bit like Inuit igloos.
Most of these mounds were not large, and they were primarily inhabited by Artisan Race Fishmen. The small-bodied Artisan Race Fishmen nimbly slipped inside, poking their heads out to peek at them, like eels peering from crevices in an undersea reef.
After traveling some distance, they came to a massive undersea crater. At the center of its floor stood a temple built of stone.
The temple’s surface was covered in red algae, and a Muddy Race Fishman lay sprawled on each side of the entrance.
These two Muddy Race Fishmen were lying on the ground with round, bulging bellies. Seeing their leader approach, they hastily rolled over, struggled to their feet, and repeatedly bowed their heads to the ground, looking somewhat comically endearing.
Seeing this structure, Qin Ziwen instinctively used Insight.
[Level 3 Deep Sea Temple: Level 3 Breeding Amplification, Level 2 Waterless Environment, Level 2 Sea Beast Repulsion]
’Well, I’ll be. It really is a building!’
Qin Ziwen was surprised, not because the Fishmen had a Card building—after all, his previous encounters had shown him they possessed Cards.
He was surprised because this didn’t seem to be inside a Home. ’They can construct buildings outside of a Home environment?!’
Qin Ziwen’s interest was piqued. If the Fishmen had mastered the ability to construct buildings outside of a Home, it would surely be a useful skill to learn.
Upon entering the Deep Sea Temple, the surrounding water vanished. Qin Ziwen stood on solid ground and looked back. At the temple’s entrance was a transparent, shimmering barrier—the deep sea water.
All the seawater was held back by the temple.
This was a completely waterless environment.
After entering the temple, the Fishman Leader walked step-by-step to a stone chair in the very center, leaving wet footprints in his wake. Thick whale-oil candles on all four sides brightly illuminated the interior.
It first glanced at Pura, then looked at Qin Ziwen, and began to speak with Pura.
Qin Ziwen glanced behind him. His younger brother and the others had all followed him into the temple.
Although there was no water inside the Deep Sea Temple, the floor was slick and very damp, and green moss covered the surrounding walls.
Finally, after a long exchange, Pura turned to relay the message. "Master, it wants to send a portion of its Fishmen to our Home."
"Ask it why," Qin Ziwen said, neither refusing nor agreeing.
He was more interested in the reason for this request.
Pura replied, "I just asked. It said that my presence shows that you, Master, are willing to accept different races. It hopes to send some ’seeds’ to you. Because of the Thousand-Eyed Death God, the Fishman Race is growing ever weaker. Their Tuiyuan is already dead, and the current Fishman Tribe is just barely surviving."
"Tuiyuan? What is a Tuiyuan."
Pura answered respectfully, "Tuiyuan is another word for Home."
After Pura’s explanation, Qin Ziwen understood.
He now understood why a Home was called a Tuiyuan.
If you think of a world as a living thing, it is constantly growing. Whenever a world grows to a certain point, it needs to "shed its skin."
Only after shedding its skin can the world continue to grow.
And those like them, peeled away from their original world, are that shed skin. This was the "Tui" in Tuiyuan—the shedding.
This old, shed skin, stripped from the world, is not mere dregs, however.
After all, having been peeled from a world, it possesses all sorts of incredible potential.
They traverse different worlds, a plunge into an abyss with an unknown end, but also an opportunity to gather countless civilizations.
A Home has infinite possibilities; its internal space can be expanded without limit.
𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮
It is said that some ancient Tuiyuan have grown to an unbelievable scale.
This is the "Yuan" in Tuiyuan—the abyss.
The Fishman Race that once lived here possessed a massive Tuiyuan. The underwater city they saw on their way was the wreckage of that Tuiyuan.
After the Fishmen’s ancestors arrived in this world, they lost to their rivals.
Their Tuiyuan was largely destroyed, and their ancestors suffered heavy casualties.
As punishment, they were permanently trapped in this ocean world.
When the last of the surviving Masters of Tuiyuan died of old age, the remaining Fishmen lost their final spark.
They regressed from a civilization into intelligent beasts.
Their inherited knowledge allowed them to understand that whenever Cards appeared on the undersea altar, it signified the arrival of a new Tuiyuan.
But at the same time, the Thousand-Eyed Death God would also emerge from the deep-sea rifts. At first, they were able to repel or drive it back.
But the Thousand-Eyed Death God is immortal. Even if it is killed, it will revive the next time a Tuiyuan arrives.
The Fishman Leader, sitting on his stone chair, raised his head and gazed at the mural on the ceiling.
Its mouth opened and closed, mouthing silent words.
Qin Ziwen said to Pura, "Pura, tell it that I am a kind person. I agree to its request, but I must be the one to choose which Fishmen join my Home."
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