Chapter 49: Someone, Heat the Water and Boil It

After discovering the clone skill, Lin Qiu could no longer remain calm; he drew in a sharp breath. Cold sweat began to trickle down his forehead.

Ten points?! Right now, he only had twenty upgrade points in total. To spend ten points on this skill—was it really worth it?

As Xu Bing continued to research the various forms of armor, Lin Qiu finally made a decisive choice.

"Exchange!"

With gritted teeth, his voice trembling, the little dolphin inside his watch suddenly grew vacant-eyed, as if something had been drawn out and vanished.

Bang!

In the ocean, a little dolphin appeared out of thin air and dropped into the water.

"Haha, I'm back!" Lin Qiu let out a hearty laugh, nearly moved to tears of joy. He realized how comforting the ocean was.

But in the next instant, the light in his eyes froze.

"Hey, boys, catch this little dolphin and bring him up—let's boil him!"

A rough voice echoed, and Lin Qiu was seized. He felt steel forks sweep toward him, pinning him in place, and then he was carried away.

"What is happening?" A hint of confusion flickered in Lin Qiu's eyes. He hadn’t yet figured out what was going on before he was gloriously made a prisoner.

In the ocean, a group of half-human, half-fish creatures wielded water-splitting spears, carrying the little dolphin toward an ancient city on the seabed.

"System, what are they..."

Lin Qiu regained his composure, realizing he’d been kidnapped, and sorrow welled up in his heart. He hadn’t consulted the almanac before leaving home.

One moment, he was caught and turned into someone’s contract beast. After spending ten upgrade points for freedom, he was bound again the very next moment.

How could he be so unlucky?!

Losing ten upgrade points had diminished his vigor considerably.

As the system’s host, Lin Qiu knew that to increase his strength, he needed upgrade points. The more points he had, the stronger he became—and vice versa.

Now, with ten points gone, he was merely a level-two sea beast with ten points, only about ten times stronger than his pre-mutation self.

Yet now, the half-human, half-fish monsters before him were all level-two experts; he was utterly powerless.

System: "These are all low-bloodline sea beasts, their innate achievements limited."

"The higher the class of sea beast, the stronger its bloodline, and the slower its evolution."

"Sea beasts of noble bloodlines, upon leaving the ancient city and evolving into humans, are peerless masters."

"As things stand, such masters are impossible to find."

"Even if those ancient noble races awaken from slumber, their progress will be slow."

"So, host, you still have a chance to rise."

"You will grow alongside these young overlords, for centuries of glory."

"If you become strong enough, you can crush them all and throw them into the pot to boil."

Lin Qiu was torn. He was already a fish on someone’s chopping block—what talk of rising now?

He suspected he was like Tang Monk, tragic indeed.

At least Tang Monk had Sun Wukong to save him—who did he have?

He gazed at the familiar moon above the seabed, speechless. This was not his own city across the shore, but some vast, unfamiliar metropolis.

"Haha, today’s harvest is good—caught a little dolphin as soon as we left the sea. The city lord will be pleased."

A group of small shrimps leisurely swam into the ancient city.

There was no water in the city; upon entering, these shrimp soldiers and crab generals’ lower bodies rapidly evolved into human legs.

Lin Qiu, still skewered on the water-splitting spear, transformed into a handsome young man.

"Hey, not bad looks! Fair and tender—boil him and the soup will be delicious."

"Exactly, exactly."

"If it were me, I wouldn’t even gut him—just eat him raw for the best nutrition."

"What nonsense!"

"With a specimen like this, he should be steamed or braised."

"True enough. The city lord’s mansion has Sun Erniang, a top chef. With such fine goods in her hands, she’ll surely craft all sorts of delicacies."

Listening to this, Lin Qiu was nearly in tears. Talk of tongue meat, heart meat, steamed fish bones, cold dishes—his heart sank with sorrow.

A lively fish, full of life, had become nothing more than a platter in these beasts’ mouths.

As Lin Qiu brooded, he began to observe the ancient city.

Upon entering, he noticed the city wasn’t large—perhaps not even a tenth the size of his own.

Yet, though small, it possessed all its essentials.

Every ancient city had its own rules.

In his own city across the shore, there was killing, but only within the bounds of normal disputes and conflicts.

If one killed a fish without cause, the rules would lock on and eliminate the offender.

He had no idea what rules governed this ancient city.

But he knew the city lord’s mansion was near.

"The guys are all back!"

"Hey, a pretty boy—what kind of breed is this?!"

At the gate, a doorman with a red nose looked at Lin Qiu, his eyes shining.

"Water Diao Chan, keep your thoughts to yourself."

"This is premium stock—if you try to abuse him, beware Erniang boiling you instead."

"Haha, no, no, of course not!"

Water Diao Chan, the red-nosed, hideous gatekeeper, wore a flustered smile and quickly waved his hands.

Lin Qiu’s eyes narrowed.

With the system’s ability, he saw through this fellow’s true form at a glance.

This so-called Water Diao Chan was a type of aquatic fish, hideously ugly, resembling a land toad, its back covered in pustules.

It was highly poisonous.

Such creatures, even when Lin Qiu was an ocean overlord, he wouldn’t bother to eat—too disgusting.

The Water Diao Chan clan had poor reproductive abilities; the whole sea might not have a hundred of them.

But these creatures had no natural enemies, living carefree lives until their natural deaths.

The reason? They were ugly, hard to chew, poisonous, and carried a pungent stench.

Even stronger than fox musk.

Upon entering, Lin Qiu felt dizzy from the odor.

The smell stung his eyes! It made him uneasy.

Thanks to the system, he could distinguish every creature and their habits.

The Water Diao Chan before him had no natural enemies, but was lascivious.

Any fish caught beneath its poisonous pustule would stiffen and become its plaything.

Every fish that fell into its hands died miserably.

Death was not the end; the unfortunate fish would be ridden by a different species, their dignity lost even in death.

Lin Qiu shivered and quickly closed his eyes.

Within his vision, a small frame appeared, displaying the creature’s true form.

Gone was the human façade; it was now a fish covered in pustules, hideous beyond measure.