Chapter 57: Swept Up in a Single Net

This was a beautiful misunderstanding, much like the Blue Star being round—starting from one point, walking endlessly, only to circle back to where you began.

So, when Lin Qiu reluctantly stepped forward, his heart pounding, Sea Pig whispered softly to him, “Brother, everyone here respects you. Are you the young master of some super clan, or perhaps the descendant of a powerful bloodline?”

Hearing this, Lin Qiu trembled inwardly, his thoughts racing, and suddenly everything became clear.

A mysterious smile curled at his lips as he leaned in and whispered, “Shh, that’s a secret! Keep it low-key.”

His heart quaked with delight, nearly bursting out in laughter. Indeed, this was a beautiful misunderstanding!

Lin Qiu understood completely now.

Yet, as he glanced at the black bristles protruding from Sea Pig’s ears, he almost gagged.

He was not only stingy but had a fierce aversion to filth. In his past life, whenever he spent the night confiding with Xiao Ze and the others, his actions never changed—each tissue used to wipe away tears was folded in the same size and direction.

Now, with his obsessive cleanliness, seeing those pig bristles in Sea Pig’s ears, he wished he could pluck them out one by one.

But realizing he was no match for the other, and not wanting to be eaten, he had to restrain himself.

The more mysterious he acted, the more cautious Sea Pig became, finally making a polite gesture, “Let’s walk together.”

“Very well, very well,” Lin Qiu nodded coolly, joining Sea Pig as his companion.

At the front of the line, the leading merfolk, seeing a fifth-rank expert lagging half a step behind a third-rank fishling, wore a careful smile and felt another shock in their hearts.

When Lin Qiu and Sea Pig approached, they instinctively stepped aside, letting them pass.

Thus, this beautiful misunderstanding allowed the two merfolk to walk unimpeded all the way to the front.

When they reached the front, a passage appeared, beside which sat a sea rat with a pointed snout and narrow face, a cunning glint in his eyes.

Sea rats were naturally timid but quick-witted, gifted with perfect recall.

The sea rat clan served as the engineers and designers of all aquatic races.

Among the five vanished civilizations, their handiwork could be seen in every powerful weapon and city.

Hence, the saying “timid as a mouse”—but in truth, they were mice. Even the chinchilla, their natural enemy, dared not devour them openly.

To eat a sea rat, even a chinchilla had to sneak about.

Should the enforcers of the ancient city discover such a crime, the perpetrator would face the gallows.

At this moment, the sea rat tinkered with his instruments, muttering under his breath, “The ancient descendants from the deep sea will awaken in a few days.”

“Then the whole ocean will be thrown into slaughter.”

“Damn it, this pleasant life has only just begun, and now it will be ruined by that violent creature.”

His face was twisted with worry, tugging fiercely at his whiskers, perhaps so hard it made him grimace in pain.

“What are you staring at? Get in line!” the sea rat snapped, his eyes teary with pain, as he caught Lin Qiu scrutinizing him.

Lin Qiu stepped forward, slipping a crystal coin into the sea rat’s hand unnoticed.

The sea rat froze, his dissatisfaction vanishing instantly.

He pocketed the crystal coin discreetly, and Lin Qiu quietly asked, “The news you just mentioned—where did you hear it?”

Receiving a crystal coin, the sea rat was in good spirits. He leaned in and replied softly, “It came from the royal city.”

“The technology in the royal city is a hundred times, a thousand times more advanced than in ordinary cities.”

“Their detectors have found life awakening rapidly in a trench over ten thousand meters deep.”

At this point, the sea rat’s gaze hinted: Want more? Pay up.

Lin Qiu did want to hear more, and understood the meaning in those eyes. He drew another crystal coin from his stash and placed it in the sea rat’s hand.

“This is a secret. I’ll tell you, but don’t let other merfolk know,” the sea rat said, his eyes crinkling with a smile.

Crystal coins—the currency of the aquatic races.

With the revival of civilization, crystal coins had begun to circulate. With them, one could buy anything desired.

The sea rat glanced around furtively, then continued in a whisper, “If they’re only just being born now, it means they’re all descendants of the ancient royal bloodline.”

“In ancient times, these were tyrants.”

“If they return from the deep sea, it won’t be long before the entire ocean falls under their rule.”

“These tyrants will surely wage war, spreading conflict to the world beyond.”

Lin Qiu’s brow furrowed deeply.

In the memories of his ancestor, though the latter was but a gatekeeper, he knew of the tyrants.

These tyrants possessed intelligence surpassing other aquatic races, and a brutality rivaling the most savage beasts. According to his ancestor’s memories, they not only ruled and slaughtered in the deep sea, but would also launch attacks on the land.

Lin Qiu’s heart felt heavy as he asked quietly, “How soon will they emerge from the deep sea?”

That was what he most wanted to know.

Although reborn as a fish, his soul remained human.

The sea rat didn’t answer, but squinted his rodent eyes, stroking his whiskers with one hand and rubbing his fingers together with the other.

“This greedy creature—one day I’ll find a chinchilla to eat him,” Lin Qiu thought angrily, though outwardly he wore a knowing smile, pulling out another crystal coin and slipping it into the sea rat’s hand.

The sea rat took the coin and pocketed it in a flash, then cleared his throat, “A week at most, and those creatures will emerge from the deep sea.”

“Oh, right!” he added, as if recalling something, and whispered, “Since you’re so outstanding, I’ll give you another bit of news.”

Lin Qiu perked up. What good news now?

“Not long ago, Lady Biki, the ancient city lord, announced that at her wedding, she would kill a white fish for celebration.”

“If you have time that day, you can go and watch. Perhaps you’ll get a taste of white fish soup.”

“Curse you!” Lin Qiu exploded in rage, his mouth opening wide and swallowing the sea rat whole.

“Brother, you—” Sea Pig stared, eyes wide in disbelief at Lin Qiu.

He had actually eaten the aquatic engineer—such audacity!

Even when those tyrants arrived, they treated the engineers with utmost respect.

They knew these ugly mice, though timid and harmless, had brilliant minds, and the weapons they designed were formidable and effective.