"My specimen couldn’t possibly be your sister..."
The little girl was stunned and began to cry even louder.
Lin Suo was speechless, walking over to Tifa to unlock her chains while saying,
"You are human, she is a Sea Demon, there can’t be any blood relationship, how could humans and demons possibly..."
Lin Suo paused, catching a glimpse of the brilliant fish scales behind the little girl’s ears from the corner of his eye. The blue scales reflected a dazzling array of colors in the sunlight.
Sea Demons are corrupted from Mermaids, and Mermaids are a kind-hearted folk. With their nature ingrained, instances of them turning dark is rare, one in ten thousand.
That’s why Sea Demons are even rarer than Giant Dragons.
Similar life forms include the Evil Naga, though the Naga are naturally malevolent. It is said they are the offspring of corrupted Elves mixed with Curse Wizards, creating an Extraordinary Race.
But now, the Sea Demon is dead, and I’ve dismembered her...
"Little girl, the nature of a Sea Demon is hard to change, feasting on flesh and devouring souls. Even if she was your sister, it’s impossible for her to return to her original form. If you’re grieving, I can give you this specimen."
The little girl’s crying hitched, then grew louder.
By then, Tifa had finally freed her hands. She didn’t bother with Lin Suo but rushed to hug the young girl, unlocking her chains and comforting her, while giving Lin Suo a fierce glare from her beautiful eyes.
Lin Suo felt uncomfortable all over and then suddenly realized something.
"Tifa sis, your hand is healed? How come you’ve been away from Koster so long, and have become part of the sea wolves pirates..."
"As for my arm, I got a Level Six healing compound from the Purple Bauhinia Family that can regenerate limbs. The price was to join the sea wolves pirates and help them find an island."
Lin Suo raised an eyebrow.
"It’s the deserted island I was trapped on years ago. Lin Ni and I were originally planning to head to the new capital of the Mermaid Kingdom to lay low, but we sensed her sister’s Bloodline fluctuations and made a detour to check it out."
"Who knew we’d be captured by your people."
She rolled her eyes as she spoke.
Lin Suo shrugged his shoulders, sidestepping the subject.
"This girl’s name is Lin Ni? Since she’s from the Mermaid Clan, how come she’s with you in Koster..."
"That’s her business. You don’t need to meddle."
The two chatted, and Lin Ni · Sinia began to recover from her collapse of tears, holding on to the specimen cylinder without letting go.
Lin Suo had no idea what to say to her.
But the girl seemed to have an easier time than he did coming to terms with things.
"Mr. Rhein, I don’t blame you, even our Mermaid Clan has a kill-on-sight stance towards Sea Demons. She must have attacked you."
Lin Suo finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"If you can think like that, then nothing could be better."
"When she betrayed the Mermaid Kingdom back then, I had foreseen this day. Mr. Rhein, could you return my sister’s body to me? I want to take her back to her homeland for burial."
Lin Suo was completely stumped, his face wooden.
You can’t exactly hand over a piece of intestine and a bit of stomach, scattered parts to Lin Ni.
It was Tifa who saw Lin Suo’s dilemma and came to his rescue, as older people do.
"Lin Ni, let it be... Given how powerful Sea Demons are, it’s already something to have a complete head left."
The young girl’s swollen eyes suddenly brimmed with more tears.
Her eyes rolled back, and she fainted.
After settling Lin Ni in Lin Suo’s bed, the two of them walked side by side to the captain’s room.
Then Tifa’s tone changed.
"Hey, what exactly did you do to Lin Ni’s sister?"
Lin Suo spread his hands, pulling out a piece of intestine.
Tifa was at a loss for words, her lips opening and closing as if she had been struck with a silence spell.
"Don’t talk about that. I heard you say earlier that you want to go to the new mermaid capital. Are you able to find it?"
"Lin Ni can find it, and I’m going there for the deserted island matter as well."
"Is that so, then are you leaving soon, or will you play with me for a few days?"
"Who wants to play with you?"
Tifa shoved Lin Suo’s shoulder and walked ahead, with Lin Suo quickly following.
"Just one night of playing with you, don’t get emotional, there’s no attachment. Don’t be so narcissistic."
Lin Suo’s face turned wistful, showing a young boy’s shyness.
"Really embarrassing."
Tifa gave her a look and decided to completely stop talking.
Lin Suo found it boring and stopped teasing her.
It was really because the recent times had been too oppressive, and upon seeing a familiar face, he couldn’t help but flirt a little. If it worked, it was a good way to relax; if not, no big deal.
At least there was a friend to chat with, to share each other’s stories—that itself felt quite nice. It’d be even better if they could play a round of Gwent.
At half past midnight.
Lin Suo walked out from the monitoring cabin.
The three pirate leaders, just like Tifa said, were squeezed for every last bit of value and then sunk into the sea.
The shark people were having a feast.
As for the other captured pirates, they too were fed to the synthetic beasts.
Just as he was about to return to his own room.
He suddenly remembered the bed had been taken over by Tifa and Lin Ni.
"Guess I’ll just make do tonight."
Lin Suo took out a large bed from his space belt, secured it on the deck, and drew the semi-transparent bed curtains. Leaning against the pillow, he listened to the sound of the waves and silently meditated.
In the latter part of the night.
A slick body suddenly slid into his bed. Lin Suo opened his eyes and saw a flash of white. Instantly mesmerized, he couldn’t understand why the Demon Spirit Shark’s charm resistance ability had no effect whatsoever.
And then... Lin Suo was captured...
—Giant Dragon Impact.jpg—
Lin Suo glanced at Tifa lying beside him.
He muttered about how the mouth can lie, not the heart.
The sun shone through the curtains onto the woman’s long eyelashes, her cheeks rosy and delicate, lips slightly curled into a smile, utterly enchanting.
Lin Suo couldn’t resist extending his sinful hand toward her cheek.
And then there was no more then.
Tifa, like an infuriated tigress, grabbed his wrist and with a shoulder flip, sent Lin Suo flying.
All that could be heard was the belated exclamation.
Pleasurable times are always fleeting.
After dealing with the Sea Wolf Pirates, the journey became a lot smoother, simply crossing this sea region in a straight line.
Because it happened to be en route.
Tifa and Lin Ni stayed around to play for a few more days. Whether their little follower felt joy or not was uncertain, but Tifa was very pleased, feeling as if she was getting younger and younger.
Her cheeks looked so moist, as if she could wring water out of them.
Until the sixth day...
Tifa and her little follower departed underwater, leaving Lin Suo alone sitting at the bow, counting the remaining half of his spare bed and sighing.
He started with five beds, and now only half a bed remained...
At this moment, the sky ahead of Wave Breaking turned pitch black—a sign they were approaching the penultimate stop.
Ahead, the destination [Nightfall Sea Area] — "Land of Eternal Night!"