Favorite of the Beast-world: I Got Rich Through Farming-Chapter 293 - 190: The Magnificent and Mysterious Deep Sea; This Is Where I Grew Up
"It’s because someone tried to kill Ah Jin back then! They pushed her into the water. If I hadn’t given her the Shark Pearl, Ah Jin would have died!"
Xi answered before she could. An Jin wanted to give the considerate Little Merfolk a big thumbs-up.
"Who was it?" Gu Yin stared at her, stunned. He even forgot his jealousy, feeling nothing but heartache.
’So she was abused like that before? Damn it! I’ll go grind that person’s bones to dust right now!’
"It was a long time ago. I’d almost forgotten about it myself. It was a Beastman from my old tribe, but he’s dead now," An Jin said calmly.
Seeing her so nonchalant about it made Gu Yin feel even worse.
’I met her too late. I wasn’t there to protect her. This is so infuriating! Why did everyone else get to meet her before I did?’
After that brief commotion, the tense atmosphere quickly dissipated into silence.
Gu Yin’s gaze fell upon the vast, calm sea. He took her hand but wasn’t in a hurry to lead her into the water. "Before I came of age, I used to swim in the sea for fun when I was bored. The temperature down there is too low. Even with the Shark Pearl allowing you to breathe, you wouldn’t be able to stand the cold."
"Me, me, me! I can blow a bubble!"
Finally, it was his time to be useful. Xi shot his hand into the air, his eyes crinkling with a smile. "I can blow a bubble to enclose Ah Jin! It’ll protect her from the cold water, and I can even replenish the oxygen inside whenever it’s needed!"
No sooner said than done, with a SPLASH that sent water flying, he dove into the sea and transformed into a blue-tailed Merfolk, blowing a large bubble.
"Ah Jin, get in the bubble, quick! I can hold it and push you along!" The Little Merfolk hugged the large bubble, blinking at her with anticipation. His soaking blue hair and azure tail shimmered under the sun, reflecting off the sea in a brilliant, cerulean glow.
"Go on," Gu Yin said, giving her a gentle push. He clearly thought it was a viable plan.
Once she was inside the bubble, it blocked out not only the seawater but most of the sound as well.
She saw Gu Yin and Xi exchange a few words and nod to each other. Then, with Xi holding her bubble, they entered the vast ocean, Gu Yin following close behind.
The moment they entered the water, the light instantly dimmed. Xi took out a Luminous Pearl and passed it to her; surprisingly, the bubble didn’t pop.
Time ticked by, and before long, she had no idea where they were. Through the faint blue light of the Luminous Pearl, An Jin saw large, uniquely shaped schools of fish swim past her head and by her side. Picturesque clusters of coral glowed with magnificent, dreamlike colors, and countless plankton drifted by like phantoms in translucent gowns.
She saw whales, sharks, and colorful Mermaids—countless sea creatures weaving freely through the ocean. Now and then, a few curious gazes would fall upon the three of them, but after sensing the dangerous aura emanating from Gu Yin, they would sensibly flick their tails and swim away.
As they dove deeper and deeper, the light faded to near darkness, and the water grew colder.
An Jin placed her hand on the bubble’s wall and could feel that the deep-sea temperature had dropped to several degrees below zero.
But miraculously, as they descended even further, the water temperature began to gradually rise again, influenced by geothermal heat, reaching about ten degrees or so.
She lowered the Luminous Pearl and saw that they had reached the seabed. They were in a hilly area, the ground covered with vast stretches of dark brown rock. Stones of all sizes were packed densely together, without a single frond of seaweed in sight.
Strangely, the area seemed devoid of any fish or other sea creatures. It was so quiet it was almost frightening.
"Wait..." She had Xi stop and released her spiritual power. "Something’s strange here. There are clearly no other living things around, but I feel a gaze locked onto me..."
"This is just an ordinary little hill," Xi said, swishing his tail. He had played in the sea his whole life and had seen countless hills just like it.
Gu Yin, however, stopped. He scanned the area, his brow furrowed, but said nothing.
Ahead of them was a dark tunnel. The arc of Xi’s tail swings slowed. He looked up, confused. "Huh? I don’t remember a big tunnel being here."
’Have I been away from home for so long that my memory’s getting mixed up? Then again, tectonic shifts often happen on the seabed. It’s normal for the terrain to change sometimes.’
