Chapter 341 - 313: Prophet of Bloodstains

The Fishman Leader swam over and began to speak, with Pura translating. "Master, it says they are replenishing the Snake Puppet’s nutrition. Activating it consumes a special energy that can only be restored by the corpse of a Thousand-Eyed Snake.

Even after it’s replenished, each activation requires at least eight Extraordinaries.

Right now, the Fishman Tribe only has four Extraordinaries left. If they can’t gather eight by the time the Thousand-Eyed Death God descends again, they’ll have no way to fight it."

"Is the Fishman Race’s ability to reproduce really that poor?" Qin Ziwen recalled that, as far as he knew, fish were quite prolific.

The Fishman Leader shook its head. After entrusting Lorne to him, it had shed half of its burden.

Pura translated, "Ordinary Fishmen can have offspring, but the Hunting Race and Sacrificial Race have always had difficulty reproducing. And ever since we lost Tuiyuan, our race’s ability to procreate has gotten progressively worse."

Halfway through translating, Pura suddenly paused and glanced at Qin Ziwen.

Qin Ziwen nodded. "Go on."

With permission granted, Pura grew a little bolder and quickly said, "It hopes that the Fishman hero can... sow some seeds. It is willing to offer Cards as payment."

’No wonder it wanted to give me a Recruitment Card.’ Qin Ziwen chuckled. ’So there was a plan all along.’

’They want me to use a Recruitment Card to summon a powerful Fishman, then have that hero sow his seed. If he can leave behind a few Extraordinary offspring, perhaps the Fishman Tribe can continue on.’

’In a way, I’m not losing out. After all, the summoned Fishman hero will genuinely be one of my own.’

’Coming up with a win-win solution like this is a good way to not get on my bad side.’

’This Fishman Leader is very clever. Of course, that might have something to do with its Extraordinary Ability.’

[Extraordinary · Prophet of Bloodstains · Fishman: ☆☆☆★★]: Level 2 Information Compendium, Level 2 Tide of Lies, Level 2 Omen of Crisis

’Although I can’t fully judge the effects just from the ability names...’

’...the word ’Prophet’ in its title suggests the Fishman Leader probably isn’t a fighter...’

Qin Ziwen glanced again at its five-meter-tall body.

"I’ll go ask for Mogu’s opinion. After all, he’s the one who’ll be doing the hard labor." With that, Qin Ziwen went to find Mogu, who was training Cao Biansheng in the rear.

Mogu, who was instructing Cao Biansheng, heard the footsteps behind him. He paused, guessing his master’s intention.

With his back to Qin Ziwen, he said calmly, "Master, I’ll do it. I already know the situation. If it benefits you, it’s a small matter."

Hearing this, Qin Ziwen couldn’t help but give him a second look.

Cao Biansheng’s jaw dropped, and he stared, dumbfounded. The piece of White Coral in his mouth nearly fell out.

’You can suck up to someone like that?’

After receiving Qin Ziwen’s confirmation, the Fishman Leader was overjoyed.

It prepared to offer Cards as payment, but Qin Ziwen refused.

Qin Ziwen said, "I need Marvels. An exchange for Marvels would be best."

The Fishman Leader understood. It knew what Qin Ziwen needed.

It turned and returned to the warehouse.

A short while later, it returned, carrying a shell as large as an iron basin.

The shell was nearly two meters in diameter, resembling a large bathtub.

It was filled to the brim with smooth, lustrous White Coral.

The corner of Qin Ziwen’s eye twitched. He had originally thought ten or twenty pieces would be plenty.

’He never expected such extravagance!’

’This was the first time he’d ever seen Marvels measured by the basinful.’

The Fishman Leader said, "There are seventy pieces here, our tribe’s entire stock. They’re very slow to cultivate, and each one requires a large area to grow, so we don’t have many."

"This is more than enough." Qin Ziwen accepted the White Coral, feeling they were almost too generous a gift.

’This was all compensation for Mogu’s hard work, after all.’

...

While Mogu was off "working," Qin Ziwen sought out the Fishman Leader. He had his eyes set on the underwater city he’d seen on the way in.

Although it was already in ruins, it was the perfect raw material for a Miracle.

After the last map settlement, he had obtained a random Miracle Card.

He suspected that it wasn’t as random as it seemed.

The construction requirements for the Abyssal Ruins were: a Deep Sea Core, an Abandoned Underwater City, and ninety-nine portions of Aquatic Marvels.

It was all a perfect fit.

He had already found two of the requirements.

He’d seen the Abandoned Underwater City, and he’d basically collected enough Aquatic Marvels. If he scrounged a little more, he should have enough.

Only the last item was missing: the Deep Sea Core.

"Have you heard of the Deep Sea Core?"

Pura translated the question.

A trace of surprise flashed in the Fishman Leader’s eyes. It didn’t know where Qin Ziwen had heard this name.

"I know of it. Just as a fruit has a core, the ocean has its own. This ’sea core’ is usually located in the great depths, which is why it’s called the Deep Sea Core. I know where they used to be."

Qin Ziwen’s expression grew serious.

The Fishman Leader pointed to the northeast. "It’s over there. You should have seen an underwater city when you arrived. Those are the ruins of the city where our ancestors lived. In its heyday, the city had eight pagodas, and each pagoda enshrined a Deep Sea Core."

"But when Tuiyuan was destroyed, the Deep Sea Cores vanished without a trace. Perhaps they became Spoils of War for the victors." The Fishman Leader shook its head.

"Even if they weren’t found back then, Tuiyuan has appeared in our world from time to time over the years. Anyone capable of reaching these depths has likely come here to search."

Qin Ziwen understood. ’So this underwater city is a popular tourist spot on the ’must-see’ list.’

’With so many "tourists" having picked it clean, any treasures it once held are probably long gone.’

’After all, the Fishmen live right next door. Besides the visitors that Tuiyuan brings, they’ve surely done their own share of "scavenging" inside.’

At this thought, Qin Ziwen sighed. The chances of finding a Deep Sea Core were likely next to none.

But it didn’t matter. Of the three conditions, he could at least fulfill two first.

Finding the last one, the Deep Sea Core, would come down to luck; he would just have to search for it slowly.

But when Qin Ziwen arrived before the abandoned underwater city, a critical problem occurred to him.

’How am I supposed to take this whole underwater city with me?’

’This isn’t a shipwreck that I could salvage with enough effort.’

’This is a goddamn city!’

As far as the eye could see, the city slumbering on the seabed had long ago transformed into a dense, somber underwater jungle.

The silhouettes of most buildings were buried beneath vast swaths of dark green seaweed that grew dozens of meters tall.

This seaweed hung like giant curtains, swaying slowly with the currents and shrouding the ruins in a somber shadow.

Whenever an undercurrent swept by, it would lift a corner of the algal curtain to reveal the skeletal remains of walls below, hollowed out by barnacles and coral.

In the city center, colossal, leaning towers stood in silence.

From a distance, they resembled the ribs of a Giant Beast, overgrown with shells and silken algae.

Dark shapes could be seen flitting between the curtains of algae from time to time.

Clearly, this city was not as quiet as it appeared on the surface.

...

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