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墨書 Inktalez
In the early morning, just before dawn, Xu Qingyuan was sleeping very restlessly. After only three or four hours of rest, he tossed and turned, unable to fall back asleep.
As soon as he stepped out of the cramped resting area, Lin Moyu suddenly called.
"Hello, have you entered the high seas yet? I've seen quite a few news reports lately saying that there are many illegal elements engaged in some mysterious research there."
Lin Moyu held a holographic game controller in his hand, his eyes fixed on the projection as he twisted his neck from side to side, trying to adjust to the most suitable position for an attack.
"I just entered these waters; there aren't many ships around. It doesn't seem as serious as what you've seen in the news," Xu Qingyuan said, slightly raising his gaze to look at the distant sea dotted with lights.
Since the global cooling storm swept through over a hundred years ago, the human population on the islands of the Pacific Ocean has been steadily increasing, including some groups that migrated from afar.
Over time, they learned to coexist with the sea.
They built floating homes on reefs and in shallow waters.
Some wealthy families constructed small wooden houses as shelters from storms. However, for most people, they crafted sturdier wooden boats as their homes and hung a solar lamp at the highest point of the boat.
When night fell, they would quietly lean against the side of their boats, turning on the lights to lure in underwater creatures, ensuring they had supplies to exchange for necessities the next day.
From a distance, it looked like a bustling seaside market.
"Have you seen those sea natives? I heard there was a tribe called the Nata Tribe, which was one of the older sea tribes. But ten years ago, they were suddenly wiped out; their deaths were so horrific that even the special forces patrolling the island found it unbearable!"
As if recalling something, Lin Moyu added, "Oh right, your route this time will pass by that island."
Xu Qingyuan gently touched his forehead and withdrew his gaze to look at a jellyfish emitting a faint blue glow beneath the boat. "I know about that incident; it's not a trivial matter. I saw it in the news before."
Xu Qingyuan paused for a moment and reached out to gently touch the jellyfish in mid-air before continuing slowly, "Lin Moyu, what exactly do you want to say? Don't tell me you're suddenly inspired to talk about news from ten years ago."
The game sounds in his ear abruptly stopped. After a long silence, Lin Moyu's voice came through from the optical brain, faint as a whisper. "Qingyuan, I think you need to go back to that island; there you'll find the answers you're looking for."
Xu Qingyuan raised an eyebrow, finding Lin Moyu's words puzzling. Before he could ask further, Lin Moyu on the other end of the call hung up.
Looking at the optical brain wristband that had been disconnected, Xu Qingyuan shifted his gaze towards the jellyfish drifting further away from the side of the boat, the distant seaside homes, and a glimmer of white light emerging where the sea met the sky.
In the distance, the early dawn sky resembled a magnificent painting, vibrant and ever-changing.
Xu Qingyuan stood quietly at the edge of the boat, his hands resting on the rough railing.
The cold wind swept through his clothes, causing his black hair to flutter chaotically.
The sea breeze lifted the stray hairs from his forehead, revealing a broad forehead. He slightly squinted his eyes, and his thick eyelashes cast a faint shadow beneath his eyelids.
His deep and distant gaze was fixed on the sea surface, as if trying to penetrate the endless horizon all the way to the edge of the sky.
"Hello, sir. Would you like this conch necklace? I have carefully selected these; they are very beautiful."
Suddenly, a dark-skinned little boy emerged from the surface of the sea beside the boat. Xu Qingyuan was startled and instinctively took a half-step back, a fleeting thought of pirates invading flashing through his mind.
The optical brain automatically translated the boy's words into Mandarin. Xu Qingyuan pressed his lips together and looked at the small boy.
He appeared to be only twelve or thirteen years old; how could he suddenly appear here?
It seemed to be several hundred meters away from the nearest seaside home, and he had been watching the sea surface without noticing any unusual movements. Where did he come from?
Xu Qingyuan didn't want to harbor too much malice towards a child, but his sudden appearance was indeed too strange.
"You..."
"Don't worry too much, Professor Xu. The indigenous people here can hold their breath underwater for half an hour without any problem. This little boy probably swam over from the seaside home across."
A staff member approached and gently patted Xu Qingyuan on the back, patiently explaining.
"The waters here are not governed by the Federal Government; they are considered unclaimed territory. The people living in this area have been here for several centuries and have evolved to be quite different from ordinary humans."
Xu Qingyuan turned to look at the man, who smiled nonchalantly and continued, "I heard that centuries ago, they lived here but couldn't stay underwater for long. They had to rupture their eardrums to better adapt to the underwater environment. But now..."
"You know, Professor Xu. Survival of the fittest. They have evolved a respiratory system that is different from ours, and even their lung lobes are two sizes larger than ours."
The two on the boat talked a lot, but the young boy did not have an optical brain and could not understand their words. Thinking his product would not sell, he quickly shouted, "Sir, take a look! This is a great item; you won't find it in other waters!"
The boy held up a conch necklace high above his head, waving it in front of Xu Qingyuan and the man.
Although it was still dimly lit, the faint light was enough to reveal the exquisite necklace's true appearance.
It was a necklace made of beautifully crafted conchs, and with a quick glance, Xu Qingyuan recognized the Nautilus, Funnel Shell, and Tang Crown Conch among them.
These were some of the most precious conch species available today. Perhaps to string them into a necklace, the boy used relatively small conchs, each only about half the size of a palm, with small shells used as spacers in between. Though petite and delicate, they were stunningly eye-catching.
Xu Qingyuan's eyebrows slightly arched as he whispered, "This can be considered a fine piece of craftsmanship."
"Hey, how much for the little buddy?" Xu Qingyuan lightly tapped his optical brain to automatically switch languages and converse with the boy. "Do you want food or Federal Coin?"
"Ten Federal Coins, sir," the young boy replied excitedly as he raised the necklace high upon hearing Xu Qingyuan's response.
"Then please wait a moment," Xu Qingyuan said.
"No problem, sir," the boy replied eagerly.
Xu Qingyuan did not carry any currency with him; nowadays, transactions mostly used electronic money. Only in places where security was lacking did people revert to more primitive trading methods.
The man beside Xu Qingyuan grabbed his arm and rummaged through his pocket with his right hand. He pulled out a gold coin and waved it in front of the boy, saying, "Is this enough? One gold coin can be exchanged for ten Federal Coins; you're getting a good deal!"
Excitement sparkled in the boy's eyes as he quickly nodded vigorously, "That works! That works, sir!"
After speaking, the man had not yet handed over his gold coin when the boy threw the necklace in his hand up into the air.
Xu Qingyuan caught the seashell necklace, which was still wet with seawater, but his expression showed some hesitation.
Such a finely crafted piece of art was only worth a single gold coin?
He clearly remembered that a Nautilus shell auctioned in an inland city had been driven up to one hundred thousand gold coins.
The man was true to his word, tossing his gold coin directly into the sea. The little boy dove eagerly toward where the coin had fallen.
Seeing this, Xu Qingyuan quickly called out, "Hey, wait..."
With the weight of the gold coin, it would sink rapidly into the water and be covered by sand; it would be difficult for the boy to retrieve it.
Before he finished speaking, the boy surfaced with the gold coin clutched in his mouth.
The sunlight glinted off his dark skin, creating a shimmering effect as the sun rose.
"Thank you, sir."
After expressing his gratitude, the boy dove back under the water with the gold coin again, but this time there was no sound.
Xu Qingyuan raised an eyebrow. "What is this...?"
The man leaned against the railing with one hand and let the other hang down casually as he said, "The children here will never legally set foot on any land on Earth in their lifetime. They can only talk to us outsiders to exchange words for money and food to survive."
Holding the slightly heavy seashell necklace, Xu Qingyuan frowned deeply and said seriously, "Don't they ever think about finding an uninhabited island to live on? Living on the sea with sunlight exposure and ocean pollution—now that the ozone layer is so thin—doesn't any of that threaten their lives?"
The man paused for a moment, seemingly surprised that Xu Qingyuan would say such a thing. He replied with interest, "Young Master Xu, do you think they are like you?"
Turning around to lean against the railing with his arms crossed, he continued, "These people have no firearms and lack even the basic skills and materials to make simple cold weapons like swords. How can you expect them to compete with those sea bandits armed with dual pistols for territory?"
Xu Qingyuan: "......"
He was indeed too naive.
He had only been to this sea area three times in his life.
The first time was at seventeen, when he came here with Uncle Charles for an adventure, which was quite an interesting experience during summer vacation.
The second time was at eighteen, when his parents held a coming-of-age ceremony for him here, inviting many business elites, but they encountered a storm at sea.
The third time, which is now, he once again set foot on this unclaimed sea area.
Xu Qingyuan's silence made the man beside him chuckle softly; he was still too young and thought too simply about everything.
The man patted Xu Qingyuan on the shoulder again, preparing to leave.
"What's your name?" Xu Qingyuan called out to him.
"My name is He Shuo, Professor Xu."
The man nodded in acknowledgment and then turned to leave.
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