Chapter 37: Primordial Pearl

Chapter 37: Primordial Pearl

"Alright, but be careful. There are still many dangerous creatures in the sea."

Ask Xiuzhu readily agreed, his gaze toward Ji Jing carrying an indiscernible depth.

Semaya quickly assured them, "Don't worry. I can protect Ji Jing. There's no food in the sea that I can't handle."

The merfolk were at the top of the ocean's food chain, and as a prince, Semaya’s abilities were unquestionable.

Only when Ji Jing was truly brought to the beach by Semaya and Ask Xiuzhu didn’t follow did Ji Jing dare believe it was real.

Does Ask Xiuzhu really trust me completely now?

But there was a more pressing issue—

Though he could swim, he couldn't dive to the seabed without any equipment or stay underwater for long periods.

"Semaya, I'm human, so it might not be convenient for me to dive with you."

Ji Jing looked at Semaya, somewhat embarrassed.

Semaya then used his sharp nails to hook something from behind Ji Jing's winged ears, revealing a deep blue pearl. It resembled a pearl but was not typically this color, nor this large and round.

Ji Jing was stunned, "What is this?"

Semaya explained, "This is my primordial pearl. If you put it in your mouth, you can breathe and move underwater like me."

Ji Jing was taken aback, "Ah? But if you give it to me, what will you do?"

Semaya smiled, "It's fine. This pearl was formed before I came of age. I have a new one in my body now. You can keep this one."

Ji Jing held the deep blue primordial pearl, feeling it was quite a precious gift.

He tilted his head, curious, "Isn't the primordial pearl very important for your people, something you don't give away easily?"

Otherwise, Semaya wouldn't carry it around, especially since he had nowhere to store it except in his hair.

Semaya's expression wavered slightly, "Yes, but it's okay. I want to give it to you."

Ji Jing immediately had a suspicion, "Could it be...primordial pearls are usually given to someone you like?"

Ji Jing had guessed part of the truth.

Primordial pearls were traditionally given to partners, imbued with a special scent only merfolk could detect.

After exchanging pearls, the scent would linger on each other, symbolizing a bond where one was part of the other, also signaling to others that the merfolk was taken.

But Semaya was too embarrassed to admit it, his handsome face flushed red, avoiding Ji Jing's eyes, "It's getting late. Let's go."

Ji Jing smiled, "Alright."

Placing Semaya's primordial pearl under his tongue, Ji Jing dove into the sea with him.

As Semaya said, Ji Jing could breathe and speak underwater, even at great depths, without any discomfort.

Apart from not having a fish tail, he felt almost like Semaya.

Semaya first helped Ji Jing adapt in the shallow waters before slowly leading him deeper.

Holding Semaya's hand, Ji Jing suddenly asked, "Semaya, can you show me Ask Xiuzhu's base built underwater?"

Although Ji Jing had been in the underwater base, he was always critically injured during those visits. After treatment, Ask Xiuzhu would take him directly to the island, leaving no chance to explore the base.

Ji Jing observed that the island had no docking facilities for spacecraft besides the market and their residence.

So he guessed these must be located underwater. To travel between stars, even if not a giant starship, a military-grade spacecraft would be needed, which wouldn't be smaller than the island.

Such a large vessel couldn't vanish, so it must be hidden somewhere.

Moreover, although Ask Xiuzhu had been kind recently, he hadn't returned the fox necklace and light computer he promised.

Ji Jing thought his belongings might be hidden in the underwater base. If he could retrieve them, his chances of escaping would increase.

With the light computer, he could contact Luo Ke, and with the powered exoskeleton, even if he couldn't defeat Ask Xiuzhu, escaping should be possible.

Semaya was surprised but nodded, "Alright, follow me."

Under Semaya's guidance, Ji Jing saw the hidden base underwater.

The base extended from the island, with a semi-elliptical structure beneath it, resembling a giant sea snail attached underneath.

Ji Jing guessed the storage room for the treatment pods and the staff cafeteria were inside this "sea snail."

Below the "sea snail" was a long enclosed tunnel. Ji Jing and Semaya swam through it for a while before reaching a massive semi-circular building.

Most of the building was submerged, but its upper part floated above water, forming a circular docking platform.

When Ji Jing peeked out of the water, he saw a large spacecraft and two small exploration ships docked on the platform.

Ji Jing's eyes lit up.

Luo Ke had mentioned that these small exploration ships, like mechs, could be operated via mental link and had autonomous driving modes, making them relatively easy to operate.

Though Ji Jing hadn't learned to pilot exploration ships, with his experience driving hovercars and using mental links, stealing one could significantly increase his chances of escaping the planet.

Thinking this, Ji Jing's eyes shone brighter.

Semaya's head emerged beside him, curious, "Ji Jing, do you really like these human vehicles?"

Ji Jing nodded. "Mmm, sure."

Semaya's deep blue eyes flickered as he said, "I want to show you my 'base.'"

Ji Jing had used Semaya and didn't want to offend this tool of convenience, so he smiled and nodded. "Sure, lead the way!"

Then, Semaya led Ji Jing deeper into the depths.

The surroundings grew increasingly dim, and if not for Semaya by his side, such a deep-sea environment would truly be terrifying.

Despite having the luminous pearls, Ji Jing still nervously grabbed Semaya's arm as they traversed the darkest part of the sea.

Suddenly, the scene before them changed, and Ji Jing felt as if he had entered an underwater castle from a fairy tale.

The entire castle was built with corals, white sand, and shells, adorned with many beautiful decorations—such as luminous pearls for lighting, large pieces of crystal rock for tables and chairs, and giant shells for beds.

Each item would likely be a priceless piece of art on Imperial Star.

Ji Jing was thoroughly stunned by the underwater castle before him.

At that moment, Semaya suddenly looked at Ji Jing, his face flushed, and asked in a very serious tone, "Ji Jing, I like you. Would you be willing to live here with me?"

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Thank you, "Wind Shaking Candlelight," for your nutrient fluid. Even just leaving a comment is appreciated; I read all of them. Thank you, baby, mua~