Chapter 5: Chanting

Chapter 5: The Song

The boundless sea shimmered under the golden sunlight, its surface rippling. Deng Xi lay sprawled on a reef, his azure tail playfully flicking, sending sprays of water into the air.

He rolled over, holding a black iron ring in his hand, and closely examined the holographic blue screen that materialized, connected to the ring.

Curiosity piqued, he tapped it with his fingertip.

Though his finger met only air, the content on the blue screen instantly transformed. Deng Xi’s eyes lit up as if he had discovered a new toy, and he began tapping haphazardly.

Somehow, his random presses caused the screen to go black, emitting a burst of static.

Had he broken it?

Frantic, Deng Xi withdrew his hand and soothingly patted his new toy.

Suddenly, the blue screen flashed back to life, displaying a clear human figure.

---

Imperial Capital Star, Council of Elders.

Half an hour earlier, when the Research Institute detected the signal from the Marshal’s light brain, they not only informed the military but also alerted the Council of Elders.

Days ago, the Marshal had led the Empire in an unprecedented battle against the Federation. Every Imperial citizen had believed they would emerge victorious—after all, they possessed a unique god of war, a man who had single-handedly annihilated the entire Zerg swarm and, at a young age, held supreme military command.

No one could have imagined that this undefeated conqueror, who had expanded the Empire’s territories, would ever face defeat.

Yet, it happened. The Empire lost.

Every Imperial soldier perished under the Federation’s mechs. Every Imperial warship was obliterated in the vastness of space. Even their Marshal vanished, seemingly lost in the battle.

Only the military insisted that the Marshal was merely missing. Just as the royal family and the Council of Elders were preparing to announce his death, his light brain suddenly reactivated.

The news was swiftly suppressed, known only to the Empire’s inner circle.

Every faction scrambled to establish contact with the Marshal first. The Council of Elders, long at odds with the military, was even more desperate than the armed forces. Yet, they never expected that the Marshal’s first communication would be with them.

When the Elder saw the notification from the light brain, his face turned ashen. On his wrinkled face, it was difficult to discern any emotion beyond weariness—but for a brief moment, a hint of panic crossed the eyes of this long-powerful figure.

At the round table, the other Elders noticed his unease. “Your Excellency?”

The Elder waved a hand. “An incoming transmission.”

With that, he stood and retreated to a back room, locking the door behind him. His hands trembled slightly as he pressed the accept button, but his expression quickly smoothed into its usual composure. The moment the call connected, he asked urgently, “Marshal, you—”

He choked on his words as he froze at the unfamiliar face on the blue screen.

A golden-haired, blue-eyed youth.

The Elder blinked in surprise before narrowing his aged eyes, his mind racing. If the Marshal was not the one answering, how had this youth obtained his light brain?

Had he found it? Or had the Marshal given it to him?

Or—was this a trap set by the Marshal himself, having sensed something amiss?

In that instant, a dozen scenarios flashed through his mind. He tensed and demanded, “Who are you? How did you get the Marshal’s light brain?!”

The young man said nothing.

The Elder pressed, “Young man, did you find this device, or have you seen the Marshal himself? Is he injured? Is his life in danger?”

The boy on the blue screen tilted his head and slowly spoke. It seemed to be his first time using Interstellar, his words halting—yet upon closer listening, his accent perfectly mirrored the Elder’s, as if parroting the words. “Who... are... you?”

The Elder frowned. “You don’t recognize me?”

Any Imperial citizen would know him. If this boy was not from the Empire, things just got easier.

“Are there others with you?”

Deng Xi slowly enunciated, “Others?”

Did he mean other merfolk?

Deng Xi shook his head honestly, his gaze alight with curiosity. He was certain the person before him was not a mermaid—no merfolk could ever be this ugly.

So... grotesque!!!

If not a mermaid, then what was he? A “human”? And was this the language of “humans”?

Deng Xi silently repeated the unfamiliar syllables in his mind. Merfolk possessed an innate sensitivity to sound, allowing them to understand all intelligent languages effortlessly.

And Deng Xi, leveraging this gift, swiftly grasped this new language.

A scheming glint flashed in the Elder’s eyes. “You need not know who I am, young one. Just answer me—have you seen a man with silver hair and silver eyes?”

Did he mean Little Mute?

Deng Xi nodded innocently.

The Elder smiled. “Is he injured?”

Another nod.

The Elder’s grin widened, his wrinkles crinkling. “I will give you one hundred million starcoins for his life.”

What were starcoins?

Deng Xi frowned in confusion. “Starcoins... can they buy things other than lives?”

The Elder chuckled at what he assumed was humor. “Of course. They can buy whatever you desire.” His tone was light, laced with condescension and corruption as he enticed, “In the future, you will have everything.”

“You will never go hungry or lack clothing. Every meal will be a feast—whatever your heart desires...”

A knock interrupted him. The Elder’s expression darkened. “One hundred million—no, one billion. I will give you one billion starcoins. Young man, you know what to do.”

The transmission cut off abruptly.

The blue screen went black again. Deng Xi poked at his new toy, but the iron ring remained unresponsive.

Disappointed, he slapped the water’s surface, mulling it over for a moment before diving beneath the waves with a sigh.

---

The best way to regain strength was to eat.

Even if his wounds had stabilized, remaining alone meant a death sentence.

Si Jisheng was foraging for food. His keen senses of hearing, smell, vision, and even touch ensured he never lost his way in the open ocean—despite how rarely he had the chance to experience untamed oceans firsthand.

But the merman’s instincts allowed Si Jisheng to analyze every surge of the ocean currents, pinpointing the direction from which the faint scent of fish came.

The silver-tailed merman darted swiftly through the depths.

He swam for a long, long time, his wounds splitting open from the exertion.

Yet, even after covering several kilometers, Si Jisheng hadn’t spotted a single fish. Using his keen senses, he could perceive danger ahead. But hunger drove him, and he still chose to enter this hostile territory.

This area clearly had clashing currents. As he swam further, the seaweed, small fish, and shrimp gradually became more abundant.

Si Jisheng encountered a school of fish and struck. These fish were no match for a merman.

Crimson fish blood bloomed in the water, staining the sea red. The metallic tang of blood slowly attracted the master of this territory—danger lurked in the shadows.

The merman’s sense of smell was overwhelmed by the suffocating reek of blood. By the time Si Jisheng realized something was wrong, he was already surrounded.

The scent in the water was the rank, coppery stench of blood from the great white sharks’ jagged teeth—salty and pungent. A dozen yawning jaws seemed ready to swallow the silver merman whole. Before these great white sharks, the silver merman was like a tiny, insignificant ant, so fragile it could be snapped in half, not even enough to fill their teeth.

The great white sharks of this territory encircled the lone silver figure, the scent of blood growing thicker. Every time he tried to seize an opportunity to escape, the sharks tracked him with predatory focus, blocking his path.

His wounds tore open again in the fierce struggle. Blood loss left Si Jisheng dizzy. His most prized weapon—his tail—was broken, crippling his strength, and his body was still recovering from grave injuries.

If it were just one great white shark, he might have stood his ground.

But there was a whole frenzy.

All he could do was wait for death.

Si Jisheng hung motionless in the water, his two-meter-long silver tail drifting lifelessly. Exhausted, he closed his eyes, too drained to fight back.

As the empire’s weapon, he was never meant to surrender to fate.

Yet he did.

Seeing their prey finally give up, the great white sharks couldn’t resist lunging forward with their ravenous jaws.

The next moment, the ocean itself began to hum. Waves rose one after another, its movements so fluid and effortless that every fiber of his being resonated and trembled in response.

It was impossible not to sink, impossible not to be entranced.

Like falling into the embrace of the mother of all life.

Gentle, soothing, yet brimming with power.

The enchanting song was like the rising sun over the ocean—not scorching, but warm and peaceful, scattering golden light across the water’s surface.

Every tense muscle relaxed against his will. Cold bodies warmed with comfort, and the lurking shadows of malice were pressed back into the depths by this tender embrace.

When the song ended,

the great white sharks meekly withdrew to the instinctive safety of their nests, leaving only a glimmer of silver and a dazzling blue in the depths.

Si Jisheng slowly opened his eyes.

A blue-tailed mermaid blazed into his cold silver gaze like a sudden ray of sunshine.

Deng Xi was terrified too. He had been hiding behind a reef, clutching his massive tail and burying his face behind it, cautiously peeking out with his light blue eyes to observe the tense situation.

As for that metal ring, it had long been lost somewhere along the way as Deng Xi searched for Little Mute.

The wide-eyed little mermaid circled the silver-tailed figure excitedly. Proudly lifting his chin, he asked, “Little Mute, am I amazing?”

Hearing this malicious nickname, Si Jisheng’s gaze didn’t flare with the same hostility as before. Instead, he froze slightly.

Deng Xi swam around with his hands behind his back, putting on grown-up airs. “It’s okay if you can’t speak.” His eyes curved into crescents. “Little Mute, from now on, let me sing for you, okay?”

Author’s Note:

I’ll protect you.