Chapter 83: So Cruel!
Over the past two weeks, Chu Jiu had done a lot, a lot of homework.
He first chatted with the fishermen.
If you asked the fishermen to roughly describe their “impression of the sea,” they would say, “It does all kinds of evil,” “It’s extremely vicious,” “It’s a demon that will destroy our boats and kill us.”
But if you specifically asked them if they had personally seen “sea monsters hurt people,” they would think for a long time and then say they hadn’t.
But they had indeed seen the sea monsters use their tentacles to roll people and throw them onto reefs or small boats.
Sometimes they didn’t throw accurately and the people fell into the water, so the sea monsters would have to pick them up again and throw them again.
For these people left out to dry, the sea monsters basically ignored them and didn’t stop others from coming to rescue them.
It sounded very brutal, but upon further questioning, it was found that these things usually happened after the “fishing boat was destroyed.”
When Chu Jiu heard this, he couldn’t help but ask, “Is it possible that the sea monsters aren’t trying to hurt people…?”
The fishermen all shook their heads vigorously while holding their wine glasses: “Impossible, impossible.”
“Kid, you need to know that these boats were perfectly fine, they only sank after hitting the traps set by the sea monsters!”
“If you make a living at sea and your boat sinks, you basically won’t survive.”
Chu Jiu couldn’t help but ask what these traps were like and how they knew these traps were set by the “sea monsters.”
The fishermen thought for a while, some uncertainly said, “Such powerful traps, we didn’t see anything, they just went ‘crack crack’ a few times and sank our boat, it can only be the sea monsters, right?”
Others pounded the table indignantly, “It must be the sea monsters! Kid, let me tell you, those tentacles of theirs have blades on them! As sharp as can be! Cutting open our boats is like playing for them!”
Chu Jiu: “Hmm…”
The more he listened, the more contradictory it seemed.
If the sea monsters really wanted to harm people, why would they specifically pick people up after destroying the boat? If they were hunting humans for food, wouldn’t letting people dry out make them taste better? And there had never been any report of sea monsters actually eating people.
With these questions in mind, Chu Jiu went to visit two ability users who had fought sea monsters before.
What Chu Jiu was most concerned about was how the sea monsters fought them and how they entered a “berserk state” that prevented them from using their abilities.
The two told Chu Jiu that because they had long heard about the power of sea monsters from their predecessors, they generally would not actively attack them.
But once the sea took advantage of thunderstorms and strong winds and waves to try to invade the nearby waters of Sea Moon City or even break through the “road signs,” they would definitely confront the sea monsters.
At this time, these sea monsters were usually already in a berserk state.
The ability users at this point were just ordinary people with strong bodies, only able to fight the sea monsters with bows and arrows and javelins.
In fact…
Often before the fight even started, the sea monsters had already sprayed ink all over their faces and bodies, and then used seaweed ropes or something to tie them up in a mess.
In short, the battles often ended very humiliatingly.
While Chu Jiu was greatly shocked, he said, “The sea monsters tie you up, are they afraid you’ll hurt them with weapons?” One ability user said, “……Can’t say for sure.”
“But they not only tie us up, they also tie up any dolphins or manatees that swim nearby.”
“Last time they even tied us up with a shark, and we almost got eaten by the shark on the boat!”
“We all wonder if these sea monsters enjoy seeing humans suffer?”
At this point, another ability user said, “Actually…”
“I, I don’t have as much experience as my predecessors.”
“But I know that the last time we were tied up, those sea monsters seemed to push our boat to a place with smaller waves…”
“Because my face was covered in black ink, I couldn’t see outside clearly…”
“But anyway, it was banging and clanging outside, like the sea monsters themselves were still fighting.”
After listening to the ability users, Chu Jiu’s confusion did not lessen at all.
Whether it was the fishermen or the ability users, in their descriptions, the “sea monsters” did indeed act recklessly, but there was no conclusive evidence to prove that the sea monsters had hurt or eaten people.
It could even be said that in their experiences, apart from accidents caused by drowning, there were no other casualties.
He remembered the “sea monster records” that Tata had written before, which did indeed describe heavy casualties…
But after reading it several times, it could be found that even in this record, although it detailed how terrifying the sea monsters were, how strong their attacks were, and the terrible consequences they caused, it specifically lacked specific scenes of “how the sea monsters hurt people.”
The contradiction in Chu Jiu’s heart reached its peak.
Fortunately, at this time, his backpack had a “book room.”
After quickly flipping through many parchment and paper books, he found an earlier and more detailed version of ??Folk Tales??, and turned to the chapter on “Intelligent Creatures of the Sea.”
[The Seal Clan: An intelligent race that can freely travel between the ocean and land, small in size.
Perhaps because their eyes are always hazy, dreamy, and watery, they always give people the impression that they are very weak and have no aggression whatsoever.
How did such a frail race survive in the dangerous sea?
There are rumors that they can withstand harsh environments and easily subdue bullies like sharks because they have unique ‘mounts.’
It is said that in the distant past, the Seal Clan had trade relations with humans and would order utensils such as crystals from humans. At that time, some people even saw Seals riding mounts with countless legs to the seaside of human cities.
Whenever it was time to sign an order, they would take out their own special ink and elegantly write down their names.]
Mounts with countless legs…
Their own special ink…
After working non-stop for two weeks, taking countless notes, and flipping through countless pages, he finally hugged Little Can in his arms, scratching its little chin, and said, “Little Can, I have a clue.”
*
The sea area outside Sea Moon City.
On the bamboo raft.
Chu Jiu was not angry at the “squid knight’s” provocative words, but instead smiled and said:
“I believe that since you are friends of the Snow Beastmen, you must be like them, upright warriors who would never hurt people without a reason.”
After Chu Jiu finished speaking, he saw the shadow that had only shown a small head gradually stand up, and also perked up its ears—two small triangular ears, the characteristic ears of a dog.
This “squid knight,” just as Chu Jiu thought, was undoubtedly a member of the Seal Clan.
The little Seal proudly puffed out its chest:
“We sensed the aura of that ‘Tear of the Ocean,’ that’s how we found you.”
“You, friend of spirits and monsters, worthy of being a friend of the upright Snow Beastmen, you are indeed a bit interesting.”
Chu Jiu looked at the “Seal” on the giant squid, which was about the same size as Rawr Rawr Rabbit, and said sincerely:
“In fact, I have something I would like to ask for your guidance on.”
“I want to know… what kind of sea monster is it that makes you risk your lives to fight it?”
The Seal was somewhat surprised: “You actually know about such a confidential matter!”
Chu Jiu: …Well, it was just a guess earlier, now it’s confirmed.
Seal: “Ahhh… I’m not qualified to tell outsiders about the matter of subduing the transparent monster…”
Chu Jiu: Okay, now I know that this “sea monster” is a kind of transparent monster.
The Seal was still muttering, “Hmm, but since you know about this and are a friend of the Snow Beast Clan, and your words aren’t annoying, then… then I’ll take you to see my uncle.”
“My uncle knows more about what the sea monster is. He is qualified to tell outsiders about this matter.”
Chu Jiu’s heart was filled with joy, and he quickly said, “That’s great, please lead the way.”
Seal: “By the way, to go to my uncle’s place, we have to swim over—you haven’t received the ‘Sea God’s invitation,’ have you?”
Chu Jiu was somewhat puzzled: “The Sea God’s invitation? What’s that?”
Seal: “As long as we extend an invitation to you, you can breathe, walk, and hear underwater without any problems.”
Chu Jiu thought this was really convenient, and at the same time confirmed, “What about my companions? Do they also need an invitation?”
The little Seal was somewhat confused: “The companion… beside you?”
Chu Jiu thought to himself, could it be that the sea race has restrictions preventing spirit beasts from entering? Or perhaps there’s a limit to the number of invitations?
He quickly explained, “This kitten on my shoulder, and the spirit beasts behind me, each have unique talents. When I seek guidance from your uncle, I need them to be present as well.” The little Seal was now quite surprised: “A kitten on your shoulder?”
“I was wondering why this two-legged creature had a clump of seaweed on its shoulder!”
“Ah, so it’s a cat.”
“No problem, we can invite many people at the same time.”
Having said that, the large squid raised a tentacle and lifted the little Seal high up, in front of Chu Jiu.
The little Seal extended its short, white front paws and patted Chu Jiu’s right shoulder three times: “This is the invitation.”
Chu Jiu hurriedly held Little Can close to his chest, letting the little Seal pat its shoulder three times as well.
The remaining Rawr Rawr Rabbit, Glup-Glup, and Kakaba were naturally also brought over one by one and patted in turn.
After all of them were patted, Chu Jiu thought the little Seal would return to the squid’s back, but the little Seal remained standing in front of him, urging, “Hurry up, isn’t there one more?”
Chu Jiu: “There isn’t.”
Little Seal: “…Isn’t there a really big one on your back? A dark spirit beast?”
Chu Jiu: !
If it weren’t broad daylight, with strong sunlight and bright light, Chu Jiu might have broken out in a cold sweat from these words.
He composed himself and said, “On my back, there’s only a black backpack, no other spirit beasts.”
Little Seal: “…O-oh, so it’s a backpack.”
“Tsk.”
“Anyway, there’s a spare ‘ten-legged fish’ over there. Find a good spot to ride on it yourselves, and we can set off.”
Chu Jiu: “Okay…”
It was already quite ridiculous that the little Seal mistook the small can for seaweed, why would it mistake a backpack for another spirit beast…
While wondering, Chu Jiu once again signaled the escort ship with flags:
[I am entering the sea, do not worry.]
*
Sea Moon City.
The City Lord’s residence.
Clara, who was having afternoon tea with Prince Halsin, raised an eyebrow again after hearing the latest report from the attendant: “Chu Jiu has entered the sea?” Attendant: “Yes. The patrol team members were terrified at the time.”
“Because they watched as a sea monster emerged from the sea, and the sea monster extended its tentacles towards Lord Chu Jiu…”
“But Lord Chu Jiu probably saw through the patrol team’s disguise long ago and specifically signaled them not to approach.”
“So the patrol team could only wait on the side.”
“Later, Lord Chu Jiu seemed to say something to the sea…”
“After that, he rode a sea monster and sank into the water.”
Clara placed her teacup on the table: “!!”
Prince Halsin spilled the tea in his cup: “!!”
After a long while, Clara said, “Riding a sea monster into the sea…”
“I knew this child was unusual, but I didn’t expect him to be this unusual…”
Prince Halsin also put down his teacup and turned the gemstone ring on his finger.
*
Outside Sea Moon City.
Southern Sea Region.
On Earth, there is a tourist activity called “Underwater Walking.” It involves wearing a transparent oxygen glass helmet and seeing fish and coral up close on the seabed.
There is also an activity called “Sightseeing Submarine.” Tourists ride in toy-like yellow submarines and slowly cruise in the sea, safely enjoying the sight of fish swimming past the submarine.
Chu Jiu had never participated in any of the above activities.
But he somewhat yearned for them—
Such activities must allow one to see many colorful fish.
Therefore, when the large octopus took him downwards, Chu Jiu’s first reaction was excitement:
Beautiful underwater world! Colorful coral! Angelic little fish! I can finally travel through it without any obstacles!
Then…
He did indeed travel through it without any obstacles.
Traveling at an extremely fast speed.
And sometimes up, sometimes down, sometimes high, sometimes low.
In a daze, Chu Jiu even thought he was on a roller coaster.
At this speed, it was already good enough that he could control himself from screaming; how could he have the mind to open his eyes and look at the scenery on both sides?
Fortunately, Little Can take the initiative to curl into his chest, using its furry body to press against Chu Jiu, as if tightly embracing him.
Chu Jiu subconsciously hugged Little Can tighter, feeling at least a little less nervous.
After getting somewhat used to it, he tried to open his eyes—
He only felt the seawater hitting his eye sockets at high speed, and the surrounding scenery was a blur, he couldn’t see anything clearly at all!
Chu Jiu now completely gave up, honestly hugged Little Can, closed his eyes obediently, and curled up on the Squid’s back.
*
Arrived ashore.
The large octopus traveled quickly in the sea for nearly twenty minutes, finally entering an extremely hidden cave, winding around in the dark cave, and finally leaping out. Here was a secluded beach, almost isolated from the world, with a steep cliff perpendicular to the ground at the deepest part of the beach.
The beach was quite spacious, lined with rows of coconut and palm trees, and even had small patches of farmland with delicate pink and light yellow flowers blooming.
Behind the fields stood several round huts built from coral rocks, topped with coconut leaf roofs and adorned with yellow and white frangipani flowers.
Although the “underwater journey” just now wasn’t pleasant at all, the beach scenery was undeniably delightful.
Moreover, the sand here was visibly very fine, perfectly matching Chu Jiu’s image of “tropical beach sand.”
Chu Jiu took off his shoes and stood barefoot on the beach, the white sand immediately burying his insteps.
At this moment, the little Seal who had been leading the way had already hopped ahead of Chu Jiu and was enthusiastically greeting other members of its kind:
“Hello, Third Uncle!”
“Hello, Uncle A Ming!”
The Seal addressed as Third Uncle asked kindly, “Is that A Li back?”
But the one called Uncle A Ming didn’t make a sound.
In fact, “Uncle A Ming” couldn’t make a sound at all—
Because “Uncle A Ming” was actually a large coconut that had fallen to the ground!
…What on earth was going on?
Chu Jiu followed behind the little Seal, another huge question mark forming in his mind.
The little Seal led Chu Jiu forward, passing through the coconut grove, the fields, and the coral rock huts, stopping in front of a cave guarded by soldiers below the cliff.
“Is my brother here?” the little Seal asked the guard.
The guard saluted the little Seal: “The General is inside.”
Just as the little Seal was about to go in, another chubby Seal came out, wearing a brown garment woven from palm tree fibers, and said to the little Seal with a smile, “A Li, you’re back.”
The little Seal stopped and squinted, carefully looking for two seconds, then exclaimed loudly, “Uncle A Ming, so you were here! I accidentally mistook someone else for you just now.”
Chu Jiu: …You mistook a coconut for “Uncle A Ming.”
How bad does one’s eyesight have to be to make such a mistake?
The little Seal led Chu Jiu into the cave.
This cave was different from the round huts outside. It was decorated in a grand manner, without any flowers or coral. Only a shark skull hung on the wall.
At the deepest part of the cave was a natural black stone platform.
On the platform sat a snow-white Seal, larger than A Li.
Hmm… It looked like a serious little Pomeranian, sitting upright in front of a coffee table.
The little Seal leaped onto the stone platform, ran to the large Seal, first nuzzled its nose against the other’s, and then told it, “There’s a two-legged creature here who’s a bit different from other two-legged creatures. It actually knows we’re fighting the ‘Transparent Monsters’ and wants to ask us about them.”
Chu Jiu thought to himself, actually, I really didn’t know you were fighting transparent monsters before. You, little guy, revealed it all to me yourself…
The large Seal looked down at Chu Jiu, its eyes full of vigilance: “Human, you want to know about the ‘Transparent Monsters’?”
Chu Jiu bowed: “Yes.”
“I am Chu Jiu from Bean Village, a friend of spirits and monsters, and a forever close friend of the Snow Beastmen.”
Chu Jiu now knew that in front of these non-humans, the sooner he announced his title, the sooner he brought up his “glorious deeds,” and the more he used dramatic, chuunibyou language, the better the communication results would usually be.
However… he wondered if he would become completely marinated in chuunibyou if this continued.
Chu Jiu sighed inwardly.
The large Seal: “…Since you are a human from the land, you should know that we are the ‘fierce sea’ in your words, the demons who will cause your ships to be destroyed and your people to perish.”
“Why would we, such brutal monsters, tell you the information you want?”
Chu Jiu bowed again: “In fact, it was a human leader who sent me here.”
“She has noticed the unnecessary friction between humans and you all and intends to resolve this matter as soon as possible.”
Although Klara’s original intention was for him to “subdue the sea monsters,” she certainly wouldn’t mind his improvisation.
Chu Jiu said this to himself in his heart.
The large Seal: “Resolve? How do you plan to resolve it?”
Chu Jiu: “If we know the specific information about the Transparent Monsters, we can work together with you to solve them.”
The large Seal burst out laughing: “Humans!”
“Do you know what you’re saying?”
“Your swords, spears, and bows are completely useless in the sea!” “With such combat power, you actually dare to imagine joining forces with us?”
“You should just shrink back into your residential areas and accept the protection of us ‘sea monsters’!”
Before Chu Jiu could speak, Kakaba whispered a reminder behind him: “Dang dang dang! Chu Jiu, this General of the Seal Clan is quite different from that little Seal named A Li.”
“A Li doesn’t really care what humans call them. On the contrary, he finds the term ‘brutal big monster’ quite interesting.”
“But this General, he actually feels a bit wronged about being called a ‘monster’!”
After hearing Kakaba’s reminder, Chu Jiu knew what to do.
He first stood up straight, looking calmly and respectfully at the Seal general sitting on the high stone platform: “Combat power? Your Excellency, perhaps you haven’t seen our true combat power.”
He looked around and added, “Is there any place where we can stretch our limbs a little without harming the innocent?”
These words were rather impolite, and the Seal general scoffed: “My stone chamber is spacious enough.”
Chu Jiu shook his head: “No, it’s not enough.”
“Oh oh oh?” Excitement immediately lit up in the little Seal A Li’s eyes.
The Seal general snorted coldly and jumped down from the stone platform: “Since that’s the case, then let’s go to the sandy ground outside—”
“I want to see how you two-legged creature will display your skills.”
After Chu Jiu went outside, he picked up the small can from his shoulder: “It’s not me, it’s my partner.” He whispered into the small can’s ear: “Little Can, please.”
“Also, scratch lightly, don’t scare them too much.”
Seal General: “!!”
“…So that wasn’t a coconut on your shoulder after all.”
Chu Jiu: ??!!
Wait, General, your eyesight is also terrible!
The small can, which had been suppressing its aura and remained silent, jumped to the ground at this moment and looked around.
It sighed softly, then leaped—
In the blink of an eye, a fallen coconut tree trunk lying on the sandy ground had vanished without a trace.
Was it cut? Was it chopped?
The Seals squinted and looked around.
Until A Li shouted, “Oh, Sea God! How did the coconut tree get there?!”
They saw that on the cliff face, a “stone frame” perfectly matching the shape of the coconut tree trunk had appeared at some point. Inside the stone frame, the two-person-tall trunk was stuck precisely!
And the small can that had done all this had already returned to Chu Jiu’s shoulder, calmly licking its paw, its aura once again suppressed.
This time, the way the Seals looked at Chu Jiu was completely different.
In their watery eyes, respect was evident.
And the Seal General’s tone immediately became much more polite:
“So, Pioneer Chu Jiu possesses such strength! My apologies! My deepest apologies!”
Chu Jiu’s heart was bursting with joy, but his expression remained unchanged: “It is my partner who possesses unique talent.”
The Seal General exclaimed in admiration:
“Not only does he have strength, but he is also humble.”
“No wonder the Snow Beastmen regard you as a close friend!”
“With such strength, you can indeed have no fear of the ‘Transparent Monsters’.”
Chu Jiu had been waiting for these words.
He quickly said, “If we can fight the ‘Transparent Monsters’ together, the leader of our human world will spare no effort within her territory to clear the name of the Seal Clan, making everyone understand that over the years, the Seal Clan has never harmed humans. On the contrary, they have always been fighting the real monsters!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Chu Jiu saw the Seal General’s expression shift.
Chu Jiu thought for a moment, imitating the little gray bird’s favorite sentence structure, and improvised a line:
“At that time, the Seal Clan will no longer be ‘fierce monsters of the sea,’ but ‘heroes of the sea’ admired by everyone, young and old!”
“Everyone will say, the Seal Clan is ‘fearless and brave, mighty and strong!'”
This time, Chu Jiu clearly saw tears welling up in the corners of the little Seal A Li’s eyes.
The little Seal pressed its chest: “Too… too beautiful! …It suits us so well! Wuwu!”
It sounded so much better than “brutal big monster”!
The Seal General also let out a deep breath.
He slapped the cliff wall hard and shouted, “Good!”
He turned and instructed the “attendant,” “Go and fetch the best coconut juice!”
“I want to have a good discussion with this Pioneer Chu Jiu!”
The “attendant” personally instructed by the General neither answered nor moved.
However, the attendant standing behind the General immediately said, “Yes! I’ll go right away!”
The General took a step forward, squinted, looked, and scratched his face with his paw: “Cough, misread again.”
Chu Jiu looked at the attendant—or rather, the silent coconut—and suddenly realized:
The Seal Clan’s so-called “hazy eyes” and “dreamy, watery gaze”… could it be…
Actually just severe nearsightedness?!
