Translator: CinderTL
"Thank you, thank you!!"
On the beach of the island, the mermaid Fanny was extremely grateful, her eyes brimming with tears as she and her companions repeatedly thanked Chen Feng.
The surrounding crew members had complex expressions. Some blushed as they gazed at the stunning beauty and graceful figures of the mermaids.
"Ke Ao, why the hell are you blushing?!"
The helmsman burst into laughter, and the rest of the crew followed suit.
Lei Long, standing to the side, seemed thoughtful, roughly understanding why the mermaids were being hunted.
Such exquisite beauty, coupled with their enchanting songs, was a natural treasure.
Among the nobles of the kingdoms, there were always those with peculiar tastes.
Chen Feng had similar thoughts, but his eyes remained exceptionally calm and straightforward.
"No need to thank me; this is just our transaction."
He reminded them specifically, causing the mermaid Fanny to pause briefly before quickly nodding.
"I'll go fetch it for you right away."
As she spoke, she prepared to dive into the sea with the other mermaids.
But soon, Lei Long stepped forward, stopping them.
"You can go alone."
At his words, Fanny's expression faltered, while the other mermaids looked puzzled and began questioning her.
"Did you promise them the Blue Heart Stones?"
Upon learning the details of the transaction, the mermaids' expressions changed, their joy of escape diminishing significantly.
Chen Feng sensed something was wrong, and the next moment, a mermaid with long brown hair, visibly more mature than Fanny, began to explain.
"Honored benefactor, the Blue Heart Stones are indeed at the bottom of Merman Bay, not far from our settlement."
"But it's extremely dangerous there, with underwater hurricanes. It's difficult to enter and search; we can only rely on the ocean tides to occasionally gather them."
Everything returned to the starting point. The mermaid named Fanny looked away, guilt-ridden, hiding behind the other mermaid and not daring to look at Chen Feng.
The atmosphere turned cold, and Lei Long dared not interject further.
Chen Feng frowned slightly.
Splash!
Suddenly, the waves churned, and a fountain-like spray appeared.
Over a dozen figures emerged: crabs several meters in size with massive claws, young male mermaids wielding spears, and two yellowish seahorses pulling a coral-made carriage, on which sat a powerful female mermaid.
Instantly, Lei Long and the others changed expressions, quickly going on alert.
But the next moment.
"Esteemed sir, Fanny is young and inexperienced. Please forgive her."
"I am Elder Delia of the mermaid tribe. We have prepared the Blue Heart Stones."
The mermaid resembled a middle-aged woman with a goldfish-like tail, wearing a long yellow patterned dress with ribbons fluttering in the wind.
If not for the tail, everyone would have thought she was human.
"Elder Delia!"
Fanny cried out, wanting to step forward and embrace her to share her grievances.
Lei Long and the others were about to stop her when a long-haired male mermaid from the group approached, holding a beautifully crafted coral box.
Inside the box were ten fist-sized Blue Heart Stones.
Chen Feng confirmed their authenticity with a slight nod, silently allowing Fanny and the other mermaids to leave.
"Elder Delia, I'm sorry!"
"I shouldn't have taken Sister Suzy and the others on this reckless trip! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
Fanny stepped forward, hugging the mermaid on the carriage, wailing like a child.
Her cries, like her songs, carried a mysterious power, subtly affecting the surrounding crew members, their eyes reddening.
Chen Feng, deep in thought, glanced at Fanny's retreating figure before locking eyes with Elder Delia.
Through his senses, he could detect that her aura should have been at the fifth level.
But now, her pale complexion and apparent weakness suggested she had suffered some injury.
"It's my fault for returning late from the merman tribe."
"Otherwise, you wouldn't have been in such a state."
Elder Delia coughed lightly, clearly not in the best condition.
The other mermaids finally noticed something was wrong and quickly inquired.
Shaking her head, Elder Delia didn't answer.
Instead, she looked at Chen Feng as he approached.
"Could you take me to the underwater location of the Blue Heart Stones?"
He was curious about the true source of this high-grade metal. If he could find a vein, wouldn't his Steel Bone Talent rapidly upgrade?
"This..."
Elder Delia hesitated for a moment, and Chen Feng saw her concern.
Without pressuring her, he waited silently.
The atmosphere was quiet for a few seconds before she finally nodded.
"Alright, sir, please follow me."
She gave her consent, and the mermaids behind her opened their mouths but said nothing more.
"Feng Chen, sir?"
"Wait for me nearby," Chen Feng instructed Lei Long and the others, deciding to explore the sea.
After all, he was a Physical Grandmaster, capable of holding his breath underwater for hours.
Though combat would be somewhat restricted.
However, with the Holy Shield Colossus, he could summon it at critical moments to escape, so there was no need for excessive worry.
"Fanny, guide our benefactor."
Elder Delia gave Chen Feng a deep look before instructing.
Fanny wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, nodded, and then walked to Chen Feng's side, timidly extending her fair hand.
"The underwater visibility is poor, and there are many undercurrents..."
Chen Feng understood without needing further explanation.
Holding her hand, he followed her into the depths of the sea.
Lei Long and the others watched them leave, pondering for a moment before finding a secluded spot on the island to hide.
Splash!
The sound of water rushed in his ears as an undercurrent shot past like an arrow.
The ocean depths were dark, and the pressure of the water enveloped him.
The light from above gradually faded, and many fish brushed past him.
Chen Feng held Fanny's hand with one hand and carried the box of Blue Heart Stones with the other, quietly activating his Steel Bone to absorb nutrients.
[Metal Essence +1!]
[Metal Essence +1!]
[Metal Essence +1!]
Notifications flooded in, and the Steel Bone's progress surged, instantly breaking through the barrier and upgrading once more.
The sound of cracking was drowned out by the underwater currents, and a sense of enlightenment filled his mind.
[Steel Bone LV4: 3/100]
The progress appeared, and Chen Feng could feel the increased difficulty of upgrading the Steel Bone.
But he wasn't disappointed, as he could clearly sense the strength of this talent after the upgrade.
Without a doubt, this second dive into the dream was entirely correct!
"This, this is our settlement."
Fanny suddenly spoke, her voice clear underwater, which was quite miraculous.
Chen Feng, unable to test his Steel Bone Talent further, looked in the direction she pointed.
A red coral reef stretched for several kilometers.
Massive rocks, like mountains, protruded through the coral clusters, extending endlessly.
At the center was a clearing where crystal-like palaces stood, breathtakingly beautiful.
He glanced at them from afar, but the group of mermaids didn't approach.
Instead, they continued to descend, taking over ten minutes to reach a desolate area.
Indeed, desolate.
The seabed was barren, without a single strand of seaweed.
The reef extended, forming a cliff.
Gray-black sand crunched beneath his feet as Chen Feng released Fanny's soft hand and stood on the rocky ground.
The water pressure here was significantly stronger, but it made little difference to him.
"Sir, this is the source of the Blue Heart Stones."
Elder Delia stepped down from the carriage and approached Chen Feng.
From the cliff's edge, they could see towering water columns rising like whirlwinds, dense and each at least ten meters thick, resembling a storm.
The powerful wind pressure surged from within, and even flashes of lightning appeared, like an underwater marvel.
Looking further down, the depths were dark and unfathomable, as if some formidable force lurked below, causing shivers.
"The ocean tides are caused by the movement of the seabed plates here."
"Whenever this happens, scattered Blue Heart Stones are swept up by the storm and carried upward."
Elder Delia explained, and Chen Feng focused, seeing two or three Blue Heart Stones swirling around the water columns.
"Those are the remnants from the last tide, but the storm's power there is too strong for us to approach."
Chen Feng had no doubts, as he could sense the storm's intensity, far more terrifying than the white mist encountered upon entering Merman Bay.
He even saw a Blue Heart Stone struck by lightning, instantly shattering into dust.
His heart tightened; such a durable metal was so fragile here.
Chen Feng speculated that even the Holy Shield Colossus might not safely enter.
"How was this storm formed?"
Chen Feng was curious; he had never seen such a phenomenon.
"I don't know."
Elder Delia's tone was calm, but Fanny beside her seemed eager to speak.
Noticing her inability to hold back, Elder Delia hesitated before sighing and recalling, "Our mermaid tribe has an ancient legend about this."
"Oh?" Chen Feng was intrigued.
"It's said that the Storm God once battled the Sea God here."
"The storm's power is a remnant of that battle, and the Blue Heart Stones at the seabed are fragments of the Sea God's armor..."
Chen Feng pondered this.
Regardless of the legend's truth, it suggested the mermaid tribe had a long history.
Somehow, he recalled the diary fragments he had seen in Qinggang City.
To summon and resurrect the Heroic Spirit Alonco, Wang Yu had ventured into this secret realm with the Storm Queen.
His mind stirred, and Chen Feng suddenly spoke.
"Elder Delia, have you heard of the Storm Queen?"
"The Storm Queen?"
Her delicate eyebrows furrowed as Elder Delia thought for a moment.
"No."
She shook her head, and Chen Feng wasn't disappointed.
Perhaps Wang Yu had hidden his identity.
Or perhaps, when he entered this realm, he hadn't come to this nearby sea.
He didn't delve further.
Chen Feng noticed that Elder Delia knew a lot, so he finally asked one more question.
"Star Soul Elixir?"
Unlike before, Elder Delia's expression tightened slightly as she looked Chen Feng up and down.
"Sir, are you not of the Scholar Sequence?"
Chen Feng didn't respond, also surprised that they thought he belonged to this sequence.
"It seems you must possess a Scholar Sequence artifact."
"No wonder you have so many methods."
Shaking her head, Elder Delia came up with her own explanation and didn't ask further.
Finally, seeing Chen Feng's slightly odd expression, she explained, "Star Soul Elixir is an alchemical item that only sixth-level saints of the Scholar Sequence can create."
"This item is extremely precious. It's said to strengthen the soul and spirit, allowing a fourth-level sequence user's spirit to undergo a transformation, increasing the chance of breaking through to the fifth level."
The diary's contents were verified, and Chen Feng nodded in satisfaction, gaining another clue.
"Then where can it be found?"
"The court alchemist of the Steel Kingdom, Adler, is rumored to have obtained it in his early years, and he himself is a fifth-level Scholar Sequence."
Chen Feng's doubts were dispelled, and he looked at the stormy seabed before him.
After some thought, he temporarily abandoned the idea of forcibly exploring.
He wasn't adept at underwater combat, and the pressure here was too great. Even the Holy Shield Colossus might struggle to enter safely.
As if sensing his thoughts, Elder Delia beside him had a glint in her eyes.
"If you still need Blue Heart Stones, our mermaid tribe can gather them for you."
"But I wonder if you'd be willing to make a deal with us?"
Three days later.
A seagull descended from the sky, plucking a yellow-red fish from the sea.
The waves splashed, creating ripples and swells.
A double-masted ship cut through the waves, sailing straight under the blue sky.
"The deal..."
Chen Feng stood at the bow, watching the seagull fly away, his thoughts drifting.
Elder Delia's proposal was simple.
Help them rescue mermaids captured by the Steel Kingdom.
For each one saved and brought to Merman Bay, he would receive ten Blue Heart Stones.
Chen Feng suspected the mermaid tribe had more reserves, but ultimately, sensing Elder Delia's lingering power and some hidden formidable ability, he considered his principles.
He didn't forcibly plunder or create carnage as he had in the Serpent Spirit Secret Realm.
Moreover, a one-time gain couldn't compare to a steady, long-term arrangement.
As long as the mermaid tribe existed, they could gather the stones for him, saving him time.
"Still, this trip to the Dead Crow Secret Realm wasn't in vain."
No longer dwelling on the Blue Heart Stones, Chen Feng looked at his upgraded Steel Bone and the Star Soul Elixir clue, feeling this journey had been highly rewarding.
Lei Long, unaware of his thoughts, stood half a step behind, respectfully looking ahead.
The tranquil sea breeze carried a salty scent.
Finally, the lookout helmsman suddenly shouted.
"We're here!"
"Captain! Banli Port is ahead!"
In the excitement, a port city appeared on the distant horizon.
Gray-black steam-powered ships docked at the shore, and soldiers in blue naval uniforms stood at attention, armed and vigilant on the docks.
Numerous double and triple-masted ships were moored nearby, with people in sweaters or thick linen clothes moving between the port and the vessels.
It was a wide berthing area with considerable activity, even steam cars and carriages moving about.
Further away were rows of buildings, densely packed with low houses and multi-story structures, their red brick walls stretching layer upon layer.
Black chimneys in the distance spewed gray smoke, steadily coloring the surrounding clouds.
The crew members were thrilled, and Lei Long saw his wife and daughter waving at him from the shore.
Feeling a deep sense of gratitude, he quickly turned to express his thanks.
"Sir, we've arrived—"
His words halted as he stared in astonishment.
The black-clad young man was gone.
Only a faint sea breeze brushed past.
(End of the Chapter)
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