Our neighborhood has been transported again.

Chapter 309 The Sacrificial Fishmen

A gurgling sound came from outside the deep-sea temple.

Immediately afterwards, the fishmen passed through the passage at the temple entrance and entered the temple, lining up in a row.

Pra relayed what the leader of the merfolk said: "He said that these were the only remaining young and strong members of the merfolk tribe."

Qin Ziwen looked at the fishmen lined up in front of the temple, from left to right, one, two, three, four, five.
From the very back, a tiny creature emerged.

He stood out from the tall, fish-men of the sacrificial tribe, like a tender yellow bamboo shoot sprouting from the ground.

Unlike the four burly, tall, broad-shouldered, and narrow-waisted members of their race, the last sacrificial fishman appeared to be less than 1.4 meters tall.

But its chest was the most upright, and its light yellow skin was particularly distinctive.

This stands in stark contrast to the other sacrificial fish-people in the surrounding area.

Noticing his gaze, the little sacrificial fishman puffed out his chest even higher, squeezed his legs together, stood up straight, and had a proud little expression on his face.

"Is this little guy also a member of the Sacrificial Clan?" Qin Ziwen looked at Pula, and Pula looked at the Fishman Clan Chief.

At this moment, the merman chieftain's face was gloomy as he stared intently at the little merman.

Noticing the clan leader's gaze, the little merman opened his mouth, "Pa pa pa~"

"What is it saying?" Qin Ziwen asked Pula.

“It says it also wants to participate in the selection; it’s also a member of the sacrificial clan, and it’s very powerful,” Pula translated in a low voice.

The merman leader's eyes were almost icy. When the little merman met its gaze, he shrank back, quietly shifted his feet, and hid behind another of his kind.

Qin Ziwen found it strange and offered an insightful observation.

【Exceptional Murloc: ☆】: Level 1 Enchantment (Swiftness), Level 1 Rain Dance, Level 1 Water Manipulation

Qin Ziwen was stunned for a moment, then immediately used his Insight skill on the four muscular men in front of him.

【Extraordinary Merman: ☆】: Level 1 Deep Sea Wildness

really.

Recalling the other merfolk that Pra had told him about, Qin Ziwen suddenly realized that this little bastard was probably the pure-blooded priest of the magic lineage.

The other, larger murlocs are more like "melee mages" with a talent for building muscle.

Could it be that these little yellow radish cubes are the purebreds?

In the blink of an eye, Qin Ziwen had made his decision.

Regardless of its identity, he has chosen this little nose!
Choosing other big guys only yields a fighter; while superhuman warriors are also scarce, they are not as indispensable.

In other words, at this stage, these superhuman warriors, in a sense, can be replaced by a single crossbow mounted on a vehicle.

Unless it's a "superhuman" behemoth of the size of a Tyrannosaurus Rex or Mosasaurus, it's different.

But he also has Little White Dragon and Blackie, and even Qin Ziwen felt it was a stretch to feed these two big eaters.

Even if we give him a few more, he might not be able to keep them alive.

"Master, the murloc chieftain says you can choose a sacrificial murloc."

"That's it." Qin Ziwen pointed to the yellow fishman at the very back.

Seeing the direction the finger was pointing, the little fishman's eyes lit up, and he jumped up happily, leaping four or five meters high, before bumping his head against the ceiling with a thud.

The little fishman covered his head, tears welling up in his eyes from the pain.

The merman leader watched this scene in silence, and after a long while, a deep, very slow sigh escaped from his throat.

The sigh seemed to conceal a kind of foreseen relief.

The merman leader suddenly stood up, extended his hand covered in thick scales, and gently beckoned, leading Qin Ziwen and Pula to a secluded room at the back of the temple. The air here was even more stifling, and even the light filtering through the cracks in the walls seemed dim.

The merman leader turned around, a hint of weariness flashing in his vertical pupils.

It didn't speak directly to Qin Ziwen, but instead faced Pula, uttering a series of low syllables from its throat.

Pula helped translate, “Master, it says there is something it must tell you before you take away the chosen tribe.”

Qin Ziwen nodded slightly.

Pra continued, "It said that the little yellow fish-man was its child, named Lorne, and the last pure-blooded member of the tribe."

The torrential rain that hit the sea earlier was summoned by Lorne.

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Qin Ziwen's eyes.

Was that massive, torrential rain that lasted for nearly two days, stretching from the sky to the earth, actually summoned by that little pudding?

He admitted that he had underestimated it.

Pra continued, “It says that in the past, in order to survive in the deep sea, the nearly extinct Sacrifice Clan and Hunting Clan had to unite. Although they gained strength and size, they also lost many of the Sacrifice Clan’s true talents.”

After reverting to its ancestral form, Lorne not only resonated with the ocean but also mastered water currents and bestowed blessings, making it a precious treasure of the tribe. It was heartbroken to let Lorne leave, but it knew that keeping him in the decaying tribe would be the greatest waste of Lorne's talents.

Although it is reluctant to part with him, it is willing to let you take Lorne with you.

It hopes you will treat Lorne well. Lorne is a smart and mischievous child with great potential and will be a great help to you. It only hopes you will not torment or insult it.

Qin Ziwen remained silent, tormented and insulted. What was this merman leader thinking?

“Tell it that as long as it joins my home, it will be my partner. I have no habit of insulting my partners.” Qin Ziwen put himself in its shoes and thought about it. Entrusting his child to another race, it was indeed hard not to have some reservations.

Having received Qin Ziwen's affirmation, the merman leader looked at him with a hint of relief on his face.

It became the leader of the murlocs because it was the most powerful murloc in the tribe, and also because it possessed a talent that other murlocs did not have: the ability to detect lies.

It could smell that there was no lie in Qin Ziwen's voice.

“Master, it says it has prepared another gift for you,” Pula said, looking at the merman leader.

The merman leader turned around, pried off a brick from the ground, and then took out a seashell from the crack.

Open the shell.

Multicolored lights instantly illuminated the entire cubicle.

Qin Ziwen's eyes reflected the light as he gazed at the shell that the merman leader had opened—it was filled with overlapping, intertwined cards that emitted a faint glow.

Qin Ziwen wanted to refuse, because he felt he was an upright person.

But looking at these colorful cards with different lights...

He hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

If I don't accept it, won't the merman leader be a little uneasy?
But wouldn't it be inappropriate to just accept it like this?

Qin Ziwen pondered for a moment, then waved his hand, "Forget it, I won't take these cards. Since Lorne has joined my home, I will definitely treat him as one of my own."

The merman leader sniffed the air. Although it didn't understand what was being said, it sensed insincerity.

It stepped forward and forcefully shoved the seashell into Qin Ziwen's hand.

"How could I possibly accept this?" Qin Ziwen sighed and shook his head.

The merman leader glanced at him and noticed that this man had many of the common human flaws—hypocrisy.

　There will be an extra chapter later, around 2 PM.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)