Hello, is this a letter addressed to Demon Fortress?

Lin Gui himself couldn't explain why he would become interested in a broken glass bead.

But when I hold it, I always have a strange feeling.

He soon realized where this unusual thing came from.

Night falls.

In a small restaurant overlooking the silent sea at Twin Reef.

The reason I chose the shop run by the goblin.

Firstly, although the place is simple, the beds are kept clean.

Secondly... the way Shia looked at him was getting weirder and weirder.

Lin Gui was afraid that if he slept in the carriage at night, Xia could do something to him in front of Eve.

So, with the scholar's introduction and under Xia's resentful gaze, he found the restaurant.

He opened his hand, and the glass bead emitted a faint, ethereal blue glow in the dim light.

A powerful surge of spiritual energy emanated from it.

After awakening the [Eye of the Netherworld], Lin Gui became exceptionally sensitive to the existence of souls.

His eyes instantly turned gray.

As the perspective shifts, everything fades, leaving only the radiance of the soul clearly visible.

Then... he saw it.

A translucent, muscular male mermaid soul.

He was lying listlessly on the glass beads.

It has a strong upper body and clearly defined eight-pack abs.

Its lower body, however, was an illusory fish tail, drooping lazily.

At this moment, this merman is boldly picking his nose with one finger.

After picking its nose, it flicked its hand, which landed on Lin Gui's face.

Although the snot in its soul form had no physical form, Lin Gui still felt a chill on his cheek.

The mermaid's soul sighed deeply, her face filled with utter despair.

Lin Gui's face darkened.

"I said... what you're doing is very uncivilized."

The act of picking his nose suddenly stopped.

The mermaid's soul froze, looking around suspiciously.

The room was empty; there was no one else besides Lin Gui.

It glanced tentatively at the forest ghost and found that the other's gray pupils were firmly locked onto it.

"Sigh..." it sighed pessimistically again, muttering to itself, "How could these ugly humans even see me?"

"With that kind of skill, you're not even fit to clean my toilets..."

Lin Gui's face turned completely black.

He picked up the glass bead, got up, and walked to the corner of the room.

There was a goblin-style, makeshift toilet made from a rough wooden barrel.

He made a gesture as if he was about to throw the bead in.

"Wait! What are you doing?!" The mermaid's soul reacted instantly and shouted.

"I'm sending you into the cesspool to wake you up."

"No! Brother! Big brother! I was wrong! You are handsome and dashing! And incredibly capable!"

After a series of "friendly" exchanges and threats.

Lin Gui sat back down on the edge of the bed, holding the beads in his hand, and asked:

"Who are you? If you died, why didn't you go to the Netherworld Sea?"

The mermaid's soul immediately raised its chest proudly.

"I!! I am..."

It opened its mouth with great momentum, then paused, and began to think slowly.

An embarrassed expression appeared on his face.

"Uh... I forgot."

"I woke up to find myself trapped inside this broken bead, drifting aimlessly across the ocean."

"Later, it was caught in a fishing net and picked up by that pretty girl, who used it to prop up a table leg."

"Later... she had the goblins rebuild the table and threw away the old, lame one."

"I heard that... the North Wind Caravan arrived at Twin Reefs a month early, and she hurriedly rummaged through some junk at home, picked me up from the ground, and took me to set up a stall."

Lin Gui's lips twitched as he listened.

It turns out that the seemingly well-behaved and adorable mermaid stall owner was actually a cunning businessman.

He raised his hand and glanced at the glowing seashell bracelet that Shia had insisted on putting on his wrist.

I remember the mermaid stall owner describing it in glowing terms.

She claimed that this bracelet had an extraordinary origin, and that she had risked her life to find it by crossing the territory of a terrifying deep-sea demon.

Shea used up a pound of meat, equivalent to several hundred gold coins, to get this thing.

Looking back now, I doubt that guy ever told the truth.

Okay, let's continue:

Lin Gui was more interested in the glass bead itself than the soul attached to it.

As the greatest weakness of [Night Veil], Lin Gui is well aware of the elusive nature of the soul.

This bead can not only bind the mermaid's soul, preventing her from going to the Nether Sea.

This allows it to maintain such a clear intelligence.

This is highly unusual in itself.

He placed the glass beads on the table and flicked them with his fingers, making them roll back and forth.

"Where did you find this bead?"

The mermaid spirit crossed her arms, her tone haughty:

Why should I tell you, human?

Lin Gui: "..."

He silently picked up the beads and went back to the toilet.

"No! I'll tell you!" The mermaid immediately gave in, "I can't remember the exact location either."

"But when I woke up, the seabed was full of these sparkling beads."

Lin Gui raised an eyebrow.

On the mainland, anything related to the soul is rare and precious.

But according to this soul, these beads seem to be everywhere on the seabed like that?

Lin Gui pressed for more details.

After all, this is a wondrous object that can store souls.

Even if you don't need it yourself, you can exchange it for a fortune of resources in the City of a Thousand Towers.

In Akara, there are many things that money can't buy.

Unfortunately, the mermaid's soul was incoherent and she could no longer utter any useful information.

Helpless, Lin Gui picked up the bead and pretended to throw it.

Don't abandon me!

The mermaid's soul was in a complete panic.

"You're the only human who can see me! I need your help!"

"Huh?" Lin Gui asked, puzzled. "Help you with what?"

"Help me...help me get this message to the City-State Alliance Council!"

"What news?"

The mermaid's soul choked instantly.

It clutched its head in anguish, its illusory body trembling slightly.

He tried hard to remember, his face contorted in a frown.

"It's...very important news..."

"Regarding...danger...disaster...sinking..."

"The sea...fear...gods..."

It murmured intermittently, its eyes filled with confusion and anxiety.

"I clearly remember...it's very important..."

"But... what is it...?"

It pounded its head hard, but couldn't remember anything.

Only hollow echoes reverberated deep within the soul.

"Why can't I remember?!"

The mermaid's soul experienced violent emotional fluctuations.

Its shape began to distort and flicker, becoming extremely unstable.

Those previously blank eyes suddenly turned blood red.

A tyrannical aura spread out, and it seemed to transform into a ferocious monster in an instant.

The power it exudes even carries a hint of legend!

This guy!! He was a legend in his lifetime!

Lin Gui's eyes narrowed, and he reached out without hesitation.

The oak staff leaning against the wall immediately flew into his palm.

His body was filled with surging magical power, and the [Night Veil] was on the verge of activation.

Just then, the system's voice suddenly rang out in my mind.

[Ding! Additional commission updated!]

[Content: Escorting the amnesiac mermaid soul to the City-State Alliance Council headquarters, Emergency Disaster Management Office.]

[Route: Planning will begin after the host confirms the start of the mission]

[Time Limit: None]

[Reward: Special Magic - Mermaid Gills (Allows free breathing underwater)]

[Risk Warning: The amnesiac soul state is extremely unstable and may trigger unknown risks.]