Fate Trading System – Chapter 290

Plan A

Divine Vestige 16

The optical computer¹ was transmitted over the next day. Slayer was a bit dazed, staring at the object that had just appeared in her hand.

“This is…?”

It seemed Slayer had no consciousness or memory of that period. She frowned, trying to recall something, but a headache forced her to press a hand to her forehead.

“I just needed one thing.”

Slayer handed the optical computer to Su Xin, still trying to figure out how it had appeared in her hand.

“Why did it show up in my hand?”

“A secret.”

Su Xin gave Slayer a light kiss on the lips, and just like that, Slayer forgot all about the matter she had been dwelling on.

A secret? How interesting.

Su Xin passed the optical computer to Lang Ning to handle, waiting for him to restore the inventory system.

Things will get better. Nothing will be too terrible.

Su Xin waited for the better part of a month while Lang Ning worked tirelessly day in and day out.

“It’s here! It appeared!”

Sha Ying saw the floating system interface and his long-lost inventory, and he was so happy he felt like roaring.

All his money and his items were in there. It was pure bliss.

“I need your Water-Entry Pearl.”

Su Xin held out her hand. Sha Ying froze for a moment before handing the pearl over.

The restoration of the inventory system sent the other players into a state of ecstasy, left the Lost Ones completely baffled, and made the Hunters extremely anxious.

If the inventory system was restored, did that mean the game system could be restored too?

Did that mean they could leave this place and get out?

But they had killed people. If they returned to reality…

“Don’t panic. Our appearances have changed anyway. No one knows our names, much less that we did it.”

“But this game uses a real-name system.”

“The system can’t have recorded what we did…”

Though they tried to reassure themselves, a seed of unease had been planted in the hearts of the Hunters.

Lang Ning had barely rested before he was up and busy again.

The inventory system had just been restored when it came under attack. Unsurprisingly, it was plagued by bugs.

“Brother, hold down the fort here. I’m leaving with them.”

“Take care.”

There was no time to exchange lingering goodbyes, because Su Xin’s departure was certain.

“You’re our spiritual pillar. Keep it up.”

“Okay.”

What Su Xin had to do was secretive, tangible, and could not be known by others.

But what Lang Ning could do was inspire all the lucid people here.

By giving them spiritual strength and letting them know that escape was still possible, some would surely find new power, while others would certainly be more restrained.

“Are you staying here, or coming with us?”

“Of course we’re going with you.”

Sha Ying was resolute in his decision to stick with the protagonist. He didn’t know what would happen if he stayed here, but it was definitely safer to be by the protagonist’s side.

Although, it seems like cannon fodder always ends up dying around the protagonist… Sha Ying swallowed hard but did not waver.

Mi Luo thought for a moment before also deciding to go with Su Xin.

Staying here might be safe, but it would definitely be boring.

The people here were all just dutifully guarding this place, and Mi Luo preferred a little more excitement.

Their destination: the Sea of Merfolk!

“How are we going to get in?”

Mi Luo asked this question on the way. She had never seen a merfolk before and had only heard that they were both beautiful and dangerous.

The game’s instances² were unlocked in order of increasing difficulty. The Human instances were already more than most could handle, followed by the Elven, Orc, Merfolk, Dwarven, Undead, and finally, the Demon instances.

“You all don’t need to go in. The two of us are enough. You can provide support for us from the outside.”

“Alright.”

Mi Luo didn’t know why the two of them had to go to that place, but she didn’t ask. There was no point in knowing.

The Sea of Merfolk was vast and boundless. Legend had it that magnificent palaces lay on the seabed, where the merfolk clan resided.

Humans could operate in the Sea of Merfolk. A prosperous fishing industry thrived along the coastline, and many people would set sail for excursions.

Unfortunate maritime disasters occurred, but humans, undeterred, continued their explorations.

The merfolk lived at the bottom of the sea and didn’t often come out, but they did accept human sacrifices.

Players, possessing a god-like perspective, knew that there were merfolk in the sea and that this was a merfolk instance. The people living here, however, did not. They believed in a Sea God.

Before any large-scale fishing or sailing expedition, they would make a sacrifice to the Sea God, hoping their activities would be successful and free of disaster.

The merfolk clan was quite receptive to this arrangement, so they didn’t cause trouble and would even help out sometimes.

Unlike the tense relationship between the elves and humans, the relationship between merfolk and humans could be described as quite good.

However, it was the relationship between food and consumer.

The merfolk were exceedingly lovely and beautiful, but they were also ferocious, carnivorous masters of the deep.

When food was scarce, they would lure humans into disasters in order to feed.

The sacrifice, of course, wasn’t a matter of praying to the heavens and the sea while setting out some fruit. It involved tying people up and sinking them to the bottom of the ocean.

People carried out these acts in specific seasons with great regularity, as if by appointment. The merfolk, too, would come at a specific time to claim their prey.

The sea is all-encompassing, but humanity is incomparably greedy.

Fishermen would sometimes get carried away and overfish. The merfolk would not let that happen, so they would occasionally reject the offerings to let the fishermen know their anger.

Su Xin and her group arrived at a very opportune moment. The sacrifice was about to begin, and the villagers were currently looking for people to offer.

Of course, they didn’t just grab random people off the street. There were rules. It was determined which family’s turn it was. This was a necessary contribution. If they wanted to live better, to better rely on this ocean, they had to pay the price.

“This sounds perfect. Now I don’t have to find an excuse to get in.”

The high pressure of the deep sea was more than a human body could withstand. To survive on the seabed, one needed a Water-Entry Pearl or help from a merfolk.

Su Xin had originally planned to sneak in and find a pretext, but if she participated in the sacrifice and became an offering, she could enter the merfolk’s territory without any excuse at all—albeit as food.

“You’re going to be a sacrifice? Sis, I’m seriously worried about you. What if you get torn to shreds by that bunch of merfolk before you can even do what you need to do?”

The merfolk here weren’t exactly tame creatures.

“Do you think I’ll be in danger?”

Mi Luo paused for a second before shaking her head.

“I don’t really get that feeling.”

“Good.”

As long as Mi Luo didn’t jinx it, Su Xin felt a great sense of security.

“Slayer, which one can you become?”

“Any of them. I will choose the most suitable one. How about the King? That position seems to be the closest to them.”

“Alright. Then you better be quick about it. Don’t let me get snatched away by someone else.”

“Of course. You are mine,” Slayer said with a definitive nod.

“Why does that sound a little off to me?” Sha Ying muttered quietly to Mi Luo.

Mi Luo didn’t know what to say. It’s so obvious, and he still doesn’t get it?

“Let’s find a place to stay first. We’ll come find you after we get out.”

“Okay.”

Mi Luo had no objections. Her inventory was back, so she had money. She could wander around and have fun, treating it like a vacation. After all, games were meant for enjoyment.

Su Xin, dressed in her unchanging white clothes, made herself look ordinary, suppressing her natural aura.

A mage throwing herself into the sea is a f#cking idiot, but no one would pay any mind to a normal person.

Su Xin tied up her hair and ran to the village chief’s place.

“You’re volunteering for the sacrifice?”

The village chief looked at the unfamiliar young woman. Every time the sacrifice came around, the designated families would wail and scream their heads off. But it couldn’t be helped. To survive, to keep the Sea God from getting angry, it had to be done.

Whose turn it was each year was calculated in advance, and the sacrifices were always young boys and girls. But a chosen family might not have a suitable child, so constant adjustments were needed.

Ten people were required for each sacrifice. Luckily, their village was large, but there were still times when they fell short, and they would have to buy people from outside.

Now that someone was offering herself up, the village chief was a little puzzled.

“Yes, I volunteer.”

The chief didn’t bother asking why. They needed people right now.

He enthusiastically arranged for Su Xin to stay in his own home. Slayer had already departed for the merfolk’s territory to await Su Xin’s arrival.

Ten days later, the sacrifice began.

Ten young boys and girls, dressed in identical clothes, were bound by their hands and made to face the ocean.

The merfolk clan had designated individuals to collect this “food.” They would bring the humans back—alive. Deaths did occur on occasion, but it wasn’t important.

But this year was a little different. The King actually planned to go personally.

The Merfolk King sat on her throne, wearing a crown, with her King Consort beside her.

Merfolk were hermaphroditic. They chose their gender upon reaching adulthood and had only one partner in their lifetime, but the King was an exception.

All beings worship power, and the merfolk were no different.

Only the strongest could become King, regardless of gender.

The King Consort had been unhappy lately.

For the past few days, for some reason, the King had not been intimate with him. She slept alone in her clamshell bed, refusing his approach.

Though it wasn’t the breeding season, partners could still be intimate.

The King Consort thought that perhaps some other little merman had caught the King’s attention, like Leon³, the young, not-yet-adult merman from the clan with the enchanting voice.

But he had watched for days and found that the King wasn’t spending time with Leon. She just swam alone in the deep sea, occasionally surfacing to the shallows to gaze at the sky and the distant horizon.

The King was majestic and domineering. The King Consort didn’t know how to communicate with her and felt utterly helpless.

The King had been listless for days and only seemed to regain her spirit today.

The King Consort knew that today was the day of the human food sacrifice. He wondered, Could it be that the King was listless simply because she missed the taste of human flesh?

“My King, do you require my accompaniment?”

“No need.”

Slayer was also feeling helpless. When she had arrived, this merman had been right by her side. After she accessed the memories, she had considered leaving and switching bodies, but none were as advantageous or as close to their objective as this one. So, she didn’t switch.

Slayer led a few others and swam towards the surface. They lurked beneath the waves, waiting for the offerings to arrive.

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