"Fu Zhu, you shouldn't be a local of Amphoreus, right?"
Hysilens rested her chin on her hand, sitting beside Fu Zhu, tilting her head to look at him.
He had only told her that he was one of the Nameless of the Astral Express, but he hadn't said whether he came from outside Amphoreus.
Fu Zhu nodded frankly, then asked, "How did you discover it?"
"Because when the Messenger said thirty-five years had passed, you looked very surprised. Moreover, afterward, you knew nothing about the matter of the Eternal Night. Generally speaking, there are only two possibilities for this. The first is that you stayed in some place for thirty-five years without leaving; the second is that you left Amphoreus for thirty-five years."
"Inferring the truth from just this point, you are very smart."
Facing Fu Zhu's praise, Hysilens just smiled, burying her head into her arms and tilting her head to look at him.
Actually, there was one more point she hadn't said.
In her eyes, whether it was Triya or other children from the surface, they were all fish of different appearances. Only Fu Zhu was different in her eyes; he was Fu Zhu's original appearance, yet he gave her a feeling of encompassing all things, just like the ocean.
It was this unprecedented feeling that allowed her to boldly speculate that Fu Zhu was the second possibility.
After a few sentences of casual chat, this grand banquet officially began. The Siren Queen raised her wine cup to toast all the Sirens, then introduced Fu Zhu to everyone.
Originally, she planned to invite Fu Zhu to say a few sentences to the Sirens, but Fu Zhu declined.
He wasn't good at giving speeches; standing up there forcefully would only feel awkward.
Seeing he was unwilling, the Siren Queen didn't force it. She simply announced the official start of the banquet, and all the Sirens happily threw themselves into drinking and dining.
Hysilens was also infected by the atmosphere of the scene. Briefly forgetting the pain of her compatriots' passing, she picked up a wine cup and began pouring wine for Fu Zhu with a grin.
"Come, drink a bit. This is a fine brew you can't drink on the surface."
Fu Zhu didn't refuse. He placed the wine cup on the table, let Hysilens pour one cup after another until full, then drank it down in one gulp.
It had to be said, the Sirens' fine brew indeed had a unique taste. This was a flavor that couldn't be reproduced even in the gourmet world of Penacony.
After three rounds of wine, while Fu Zhu was drinking and pondering his next course of action, a thud suddenly sounded beside him. Turning his head to look, it turned out Hysilens had collapsed onto the table, drunk.
Different from when she was awake, after falling asleep, her face carried a trace of pain, and those good-looking willow-leaf eyebrows remained tightly furrowed.
"Sigh, this child has experienced too little after all."
The Siren Queen had walked over at some point. She helped Hysilens adjust her posture so she could sleep a bit more peacefully.
Fu Zhu looked at the Siren Queen and subconsciously followed her words with a question.
"Did the Phagousa Kingdom often experience this kind of thing before?"
The Siren Queen sat down in the empty seat beside him and shook her head.
"No. It's just that the Black Tide facing the Phagousa Kingdom... merely being like this has already made some believe in the oracle in the Messenger's mouth..."
The Siren Queen poured herself a cup of wine with a somewhat complex expression. She drank it all in one gulp, looking sideways at Fu Zhu.
"This Black Tide attack... if Mr. Fu Zhu hadn't been present, I'm afraid the casualties wouldn't stop at just this amount... And according to the intelligence brought back by Hysilens, the Black Tide is far more than just this wave. I'm afraid the Phagousa Kingdom is not the Black Tide's match."
Fu Zhu sat quietly at the side, listening to the Siren Queen's lament, and asked, "My Queen, what kind of oracle did Triya bring to the Phagousa Kingdom?"
The Siren Queen lowered her head to look at Hysilens beside her, raising her hand to gently pat her back.
"The Messenger said she hopes Hysilens can accept the trial of the [Sea] Titan, receive the Coreflame, and assist the Journey of Chasing Fire. But... perhaps Mr. Fu Zhu doesn't know. This prophecy circulating among our Siren race is very absurd. Just as the Phagousa Kingdom is named after Phagousa, the Siren race has always treated the Sea Titan Phagousa as a belief. And the method of recreating the world spoken of by the Messenger is to have us kill the Titan of our own belief... to seize the Coreflame."
Fu Zhu silently turned his face away. Although he didn't have any beliefs, he could understand the Siren Queen's feelings upon hearing Triya say this.
No wonder Triya didn't receive any particularly good treatment in the Phagousa Kingdom. The Siren race not arresting her or executing her upon arrival was already considered an extremely good attitude.
After a moment of silence at the scene, the Siren Queen spoke again, breaking the silence. She put away that gloomy expression on her face and looked at Fu Zhu with a smile.
"Let's not talk about this first. Mr. Fu Zhu, I heard Hysilens say you seem to want to understand some matters? Is there anything we Sirens can do for you?"
Fu Zhu really wanted to say he also wanted to touch the [Sea] Titan's Coreflame, but saying it now was a bit inappropriate, so he changed his phrasing.
"I want to meet the [Sea] Titan Phagousa. I have some matters I want to understand. Also, regarding the history of the Phagousa Kingdom."
After the Siren Queen heard Fu Zhu's words, she pondered thoughtfully and didn't agree immediately.
"Okay. I will prepare tomorrow. After it's prepared, I will have someone come find you, sir."
"Many thanks, My Queen."
The Siren Queen smiled and shook her head, stood up, and looked at Fu Zhu seriously.
"It is our Siren race who should thank you. You fought for more time for the Phagousa Kingdom. I hope you can have a beautiful dream tonight."
Afterward, she left, taking Hysilens along with her.
Fu Zhu stayed behind to casually drink a few more cups, then also stood up and returned to his own guest room to rest.
In the guest room, Fu Zhu stared at the giant scallop fitted with a pillow and fell into deep thought.
"Putting a pillow makes it a bed? If I lie down, it won't directly set a resurrection point, right?"
Fu Zhu lay down hesitantly.
[Respawn Point Set]
Sure enough, if it has a pillow, it counts as a bed!
The concept of this 'bed' is too broad!
........
The next day.
Fu Zhu woke up on the scallop promptly at six in the morning. As soon as he opened his eyes, he immediately looked out the window.
Although he could see the light emitted by the Luminous Pearls, he was able to confirm that outside was still the Eternal Night.
"Fu Zhu, are you awake?"
Hysilens's voice came from outside the door.
Fu Zhu got up from the bed, walked to the doorway, and opened the door. Standing outside were Hysilens and Triya, one big and one small.
Fu Zhu looked at Triya with concern.
"Is your body okay? Triya."
Triya nodded with a grin.
"Mhm, it's already much better. Thank you for yesterday."
"It was nothing."
After chatting briefly for two sentences, Fu Zhu looked at Hysilens and asked, "Is the matter I asked the Queen for yesterday prepared?"
Hysilens nodded, turning sideways to gesture with her hand.
"Follow me. The Queen asked me to take you to the National Library first. That place has all kinds of books of the Siren race."
"Alright."
Hysilens led Fu Zhu and Triya through the royal palace. Not long after, they arrived in front of a main gate guarded by four Siren warriors. Seeing Hysilens arrive, the guards immediately opened the gate.
Hysilens turned her head to gesture to Fu Zhu, then took the lead to walk in. Fu Zhu and Triya also followed quickly.
Behind the gate was an extremely bizarre scene. Balls of various sizes, like pearls, were floating, emitting a crystalline luster from their bodies.
Fu Zhu leaned in to take a look and found that unknown text would flash across the balls from time to time.
Hysilens watched Fu Zhu's appearance and introduced it from the side with a smile.
"These are our Siren race's 'books'. Are they different from the ones on land?"
Fu Zhu nodded. This wasn't just different from all forms of 'books' he had seen before; it felt more like some kind of high-tech product.
Hysilens looked around, then said to Fu Zhu again.
"Fu Zhu, what book do you want to read? The Messenger and I can help you find it, okay?"
Fu Zhu pondered for a moment and stated some knowledge he wanted to understand himself.
Hysilens nodded, letting Fu Zhu wait a moment in place, then took Triya to walk elsewhere.
Fu Zhu stayed where he was, feeling a bit bored, so he casually grabbed a crystal ball. The knowledge recorded inside emerged like a tide. Although it was an unfamiliar text, with the blessing of the Sinicization Mod (Translation Mod), it transformed into Chinese characters he could understand.
Just as Fu Zhu was concentrating on reading the knowledge in the crystal ball, a strict voice sounded beside him.
"This gentleman, are you very interested in us Antikytherans?"
Fu Zhu stopped reading and turned his head to look at the mechanical lifeform standing beside him, raising his eyebrows slightly in surprise.
Does the Siren Kingdom contain alien lifeforms? And it's an intelligent mechanical lifeform. Clearly, this world's technology doesn't look very developed.
Is this a lifeform created by the Titans? Then the Titan's way of thinking is abstract enough.
That Intellitron saw Fu Zhu's confused look and bowed politely, performing a hand-on-chest salute.
"My name is Lygus, the same as the Antikytherans recorded in the book in your hand."
Fu Zhu picked his teeth. The 'Lygus' he saw was not quite the same.
[Lygus (Zandar One Kuwabara 1/9)]
Still a representative with a Neutral Yellow Tag.
Aside from that strange '1/9' at the end, the name Zandar One Kuwabara was thunderous to the ears, making him unable to resist asking aloud:
"Mr. Lygus, do you... know the Genius Society?"
Lygus's left hand behind his back suddenly stiffened, but he quickly recovered and shook his head.
"I do not know."
Damn it, why did he suddenly say the term 'Genius Society'? Could it be he discovered my identity?
Is it? I thought you were Zandar, the First Member of the Genius Society, but thinking about it carefully, Zandar is a human, not an intelligent mechanical lifeform. He couldn't have mechanically ascended, right? You said you are Mr. Lygus?
Fu Zhu stared at Lygus with a smile that wasn't a smile, staring until he felt cold sweat streaming down his back.
Clearly, I am an intelligent mechanical lifeform now and don't have sweat glands, so why do I feel pressure facing this smiling man?
Fu Zhu stared at Lygus for a long time, then suddenly threw the crystal ball in his hand to the side. He suddenly revealed a smile, reaching out his hand somewhat embarrassedly to pat Lygus on the shoulder.
"Sorry, I'm an outworlder. My words might be a bit strange. Please don't mind, Mr. Lygus."
Seeing Fu Zhu apologize, Lygus couldn't help but sigh in relief in his heart.
Luckily, he didn't discover anything abnormal. He also wanted to sneak around Fu Zhu's side to observe what exactly he wanted to do.
After Fu Zhu finished apologizing and withdrew his hand, a small patch of red speckles appeared on Lygus's shoulder. That was the imprint left by Redstone Dust.
Only just now did he read in the book that Antikytherans were already nearly extinct. It was rare to see traces of Antikytherans in the world; they could only be seen in the Holy City. To be able to meet one here by such good luck...
Too coincidental. To be safe, it was better to pay more attention to this Intellitron named Lygus.
Lygus didn't notice Fu Zhu's small action. He shook his head very kindly.
"No, no. My intrusion was very abrupt. It should be me hoping Mr. Fu Zhu won't mind."
Fu Zhu raised his eyebrows with a smile. "Mr. Lygus, how did you know my name? I haven't introduced myself, have I?"
Lygus's heart skipped a beat. He cursed himself secretly for getting carried away by Fu Zhu's words just now and actually committing such a small mistake. But his mouth was still very quick to find a remedy for himself.
"I heard your name from the mouths of the Siren race. After all, in this entire Siren Kingdom, a human is still very easy to recognize, isn't that so?"
"That is true."
After a familiarizing period, Lygus asked again.
"Mr. Fu Zhu, I wonder where you come from? Why have you appeared in the Phagousa Kingdom? Please don't misunderstand; I'm just curious. Clearly a human, without receiving the Siren's blessing, yet able to stay underwater for a long time. It truly makes one curious."
Fu Zhu didn't explain in detail, just giving a casual reply.
"Just an insignificant skill, that's all."
As for the rest, he didn't plan to answer.
Lygus wasn't in a hurry either. Anyway, meeting Fu Zhu this time was just to build a good relationship so that when he appeared in front of Fu Zhu again later, it wouldn't feel abrupt to the other party.
Just at this moment, Hysilens and Triya walked back holding a few crystal balls. Lygus took one look at them, then bid farewell to Fu Zhu.
Hysilens and Triya walked to Fu Zhu's side, glancing at the back of Lygus leaving.
"Isn't that the Antikytheran who came to the Phagousa Kingdom today? I remember he's called Lygus? What were you chatting with him about?"
"Came today?"
Fu Zhu couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. Sure enough, Lygus's appearance was a bit too coincidental.
However, there was no need to worry. He had left Redstone Dust on Lygus's body. As long as he was an intelligent mechanical lifeform, even if his strength was stronger than Qlipoth, Fu Zhu could immediately control him.
Redstone Technology was a dimensional strike against these intelligent mechanical lifeforms, and even against Nous!
"Nothing much. Let me see the books you brought back."
"Mhm."