After that embarrassingly awkward first sentence, Fisher was almost certain that the "paranormal event" he had encountered earlier was a prank played by the Whale-man who had left the message on the stone wall.
It was impossible to rate the severity of the Whale-man’s mischief, which even brought to mind Renie, that wicked woman. If Renie had been there, she would have definitely loved this kind of prank...
Pausing for a second, Fisher shook his head to dismiss the extraneous thoughts from his mind and let Moli continue reading the next part of the message.
Xiayat, still behind them with her mouth agape and looking half-dead, clearly wasn’t skilled in the water, especially since she had been the closest to the shadowy figure. The combination of physical and psychological trauma had nearly caused her soul to leave her body.
Anna silently watched the two of them study the content on the stone wall. She had wanted to remind them to hurry to Nali Lake, but on second thought, Xiayat was still unconscious, and it was just past midnight, much earlier than when they had expected to reach the waterway, so she said nothing.
Moli moved closer to the stone wall and skimmed through the content before happily saying to Fisher,
"There’s no more pranks in the following content. It’s about the travel musings left by this Whale-man ancestor. Let me see..."
As she read the content, Moli translated it into the appropriate Nali Language,
"’It has been one year since I left the Sea Floor,’ Ah, here they use the term ’year’ from the Sea Floor, not ’age’..."
Worried about confusing the two concepts in Nali Language, Moli emphasized this distinction, and only after Fisher nodded did she continue translating,
"Since coming ashore, it has also been a year. The Sun-Blessed Land was so enthralling I couldn’t bear to leave, but today I find I must return to my homeland. As I prepare to depart, my heart is bursting with things I wish to express, but with no one to confide in, I leave my thoughts here as a record. If other Whale-men come this way, perhaps my words can aid your journey on the shore."
"First, I must emphasize that there is an Absolute Boundary between land and sea. Once you cross it, whatever you obtain here must be paid for in equal measure. That radiance, that vitality, those sounds—they do not belong to us, and coveting them can have consequences that neither you nor I can bear. Remember Ramasitia’s teachings: Life is about balance."
"But what if, instead of for the current radiance, one stays for a living creature on land? I know not how to dissuade you, just be aware, the sweetness of such a love is like poison; in the end, you will be unable to escape it. Using our inherited characteristic of the Whale-man Species, let me tell you one thing..."
"Love is both a brilliant Blessing, granting you unmatched courage; and a deep, indelible curse, leaving a wound that will never heal."
"With that, I bid you farewell from here. Until fate brings us together again!"
Moli read till the end, and Fisher stroked his chin, pondering the message on the stone wall. Many of the details were very interesting.
First, the Whale-man who had left the message had roamed the Human world for a full year, gaining much from the experience, but it seemed he had uncovered a secret of the Whale-man Species, which prompted him to leave land...
Life is about balance...
This key phrase made Fisher reflect on many things, especially in light of the species characteristics of demi-humans he had already studied. He had the vague sense that among the races there existed a very peculiar balance.
Take, for example, the Dragon-man Species.
The physical strength of an individual Dragon-man was unparalleled in both the South Continent and the Western Continent, with a qualified adult Dragon-man warrior capable of single-handedly wiping out a Slave Capture Team of dozens of armed humans.
Logically, with their formidable individual strength, they should be invincible in the South Continent...
Note here, and for the races discussed later, we should temporarily exclude the demi-humans from the Doomsday Prophecy.
Because Fisher realized that once anything in this world was linked to the Completion Manual, it became illogical, surpassing common sense as if cheating—the soul techniques of Philone, the biological weapon technologies of Blake...
Well, his own Demi-human Girls Completion Manual didn’t count. It seemed a bit embarrassing compared to those two because, apart from maxing out bonuses in Reproduction and wicked taste, Fisher hadn’t gained much...
Back to the point, despite their might, the Dragon-man Species also faced extremely harsh Reproduction conditions.
A pair of Dragon-man parents could have many children, but it’s likely that all their offspring would be bachelors. It’d be considered a great ancestral virtue if just one child managed to tail-fit and marry. Two marriages could be declared a grand celebration throughout the entire tribe.
Thinking about it, Rafael’s tail-fitting with Fisher was sheer luck.
As a consequence of these severe Reproduction circumstances, the overall numbers of the Dragon-man race in the South Continent were actually very low.
Fisher speculated that the Life Rank that Elliog spoke of actually corresponded to the individual. On an individual basis, indeed, all races could be ranked. But when considered across entire populations, they maintained some form of "balance."