However, the ship was bustling at the moment. Alka and the others were holding large fishing rods, fishing in the sea beside them. Rather than actual fishing, it seemed more like they were directly trying to hook the fish swimming on the Ocean’s surface.
Jason and Alka were holding one such rod, constantly pulling upward. The hook had already snagged a huge sea fish below. Judging from the sea fish’s struggles and the splashing water, it was clear its size was absurdly large, possibly up to two meters. This sea fish was currently struggling with all its might.
If one looked at the sea surface, they could see the surrounding water was continuously surging, with countless fish rapidly migrating into the distance.
However, the only ones enjoying fishing were Alka and Jason, as Pororo had dived directly into the sea to catch fish by hand. For a Merfolk, the joy of fishing was incomprehensible. As for the ladies, they weren’t interested in such entertainment.
Instead, Chadite observed the surroundings and couldn’t help but remark, "These fish must be accustomed to living in cold Ocean areas, right? They’ve lived here for 800 years and have grown used to this environment. Now that this sea area is no longer extremely cold, they will leave."
Upon hearing Chadite’s words, Julia closed her eyes, her ears twitching slightly as if she were listening to something. After a moment, she nodded and suddenly began to sing. Her beautiful song filled the air; it seemed like she hadn’t sung for a long time, and there was a hint of excitement in her voice.
Julia suddenly jumped off the deck. In the air, her human legs immediately merged, transforming into a crystal-clear, iridescently scaled fish tail. With a SPLASH, she plunged into the sea. As her tail swayed, Julia swam forward alongside the school of fish and the ship. Her song grew louder and more beautiful, causing those who were fishing to quiet down involuntarily. It seemed to calm the very soul, immersing the entire sea surface in her melody. The fish, rolling with the waves and splashing water, became living embellishments to her song. All the fish gathered around Julia, as if she were the leader directing their school.
Seeing this, Pororo, who had been catching fish underwater, tossed the few fish in his hands onto the deck and stopped his efforts. In such a situation, continuing to catch fish would have somewhat spoiled the atmosphere. As the song’s rhythm began to change, the few people on deck started to sway their bodies by the ship’s railing. The song was irresistible, carrying a hint of Magic Power.
"Chadite, in which direction is the nearest cold sea area?" Julia’s song stopped, her voice carrying over the water. Latest content published on Nove1Fire.net
Still immersed in the melody, Chadite was startled awake. He cupped his hands around his mouth like a trumpet and shouted, "The Southeast Corner of the map! That’s where the nearest cold sea area is!"
As his words reached her, Julia’s song rose again, but this time it no longer seemed to be sung for them. Though still enchanting, the melody didn’t quite align with any human rhythm; it felt somewhat peculiar, with discernible sound waves mixed within.
The previously surging school of fish suddenly changed direction, heading towards the Southeast Corner indicated on the map. Julia then leaped from the water, her fish tail transforming back into human legs mid-air as she landed gracefully on the deck. Her face was radiant with a bright smile. As she shook her azure hair, countless water beads flew off, turning into droplets before they hit the deck, and her hair was instantly dry. Singing to her heart’s content today had allowed her to vent her past frustrations, significantly elevating her spirits. She even walked over to hug Chadite, pressing her cheek against his.
The brand-new Lucilia doll sitting on Alka’s shoulder remarked, "See? This is the charm and ability of the Merfolk Race. Creatures of the Ocean are willing to help her, and she, in turn, is willing to help the creatures in the Ocean."
Hearing this, Alka couldn’t help but recall that Julia also seemed to eat fish and never commented on Pororo hunting Ocean fish. This didn’t seem to align with her abilities. Alka voiced his doubt.
"It’s the law of nature," Lucilia explained. "As long as one doesn’t engage in large-scale, meaningless, and indiscriminate slaughter of Ocean creatures, or damage the Ocean’s environment, the Merfolk won’t interfere with such actions."
Viewed this way, the Merfolk are more like guardians and protectors of the Ocean.
「After a period of sailing.」
They finally reached their destination. From afar, at the edge of their vision, they saw a plume of black smoke trailing into the sky. The surrounding environment here was also slightly warmer compared to other places.
After making a simple resupply stop on an Island they passed en route, Alka learned more information from the Island’s inhabitants about the Volcano Island named Vortex Island. The volcano on this Volcano Island is active. Because it erupts once every few decades—not exceeding fifty years—a large area around it is uninhabited. The inhabited Islands in this sea region are almost all located on its periphery. If this sea region were divided into three rings—outer, middle, and inner—the inner ring would be the Volcano Island. Each volcanic eruption severely affects this region’s environment and, over time, also causes pollution in the middle ring.