Lansi knew the transaction was complete.
For the first time in a long while, his turbulent life had come to a temporary pause.
Still, one question lingered in his mind: Who had bought him?
He only knew from the auction screen that his new owner had paid 200 million. That astronomical sum suggested that the buyer must be either incredibly wealthy or someone with powerful influence.
Who could it be? And what kind of future awaited him now?
After the auction ended, the glass box containing Lansi was covered again with thick black cloth and wheeled away.
This time, the journey was long. From the shifting patterns of light that seeped in around the edges, Lansi could tell they had traveled through several different environments.
Curled up in the cramped glass box, Lansi quietly waited for his fate.
Suddenly—
"Wow!"
The black cloth was yanked away. Harsh light flooded in, making Lansi squint. Through the blur, he vaguely saw a figure standing before him.
"Lansi, remember me?"
A cheerful voice rang out.
Lansi blinked several times, adjusting to the light. He focused on the person in front of him—a red-haired young man.
Why did he seem so familiar?
"Hey, come on, Xiaoyu! Don't tell me you really have a seven-second memory?"
The young man grinned and joked, "The boss and I grilled fish for you, remember?"
Lansi's eyes lit up. He swam forward and pressed his webbed hands against the glass, gazing at the man with stars in his eyes.
He remembered now—this was Wen Yu's subordinate, Carl.
So Wen Yu had bought him?
That was great. Familiar faces were definitely better than strangers.
"You do remember me." Carl chuckled, scratching his head. "Our boss is the one who bought you. He's not here right now—he won't be back for a few days. You'll stay here in the meantime."
Lansi was stunned. He slapped the glass box in protest. When Carl looked over, Lansi raised a hand and pointed insistently toward the distance.
Seriously? He'd saved all three of them back then. Even if they had good intentions, shouldn't they at least return him to the sea?
"Hey, don't look at me like that. I'm just a grunt under the boss. I don't make the decisions."
Carl wasn't stupid. He instantly knew Lansi wanted to go back to the ocean. But he had no say in that. After all, it wasn't his money—it was Wen Yu's two hundred million.
Seeing Lansi's dejected expression, Carl tried to comfort him.
"We'll talk about it when the boss gets back. He really likes you. Maybe he'll do something about it."
To lighten the mood further, Carl added, "Since you're here now, the boss went all out and bought a villa just for you—there's a private swimming pool and everything. It's pretty great."
Carl wasn't lying. He transported Lansi directly to the villa's pool.
The area was spacious and clearly customized. A large artificial reef had been installed in the center, giving it the look of an actual patch of ocean. The reef was even sunlit, a perfect lounging spot for a mermaid.
Across from the pool was an elegant villa. From inside the glass box, Lansi could see the simple, stylish interior through the large sliding doors—clearly no one had moved in yet.
A coded lock was fixed beside the door. It seemed entry required a password.
The villa's surroundings were beautiful, with green grass, blooming bushes, and a sky filled with sunshine. The temperature was pleasant and comfortable.
But Lansi had been inside Earl Vale. He glanced around and quickly realized this whole view was an illusion—clever black-tech projections crafted to simulate natural beauty.
Seeing Lansi no longer struggling but curiously taking in his new environment, Carl sighed with relief and unlocked the glass box.
Wen Yu had stirred up quite a bit of trouble in the lab after buying Lansi. That kind of trouble didn't come cheap—Wen Yu had essentially dropped a wrench into the inner workings of the research team. Everyone was furious, but there was little they could do about it.
Unable to retaliate directly, the lab used the recent border incident as an excuse to send Wen Yu away for a few days.
Before he left, Wen Yu had entrusted Lansi to Carl's care.
Carl didn't mind the job.
When he opened the glass box, Lansi slowly poked his head out and studied him. He seemed to be gauging Carl's sincerity.
To Lansi's surprise, Carl blushed after a few seconds and quickly looked away.
Lansi: "…"
What?
Carl rolled his eyes when Lansi wasn't looking. He then helped Lansi out of the glass box and guided him to the pool's edge.
The water was clear and blue, with a few small fish swimming inside.
Carl pointed proudly at the pool.
"It's clean sea water, don't worry. See the fish? It's totally safe."
Lansi turned to look at him, then flashed his sharp teeth playfully. Without another word, he dove headfirst into the pool.
Ah—so much better.
The glass box had been small and suffocating, the water filled with chemicals that left a strange, artificial scent. After being stuck in there for so long, even Lansi felt like he reeked.
Now, though, the difference was night and day. While the pool wasn't the open ocean, it was more than enough for now.
He swam back and forth, darting happily through the water, then surfaced and smiled at Carl.
Carl, watching from the side, relaxed. He really did like Lansi.
Lansi floated for a while, then slowly began thinking about his condition.
What had he become?
He swam to the reef and climbed up to sit. Hugging his tail, he carefully inspected the damage.
His once-beautiful white fish tail was a sorry sight. After days of confinement, stress, and exposure to harsh chemicals, its luster had faded. Scars lined the scales, and several patches had fallen off entirely, revealing raw flesh beneath.
Lansi: "…"
He couldn't help but wonder—was losing scales for mermaids the same as hair loss for humans?
Carl, who had gone off to clean up, returned and saw Lansi sitting on the reef, touching the bald patches on his tail with a gloomy expression.
He didn't know how to comfort him.
After thinking for a moment, Carl remembered something: Lansi had always loved to eat.
"Hey, want some food?"
Lansi looked up, visibly interested. He slipped off the reef and swam toward Carl.
Taking that as a yes, Carl hurried off to prepare sashimi.
Five minutes later, he returned with a plate of neatly arranged raw fish.
"I'm not sure if you prefer whole fish or sashimi," he said as he set it by the pool. "Try this first?"
Lansi gave Carl a glance, picked up a slice of fish with his claws, and tasted it.
"Well?" Carl leaned in expectantly.
It was just plain sashimi. Carl had made it himself, and it wasn't anything special.
After trying three pieces, Lansi shook his head, flicked his tail, and dove back into the pool.
Now Carl was the one stunned.
Everyone knew mermaids didn't eat that little. Even a cat would need more than that.
Besides, the auction staff had said Lansi hadn't eaten much since he was captured. Why would he stop now?
Carl called out into the pool.
"Lansi? Sweetie? Little fish? Come on, eat some more?"
The only response was a few lazy bubbles on the water's surface.
Carl sighed, already feeling the pressure mounting.
Whoever said fish were easy to care for had clearly never met this one. Lansi was moody, picky, and impossible to please.
If Wen Yu came back and found Lansi thinner—or worse, floating belly-up...
Carl winced. He didn't want to be physically punished for this.
Meanwhile, Lansi ignored Carl's shouting and explored the pool instead.
This was no ordinary swimming pool.
The seawater here felt almost identical to real ocean water—slightly sweeter and cleaner, even. More importantly, the water wasn't stagnant. He could feel the current flowing through it.
Curious, Lansi swam around the perimeter, running his webbed claws along the edges until he found the inlet and outlet—someone had built a proper circulation system here.
That meant there was a filtration unit.
After finding the two key openings, Lansi got an idea.
He dove under the reef, grabbed a stone, and used it to block both the intake and outflow. Then he swam over to a third, oddly placed plug.
Maybe it was for maintenance? Or maybe the designer had a sense of humor.
It reminded Lansi of a bathtub.
What happens when you pull the plug on a full tub? It drains.
Grinning to himself, Lansi pulled on the chain with all his strength.
Pop.
The plug came free.
A small whirlpool formed at the opening. Lansi floated nearby, hugging the plug and watching with satisfaction.
The whirlpool grew bigger and stronger, eventually sucking out nearly all the water. Even the poor little fish were caught up in the current, swirling helplessly.
And Carl?
He had gone to the kitchen to fetch a different kind of fish, thinking Lansi hadn't liked the previous one.
When he returned less than fifteen minutes later, he was greeted by a shocking sight.
The pool was empty.
Sitting in the corner, holding the giant black plug like a trophy, was Lansi.
Seeing Carl return, Lansi waved his tail happily and chirped.
Carl: "…"