Races: Online (VR Smartphone App)

The Mid Autumn Festival was far from over, but it was the end of Han Jing's short meeting with the other Races. Gone were the sight of glue and other assorted items that lay on the wooden desk, no more glitter or nice little shells.

Faeranduil the Wood Elf from the realm of the Fey was gone.

Jilanya the Demon Lord from the Abyss was also leaving.

The closest that Han Jing had to a friend was Odele the Mermaid but even her place was in the deepest parts of the ocean. The territory of Merfolk far beyond what he could ever imagine.

So they sat together on the breakfast table, the meal slightly forgotten—only a tad, because both and even Jilanya herself would not let the food go to waste. Except for this moment, the Mermaid placed a pouch of what seemed to be seaweeds on the table,

Out of it came the pearls.

Each one had different shapes and sizes, not one was a perfectly round shape and yet each one was the color of the midnight. Han Jing tried to keep a calm face, but his hands betrayed him as he tapped his fingers on the table.

This was practically what he was waiting for all this time.

The Mermaid counted each pearl out.

"One for welcoming me here to the land and also for the trouble of our current accommodations. You did serve or had your people serve us a good meal—seafood, not an obvious choice for a Merfolk diet, but it was also good."

"Weren't you guys the one who ordered the food?" Han Jing pointed out in the first place with a raised brow.

"Oh, right—but that restaurant was mostly seafood. This city of yours is located near to the sea after all, so most of the dishes available were seafood." Odele answered without missing a beat.

Han Jing could't argue about that.

About half of an hour passed before Odele finally finished counting them out much to the relief of him. What seemed 'brief' to the Mermaid didn't equate equally to Han Jing… but she counted approximately a hundred pearls for him.

The Mermaid placed them in a small seaweed pouch and provided it for him.

"It's a small pouch that can hold up—a little bit more than it looks like. Well, you can't exactly fit a human adult here, and you wouldn't… but it's roomy enough for the pearls and maybe some other items if you wish," Odele said with a smile.

"Are you for real?" Han Jing stared at her.

Odele's brows crossed in worry and at his tone. It was strange for the usually calm and relaxed Human to suddenly throw out words like that and she wondered if he was going to attempt to ask for more.

"Do you have problems with the number, Han?" she asked.

The Demon Lord Jilanya who happened to still be around—for whatever reason—muttered underneath her breath. "Son of Avarice." 

Han Jing was quick to shake his head and smile at the Mermaid to assure her that he was fine. "I'm actually surprised by what you gave me… I wouldn't have complained if you gave me ten or even five pearls. Well, I would have nagged a bit since the hotel and trip here is a tad expensive… but you gave me so much."

"Do you want me to take back some?"

"Of course, not!" Han Jing slammed his hand down on the table. "This is perfect—just enough. Well, I shouldn't have been expecting myself to land in a pot of gold, there's no rainbow here, but this is amazing. You're wonderful, Odele, thank you."

"You're welcome, Han." Odele smiled back at him and inclined her head. "It was a pleasure staying here with you three."

Jilanya rolled her eyes. "Oh, he gives compliments when you give him valuables."

"Hey, I'm not that shallow—I know when to give compliments when I'm genuinely impressed. Like your shooting skills, pretty accurate… but this is a life changer for me." Han Jing said as he took out his phone and practically shoved the soggy seaweed pouch into his pocket.

The Demon Lord pursed her lips. "Life changing?"

"To what degree, Han?" Odele asked. "Is it enough for us to extend our stay here in the hotel and have more trips together?"

"Do you not have any responsibilities with your Merfolk?" Jilanya raised her brow. 

"Some… but my sisters can easily cover for me if deemed necessary. Or if I ask nicely." Odele explained with a relaxed shrug.

Both the Demon Lord and Han Jing found themselves envying her at that moment. The two and even the Wood Elf had duties that required Faeran to return before any of them, but this Mermaid was carefree and free enough to stay on land still?

"Well, it's more than enough for me to live without working for a year." Han Jing explained. It was just a year—but that was like… a lot of free time if he knew how to play it right. "However, that's only taking into account the cost of a single person."

"Oh, you provide for your family?" Jilanya asked.

"...I can't just keep staying there for free. My father's already disappointed as it is—he left the province with my mother to work here in the city and start a new life and thought it was a better opportunity."

"Hmmm…" Odele looked at Han. "It reminds me of the time when my uncle traveled to the dark trench abyss—not related to the Demon's territory, but to the darkest parts of the ocean where my people don't even visit due to how dangerous those depths are."

"What happened to your uncle? Did he uncover some treasure? Or became the king of Atlantis?"

The Mermaid clasped her hands together and smiled. "Oh, he was eaten by a megalodon—at least that's what my aunt tells me. It could have been a kraken for all we know."

"... I see, that's an interesting story. Thanks for sharing it with us." 

Jilanya herself didn't look that impressed with the story and Han Jing just didn't know what to say to that. 

It wasn't like his family stepped into a place that was far beyond their living expenses—sure, they were barely living above the minimum cost of living and scraping by for Jinjing's private tuition… but it wasn't as bad as being eaten by what was supposed to be an extinct shark.

"You know what, I think I'd try my chances with that shark," Han Jing laughed in the end.

Odele gave him a serious look. "That creature is impervious to the sharpest tridents and specialized hydro magic—it has also knocked off a Merfolk that attempted to paralyze and poison it with gigantic jellyfishes."

"Yeah—I know you're making it sound bad and all, but you're talking to the specific type of people who'd want to get run over by an isekai truck to travel to another world. A shark doesn't sound bad. If I could breathe underwater, try me."

"Humans are deranged in a sense." Jilanya added helpfully for Odele.

"Well, at least a certain part of the population." Han Jing explained and scratched his head. "I mean, most of the people like my parents are pretty traditionalist and stick to what they know. It's why I end up with a pretty 'safe' university degree where people are bound to hire me."

The Mermaid gave him a look. "If that's the case… then why are you here and doing all of this?"

"Bad luck? Loss of meaning and trying to fulfill it with this sense of adventure to fight off my existential dread? Who knows--I just know that these one hundred pearls are equivalent to one hundred and thirty thousand yuan for me once Dai Song Lan buys them. My family spends approximately six hundred thousand in a year and that's barely decent living here."

"Oh, so it's not that big of a payment… these pearls." Odele frowned slightly. "If I had known that, then I should have brought at least more than a hundred or gotten something more valuable for you."

Han Jing quickly raised a hand and shook his head. "Nah, I'm selling them at the average price of a pearl--maybe they're supposed to be a tad more expensive. I'll try to raise it up, but that might just make it less likely for Dai Song Lan to buy them."

"You're not selling them at their true value," Jilanya pointed out with a shrug. "These pearls can extend your lifespan--my people get human's souls for just a life extension filled with wealth, fame and riches. You're selling yourself short to that cultivator and I'm sure he knows it."

"Well, we already kind of got into an agreement and I already can't imagine he'd buy all of them in bulk." Han Jing said. "It's not a miracle, but it's pretty damn great already. I'm already thrilled about what I could do to help out my family. Maybe I'll look into learning more natural growing magic if I can. Continue the flower business that Faeran and I started."

"Or kill monsters like that cultivator."

"... That too." Han Jing scratched his head. "But that sounds kinda risky? I mean, I'm still surprised an actual demon hasn't killed me."

Jilanya narrowed her eyes at him. "We have sentience and rational thoughts to determine your worth."

"Right, but monsters don't have that." Han Jing acknowledged. "I'd get ripped into shreds or something if I take it too slow or miss a dodge. Then I'm dead."

"Then what was all that talk about meeting a megalodon?" Odele asked and raised her brows. "You try to sound like you're different from your parents, but you're also not risking that much, aren't you, Han?"

"That's…"