Chapter 8: Lord of the Sea Abyss × Researcher (8)

The words spoken by Shen Rongyu seemed casual, as if they were just engaged in ordinary conversation.

Ji Qingzhuo had now stepped out of the tense atmosphere caused by their close proximity earlier, and she continued typing on the keyboard.

"Yes." This was Ji Qingzhuo's ability; she had an unparalleled sensitivity to numbers, to the point where she could obtain precise values for many data without the need for measuring tools.

Even so, she wouldn't completely abandon the use of measuring tools. The reason was simple... she needed to touch and calculate to obtain the results she desired.

Shen Rongyu picked up a flexible ruler from the ground and handed it to Ji Qingzhuo. He spoke in a soft, gentle tone, "So, why did you go through all the trouble earlier?"

He was referring to the fact that Ji Qingzhuo clearly had such abilities, but still used measuring tools unnecessarily.

Ji Qingzhuo paused again, finally hearing the teasing tone in his words. But she still explained seriously, "If I want to obtain precise data, I have to do it like I did just now."

Ji Qingzhuo closed the screen of her electronic device, and in a very soft voice, she declined, "Mr. Shen, I know you have a good temper, but in my opinion, it would be offensive to you if I were to do that."

Shen Rongyu continued to smile, resting his chin on his hand. By now, the sky had darkened, and Ji Qingzhuo had obtained the data for the first phase she wanted. She was ready to leave.

"When you come down tomorrow, I will bring you some daily necessities." Ji Qingzhuo handed Shen Rongyu her already prepared list. "Mr. Shen, is there anything you need to add?"

Shen Rongyu briefly glanced at the list. He could actually live without following the human way of life, but since he had already decided to disguise himself, he added some options to the list according to his own habits.

"Then I'll trouble Miss Ji to bring these things down for me." Shen Rongyu nodded at her.

He searched through a small box in the corner of the cabin and took out some jewelry, which had ancient styles and were presumably treasures buried with the sunken ship.

However, only the gold had any value left. The other precious gemstones on the jewelry could now be replicated using modern technology, with even higher levels of clarity.

Shen Rongyu handed Ji Qingzhuo the gold blocks, which were made from melted gold. "I know Miss Ji is a little tight on money, so-"

Ji Qingzhuo could roughly calculate the value of these gold blocks. Even a small one, weighing heavily in her palm, would be worth several months' worth of her salary - which also meant that this amount of money could cover several months' worth of loan payments.

"Mr. Shen, this is too much." Ji Qingzhuo held onto the gold blocks. "Do you want me to deposit the remaining amount into your bank account?"

"But it might be difficult for your current status to register in the independent city..." Ji Qingzhuo remembered the city regulations. With the development of multiple different planets, some residents now living in independent cities also had non-human forms. However, this planet was mostly inhabited by ordinary humans, so registration of non-human identities was strict.

"Just put it in Miss Ji's account." Shen Rongyu gazed at her.

Ji Qingzhuo nodded. She didn't decline too much, after all, pushing back and forth would only result in the same outcome.

She returned to the shore and ordered a new drink at the seaside tavern. 

"Peach juice." The tavern owner was somewhat surprised. He stuck his head out from a pile of toys and video games, curious as he asked, "Miss Ji, you didn't use to drink such sweet things before."

Ji Qingzhuo didn't want to admit that she had changed her habits a bit because of what Shen Rongyu had said earlier. Maybe if she chose a different taste – one he probably wouldn't like – he wouldn't say those odd things. After all, for her, it didn't matter what she drank.

She leaned on the bar, sipping the peach juice in her glass.

"You've been spending more and more time at sea these past few days." The owner seemed to have noticed something.

"I found something of research value." Ji Qingzhuo's response was brief.

"This is just an ordinary sea." The owner smiled and said, "But for us who rely on this sea for a living, it breathes."

"The breath of the ocean?" Ji Qingzhuo pressed her fingerprints on the glass of the chilled peach juice as she asked, "The breath of the ocean... a beautiful expression."

"Go and listen for yourself, the tides, the sound of the waves, and the wind. They are much more interesting than dry data," the owner of the tavern said with a smile. "The weather at sea today is good. The sea birds are flying over the surface with excitement - their flying speed is faster than usual, with a lighter rhythm. It's adorable."

Ji Qingzhuo liked the expression. The breathing ocean... it symbolized the water, gravity, monsoons, landforms, and creatures in the sea becoming musical notes, together forming the rhythm of the ocean's pulse.

She had been too busy with work and rarely went for sampling at sea. She had never heard such information from the tavern owner, and today, as she listened, she found it interesting.

So after returning home in the evening, she opened the glass wall in her living room facing the ocean. She felt the sea breeze rushing in, passing through the cracks in the room, emitting a faint "whooing" sound.

The waves repeatedly hit the glass floor outside the house, bringing up sand, stones, and seashells from the sea. In the midst of this natural breath, Ji Qingzhuo quickly heard the hidden numbers.

The rhythmic breathing of the sea breeze, the gentle caress of the waves on the shore, they really seemed like... a pulse.

These numbers, this rhythm and fluctuation, formed digital curves in Ji Qingzhuo's mind, and then matched up with a string of numbers she recorded in her electronic device today.

The breathing rhythm and heart rate of Shen Rongyu seemed to fit miraculously!

Ji Qingzhuo was originally sitting on the sofa with her knees hugged, feeling the sea breeze. Because of the slightly intoxicating sea breeze, she gently closed her eyes and felt a bit drowsy. But as soon as she realized this pattern, she suddenly opened her eyes wide.

Shen Rongyu had a strong connection with this sea.

He was even like... the Night Ripple Sea itself.

Ji Qingzhuo's speculation needed data support, and she suddenly remembered the words of the tavern owner today - "The sea birds were flying faster today. They glided over the sea as if they were dancing."

She accessed the surveillance of the central area of the Night Ripple Sea through her personal terminal. The Night Ripple Sea belongs to her, and if she wanted to know any information, the basic facilities in the sea area would inform her.

Indeed, Ji Qingzhuo saw the scene the tavern owner had mentioned. It wasn't the white sea birds creating a special rhythm on the sea surface, but... she saw the gently surging waves rising up with a lively rhythm, splashing foam, attracting the playful chasing of those sea birds. Even the takeoff and landing of the sea birds were in sync with the surging of the waves.

And this rhythm and frequency...

Ji Qingzhuo found the other set of data she had recorded today from Shen Rongyu, which was not the data he recorded under normal circumstances, but she carefully noted it all down.

-"Mr. Shen, your heartbeat seems a bit fast. Is this your usual heart rate?"

-"No."

-"Is it faster or slower?"

-"Faster."

-"Why?"

-"Miss Ji."

-"Hmm?"

She didn't want to remember the rest of the conversation.

Ji Qingzhuo rhythmically tapped the table with her fingers. Gradually, her face turned red again, as if everyone had seen what happened between her and Shen Rongyu underwater.

The Night Ripple Sea revealed a part of his emotional state. Ji Qingzhuo compared it with the previous long string of data from the Night Ripple Sea, and she found that the closer it was to the day she met Shen Rongyu underwater, the more frequent the changes at sea became - as if it was a prelude to something awakening.

The day she met Shen Rongyu happened to be the day he woke up.

A rational mind told Ji Qingzuo that it was impossible for a person to have a connection with an entire region. If that were the case, how terrifying would that person be?

Ji Qingzuo felt that she had encountered an unprecedented dilemma. With her current experience, it would take some time before she could come up with a conclusion. If she wanted to know the truth, she would need more in-depth data and samples.

In the following days, she procured daily necessities for Shen Rongyu and temporarily suspended the collection of other samples. Instead, she recorded his physical information in more detail and compared it with the data from the Nightlan Sea.

Of course, she didn't hide her research results from Shen Rongyu and shared them directly with him.

After Ji Qingzuo presented her hypothesis, Shen Rongyu looked at the stack of research reports in his hands, his expression unclear.

He found it hard to believe that he could have a connection with... an entire sea.

How could something like this happen?

Was it related to his cursed tail?

Shen Rongyu pondered silently, not revealing his thoughts. He simply smiled and said to Ji Qingzuo, "Miss Ji, I'm sorry, I didn't know about this."

The confusion intentionally displayed in his eyes was genuine, causing Ji Qingzuo, who had been observing him, to hold her breath involuntarily. She couldn't help but feel that Shen Rongyu seemed a bit pitiful.

It was as if he had forgotten everything. He had been asleep for thousands of years, during which time the Nightlan Sea, like many other oceans, had experienced countless upheavals, most of which were the work of humans, resulting in the scarcity of natural oceans today.

He seemed like... a survivor from a bygone era, powerful yet ignorant of the ways of the world.

"It's alright," Ji Qingzuo said.

"What's alright?" Shen Rongyu asked, unaware that Ji Qingzuo had already come up with a tragic story in her mind.

His story was far from tragic, to be more accurate, it was a case of reaping what he had sowed, a deserving punishment.

"I...," Ji Qingzuo was about to mention that she had bought the Nightlan Sea from An Kun and that no one could do anything to this sea anymore. But then she remembered the huge loan she would soon be unable to repay.

Of course... the most important thing was that he, who was connected to this ocean, knew that his sea no longer belonged to him and had become an "item" that could be freely bought and sold on the trading market.

Only when a natural person is stripped of their human rights will they be subjected to trade. But as soon as he woke up, he became a tradable object.

Ji Qingzuo immersed herself in the story she had "reasonably fabricated." She didn't want to tell Shen Rongyu this cruel truth, so she changed the subject and said, "I will protect this sea."

She wasn't good at speaking, so the topic change felt forced. Shen Rongyu observed her, and he could see how Ji Qingzuo swallowed the words she was about to say and changed the subject to something else.

Shen Rongyu knew that she was keeping something from him; she couldn't even hide it from herself.

What could it be?

He became more excited. The ignorant humans who could be deceived by him were not interesting at all.

The struggle of prey was the most fun. He didn't want Ji Qingzuo to surrender and be defenseless, knowing everything, so quickly...

The two of them were thinking about completely different things until Ji Qingzuo approached him and said, "Well... let's continue today's data collection."

She pressed the earpiece against Shen Rongyu's chest and heard his excited heartbeat, pounding on her eardrums.

The scariest thing about Ji Qingzuo was that she could hear people's emotions from this kind of data.

She knew that she had just kept something from Shen Rongyu and had appeared quite helpless. The way she changed the subject was also clumsy.

Why was he so excited?

Ji Qingzuo looked up suddenly, her eyes meeting Shen Rongyu's. His eyes still held a smile, but this focused and affectionate smile was a sweet trap.

She would step into it and get her foot stuck in the sticky sweetness of the trap. At first, she could struggle, but eventually, the soft candy would harden, and she would be trapped.

Ji Qingzuo had no doubt about her assessment of the danger posed by Shen Rongyu. She bit her lip, avoided his gaze, and lowered her head.

The research continued, and during this time, the business manager who had been keeping an eye on Ji Qingzuo's bank account noticed a significant increase in funds.

- It was the cash exchanged for the gold bars given to her by Shen Rongyu.