[Main Quest 2 (Phase 2): Protect the Third Prince, "Xize'er", from the assassination attempts of the First and Second Princes. Ensure the Third Prince survives until August 1st.]
Ji Minghuan's gaze swept over the black-and-blue text on the interface, and he imdiately flicked his plump, round shark tail.
Inside the crystal ball, the shark pondered to itself, 'So Li Qingping was telling the truth. The Third Prince's two older brothers really do want to kill him. But why target such a harmless, useless little brat? A battle for the throne?'
He shook his head, quickly tossing the thought aside. 'Well, I'll figure it out sooner or later.'
Ji Minghuan lowered his gaze and pulled up the character panel for his third avatar, "Yagubalu."
[Character Na: Yagubalu (Ultra-Miniature Form) (Different forms of Yagubalu possess different attributes.)]
'I see...' Ji Minghuan suddenly realized. 'No wonder a hundred-ter-long shark only has a D-grade in strength. It was ridiculously low, but it turns out it's because the body has been miniaturized.'
[Character Type: Magical Creature]
[Current Alias: None (Notoriousness in the real world is too low; has yet to make a na for itself.)]
[Character Age: ??? Years]
[Character Gender: Male]
[Base Attributes: Strength: D-grade; Speed: D-grade; Spirit: S-grade]
[Currently Held Event Cards: 0]
[Currently Held Attribute Points: 1]
[Currently Held Skill Points: 1]
[Current Number of Devoured Anecdote Fragnts: 0]
[Special Note: When the Eternal Abyss Shark shifts to its "dium Form," its Strength attribute increases, and its Speed attribute rises;
When shifting to its "Large Form," its Strength attribute continues to increase, and its Speed attribute decreases;
When shifting to its "Ultra-Large Form," its Strength attribute reaches its absolute peak, and its Speed attribute drops to its absolute lowest.]
Ji Minghuan's blue eyes scanned the chanical descriptions on the panel, and his imagination imdiately began to run wild.
'So when this shark maximizes its size, just how much will its Strength attribute skyrocket? Even if it's all blubber, it should at least hit A-grade, right?'
'Could it be... I never actually needed to assign stats to it from the start? That S-grade Spirit attribute is a huge tell. The base stats of this shark's true body definitely aren't low.'
Even as he thought this, he obediently allocated his single attribute point into "Strength."
[The "Strength" attribute of the third avatar, "Yagubalu," has changed: D-grade -> D -grade (Up 1 point)]
Having allocated his available attribute point, Ji Minghuan then pulled up the shark's skill tree.
[Branch One (Emperor): Dark Fang (Pending Acquisition) (1 Skill Point) -> ... (Unlocks after learning the previous skill)]
[Branch Two (Ocean): Dark Current Surge (Pending Acquisition) (1 Skill Point) -> ... (Unlocks after learning the previous skill)]
'There are actually only two branches?'
Ji Minghuan muttered in slight surprise before glancing at the text descriptions for both skills.
[Dark Fang: Briefly imbues your sharp teeth with dark energy capable of "devouring elents."]
[Dark Current Surge: Grants the power to manipulate "dark water currents," allowing you to fly through the air and vastly increasing your agility.]
'No matter how you look at it, I should learn this Dark Current Surge first, right? Otherwise, in places without water, wouldn't this shark just be wriggling on the ground like a maggot?'
With that in mind, Ji Minghuan slapped his shark tail against the "Dark Current Surge" text icon with a smack and held it down.
Imdiately after, the text reflected in the shark's pupils shifted from dim to bright, finally bursting into a flurry of intertwined black and blue colors. A prompt box popped up in the center of the display.
[Consud "1" Skill Point. Successfully acquired the "Ocean" branch skill: "Dark Current Surge."]
[Learning permissions for the next skill in the "Ocean" branch have been unlocked.]
'What's the new skill?' Ji Minghuan curiously glanced at the branch's latest addition.
[Branch Two (Ocean): Dark Current Surge (Acquired) -> Tsunami (Branch Terminus) (Requires "3" Skill Points to learn)]
'No way... It reached the "Branch Terminus" just like that? Does it really need to be this straightforward and crude?'
Ji Minghuan stared blankly, tilting his shark head as he mumbled to himself.
He felt like the words "Branch Terminus" were blinding him.
The third avatar's skill tree was worlds apart from his first two characters. By comparison, the Great Wall-like skill trees of "Black Cocoon" and the "Chess Player" looked a bit ridiculous now. Coming back to his senses, he couldn't help but sigh.
'Could this be... a legendary stat monster?'
Ji Minghuan quickly accepted the simple and crude skill chanics and opened the third avatar's "Exclusive Cultivation System."
[This character's exclusive cultivation system is the "Anecdote Gluttony System."]
[The core rules of the "Anecdote Gluttony System" are:
1. The more Anecdote Fragnts you devour, the larger your body will beco.
2. When you devour a Generation-grade Anecdote Fragnt or higher, you will awaken new powers.]
[This cultivation system does not feature Cultivation Missions.]
'No Cultivation Missions?' Ji Minghuan raised an eyebrow.
He thought about it differently. 'But looking at it from another angle, no matter how many Anecdote Fragnts it devours, there's a real-ti feedback of "increasing size." And if it swallows Generation-grade fragnts or above, it can awaken special powers... At this rate, this shark's upper limit might actually be higher than the other two characters.'
'If it could swallow a Mythical-grade Anomaly, wouldn't it just ascend straight to heaven?'
'But those things are way too hard to find. The currently known Mythical-grade Anecdote Fragnts in the world are all concentrated in the hands of the Salvation Society. The only one I know of is the "Monkey King Sun Wukong".'
After thoroughly understanding the chanics of his third avatar, Ji Minghuan quickly realized his most pressing priority: feed the shark as many Anecdote Fragnts as possible and try to grow its true body past two hundred ters in length.
And finally... swallow the Legendary Whale in a single bite.
By the ti it devoured the Legendary Whale, the shark's growth potential would likely be fully tapped out anyway.
Ji Minghuan used his shark tail to close all the panels reflecting in his pupils, then tested the effects of Dark Current Surge inside the crystal ball.
A mont later, black and blue water currents suddenly materialized around the shark, dragging its body into a high-speed dash around the crystal ball, completely churning the seawater inside upside down.
Just then, he heard footsteps approaching from outside the bedroom. The Third Prince must be back.
Ji Minghuan promptly turned off the skill, resting at the bottom of the crystal ball and quietly watching the bedroom entrance.
Xize'er walked in looking utterly dejected, the crown on his head tilted so far it was about to fall off.
"Where is this 'Li Qingping' you ntioned?" the shark asked once the boy drew near.
Xize'er sighed. "Li Qingping said that when he and my Second Brother went to Tokyo to attend the Auction, they ran into so troubleso matters. He has to report these things to our royal father first before he can co see . I don't know how long it will take..."
"What does that matter?" the shark said nonchalantly. "You'll just see him a bit later."
Xize'er picked up the crystal ball, lay on his stomach on the bed, and stared down at the little shark in a daze.
"Actually, I really want to be like my Second Brother. I want to leave this place and go see the outside world."
"You'll have your chance in the future."
"Really?" Xize'er asked softly.
"Of course." The shark humd confidently. 'Once I swallow the Legendary Whale, you'll have to see the outside world whether you want to or not. Are you happy now? So happy, right?' it thought to itself.
A brief silence draped over the two of them. Xize'er seed unwilling to speak further.
"You look a lot like a friend of mine," the shark in the crystal ball suddenly remarked.
"Why?" Xize'er tilted his head. "Does your friend have albinism too?"
"Yep."
"Albinism is so troubleso. When the sunlight is too strong, I can barely open my eyes," Xize'er muttered, puffing out his cheeks.
"It's fine. I can be your eyes."
The shark's eyes burned with intensity, its tone so sincere it sounded as if it had read The Story of My Life a hundred tis overnight.
"Yagubalu... you make it sound like I'm blind," Xize'er said, baffled.
"Oh, then I won't be your eyes."
As they chatted, Ji Minghuan suddenly rembered Lan Duo Duo, who had t a violent end in the Auction House.
Controlling the shark, he asked, "By the way... if an Anecdote Envoy dies, do the Anecdote Fragnts in their Anecdote Catalog disappear? If they don't disappear... where do those fragnts go?"
"My textbooks ntioned this before! If it's a Generation-grade Anomaly, it will remain where it is. Anomalies of other grades will return to nature."
"I understand... So, could you take outside to have a look?" the shark asked, secretly thinking, 'Hurry up and show just how massive of a territory I'll be eating next.'
"Of course! Co with !"
With that, Xize'er climbed out of bed, holding the crystal ball, and excitedly trotted over to the terrace connected to his bedroom.
He placed the crystal ball on the railing, tilted his head up, and looked out at the world inside the whale's belly alongside the shark.
The sky was the color of evening twilight, fiery light spilling down from the whale's belly above. Schools of vibrant, multi-colored fish swam beneath the canopy like flocks of birds.
Xize'er and the shark were currently high up on a floating island.
Gazing down from the terrace of the dieval castle, an expansive ocean stretched out below, dotted with nurous isolated, floating islands. The islands were half mountain, half human towns. It seed so sort of festival was taking place today; residents stood shoulder-to-shoulder in circles around bonfires, dancing and drinking strong alcohol.
"It's so high up here. Where exactly are we?" the shark asked curiously.
"This is the Floating Royal Court. My royal father, my mother, my brothers, and I have lived here since we were little. Everyone else lives on the small islands down below. The small islands drift on the sea, and for a few days each month, they gather together. During that ti, the residents all congregate on the center-most island, singing, dancing, and sharing delicious food together."
"So is it dusk right now?" the shark asked.
It looked up at the madder-red sky. Strictly speaking, it wasn't a sky, but the belly of a whale.
"Yeah! The Whalegarden doesn't have dayti, only dusk and night. It's about to be nightfall," Xize'er explained patiently as he watched the sky slowly darken.
"And what place is that over there?" The shark pressed its face against the crystal ball, its eyes locked onto a floating hall.
A massive knight statue stood outside the hall. The residual red of the setting sun draped over the statue, making it look exceedingly solemn.
"That's the Royal Court Hall!" Xize'er said excitedly. "After historical mbers of the Royal Court Squad pass away, the royal family builds a statue for them and places it in that hall, engraving their life experiences on it."
He paused. "The Generation-grade Anecdote Fragnts they used are also left inside the Royal Court Hall. Certain gifted individuals are chosen to enter the hall and see if they can resonate with the Anecdote Fragnts."
"And what's the Royal Court Squad?"
"They are heroes who have protected our royal family for generations. Only the most outstanding Anecdote Envoys are selected to beco mbers of the Royal Court Squad. You need to possess at least one Generation-grade Anecdote Fragnt to even join."
"Wow... That sounds really impressive." The shark thought for a mont. "So, could you sneak into the Royal Court Hall and secretly feed the Anecdote Fragnts of those heroes?"
"Huh?"
The shark spoke with utter seriousness. "Think about it. By leaving Generation-grade fragnts in the Royal Court Hall, doesn't that give people with ulterior motives an exploitable opportunity? But if you hide the Anecdote Fragnts in my stomach, those bad guys will never be able to find them again!"
Xize'er froze, his face paling in shock. "Of course not! My brothers and father would scold to death. Even a prince can't just casually enter the Royal Court Hall. It's the most heavily guarded place in the entire Whalegarden."
"Oh, well."
The little shark looked away in dismay.
"Oh, right! That 'Li Qingping' I ntioned earlier is a mber of the Royal Court Squad. He's even the vice-captain... But he rarely cos back, choosing to spend most of his ti in the outside world. My royal father actually got angry about this before."
"Even so... this Li Qingping doesn't seem very bright," the shark said. "Although I haven't t him, I just feel like he doesn't look very smart."
"You're not allowed to say bad things about Li Qingping!"
Xize'er got angry. He vigorously shook the crystal ball until the dizzy and disoriented shark begged for rcy, only then stopping.
He lowered his eyelids and said softly, "Every ti Li Qingping cos back, he tells stories about the outside world. Things like Tokyo, London... He says the outside world has mornings, noons, dusks, and nights, not like the Whalegarden that only alternates between dusk and night. He also said humans outside use small iron blocks called 'mobile phones' to communicate, unlike us. We all communicate using the 'Pigeon ssenger' Anecdote Fragnts."
"It sounds like... you really like this Li Qingping?" The shark studied Xize'er's expression.
Xize'er's lips curled into a smile. "Of course. He's the only one in the Royal Court Squad I'm familiar with. Everyone else prefers associating with my two older brothers. Even if they run into , they just salute and run off. They aren't even willing to chat with for a bit."
He paused. "Everyone treats like a child. Only Li Qingping understands ."
"He sounds like a good person."
"Li Qingping is amazing," Xize'er said softly. "He was the first person capable of resonating with the Anecdote Fragnts left behind by those heroes in the Royal Court Hall. But in the end, he didn't accept those fragnts. Instead, he left this place to explore the outside world all on his own, eventually finding the Generation-grade fragnt 'Red Dragon Wales'."
He lowered his voice. "Everyone says he's a genius seen only once in ten million years. He was only twelve when he left the Whalegarden. I'm twelve years old now too, but I can't do anything, and I don't know anything... I've never even taken a single step outside the royal palace."
As he spoke, the Third Prince's voice gradually faded, his face showing a disappointnt he couldn't hide.
Seeing his sad expression, the shark looked up at the dimming sky.
"It's nightfall," he said softly.
Xize'er looked up.
As night arrived, the canopy of the Whalegarden seed to transform into rolling tides. Countless pinpricks of fluorescent light surrounded the sky full of fish, the endless schools swimming quietly across the bottom of the whale's belly, decorating the pitch-black sky like stars.
Just then, a bird entirely wreathed in roaring flas flew over from one corner of the island.
It trailed dazzling, peacock-like tail feathers, letting out a low cry toward Xize'er on the terrace.
"It's Li Qingping's Phoenix!" Xize'er cried out, overjoyed.
He looked at the Phoenix, then turned to look at the entrance of the floating island.
Sure enough, Li Qingping, dressed in a black suit, was standing at the entrance to the floating city. With one hand in his pocket and a smile on his face, he waved at Xize'er from a distance.
"Li Qingping is here!" Xize'er said.
"The massive idiot is here," the little shark muttered.
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