Jade May had already fallen asleep inside the shell. I leaned quietly against the conch wall, lost in thought. For some reason, I felt strange, a little lonely, even somewhat sad. I couldn't remember anything at all.
Everything now feels odd to me. In my mind, I know about the ancient texts Jade May just mentioned—many of them record rare and fantastic beasts, creatures that don't exist in reality, only in the texts, in stories passed down by word of mouth, and in people's imagination.
I grabbed a piece of meat nearby, took a bite, and immediately tasted its fresh sweetness. Surprised, I looked down as my stomach growled. Staring at the meat in my hand, I began to eat ravenously.
But soon after eating, I could feel my body reacting—a real sense of fullness, so vivid it was almost unbelievable. I stared at myself in disbelief as my body started to change, little by little.
My body, once just shifting light and shadow, began to form solid feet. But the changes stopped as they reached my upper body, which remained a flickering silhouette.
Feeling a bit helpless, I stood up and left the conch house. The village was empty of Merfolk, except for a few strong ones holding spears atop the distant towers.
Everything before me was too shocking—these things shouldn't exist in front of my eyes. That was my first reaction.
Everything Jade May just told me is almost impossible to understand. They are one of those legendary beasts passed down through generations in the Living World—the Merfolk.
The reason I exist here is the power of imagination. Someone is still imagining me alive, or perhaps still missing me. Otherwise, whether human or ghost, no one could easily enter the Illusory Realm after death. Only a few people ever make it here, and I happen to be one of them.
According to Jade May, it's been nearly a thousand years since they've seen a human here. I wandered through the village, the ground beneath me paved with bright white stones. The village was large—there must be thousands of Merfolk living here. Jade May said they've thrived here for over ten thousand years. This body of water connects every part of the Illusory Realm, and the Merfolk arrived here over four centuries ago. Though they're powerful and fast in water, when faced with even stronger beasts, they're powerless.
They can reproduce, but because there are so many powerful enemies in the Illusory Realm, it's a world where the strong prey on the weak. The Merfolk are forced to migrate from time to time. This body of water has been peaceful for over three centuries now, with no encounters with especially strong beasts. The nearby ones are mild and only eat small fish and shrimp, never attacking the Merfolk proactively.
I've come to understand this wondrous world to some degree, and my perception is clear, but I still can't remember who I am or why I ended up here.
I stopped for a moment. On a tall tower built from shells, a Merfolk glanced at me, then turned to watch the outskirts again.
After circling the village, I was already familiar with the place. When I returned to Jade May's home, she was still sleeping inside the shell, her fish tail sticking out.
Then I noticed my feet again—the solid form was fading, my thighs starting to blur.
There was a sound as the shell opened. Jade May stretched, rubbed her eyes, and smiled at me.
"What's wrong, Qingyuan? You look so troubled."
I shook my head and looked at her with confusion.
"Maybe that's not my name."
"Everyone who enters the Illusory Realm brings the most important thing from their life with them. So, nine times out of ten, Qingyuan is probably your real name."
I made a sound of acknowledgment, and Jade May pulled me outside. On the street, there were now many more Merfolk. Some Merfolk children approached me, smiling with curiosity, as if I were some rare and exotic creature they'd never seen before.
I smiled helplessly and began to play with them.
Some of the older Merfolk headed out to gather food. I stayed quietly in the village as the Merfolk children bombarded me with all sorts of questions. I couldn't answer most of them—after all, I didn't even know who I was. But I did know a few things about human society, so I began to tell them stories with enthusiasm. Yet no matter how I described it, they'd never seen any of it for themselves.
Then I saw the Elder Merman walking toward me from not far away. He glanced at me.
"You need to keep eating, Qingyuan. Otherwise, your body won't materialize."
More Merfolk children crowded around, holding out small pieces of pink meat. Though tiny, I gratefully accepted and ate them. After a while, my body began to recover, solidifying up to my stomach. It was a strange sensation—suddenly having substance again, a rush of real fullness.
A clanging noise rang out, and in an instant I heard a violent bell sound. The Merfolk children around me quickly retreated to the nearby conch houses. The Elder Merman was startled and turned to swim away at great speed. Before I could grasp what was happening, the Merfolk had already taken up spears, spreading out in the water ahead of me. Some held ropes, some wielded spears, all waiting for something.
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I slowly moved to the top of a conch house and looked out into the distant water. A pale blue shape darted toward us like a snake. As it got closer, I saw it clearly—a dragon more than ten meters long, but without horns. It was an Azure Serpent.
I watched in shock as the Elder Merman charged ahead at full speed.
With a roar, I heard the Azure Serpent's cry as it opened its bloody maw. The Elder Merman gripped the serpent's jaws with both hands, and instantly the creature thrashed violently. Its strength was immense, and the water surged with turbulence. I stared in shock as the Elder Merman pushed the serpent toward the village.
Some Merfolk rushed over with ropes, trying to restrain the Azure Serpent, but it was clever—it turned and quickly swam away.
"What do you want? Our tribe has no grudge against you."
The Elder Merman's broad shoulder had been slashed open, blood drifting through the water. The Azure Serpent, its eyes red, glared around.
It was clear the Merfolk were no match for it. Thirty or forty Merfolk slowly approached with weapons raised. Suddenly, the Azure Serpent opened its mouth wide and spat out a blast of white-hot breath. Instantly, the water ahead froze solid, trapping more than a dozen Merfolk who couldn't dodge in time. The others darted to the sides and thrust their weapons at the serpent.
A metallic clang rang out—the Azure Serpent's skin was as tough as steel. It shook violently, sending the surrounding Merfolk flying. With a roar, it lunged like lightning and bit into the Elder Merman's shoulder, its sharp teeth sinking deep into the flesh. I stared wide-eyed, shocked, clenching my fists. Just then, some Merfolk who'd gone out to gather food returned, sensing the commotion and rushing over.
The Azure Serpent released the Elder Merman and, seeing the gathering Merfolk, opened its mouth again.
"Don't go near it!"
The Elder Merman shouted. I saw Jade May among them, and the Merfolk all grabbed their weapons.
Then I saw all the Merfolk's mouths fill with tiny bean-like pellets. As they opened their mouths, just as the Azure Serpent charged, I heard a piercing, shrill sound—the Merfolk were screaming.
The water seemed to boil, trembling as hundreds of Merfolk shrieked, producing an astonishingly sharp cry.
The Azure Serpent stopped, or rather, was halted by the Merfolk's cries. In the steaming water, it seemed to be boiling alive. Its eyes widened, mouth and nose appeared, and cracks formed on its scales. At that moment, some Merfolk suddenly attacked.
The Azure Serpent spun around and darted away at lightning speed, quickly vanishing from sight.
All the Merfolk hurried over. The Elder Merman was still bleeding and looked extremely weak. Some Merfolk began breaking the ice to free those who'd been frozen inside.
But then I saw that the Merfolk who had just screamed fell unconscious in the village. Jade May and Jako Chen were among them. The villagers rushed out, lifting them up and carrying them home.
I stared in disbelief at everything before me—and at the battle that had just unfolded.
It seemed the Merfolk had some fighting ability, but against such a massive beast, they struggled and were clearly outmatched. If not for the Elder Merman, the Azure Serpent might have reached the village.
Many Merfolk looked pale, gathering around the Elder Merman.
"Don't worry, everyone. I'll find someone to ask for help."