Chapter 78: Gift from the Deep Sea

The first Tuesday of every month is the Day of Divine Grace in Buli Fu.

On this day, the townspeople organize a celebration to praise the Great Mother’s mercy and generosity for granting them their wonderful life today.

The celebration is held in the town center, where the townspeople enjoy grilled fish and meat while drinking fine wine.

The celebrating crowd forms a long line, holding torches, singing and dancing all the way from the tavern to the cathedral, with the revelry continuing throughout the night.

Yet, during the lulls in the celebration, some people always stop their movements, their gazes drifting involuntarily toward the mountainous area on the west side of the island, filled with longing.

They know that the celebration held there is the true Day of Divine Grace where one can receive the deity’s blessing.

At the edge of the western mountainous region, near the cliffs overlooking the sea, a perilous mountain path hangs along the side of the mountain.

The path is less than two feet wide; standing facing the mountain, the back half of one's feet would hang over the edge.

An iron chain is fixed to the cliff, and one must grasp it tightly with both hands while shuffling downward along the narrow path to reach the bottom of the cliff.

Even with Wu Chang’s attributes, he finds the trek down somewhat strenuous, yet Mayor Harrison, who is accompanying him, does not even pant.

The anticipation of what is to come dilutes Mayor Harrison’s fatigue, and he points downward, saying:

"Keep up, Xiao En. Once we reach the bottom, we will be at the place for tonight’s gathering."

When the two reach the base of the cliff, over a hundred townspeople are already waiting below.

According to what Harrison said on the way, only the hundred townspeople who worked the hardest last month, along with members of the Town Council, are qualified to attend the celebration at the bottom of the cliff.

The venue for the celebration is no different from an ordinary coastline; the only thing worth noting is a bronze statue of a flying fish standing on the shore.

Harrison leads Wu Chang to a tall reef, holds up the letter of recommendation filled with names, and introduces him to everyone: "This outstanding young man beside me is the new postman on the island. Everyone should have already met him. Although Xiao En has only recently arrived on the island, I believe his seriousness, diligence, and hard work have already earned everyone’s recognition."

Among the crowd below, many are townspeople who received mail yesterday; they highly approve of Wu Chang and take the lead in cheering.

Encouraged by them, the other townspeople who have not had contact with Wu Chang also follow suit and accept him.

"The length of time is not the only standard for determining whether an outsider has integrated here. In Xiao En, I have seen his love for Buli Fu; this sincere attitude is more precious than anything else."

"I believe he is a role model—a role model for any outsider who wishes to integrate into Buli Fu. He has not only gained my approval but also the approval of the other two town councilors. According to tradition, our Mr. Xiao En will represent the other outsiders on the island and become the town’s new town councilor!"

After Harrison finishes speaking, the townspeople applaud in cooperation.

Amidst the applause, Mo Leina pins the badge representing a town councilor onto Wu Chang. While pinning it, she gives Wu Chang a look, reminding him not to forget the agreement between the two of them.

"Item Name: Town Councilor Badge"

"Item Type: Special"

"Item Description: Wearing this badge will earn the respect of the townspeople of Buli Fu and allow you to command the townspeople to a certain extent. While within the territory of Buli Fu, holding this dungeon item gives a probability of seeing an additional piece of information."

"Note: The name of the corresponding councilor is engraved on the back of the badge. Only that councilor can wear it; it cannot be transferred and cannot be stolen."

After the brief inauguration ceremony, the crowd returns to silence. The townspeople gather in groups of seven or eight to chat, but if one observes closely, one can see they are somewhat distracted.

They look at the sky, then at their pocket watches, and then out at the sea, seemingly waiting for something to arrive.

As time passes, the full moon in the sky rises to its highest point, the sound of the waves grows louder, and the tide gradually rises, submerging the coastline where everyone is standing.

The townspeople are long familiar with the changes before them and skillfully climb onto the reefs, gazing eagerly at the tide.

Seeing that the time is right, Harrison asks a councilor: "Have all the people arrived?"

The councilor replies: "Ma Di and Professor Ebeite have not come yet."

"The reason? They don't seem like the type to miss the celebration," Harrison asks.

"Professor Ebeite has fallen seriously ill and is receiving treatment at the town hospital; he can't even get out of bed. There is no news from Ma Di's side. People were sent to his house, but it was dark inside, and he seems to have gone out."

Harrison: "Then we won't wait for him. You all better hurry with your mouths, lest Ma Di doesn't make it in time and ends up wanting other people's shares." The councilor grins, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth. "Don't worry, I don't have the habit of leaving leftovers."

Wu Chang watches from the side, not understanding, but seeing others waiting, he waits along with them.

The moment the tide submerges the bronze flying fish statue, a sudden change occurs.

The full moon in the sky seems to crash into the sea, and a huge circular light illuminates the sea area off the cliff, centered on the bronze flying fish statue.

Beneath the glowing water, a dense sound of splashing emerges, like birds flapping their wings.

The next moment, countless golden flying fish leap out of the water, stretching their bodies as they bathe in the radiance of the full moon.

"The Divine Grace has arrived!"

"The Divine Grace has arrived!"

"The Divine Grace has arrived!"

The townspeople cheer while leaping into the water to catch the flying fish jumping out of the sea.

Wu Chang asks Harrison in surprise: "Mayor, what is this?"

"This is Divine Grace, child. Go quickly and grab the Divine Grace that belongs to you; don't let it run away! But remember, only two per person, you must not catch more!"

At this moment, Harrison’s gaze is completely captivated by the golden flying fish. He pays no more mind to Wu Chang, gives two hurried instructions, and without even taking the time to remove his clothes, he jumps into the water.

Harrison moves with agility, reaching out to snatch a golden flying fish out of the air as it leaps from the water.

He brings the golden flying fish to his face, opens his mouth to nearly an obtuse angle, then bites down hard, severing the entire head of the golden flying fish and chewing it loudly.

Looking around, all the townspeople are holding the golden flying fish and eating them raw the moment they catch them.

No scaling, no removing gills, no cleaning of internal organs, not even slicing; there is only the purest, most original way of eating.

Yet, every townsperson who eats the golden flying fish has a look of intoxicated delirium on their face.

It is as if what they are eating is not fish meat, but something that grants free peanuts for every 50 grams consumed.

But what surprises Wu Chang even more is that the townspeople who have consumed the golden flying fish meat begin to grow scales on their skin, slits appear faintly on their necks as if they are growing gills, and their physiques are constantly expanding.

The changes in the villagers remind him of the giant fish-men in the Fish-man Wharf of the Inner World.

So, those fish-men were not monsters unique to the Inner World, but townspeople who had consumed the golden flying fish!

Wu Chang jumps into the water and, imitating the other townspeople, reaches out to grab a golden flying fish.

"Item Name: Gift from the Deep Sea"

"Item Type: Consumable"

"Item Description: Fish eroded by the aura of a deity. Consuming more than 15 will grant the bloodline talent—Ocean Kin Transformation."

"Ocean Kin Transformation: Upon first use, you will randomly obtain one type of Ocean Kin transformation, which will be fixed as a permanent transformation. After transforming into an Ocean Kin, you gain Ocean Affinity, allowing you to move freely in water and increasing the effects of water-attribute skills."

"Note: Because the deity’s aura contains impurities, consuming the Gift from the Deep Sea to obtain the Ocean Kin transformation will create a dependency. You must consume this item regularly, or a water-attribute item of equivalent value, otherwise, you will trigger the 'Away from Water' state. In the 'Away from Water' state, your body will fall into a weakened state; severe separation from water will cause the Ocean Kin transformation to degenerate."

Wu Chang looks at the golden flying fish in his hand and swallows hard.

He seems to know what the previous postmen were looking for.

(End of chapter)