Chapter 20: West River

The aura radiating from the fish-scaled man was quite unique: a cross of black and white, surrounded by an endless, deep blue, reminiscent of a vast and magnificent ocean.

Through the fish-scale patterns on his face and those conspicuous golden slit pupils, Chen Ye deduced that they were most likely descendants of the Sea Prince.

This was from the "Deep Sea" dungeon introduced in the later stages of *The Weird Era*, where Sea Prince descendants were the indigenous inhabitants of the turbulent seas. They possessed the ability to breathe underwater and possessed extraordinary physical prowess. The most powerful among them could even summon the power of the ocean, precisely controlling any water-related matter.

It was not just the sea... Rivers and streams alike could become the domain of a Sea Prince descendant.

However, Chen Ye was somewhat curious. Although Linjiang City had the Yangtze River flowing through it, it was essentially an inland mountain city, thousands of miles away from the sea. How could Sea Prince descendants appear here?

Analyzing the aura rings above their heads based on his existing knowledge, Chen Ye made a judgment: "Generally, the descendants of the Sea God are not evil or tainted beings; the black and white cross symbolizes order. That expanse of deep blue represents the ocean."

"According to that previous post, contamination has appeared in the lower reaches of the West River, which likely corresponds to some evil power."

"As neutral and impartial beings, the Sea Prince descendants possess the authority to maintain order. Therefore, the river domains they govern have clean, safe-to-drink water."

"Of course, they don't work for free. To drink safe river water in their domain, one must pay a copper coin as a transaction token."

"This conforms to the law of equivalent exchange..."

In *The Weird Era*, whether something conforms to the law of equivalence is a crucial basis for judgment. If one could obtain some benefit for free, or pay a seemingly negligible price for extraordinary power, one had to consider whether they were dealing with some malevolent entity.

Judgment is the most difficult task of all. Fortunately, Chen Ye possessed the Pupils of Fortune. Combined with his existing information, he could make assessments much more easily than others.

He paid a copper coin.

The golden slit pupils of the Sea Prince descendant at the entrance erupted with a golden radiance that fell upon Chen Ye like a laser scan, verifying his identity. A few seconds later, their expressions relaxed. They nodded slightly and opened a path for him.

The golden slit pupils of the Sea Prince descendants possessed immense investigative power, capable of determining if someone harbored potential threats. Everything they scanned was deeply imprinted in their minds, unforgettable for seven days. Thanks to this outstanding memory and insight, they were also known as "natural-born detectives."

Chen Ye nodded in return as a gesture of courtesy and entered West River Park.

Just after he had entered the park...

Suddenly, a thin, frail girl who looked no older than fourteen appeared out of thin air behind him.

The moment Chen Ye walked in, she suddenly manifested. As she reached the entrance of West River Park, she seemed to bump into something, the recoil force staggering her back a few steps.

The girl gritted her teeth, watching Chen Ye's retreating figure with a look of unwillingness.

However, the two Sea God descendants at the side turned their heads simultaneously, locking their gaze onto the girl. Their golden slit pupils gradually turned blood-red, and a murderous intent instantly permeated the air!

The girl was startled.

But she seemed to possess the ability to turn invisible; in the blink of an eye, her entire body seemed to be erased by an eraser, vanishing from the guards' field of vision.

The Sea God descendants scanned back and forth, looking left and right, but could not find her. Gradually, their crimson gaze faded, returning to golden slit pupils.

Under the shade of a nearby hedge, the girl's figure reappeared.

"The seventh failure."

She sighed. She had intended to take advantage of someone else paying the copper coin to sneak into the park right behind them. Who would have thought that this damn barrier would be so sensitive! It hadn't even been a second before she was bounced back!

The girl looked at Chen Ye's back with envy, seeing him walk with such efficient, purposeful strides, and couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder, muttering to herself:

"That person must be a player, right?"

"To be able to move that fast and even earn coins... I'm so envious..."

"Wuwuwu, I haven't had a drop of water all day. If I don't get some soon, I feel like I'm going to die!"

"I finally found where the drinkable water is, but where on earth am I supposed to find a coin?"

...

Chen Ye was walking at a brisk pace, so he did not notice the commotion behind him. At this moment, his attention was completely captivated by the West River.

Clang, clang, clang!

The sounds of heavy construction echoed from afar. Chen Ye walked to the riverbank and, looking into the distance, discovered hundreds of Sea Prince descendants engaged in a grand project—building a dam.

The dam was situated right at the junction between the lower and upper reaches of the West River, acting as a barrier. It was likely closely related to the pollution in the lower reaches.

The aura surrounding West River Park was filled with misty, colorful clouds; the water shimmered, and the air was fresh. It was hard to imagine that such a tranquil place could still exist after the blood-colored countdown had appeared.

Chen Ye suppressed the urge to practice his suona here. He walked toward the riverbank and found a grocery store by the water. Activating his Pupils of Fortune, he confirmed that there was nothing unusual about the shop.

The shopkeeper was also a descendant of the Sea God—a tall woman standing nearly 1.8 meters, with long, lithe limbs. Her muscles were well-defined but not bulky, possessing the agile beauty of a wild cheetah. She was busy tending to the shop.

Chen Ye picked out a water bucket, spending his very last copper coin.

Walking to the water's edge, he observed a thin layer of white mist hovering over the surface. Yet, within this white mist, there were faint traces of gray, as if a few specks of filth had appeared on the otherwise clear river.

"This water... is it not as clean as I imagined?"

Chen Ye frowned slightly and looked closer. The aura of the West River water was predominantly white, with occasional flashes of gray floating between the ripples. Of course, since the color hadn't turned black or red, it was safe to drink.

After all, finding perfectly clean water was impossible. Even before *The Weird Era* descended, water quality was often subject to pollution; without filtration and boiling, one couldn't just drink it. But these were extraordinary times, and Chen Ye couldn't be too picky. Being able to secure survival resources was lucky enough.

He was just about to fill his bucket...

Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he followed the path along the riverbank, heading downstream. It was a good way to rack up more steps.

The colorful, purple-mist-like aura around him began to fade, and the road ahead was filled with black fog. After passing the dam between the upper and lower reaches and the busy Sea Prince descendants...

At that moment, the water ahead suddenly turned into a patch of black fog, like a swamp covered in ink. The water quality downstream was severely contaminated; the river had turned pitch black, with ink-colored foam constantly bubbling to the surface, churning and turbid like paste.

Suddenly, a massive, blood-colored monster eye emerged from the center of the water, its pale pupil wide open!

That monster eye... was identical to the one that had appeared in the aura above those unfortunate players at the West Street bakery!