Anthony looked at the five short land cultivators in front of him, asking politely,
"Your sea beasts seem really fresh. Are these from your homeland, or did you catch them here?" Jian Jing glanced over the creatures and smiled, testing the cultivator's response.
"These sea beasts were given to us by the Sea God as food. This place is so barren, there isn't even a decent stretch of sea. How could sea beasts exist here?" Anthony said with a hint of disdain.
"There aren't many of these sea beasts left, so please decide quickly, Lady, so you don't miss this chance."
"Alright, Senior Sister, if you want to trade, we'll trade a few!"
"I'm more interested in the sea pearls he mentioned!"
Jian Jing didn't object, only wanting to see the pearls for herself.
"Of course, though these sea pearls are quite valuable." Anthony smiled.
"Alright, what do you want to trade?"
"I'd like some shiny stones, and some thin items that can be used for attacks," Anthony spoke while gesturing.
"Spirit stones and talismans?"
Anthony looked uncertain, considering the request.
"Hu San, show him."
Jian Jing turned to Hu San.
It was obviously Hu San's first time seeing a cultivator like Anthony. He'd been observing quietly, but when called, he quickly pulled a lower-grade spirit stone and a low-level talisman from his storage ring and handed them over.
Anthony's eyes lit up as he examined the items. He held them for a moment, frowned slightly, and then said,
"Beautiful Lady, these are similar to what I had in mind, but the ones I want are a bit better."
Jian Jing chuckled, realizing he wouldn't be easily fooled. She flipped her hand, revealing a refined Immortal Stone.
"Oh, just this kind of stone! I really like it. I'll trade you our sea pearl for it."
Anthony accepted the Immortal Stone and returned the spirit stone and low-grade talisman to Hu San.
Hu San rolled his eyes, put his rejected items back into his storage ring, and Kuang Dao smirked at the side.
Anthony then touched his earlobe, producing a folded white shell, and said to the two in front of him,
"Each Lady can only pick one sea pearl. To keep it fair, you choose yourself and rely on your luck."
He tapped the shell lightly, and it slowly opened. Inside was a white glow that hid the pearl. He signaled Jian Jing to go ahead.
Jian Jing quickly reached into the light and grabbed a pearl. When she opened her palm, a milky, thumb-sized pearl glowed softly in her hand.
"Oh, Lady, you're lucky. This white pearl lets you move freely in the sea."
"Isn't this just a Water Evasion Pearl?" Jian Jing muttered, feeling slightly tricked.
"Do you have any pearls that restore vitality?" Jian Dan asked with a smile.
"There is one, but it's very valuable. I only have it on my child, so I can't trade it." Anthony said regretfully.
"Oh? Because your child is injured?"
"Ah! He was born after Fenny and I came here. He's too small to adapt to this environment, always weak. This black pearl has been keeping him alive."
The two exchanged a glance, realizing it wasn't right to press further. It was clearly his child's lifeline. They decided to check other stalls instead.
"Senior Sister, will you pick a pearl too?"
"No need, I already have a Water Evasion Pearl."
She handed over a lower-grade Immortal Stone and selected a sea beast unseen on the Lingyun Continent. After storing it in her storage pendant, she was about to leave.
"Wait a moment."
Anthony stopped the five from leaving. He didn't reopen the trade array but returned to the one behind him. In moments, he carried out a small blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy.
Most strikingly, the boy had no feet. His upper body was human, while his lower body was a fish tail. Being so young, his upper body was free of scales, revealing pale white skin. A black pearl, no bigger than a quail egg, hung from his tiny, pale neck.
Jian Dan instinctively scanned him with her spirit sense and noted his bone age was over a hundred, though his aura was weak.
The boy rested in his father's arms, blue eyes wide, staring curiously at the five black-haired, black-eyed land cultivators in front of him.
"Neil wants to meet you. He says you can help him," Anthony said, clearly intrigued since it had been Neil who requested him to call the five.
They exchanged confused glances. How could they possibly help this little sharkling?
To Jian Jing, Jian Xu, Kuang Dao, and Hu San, he was just a small merfolk, but to Jian Dan, he was a little merman—just a matter of terminology.
"Sorry, we don't know how to help your child," Jian Jing said, shrugging.
Neil, sensing their refusal, pointed at Jian Dan with his tiny hand.
"Beautiful Lady, could you help my child? Anything here is yours as payment!" Anthony, anxious but polite, gestured respectfully.
Jian Dan was puzzled. Why pick her? She hadn't done anything or said anything.
"It's because of your strong water energy. I also played a part," Liu Chuan transmitted.
"Explain properly!"
"This little merfolk was injured while still in gestation, so his growth is very slow. Surviving is thanks to the efforts of two adult merfolk. Now, far from home, he can't mature and needs nurturing from water energy.
You have chaotic spiritual roots, and your water element is full. I'm a plant spirit, and Wood generates Water. Together, it creates a deadly attraction to him—it's his instinct to survive."
"Tch! That's how it is. So how do we help him? I'm not giving you to him, I won't let that happen."
"Good conscience! It's not too hard. You use water Xianyuan energy to untangle his meridians. It'll boost his vitality, but he must return to their continent quickly."
"What risks am I taking?"
Jian Dan didn't trust it'd be easy.
"Xianyuan energy! Your pitiful Xianyuan energy isn't enough, so it'll absorb from Immortal Stones. Your cultivation will grow—it won't show here, but once you return… you know!"
"Then forget it. No risk. I don't want to go back and have to suppress my cultivation in the forbidden mountains, doing nothing."
"Lady, please help my child. He's too weak. We can't return home and have been wandering here. I've asked many others, but they're greedy, wanting us as battle pets. We refuse, and as sea people, even the Sea God won't allow it!
If you help, I'll add a full set of scales as reward."
"Alright, that's worth considering. In the Immortal Realm seas, they control half the waters. Except for the dragon clan, it's the merfolk's territory. Scales given willingly let you swim freely and be accepted as a friend by the merfolk."
"Then this deal's worth it. Let's make some connections in the Immortal Realm! I'll help!"
After consulting with Liu Chuan, Jian Dan smiled at the eager gaze of the big and small merfolk and said,
"The trade gathering is over for today. Bring your child to me."