It didn't seem like anything had changed!
As the hands of the Pocket Watch in his hand moved step by step to the calculated position, Fu Qian immediately surveyed his surroundings.
Nothing unusual had appeared. Even the people playing in the distance looked perfectly normal.
Yet despite the scene before him, Fu Qian remained seated where he was.
A professional task-taker didn't make the mistake of blind optimism. The anomaly might well have appeared already; he simply hadn't noticed it yet.
His current position had been carefully chosen: a good view, somewhat out of the way, and not on the path to anywhere.
That way, when the nightmare came, he could minimize the variables as much as possible.
So, to get back to the question: where exactly was the anomaly?
As he pondered this, Fu Qian suddenly noticed a taste in his mouth.
It was incredibly rich and delicious, the very height of sensory pleasure.
Was this... the taste of fish?
Fu Qian was absolutely certain he hadn't eaten anything, yet the taste was so real.
The next moment, he realized what had happened.
He'd seen a child on the beach earlier, gnawing on half a skewer of grilled fish.
The fish was golden and crispy. One glance was enough to tell that the cook had been exceptionally skilled.
At the time, he'd apparently thought without meaning to, That fish must taste good. Maybe I can try some sometime... And then the taste had appeared in his mouth.
Could that really happen?
As Fu Qian marveled at this, he felt something and focused his gaze. On the beach, where the tide had receded, he spotted a number of things left behind: fish of all kinds and sizes.
They were clearly still alive, flopping around after being stranded.
But the part