"I still want to collect seashells..."
After sunset, the beach recreation area closed. Qiu Wuji clutched a big handful of seashells, reluctant to leave.
"Why does even the seaside have closing hours?" The old lady couldn't understand it.
"The risk of accidents rises at night. If someone accidentally gets swept out to sea, or swims too far with a full stomach, rescuers might not spot them in time. Rescues get harder, too... closing is reasonable."
Chu Ge wanted to laugh at the way she looked. Earlier, she had acted as though nothing interested her, but in the end, she had done pretty much exactly what the children did. Even her reluctance to leave and her seashell collecting were no different.
What happened to having a heart as still as water?
What are you going to do with that handful of shells, anyway...? Chu Ge had plenty of experience with these things. He had loved collecting them as a kid, but once he took a heap home, there was nowhere to put them and they didn't look good. In the end, he had thrown them all away...
Qiu Wuji guessed what he was thinking and huffed. "There's a method to the shells I collect! It's not what you think!"
Realization struck Chu Ge. "Could they have spiritual energy?"
"Yes, I picked out the ones with a tiny bit of spiritual energy," Qiu Wuji said. "There must be some treasure underwater that affected them. I'll go down and investigate tonight."
Chu Ge's first reaction was concern. "Diving into the deep sea with this avatar of yours, at night, too... wouldn't that be dangerous?"
Only then did his second reaction come: an inward complaint. *If you're going underwater to hunt for real treasure anyway, wasn't collecting these lousy shells with a little spiritual