"Strong humans are more suitable as sacrifices. If you drag her into the water, she won't be able to breathe," another mermaid responded with a similar "coo."
Su Cheng's eyes widened slightly. She could actually understand what the mermaid was saying; the translator behind her ear could even translate the mermaid's language!
Touching the round patch on her throat, if she were to converse with a mermaid, could the translator also convert her voice into mermaid language?
Being able to communicate in the same language can solve a big problem.
Aside from being prone to accidental drops or breakage, supermarket-made translators have no other drawbacks.
"I'll distract her first, Ze will use sonic interference, and Kai and Lin will pounce from the side..."
The mermaids suddenly slid down to the seabed and changed positions. They communicated with each other through cooing sounds, devising a strategy to deal with Su Cheng right in front of her.
They never imagined that the humans in front of them could understand their language.
A mermaid was the first to begin chanting. As soon as she uttered the syllable "ah," the human who had been standing suddenly swayed as if "fascinated," and the knife in his hand fell to the ground.
It was delighted and sang even more enthusiastically; indeed, no species could resist the mermaid's proud voice.
"She couldn't take it anymore, she fainted!" a mermaid murmured happily.
They still swung their tails warily, leaping high into the air before landing heavily on the deck with a few "thuds".
"That's right, the humans are all stunned; they're as weak as ever." The tall merman at the head of the group leaned closer to look at Su Cheng, cheering for the victory.
"Humans cannot defeat us, who possess the blessing of the sea god."
"And they don't even have that noisy black lump. I really don't know how they've survived this long without claws and sharp teeth."
"Alright, alright, quickly put them into the containers. The high priest is waiting for us to bring back the offerings."
The mermaids carried out a rectangular container that they had prepared long ago and threw it onto the deck.
The mermaid, who had been cut by a boning knife, wanted to retaliate with her sharp fingernails, but was dissuaded by her companions:
"The blood will attract other sea creatures. After the offering has been tasted, you can slowly eat her."
"I will chew her bones to pieces!" The mermaid roared, grimacing as she touched the scabbed wound on her chest.
The mermaid opened the container, threw Su Cheng in without any hesitation, and then closed it again.
Only when she was inside the airtight container did Su Cheng open her eyes a crack. The mermaid's transport container was no different from a coffin.
The sounds of merfolk discussing could be heard outside the container, including their disdain for the stupidity of humans and their animosity towards Modeya exuded an aura of disease.
Of the four, only Modeya was left on the deck. The merfolk were unaware of his illness and, disgusted by the smell of disease, refused to touch him in any way.
After the three long containers were thrown into the sea, they were surrounded by mermaids that floated on the surface of the sea, and together they sank to the bottom of the sea.
With the coffin lid blocking her view, Su Cheng couldn't see what was happening outside, so she had Mu Ling float out her bracelet.
After confirming that the mermaids could not see her, Mu Ling lay on the outside of the long plank and followed the mermaids as they swam toward their nest.
Through the shared field of vision, Su Cheng also saw them moving away from Blue Count.
This sea area is different from the one at Shijiaolong. The seabed here is teeming with all kinds of fish of various sizes, fluorescent jellyfish leaping forward, coral reefs, and reef fish swimming among them.
Occasionally, a small fish might be unable to avoid hitting the lid of the container, and the mermaid would seize the opportunity to grab it and stuff it into its mouth.
A dozen mermaids propelled the container, their long tails swaying with exceptionally smooth muscle lines, possessing the agility of a snake yet being even more resilient.
Their stealth speed is astonishing.
They lack smooth skin and the stunning beauty perceived by humans. Their bodies have evolved to better survive on the seabed, and every move they make retains the bloodthirsty savagery and power of predators.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh"
The seawater rushed over the sealed coffin container so quickly that, apart from being a little stuffy, Su Cheng didn't get wet at all.
Passing through the reefs, a giant underwater cave comes into view.
The underwater cave was filled and transformed with natural seabed materials such as coral and rocks, turning it into a lair for the mermaids.
The lead mermaid pushed aside the seaweed at the entrance and pushed three containers through first, leading to a narrow passage.
The passage is narrow at first and then widens. The front part has fine slits around the edges, allowing small fish and mayflies to pass through, but preventing large animals from doing so.
The latter part of the channel is completely sealed, and multiple branching points appear at the same time.
The mermaids scattered at the fork in the road, leaving only three to carry the container.
After passing through a wide area, they were blocked by a strange film of water.
The space beyond the water film was exceptionally large; the water was only one meter deep, and the other half was filled with air that smelled salty and fishy.
Su Cheng's eyes fell on the round platform and stone statue in the middle of the water. The stone statue was shaped like a mermaid, and although it was crudely made, the powerful fish tail indicated that it was carved in a hunting state.
This depiction most likely represents a being like a mermaid ancestor.
The circular platform beneath the stone statue is just above the water level, and it is decorated with seashells and conches, as well as a crescent-shaped stone plate that is two meters long and one meter wide.
Lying in the dish is a person who is unconscious, their fate unknown.
The three mermaids' tails were submerged in the water. They took a few breaths of air, then lifted the lid, letting the three of them float in the half-container.
"Let's go and report to the priest."
The three mermaids left together.
Su Cheng immediately told Mu Ling to follow and check out the rest of the mermaid's nest.
After the mermaid left, she sat up and reached her hand into the water, only to find it was warm.
The entire cave was kept at a comfortable temperature, neither too hot nor too cold.
The water was just ordinary seawater; when Su Cheng crawled out of the coffin, the water only reached her waist.
As we approached the central circular platform, the stone statue showed no sign of anything strange throughout.
She used her hands to support herself as she climbed up the table and began to examine the person in the crescent-shaped dish.
The man was wearing a short jacket, lying on his back in a standard sleeping position, his eyes closed, his face flushed, and his chest rising and falling evenly with his breathing.
"Wake up?"
Su Cheng reached for his arm, but stopped when her gaze fell on his slightly protruding belly.
Something's not right.
With her fingertips pointing downwards, she slowly pulled open the hem of his shirt, revealing his abruptly bulging belly and a hideous scar running across his navel.
It was as if someone had torn open his stomach, stuffed something inside, and then sutured the wound shut.
"Gurgle, gurgle..."
Something was moving under my belly; there was more than one, and it made strange noises as it moved, mixing with intestinal fluid or other liquids.
What is that...?
Su Cheng frowned, and when she looked at the man who was still fast asleep, she no longer thought he was really sleeping.
Can someone really sleep soundly, oblivious to the presence of something inside their belly?
Is he really still alive?
Su Cheng drew out a wisp of White Qi and probed it into his body.
The White Qi circulated once, confirming her guess.
The man has lost his soul; his body still lives, but his spirit is no longer within him.
This empty shell will rot within a day.
Without further hesitation, Su Cheng drew her knife.
The knife tip pressed against her stomach, but no blood seeped out. She wanted to see what was inside.
The knife tip cut through the thin layer of skin, which had already lost its blood and fat, along the scar.
With a "whoosh," a mixture of yellow and white mucus gushed out, revealing three Chengzi- sized eggs lying in the empty abdominal cavity.
The creature in the center of the egg has already taken shape, and the outline of the first fish tail that has developed can be vaguely seen. The black fish eyes are very conspicuous in the yellowish color.
Without a doubt, these are mermaid eggs.
They are incubating their eggs using human bodies...
After his abdomen was ruptured, the man visibly shrank.
The flush on his face quickly disappeared, leaving his entire face a deathly gray, and a strong, fishy stench emanated from his empty abdominal cavity.
Su Cheng felt a chill; she never expected that there would be large fish eggs in the man's belly. She had thought it would be something like worms.
She looked up at the mermaid statue; the man had lost his soul, and the fact that his body remained outwardly lifelike must be related to it.
I just don't understand why mermaids would use human bodies to incubate their eggs. Does the human abdominal cavity allow the eggs to hatch faster?
This practice certainly wasn't always the case.
As Eck had previously stated, this area was rarely discovered before the appearance of mermaids, which is why there are no detailed maps of it.
As Su Cheng pondered, Mu Ling's voice called out in her mind, and she immediately focused her attention to see what was happening on her side.
Mu Ling followed the mermaid to the priest's location. She didn't get too close, but hid behind the cave entrance.
Unlike the mermaids they had encountered along the way, this priestess had thicker, silver-white hair and pure black scales.
It lay on the stone wall, with large and small healed scars on its chest and neck.
Its long, black tail was submerged in the water; the cave was dark, and its tail blended completely into the water.
"You brought back three people this time? Excellent, our ancestors will surely feel our sincerity." The Mermaid Sacrifice murmured softly as she flicked her tail and rose from the water.
"The previous human breeding ground is about to reach its limit; it's time to prepare for the sacrificial ritual... Only by finding the queen's reincarnation as soon as possible can our race regain its strength."
Su Cheng suddenly understood. So the reason for the sacrifice was the death of the mermaid queen, and they hoped that a new, powerful queen would be born from the fish eggs as soon as possible.
After receiving the instructions, the two mermaids left the cave and turned to retrieve the tools needed for the ritual.
The priest bent down and scooped two fish eggs, each the size of a jujube, from the muddy water. Holding them in his hands, he murmured indistinctly, "Queen... my most powerful Queen... please return to us..."
Mu Ling followed behind the two mermaids, wandering through the forked passages, and saw piles of human skulls.
The mermaids couldn't chew these bones, so they collected them as decorations.
"The sacrificial tools they're using are actually pots and pans..." Mu Ling said in surprise.