Chapter 293 - 290: New Leaf

Chapter 293: Chapter 290: New Leaf

"Congratulations."

Li Luo said to Jeff, who had returned to sit on the steps.

Jeff nodded, a little embarrassed.

"After I take office, I plan to let the Fake Fishmen return to the village. The time is just about ripe."

He watched the Fake Fishmen coming and going in the village.

During this incident, the Fake Fishmen earned true recognition through their actions. Many Fishmen who had been controlled by the parts woke up, and the first thing they saw were the Fake Fishmen who had saved them.

Not only that, but they later became comrades-in-arms, joining a united front to rescue other Fishmen.

The rift between them had been gradually closing without anyone realizing it.

"But we can’t let them all flood into the village at once. The settlement on the mountain must be kept. First, we’ll lift the ban on travel between the two places and let both sides get used to each other for a while. Fishman Island isn’t large, so their integration is only a matter of time."

"The arrival of humans will also speed up the cultural integration on Fishman Island. Therefore, we need to step up our trade with humans, and at the same time, we can get to know other races through them."

"The Fishman Race’s vision shouldn’t be limited to this island..."

Jeff slowly laid out his plans. He had considered everything thoroughly. He had only just taken office, yet he was already planning the future development of Fishman Island.

Unlike the old, conservative chief, the first thing Jeff thought of was cultural integration and contact with the outside world. He had actually long known about the predicament Fishman Island faced, but he hadn’t been in a position to do anything about it back then.

Now that he was chief, although it was quite a coincidence, it was also exactly what he wanted.

"You’re a very competent chief," Li Luo praised as she listened.

Work found him soon enough. In no time, a Fishman came to find Jeff, asking him to look at the damaged houses. Jeff had no choice but to bid farewell to Li Luo and head into the village.

Li Luo waved, then continued to sit on the steps, her eyes vacant as she stared blankly into the distance.

As if waiting for something.

Only when she saw the slowly approaching Block did her eyes light up, and she shot to her feet.

When the Block flew over to her, she took out a handkerchief with practiced ease and wiped the wet sand from its surface.

"Did you go for a swim?" she asked curiously.

Mo Ling only then realized that because the Block had just landed on the beach, its surface was covered in sand.

"I was lying on the beach for a bit," Mo Ling wrote on the electronic screen.

Seeing the answer on the screen, Li Luo let out a soft laugh. She stretched out her hand, feeling the sunlight.

"It really is perfect for lying on the beach right now. If it weren’t in the Abyss, Fishman Island could actually be a great tourist destination."

After the fog dissipated, the sunlight on Fishman Island was unusually gentle. It was neither too harsh nor too gloomy, and combined with the island’s perpetually damp environment, it was actually very comfortable for humans.

After she finished wiping the Block, Li Luo didn’t ask anything else. She just stood there silently, watching the Block float in the air.

After a long while, she spoke again:

"You’re not leaving again, are you?"

"Mhm."

...

After the Block’s return, Li Luo’s mood improved considerably. She took the Block on a tour of the newly refreshed Fishman Village.

The first place they went was the Fishman Hospital.

It was called a hospital, but in reality, it was just a relatively comfortable shack.

Inside were many beds, and on them lay many Fishmen who had yet to recover.

Bai Zhou was among them. A Fishman doctor stood beside him, seemingly examining his body.

The examination method was also very primitive.

The Fishman doctor skillfully summoned watery tentacles to bind Bai Zhou, then took out a hard rock and began tapping it all over his body.

"Can you feel this?" the Fishman doctor asked, tapping Bai Zhou’s knee with the rock.

"Yes."

"What does it feel like?"

"It hurts a lot."

Hearing Bai Zhou’s reply, the Fishman doctor immediately asked, "How does it hurt? Describe the specific feeling."

"Specific?"

Bai Zhou lay on the bed and thought for a long time, his expression twisting, until he finally came up with a suitable answer.

"It’s... the kind of pain you get from being hit by a rock."

The Fishman doctor was momentarily stunned.

Then he sighed. "Alright. Next step."

He released the watery tentacles from Bai Zhou’s feet and held his hand up, not too high.

"Lift your foot and touch my hand."

"Okay," Bai Zhou agreed.

He then did as the doctor asked, lifting his foot until it touched the doctor’s palm, where he stopped.

"Hold it there. Lower it after five seconds."

Bai Zhou counted down five seconds before slowly lowering his leg. The doctor didn’t ask anything else and, seeing no abnormalities, proceeded to check other parts of his body.

But Bai Zhou stared at the doctor in confusion for a long time.

"Doctor, aren’t you going to ask me how I feel?"

"How do you feel?"

Bai Zhou shook his helmet. "Nothing."

Hearing Bai Zhou’s answer, the doctor was stunned again.

He just stood there, looking at Bai Zhou for a long time without continuing the examination. Then, the watery tentacles wrapped around Bai Zhou’s body slowly loosened.

"Take off your helmet. I need to check your head."

"Okay, Doctor."

Bai Zhou quickly took off his diving helmet, then puffed up his cheeks as if holding his breath, waiting for the doctor’s examination.

The Fishman doctor reached out and poked Bai Zhou’s puffed-up cheeks.

"I don’t recall humans doing this."

The doctor even turned to look at Li Luo, who was standing nearby, to confirm that his memory was indeed correct.

Bai Zhou’s face was beet red from holding his breath before he finally let it all out in a rush.

After gasping for a few breaths and finally recovering, he puffed up his cheeks and started holding his breath again.

Seeing Bai Zhou’s awkward display, the doctor could only pat his shoulder and say, "There’s nothing wrong with you. You can put your helmet back on."

Upon receiving the doctor’s permission, Bai Zhou immediately grabbed his helmet and ran to a small puddle outside to fill it with water. A moment later, he returned to the hospital.

After coming back, he didn’t forget to pester the doctor.

"Doctor, is there something wrong with my head?"

"I don’t know. I can’t make heads or tails of human heads," the doctor said seriously with a shrug.

"But I feel a little dizzy now, and I see little glowing stars in front of my eyes. They’re swaying back and forth. When I try to follow them with my gaze, they run away, constantly evading my observation."

The doctor was also puzzled. "When did this start?"

"Shortly after I took off my helmet. I suspect this might be related to the crisis on the island. Those stars might be surveillance left behind by the parts," Bai Zhou said with a straight face.

Just as the two were about to discuss whether they should report the matter, Li Luo stepped forward and interrupted their conversation.

She apologized to the doctor and pulled Bai Zhou aside.

"Try holding your breath again. See if those stars come back to spy on you."