In the deeper shadows, giant octopus tentacles extended from the crevices between buildings. Their surfaces were covered in glowing suckers, connected to the city’s biological network, monitoring every corner.
A faint electric hum filled the air, mixed with the low murmur of the deep sea.
It created an indescribable sense of awe.
Inside one of the great halls.
Seawater was held at bay by a boundless membrane, creating a vast, open space.
Hu Qi stood opposite a tall and burly Merfolk.
Lan Ze, the supreme king of the Merfolk Race, was an imposing figure, standing a full ten meters tall.
He naturally exuded an innate aura of majesty.
In comparison, the body of Bai Kong that Hu Qi occupied seemed exceptionally small—like a swaddled, naive infant, almost insignificant before Lan Ze’s massive frame.
However, when facing Hu Qi, Lan Ze showed no trace of a king’s arrogance or temper.
He knew full well that the man before him was of an exceptionally high status—in terms of both background and power, he was far superior.
"Lord Bai Kong, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"
Lan Ze bowed slightly, placing his right hand over his chest in a gesture of utmost respect.
A gentle smile appeared on Hu Qi’s face.
"It’s nothing important. I simply heard that Your Majesty has a Heart of the Ocean in your collection. I’ve grown curious and would like to borrow it for a look. I wonder if Your Majesty would be willing to part with it?"
"Of course."
Lan Ze’s expression faltered for a moment, but he kept the smile on his face as he spoke unhurriedly.
"However, as the Heart of the Ocean is a legacy Supreme Treasure of our Merfolk Race, any outsider who wishes to view it must follow a rule left by our ancestors."
"Oh? And what rule is that?"
Hu Qi’s eyes flickered.
"It’s very simple!"
As soon as Lan Ze finished speaking, a Merfolk only two meters tall came forward, holding an exquisite tray with both hands.
On the tray rested an ancient-looking golden goblet.
The goblet was filled with a red liquid the color of fresh blood.
Lan Ze pointed at the goblet and explained.
"You only need to drink all the wine in this goblet! Rest assured, my lord, it is just ordinary wine."
Hu Qi’s gaze fell upon the goblet.
"And if I can’t finish it?" he asked lightly.
"Then that would prove you and the Heart of the Ocean are not fated to be together!"
Lan Ze shook his head gently, a barely perceptible flicker of smugness in his eyes.
His meaning was self-evident. The goblet’s material was magical. With its special internal structure, it could absorb and store thousands of tons of liquid.
For any ordinary person, drinking it all was an impossible, fantastical task.
In reality, this was his way of refusing to hand over the Heart of the Ocean.
But given Hu Qi’s status as a Forbidden Mecha Master, he couldn’t refuse outright for fear of offending him.
He could only resort to this underhanded tactic, hoping the other man would recognize the difficulty and back down.
"Fine!"
Hu Qi chuckled and, without hesitation, reached out and took the golden goblet.
In the next moment, a shocking scene unfolded.
The wine in the goblet began to disappear at a visible rate, as if being frantically devoured by an invisible force.
Not only that, but the entire goblet seemed to lose all its color.
It shed its original, splendid gold and gradually turned a translucent, crystal-clear color.
"It seems I’m quite fated to be with the Heart of the Ocean! I haven’t even taken a sip, and it’s already empty. Wouldn’t you agree, Your Majesty?"
Hu Qi swirled the goblet gently.
"Heh, indeed!"
The smile on Lan Ze’s face instantly stiffened as if it had been frozen in place.
A few minutes later, Hu Qi was holding the fist-sized blue crystal—the Heart of the Ocean.
Under Lan Ze’s complicated gaze, he calmly departed from the Merfolk Kingdom.
He had claimed he wanted to take it back for careful study, and this time, Lan Ze offered no resistance.
Seeing this, a young guard at his side could no longer hold back. "Your Majesty," he began, "that’s the Heart of the Ocean! It possesses infinite energy! How could you..."
But before he could finish, Lan Ze cut him off with a wave of his hand.
"The Heart of the Ocean was once crucial to us Merfolk, but times have changed. Our energy problems can now be solved with technology.
It’s simply not worth making an enemy of a Forbidden Mecha Master over it."
Lan Ze explained, his expression calm.
Though he said this, his mind couldn’t help but replay the scene from moments ago.
As the King of Merfolk, he possessed a very special Ability: he could sense even the most minute fluctuations in energy with extreme sensitivity.
This was also how the Merfolk ancestors had been able to pinpoint the location of the Heart of the Ocean in the vast, boundless sea.
But just now, the instant Hu Qi touched the goblet, he had sensed a terrifying fluctuation of power—a power so immense it was unimaginable, far exceeding even the energy contained within the Heart of the Ocean.
He knew with perfect clarity that if he had insisted on keeping the Heart of the Ocean, what would have awaited him was the torrential wrath of a Forbidden Mecha Master—a consequence he absolutely could not bear.
...
SPLASH!
The Mecha formed from the Eclipse Hermit burst out of the water.
Hu Qi sat within the Mecha.
He immediately set to work, extracting the Sunstone from within the Heart of the Ocean.
"That’s almost all of them..." Hu Qi muttered.
During this time, using the Sun Chaser’s sensitivity to the Sunstones and the power of his main body, he had already obtained ten of the twelve Sunstones.
Now, only two remained.
’However, obtaining the last two Sunstones probably won’t be this simple.’
Just as he was thinking this, his body froze.
A black point of light suddenly appeared in the Mecha’s flight path and began to rapidly expand.
Without any warning, it swallowed the Mecha he was piloting.
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