Redeem The Villain [Quick Travel] Chapter 8
byChapter 8 Sea Demon Camp
I actually don’t think that Elf is bad.
Lu Qinian had no intention of quietly hiding here. Conditions in the Black Reef Zone were limited. The herbs on Yu’s wound had barely stopped the bleeding. If it wasn’t treated further, he would soon develop a high fever, and infection was still a death sentence.
The Elf’s gaze was too direct. Yu was aware of his own body. He pretended not to care and smiled slightly, “I’m fine.”
Lu Qinian got up and walked out of the pit.
Since entering the Black Reef Zone, Lu Qinian had noticed that the number of shrimp and crabs here was large, and they were huge. As soon as he left the pit, he quickly found materials and simply made two cages. He then caught a jellyfish and put it in a cage, before stuffing the cage deep into the reef.
The world beneath his feet felt like a dream to him. The Merfolk and Beastmen in this world were just NPCs in his eyes; he would leave once the mission was complete. But thinking of the Merfolk’s wound, Lu Qinian felt a pang of reluctance.
“Little 9, are there any suitable herbs nearby for Yu?”
The pink jellyfish in the front left can be applied to the wound.
Lu Qinian’s eyes lit up, and he looked in the direction System 009 indicated.
Several pink jellyfish clustered together in a small group. They were tiny, not even as large as the Elf’s palm. Their bells were a light, pale pink, and their tentacles were slender and dense, looking more like tangled pink threads.
Lu Qinian took out the worn tools he had previously scavenged and scooped up all the pink jellyfish in front of him. He picked up a relatively flat piece of reef shard and completely separated the jellyfish tentacles, as the tentacles were poisonous.
Finally, he returned to the trap location with the processed jellyfish bells.
When he returned, the jellyfish in the cage had been completely eaten. A crab clumsily extended its claw, pinching the remnants of the jellyfish sticking out of the cage. It took a long time to grasp the scrap, but before it could enjoy it, the entire crab was suspended in the air.
Seeing the Elf return with a full haul, Yu’s voice was filled with surprise and astonishment, “You actually caught so many.”
“Yes, they love eating jellyfish.”
As the sun set and dusk fell, the temperature in the Black Reef Zone hadn’t dropped much, and Lu Qinian didn’t feel cold.
He held the processed raw lobster in his hands, chewing the meat like sawdust. Compared to raw shrimp, the taste of raw crab was even harder for him to accept; he almost emptied his stomach after one bite. Yu, beside him, happily munched on the crab with his sharp fish teeth, the sound a crisp crunch.
When he was almost full, Yu wiped his face and asked curiously, “Holy Son, were you really thrown in here by Aleksi?”
Sure enough, gossip spread the fastest no matter where you were.
Lu Qinian was speechless. He wanted to say no, but he was indeed sent in by Aleksi. Yet, admitting it made him feel very uncomfortable. After thinking for a moment, he nodded and hummed in affirmation.
Yu leaned closer to him, his gossip spirit burning fiercely, “I heard Aleksi killed many Merfolk as soon as he left, even his own brother. I heard Aleksi is very ugly, scary, and has a terrible temper. How could he make an Elf like you catch water-repelling mushrooms? Sea Demons have been circling this area for a long time; it’s so dangerous.”
“I also heard that many years ago, Aleksi fought the Sea Demons for several years and almost wiped them out. Later…”
Aleksi was ugly? The Elf curled his lip. He was clearly a monster. Aleksi’s image reappeared in his mind: the familiar black curly hair, those eyes, and that exquisite face. The word “ugly” had nothing to do with him, no matter how you looked at it.
Lu Qinian was startled by his own thoughts. With so many beautiful Merfolk Undersea, he only found Aleksi attractive?!
“He’s very handsome.”
“What?” Yu didn’t hear clearly.
“Aleksi is quite handsome.”
Yu’s mind went blank.
Was the Elf Holy Son’s brain broken?
The sky was dim. Yu’s breathing was long and deep; he was sound asleep. His dark blue fish tail was covered with many pink jellyfish bells, each one just the right size to cover a wound.
Lu Qinian looked up through the cracks. The seawater churned, stars moved, and a blood-red moon hung high in the sky.
The Elf frowned slightly. It was a blood moon again.
Not long after, sounds came from outside, sounding like they were catching shrimp and crabs. They were probably Sea Demons searching for water-repelling mushrooms. Lu Qinian subconsciously minimized his presence. He didn’t want to see any more terrifying scenes.
The Sea Demon team was not large. They mostly appeared only late at night, not because they preferred darkness, but because they were chased and nearly annihilated by a black-tailed Merfolk many years ago. They were driven out and had no choice but to hunt after the Merfolk fell asleep.
Thinking of that damned Merfolk, the Sea Demon Leader was so angry he wished he could bite his neck off.
“Ten people stay here to guard. The rest follow me inside. The recent haul has been too small, and the Leader is very dissatisfied. Everyone must catch ten water-repelling mushrooms today. Did you all hear me clearly!” shouted a Sea Demon whose face was traversed by a long scar—Scarface.
Scarface’s words caused many Sea Demons to gasp, hissing continuously, yet no one dared to refute him.
As the captain of this team, Scarface was adept at intimidation. His expression darkened, and the noise in the crowd instantly vanished.
“If you see any Merfolk, kill them without mercy.”
“Yes.”
With that, all the Sea Demons dispersed. Scarface, as the captain, was naturally the last to enter the Black Reef Zone.
Scarface had once been a good blade in the Sea Demon Leader’s hand, but since the Sea Demon Leader became obsessed with pharmacology, his days of burning, killing, and looting turned into catching jellyfish. He hadn’t practiced his old trade in a long time, so his hands were itching.
He didn’t head directly to the densest area of water-repelling mushrooms. Instead, he went to the shrimp and crab habitat for a meal. When he emerged, he was picking his teeth with a crab claw.
The blood-red moonlight enveloped the entire Undersea, adding a terrifying gloom to the darkness.
The Elf, still in a daze, suddenly felt uneasy, as if something cold and sinister was watching him from above.
Lu Qinian slowly raised his head, his gaze passing through the gap in the reef slab.
The next second—
Lu Qinian: !!!
His emerald green pupils contracted sharply. His entire body instantly went cold.
A cold, sticky gaze was fixed on him through the cracks in the black reef. Then, the peeper’s eyes narrowed.
“Look what I found? There’s a lost Elf Undersea.”
Lu Qinian froze, simultaneously adjusting his posture slowly.
Scarface’s gaze fell on the golden hair, and a twisted, excited expression appeared on his face. “It really is an Elf. I’ll take him back for the Leader to play with.”
Maybe he could get a share too. The Sea Demon lifted the stone slab and reached out to grab the Elf below.
Lu Qinian turned and dodged. Before the Sea Demon could react, he darted out and, once steady, delivered a kick to the Sea Demon’s abdomen.
“Bang—”
“Ugh.” Scarface grunted, winded by the kick.
Sea Demons were sturdier and larger than Merfolk. The kick only made Scarface stumble back several steps.
The stone slab crashed back onto the ground, stirring up sand and dust. Scarface coughed a few times from the choking dust. When he opened his eyes again, the Elf had already run dozens of meters away.
Lu Qinian shot away, quickly putting distance between himself and the Sea Demon. The sound of the slab hitting the ground was loud. He wasn’t sure if Yu had been startled awake by the noise, but he hoped the injured Merfolk wouldn’t rush out in a moment of recklessness to die in vain.
The Elf ran at high speed, his swaying golden hair particularly noticeable under the blood moon.
“Damn it, he’s got some strength.” Scarface spat out a mouthful of blood, flicked his fish tail, and instantly closed most of the distance.
Lu Qinian’s feet felt like they were sparking, but he couldn’t outrun the Undersea overlord. Sensing the danger behind him, his gaze flickered, subconsciously sweeping over a piece of reef. His body suddenly paused.
Aleksi slowly curled his lips and smiled at the Elf.
When he arrived, that Sea Demon had already lifted the slab. He thought it would be interesting to let the Sea Demon knock some arrogance out of this annoying Elf, hoping to see the Elf beg for mercy.
He hadn’t expected to expose himself instead of seeing any begging.
Aleksi blinked without restraint.
Why was Aleksi always coming to the Reef Zone late at night and staying around him? Why did the blood moon appear after he arrived here?
In an instant, Lu Qinian guessed something. His running motion came to an abrupt halt, and in less than a second, he was tackled and pinned down by the Sea Demon behind him.
“Damn it, keep running! I was originally thinking of letting you follow me after the Leader was done playing, but you like to run, huh? I’ll whip you and make you run every day from now on!” Scarface fiercely gripped the back of the Elf’s neck, shouting aggressively into his ear.
Lu Qinian allowed his neck to be held, his eyes fixed motionlessly on the deep pupils behind the reef.
After a moment, he narrowed his eyes and passed out.
The Elf beneath him instantly went limp. Scarface was startled and quickly lifted Lu Qinian, tentatively placing a finger under the Elf’s nose.
He was still breathing. Scarface felt a moment of relief.
Aleksi’s expression was grim. Although he hated this Elf, the Elf was still his property. Now, he was being pinned down by a Sea Demon, then lifted like a little chick and carried away.
In a trance, the meaningful green eyes flashed before him. He licked his lips. This was truly irritating.
The Elf was tightly bound, floating in the sea. The surrounding seawater was pushed away by a water-repelling potion, forming waves. The other end of the rope was held by the Sea Demon swimming ahead. In less than half an hour, Scarface’s face was turning blue and purple; the waves created by the potion made swimming difficult for him.
Lu Qinian, however, was leisurely, even crossing his legs. He rather liked this feeling and wished he could catch a Sea Demon mount.
After swimming out of the Black Reef Zone, the few Sea Demons guarding the entrance quickly approached.
One of the Sea Demons looked confused, seemingly unable to understand why their boss had caught a Merfolk. “Boss, did you catch a Merfolk?”
Another Sea Demon slapped the back of his head. “Are you blind? Can’t you see those green eyes? That’s an Elf!”
The first Sea Demon’s eyes widened. “It really is an Elf!”
“Boss, where did you catch the Elf? Can Elves grow Undersea?”
“Slap—”
Another sycophantic Sea Demon rushed forward and shouted, “Are you brain-dead! Do Elves grow in your Undersea! As expected of the Boss, to actually find an Elf.”
Scarface handed the rope to one of the Sea Demons. “Alright, we’ll leave as soon as they return.”
“Yes.” The Merfolk took the rope and smirked. “Boss, can this Elf…”
Scarface’s face turned green, and he punched the man in the face. “What are you! This is for the Leader!”
“Yes, yes, my mistake.”
An unknown amount of time passed. It was so long that the feigning Elf had actually fallen asleep, and the team catching water-repelling mushrooms still hadn’t returned.
The more the blood moon faded, the tighter Scarface’s brow furrowed. He felt inexplicably panicked and guessed that something must have happened to the Sea Demons inside the Black Reef Zone.
“You go in and see what’s going on.”
The chosen Sea Demon swam into the Black Reef Zone and quickly returned, running back in a state of extreme terror, as if he had witnessed something horrific.
“They… they are all dead. Blood is everywhere… their bodies… their bodies were all split in half. Boss, let’s run!” His voice was filled with uncontrollable fear.
Scarface’s brows were tightly locked. He glanced into the distance and said in a heavy voice, “Go.”
The other Merfolk were also badly frightened. After all, there were more than 20 Sea Demons catching water-repelling mushrooms, and they were silently massacred. If they had encountered whatever did it, they surely wouldn’t have survived either.
Lu Qinian woke up when they were already outside the Reef Zone. He slowly raised his hand, and a trace of affinity drilled into a half-withered seaweed, before he closed his eyes again, pretending to sleep.
Behind the Sea Demons, where they couldn’t see, the nearly dead seaweed instantly burst back to life.
Throughout the rest of the journey, Lu Qinian occasionally rescued a small plant. He wasn’t sure how far they had traveled initially, so he couldn’t be certain if Aleksi’s keen nose could follow the affinity to find him.
The news he had gathered these past few days made it clear that Aleksi, who was still struggling in the Reef Zone many years ago, had fought the Sea Demons for some reason, causing their numbers to plummet. The Sea Demon Leader was forced to leave the Reef Zone and find a new territory.
Years later, when Aleksi, who harbored a deep hatred for the Sea Demons, became the King of the Merfolk, the Sea Demon Leader instantly became restless. Fearing retaliation, he began frantically sending Sea Demons to the Reef Zone to catch water-repelling mushrooms to make a potion for landing on the surface. His goal: to occupy the land.
Since they couldn’t defeat the Merfolk Undersea, they had to seek a chance for survival on land.
However, Aleksi, who held a grudge against the Sea Demons, naturally didn’t want the Sea Demon Leader to live, but he didn’t know where the Leader was hiding.
Lu Qinian didn’t know the cause of their conflict, but now he finally understood why Aleksi had thrown him into the Reef Zone.
He was bait!
The hatred between Sea Demons and Merfolk wasn’t just because of Aleksi; the biggest issue between them was resources. While Merfolk were well-fed, well-clothed, and prosperous, Sea Demons were perpetually relegated to the darkness and filth. Therefore, any Sea Demon who saw a Merfolk would inevitably torture and kill them.
Any Merfolk could not approach the Sea Demons, making Beastmen the best choice.
Elves were the most unique existence on this continent. Perhaps Aleksi’s initial decision to spare Thor was for this very reason.
According to the plot information, Aleksi never found the Sea Demon Leader before destroying the world. Lu Qinian acted cautiously, avoiding the Sea Demons’ notice throughout the journey.
When they had traveled far enough, Scarface swam next to the Elf. He held a piece of black cloth and roughly blindfolded the Elf.
Sensing the Sea Demon’s gaze, Lu Qinian feigned unconsciousness without moving.
“Keep going.” Scarface withdrew his gaze, feeling a strange intuition but unable to pinpoint what was wrong.
As the sun rose, the Undersea was dim but the surrounding environment was visible. Nearing their destination, Lu Qinian was discovered by one of the Sea Demons to be faking unconsciousness. The Sea Demon then took him on a few more detours before finally heading into the camp.
Fortunately, they hadn’t discovered the markers he left along the way.
Upon finally reaching the camp, the black cloth covering the Elf’s eyes was removed. He expected it to be Scarface, but it was the timid Sea Demon who had been left to guard him.
Lu Qinian brazenly surveyed his surroundings. After a moment, he withdrew his gaze, internally complaining, “Sea Demons are so poor.” No wonder they constantly wanted to take the Merfolk’s place.
This territory could not be described merely as poor; it was practically destitute.
It was a large, natural stone cave, completely devoid of decoration. Small luminous pearls, about the size of a ping-pong ball, were placed every ten meters or so, emitting a faint, dim light.
It was difficult for Lu Qinian to see clearly into the distance with such small pearls spaced ten meters apart.
Scarface quickly returned from the depths. “Bring him in.”
The timid Sea Demon pulled the rope, and Lu Qinian obediently followed. Just as they were about to turn a corner, he subconsciously looked back.
The black, curly-haired Merfolk’s gaze was deep and profound.
“What are you doing?” Scarface narrowed his eyes.
Lu Qinian looked back indifferently. “It’s too dark. My eyes are uncomfortable.”
Scarface hadn’t seen anything at the entrance, and the Elf’s words instantly made his face turn green with anger. He threatened fiercely, “Wait until you meet the Leader, then see if you’re still so mouthy.”
Yang Luo stood behind the reef, observing the Sea Demon camp. The next second, he saw that familiar figure at the camp entrance and curled his lips in exasperation.
What was going on? When did Aleksi get there?
Aleksi’s steps were slow. The repeated contact and utilization made him feel strange; he actually didn’t think that Elf was bad. The moment the Elf realized he was being used, he immediately complied and allowed himself to be captured. Knowing Aleksi disliked him, he still released affinity all along the way to leave markers. Knowing how dangerous it was to be captured, he didn’t beg for mercy, instead looking at him with that strange gaze.
He was a little confused.
Ling Tang was assembling her specialized trident. Seeing Aleksi return, she quickly bowed and asked, “Your Majesty, everything is ready. We can begin the operation once you give the word.”
Aleksi was distracted. He sat straight into the armchair. “Wait a little longer.” He pinched his eyebrows.
He couldn’t figure it out. Forget it.
Since the Sea Demon took the Elf away, Aleksi had searched the Reef Zone for two hours before catching a faint scent of affinity several kilometers away. Normally, Beastmen couldn’t sense affinity, let alone smell it.
Using the Elf to find the Sea Demon camp—Aleksi wasn’t sure whether he should thank his “stepmother.”
After a moment, the Merfolk sneered.