144/12=12

According to the classification of the ocean by oceanographers, the water depth below 4,000 meters is the "deep sea area". Sunlight cannot penetrate the sea water to reach here, it is dark all year round, and the water temperature is maintained at around 0 degrees all year round. There are very few creatures that can survive here. In many works about the ocean, this place is lightless, terrifying, full of mysterious and powerful marine creatures, hiding alien life forms, underwater people with a completely different development from humans, or a dragon palace full of oriental romantic fantasy.

The capital of the Kingdom of Kyrenia, "Atlantis", is located 5,000 meters deep in the Gar Sea, which is ruled by the mermaids.

Even without asking, Lin Yuan could guess that the name "Atlantis" must have been something Su Mu did.

At this moment, he, Su Mu, and two attendants were sitting in the belly of the whale, following it as it moved towards the depths of the ocean at an extremely fast speed.

Unlike what Lin Yuan had imagined, the whale's stomach not only did not have the fishy smell of seafood he had imagined, but also did not have any mucus for digestion or other food residues. Instead, it was filled with a faint smell like the national flower of San Carlos, "Wendy". The stomach was very spacious, about the size of a classroom. The floor was covered with white tiles and cashmere blankets, and the walls were built with wood around them, and various ornaments, paintings, and silk were hung on them as decoration. In addition, there were sofas, coffee tables, dining tables, cooking tables, and even a "beauty couch" for taking a nap.

"Isn't your 'vehicle' too luxurious?" Lin Yuan exclaimed. He touched the wooden wall beside him and asked with some concern: "Will it really not feel uncomfortable if you decorate directly in the belly of a whale?"

Su Mu smiled and said, "Of course we can't build it directly in its belly. I feel bad if the whale doesn't agree. This is an independent space created by 'space magic'. It's just attached to the whale to make it easier for it to carry us."

As they were talking, the waiter brought Lin Yuan a drink.

The drink was like some kind of fruit juice, thicker than ordinary tea, and had no special smell. Its color, however, looked very strange, between blue and purple, not a bright color, but slightly dull, as if it had been polluted.

"I'm not thirsty, thank you." Lin Yuan subconsciously wanted to refuse, but heard Su Mu say: "Drink it."

Although Lin Yuan felt a little strange, he followed the host's wishes. So this time Lin Yuan did not refuse and drank the cup in one gulp.

Compared to the drink's strange appearance, its taste is quite good, with a slightly sour taste, a fruity fragrance, and more of a sweet and rich milky taste.

Lin Yuan's eyes lit up: "It tastes quite good, a bit like milk tea with fruit added."

"Not bad, isn't it?" Su Mu smiled, looking quite proud: "I spent a lot of effort to improve its taste."

"What is this made of?" Lin Yuan smacked his lips, savoring the taste in his mouth, and even wanted to have another cup.

"Whale milk."

Lin Yuan: “…”

"What's with that expression on your face?" Su Mu said, "The milk of the 'Deep Sea Dragon Whale' is a very rare ingredient in all of Parnaki. Did you make a profit?"

Lin Yuan: “…”

Well, it's just whale milk. What don't Chinese people eat? It's not like they haven't seen stranger ingredients.

Lin Yuan shook his head, not wanting to think about "what I drank" anymore. He changed the subject and asked, "Did you put some Wendini flower fragrance here?"

Su Mu nodded: "I really like the smell of Wendini flowers."

Lin Yuan was a little curious: "You, Kyrenia, believe in the 'God of the Sea', right? Aren't you afraid of angering the 'God of the Sea' by using the Undine Flower?"

——Since San Carlos is a purely religious country and the only country where the "god" it believes in still exists in the world, the industry related to San Carlos' sacrifices is very developed, such as incense and ointments used to worship gods. Compared with the ointments made of expensive materials such as olive oil and spices from the East during medieval sacrifices on Earth, the raw materials of San Carlos' ointments are fresh flowers, which are more like perfume or essential oils, but they are made into a semi-solidified paste for easy storage. Since it was sold to the outside world, it has attracted strong pursuit from all the nobles of Parnaki.

Mermaids love beauty by nature, so it's not surprising that they like to use aromatherapy. However, the blooming time of the Wendini flower coincides with the birthday of the "Goddess of Disaster", which is the same month as Yu Zhi's birth. Therefore, the Wendini flower is often used to worship the "Goddess of Disaster". Compared with other aromatherapy and perfumes, the religious color of the flower is more obvious. Generally, people with other beliefs or other ethnic groups rarely choose to buy aromatherapy and perfumes made from Wendini flowers.

But Su Mu didn't care: "Socialist New Youth don't believe this."

Before he finished speaking, Su Mu suddenly closed his eyes slightly, as if he was feeling something.

Not long after, he opened his eyes again and smiled at Lin Yuan: "We are almost there, do you want to go to the 'observation deck' with me?"

"You even prepared an observation deck?" Lin Yuan was surprised.

"Aren't you guys here?" Su Mu said, "When I think about you guys coming to my house to play one day in the future, of course I have to be prepared for everything."

As Su Mu spoke, he led Lin Yuan into the room - it turned out that there was a small door hidden behind the screen of the beauty bed, and the door was the "observation deck".

——Back when he was on Earth, Lin Yuan was influenced by Journey to the West and had been yearning for the sky and the sea since he was young. Above the sky is the fairy palace, with seven fairies wearing colorful fairy dresses, beautiful and charming but loving the human world. In the ocean is the elegant and luxurious Dragon Palace inlaid with night pearls, but the Dragon King is a bit resentful, either encountering Sun Wukong's challenge or Nezha's mind.

Lin Yuan has played games like "Beautiful Water World" and "No Man's Sky" over and over again, and has always been dreaming that one day in the future he would be able to go to the bottom of the sea and take a look at this mysterious and magnificent world in person.

At the beginning of the journey, Lin Yuan also lamented that he could not become a mermaid like Su Mu, cross the storm, and swim in the depths of the ocean. Or become a giant dragon like Song Mingzhe and fly freely in the sky.

After that, he began to study the history of various countries. After learning about the "Atlantis" hidden under the sea, Lin Yuan was full of yearning for it.

Now that his wish has finally come true, Lin Yuan is extremely excited. But he also knows that below four thousand meters is a world without light and sound. Even though mermaids are not afraid of the water pressure in the deep sea and have magic to provide light, it is extremely difficult to build a brightly lit city in a world without light.

Don't set your expectations too high - this is what Lin Yuan thought when Atlantis actually appeared before his eyes.

"Welcome to Atlantis."

As Su Mu spoke, he pushed the door open, and a bizarre underwater world appeared in Lin Yuan's eyes.

The first thing that caught my eye was the city that was layered and concentric, like a complicated maze, or like the wall built on Paradis Island in Attack on XX.

Then, a huge, bright, and dazzling "moon" hanging in the sky above the city came into Lin Yuan's eyes.

"This is..."

"This is the moon of Atlantis." Su Mu looked at the bright moon in the sea with a proud and gentle expression: "Have you ever read Zhiyin Manke when you were in elementary school or junior high school?"

Lin Yuan didn't know why the topic suddenly jumped to comics from the Earth period, but he still nodded and said, "I've read them, such as "Stealing the Stars in September", "Runaway Neighbors", and "Starry Sea Escort".

Su Mu said: "I remember there was a comic called "Tian Xing Anecdotes" at that time. In it, humans and the Zhulong clan joined forces to create the "Moon in the Sea". I have never forgotten the shock I felt when I first saw the "Moon in the Sea". It turns out that the darkness of the deep sea can be dispelled in this way, and it turns out that the longing for the homeland can also flow into the sea... So when I became the leader of the mermaid clan, the first thing I did was to imitate the comic and build the "Moon in the Sea". Now every city under the sea has its own moon, which can be powered by magic crystals to keep it bright all the time, and the brightness can be adjusted according to demand to become a waxing and waning form."

Lin Yuan exclaimed "Wow" and looked nostalgically at the 'Moon in the Sea' which was somewhat similar to the moon in his hometown. His sight followed the whale and Atlantis getting closer and closer and returned to the city again.

Lin Yuan suddenly became speechless.

He twitched his lips for a long while before coming back to his senses from the shock. He muttered, "This...is this the Atlantis you built?"

Su Mu nodded: "How about it, unexpected!"

Lin Yuan: “…”

This is more than unexpected! This is a complete change in style!

Because of the presence of Su Mu, a time traveler, before coming to Atlantis, Lin Yuan imagined that this might be an underwater Dragon Palace full of Chinese style, or it might be a "Lost City" full of Western aesthetics. However, he never expected that this mysterious city on the seabed would go towards the cyber style of "Night City" and never return.

What the hell is this skyscraper? What the hell is this giant magic neon sign? Why is there a "real spaceship" designed to look like a spaceship and powered by magic?

Especially in the city full of metallic tones, there are various religious temples and shrines interspersed abruptly, and a huge "Poseidon" sculpture stands at the door.

Lin Yuan was shocked and thought: Is this the legendary "Western Fantasy Cyberpunk"? His imagination is too narrow!

"I thought you were going for the Pirates of the Caribbean style." Lin Yuan stared at them, marveling in amazement.

"If I'm going to go, it's to the 'Undersea Dragon Palace'!" Su Mu said, "Why would I pursue something so dark and gloomy? You have to believe in the aesthetic taste of us mermaids - no fish can resist sparkling things."

"But it's too bright." Lin Yuan said, "What are these buildings made of? They can't be made of glass, right? And don't you have the moon? Why are there so many lights?"

"It's glass that has been blended with magic crystals. It's much harder than bulletproof glass." Su Mu said, "You've never played MC before? Building a house underwater with glass and fluorite is standard, right?"

Lin Yuan: "...That makes sense. So you designed all these buildings? Are you a construction player?"

Su Mu: “…”

His eyes gradually became vague.

Following Su Mu's subconsciously evasive gaze, Lin Yuan discovered a square matchbox among the high-rise buildings with unique style and full of design. It looked like an underwater tombstone, but still stood firmly among the many tall buildings.

Lin Yuan showed a satisfied smile: It’s just right.

...

After looking at the "observation deck" for a while, the group finally arrived at their destination.

The whale shook its tail and opened its mouth again. The amazing thing was that even though it was at the bottom of the sea, the seawater did not flow into its mouth.

"Let's go." Su Mu said to Lin Yuan.

Unlike the "observation deck", without contact with water, Lin Yuan can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the seabed without restraint. But now that he really wants to go out, he hesitates again: "Don't lie to me that I'm not good at physics. If I go out like this, will I really not be crushed by the water pressure in a second?"

There is water pressure in the sea. The deeper you dive, the greater the water pressure. In the sea water at a depth of one thousand meters, objects will bear one thousand tons of pressure per square meter. Of course, this is the standard on Earth. Due to changes in factors such as gravity, seawater density, and magic, a special variable that "goes against science", the pressure in the sea in Parnaki is bound to be quite different from that on Earth. But this does not mean that the five thousand meters deep sea in Parnaki is so weak that it can be directly ignored. Even if Lin Yuan has magic as armor to strengthen his body, at such a depth, his current magic reserve may not last even for a minute.

Not to mention his breathing, vision and other problems underwater.

Facing Lin Yuan's hesitation, Su Mu smiled and said, "You'll know when you come out first."

After saying that, without giving Lin Yuan a chance to refuse, he pulled his wrist and walked out.

How could Lin Yuan's strength compare with Su Mu, a top master at the same level as Yu Zhi? There was no room for resistance at all. He stumbled all the way out of the whale's belly and stepped into the water.

Lin Yuan subconsciously closed his eyes, held his breath, and used magic power to protect his body.

The surroundings were slightly cool, but not damp. Instead, it was very comfortable and relaxing, like lying in a ball of soft jelly.

"Don't be afraid, open your eyes and breathe directly." Su Mu's voice rang in his ears. Out of his innate trust in his classmates, Lin Yuan subconsciously took a breath.

Fresh air rushes into the lungs from the nasal cavity, without any feeling of suffocation from blocking the mouth and nose, nor the pain of the body being squeezed by pressure.

"This is..."

Su Mu raised an eyebrow at him: "Why do you think I gave you whale milk? The 'Deep Sea Dragon Whale' is full of treasures. A cup of 'Deep Sea Dragon Whale' milk can make the drinker gain the physical strength comparable to the 'Deep Sea Dragon Whale' within seven days. He will not be afraid of water pressure and can breathe in the seabed."

Su Mu paused, his voice filled with a bit of uncontrollable sadness and coldness: "'Deep Sea Dragon Whales' have good personalities and are friendly to people. They used to be everywhere in the sea. But because of their characteristics, countries and tribes have been constantly hunting down 'Deep Sea Dragon Whales', so that now they can only dive into the sea with us and survive with difficulty under the protection of our mermaids."

Su Mu raised his hand and caressed the whale's head lovingly. The huge 'Deep Sea Dragon Whale' was as docile as a ragdoll cat in front of Su Mu. It flapped its huge tail fin, let out a sweet and innocent moan, and rubbed Su Mu's palm hard to act like a spoiled child.

Fortunately, Su Mu was a mermaid and could stand the whale's coquetry. If it was Lin Yuan, he would have been knocked a hundred meters away.

Now that he was back at the bottom of the sea, Su Mu no longer needed to use magic to maintain his human form. As magic flowed through Su Mu's body, his upper body was still covered with a loose T-shirt in the style of a street stall, but his lower body had turned into a huge, blue fish tail.

Having seen Su Mu many times as a human, this was the first time Lin Yuan saw Su Mu in mermaid form.

The words Su Mu just said, "We are the mermaids," suddenly flashed through Lin Yuan's mind.

Lin Yuan's eyes darkened, and he felt a little complicated for a moment. Even the joy of seeing Atlantis was diluted a lot.

For the immortal species, a hundred years is just a short moment. Sometimes they fall into meditation for cultivation, and when they open their eyes, decades have passed in a hurry.

But for humans, a hundred years is too long.

Compared to the seventeen years of her life as a human, Su Mu has lived as a mermaid for a hundred years, so it is not strange that she would be more accepting of the identity of "mermaid".

But if Teacher Rui had not constantly mentioned his "hometown" and his past as a "human being", if there had not been a class group, if it had not been for China - the hometown they longed for was too brilliant...if one day in the future they could return to their hometown, would they still recognize their identity as a "human being"?

Just as Lin Yuan was daydreaming, the sound of armor colliding attracted his attention.

Lin Yuan raised his head and saw a tall and handsome man wearing silver armor with a long sword on his back walking towards him. He had a friendly smile on his face, which made people feel friendly.

——That was their class’s sports commissioner and the leader of the mercenary group that Lin Yuan was about to join: Zhou Xun.

...

A similar notice was handed to Su Mu and Lin Lang.

"What is this?" Su Mu asked.

"My brother's studio asked me to give it to you." Lin Yuan said, "There is an announcement this weekend. It's up to you whether to accept it or not. Just treat it as a two-day outing. If you don't want to accept it, the studio will directly help you turn it down."

As a classmate of the two, an official "monitor", and also an "undercover" planted by Teacher Rui in the official ranks, Lin Yuan, who already has multiple identities, is not afraid of too much trouble. He simply becomes Su Mu and Lin Lang's executive agent and assistant, helping to handle announcements, handovers, and the like.

It has been a month since the duo became popular. Compared to the initial explosion, because there was almost no material released afterwards, the popularity of the duo has declined a bit compared to last month.

Su Mu and Lin Lang entered the entertainment industry because they liked the colorful life in this circle. Lin Shen and the studio directly guaranteed in the contract that they would not force them to work and would give them enough freedom before they finished their studies. Therefore, in terms of job choices, they could arbitrarily turn down any job they did not want to participate in.

But they have chosen to make a living in the entertainment industry after all. The studio has given them such a relaxed environment, but they really don't have to do any work. Su Mu and Lin Lang feel a little embarrassed.

So the two of them took the contract and program plan handed over by Lin Yuan and read them carefully.

This is a program called "Goodbye Peach Blossom Spring". As the name suggests, it is derived from Tao Yuanming's "Peach Blossom Spring" and is mostly related to elements such as rural life and seclusion.

As expected, the story background of the variety show is that several young people (MC) travel together for various reasons, but accidentally find the Peach Blossom Spring. Afterwards, they choose to stay in the Peach Blossom Spring and make a living with their own hands.

The content of the program is to watch the MCs build their own houses, reclaim farmland, grow vegetables and raise chickens, and build their own homes step by step with nothing.

In each episode of the program, different flying guests will come here and help build the courtyard, feed chickens and dogs, pick vegetables and cook... and enjoy the pastoral life while working in just two days.

There are many variety shows like this both at home and abroad, but "Goodbye Peach Blossom Spring" is more hardcore than "Three Meals a Day" from H country or "Longing for Life" introduced and improved by China, and it is easier to show the real side of MCs and guests, or cause more dramatic conflicts. The program is even more wealthy and has invited the top domestic hosts, singers, popular stars, and even movie emperors as permanent MCs.

Therefore, the show has already attracted a lot of discussion before it was even aired.

Although Su Mu and Lin Lang became extremely popular in October, it is still difficult for them to become permanent MCs given their qualifications. This time they were only invited to participate in one episode of recording as flying guests.

Because the popularity of the show is there, even the flying guests are all very famous or have super high traffic. The program team is also very good at marketing topics and taking advantage of traffic. As the most popular people in October, Lin Lang and Su Mu naturally received invitations from the program team.

However, considering Lin Lang and Su Mu's lively and unrestrained personalities, their young age and the fact that they have never participated in the recording of any variety show, and have only received a few days of training in the basics of artist knowledge, and now take classes every weekend with a teacher from Y City specially invited by Lin Shen for them, and have no experience in variety shows at all, the studio was very conflicted about whether to let them take on this notice, so they simply gave the choice to them.

"Since I've been invited, I'll go." Lin Lang agreed readily: "I'm tired of attending classes on weekends. I think this show is quite interesting. How much does it pay?"

Lin Yuan gestured a number with his hands.

Lin Lang answered without hesitation: "Take it!"

You'd be a fool not to make money.

"I should have no problem with that, but what exactly should I do for this program?" Su Mu hesitated: "Is it enough to just help pick vegetables, wash vegetables, and cook? I don't have any experience in farming, etc."

"This question also hits the point of my knowledge blind spot." Lin Yuan groaned, feeling a little headache: "How about I ask my brother to see if he can urgently find a teacher to help you with training?"

"What's so difficult about this?" Bai Luo, who had been listening to the conversation between the three people, said casually: "You two go play a game and experience this kind of life. I guarantee you will know what to do."

Lin Lang/Su Mu: “???”

Two days later——

Lin Lang and Su Mu had thick dark circles under their eyes, which scared Lin Yuan who was participating in the recording with them.

Lin Yuan was quite surprised: "It's just a recording session, do you have to study so hard?"

Lin Lang and Su Mu sat beside him, their heads pounding and confused, but their hands were still unwilling to leave the screen of their mobile phones, persistently controlling the little man to chop trees, fish, and give gifts...

Lin Yuan was curious and couldn't help asking, "Is this game really the same as Bai Luo said? Can you learn something from it? What did you learn?"

Lin Lang and Su Mu said in unison without even raising their heads.

Lin Lang: "Fishing stream is always the strongest!"

Su Mu: "Abigail, my wife."

Lin Yuan: “…”

What on earth did you two learn?