To everyone's surprise, a week later, another change occurred in the town.
The month-long halt to maritime activities severely impacted the town's economy, leaving many sailors facing unemployment. Eventually, some couldn't resist taking a risk and rowing their own small boats out to sea, returning with a full catch.
Once someone started it, more and more people followed suit, and they all reaped huge profits. Faced with huge profits, even knowing the dangers, some people couldn't resist taking the risk, and eventually even several large cargo ships were launched.
Although these people did not have any accidents in the sea, they encountered accidents after returning home.
The first person to be discovered to have the strange phenomenon was the first person to go out to sea alone. Five days after he returned from the sea, fish-scale-like things suddenly grew on his lower body. He was very scared, but he didn't dare to make a fuss. He went to the town's doctor and got some medicine for skin allergies, but it didn't work.
Two days later, his legs were covered with dense scales, and on the third day, his legs had changed from a fish tail to a tail fin.
He and his family were terrified. Ever since he grew a tail fin, he had been constantly crying out for water. He drank several buckets of water, but it didn't help. Finally, his family put him in a bathtub, and he finally calmed down.
However, as soon as he leaves the water, his skin dries out at a visible rate.
He wasn't the only one going to sea; within a few days, more and more people in the town developed similar symptoms, and naturally, the number of boats going out to sea stopped again.
Men are the breadwinners of the family, and mermaids are a taboo topic in the town. Suddenly, everyone was in a panic. If everyone in the town turned into mermaids, how could the town survive? Would the humans here become extinct?
Even the tavern where Gu Qingqiu worked closed down because the owner was afraid the "curse" would be contagious, so he shut it down.
Of course, other shops in town also closed, seemingly out of fear that the "mermaid disease" would spread like a plague.
Gu Qingqiu could only stay at home, and so could her father and mother. Their lives were hanging by a thread, so what use were tailors and blacksmiths?
For Gu Qingqiu's safety, her father also forbade her from going out. Gu Qingqiu could only agree for the time being and prepared to observe the situation before taking any action.
A few days later, the first mutated human died.
His cause of death was also quite comical. There was a small pit at the bottom of the wooden bathtub where he was soaking, so the water never filled up. He had to call someone to add water to his tub regularly. However, one night when he tried to call for help, he found that he couldn't make a sound at all. He could only frantically use his tail fin to thrash against the tub wall to make a sound. But he accidentally knocked himself and the tub over, and then he died from dehydration.
According to his father, he looked like a dried fish that had been exposed to the sun for a week.
Just hearing this description sent chills down Gu Qingqiu's spine. Such a bizarre event was clearly beyond the comprehension of the town's residents, so they once again thought of that method—seeking help from a wizard.
The town sent a representative to the neighboring big town to invite a wizard who was said to be highly skilled in witchcraft. Upon entering the town, the wizard shook his head, saying that the town was already cursed.
The mayor immediately knelt before the wizard, begging him to save the town's residents, saying he would pay any price, however much he had to, and then recounted the events of that year in detail.
The wizard pondered for a moment: "There is a solution. Does that woman named Zhang Jianqiu have any other female relatives by blood? Ideally, a young girl, or a younger girl if that's not possible. But no married women."
The town mayor immediately sent people to investigate, and soon delivered Gu Qingqiu's information to the wizard.
The wizard nodded. "Bring the person to me."
...
"What right do you have to take my daughter away!"
"Let go! Don't pull my wife!"
"This is thuggish behavior! You'll be punished!"
Gu Qingqiu was half asleep when she heard a commotion outside the door, which sounded like her father and mother arguing with the people outside.
She got out of bed, pushed open the door, wanting to find out what was going on, but the moment her mother heard the door creak open, she immediately turned around and shouted at Gu Qingqiu, "What are you doing out here? Go back inside!"
Although Gu Qingqiu didn't know what had happened, she could see the severity in her mother's words and the determination and fear in her eyes, so she obediently closed the door.
In that instant, the people outside the door saw Gu Qingqiu. Their pushing and shoving became more intense, their shouts louder, and they forcefully broke through the defenses of Gu Qingqiu's father and mother, entered the house, opened Gu Qingqiu's door, and grabbed her as she was about to jump out the window to escape.
"What are you doing! Let me go!" Gu Qing struggled frantically, trying to resist, but her fists were no match for the crowd. She was quickly tied up by the burly men who broke in. They even carelessly grabbed a dusty rag and stuffed it into Gu Qing's mouth, preventing her from calling for help.
"Ugh!" The stench and humiliation instantly brought tears to Gu Qingqiu's eyes. She had never felt so frustrated and resentful towards the people of a mission world. This negative emotion reached its peak when she was carried out of the room by the strong man and saw her parents lying unconscious on the ground.
Gu Qingqiu was thrown in front of a man dressed in a black robe and wearing a mask. The town mayor bowed and groveled as he called him "Master Wizard".
The next instant, Gu Qingqiu's chin was gripped by the wizard's icy hand. An uncomfortable, damp gaze pierced through the mask as the wizard scrutinized Gu Qingqiu for a moment before slowly releasing his grip.
"The ceremony will be held at midnight tomorrow night, and she is not allowed to eat anything during this time."
"Yes, Your Excellency Wizard." The mayor's face lit up with joy.
Gu Qingqiu was tied to a huge cross. Because she was unable to move, the rag in her mouth was "mercifully" taken out.
During this time, she also overheard the conversations of those around her and deduced what she was about to face—the wizard was preparing to perform a witchcraft, sacrificing her to the angry mermaid in exchange for peace at sea.
Gu Qingqiu felt her stomach growling with hunger, and her consciousness became hazy due to exhaustion and hunger.
She hated these people, and she even began to think that if she became a mermaid, she would definitely take revenge on these despicable humans.
Remember the mission.
The voice of System 057 remained indifferent, but it somewhat alleviated Gu Qingqiu's anger and near-collapse.
Taking a few deep breaths, Gu Qingqiu calmed down a bit. Perhaps this was an opportunity; maybe she really could meet the male lead?
Could it be him? What would he be like in this world?
If it really is him... does he still have his previous memories?
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