Chapter 39: Eternal Daylight (Part 3) Enjoy...
[028, Check the situation in the surrounding rooms.]
[With such a loud commotion and it being only evening, it's not impossible that no one heard the noise just now.]
The salty and humid sea breeze poured in through the corroded window holes, and Wen Yin gave instructions to 028 in the midst of the mess.
028 quickly returned after a quick investigation.
[The surrounding rooms are full, but... all the tourists are sleeping.]
[And those 'appetizers' seemed to be a must-have upon check-in. I saw used highball glasses in every room.]
Wen Yin frowned and looked at the high-heeled glass placed aside with red liquid still on the wall, and heard the reminder from 028 again.
[Host, the waiter is here.]
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a quick and restrained knock on the door.
"Ma'am? Ma'am! Are you okay?"
"We heard some... unusual noises!"
Here it comes.
Wen Yin looked around the room, took a deep breath, and summoned all her acting skills.
"ah!!!"
A short, terrified scream ripped from her throat, perfectly simulating the reaction of a rich young lady awakened by a nightmare or a loud noise.
She staggered towards the door, and before opening it, she deliberately rubbed her eyes hard with her hands, causing the corners of her eyes to turn red.
The door was flung open, and two servants with tense expressions stood outside.
The moment they saw the scene inside the door, their pupils suddenly contracted, and the professional smiles on their faces briefly cracked.
Wen Yin covered her heart with one hand and pointed with the other hand tremblingly at the broken window and disgusting tentacle remains on the ground in the room, her voice filled with tears.
"What the hell is this?!"
Her voice was sharp and her body was trembling, perfectly portraying a delicate young lady who was shocked by the scene before her.
"I just drank what you sent and fell asleep. How come the room looked like this when I woke up?!!"
"This is terrible! What's going on with your ship?!"
"I want to complain! I want to get off the boat!"
Her questions were filled with anger after the panic, and her logic clearly pointed to the hypnotic effect of "Breath of Life" and the safety issues of the cruise ship.
The two servants' eyes quickly swept over the empty silver cup in the corner of the room, then looked at the tentacle debris and broken window on the ground. A trace of surprise flashed across their eyes, and then was covered by deeper apology.
The two of them immediately bowed deeply, their posture extremely humble. "We are extremely sorry! Your Excellency! It is our fault that this happened!"
"'Breath of Life' does have the effect of helping with sleep and calming the mind, but the current situation is beyond our expectations."
"There are indeed extremely destructive giant octopuses in this sea area. I'm sorry to have scared you!"
The attendant beside him also quickly bowed and apologized.
"Negligence? What's the point of apologizing?"
"Who will guarantee my safety?! Is this room still habitable?! You must give me an explanation immediately!"
“Yes! Yes!”
"We'll change your room immediately! To a safer, more central VIP suite! And we'll increase security patrols in your area! I promise you, this will never happen again!"
The attendant's tone was firm, with an urgency to comfort and make amends, and he seemed worried that Wen Yin's actions would disturb other tourists.
Wen Yin was panting in shock and seemed to be still trying to calm down. After a moment, she nodded reluctantly.
The attendant immediately signaled his companions to deal with the "garbage" in the room and arrange for repairs, and then personally guided Wen Yin.
"Ma'am, please follow me. I will take you to your new room immediately. You have been frightened, so please rest well."
The new suite is located on the top floor, and the room layout is similar to the previous one, with the same luxurious deep-sea theme decoration.
Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows was still the open sea, but it was much farther away from the ship's side.
The servant respectfully handed the new room card to Wen Yin and bowed deeply again to apologize.
"Once again, I offer my sincerest apologies for the previous incident. Please rest in peace."
"Also, let me remind you that a grand welcome dinner will be held at the Moonlight Hall at 8 o'clock tonight."
"This is one of the most important parts of this voyage, and all VIPs will be dressed in their finest attire. Please be sure to attend on time."
"knew."
Wen Yin waved her hand pretending to be tired, signaling the servants that they could leave.
After the servant left, Wen Yin closed the door. The panic on her face faded away, leaving only vigilance hidden under the appearance of weakness.
She walked to the floor-to-ceiling window of her new room and looked out over the brightly lit, yet eerily quiet, cruise ship deck below.
Time passed minute by minute, and it was almost eight o'clock, but there was still deathly silence outside.
There was no sound of tourists walking around and talking, no waiters coming and going, as if after dusk, everyone on the ship except her had fallen into some kind of deep sleep.
"Still unable to determine the source of the strange energy on the cruise ship?" Wen Yin asked in her heart.
[Yes, it still depends on the host to explore.]
Wen Yin nodded, and then she realized that the hem of her white fishtail skirt was stained with some dark liquid.
Her fingertips groped for the zipper on her back and had just pulled it down halfway when her eyes suddenly fell on the algae and shellfish patterns carved on the headboard.
She paused, then picked up a blue skirt and stepped into the bathroom.
-
It was just eight o'clock when the passengers who had finished their rest started to leave.
Wen Yin put on her shell-like smooth mask again, revealing only her graceful jaw and red lips.
The person in the mirror was wearing a dark blue satin long dress, the hem of which was dotted with tiny silver threads, and she looked like a flowing galaxy as she walked.
Wen Yin opened the door and saw that the corridor, which had been empty just now, was now full of people in their best clothes.
All wore masks carved with marine elements.
Men's pure black, women's pure white. Paired with exquisite dresses, they shone with a luxurious luster under the bright corridor lights.
Everyone kept a tacit distance from each other, either nodding or smiling as they moved forward.
Wen Yin took a deep breath, a natural smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, and she joined everyone in this silent and gorgeous crowd.
The luxury of the Moonlight Hall is beyond imagination.
The huge dome is designed to resemble a flowing deep sea area sparkling with faint blue starlight, and countless tiny crystal lamps are like luminous plankton in the deep sea.
The surroundings are not surrounded by walls, but curved water curtain walls, shimmering with the shadows of fish swimming silently.
Under the transparent floor under your feet is the dark blue sea water illuminated by lights. The moment you step on it, you will have the illusion of being suspended in the deep sea.
The air was filled with the fresh scent of sea salt, and waiters were walking among the guests carrying silver trays filled with crystal clear champagne and exquisite snacks.
Like a carefully constructed, dreamy and cold deep-sea cage.
Wen Yin casually took a glass of champagne, and the cool touch came through her lace gloves.
She observed her surroundings calmly and found that the guests had formed many small circles, their eyes behind the masks exchanging unspeakable messages.
She caught staccato whispers.
“…The quality seems to be good this time…”
“…Hopefully I can find someone who fits in…”
“…the ship owner’s gift is always timely…”
What they were talking about was obviously not ordinary socializing or entertainment.
Ship owner.
Wen Yin had also heard this name from the thing that attacked her.
Holding a glass of champagne, she casually observed the edge of the banquet hall, when she suddenly felt a cold, sticky, and scrutinizing gaze falling on her.
Wen Yin picked up the champagne and took a sip. She seemed not very satisfied with the taste. She looked around the scene under the pretense of looking for a waiter, and only saw a flash of gorgeous hem behind a decorative column.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Three melodious bells rang at this moment, drowning out all the surrounding sounds.
The "starlight" from the dome suddenly focused and gathered on a high platform made of huge, white giant clam shells in front of the hall.
A host in a dazzling gown appeared on the stage as if rising from the deep sea.
He wore a dark silver mask that covered his entire face. His voice, transmitted through some device, was clear, cold, and penetrating throughout the hall:
"Dear travelers."
His opening remarks were straightforward and to the point.
"Welcome to the 'Eternal Day', and welcome to a night of feasting under the moonlight!"
The audience instantly fell into dead silence, and then broke out into extremely suppressed, eager cheers and applause.
All the masked figures around them leaned forward slightly, like sharks smelling blood.
"The ancient deep blue gave birth to endless treasures, and tonight..."
The host's gaze swept across the audience under the dark silver mask, and seemed to pause subtly for half a second in Wen Yin's direction. The cold scrutiny made Wen Yin's heart tighten slightly.
"This is the time for grace to come and share this rare gift!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the host opened his arms, and the lights gathered on the platform suddenly scattered, illuminating the edge of the huge water curtain in a circular shape.
The light is so bright that it feels like being in the galaxy or the deep sea.
Only then did Wen Yin discover that in front of the huge water curtain, there were independent exhibition stands surrounded by special glass, and the interior was filled with dark blue sea water emitting a faint fluorescent light.
And in each booth, there is a figure quietly "displayed".
Each figure has a human body and a fish tail, a breathtakingly beautiful figure.
Wen Yin's breathing suddenly stopped under the mask.
They, or rather they, possess a beauty that is difficult for humans to achieve.
Regardless of gender, their skin has a pearly white luster and their facial features are as delicate as if they were created by gods.
Thick seaweed-like hair floated gently in the water, sparkling with the colors of deep-sea gems, dark blue, dark green, and deep purple.
However, the most shocking thing is the huge and gorgeous scaly tail covering their waist and abdomen.
The scales are like they are carved from the finest gems, reflecting a dreamy and hazy light in the dark blue sea.
But this breathtaking beauty was completely ruined by the frozen expressions on their faces.
Fear.
Fear.
Every pair of eyes, no matter what color they originally were, was now filled with unspeakable fear and despair.
Some of them curled up in the corner of the booth, hugging themselves tightly with their arms.
Some of them vainly tapped the indestructible glass wall with their slender fingers.
Some of them were like puppets without souls, suspended in the water, staring blankly at the dark dome above.
Some lips opened and closed silently, as if screaming, and the bubbles they exhaled slowly rose and shattered on the glass roof.
The entire exhibition hall was dead silent, with only the slight hum of the water circulation system and... the silent fear filling the air.
The host's voice sounded again, appearing particularly clear and cold in the dead silence.
"Dear guests, this is the 'gift' of this voyage."
"A treasure from the abyss, a living legend, a mermaid."
He spread his arms out wide, like merchandise on a display shelf.
"They possess the purest life energy, the most gorgeous appearance, and... the most docile nature."
He studiously ignored the frightened faces.
"Now," the host's voice added a hint of temptation, "please feel free to choose."
"Choose the one you like. For the rest of the voyage, it will be completely yours, accompanying you through every wonderful night. You can enjoy it as much as you want."
He said the word "enjoy" meaningfully, with a creepy suggestion.
As he finished speaking, the lights in the exhibition hall seemed to brighten slightly, focusing on each booth and illuminating the frightened expressions of the mermaids more clearly.
The waiters appeared silently beside the guests, holding trays with exquisite cards and pens on them, which seemed to be used for "placing orders".
The guests' eyes behind the masks instantly became hot, as if they were selecting the most expensive jewelry or prey. They began to linger, stop, and comment in front of each booth.
They pointed and whispered about the luster of the scaly tail, the rarity of the hair color, the delicacy of the facial features, completely ignoring the fear that threatened to overflow from the glass.
Wen Yin stood there, a chill running from the soles of her feet to the top of her head.
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