Chapter 40: Eternal Day (Part 4)
Go to the bathtub.
"Miss, "
Amid the muted conversations around her, a gentle and polite voice suddenly sounded in Wen Yin's ears.
"Would you like a glass of champagne?"
Wen Yin, who was still frozen in place, felt her heart skip a beat. When she turned her head, she saw a familiar face. It was the servant who had checked her invitation letter at the boarding gate.
At this moment, he still had the elegant demeanor of "It's an honor to serve you", and his dark brown eyes were fixed on her accurately.
He was holding a tray with a glass of transparent champagne on it. He stood beside her with a slight bow. When Wen Yin looked at him, he gave her a very gentlemanly smile.
"Since you are alone, I hope I didn't disturb you."
Wen Yin suppressed her vigilance, took the new bottle of champagne, and her fingertips brushed against his gloves unintentionally, leaving a hint of coolness.
Standing in front of the dazzling and dreamy booth, she deliberately let her voice carry a hint of arrogance and just the right amount of curiosity that belonged to a "rich man's daughter."
"Thank you. Speaking of which, the 'treasures' you have here are truly dazzling."
She gently swirled the liquid in the cup and glanced at the booths.
"This is my first time attending such a... uh, fancy banquet."
Wen Yin paused. "Can you tell me more about them? For example, where were these 'deep-sea treasures' caught? They all look quite...rare."
She pronounced the words "treasure" and "capture" clearly, sounding like a rich girl's pure curiosity about rare prey, which was very consistent with the identity she was disguising at the moment.
A glimmer flashed in the servant's dark brown eyes. He bowed slightly, his voice still steady and polite.
"It's my honor to help you solve your problems."
He followed Wen Yin's gaze and looked at the figures in the glass cages, his tone filled with a strange, almost lamentable calmness.
"They are the miracles of the deep sea, not a 'capture' but... a 'gift'."
"'Gift'?" Wen Yin raised an eyebrow, and the red lips beneath the mask curled up in a just right, playful arc. "It sounds mysterious. It makes me really curious about their origin."
The attendant chuckled softly, and the sound was like a feather scratching in the silent air, carrying a hint of indescribable meaning.
"You are very perceptive. However, their origin is one of the ship's owner's most cherished secrets."
He cleverly avoided giving a direct answer, but his eyes fell more intently on Wen Yin, as if assessing her reaction.
"We are solely responsible for presenting this 'grace' from the deep sea intact to our most distinguished guests. We ensure that it is... full of vitality and of extraordinary value."
He added meaningfully, "After all, the energy they can provide to guests is extremely valuable."
"Full of energy?"
Wen Yin seemed to casually glance at the frightened and desperate faces in the booth, her tone questioning a little, and her gaze finally fell on the darkest booth in the corner.
"But some of them seem to be in poor condition."
The lighting there seemed dimmer than elsewhere, and a male mermaid was suspended in the sea water inside the booth.
His dark blue fish tail hung limply in the water, his scales were dull and lifeless, and several parts had even curled up and fallen off, revealing the skin and flesh underneath that was oozing with light golden liquid.
The humanoid upper body was also covered in scars, with bruises and tears covering the pearly skin. The scar on the shoulder blade, deep enough to reveal the bone, was particularly hideous.
Her long ocean-blue hair was like withered seaweed, sticking messily to her pale cheeks and neck.
The most frightening thing is his condition.
He didn't curl up or flap, but simply floated in the murky water, his head tilted back slightly, revealing the delicate and graceful neck, his eyes closed, and his long eyelashes covered as fragilely as butterfly wings.
The rise and fall of his chest was so faint that it was almost invisible, his lips were an ominous gray-purple color, and every weak breath exhaled tiny bubbles, as if he would fall into complete silence in the next second.
Like... dying.
The servant also followed her gaze, his dark brown eyes lingering on the dying mermaid for a moment, then turned to Wen Yin, no emotion in his voice.
"Deep-sea journeys are inherently fraught with unknown risks, ma'am. Some individuals... are indeed more fragile, but..."
He changed the subject and spoke in a professional sales tone.
"A discerning guest like you will surely be able to choose the most suitable and dynamic one."
"Like the one with the emerald green tail, or the one with the silver hair..."
He pointed to a few mermaids that looked in better condition, with shinier scales and tails.
Wen Yin seemed to have little interest in his recommendation. After looking around, her gaze returned to that corner, and her fingertips gently tapped the wall of the champagne glass.
[Host, the number of booths is the same as the number of on-site guests.]
The 028 perspective allows for a better view of the entire scene.
[Many guests have already selected the better-looking ones. If you act too slowly, you might end up with only this one mermaid left.]
Wen Yin did not answer 028, but just quietly observed everything around her.
After a while, the emerald green-tailed mermaid and the silver-haired mermaid mentioned by the waiter were chosen first.
And, in her observation, the male guests all chose female mermaids, while the female guests all chose male mermaids.
"Will the injuries on its body... affect the effect of 'energy'?"
Wen Yin casually swung the goblet in her hand, responding to the word "energy" that the waiter had just mentioned.
The corners of the waiter's mouth seemed to curl up ever so slightly.
"Don't worry, ma'am,"
His voice was oddly soothing.
"Before we deliver it to your room, we will ensure it is in the most 'docile' state so that you can extract the essence."
"As for the scars... As long as they don't damage the root cause, the impact will be minimal. Of course,"
He paused, and his gaze fell back on Wen Yin's face with a hint of meaning.
"Perfect appearance naturally brings a more extreme and special experience. It all depends on... what you are pursuing."
His answer was flawless. He neither revealed the origin of the mermaids nor soothed the concerns about "energy". The last sentence "what are you pursuing" was even more ambiguous, hinting at something ambiguous, and cleverly kicked the ball back to Wen Yin.
However, Wen Yin did not dare to show any more doubts, because the guests around her seemed to know the "inside story".
If I ask any more, I'm afraid he'll become suspicious.
In the time it took for these few words to be spoken, the only thing left in the huge exhibition hall was the booth in the corner in front of Wen Yin, and the dying deep blue-tailed mermaid inside, who had not yet been chosen.
"It seems that you are still not satisfied with the 'gift' we prepared for you."
The servant's gaze fell on Wen Yin with interest, and after a moment, he turned to the dying mermaid in the corner.
"In that case, in order not to affect your voyage experience and to maintain the quality of the 'Eternal Daylight'..."
He raised his hand and signaled the staff to come forward and clean up.
"Then there is no need for it to exist during this voyage."
Someone immediately took a tool that looked like a long-handled metal hook and walked towards the booth in the corner with an expressionless face.
Get rid of it.
Like dealing with a broken piece of trash.
Just as the cold tool was about to touch the operating panel of the booth, Wen Yin blurted out almost subconsciously: "Wait!"
Her voice seemed a little abrupt in the empty hall, and everyone's eyes were instantly focused on her, including the host's cold and scrutinizing gaze.
Wen Yin raised her chin, casually pointing her fingertips at the booth in the corner, and her voice was deliberately raised, with a hint of the willfulness and charity of a young lady.
"This mermaid's dark blue scales complement my new dress perfectly. I'll take it, even though... it doesn't look very energetic."
"But you... can't even handle this little injury?"
When Wen Yin made her choice, the attendant immediately bowed with a smile and handed the "order" card and pen to Wen Yin at the right time. His voice returned to pure respect.
"It will be taken care of for you, ma'am. Please sign to confirm."
The card indicated the mermaid's number and nickname, 07-Cangli.
Wen Yin paused for half a second at the signature column, and finally signed the name of the rich lady she replaced.
The servant's eyes were fixed on the tip of her pen as she signed. After she signed and handed the card back, he glanced at the words "Chen Ru" and then put the card away.
"This merman is yours and will be delivered to your suite shortly, ma'am."
He nodded slightly, his voice low and pleasant: "I hope this 'special' gift can make you have a pleasant journey.
Wen Yin didn't look at the servant beside him, nor did she look at the dying mermaid in the booth. She just nodded arrogantly, as if she had accomplished something insignificant.
She held the champagne glass, but her fingertips were slightly cold.
When Wen Yin strolled around the deck and returned to her newly moved luxurious suite on the top floor, the mermaid numbered "07-Cangli" had already been placed in the center of the room.
A square water tank made of some kind of transparent material was filled with dark blue seawater. The tank was not big, barely enough to accommodate his slender body and the dull dark blue scaly tail.
It was still the same servant, standing respectfully beside him with an impeccable smile on his face.
Seeing Wen Yin come in, he immediately stepped forward and handed her an exquisite palm-sized remote control inlaid with mother-of-pearl.
"Ma'am, this is the mermaid you chose."
His voice was gentle and polite, and his dark brown pupils looked at Wen Yin intently, his gaze seeming to penetrate the shell mask on her face.
"Please rest assured that it has been given sufficient medication according to the ship owner's regulations before delivery."
"It's very 'docile' now, without any aggression or resistance. You can do whatever you want with it."
He emphasized the last four words, with a hint of tacit understanding.
"Any requests?"
Wen Yin took the remote control and played with it, with a hint of amusement in her tone.
"Yes, ma'am."
The attendant smiled.
"Whether it's absorbing its blood essence, admiring its beauty, or... satisfying your other interests, it will be absolutely obedient while the drug is in effect. This is the ship owner's promise to his distinguished guests."
Wen Yin's eyes swept across the water tank.
The mermaid codenamed Cangli curled up in a corner of the water tank, even more cowering than when she was at the booth.
He seemed to have just woken up from a coma or semi-coma, his eyes were still a little blurry, and his wet blue hair stuck to his pale cheeks and thin shoulders, making him look even more fragile.
The horrific scars on his body seemed to have been treated. Although they were still obvious, they were no longer so shocking.
He seemed to be aware of Wen Yin's gaze, and the pair of sea-blue eyes that looked back at him were full of helplessness. He could only curl up tighter on the edge of the water tank in vain.
The attendant seemed very satisfied with this "docile" performance and bowed again.
"Please enjoy your meal. If you need anything, please feel free to ring the call bell."
After saying that, he quietly left the room.
The heavy door was closed, isolating the room from the outside world.
The only sounds left in the room were the gentle hum of the water circulation system and... the subtle breathing of the mermaid in the water tank.
Wen Yin stood there, looking at the frightened and helpless figure in the water tank. He was curled up in the corner, staring at her with his blue eyes.
Wen Yin was silent for a moment, then suddenly walked towards the bathroom and... turned on the bathtub faucet.
Warm, clear fresh water poured into the huge jacuzzi, creating a cloud of steam.
She didn't look back, just waited patiently for the tub to fill.
After a long time, Wen Yin walked back to the water tank, looked at the blue figure curled up inside, and tried her best to make her voice sound calm.
"It's too small here. Isn't it uncomfortable?"
Without further explanation, she simply pressed a button on the remote control given by the attendant.
With a slight "hum..." sound, the transparent wall panel on one side of the temporary water tank slowly slid open, and some of the sea water inside flowed out.
This action made the other person's expression turn into horror, and he seemed to think that this was the beginning of some kind of expulsion or punishment.
Wen Yin ignored his fear and just pointed in the direction of the bathroom, speaking concisely.
"In the tub."
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