Just as dawn was breaking, rough footsteps echoed outside the heavy iron gates of the grotto.
With a loud bang, the door was kicked open from the outside.
Several soldiers clad in scale armor strode in, their eyes filled with impatience, as if they were inspecting a herd of livestock.
They rudely examined the gauze in front of each weaver, grumbling and complaining that this one was woven too loosely or that one was the wrong color.
The scolded girls shrank back, burying their heads even lower.
Until the leading soldier walked up to Wang Wan.
He immediately noticed the neatly stacked gauze, which still shimmered like moonlight in the dim candlelight.
The soldier's movements stopped.
He reached out and picked up a piece; it was silky smooth and cool to the touch, with a fine texture so flawless that he couldn't find a single imperfection.
"Did you knit this?" He raised his head, his sharp gaze looking directly at Wang Wan for the first time.
Wang Wan nodded slightly, her expression calm.
"Good, very good!" A hint of satisfaction flashed in the soldier's eyes. "You're the one for today, come with us!"
As soon as he finished speaking, deliberately suppressed sobs immediately rose from the surroundings.
Ah Xiu gripped her wooden shuttle tightly, tears streaming down her face, her shoulders trembling as she cried, as if the sky had fallen.
Other girls followed suit, some covering their faces and weeping, others pleading softly, portraying a scene of life and death with remarkable realism.
The soldiers were already used to this, and a contemptuous sneer appeared on their faces.
"Stop crying! Being chosen by the king is your good fortune!"
A soldier impatiently shoved Wang Wan: "Hurry up! Stop dawdling!"
Wang Wan followed them outside, and just as the iron gate was about to close, she looked back.
In the darkness, on those tear-streaked faces, gleamed pairs of hopeful eyes.
The iron gate slammed shut, cutting off all sound.
The cave fell into a deathly silence.
A moment later, Ah Xiu was the first to wipe away her tears, staggered to the door, listened intently, her face no longer showing any sadness, only worry.
"Won't it be too dangerous for Sister Wang to go alone?"
Shen Yue was leaning against the corner of the wall, wiping a metal part that she had somehow pulled out with a rag. Hearing this, she looked up and laughed.
The laughter sounded particularly loud in the quiet grotto.
"Little Ah Xiu, you're really overthinking things."
She stood up, dusted off her hands, and walked casually over to Ah Xiu, pinching her arm.
"Your sister Wang is all alone?"
Shen Yue chuckled, her tone laced with arrogance.
Let me put it this way.
“We are all from Fairy Island, every single one of us.”
She held up one finger and waved it in front of Ah Xiu and the girls who had gathered around.
"You can't even beat one of your sister Wang's fingers!"
Upon hearing this, the entire grotto became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Ah Xiu's mouth slowly opened wide, her eyes widening like copper bells.
A little girl standing nearby dropped her wooden shuttle to the ground with a thud, but she was completely unaware, staring blankly at Shen Yue.
…
On the other side, Wang Wan was led by the soldiers downhill, through a cold and damp rocky path.
The air was filled with the salty sea breeze, and the roar of the waves crashing against the rocks grew ever closer.
Finally, they arrived at a huge underground sea cave.
The black seawater churned beneath my feet, its depths unfathomable, leading to the unknown abyss.
The leading soldier stopped her, took out a crystal-clear bead the size of a soybean from his pocket, and threw it to her.
"Eat it."
His tone was cold and hard, as if he were giving an order.
"These are water-repelling beads that will allow you landlubbers to breathe in the water. If you don't eat them, you'll drown as soon as you go in. Choose for yourself."
Wang Wan took the bead; it was cool to the touch and contained a faint trace of water-elemental spiritual power.
She raised the beads to her lips, her wide sleeves conveniently blocking the soldiers' view.
A light swallowing motion.
She had already secretly slipped the beads into her sleeve.
The soldier nodded in satisfaction when he saw that she had eaten it.
"You're smart to leave."
Before he finished speaking, several soldiers behind him jumped into the dark sea without hesitation, like dumplings being dropped into boiling water.
In the blink of an eye, only Wang Wan and the leading soldier remained on the shore.
He turned around and urged impatiently, "What are you standing there for? Jump!"
Wang Wan glanced at the abyss-like sea below, her face showing no fear.
She simply took a step forward calmly.
The icy seawater instantly swallowed her up.
She opened her eyes, her spiritual sense quietly spreading out to explore the pitch-black underwater world.
Strange fluctuations emanated from the depths.
Wang Wan frowned slightly.
Within his spiritual consciousness, the outline of a massive palace gradually emerged.
It was a magnificent complex of buildings constructed from coral, seashells, and bones, with flickering lights that seemed to roam like ghosts.
Two crab-claw-shaped stone pillars stand tall in front of the gate, with blue sea snake sculptures coiled around them, making one's scalp tingle.
Squads of shrimp soldiers and crab generals are patrolling in formation, some with long tentacles trailing behind them.
Some wielded large iron hammers, each step making a clattering sound on the floor, and occasionally shoving and jostling each other with a few words.
Three soldiers escorted Wang Wan down the slope. They were strapped with heavy weights on their feet, but they still moved nimbly, already used to this oppressive environment.
Soon, they arrived outside the main hall of the palace, where a large door made of giant seashells slowly opened.
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