The sun shines brightly on the beach.
It was midday, and there were hardly any orcs around.
Only the family in the height of summer was on the shore, excitedly squeaking and chattering.
"Wow!! So many shell coins!" As soon as Shi Qing walked to a reef, he saw a dense array of shells and quickly went over to pull one out and throw it into the wooden bucket.
One by one, they filled the bucket quickly.
He excitedly carried a wooden bucket bigger than himself, trotted lightly to Sheng Xia's side, and said with a look of pride as if showing off a treasure.
"Mom, here are some cowrie shells for you!"
Shell coins?
Sheng Xia looked down in confusion, but when she saw Shi Qing's innocent eyes and the wooden bucket he was holding, her heart softened.
She smiled gently, her lips curving upwards, and was about to squat down to take the wooden bucket when a pair of long, strong hands suddenly reached out from beside her.
Seeing that Shengxia wanted to take the wooden bucket, Hu Xue quickly took it with a smile and placed it in front of her.
"Sister Xiaxia~ You tell me what to do and I'll do it."
Shengxia returned the smile with a sweet smile, took Shiqing's chubby little hand, and looked into the bucket.
A whole bucket full of oysters and clams!
She swallowed, and suddenly thought of "My Uncle Jules," it must taste delicious, right?
"Ah Qing is great, but this isn't shell money, it's food, and it's delicious."
It's a pity there were no fans, otherwise it would have tasted even better!
Upon hearing that it wasn't cowrie shells, Shi Qing visibly wilted; he had thought...
Upon hearing that his mother said it was delicious food, Shiqing became excited again, even more so than when he received the coins.
He took off running towards the rocks, shouting, "Mom, I'll go look again!" So many, many, many more...
With a smile on her lips, Sheng Xia watched Shi Qing's excited back and then looked at the other happy children, feeling incredibly satisfied.
As she looked down at the shells, something suddenly occurred to her. Her eyes lit up, and she abruptly looked up, grabbing Aoki beside her.
"Big Lion, what are cowrie shells made of? Can we make them?" We're at the seaside, so maybe we can make our own cowrie shells...?
If they can make their own coins, why is the Crab Roe Tribe still so poor?
It looked like an ordinary seashell, carved and polished. Sheng Xia was completely baffled. She frowned slightly and fell into deep thought.
Aoki was stunned, his narrow, phoenix-shaped eyes looking a little blank. He then realized what was happening and scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly.
"Xia... I don't know the specifics, but the shell coins you make yourself can't be used. If you're caught using counterfeit money, you'll be severely punished."
He remembered seeing a bloodied male when he was very young. He was an orc who lived by the sea. He had been discovered making shell coins and was beaten badly.
Wolf King handed Shengxia a peeled fruit, and smiled gently upon hearing their conversation.
"Don't the cowrie shells we use look very old-fashioned?"
Shengxia naturally opened her mouth to eat it, smiled at him with her almond-shaped eyes, nodded, and listened with a face full of curiosity.
"Yes, it looks old."
Most of them are dark yellow, and very few are snow white. The shells that her babies absorbed during her pregnancy were snow white because they had been cleaned and specially treated.
Looking into her bright eyes, Wolf King gently ruffled her hair and spoke to her tenderly.
"That's because the cowrie shells were blessed by the first witch doctor and contain witch power. It's been a very long time since then, and now almost no orcs know the origin of the cowrie shells; they only know how to distinguish between real and fake ones."
As he spoke, he looked at Jiao Su with a gentle expression and said in a warm and pleasant voice, "Su Su should know more."
The merfolk are a mysterious race; they have inherited knowledge from their ancestors and know many secrets.
As Shengxia chewed on fruit, a glass of juice suddenly appeared in front of her. She pursed her lips and drank it, then pulled her long, iron-white hair and played with it in her hand, her curious gaze turning to Jiaosu.
Meeting Sheng Xia's bright and clear eyes, Jiao Su's golden eyes flashed with affection, and he raised the corners of his lips as he looked at Sheng Xia and said.
"Legend has it that long ago, females, like males, possessed the ability to freely transform into animal forms and absorb the energy of strange beasts when pregnant."
As he spoke, he glanced at Wan'er and the others, who were blinking their big eyes and looking up to listen to the story, and a slight smile appeared on his lips before he continued his tale.
"Soon, the strange beasts were wiped out. The first witch doctor devised a way to create cowrie shells, infusing them with energy and the witch doctor's blessing. These were given to pregnant females to carry with them to replenish their energy. Later, they became a form of currency that could be exchanged."
Jiao Su spoke calmly and earnestly, explaining without any pauses, her detailed account leaving Sheng Xia stunned.
Is this even possible?
The witch doctors of the past were truly powerful!
Females possess the ability to freely transform into animal forms, and their physical attributes are certainly not much different from those of males, except for the inconveniences during pregnancy.
Thinking of the orange fruit that awakened her supernatural abilities after drinking the spiritual spring, Sheng Xia lowered her eyes, unconsciously biting her lip, a hint of confusion flashing in her bright eyes.
Just as Sheng Xia was about to figure things out, and something was about to emerge, the truth was about to be revealed, when she was interrupted by Jiao Su's voice.
"As for whether we can make shell coins..." Jiao Su paused, then glanced at Wolf King: "No, like Aoki said, shell coins made by oneself are counterfeit and cannot be used."
Meeting Jiao Su's earnest golden eyes, Wolf King chuckled gently, then shook his head, recalling his attempts a few days ago.
He knew that counterfeit money couldn't be circulated, so he wanted to make a few for Xiaxia to play with. But as soon as he finished carving them, they immediately crumbled.
I tried many, and the result was the same.
After Jiao Su finished speaking, everyone fell silent for a moment. Even the young cubs stopped talking and looked curiously into the bucket.
What amazing shell coins!
In the height of summer, her long eyelashes fluttered, and the next second, her hand, hanging by her side, was grasped by a cool, large hand.
Jiao Su held on tightly. Sheng Xia looked up at him, her almond-shaped eyes crinkling into a smile: "Su Su knows so much~"
Wow, truly amazing! No wonder they are so learned, mysterious, and included in the Classic of Mountains and Seas...
Jiao Su lowered his loving gaze to Sheng Xia, leaned down and kissed her lips, speaking in a slurred and affectionate tone.
"Xiaxia's praise made me want to..."
midsummer:"……"!!!
Although he spoke softly the last two words, Shengxia's hearing was excellent now! Her pupils dilated suddenly, and her face gradually turned red.
This Su Su!
Jiao Su restrained himself and stepped back, then, as if nothing had happened, took Sheng Xia's hand and said, "Come on, I'll take you to play in the shallow water."
He knew Xiaxia liked it very much...
In the sweltering summer heat, Jiao Su led her by the hand to the beach, the soft touch bringing her back to her senses.
Looking again, she saw that her legs were submerged in water from the knees down, with ripples filling her vision. Shengxia felt dizzy looking at it and nervously clung to Jiaosu.
Jiao Su pulled him into his arms and asked in confusion, "Are you scared?" He remembered that Xia Xia had had a lot of fun in the sea before.
Shengxia snuggled closer to Jiaosu, leaning against his chest, and shook her head as she looked at the water.
"I'm not worried, it's just that looking at the water makes me a little dizzy."
When the ripples came, she always had the illusion that she was about to be blown away by the flood, but Jiao Su's embrace made her feel incredibly safe.
"Wow! This seawater is scary, Mom!!"
Suddenly, a shocked voice rang out from behind.
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