Finding Treasure, A Strange Dream

[Heaven Dou Empire, Vast Sea City, Vast Sea Coast ]

A little golden-haired boy could be seen playing in the water. His movements were smooth and uninterrupted, and it would have reminded any onlookers of flowing water, if there were any. Mengbao had been swimming in the beach for quite some time as the sky showed its first signs of darkening.

At the end of a breaststroke, he noticed a peculiar gleam at the bottom of the shore and at the edge of the sea. After taking another breath, he dove back into the water and swam towards it. He had no difficulties maintaining his air as he seemed to have an inborn talent for swimming, although he did not know why.

A few meters away, he finally determined that the source was a large clam, half-buried in the water. Inside this clam, was a pearl that shone with five different colors that seemed to shine even in absence of light.

Prying open the clam shell, it seemed to be damaged and easy to open. This discovery made Mengbao's eyes glow in excitement. Finally tearing away the shell, Mengbao quickly snatched up the Five-Colored Pearl. As soon as he firmly held it in his hands, he felt the water around him began to act up. No time to think further, he braced himself for impact, consequently holding the pearl to his chest.

A blinding glow emitted from the pearl as powerful torrents of water crashed upon him, sending his world first into light and then into darkness.

"Augh..." Mengbao eventually woke up and noticed that he was back on the shore and entirely drenched. Coughing up leftover water, he gradually recalled the events prior. His eyes widened as he thought, 'The pearl!', looking around. But no matter how he looked, he could no longer see it.

Lamenting his loss of the pearl, he noticed it was nightfall. Although he truly wished to look for it, he knew it was much smarter to return. And so, he got up and brushed the sand off of himself, running back home.

Later that night, when Mengbao fell asleep, he had an unusual dream. In his dream, he saw an orb of light glowing. Within it, a small figure could be made out. Walking towards it, he realized that it was the back of a little girl. She had long, light blue hair and a kind of serene feeling to her that made you believe she was beautiful even if you could not see her face. Mengbao felt his heart flutter.

Over her shoulder, the girl turned around, revealing her pink lips and aquamarine eyes. She was a world-class beauty and the dumb stare that Mengbao gave her was enough to prove it.

As she saw Mengbao, those sparkling, blue eyes lit up in excitement. It was only then that Mengbao noticed that her lower body did not have the human legs he was expecting, but the golden tail of a fish.

"I knew it," she said in her melodic voice, "After all these years, I, Nuwang, have found another like me."