Chapter 27

After opening up to Winsor, Lansi felt much better. He withdrew from Winsor's arms, curled his tail in embarrassment, and mumbled softly,"Thank you."

Before Winsor could respond, Lansi turned away. He patted his suitcase and, with his back to Winsor, pretended to fuss with it while searching for words."We... we've found what we were looking for. It's time to go."

Winsor saw right through Lansi's embarrassment but didn't call it out. He just nodded with a small grin."All right."

Lansi heard the gentleness in Winsor's voice and blushed even harder. He grabbed his suitcase and swam out of the room in a flustered hurry, not daring to look at Winsor.

Once he and Winsor were outside the room, the two merfolk began dragging the suitcase through the remains of the sunken cruise ship.

Because Quirrell had been rummaging through the ship for so long—and it had already been soaking underwater for ages—most of the interior was completely ruined. The two of them searched the wreck but found nothing else of value.

In the end, Lansi gave up. He pulled his suitcase and swam out of the ship with Winsor.

They stopped at a nearby open clearing, setting the suitcase down. Both merfolk stared at it.

The suitcase was large and black. Lansi had spent a lot of money on it—it was a famous brand.

Thankfully, good brands live up to their name. Even after being soaked underwater all this time, the zipper hadn't rusted. Apart from the seaweed clinging to its surface, the contents seemed well protected.

Lansi wanted to open it, but the thought of all the items floating away into the ocean stopped him. He hesitated.

"Maybe we should look around the ship again," Lansi said, glancing at the wreck.

He decided to set the suitcase aside for now. Earlier, dragging it had been too cumbersome, and he'd been too preoccupied to really search the ship properly. Now that he'd recovered something important, he could focus on looking for more clues.

If he could find his suitcase, there might be others nearby too.

"No need," Winsor said, pointing behind Lansi. "Your student's already emptied out most of the ship."

Lansi turned around, confused—and was stunned.

How had so many things piled up behind him in such a short time?

Just then, another noise came from the ship. Several thick tentacles slithered out of the wreck, disappeared again, and then a clatter followed—"ding, clang, thud." A moment later, one of the tentacles emerged again, this time holding a chair, which it gently placed outside on the sand.

Lansi: "..."

Apparently, that drum set they'd seen earlier had inspired Quirrell.

Without any instruction, Quirrell had begun scouring the entire shipwreck on its own, using all eighteen of its tentacles to search for salvageable items—and it had succeeded.

Quirrell brought out nearly everything it could move. Soon, a small junkyard formed behind Lansi:

Broken furniture, unclaimed boxes, and all sorts of odd things—most of which Lansi couldn't even identify.

It had truly been a massive sweep.

Lansi looked at a half-missing chair and sighed silently. He took a deep breath and decided to focus only on his suitcase.

Winsor, on the other hand, walked straight up to the pile and opened one of the other suitcases.

Or tried to. The suitcase had been underwater for too long. As soon as Winsor touched it, it disintegrated, spilling its contents into the water—

Yellowed clothing, a few scattered belongings...

A photo, a mobile phone.

Everything drifted away with the current.

The photo fluttered down beside Lansi's tail. He picked it up.

The image was barely recognizable, worn away by time and sea erosion. He could just make out the shape of three people—a family.

Lansi fell silent.

He stared at the photo for a while, then let it go. It floated away on the current.

After that, Lansi joined Winsor and began checking the rest of the items Quirrell had recovered.

"If only we could find a diary," Lansi muttered.

They did find one eventually, but when Lansi opened it, all the ink had long since faded. He sighed.

"Why are you looking for a diary?" Winsor asked, puzzled. "Weren't you on this ship before?"

"I was," Lansi said, "but there's a small gap in my memory. I think it's important. That's why I asked to find the Queen Mary."

Winsor glanced toward the pile of debris, then at the sunken ship.

"In that case, we have to keep looking."

"Yeah... there was a killer on this cruise ship, after all," Lansi said, rubbing his temple.

This wasn't how things were supposed to go. He had planned for a relaxing trip—take some photos, enjoy seafood, admire the scenery, maybe even fall in love...

But ever since he boarded the ship, his peaceful journey had turned into a horror-mystery ride.

Maybe that was the problem—he was just background fodder in someone else's horror story.

Everyone knows how it goes. Background characters barely get any screen time, and once the real story starts, they're usually the first to be killed off.

They kept digging through Quirrell's finds. Other than the bass box that had a gun hidden inside, there was nothing useful.

Most of the luggage was far too ordinary to be of note.

The only thing that stood out to Lansi was a jewelry box.

After all, anyone rich or privileged enough to board the Queen Mary would likely carry expensive jewelry. Lansi collected five gemstone necklaces and over a dozen diamond rings—every piece of jewelry was auction-house level quality.

But to sea monsters, they were just shiny rocks.

Not even as good as the pearls Lansi had collected earlier.

Still, Lansi enjoyed beautiful things. He picked out a pendant made from an oddly shaped pearl and handed it to Winsor.

These misshapen pearls were considered rare. Humans would often turn them into elaborate artwork by embedding them in other materials.

This particular pearl had a curved shape that resembled a fish.

"For you," Lansi said.

"Why?" Winsor asked, holding the pearl and examining it.

Lansi tilted his head and looked at the pearl, then at Winsor."Because it's beautiful. I like it a lot."

He paused, then added,"And it's rare."

In Lansi's eyes, the pearl suited Winsor perfectly.

Winsor was beautiful and rare too.

Even if it was just a symbolic gift, Lansi didn't care.

He simply wanted to give something he liked to the mermaid he liked.

Winsor looked down at the pearl, studied it for a while, and then smiled."Thank you. I really like it."

Lansi blushed again.

He was going to turn into a braised fish at this rate.

Not daring to face Winsor anymore, he hurried off in another direction, pretending to search for more items.

Winsor said nothing. He just chuckled softly and began looking for a chain to wear the pendant.

This was the first gift his little fish had ever given him.

Winsor thought the pearl was adorable—just like Lansi.

While Winsor sorted through the debris, Lansi found something unexpected: a camera.

Not just any camera—the latest waterproof, black-tech model.

He blinked in surprise.

This thing had once been hyped in advertisements everywhere. It had all the high-end features of a professional camera, plus cutting-edge tech. It could work underwater, powered by a solar battery.

The only problem? It was insanely expensive.

Lansi tried to turn it on, but it didn't work. Probably dead battery.

He shook it gently. Maybe it would still function once they surfaced.

Holding the camera, Lansi swam over to Winsor."I want to go up."

"Up?" Winsor frowned, then his face changed."No way!"

"But my suitcase and this camera can only be opened on land," Lansi said, confused.

"If we're seen by humans, we're in danger. Do you know what happens if they find us?" Winsor's voice turned serious.

"I get that," Lansi said, his voice trembling. "But don't you want to know what's happened to me? If you were human and suddenly became a mermaid, wouldn't you be scared? Wouldn't you want answers?"

Curiosity—that great strength and weakness of humanity.

But it was also what gave people the courage to challenge fate.

Winsor hesitated, then softened."I'm just worried about you."

"I know," Lansi said, his voice gentler now. "That's why I'm being careful... If I do go up, I'll find an uninhabited island."

[Are you two fighting?]

Quirrell had just finished moving everything and swam over—only to see the mermaids arguing. It quickly turned a warm orange and floated between them, trying to ease the mood.

[No fighting~~]

Quirrell liked Lansi a lot. He even taught it how to play drums. So it truly hoped these two wouldn't fight.

Winsor gave Quirrell a look.[He wants to go to the surface.]

Quirrell froze. Then it suddenly flashed red, strobing like an ambulance light.[No going to the surface! No going to the surface!]

It clearly panicked. As it flailed around, it even released a cloud of black ink.

Lansi and Winsor dodged quickly.

Seeing Quirrell in that state, they both forgot their quarrel. Lansi leaned close to Winsor and whispered,"Is he okay?"

"Should be," Winsor said slowly. Then his expression turned serious."But the way he reacted—Quirrell's terrified of the surface. That alone should tell us how dangerous it is."

Winsor patted Lansi's back and motioned for him to look at his small body—then at how big Quirrell was.

Lansi: "..."

You're being dramatic.

Eventually, Quirrell calmed down. It floated back over, sighing in relief.[I've been holding that ink for ages. Feels so much better.]

Lansi began seriously wondering if octopus ink counted as excrement.

Winsor turned to Quirrell again.[Quirrell, talk some sense into him.]

[Yeah, teacher, the surface is terrible. I got caught once. They wanted to slice me open.]

Quirrell trembled just thinking about it, shuddered again, and let out another puff of ink.

[Sometimes they made me run mazes, or stuck me in bottles. Worst time, they nearly sliced me up.]

[No way I'm going to the surface! Never!]

Winsor folded his arms with satisfaction."You see?"

He seemed quite proud that Quirrell had taken his side.

Lansi: "..."

He was starting to think Winsor was more childish than him.

Lansi blew a bubble at Winsor, pushed him aside, and threatened Quirrell:[If you don't let me go, I won't teach you how to play drums.]

Quirrell stopped twitching.

It pulled out a pair of gold-rimmed glasses from who-knows-where, put them on, and said in a "professional" tone:

[Actually, given the strange magnetic field and all the shipwrecks, humans call this area the 'Dock Tomb.' They don't come here. So Lansi floating up to breathe? Low risk.]

It switched sides instantly.

Winsor: "..."

Lansi grinned.[Two to one. I win.]

Seeing Winsor still scowling, Lansi knew he needed to ease things.

"But... the outside world is scary. I'm a little afraid. Winsor, will you come with me?"

Winsor crossed his arms, pretending to be stern."Fine. But you have to listen to me."

"Okay!"

Lansi beamed, dimples showing, and his tail swayed like a happy puppy."Winsor, you're the best!"

Winsor's lips curled into a smile. He sighed and patted Lansi's head."Don't act cute."

Lansi froze.

Was that acting cute?

Nearby, Quirrell watched the two of them, blinking. Then it quietly sighed in relief.

It really wasn't easy being caught between two moody mermaids.

From now on, it was going to side with its teacher unconditionally.

Quietly, taking advantage of the good atmosphere, Quirrell paddled over and rubbed its tentacles together.[Teacher, when can we start drum lessons?]

[Hmm?]

Lansi turned to Quirrell, thinking seriously.[Thanks for your help today. I'll teach you the basics as a reward.]

[Great!]

Quirrell cheered and led Lansi over to the drum set it had made.

Winsor, who thought the mood was just about to progress: "..."