Golden Fish Heart

"Woah, how come I've never heard of such a legend?"

"Me neither."

"It's normal you've never heard of it, after all this fish has never been caught by our tribe, it was only spotted once!" Ronkus said, clearing the confusion.

"My great-great-great grandfather's biggest regret was failing to catch this fish when he first spotted it, claiming that he had missed a lifetime of fortune but now you've gone and done it!" Ronkus continued.

"Well I only caught it for Tinka, so I guess my lifetime's fortune is meeting her." Minos said with a laugh, causing Tinka to blush some more.

"Quick, let's begin the marriage ceremony while the fish is still fresh!" Ronkus said, making the entire tribe boil in excitement.

…

With all the fear and anxiety of Minos's and Tinka's disappearance wiped away, and the marriage ceremony beginning, the mood of the tribe did a complete reversal.

Everyone quickly ran home, grabbing their wedding gifts, meanwhile Minos and Tinka were guided towards the center of the tribe next to the unignited large bonfire that the two had danced beside when they first met.

Igniting a torch, Ronkus lit the bonfire, causing a large flame to quickly form and shoot into the sky.

Minos and Tinka stood next to the flame with their fingers intertwined. Ronkus waited patiently for the tribe to gather, Meninka at his side looking at Minos and Tinka with loving eyes.

With the tribe's enthusiasm, it didn't take much time for everyone to gather, gifts in hand. Gathering around Minos and Tinka, the crowd couldn't help but whisper among themselves as they gossiped.

"Silence!" Ronkus suddenly shouted, causing the whispers to stop.

"We are here today to unite Tinka and Minos. If anyone has objections, speak now."

Hearing Ronkus's words, one person wanted to speak, but before he could do so, another person grabbed him by the mouth, silencing him.

Seeing no one objected, Ronkus couldn't help but nod with appreciation. With that, he continued his speech, causing the person who was about to speak to lower their face in desolation, knowing they missed their chance.

"Since the tribe has accepted, then let us ask the heavens for their blessings." Ronkus said, before he began leading the tribe in a chant.

Minos listened to the chant curiously, but realized it wasn't the same language the tribe spoke, but was completely foreign.

After five minutes or so of chanting, everyone stopped. After sitting in silence for a moment, Ronkus raised the Golden Emperor Fish above his head, letting the entire tribe appreciate it.

Afterwards, he skewered the fish, cooking it over the large bonfire. It didn't take much time for the smell of the fish to waft through the tribe, everyone breathing in the delicious fragrance greedily.

Smelling it, the first thing that came to everyone's mind was that this fish was truly deserving of its name. Its scent didn't have the usual strong fishy smell, but rather was much more fatty, as if meat was being cooked rather than fish.

The smell was nuanced, with a slight sweetness perfectly combined with a fish's naturally salty aroma, the two combining in an immaculate union.

Some people couldn't help but slightly drool, wanting to directly jump forward into the bonfire and devour the fish all for themselves.

Fortunately despite these thoughts, the crowd managed to remain sane, and after surviving the somewhat tortuous cooking of the fish, Ronkus finally removed it from the fire.

After the fish was cooked, it was time for everyone to eat. The Salt Breathing Tribe believed that the taste of the fish was a reflection of heaven's blessing, hence a tastier fish meant a more blessed marriage.

The tribe was large, so despite how big the Golden Emperor Fish was, everyone could only get a small piece, but no one complained, rather they just wanted to eat.

After waiting patiently for Ronkus to carve the fish, it was finally done. Carefully plating the fish on large leaves that the tribe used as plates, he began handing them out one by one.

No one ate right away however, it was Salt Breathing Tribe etiquette to wait until everyone had their food before they started eating.

So for those who got their pieces first, they just held their leaf plates close to their nose as they appreciated the scent from close.

After about ten minutes or so of distributing the fish, everyone got a piece, only leaving Tinka and Minos.

As the groom and bride, it was natural that the best pieces were saved for them. Minos was given a large piece of fish, alongside the fish's brain and heart.

Most people would be slightly grossed out by these organs, but Minos wasn't a picky eater at all, so he took them gratefully.

However what did slightly concern him was the heart of the fish, which wasn't the usual red color, but rather a solid gold. He couldn't help but look towards Ronkus, as if asking if he had ever seen anything like this before.

"Kid, don't look at me, I've never seen anything like it, but our tribe considers the heart the source of all life, so a golden one is surely more special." Ronkus said with a loud laugh, feeling more and more that this marriage was blessed.

The other tribe members also looked at the golden heart curiously, talking to each other as they tried to figure out what it was and what it meant. Most of them believed that it was a reflection of heaven's favor for Tinka and Minos.

"Alright, enough chatting, let's eat!" Ronkus said, rekindling the crowd's appetite.

Forgetting all about the golden heart, they all started munching on their small pieces of fish. Some take small nibbles to make it last longer, and others eat the entire thing in one bite.

Regardless of their strategy, everyone had to agree that this was truly the greatest meal they had ever eaten.

The flavor of the Golden Emperor Fish was hard to explain, but to put it in the most simple terms possible, it was like both land and sea creatures had been fused into one to get the most flawless taste.

Seeing the tribe absorbed in the flavor of their fish, Minos couldn't help but get curious, wondering if it really tasted that good.

Starting with the large piece of fish, Minos devoured it in a few bites, his eyes widening as the taste finally hit his tongue.

Looking to the side, he also saw Tinka, Ronkus, and Meninka absorbed in the taste, completely ignoring the world around them.

Laughing slightly at their funny appearances, he continued onto the fish brain, eating it in a couple bites as well.

The taste of the brain was also amazing, Minos appreciating it thoroughly before moving onto the final meal on his plate.

Still hungry, Minos wasted no time, eating the small fish heart in only a few seconds. Letting out a satisfied burp, he couldn't help but look down at his empty plate with a little disappointment.

As he was reminiscing about the fish's flavor, he suddenly felt a rumble in his stomach, his face slightly twisting as he felt a tremendous power gather at his waist.

Sitting down the floor cross-legged, Minos used all his concentration to try and control this sudden burst of power.

This feeling was the exact same as when he would eat a Lock-Breaking Pill, making him realize that the fish heart he had just eaten was likely not as simple as he thought.

Concentrating the power, Minos began breathing in a specific pattern to guide the power towards his Seventh Life Lock.

His face went red as he did so, the overwhelming power pressing against his skin as if he was a balloon about to pop.

The power was far more extreme than anything he had experienced from a Lock Breaking Pill, but fortunately with past experience, he managed to just barely maintain control.

It was a good thing that everyone was absorbed in their food, not paying attention to Minos, giving him a chance at dealing with the problem without any interference.

As he slowly guided the power through his Twelve Beast Movement Tomes breathing method, it eventually hit the Seventh Life Lock.

The moment the power touched the Seventh Life Lock, it was like a fire meeting water, the two forces attacking each other at full force.

Unlike the past where the invading force was usually too weak to defeat the life lock, requiring back up, this time the reverse happened.

Despite the tough fight put up by the Seventh Life Lock, it was eventually overwhelmed, shattering into energy that poured into Minos's flesh, allowing him to sublimate once more.

The invading power had also lost most of its strength with the defeat of the Seventh Life Lock, soon sizzling out, causing Minos's red face to return back to its normal pale color.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Minos didn't get up right away, instead sitting in place slowing tensing and relaxing his muscles to test out his new power.

The Seventh Life Lock granted 1600 pounds of strength, but that was only the most immediate benefit.

Like the fourth to sixth life lock which also improved speed, the seventh to the ninth lock also granted power beyond just strength, and were also known as the sense locks.

The Seventh Life Lock was more specifically known as the Nose and Taste Lock, granting a far superior sense of smell and taste once broken.

Breathing in, Minos immediately noticed the difference, the world suddenly being given a new color that he never noticed before, hundreds of different scents overwhelming his nose.