Raft for All: I'm guaranteed to get a golden affix when I upgrade!

This should be given to the Little Mermaid.

He has his own identification techniques as a backup, and although there are delays in communication, it is still usable.

The greatest benefit would be to have the Little Mermaid speak human language directly.

She comes from the royal court of the deep sea, and her mind is filled with a vast amount of underwater intelligence.

That legendary treasure map might even require her to decipher it.

Xiao Zheng put away the Tongxin Fruit and then took out another item.

A parchment scroll gleaming with a faint golden light.

Legendary Ancient Treasure Map.

He slowly unrolled the sheepskin on the deck.

The image is about half a meter square, with dark brown lines outlining the shape of an unknown sea area, and the edges are inlaid with dense, strange characters in gold thread.

The problem is coming.

He couldn't understand any of these words.

It wasn't any known human language; the strokes were twisted and intertwined. When the identification technique was scanned, the only feedback that popped up was a string of gibberish.

In the center-right position of the map, there is only a faintly glowing coordinate point, but the specific value is unclear.

If you can't read this picture, it's no different from a piece of waste paper.

Just then, the door to the cabin opened.

Lin Xiaoya came out, followed by another person.

The Little Mermaid.

She changed into another outfit worn by Lin Xiaoya: a white short-sleeved shirt and light-colored shorts.

The clothes are noticeably too small.

The short-sleeved shirt was tight, the hem just hitting the waistline. The shorts only reached mid-thigh, making her newly formed long legs appear almost dazzlingly white.

She was still unsteady on her feet, taking each step cautiously, her toes instinctively gripping the gaps in the deck for balance.

Lin Xiaoya supported her from the side, muttering, "Walk slowly, don't fall."

The Little Mermaid grinned at her and mumbled something.

Lin Xiaoya didn't understand and rolled her eyes.

"What are you laughing at? I don't understand it anyway."

The two walked up to Xiao Zheng.

Lin Xiaoya looked down and saw the parchment scroll on the deck, and paused for a moment.

"What is this?"

"I just took out the legendary treasure map she gave me to take a look at."

Xiao Zheng pointed to the text on the picture, "But I can't understand these words."

Lin Xiaoya squatted down and took a look, then shook her head.

"It looks like scribbles."

Xiao Zheng didn't speak, but turned to the mermaid princess, pointed to the text on the parchment, and gestured for her to look.

The Little Mermaid curiously leaned closer, her brows slowly furrowing.

She rattled off a long string of words.

Automatic translation of identification techniques.

"This... I don't understand. This isn't the script of our sea people; it's a script far older than our royal script. My mother might recognize it, but I don't. I'm sorry, my benefactor."

really.

Xiao Zheng put the sheepskin scroll away, not in a hurry.

Right now, there are more important things to do.

He took the nut out of his backpack.

The translucent fruit emitted a soft orange light in his palm, with golden veins slowly moving inside.

The mermaid princess's gaze was instantly drawn to it, her eyes widening and her nose almost touching the fruit.

She whispered, "It smells so good... What kind of fruit is this? The aroma is amazing!"

Open your mouth.

Xiao Zheng raised his hand and held the fruit to her lips.

The Little Mermaid looked at him and, without hesitation, opened her mouth and bit down.

The fruit melted in her mouth, turning into a ball of golden light that flowed down her throat.

The mermaid princess's body suddenly stiffened.

She clutched her throat tightly with both hands, bent over, and let out a suppressed sob. Golden light emanated from under the skin of her neck and spread rapidly along her blood vessels to her entire body.

Lin Xiaoya was startled by the commotion and took half a step back.

"Senior! What's wrong with her?"

"fine."

Xiao Zheng stared at her, everything was under control.

The golden light surged within her body for ten seconds before finally receding and gathering at her throat, forming a tiny point of light that vanished in an instant.

The mermaid princess's body stopped trembling.

She slowly straightened up, released her grip, and gasped for breath.

Xiao Zheng waited two seconds, then calmly asked:

"Can you understand me?"

The Little Mermaid stared at him blankly, opening her mouth slightly.

"……able."

One word.

His pronunciation was clear and precise, and his voice was clean and bright, without a trace of impurity.

Lin Xiaoya, who was standing next to her, froze completely.

She had just heard the girl babbling in gibberish the whole way, gesturing wildly throughout her shower and change, like she was performing a pantomime.

How can you eat a fruit...?

You can speak Chinese as soon as you open your mouth?

"She...she just spoke Chinese?" Lin Xiaoya turned to look at Xiao Zheng, her face full of disbelief.

"right."

"But isn't she a fish?"

"Mermaid," Xiao Zheng corrected.

Lin Xiaoya then turned to the Little Mermaid and tentatively asked, "You...you can understand me?"

The Little Mermaid blinked and nodded.

"Yes, I can understand every single word."

The voice was excessively clean, each syllable sounding as if it had been meticulously designed.

Lin Xiaoya's jaw almost dropped.

"...Her Mandarin is even more standard than mine."

The mermaid princess rubbed her throat, turned to look at Xiao Zheng, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"My benefactors! I can speak your language now!"

In her excitement, her voice rose half an octave, and she instinctively moved closer to Xiao Zheng, her hands about to touch his arm again.

Lin Xiaoya stepped forward and subtly positioned herself between the two.

"You can talk now, right? That's perfect."

She patted the mermaid princess on the shoulder with a forced smile.

"Don't post it yet, your senior has something to ask you."

Xiao Zheng did indeed have something to ask.

He sat cross-legged on the deck, looking at the Little Mermaid.

"You said you were the seventh princess of the Deep Sea Royal Court, and were being hunted down by a traitor."

"Tell me everything you know from the beginning."

The Little Mermaid lowered her head and remained silent for several seconds.

Her fingers gripped the hem of her shirt.

"My name is Ling tide."

She spoke, her voice much softer than before.

"The seventh princess of the Deep Sea Royal Court, the youngest daughter of the Queen Mother."

Xiao Zheng didn't urge her.

Lin Xiaoya sat down next to her, holding a cup of coconut juice and slowly drinking it.

Lingxi stared at the wood grain on the deck and continued speaking.

"Our royal court has been established in the deepest part of this sea for three thousand years."

She paused for a moment.

"Half a month ago, General Helian Cang made his move at the banquet celebrating the Empress Dowager's birthday."

"He united the leaders of three subordinate tribes and led the royal guard to seal off the entire palace."

"All members of the royal family—"

She squeezed out each word one by one.

"Kill them all."

The deck was deathly silent.

"All of them?" Xiao Zheng asked.

"Six older sisters, two older brothers, the servants and guards around the Empress Dowager... not one was left."

Lingxi's eyes reddened, but she stubbornly held back her tears.

A palace coup.

However, at the level of the Deep Sea Royal Court, the level of combat power involved is beyond his current estimation.

"How did you escape?"

"Mother Empress."

Lingxi's throat bobbed.

"She pushed me into the secret passage beneath the palace at the last moment."

"Let me take two things with me: an ancient treasure map and a blueprint for a deep-sea palace."

She raised her hand and pressed it against her chest.

"These two items are the most prized treasures of our royal court. Helian Cangfa launched his rebellion specifically for them."

"My mother said that as long as the treasures remain, the royal court is not considered dead."