With half a game of chess, I vanquish all demons!

By the time Zhao Yao found his cabin at the stern of the ship, it was already dark.

The cabin was small, with a bed, a table, and a chair, and the ceiling was inlaid with pearls that emitted a soft glow.

The room was brightly lit and spotless, creating a very comfortable atmosphere.

The room was a bit small, but for a demigod warrior at the second level, it was already quite a good treatment.

He closed the door and had just sat down on the edge of the bed when a faint light suddenly appeared on the wall.

It was a seashell embedded in the wall, about the size of a palm, with a smooth, mirror-like surface that was shimmering with a soft fluorescent light.

Zhao Yao looked up and heard a clear female voice coming from the seashell, unhurried and calm, as if it had been said countless times before.

The female voice read:

"The next stop for the Windward: Mermaid Island, expected to arrive in three days."

The merfolk on the island are currently mating. Passengers are free to disembark and interact with them. However, if they receive a blessing or a curse, they must bear the consequences themselves; the Heavenly Dao Bureau assumes no responsibility for such occurrences.

"The next stop for the Windward Ship: Mermaid Island, expected arrival in three days..."

"The next stop for the Windward..."

The sound was repeated twice more, and the light on the shell gradually dimmed, returning it to the appearance of an ordinary shell.

Mermaids? Blessing? Curse?

Zhao Yao raised an eyebrow, a sense of curiosity rising within him.

Will Su Shangtao hide on Mermaid Island?

Furthermore, the final destination of this large ship seems to be the front line of overseas exploration...

He lay back on the bed, closed his eyes, his mind racing with thoughts. As the ship gently rocked, he gradually drifted off to sleep.

……

Three days later.

The speed of the Windward Float decreased, and the swaying of the ship also lessened.

Zhao Yao appeared on the deck and saw an island in the distance.

The island is small, but it is covered with lush trees, swaying coconut palms, and shiny white sand beaches.

In the center of the island stands a small hill, with several stone houses faintly visible atop its summit. The surrounding seawater is a deep, clear blue, so transparent that one can see the coral and schools of fish on the seabed.

The most eye-catching sight was a group of people sitting on the rocks by the island.

Those figures had human upper bodies and fish lower bodies.

Their long fish tails dangled in the seawater, their scales shimmering with iridescent colors in the sunlight.

Some of them had long, flowing hair, some had braids, and some wore hair ornaments made of seashells and coral. They sat, lay, or leaned on the rocks, their postures languid and elegant, like noblewomen basking in the afternoon sun.

The deck of the Windward was already bustling with activity.

The strongmen and warriors rushed to the ship's side, some excited, some nervous, and some pretending to be calm.

"We're here! We've arrived at Mermaid Island!"

"There seem to be more merfolk this year than last year."

"What's the use of having more skills? It only matters if people like you."

"Hehe, it's okay if they don't like me, at least let me see them, right?"

For a moment, the men's laughter and chatter blended together, making the deck as noisy as a market.

A few female warriors and strongmen stood on the deck, their gazes towards the merfolk below filled with curiosity.

Zhao Yao leaned against the ship's side, gazing at the merfolk with a deep look in his eyes. His gaze then shifted, sweeping across the entire island.

His presence here is enough.

With X-ray vision and the ability to see far, he was able to search the entire island.

He looked around for a while but didn't find Su Shangtao, so he turned to go back to his cabin.

"Young Master Zhao!"

A voice came from behind.

Zhao Yao turned around and saw Jin Guang walking down from the upper deck, waving a folding fan and smiling broadly, as if he were meeting an old friend.

"Manager Jin."

Zhao Yao clasped his hands in a fist salute.

Jin Guang walked to his side, leaned against the gunwale, and pointed towards the island with his folding fan:

"Mermaid Island is most lively at this time of year."

Female merfolk swim from the deep sea to this place to mate with the strongmen on the ship.

Those with good bloodlines will receive blessings... supposedly bringing good luck for a period of time, making it harder to lose fights, harder to die in danger, and even easier to make money in business.

After he finished speaking, he glanced at Zhao Yao, his smile deepening.

"Young Master Zhao, would you be interested in giving it a try?"

"I'd better not, I'm not comfortable in this kind of setting."

Zhao Yao shook his head.

Jin Guang seemed to have expected this, and was not surprised. He twirled the folding fan in his hand, then said with a longing expression:

"Young Master Zhao may not know that the special abilities of demigod warriors make them particularly attractive to merfolk."

In previous years, those who received the blessing were mostly demigods or powerful warriors.

He paused, then continued:

"The power of luck is extremely rare."

This should be helpful no matter what you do next.

Even just experiencing the feeling of this power would make the trip worthwhile.

Zhao Yao shook his head again and said:

"Thank you for your kindness, Manager Jin."

I've had some education, and I simply can't accept this.

"I see, that's a real shame."

He tapped the golden folding fan lightly in his hand, his face showing regret, as if he was feeling sorry for Zhao Yao.

"Since Manager Kim is so curious, hasn't she thought about trying it herself?"

Zhao Yao suddenly spoke, his tone slightly teasing.

"Haha~ Bro, you were right."

Do you think I didn't try this when I was young?

Unfortunately, my bloodline is weak, I'm getting older, and my abilities are waning. I can no longer please these merfolk, so there's no need for me to go up there and humiliate myself.

Jin Guang laughed heartily, appearing very magnanimous.

He stood by the ship's railing for a while longer, then, feeling hurt, he took his leave.

Zhao Yao stood there for a while longer, then turned around and was about to leave when he suddenly heard a voice.

"Wow~ Even a demigod warrior doesn't dare to go down?"

I was actually thinking of competing with you to see who could win the favor of the merman... Looks like I really am a prostitute.

A sarcastic voice suddenly appeared behind Zhao Yao.

Zhao Yao turned his head and immediately saw the triangular-eyed martial artist he had seen before standing there, his gaze extremely unsettling.

He frowned, not wanting to get involved with this kind of person any further, and left without saying anything more.

Seeing that Zhao Yao had left without saying a word, the triangular-eyed martial artist's lips twitched slightly, as if he wanted to say something provocative. Just as he was thinking about what to say, Zhao Yao had already gone far away.

The golden light that had just left reappeared nearby.

His face hardened as he looked at the triangular-eyed martial artist, snorted coldly, and said with barely suppressed anger:

"Hmph, what a piece of trash."

"Manager Jin, it's not my fault. He left so decisively. I hadn't even figured out what to say before he was gone."

The triangular-eyed martial artist cried out in injustice.

Jin Guang's gaze turned cold, and he spoke:

"If he won't go, you go."

"Me?"

The triangular-eyed martial artist was taken aback:

"If he doesn't go, what's the point of me going?"

"What, you don't want to?"

A smile returned to Jin Guang's face, but it looked rather eerie.

He looked at the triangular-eyed martial artist and said with a half-smile:

"You've taken the benefits, so you don't want to follow orders anymore?"

The triangular-eyed martial artist looked utterly helpless and offered a defense:

"I like men... Sigh, okay, I'll go."

"Go."

Jin Guang patted him on the shoulder, and the chilling smile vanished instantly.

He said calmly:

"Remember to behave well."

The triangular-eyed martial artist turned and headed back towards the island, his mind filled with confusion, muttering to himself:

"Why is this going on...?"

Jin Guang stood at the ship's railing, watching the martial artist walk away, and was about to turn around...

He suddenly looked up, his gaze falling on the upper deck, where Zhao Yao's figure had appeared at some point.

He was leaning against the railing, arms crossed, quietly watching him.

"Grass……"

Jin Guang's pupils contracted slightly, and the muscles on his face twitched, but he quickly returned to normal.

He smiled at Zhao Yao and raised his folding fan as if to greet him.

Zhao Yao nodded to him, turned around, and disappeared into the upper deck.

Jin Guang stood there, his expression turning somewhat unpleasant.

How long did Zhao Yao stand there? And what did he see?