novelraw Chapter 57: The Abyssal Merchant
Chapter 57: The Abyssal Merchant
The moon hung high as the fog grew thicker.
The captain aboard the large fishing vessel harvesting Moonlight Fish paused his commands when his peripheral vision caught movement in the distant mist.
"What's wrong, Captain?"
A young red-haired crew member asked.
"Another victim has fallen,"
The captain shook his head before raising his right hand and bellowing:
"All hands! Light the ship lanterns! Cease current operations—we're relocating to another Moonlight Fish school!"
The crew exchanged confused glances.
Each Moonlight Fish here was worth 500 to 2,000 Shell Coins—with at least 2,000 fish in this area alone!
Harvesting this school would sustain them for a month without work. The captain explained: "We can't stay. The Abyssal Merchant has appeared."
The Abyssal Merchant...
A heavy silence fell over the ship.
The crew hastily gathered near light sources, staring at the thinning mist before exhaling deeply.
......
......
At the fog's epicenter,
A small houseboat's lantern glowed steadily.
Chen Qi paced the deck, observing the ominous black skiff and its cephalopod-headed skeletal occupant.
What exactly was this creature again?
Chen Qi stroked his chin.
He recalled this monster being documented in the Witch Sea expansion's strategy guides—he'd even written gameplay tips about it.
While dangerous, it posed no lethal threat as long as he remained in illuminated areas.
Yet its name eluded him momentarily.
Leaning against the railing, Chen Qi cut straight to the point:
"What exactly are you?"
The ebony skeleton aboard the dark vessel raised its lantern slightly:
"Customer... I am but a humble... merchant plying these waters.
You may address me as... the Abyssal Merchant."
The Abyssal Merchant!
Chen Qi clapped his hands—now he remembered.
This was one of the Witch Sea's most notorious nocturnal entities.
It sailed a black skiff to approach vessels, peddling rare commodities.
Among its wares, one item commanded premium "purchase" offers:
Ship lanterns.
Despite possessing strength to overwhelm even a fully-armed third-tier transcendent or merchant galleon,
The creature adhered to commerce rather than plunder—
Because of one fatal weakness:
Photophobia.
Even marginal light exposure would liquefy its form.
Thus, it employed every tactic to extinguish or acquire illumination sources before devouring prey in darkness.
High-grade ship lanterns were essential for night voyages primarily due to this predator.
Chen Qi studied the bloodstains drifting nearby.
The Black Rabbit Gang lieutenant had foolishly doused his lantern to approach,
Only for Chen Qi to shatter his backup oil lamp—
Leaving him defenseless when the Abyssal Merchant dragged him screaming into the depths.
"The Abyssal Merchant, huh..."
Chen Qi flashed a villainously cordial grin.
The creature's inventory was legendary among players, with entire guides dedicated to locating it.
Yet statistically, encountering one near Moonstone City was astronomically rare—
They'd hit the jackpot!
Where most sailors would shield their lanterns and flee in terror,
Chen Qi assessed the situation differently.
Beyond photophobia, the merchant harbored another critical vulnerability—
Its charred lantern emitted a faint glow that stabilized its form and enabled light tolerance.
Without it, the creature couldn't approach illuminated vessels.
Though outmatched in raw power,
Chen Qi could theoretically destroy the lantern with gunfire before hurling an oil lamp for the kill.
Extremely powerful—yet equally fragile.
The skeletal merchant creaked closer, cervical vertebrae popping:
"Customer... as you see, my lantern is damaged. Might you sell me—"
"Spare me the transparent ruse. Show me your wares."
Chen Qi interrupted, training his pistol on the lantern.
He lacked patience for cat-and-mouse games.
Fear displays only encouraged the creature to attack vessels outright.
"......"
The merchant paused—unaccustomed to such audacity.
Extending a bone hand, it rasped:
"Customer... men call me... the Abyss' horror... might you—"
The lantern swayed indignantly.
After centuries of infamy, surely it deserved some deference?
Chen Qi rolled his eyes.
They were both denizens of these waters—
If this was the Abyss' monster, then he was its siren!
The nerve, demanding respect...
Scholarly debates persisted about the merchant's origins:
Not truly a sea beast—the Witch Sea's documented intelligent species comprised only parasitic variants capable of rudimentary mimicry.
More likely, this was a transcendent from Beiguo who'd succumbed to Madness Path corruption—
High-tier practitioners risked monstrous mutations through flawed ascension methods.
To resist complete transformation, they obsessively fulfilled "occupation tasks" as psychological anchors.
The creature's immunity to his siren allure confirmed its fundamentally human nature.
With such beings, courtesy was pointless—only unshakable dominance worked.
"Enough prattle!" Chen Qi snarled, fingering the trigger. "One more word and I'll blast that lantern to splinters!"
The merchant recoiled slightly—not in anger, but wariness.
This human knew its weakness...
Retracting the lantern, it tried again:
"Customer... your knowledge impresses. Surely the Sea Goddess—"
"Last warning—no more theatrics." Chen Qi's patience evaporated.
"Display your inventory.
And honestly—what merchant worth their salt speaks in these broken phrases? You're embarrassing yourself."
The Abyssal Merchant froze.
Such insolence! Such disrespect!
Couldn't this human at least pretend fear for the sake of its skeletal dignity?
Swallowing pride (metaphorically), it continued:
"Customer... I offer... special aphrodisiacs granting temporary tentacles, enhanced constitution, and... unprecedented spousal—"
Typical scam wares.
Tentacle serums induced irreversible mutations into breeding-crazed monstrosities.
"Next. Give me combat utilities, not snake oil."
Chen Qi scoffed.
Besides, he already hosted a tentacled entity in his spine.
The merchant twitched.
This rejection was unusually informed for a first-tier transcendent.
"Customer... perhaps you dislike sharing my... racial aspirations."
It reconsidered before listing:
"Tentacle elixirs, Blade of the Deep, Serpentblood Staff, Tempest Scrolls, Ice Demon Pirates' nautical charts, Sea Viper venom, Abyssal Breathing Technique skill card, Undine Summoning Scroll..."