Deep Sea Metropolis and the "Mission"

Upon hearing the words "unbinding," Jiang Mian felt as though he, as a fish, had come back to life.

This promise was even more delightful than "you've got the rights to this sea's dried fish for the next thousand years"!

"Deal!" Without a second thought, he agreed on the spot, as if afraid that Ao Juan might change his mind. "Don't talk about going to Coral City—even if it means fishing for a needle in Guixu, as long as I can get this thing off me, I'll do it!"

Looking at his eagerness, Ao Juan's eyes were somewhat complicated, but in the end he nodded. "Good. Then we'll set out tomorrow."

Jiang Mian had never imagined that his first trip far from home would take the form of "escorting a treasure while seeking freedom."

Saying goodbye to his massive conch-shell penthouse where he had lived for who knows how many years, Jiang Mian felt a twinge of melancholy. But whenever he thought about how after this journey he would regain his freedom and continue his laid-back life, that melancholy was quickly swept away by his beautiful visions of the future.

Coral City, located on a vast sea platform formed by the remains of ancient coral polyps, was the most prosperous metropolis within tens of thousands of miles.

When Ao Juan brought Jiang Mian here, even Jiang Mian, who only wanted to laze around, couldn't help but be stunned by the sight before him.

Buildings made of colorful living coral soared into the clouds—no, into the sea. All kinds of bizarre magical flying vehicles shuttled back and forth on "waterways" made of specially controlled currents. Massive whales and sea turtles, carrying ornate pavilions on their backs, cruised slowly above the city—they were mobile restaurants and shops.

Walking the streets were races from all corners of the Four Seas—crab warriors wearing crab-shell armor, mermaid noblewomen dragging their gorgeous tails, flocks of chattering seahorse couriers... All sorts of creatures that Jiang Mian had only ever seen in ancient illustrated books now appeared alive before his eyes.

"Wow..." Jiang Mian's sea-blue eyes were wide open, his mouth slightly agape, unable to close for a long time.

This... this seemed a bit more fun than his conch shell, didn't it?

Seeing him looking so out-of-touch, Ao Juan's lips curled into a faint smile he himself didn't notice, but he quickly resumed his usual serious expression.

"Wipe your drool." He nudged the still-dazed Jiang Mian with his elbow. "We have business to attend to."

"Oh, right." Jiang Mian snapped back to reality, reluctantly tearing his gaze away from a giant squid that was selling skewers.

Ao Juan was clearly a regular here. He expertly led Jiang Mian through the busiest main street and arrived before a very imposing building that appeared to be carved from a single massive piece of white jade coral.

At the entrance, two rows of shrimp soldiers and crab guards stood majestically on duty. Seeing Ao Juan, they all saluted in unison.

"Your Highness, the Dragon Prince."

Ao Juan nodded slightly and walked straight in with Jiang Mian.

Inside was a huge trading hall, where countless floating screens made of jellyfish and luminous pearls scrolled with trading information about various magical artifacts, materials, and rare treasures.

"This is the headquarters of the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce, and also the host of this Myriad Treasures Convention," Ao Juan explained in a low voice as they walked. "The Myriad Treasures Convention—on the surface, it's the largest treasure trading and auction fair in the Four Seas, but in reality, it's also a venue for various forces to exchange information and show off their strength."

Jiang Mian only half-understood; his mind was currently preoccupied with that "octopus ball" shop he'd passed earlier, which looked really delicious.

"The Bond-Releasing Shuttle we're looking for is an ancient artifact, extremely rare," Ao Juan said, his tone turning serious. "It might not appear in the open auctions. We'll likely need to search for it in private trading sessions or through information exchange."

"So what do we do now?" Jiang Mian asked.

"First, register and get qualified to participate in the convention."

Ao Juan led him to a counter made of a giant clam shell. A clam spirit with a seductive figure received them.

"Your Highness Ao Juan, you're here." The clam spirit's voice was syrupy sweet. "The usual?"

"Yes." Ao Juan handed over a token engraved with a dragon pattern. "Register my... companion here as well."

The clam spirit's gaze finally fell on the unremarkable Jiang Mian. She looked him up and down, a trace of barely perceptible disdain flickering in her eyes, but she still smiled professionally. "Of course. May I ask this gentleman's name?"

"My name is Jiang Mian."

Just as Jiang Mian's name was being recorded onto a new clam-shell token, a somewhat sarcastic voice suddenly rang out from behind them.

"Oh my, who could it be, making such a grand entrance? If it isn't our Dragon Prince."

Jiang Mian and Ao Juan turned around at the same time.

A young man in a flashy, fiery red robe, waving a fan studded with pearls, swaggered lazily toward them with several guards in tow.

The man was handsome enough, but his brow carried an air of unshakable arrogance and frivolity. The guards behind him all exuded powerful auras, clearly no ordinary underlings.

Jiang Mian noticed that the moment Ao Juan saw this man, his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

"Feng Li." Ao Juan's voice turned several degrees colder. "Don't you have your South Sea Volcano to stay in? What are you doing here?"

The man called Feng Li snapped his fan shut with a swoosh, pointed at himself, then gestured around dramatically. "Why, I'm here for the Myriad Treasures Convention, of course! What, did your Dragon Palace build this Coral City? Only you get to come, and not me?"

"As you wish." Ao Juan clearly didn't want to argue with him. He took Jiang Mian's token and his own, turned, and started to leave.

"Hey, don't be in such a hurry to go." But Feng Li wouldn't let it go. With a flash, he blocked their path. His eyes swept over Ao Juan, then, as if discovering a new continent, landed on Jiang Mian.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," he shook his head, pointing his fan at Jiang Mian as he spoke to Ao Juan. "Ao Juan, Ao Juan, I really can't figure you out anymore. In the past, whenever you went out, you always brought elite guards. But this time... you brought this kind of goods?"

He looked Jiang Mian up and down, his contempt undisguised. "Feeble Spiritual Energy, unstable aura. Aside from a decent face, he's utterly worthless. Tell me, has your Dragon Palace fallen on hard times? Or do you have some... special taste?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the air around them instantly turned icy.

Jiang Mian's heart remained utterly unruffled; he even felt like yawning. He'd been called "worthless" so many times over the years that he was long used to it.

But Ao Juan beside him instantly darkened.

A powerful, icy dragon might suddenly erupted from him, pressing straight down on Feng Li.

"Feng Li," Ao Juan's golden dragon pupils flashed with dangerous light, "watch your mouth. He's my man, and you have no say in this."