Chapter 5: The King

"Primordial Deity!"
Quanxian panicked, hastily pressing his tail fin against the sandy seabed. Cold fragments of stone pierced his fin, but he felt no pain; instead, overwhelming terror had consumed him, leaving him utterly lost.

He buried his head deep beneath the sand, blood seeping from his forehead. "Primordial Deity, I don't want the giant shark, please don't drive me away."

"I'm not trying to drive you away," Liang Yuan replied calmly. "It's simply time for you to leave."

"Every journey has its end. Your life will be filled with countless people and events, not just my presence alone."

Quanxian was bewildered. For the past fifty years, he had remained by Liang Yuan's side, obeying his commands. Now, being told that his journey had reached its end was something he struggled to process.

"I've spoken to you about your kin," Liang Yuan said. "Over the years, you've met many of your kind. What do you think of them?"

"Ignorant, violent, no different from the fish of the sea," Quanxian replied. "Had I not met you, Primordial Deity, I would have been the same—lost and unaware, never knowing when I might become who I am now."

"When we first met, I spoke to you about your kin."
Liang Yuan continued, "During the journey, I mentioned the tribe... Of course, I didn't dwell on it, and perhaps you don't remember."

"But it doesn't matter."

"You are the first merfolk to possess rationality, and you have stayed by my side longer than any other. You are the one I have chosen. You are the leader of the merfolk tribe, the king of your kind."

"You should lead your people, build an underwater world that belongs to you, create your own dynasty, a civilization for the merfolk."

Quanxian looked lost, unsure of himself. "Dynasty... What is a dynasty, what is civilization, what is a king?"

"A king stands at the nexus of heaven, earth, and people, understanding their unity. The king is the supreme ruler of the dynasty, the most honored and powerful."

"And civilization is an advanced state of social and cultural development, as well as the process of reaching it. Civilization is the new era you will usher in for the merfolk."

"For countless millions of years, this world belonged to me; I was its master."

"You believe me to be omnipotent and omniscient. Indeed, I created this world out of boredom, and I am its lord. Yet I am not truly all-powerful... Or rather, my power is limited to what I have created. Even if I possess this world, I cannot return to my homeland."

"Nor am I omniscient; I can see all that has happened, but not what will come. The future of the merfolk must be shaped by you. You are their king."

"Though I could impart everything I know to you, allowing you to recreate a civilization of my own memory, that would be my civilization, not yours. I hope you will create something new, adding a fresh spark to this tedious world."

"The future of this world belongs to you."

At this, Liang Yuan's words ceased abruptly.

It was the most 'divine revelation' Quanxian had ever received from Liang Yuan.

Fear flooded Quanxian's gaze, his entire body emanating an unprecedented chill.

This time, he understood the 'revelation.'

But acceptance was difficult.

He had spent fifty years by the Primordial Deity's side, and his mindset had changed dramatically.

He wished to become another deity, not merely the king of the merfolk.

The sound of the tides ebbing and flowing echoed in Quanxian's ears. Suddenly, a giant bubble appeared beside him, enveloping him.

A warmth surged through his body, spreading an unprecedented comfort that made him involuntarily moan.

Meanwhile, Liang Yuan's figure began to fade.

At the instant the bubble burst, the bottomless abyss of the ocean floor vanished, replaced by a sunlit shallow shore.

Sunlight poured into the tranquil seabed, refracted like spectral rays, coloring rocks, plants, shells, and coral with rainbow hues.

Everything here was beautiful, bringing tears to Quanxian's eyes.

It was a place so familiar to him—his first meeting with Liang Yuan, where he awakened to wisdom, the domain where he spent seventy years in ignorance before his enlightenment.

In the distance, dozens of merfolk watched the sudden appearance of Quanxian with fearful, uneasy eyes.

As Quanxian faced them, a strange sensation stirred within him.

He gazed at the group, and an inexplicable feeling welled up—like having eaten ten thousand of his favorite millipedes, resonating in his chest and making his whole body tremble.

Even though he had stayed by the Primordial Deity's side, a god was always a god. Every day and night, he lived in awe, fearing a misstep might incur divine wrath.

Now, seeing so many of his kind, the tension within him finally eased.

The deep familiarity made him shudder; gazing at the merfolk, the ambition to become a deity faded, replaced by a coldness inherent in his merfolk blood, awakening memories.

An idea arose in his mind.

He was their king,

The king of the merfolk,

The lord of the four seas, the sole ruler beneath the waves.

Suddenly, a figure sprang from the group, visibly excited.

It was the second merfolk to gain reason from the Primordial Deity fifty years ago—the first one Quanxian met after his enlightenment.

"I... finally... see you... again..."

She was draped in a thin veil of dragon silk, appearing light and translucent, her body adorned in brilliant shells, her features exquisite, and beneath her human torso and fish tail, she exuded a thousand charms.

She was a female merfolk.

By comparison, Quanxian was much simpler, clad in seaweed and dragon silk.

Dragon silk was a thin fabric woven by the merfolk; perhaps it was their innate talent, for every merfolk was born knowing how, and all wore it.

"I am Quanxian. I have followed the Primordial Deity for fifty years. He told me I am the merfolk king, and sent me back to lead the merfolk, to build a civilization and dynasty of our own."

Quanxian spoke earnestly to the female merfolk, "What is your name?"

"I... don't have... a name."

She seemed ashamed, but soon gathered herself and answered, "I... can have... a new name."

"Quan Ke. My name... is Quan Ke."