In the dark and damp seabed, this underwater maze was surprisingly dry, with not a drop of seawater seeping in. Within this gloomy labyrinth, Bai Cha finally saw the luminous pearl, a treasure she had only encountered in novels.
In Bai Cha's senses, this luminous pearl was akin to a light bulb, an egg-sized bulb resembling a fluorescent crystal. However, she heard it was very valuable, so Bai Cha, naturally, did not want to dampen the mood and offered a perfunctory compliment.
Compared to the ever-larger luminous pearls in the maze, the so-called "Canghai Luopan" (Sea Compass) fell far short of Bai Cha's imagination; it was merely a worn-out bronze compass.
It lacked luster and refinement. Perhaps due to its use, it was a rusty compass, almost broken in half. At best, it had some intricate patterns, but even those intricate patterns were now in disrepair.
"This is the compass that can reverse time and space?" Gu Mingze, who had followed Cang Liu into the maze, was utterly dismayed upon seeing the small bronze compass.
In his mind, a supreme treasure that touched upon the realm of time should at least be high-end, grand, and sophisticated, or perhaps understated, luxurious, and profound. He imagined something colossal and ancient, awe-inspiring at first glance. How could this small compass, no bigger than two palms, possess such power?
Cang Liu said nothing. Instead, he stepped forward, raised the small compass, and in full view of everyone's astonished gazes, smashed it to pieces.
The rust on the bronze compass was indeed genuine. Upon being struck, it shattered into myriad pieces. After the bronze fragments littered the ground, the only item resembling a treasure was revealed.
At its very center lay a fingernail-sized, resplendent bead, enveloped within. This bead appeared to be the purest white, yet it shimmered with a magnificent glow, a truly colorful white.
"They say Mermaid's Tears are priceless, but few know how they are formed. A single tear, in its gelatinous state, cannot solidify into a pearl," Cang Liu picked up the Mermaid's Tear from the ground and handed it to Bai Cha. "Only royal merfolk shed a tear once in their lifetime. During the most intense emotional moments, mixed with their strongest power, it forms the most precious pearl."
"A belated birthday gift, my apologies." Cang Liu directly presented the Mermaid's Tear to Bai Cha with unwavering resolve. "This is the core of the compass. Since I reversed time and space for you, this rightfully belongs to you."
Cang Liu's attitude was firm, but Bai Cha was confused. While the mermaid pearl was indeed an excellent medium for power, Bai Cha believed no one in this world could surpass her in terms of strength. If she wished it, no one would be her opponent.
Furthermore, her birthday had passed several days ago; why the need for a delayed celebration?
"I couldn't make it to your birthday last year," Cang Liu added. "I have another one within me, so I'm giving this to you."
Bai Cha raised an eyebrow; it seemed she had no room to refuse.
"So you reversed time and space because of me," Bai Cha narrowed her eyes. "In my previous life, I died."
Cang Liu did not deny it. Bai Cha accepted the Mermaid's Tear and continued, "The price was to lead the sea clan away from the ocean. Why do this? How could you be so confident I would agree?"
She could have simply turned around and walked away. Placing the fate of an entire race on one person seemed rather risky, even if that person was her.
"Moreover, how are you certain I can help you in this lifetime?" Bai Cha looked at the Mermaid's Tear in her hand, finding it somewhat strange. "I died in my previous life. Does that mean I won't die in this one?"
Or perhaps, she would accomplish this before her death? But that didn't seem right, as far as Bai Cha knew, the gene reversal experiments at the laboratory had only just begun.
Cang Liu remained silent, his gaze fixed on the ground, unsure how to explain.
"At first, I wasn't sure. During the carnival, the way you looked at me was so familiar. I found it very strange back then," Bai Cha sighed, clutching the mermaid pearl. "Your subsequent actions also made me suspicious. Your training time was shorter than Yun He's, yet your progress was astonishingly rapid. I thought you knew my training methods through prophecy."
"In my previous life, were you also one of my people?" Bai Cha asked. "But not this soon, surely."
If Cang Liu had been by her side like this in his previous life, he wouldn't have been eliminated by her in a single move during their first meeting. Now, it would be difficult for Bai Cha to defeat Cang Liu in one move without using her full strength.
"Initially, I was an outer member," Cang Liu said softly. "Originally, I should have ranked over four hundredth in that carnival. In my previous life, you probably only noticed me towards the end of my second year, at the carnival held then."
This reversal of time and space allowed Cang Liu to capitalize on many past-life advantages, such as overcoming muscle stiffness after moving from the sea to land, training methods, and various assassination techniques. Without these, Bai Cha would not have noticed him so quickly.
This indeed aligned with Bai Cha's character, as many merfolk were eliminated. Simply reaching land did not guarantee they would become pillars of support. Rather than finding a merfolk with a mere impressive appearance to serve as the "Jiaolong" (Flood Dragon), it was better to find an outstanding talent for the position.
"Hmm, speaking of the carnival, it reminds me of something," Bai Cha touched her chin, her expression toward Cang Liu becoming somewhat peculiar. "In my previous life, was my death related to Mo Ziye, or did I end up with Mo Ziye?"
"...Huh?" Gu Mingze, who had been engrossed in eavesdropping, looked bewildered. He glanced at Cang Liu, then at Bai Cha, his expression one of disbelief. "No way? Miss Bai and Mo Ziye are worlds apart. I never felt they were particularly close."
In this life, he only sensed Mo Ziye enthusiastically pursuing Bai Cha. However, that enthusiasm only lasted for a while. Later, Bai Cha was always busy with various matters, avoiding Mo Ziye with all sorts of excuses, seemingly uninterested in him.
Cang Liu's eye twitched, and he remained silent, seemingly organizing his thoughts.
"That's because you didn't see it," Bai Cha smiled strangely. "During the carnival, I teamed up with Mo Ziye. The first time I clashed with Cang Liu, Cang Liu simply fled. But after seeing me with Mo Ziye... his killing intent was very obvious."
And it was a sudden killing intent, as if he had suddenly become angry.
At the time, Bai Cha thought Cang Liu and Mo Ziye had some past grievances. It wasn't just that one time either; later, whenever he undertook missions and Mo Ziye was nearby, Cang Liu would carry a subtle hostility towards him.
And now that she thought about it, on many occasions, Bai Cha's mission plans that involved Cang Liu almost always coincided with Mo Ziye's presence, or rather, wherever Mo Ziye was, Cang Liu would follow.
Of course, nothing good ever came of it. Mo Ziye's impression score had plummeted so badly that Bai Cha didn't even want to bring him along when handling matters.
"So, your tip-off is the reason Mo Ziye kept causing me trouble on every mission?" Bai Cha raised an eyebrow.
There were several instances, particularly with the "Saint Mother" novel phrases, where Bai Cha had wanted to directly confront Mo Ziye.
"It wasn't exactly a tip-off... I'm sorry, I am willing to accept punishment." Cang Liu lowered his head, appearing somewhat resigned.
It wasn't exactly a tip-off. For instance, during the Sky Island incident, he had intentionally guided Mo Ziye to seek the truth from the Tu family. Tu Guangshao had been busy on Sky Island during those days, so Mo Ziye could only go there and would inevitably run into Bai Cha.
For example, during the Spider-Man incident, he had merely tampered with things to allow the 'Bright faction' to initiate the experimental project that required Mo Ziye's consent earlier. This was also an advantage gained from his reincarnation.
However, this did indeed cause delays in the mission. If held accountable, punishment was unavoidable.
"Let's not talk about punishment for now. What was my relationship with Mo Ziye in the previous life?" Bai Cha was actually very curious. No one disliked gossip, even about themselves. She often browsed the internet.
"Yes, yes, did they get together?" Gu Mingze also moved his small stool, waiting for his senior to dish out the gossip.
"Well... they did get together." Cang Liu thought for a moment before finally organizing his thoughts. "At first, everyone thought he was truly devoted to you and treated you very well, helping you overcome your gloom, so everyone accepted him. Who knew he was a Saint Mother... and you were very attentive to him..."
"Overcome gloom?" Bai Cha seized on the key point. "What gloom?"
Cang Liu dared not speak. He truly couldn't divulge this, as doing so would derail all his plans.
"Did he always speak up for the people of the Bright faction?" Seeing Cang Liu's reluctance to speak, Bai Cha changed her question.
Cang Liu: "Yes."
"He always protected the Bright faction, believing there must be some misunderstanding?" Bai Cha asked again.
Cang Liu: "Yes."
"And he always insisted I find evidence, believing the Bright faction could never do anything wrong, thus causing me to miss the best opportunity?" Bai Cha twitched her lips.
Cang Liu nodded. This time, he didn't even offer a "yes," but his affirmation was still resolute.
Bai Cha covered her face. This was entirely within her expectations. At least in this life, she understood Mo Ziye's true nature perfectly.
Bai Cha sighed faintly. "So, did I ultimately fail?"
"Not at all, you succeeded." Cang Liu, however, denied it this time. "You paved a clear path for everyone. Afterwards, everyone progressed as you had envisioned. I should say the objective was indeed achieved."
Bai Cha: "..."
"Then why did you reverse time and space?" Bai Cha didn't understand.
The plan succeeded in the end, so wasn't that enough? She thought she had failed or something. Turns out the objective was met?
Don't tell me you reversed time and space simply to show me how hypocritical Mo Ziye is. Is that the point?
Cang Liu lowered his head, unsure how to explain.
He actually wanted to say, you died, so in my world, this isn't considered success.
But this seemed too much like a confession, and he wasn't mentally prepared to say it out loud.
"Sigh... Forget it. Since it's been used, it's been used. Consider it me helping the sea clan transition to land as a side benefit." Bai Cha put away the mermaid pearl, feeling a bit weary.
She didn't particularly approve of the practice of entrusting the fate of an entire race, including one's own, to a single person for the sake of saving that individual. But as things stood, she had no choice and could only do her best to help the sea clan.
"Miss Bai, aren't you going to ask me what will happen in the future?" Cang Liu seemed puzzled. He thought Bai Cha would at least inquire about subsequent events, as it was only natural for reincarnators to leverage their past-life advantages.
"What's the point of asking?" Bai Cha's interest waned. "If fate could be changed so easily, it wouldn't be called fate. It's related to environment and personality."
Cang Liu: "..."
Indeed. He should have known this long ago. With Bai Cha in her position and possessing such a personality, regardless of how many times the cycle repeated, the outcome seemed destined to be the same. Yet, he still wanted to try.
"You will agree to help the sea clan," Cang Liu looked at Bai Cha with unexpected certainty. "I know you can successfully complete the gene experiments, so..."
Bai Cha's eyes flickered. The Shadow faction also had scientific experts, but compared to the experts of the Bright faction who specialized in user-friendly equipment, there was a significant gap.
Most scientific experts in the Shadow faction were dedicated to research on how to enhance human resilience for better mission completion; in other words, they aimed to create weaponized human beings.
The cost of adapting to the ocean and sky through gene hyper-mutation surgery was too high. Most Shadows, even if they lived to a natural death, had a lifespan of only around sixty years, accompanied by debilitating pain and lingering illnesses. The Shadow faction was also seeking ways to reduce labor costs and sacrifices.
And for further gene research, those madmen had indeed initiated reverse gene experiments.
No wonder Cang Liu had acted so rashly.