The Undersea Adventures of the Little Jellyfish (JELLYFISH)
The little jellyfish didn’t understand the tense atmosphere between the humans.
His eyes were practically glued to the dining table—so many things he didn’t recognize, all exuding intoxicating aromas.
The deep red liquid in the glass goblets, the thick, velvety brown sauce in golden cups, the meat with its crispy, reddish-brown skin glistening under the candlelight—just the sight of it made him imagine the crisp sound of juices bursting when pierced by a fork.
Vegetables carved into delicate shapes, potatoes sprinkled with fragrant cheese, some unknown root vegetable coated in a crystalline sugar glaze.
The little jellyfish was on the verge of fainting from sheer bliss.
He couldn’t wait to cut everything into bite-sized pieces and taste them all. But strangely, no one else at the table had moved—only he was staring at the feast.
What was even worse was the crowd of servants surrounding the table. Though the little jellyfish was quite used to being watched, the sheer density of their gazes was enough to give him anthropophobia
He even sensed a few servants with magical energy.
How extravagant.
Since coming ashore, he had noticed that the average human’s magical power was far weaker than that of mermaids or sirens—even less than long-lived sea creatures.
Spiritual energy, however, was present. But they didn’t seem to know how to use it. The little jellyfish was particularly sensitive to this and found it baffling: Everyone has plenty of spiritual energy, so why does no one use it?
In the ocean, everyone was accustomed to projecting their spiritual energy outward—the wider, the better—as if it were an additional sense.
But the human body was indeed more convenient. Five fingers made grasping easy and their bodies were fairly flexible—they could jump, bend over, and if they really couldn’t manage something, they could use tools. They probably didn’t need spiritual energy as an auxiliary tool.
And spiritual energy was often the foundation of magical power. Without it, accumulating magic wouldn’t go smoothly.
Thus, humans who possessed magical abilities were relatively few. In comparison, the proportion of mages within the city lord's residence was absurdly high.
The city lord sat at the far end of the dining table.
He was a middle-aged man, and in terms of appearance, he was no different from the many humans outside. However, he adorned himself with glittering gemstones, wore lavish clothing, and was surrounded by attendants. Even if the little jellyfish had a bit of face blindness, he could tell at a glance that this was the city lord.
Before the meal, Shen Jixiao had specifically reminded him not to casually look up and meet anyone’s gaze, especially the city lord’s. So Tang You kept his head down and just casually observed each dish on the table.
……
The city lord, too, was observing Shen Jixiao and his companions.
Of course, he knew why they had come. The transparent barrier hanging over the strait had been there for seven days, forcing ships to dock at the harbor. Though it hadn’t yet caused any major disruptions, the delayed shipping routes had already drawn complaints from some fishermen and merchants.
They didn’t care whose territory this place belonged to—they only knew that if the routes remained closed, their stomachs would stay empty.
This would ferment into resentment. As the de facto ruler of this border city, he was equally distant from both sides. Controlling this resentment became a valuable bargaining chip—whoever offered more, he would side with.
But this also brought some minor issues.
After all, for now, he was still under the rule of the Eastern Kingdom and had to obey the orders of that brat he’d never even met—in truth, he believed the Eastern Kingdom’s ruler had only secured his position through sheer luck, military strength, and by playing the three other regions against each other to carve out an unstable territory.
Otherwise, why hadn’t he dared to declare himself king outright after all these years?
If it were him, he would have long since proclaimed himself king openly, just like the Southern Kingdom’s ruler.
Including when he saw Ji Yan, his attitude was equally dismissive. After all, the mountains were high and the emperor was far away—he was here, nurturing his private army. What could Ji Yan do? March his troops over directly? Besides, he’d long heard of the discord between Ji Yan and the ruler. He could understand it—after all, who wouldn’t want to sit on the highest throne themselves?
The other two at the table were said to be Ji Yan’s attendants, but they didn’t seem particularly threatening either.
One appeared to be a warrior, but his fair complexion and unweathered face suggested he was just some noble’s son dragged along for appearances, participating in this affair purely for prestige. The other—he couldn’t even sense anything special about him, aside from being exceptionally good-looking, with a vacant, somewhat foolish gaze that remained fixed on the table after sitting down.
The servants who had gathered intelligence also reported that this person had leg problems, was suspected to be mute, and showed no trace of magical energy—qualities that perfectly matched those of a mere plaything. This only made the other two seem even more naive. Aside from pleasure-seeking young nobles, who would keep a pretty but useless ornament by their side at all times? Rumor had it he even had to be carried around—clingy to the extreme. Only those in their twenties would indulge in such frivolous games.
A servant poured him a glass of wine. He moistened his lips. “Master Ji, your reputation precedes you…”
“Ah, but yours is far greater,” Ji Yan’s voice was light and soft, laced with an indescribable oddity. “Eighty miles away, everyone knows Mildor City has a mild climate and lush vegetation. Especially the weeds on the city walls—shooting up three meters high and swaying with the wind year after year. Your reputation is truly immense.”
The city lord’s face cracked uniformly.
He forced a smile. "I wonder what the lord thinks about this matter?"
"What could he possibly think? With that brain of his..."
As an envoy, Ji Yan spoke words that bordered on treason: "Prone to fits of rage, ignores affairs for three weeks at a time, frolicking with beauties outside—it makes me so angry I could... well, you understand."
Usurp the throne.
Ji Yan's indiscriminate verbal assault actually put the city lord at ease: the rumors outside were indeed true—they really were at odds.
"Working in the main city is nowhere near as comfortable as having your own fiefdom outside. Can't even skim much off the top." Ji Yan chuckled as he eyed the extravagant dining table amidst the tense situation. "I still need to learn a thing or two from you."
The city lord's eyes flickered as his mind settled somewhat. Ji Yan's words clearly indicated a desire to join in. Perhaps he could even pull Ji Yan into this—he was known for his skill in managing logistics. At worst, he could concede twenty percent of the profits...
But he also had to guard against the possibility of being baited.
"Master Ji, you shouldn't slander the lord like this. He rose to fame young—just a bit hot-tempered, that's all."
"Slander?" Ji Yan turned to Shen Jixiao. "Xiao Shen, what do you think?"
Shen Jixiao: "..."
Just then, the little jellyfish, who had been lying there staring at the dining table for a long time, turned to look at him as well upon seeing Ji Yan's movement. Through their mental link, he asked, "Xiao Shen, what's a lord? When can we eat?"
Xiao Shen felt exhausted.
He exchanged a few words with Tang You.
"How much did the Southern Kingdom offer?" Since the little jellyfish was hungry, he couldn't be bothered with this tedious charade anymore. Shen Jixiao didn't even lift his gaze as he lazily asked, "The Southern Kingdom's barrier has reached the shore, yet the private soldiers you've been raising haven't reacted at all. City Lord, I'm genuinely concerned for your safety."
"How about this—starting tomorrow morning, we'll take over the security of Mildor City. That way, you can rest easy. What do you say?"
"Oh, and just so you know—this isn't a discussion. It's a notice."
Shen Jixiao pretended to recall something. "Colluding with enemy nations is punishable by death."
"This is slander!"
At the city lord's signal, the guards disguised as servants drew their weapons. Though his voice was panicked, his eyes remained cold and composed—he had long prepared for this.
No matter how powerful a mage or warrior, none could withstand a coordinated assault.
The Southern Kingdom's rewards were generous enough. Judging the situation, he could simply switch allegiances and even capture an important figure as a bargaining chip.
He was determined to succeed.
Shen Jixiao felt a twinge of regret. He had hoped the city lord would smash a cup or something—that way, he could have taught the little jellyfish about the classic "signal by smashing a cup".
Almost without moving, he sent everyone with hostile intent flying backward and being pinned to the floor by an invisible mental force.
He sighed. He had wanted to practice using his psychic abilities, but there wasn't even enough to practice on—the two high-level mages present were also immobilized before they could even begin casting.
Subduing so many people in an instant, and with such effortless composure, was a feat even veteran mages would struggle to achieve. Even surrounded by thousands, taking down a single target would still be possible.
Knowing he was outmatched, the city lord gritted his teeth and signaled for his men to stand down.
He had misjudged. This warrior, who looked like a pretty boy, was far more terrifying than any veteran mage. Ji Yan had kept such formidable power by his side without ever revealing it. It seemed everyone needed to reassess the resources at the lord's disposal.
At the eye of the storm, the man remained utterly composed.
Shen Jixiao raised his hand, steadily picking up his knife and fork to cut the food before him, as if the dozen or so people sent flying didn’t exist—as if they were still attending the city lord’s elegant and dignified banquet.
But the little jellyfish thought his movements weren’t refined enough. When his psychic energy pushed out, it was still too violent, nearly sending the plate of creamy soup on the table flying along with it. The little jellyfish’s full attention was on the dining table, and seeing the soup he’d been eyeing nearly spill, he quickly extended his psychic energy to pull the dishes back.
He remembered Shen Jixiao telling him not to use his psychic energy recklessly.
Tang You felt a pang of guilt after retrieving the dishes. He glanced left and right, relieved to find that no one seemed to have noticed the toppled cups being righted.
Perfect.
Besides, Shen Jixiao had started eating, and Ji Yan had also begun. The little jellyfish reached out, gripping his knife and fork, only to freeze in confusion.
Until Shen Jixiao cut the steak and roasted meat into bite-sized pieces, drizzled them with sauce, speared a few seasonal vegetables, and scooped up a portion each of cheesy potatoes and sugar-glazed potato cubes. He placed the heaping plate in front of the little jellyfish, replacing his empty one, then took away the wine before him and swapped it for a mild, harmless mixed fruit juice.
"Be careful, it’s hot." As if they were still at a roadside stall, Shen Jixiao murmured a quiet reminder.
But in truth, the lavish feast had long since cooled from sitting out.
Every movement was slow and deliberate. After all, he had once been a noble for years that were subjected to rigorous etiquette training. Only occasionally did the crisp clink of cutlery against plates break the silence. Ji Yan, on the other hand, had started eating the moment Shen Jixiao moved, helping himself to everything except the wine.
Only the two of them were eating.
"What’s the matter?" Shen Jixiao lifted his gaze with genuine sincerity. "City Lord, are you dissatisfied with your own banquet?"
"..."
The little jellyfish looked down at the cooked greens on his plate, then at the city lord.
"Humans..." He secretly linked his psychic energy with Shen Jixiao and Ji Yan, wanting to say "mermaids" but swallowed the word back. "Human expressions are so fascinating. The city lord’s face has turned the same color as these leaves."
"Pfft." Ji Yan couldn’t hold back a laugh.
Wiping sauce from the corner of his lips, he unabashedly slid the only plate of borscht on the table over to the little jellyfish. "Ever tried this?"
The little jellyfish shook his head.
"Give it a taste."
...
No matter what others thought, the little jellyfish found the meal absolutely delightful. He even felt he might become addicted to flame-cooked food.
Unfortunately, he ate slowly, and before he could sample everything, the servants had already cleared the dishes, leaving only the wine and juice behind.
"What exactly do you want?" the ashen-faced city lord demanded.
"To eat," Shen Jixiao replied.
"Just here to mooch a meal." Ji Yan took the last of the juice on the table, splitting it with the little jellyfish and leaving none for anyone else—not even Shen Jixiao.
Hearing the other two respond this way, Tang You took a sip of juice.
Still thinking about the unfinished meal, he felt a pang of sadness—until he looked down and found two sticky rice cakes hidden in Shen Jixiao’s palm that was secretly passed to him under the table.
Tang You’s eyes lit up, overjoyed. Mimicking their tone, he declared with heartfelt sincerity:
"Here... here to mooch food!"
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