Beating Instances through Words Left by the Dead

Chapter 78: Chapter 78: Deep Sea Gift

The first Tuesday of each month is Briff’s Divine Grace Day.

On this day, townspeople hold celebrations to praise the Great Saint Mother’s mercy and generosity for granting them a wonderful life today.

The celebration is held in the town center, where townspeople enjoy grilled fish and meat, drinking wine merrily.

The celebrating crowd forms a long line, holding torches, singing and dancing from the tavern all the way to the great cathedral, in revelry that lasts throughout the night.

Yet, during moments of pause, some people always stop, and their gaze unconsciously drifts towards the mountains on the west side of the island, eyes filled with yearning.

They know that the celebration there is the true Divine Grace Day, where one can receive the blessing of the gods.

At the edge of the western mountains, near the sea cliffs, a precarious path clings to the mountainside.

The path is less than two feet wide, standing facing the mountain, with the rear half of one’s foot dangling in the air.

A chain is fixed on the cliff, and one must grip the chain with both hands, moving down the narrow path to reach the cliff’s base.

Even with Wu Chang’s attributes, the journey down is somewhat taxing, but accompanying him, Mayor Harrison doesn’t even break a sweat.

The anticipation of what is about to happen dulls Mayor Harrison’s fatigue, and he points downward saying,

”Keep up, Sean, once we reach the bottom, we’ll be at tonight’s gathering place.”

When the two of them reached the bottom, over a hundred townspeople were already waiting below.

According to Harrison’s words on the way, only the one hundred town citizens who worked the hardest in the past month and the town council members are eligible to attend the celebration at the base of the cliff.

The celebration site is no different from an ordinary beach, except for a bronze statue of a flying fish standing on the shore.

Harrison stood Wu Chang on a tall reef, raising a recommendation letter filled with names and introduced to everyone;

”This outstanding young man beside me is the new postman on the island, and you all should have already met him. Although Sean has only recently arrived on the island, I believe his diligence, hard work, and dedication have already gained everyone’s recognition.”

Among the crowd, many townspeople who received mail yesterday cheer for Wu Chang, acknowledging him warmly.

With their lead, other townspeople who hadn’t interacted with Wu Chang also began to accept him.

”The length of time isn’t the only gauge of whether an outsider has integrated here. I’ve seen Sean’s love for Briff, and such sincere attitude is worth more than anything else.”

”I see him as a role model, a beacon for outsiders wanting to integrate into Briff. He’s not only gained my approval but also that of the other two town council members. By tradition, our Mr. Sean will represent other outsiders on the island and become a new town councilor!”

As Harrison finished speaking, the residents burst into applause.

In the midst of applaud, Morena pinned the town councilor badge onto Wu Chang, giving him a look to remind him of their agreement.

「Item Name: Town Councilor Badge」

「Item Type: Special」

「Item Description: Wearing the badge grants you the respect of Briff town residents and allows you to command residents to a certain extent. Within the area of Briff town, holding dungeon items, there’s a chance to see an additional piece of information on an item.」

「Note: The name of the corresponding councilor is engraved on the back of the badge. Only that councilor can wear it. It’s non-transferable and cannot be stolen.」

After a brief appointment ceremony, the crowd returned to silence, with townspeople gathering in groups chatting, yet upon close observation, they seemed a bit distracted.

Every so often, they would glance at the sky, look at their watches, and then gaze at the sea as if expecting something to arrive.

As time passed, the full moon in the sky rose to its zenith, the sound of the waves became louder, and the tide gradually rose, submerging the coast where everyone stood.

The townspeople were already familiar with the change unfolding before them, adeptly climbing onto the reef, staring eagerly at the tide.

Seeing the time was almost right, Harrison asked a councilor, ”Has everyone arrived?”

The councilor replied, ”Matty and Professor Ebert haven’t arrived yet.”

”What’s the reason? They aren’t ones to miss the celebration,” Harrison asked.

”Professor Ebert is critically ill, receiving treatment at the town hospital and can’t even get out of bed. There’s no news from Matty; someone was sent to his house, but it’s dark inside, and it seems he’s gone out.”

Harrison: ”Then let’s stop waiting. Hurry up with your mouths so Matty doesn’t miss out and want a share again.”

The councilor grinned, revealing sharp teeth. ”Rest assured, I have no habit of leftover food.”

Wu Chang observed in confusion beside them; seeing everyone waiting, he followed suit and waited.

When the tide submerged the flying fish statue, a sudden change occurred.

The full moon in the sky seemed to plunge into the sea, with a large circular light illuminating the sea area centered around the flying fish statue by the cliff.

From the luminous water below came the sound of intensive splashes, like birds flapping their wings.

The next moment, countless golden flying fish leapt from the water, stretching their bodies, basking in the moonlight.

”The Divine Grace has arrived!”

”The Divine Grace has arrived!”

”The Divine Grace has arrived!”

...

The townspeople cheered as they jumped into the water, capturing the flying fish that leapt out of the sea.

Wu Chang asked Harrison in surprise, ”Mayor, what is this?”

”This is the Divine Grace, child. Quickly go and grab your Divine Grace, don’t let it escape! But remember, no one can catch more than two!”

At this moment, Harrison’s gaze was entirely drawn to the golden flying fish, dismissively instructing two sentences before plunging into the water without even taking off his clothes.

With agile movements, Harrison reached out to catch a golden flying fish mid-air.

He brought the golden flying fish before his mouth, opened it to an acute angle, then bit heavily, chewing into the entire fish head.

Looking around, every townsperson was consuming the golden flying fish the moment they caught it.

They didn’t scale, remove the gills, or clean the intestines, not even cutting it. Just eating it in the most pure, raw form.

Yet, each townsperson who tasted the golden flying fish showed a fascinated and blissful expression.

It was as if what they were eating wasn’t fish flesh, but some sort of intoxicating substance.

However, what surprised Wu Chang more was that the townspeople who consumed the golden flying fish began to develop scales on their skin, gills seemed to form on their necks, and their bodies grew larger.

The transformation of the villagers reminded him of the massive fishmen at the Inner World’s fishman dock.

It turns out those fishmen were not unique monsters to the Inner World, but townspeople who had consumed golden flying fish!

Wu Chang jumped into the water, mimicking the other townspeople, reaching out to catch a golden flying fish.

「Item Name: Deep Sea Gift」

「Item Type: Consumables」

「Item Description: A fish infused with the god’s aura, consuming more than 15 can grant the Bloodline Talent—Ocean Race Transformation.」

「Ocean Race Transformation: On first use, randomly acquire an Ocean Race Transformation type, permanently fixed. Transformed into Ocean Race form, gaining Ocean Affinity, capable of moving freely in water, and increases water attribute skill effects.」

「Note: Due to impurities in the god’s aura, consuming Deep Sea Gift to obtain the Ocean Race Transformation results in dependency, requiring regular consumption of this item or an equivalent water attribute item, or risk entering a ’out of water’ state. In ’out of water’ state, the body weakens; severe cases will cause the Ocean Race Transformation to regress.」

Wu Chang swallowed hard, staring at the golden flying fish in his hand.

It seemed he knew what the previous postmen were searching for.