Chapter 161: Chapter 161: You’ll Die If You Soak for Too Long

Lan Yin had been wondering about the purpose of the pool, but after a short while, he felt his strength gradually disappearing.

He could stand on his own before, but now he had to lean against the edge of the pool just to stay upright.

’There’s something strange about this water. It’s actually absorbing my strength.’

"Time’s up. Everyone out."

After an unknown amount of time, someone entered from outside and, in a gruff voice, ordered the guards by the pool to haul them out.

That’s right, they were hauled out with a large net. The guards seemed terrified of touching the pool water, avoiding it as much as possible. If even a single drop splashed onto them, they would immediately wash it off with the clean water on the bank.

Lan Yin took note of this. ’This pool water is definitely bad news,’ he thought.

Once they were on the bank and had dried off, the guards half-carried them away in pairs.

Lan Yin still had some strength left, but he mimicked the others, pretending to be completely powerless, and allowed himself to be carried away as well.

"What’s the deal with this new guy? How is he already like this after just his first time in the pool?"

The men carrying him paid no mind to the fact that he was still conscious and discussed him freely.

The other man sneered. "Heard he’s a carp Beastman from a river. Just can’t compare to the Sea Clan Beastmen."

"Sigh. The seaside tribes have all gotten savvy. We’re lucky to get any new ones at all. A batch died a few days ago, and one of them was one of the Merfolk. If we can’t catch any more newcomers, we might be next in line."

"Don’t say that! I’m not ready to die yet. I’d rather be at the mines; digging ore is better than losing your life."

The two of them paid Lan Yin no mind, continuing to gripe.

Hearing them mention the Merfolk, Lan Yin’s mind reeled.

’So the Beast God Continent actually has Merfolk... And soaking in that bizarre pool can actually kill them!’

’So, did the Shark Pearls react because Yu An is here, or just because there are other Merfolk around?’

A thousand thoughts raced through his mind, but his expression remained blank.

After a short walk, he was brought into a large room filled with rows of small beds. A guard placed him on an empty one.

The others who had been in the pool were also placed on their respective beds. The guards brought them trays of food and water before leaving.

The food was a large piece of roasted beast meat. Seeing the others leaning against their headboards and struggling to eat, Lan Yin sniffed his portion. When he detected no unusual smell, he also began to eat.

His energy slowly returned, but not back to its original state. ’No wonder the food is so good, yet these Beastmen are still so sickly looking,’ he thought.

’The replenishment can’t keep up with the loss. Over time, their bodies just get weaker and weaker.’

After he finished eating, Lan Yin heard faint sobs. Listening closely, he realized someone up ahead was crying.

"When will days like this ever end? My brother... my brother was in that group that died a few days ago..."

"My Beast Father was in that group, too. He was only captured trying to save me, but I failed him and didn’t escape either..."

"SOB... I miss home. My Female Mother is still at home waiting for me. She must be so worried."

Lan Yin listened quietly. The Male Sea Serpent in the next bed sighed. "Luckily, I’m the only one from my family who was captured. Otherwise, my Female Master just gave birth to our Zaizai and would have no one to care for her."

"Young brother, how did you get captured? You got family back home?"

Lan Yin gave a bitter smile. "I have a Female Master and a Zaizai at home, too. I was just trying to catch some fish to sell when I got sucked into a whirlpool. When I woke up, I was here."

"Brother, what exactly is this place? And that pool earlier... I only soaked for a little while, but I feel completely drained."

The Male Sea Serpent sighed. "I don’t know what this place is called, either. I only know they call that pool the Blood Pool. It absorbs our vital energy."

"It’s fine for a short time, but if it keeps draining you over a long period, it becomes life-threatening for some."

He paused, then added, "Before, they’d leave you in to soak even after you died, to wring out the very last of your vital energy. Recently, they’ve started pulling you out early if it looks like you’re about to die, letting you recover a bit before putting you back in."

"Some die before they can be pulled out in time, like that group of Beastmen a few days ago. The guards were just a step too late, and they’d already stopped breathing."

Lan Yin sucked in a sharp breath. "That’s so vicious. Brother, has no one thought of escaping?"

The Male Sea Serpent gave a bitter smile. "Of course we’ve thought about it. But you can’t escape. The one who tried to run before is still being punished. They make him soak in the water even longer than us."

"If you just behave, you can live a little longer. If we’re lucky, maybe they won’t need us for the pool anymore and they’ll let us go. But if you try to run and get caught..."

He sighed. "That man who tried to escape... he’ll probably be dead in a few days."

Just as he said that, the door opened. The Male Sea Serpent pointed to the entrance. "See? That’s him—the one who tried to escape."

Lan Yin looked over. The man was already unconscious, his disheveled hair hiding his face from view.

The man’s bed was right next to his. As the guard laid the man down, Lan Yin saw that his face was deathly pale, without a trace of life.

"You," the guard said, pointing casually at Lan Yin. "When he wakes up, go knock on the door. You’ll get his meal to give to him."

Lan Yin nodded, and only then did the guard leave.

They soaked in the pool during the day; the nights were their time to rest and move around.

The room was massive, large enough to hold over a hundred people. They were free to move about as they wished, as long as they didn’t leave the room.

A few people got up to move their bodies, but most remained lying in their beds to rest. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to move, but that they didn’t have the strength.

Some people even needed the person in the next bed to help feed them, lacking the strength to even pick up the meat.

But a miserable life was better than a good death. Clinging to the fantasy that they would be released one day, they persevered.

The Male Sea Serpent also fell silent, closing his eyes to recover as much as possible and avoid dying in the pool next time.

A short while later, Lan Yin saw the man open his eyes. He got up to knock on the door, then brought back a portion of food.

"This is for you."

He paused, then asked, "Do you have any strength? I can feed you."

’This man probably has family waiting for him at home,’ he thought. ’It’s always good to keep on living.’

The man opened his mouth, and Lan Yin could see his lips shape the words "thank you." He helped the man sit up and fed him the food, bit by bit.

After finishing the food, the man had recovered some strength. "Th-thank you."

Lan Yin waved his hand and returned to his own bed.

He tried handing control of his body over to Lan Ying. When Lan Ying took over, he discovered that he didn’t feel the weakness at all.

"I’ll control the body for now," Lan Ying said. "If a chance to escape presents itself, you can take over again."

Lan Yin didn’t object. With Lan Ying at his peak, their chances of a successful escape would be much higher.

"If you think I’m at my limit, then I’ll switch back to you," Lan Ying added after a moment’s thought. "Your Talent Ability, Instant Teleportation, might come in handy."

’It’s fine,’ Lan Yin thought. ’As long as my spiritual power is sufficient, the lack of physical strength won’t affect it.’

That’s right. He could even take someone with him using Instant Teleportation. It was just that the last time he’d taken Yu An, he had strayed from their destination and teleported them to the Endless Sea, leaving him with a deep-seated fear of using it.

Of course, if there was truly no other way, Instant Teleportation was still a life-saving option.