Jiuhua's hesitation made Qingmei's heart sink, but then she thought that the other party really had no obligation to help her, and this was their first meeting today.
She actually feels quite comfortable staying in the sea, and her work in the fur shop is busy but enjoyable.
But recently, I occasionally feel dizzy and want to vomit, and my hands and feet are weak and I feel unwell.
Out of an unspoken instinct, she felt that she should go back.
Jiuhua felt sad when she saw Qingmei's expression and recalled the news.
The news was actually not very popular. It was like a drop of water falling into the vast ocean. As soon as it caused a ripple, it was swallowed up by even bigger waves.
She just took one more look while collecting material.
The news report said that the girl found a job in the central city and did not contact her family for three years. Her parents were worried that she might get into trouble, so they went to great lengths to find her. However, the daughter disliked her parents' farm background and refused to let them in.
The mother cried bitterly outside the girl's residence, attracting the attention of neighbors. The girl opened the door and tried to drive her parents away.
The rental house had average safety facilities, and the girl accidentally fell from the second floor while arguing with her parents.
He was sent to the hospital for emergency treatment and has been in a coma ever since.
The news was harshly worded, with a clear stance, and also included a clip of an on-site interview with the girl's parents.
The couple from the remote farm had simple looks. They were both heartbroken and confused about their daughter who accidentally fell from a building and fell into a coma.
When the news was first released, it aroused sympathy from many people.
Due to her job, Jiuhua's ability to capture emotions is different from that of ordinary people, which often makes her feel tired.
When she saw the news, she frowned slightly and two words emerged in her mind - lies.
Pulling away from the memories, Jiuhua slowly straightened her slumped shoulders and looked at Qingmei: "What do you want me to do?"
She is used to being passive, likes to observe things from a safe distance, and rarely takes the initiative to agree to do anything.
Jiuhua has always felt that she has little empathy and that her world doesn't need anyone.
Just like a mushroom growing in the shade, it quietly absorbs nutrients, grows freely, and then withers alone.
Jiuhua felt that it was a good experience to provide nutrients to another mushroom before it withered and helped her get through the difficult times.
Qingmei held her hand tightly, tears about to flow out: "Thank you."
The thing she asked Jiuhua to do was the same as before, she wanted Jiuhua to go and check on her situation.
Lu Yao hadn't said anything until the two of them finished talking, then he said, "If it's inconvenient for you to be alone, can I come with you?"
Jiuhua blinked and silently took a step back, "You're coming to see me?"
Qingmei was also shocked: "Shopkeeper, can you leave here?"
Lu Yao nodded: "I just floated to the surface and saw the coastline. Jiuhua, do you know where that is?"
She actually asked casually, trying to collect clues to determine the location, and she felt that it couldn't be such a coincidence.
Jiuhua nodded hesitantly: "Yeguang City is a water city, and the coast is just outside. I... come here occasionally to see the sea, so I'm quite familiar with it."
While Qingmei was still digesting the fact that the shop owner was able to leave the sea of garbage, Luyao had already agreed with Jiuhua to meet on the coast.
To ensure that Jiuhua would remember the plan as soon as possible after returning, Lu Yao wrote a note and put it in her pocket.
Based on past experience, the note will be taken back by the guest.
Lu Yao wanted to ask Jiuhua about using a pen instead of a knife on the sea, but she had already turned into a starfish at the speed of light and slowly flew away.
"You can come and go freely." Lu Yao had to suppress his curiosity temporarily and prepare to go ashore.
At this time, Harold came out of the bathroom.
He had just come from Alexandria Continent. When he heard that Lu Yao was going ashore, he must accompany him for protection. This was his most direct purpose for coming to this world.
When Lu Yao and Harold went out, they encountered a group of killer whales.
They enthusiastically sent the two people to the coast. Visually, the garbage sea was less than 100 meters away from the coastline, but the actual distance was much longer.
Lu Yao felt that he swam at least five hundred meters before he finally reached the shore.
A group of killer whales were lingering in the shallow sea, crying with their round heads raised up. It was impossible to get any closer, as there was a danger of them getting stranded.
Harold stepped on the magic circle and brought Lu Yao ashore, glancing at a male killer whale in the group of killer whales intentionally or unintentionally.
Killer Whale A tilted its head towards Lu Yao, made a “hmm” sound, and swam back into the sea without looking back.
Harold's face looked slightly grim. This guy occasionally reminded him of the feeling when Mumu first arrived at the nail salon.
Lu Yao did not notice the eye contact between Little Black Dragon and Killer Whale A.
The sun was scorching, the waves were beating against the rocks, there was no one on the shore, and Jiuhua had not arrived yet.
She was the first to step onto the beach, putting her fingers together and pressing them against her forehead, "Looks like we have to wait a while and find a place to hide out of the sun."
About two hours later, a black sports car stopped by the coastal road and Jiuhua got out of the car with a bag on her back.
Lu Yao got the system reminder and stood up immediately, "Jiuhua! Here!"
Jiuhua picked up the two and immediately returned to Yeguang City.
Lu Yao sat in the passenger seat and looked sideways at Jiuhua.
She looked a little different from when she was in the sea. Although her appearance hadn't changed, her temperament and state were very different.
Jiuhua was wearing a black uniform, with her long, slightly curly hair draped over her shoulders. While driving, her dark eyes looked straight ahead, focused and indifferent.
Apart from a few words when she first met them, she didn't speak again after getting in the car.
But there were obvious dark circles under her eyes, giving her a feeling of forced fatigue.
Her condition was not very good, her facial muscles were slightly tense, and Lu Yao began to believe that Jiuhua suffered from social phobia.
Harold sat in the back seat, stiff and nervous.
This kind of transportation occasionally appears in comics, and he has always been curious about it. This time he actually sat on it.
It's different from a carriage, and it's different from flying.
The scenery outside the window began to change, and Lu Yao was a little dazed.
The trees along the road look a bit strange, with blocks of color making up the shape of trees, and every tree is exactly the same.
Lu Yao couldn't help but ask: "Why do those trees look like that?"
Jiuhua: "Those are artificial trees. They have the same functions as real plants, purifying the air and beautifying the environment, but there will be no fallen leaves or garbage, and there is no need to prune them."
Lu Yao didn't quite understand this plan.
Compared with artificial trees, she still feels that the role of plants is irreplaceable.
From the suburbs to the city, Lu Yao gradually got a glimpse of the overall picture of this alien city and gave up thinking.
Nightlight City, the style of this city can be summarized in three words - pixel style.
The city’s green belts, buildings, residential areas, and shopping malls are almost all made up of square-shaped blocks of color. The tones are cold, hard, and serious, giving a hard texture of a steel forest.
Lu Yao also found that there were almost no real plants in the city, and all the potted plants on the roadside were replaced by artificial plants.
The road was crowded with cars and pedestrians, but Lu Yao always felt it was a bit monotonous and deserted.
She frowned and thought for a long time, then came up with an uncertain answer, "It seems that there are only people here."
Harold was leaning against the car window, his dark blue eyes glowing, and he didn't pay attention to what Lu Yao said.
Jiuhua understood what she meant: "You are right. Yeguang City is a central city, developing rapidly and with a large population. It is a metropolis that many people yearn for. The living space in both the physical sense and the abstract concept has reached its limit. There are no pets or real plants here, only people who are like screws."
It is already full of people and there is no room for other creatures.
If there is anything that can be considered scenery in this city, it is only the flock of sparrows that occasionally fly across the sky.
According to Jiuhua's observation, the number of sparrows is decreasing significantly every year.
After all, without trees here, there is no ecological space suitable for their survival.
The sparrows left in this city are a group of rogue sparrows that have mastered the skill of snatching food.
When necessary, they will work together to rob passing humans.
Lu Yao: "Without plants and animals, what would you eat?"
Jiuhua: "Other cities around the central city have special farms and ranches. Vegetables and meat are ordered from farms in the countryside. They are cleaned when they are delivered to the mall. You just need to buy them as needed."
The car drove through a square, and in the center stood a huge statue about fifteen meters high.
The lines of the statue were smooth and majestic. Even from a considerable distance, Lu Yao could clearly see that the figure was wearing a gorgeous pearl-like waist chain.
The entire statue is intricate and exquisite. The figure stands in mid-air with a strong aura, his head slightly lowered, revealing an indescribable gentleness and tolerance.
"What is that?" Lu Yao couldn't help but ask.
Jiuhua took a look and said, "This is a statue of the Deep Sea Goddess Cuihuangxing. She is the last god left in this world in mythology and also our mother goddess."
Lu Yao couldn't help but stick his head out, "Is that the Deep Sea Goddess?"
Jiuhua's eyes curved slightly, and there was a hint of a not-so-obvious smile in her tone: "Well, she is our belief. I once thought it was just a myth, until the day I found myself turned into a starfish. We have not been abandoned by the gods, and the Mother Goddess does still love humans."
The appearance of the garbage sea is not an accident, but where did the Mother Goddess go
Lu Yao's gaze rested on the statue and he fell into deep thought.
The car turned left and right, and the statue of the goddess of the deep sea soon disappeared from sight. Lu Yao recalled the original intention of this trip and tried to ask: "Have you tried to contact Qingmei's parents?"
She was still not quite sure about the status of the autistic fish in this world, whether their bodies and souls had turned into fish, or only their consciousness had gone to the deep sea.
Jiuhua shook her head, raised her hand and pulled out a microcomputer with functions similar to those of a tablet, opened it and handed it to Lu Yao: "This is the previous news. She is different from us. Her time is passing, although it is very slow."
In reality, almost half a month has passed since Qingmei’s accident.
The writing and language of this world are actually different from what Lu Yao is familiar with, but as before, she can still read without any obstacles.
After reading the entire report and watching the interview with Qingmei's parents, Lu Yao's face became solemn.
Qingmei can't leave the garbage sea because she has fallen into a coma in reality and has not been able to wake up, which means that her consciousness is trapped in the sea.
Lu Yao’s thoughts on the content of the interview report were similar to Jiuhua’s.
She is more familiar with Qingmei than Jiuhua, and it is definitely not the case as written in the news reports. There must be some hidden story behind this.
Jiuhua: "What do you want to do? Go directly to the hospital to find her parents, or go to my place first?"
Lu Yao made a decisive decision: "We don't have much time. We have to go back before the store closes in the afternoon. We can go directly to the hospital. We don't necessarily need to meet her parents."
Jiuhua: "So just going to see her?"
Lu Yao: "Find out the reason why she fell into a coma and wake her up physically."
Jiuhua said with a light "tsk". "It seems that I really brought a deep-sea witch ashore. Do you really not have a fish tail?"
Lu Yao reciprocated: "Your social phobia symptoms seem to have eased?"
These words reminded Jiuhua, and the car fell silent again.
The warm atmosphere suddenly disappeared, and it was difficult to get used to it for a while.
Lu Yao spoke again: "Why could you do that in the morning?"
If the Deep Sea Goddess really favors humans, she must have a preference for Jiuhua.
Among the autistic fish, she is the only one who can freely enter and exit the garbage sea, and can even use a pen as a knife to do incredible things.
Jiuhua tightly gripped the steering wheel, blinked rapidly, and asked a question that seemed quite jumpy to Lu Yao: "Do you like reading novels?"