Chapter 497 - 496: Wrong Evolution?

Ai Xi held out a set of clean, folded clothes. Smiling, she replied, "Prince You Sen received a communication from the Deep Sea Empire early this morning and went to a meeting. It will likely last until this evening."

Yu Zhizhi changed into the new clothes—a long, light-yellow dress. Unlike other noble ladies, she preferred practical clothes that were easy to move in while in her territory, rarely wearing the elaborate, puffy gowns of the aristocracy.

Ai Xi had grown accustomed to the Lady Lord’s casual style, so the clothes she prepared for her from then on were primarily attractive, simple, and comfortable.

Yu Zhizhi headed to the dining hall. After lunch, she went to the seashore to find the Little Octopus.

The seas of Sky Star Territory were an incredible azure, blending seamlessly with the distant horizon. The waters here appeared calm and placid, but the journey to get here required passing through the dangerous Vortex Zone. It served as the territory’s natural barrier, invisibly warding off certain man-made calamities.

Since the Little Octopus had grown so large, it was no longer suitable for him to live in the castle.

Yu Zhizhi had designated a living area for him very close to the sea, but these days, he much preferred staying in the water.

Yu Zhizhi had brought him lunch.

She gazed up at the octopus, who was now as tall as a small log cabin. Even his food was piled up like a small hill.

"Zhi Zhi."

The giant, mutated red octopus looked like a sea leviathan from the pages of an Ancient Book. He lowered his head slightly, his voice laced with an air of mystery. "Guess who I saw?"

Yu Zhizhi sat on a white blanket spread across the shore.

She tilted her head back to look at the Little Octopus, and her thoughts immediately jumped to the call she had received from Zero yesterday.

"—Dracula?"

Zero had said that Dracula was in the waters near Sky Star Territory.

The Little Octopus used a tentacle to snatch a specially prepared, oversized piece of roasted meat. He grinned. "That’s right, it’s him. I saw his ship, moored at the edge of the Vortex Zone. Strangely, he was the only one on board."

"Is it far?" Yu Zhizhi stood up. "I want to go see."

CHOMP CHOMP~ The Little Octopus devoured a few large chunks of meat, then glanced back at the sea behind him. "It’s not too bad. If I go by myself, I’ll be there in no time. But if I bring you with me..."

The Little Octopus considered it for a moment. "It’s not impossible... just a bit dangerous."

He saw the young Rabbit Clan female staring wistfully at the distant sea, so the Little Octopus relented. "Alright, then. Hold on tight."

The Little Octopus decided to take her there himself.

It would be much faster than going by boat.

Yu Zhizhi sat on top of the octopus’s head.

To keep her from falling off, the Little Octopus carefully draped a tentacle over her, both to secure her in place and to give her something to hold on to.

As his body submerged into the sea, Yu Zhizhi quickly clung to the red tentacle in front of her.

The Little Octopus used to be only about as tall as her calf.

He was even smaller when they first met; otherwise, he wouldn’t have gotten tangled up with her rabbit form for so long.

But now, he was a behemoth.

Leaving the placid waters behind, they soon entered the Vortex Zone, where fierce winds raged. Even the once-cloudless sky was now obscured by black currents of air. Yu Zhizhi could even see the wreckage of colossal warships—

This place had swallowed countless ships.

A long-distance traveler could easily get lost here.

But perhaps because the Little Octopus himself belonged to the sea, having him as a guide was exceptionally reassuring.

Passing through a bank of black fog ahead, Yu Zhizhi saw a merchant ship anchored silently at the edge of the Vortex Zone. Its sails were furled, and the entire vessel was deathly still, with not a single sign of life.

"He’s on board," the Little Octopus reminded her.

His five senses were incredibly sharp now, especially in the sea.

During his time adrift with Tutu, the Little Octopus had been deeply impressed by the Underground City. He envied the Beastmen who could fly and had even specially built a pair of mechanical wings.

Unfortunately, he was too large to use them now.

The Little Octopus knew that the Lord of the Underground City was Dracula. He and Tutu shared a past, and Tutu had even borne him a snow-white female eagle.

He stopped beside the ship.

He lifted Yu Zhizhi onto the ship with ease.

Due to his size, he couldn’t get on board himself. He could only stand guard beside the ship.

A gust of wind nearly knocked Yu Zhizhi over. Fortunately, a tentacle was wrapped around her body. Only after the cold blast subsided did the Little Octopus slowly release its grip.

"Second deck, the innermost room," the Little Octopus reminded her.

Yu Zhizhi bit her lip and moved forward slowly. The merchant ship looked dilapidated, as if it had been moored here for centuries.

The wooden planks of the passageway were thick with dust.

Taking a slow breath, she walked to the very end of the hall. She gently pushed the door open and immediately saw a man sitting against the far wall. His face was pale and his eyes were shut tight, as if he were enduring something painful.

Hearing the sound, he snapped his eyes open, his gaze cold as he watched the young Rabbit Clan female approach through the darkness.

"Dracula?"

He heard the young female’s soft call.

Dracula was in the midst of his Beast Bone advancement. Sitting in the shadows, he looked no different from an ordinary human.

He knew the young female’s territory wasn’t far from here.

He just hadn’t expected her to come.

Yu Zhizhi slowly knelt, and she could finally see Dracula clearly.

But just as she came before him, Dracula closed his eyes, as if wanting nothing to do with her.

Yu Zhizhi’s fingertips slowly brushed against the hem of his clothes.

Needing only that tiny point of contact, Yu Zhizhi checked his condition. She found that his Beast Bone was radiating a brilliant white Light, striving to evolve and grow.

’How miraculous...’

This was the first time Yu Zhizhi had ever seen a male of the Beast Clan undergo natural Evolution.

She didn’t make a sound to disturb him.

Instead, she slowly moved to one side, as if to stand guard over him.

’I was hoping to talk with Dracula a little more,’ she thought, ’but now isn’t the right time.’ Yu Zhizhi hugged her legs, resting her chin on her knees.

The dilapidated ship reeked of dampness and decay.

They were close to the vortex, and the wind howled like a banshee.

Yu Zhizhi remembered Dracula’s favorability score...

It was only in the teens.

Of all her potential suitors, his favorability score was the lowest by far.

When she was with him, Yu Zhizhi never knew what to do.

Sometimes, she deeply missed the Dracula she once knew. They had been so intimate, yet the man before her remembered nothing.

Not only did he not remember, but his guard was up even higher around her now.

This made it even harder for Yu Zhizhi to get close to him.

As a jumble of thoughts ran through her mind, she slowly became aware that the breathing of the man beside her had grown ragged. Yu Zhizhi immediately turned, her fingertips gently touching the space between his eyebrows.

’—He’s burning up!’

Dracula’s body was growing feverish. His pale face was flushed red, and sweat plastered his hair to his forehead.

Feeling the young female’s touch, he seized her wrist. His voice was hoarse. "Don’t touch me."

The man’s eyes flew open, and his gaze was utterly cold.

Yu Zhizhi didn’t shrink back. She met Dracula’s eyes and said earnestly, "There’s a problem with your Beast Bone. If you just leave it, you could have a flawed Evolution."

’If that really happens, it’ll be a disaster!’