Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Ugly Fish in the Square

That year, the Xia Kingdom was the last to find a divine beast maiden, namely the Phoenix Queen. To gain the authorization of the divine beast Phoenix Queen, this restaurant must have an extraordinary backing and connections. Divine beasts possess lifespans far longer than those of ordinary spirit maidens. Ever since the non-proliferation treaty was signed, the divine beast maidens of the major nations gradually faded from public sight. It seemed as though all nations had reached a tacit understanding, not wishing for these divine beast maidens to appear too frequently in the media and among the general populace.

Tang Yi was quite curious about those divine beasts revered as national treasures. Although, to him, those divine beast maidens were utterly unattainable, it did not stop his gossip-loving heart from speculating and discussing their daily lives with Gu Qingyue.

The restaurant's signature dish, Special Roast Lamb Chops by Fire-breathing Duck Dragon, was soon underway, and many patrons got up to watch. The chef was a Fire-breathing Duck Dragon maiden, flames flickering across her entire body. She gently tossed each lamb chop into the air, then flicked her tail, sending the falling chops back upward, as though performing acrobatics. Every time a lamb chop landed briefly on her body, it was seared by the intense flames.

Before long, the mouthwatering aroma permeated the surroundings. Applause erupted, and the Fire-breathing Duck Dragon maiden smiled and nodded to the customers. The lamb chops were quickly served. Tang Yi took a bite; they were tender and indeed delicious. Yet, most who ordered the dish, he suspected, came primarily for the spectacle.

As Tang Yi enjoyed the succulent lamb, a strange thought suddenly crossed his mind. Whenever he watched the little spirits, he couldn't help but wonder where the chicken, duck, beef, and lamb consumed in the spirit world came from. Fortunately, in this humanoid spirit world, that dilemma was virtually nonexistent. The lamb chops were not from Wool Sheep, the fish was not from Carp King—spirit maidens and ordinary livestock were entirely different species, and many spirit maidens enjoyed eating meat as well.

Halfway through the meal, a beautiful Jigglypuff maiden sang, her melodious voice once again drawing cheers and applause from the patrons.

Tang Yi now understood why this restaurant was so popular. Whether human or spirit maiden, the experience here was delightful.

The meal was thoroughly enjoyable, though they had ordered a bit too much. Everyone had clearly overestimated the other's appetite. Since these expensive dishes could not go to waste, they requested two takeout boxes before leaving, packed up the leftovers, and took them home.

When it came time to pay, Tang Yi glanced at the bill; the price surprised him. It was indeed not a place one could frequent. He suggested to Gu Qingyue that they split the bill; it was too costly for him to let Gu Qingyue treat entirely.

Gu Qingyue refused and insisted on settling the bill herself. Tang Yi didn't argue further. Having known Gu Qingyue for many years, their relationship was quite good. He laughed, "Alright, then when I make it to the provincial finals, I'll treat you next time."

Gu Qingyue scoffed, "That promise is hardly sincere. Better wait until I get into the Medical University, then you can treat me to dinner."

The afternoon was still young. After leaving the restaurant, the two wandered around Zhengyang Plaza. Tang Yi mainly wanted to take Ralts, who rarely went out, to see the sights. Gu Qingyue felt the same—school kept her busy, and weekends were her only time with Chansey.

As they strolled to the south side of the plaza, Tang Yi noticed, near the entrance, a girl sitting cross-legged on the ground, clearly not human in appearance. Passersby occasionally paused before her, pointing and gossiping.

"Is that a spirit? What's she doing there?" Tang Yi asked, curious.

Gu Qingyue tried to stop him, but Tang Yi and Ralts had already approached.

The spirit maiden sitting on the ground had earth-colored skin, her face pitted and rough, reminiscent of acne scars. Each of her hands and feet bore a pair of blue fish fins. Her large eyes swept over the crowd, indifferent and vacant.

The first impression this spirit gave was ugliness—extreme ugliness. The spirit maidens Tang Yi usually encountered, whether his own or his classmates', each had their unique charm, but were generally beautiful or cute. Seeing this ugly spirit maiden, Tang Yi couldn't help but be stunned.

"Is that a Feebas?" Tang Yi could roughly tell from her skin and appearance.

"Yes, that's Feebas," Gu Qingyue replied, Chansey following beside her.

On the ground before Feebas was a sheet of paper with writing. Tang Yi leaned in to read. The handwriting was crooked and hard to decipher, but he understood the gist: this Feebas claimed to have been abandoned, wandering the streets, and was begging for food, drink, or money.

So she was begging.

And not just any beggar, but a spirit maiden beggar. It was Tang Yi's first time seeing such a thing, and he was quite astonished.

Gu Qingyue, however, was used to it. She pulled Tang Yi aside and whispered, "There's definitely a trainer behind this, directing her. Don't be fooled."

"A scam?" Tang Yi understood.

Fabricating a tragic background and misfortune, then exploiting people's sympathy to swindle money—Tang Yi was no stranger to such scams. In his prior experience, children were typically used for such schemes. He hadn't expected that in this spirit world, spirit maidens would be used as objects of pity.

"This trainer is truly despicable. How can anyone treat their spirit partner like this?" Tang Yi glanced at Ralts beside him, feeling furious. Putting himself in her shoes, no matter how desperate he became, he couldn't bear to let Ralts do such a thing.

"It's awful, but there’s nothing you can do. Even if you call the police, at most it's a public disturbance, a small fine, maybe not even enough for detention," Gu Qingyue said, helpless.

Even the sunniest places have their shadows.

The laws of this world clearly stipulate that trainers are not allowed to abandon, deliberately harm, or abuse spirit maidens. However, there are no rules against profiting from spirit maidens.

So even if these people are caught, not much can be done—just a fine and a lecture, maybe some public moral condemnation, but ultimately, they'd be released.

These lazy trainers were obviously exploiting loopholes in the law, using this method to make money.

And it seemed to work quite well. Though many passersby ignored her, some couldn’t help but pity her and left some money on the ground.

"Let's go. I encountered this at the train station before. I gave money out of kindness, but it ended up in the trainer’s pocket. It made me angry for ages. Better not to give at all."