Aha, you've come from the mainland. You must have suffered much on such a long journey. For tonight at least, leave yourself to the sea breeze of Mangapo and rest easy. Come, have a drink.

By the way, seeing how you keep glancing at the distant sea, it seems our gentleman from the mainland has come all this way with an ulterior motive. Haha, no need to be so surprised. These days, every merchant who knows how to handle a boat and every thug looking to make a fortune is rushing here with fire in their eyes. Everyone is struggling to fish up the opportunity for a windfall lurking at the bottom of our Mangapo sea.

Look here, sir. Listen closely to the sound of the waves in the night sea. The sound of water striking the rocks, the sound of waves breaking and scattering... behind that, a faint crying sound will be mixed in. That is the sound of a mermaid weeping.

Naive mainlanders think mermaids are mysterious and beautiful mystical creatures that save people, but far from it. To us seafarers, a mermaid is simply the ultimate prey that will let us live in luxury for the rest of our lives.

If you catch a mermaid alive, tie it up, and beat it, it sheds tears, and those tears harden and fall as pearls that glow with a mysterious light. A few mermaid tears can instantly grab the kind of money a poor fisherman couldn't touch in a lifetime of netting.

Do you think that's all?

What's even more wicked is the taste of the meat. They say mermaid meat cannot be compared to any delicacy in this world. The moment a piece enters your mouth, your blood boils, your tongue melts, and the taste of that sweet, feather-soft flesh makes you lose your mind. It's said that anyone who tastes it even once can never touch other food for the rest of their lives and goes mad searching only for mermaid meat.

That's why us seafarers launch our boats at night with our eyes turned inside out. To taste a piece of meat, to harvest a few pearls, and change our fates.

The story has grown long. Now, go to sleep for tonight. Hold your breath and listen to that mermaid's song carried on the night wind. Who knows, perhaps tomorrow the luck of a windfall will find you too, sir.