My, you've come from the mainland. You must have worked hard to travel such a long way. For tonight at least, leave yourself to the sea breeze of Mangapo and rest easy. Here, have a drink.

By the way, seeing how you keep glancing at the far 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 sail and every thug looking to make a fortune is rushing here with fire in their eyes, so it's obvious. Everyone is struggling to fish up the chance of a lifetime 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, you'll hear a faint crying mixed in. That is the sound of the mermaid weeping.

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

If you catch one of those things alive, tie it up, and beat it, it sheds tears, and those tears harden and fall as round pearls that emit an uncanny light. An impoverished fisherman can seize more money in a few drops of mermaid tears than he could 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 flesh cannot be compared to any delicacy in this world. The moment a piece enters your mouth, your blood boils, your tongue melts away, and you lose your mind to that sweet, feather-soft texture. They say anyone who tastes it even once can never touch other food again and goes mad wandering in search of only mermaid meat.

That's why us sea folk lose our heads and launch our boats at night. To taste a piece of meat and change our fortunes with a few pearls.

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 the luck of a lifetime will find our mainland gentleman tomorrow.