Chapter 3

I immediately found a real estate agent. The apartment didn’t need to be big, but it absolutely had to have a bathtub.

Because I was in a hurry, the agent promptly took me to view properties. Since I didn’t have much money, the agent eventually showed me a top-floor apartment.

The place was fully furnished, and the bathtub was large, but the price was significantly cheaper than others in the same building.

I knew there was something fishy, so I kept pressing.

Finally, the agent reluctantly revealed the reason: “The previous tenant had some issues with her boyfriend. She killed him and put him in the fridge. But don’t worry, the landlord has replaced the fridge. This one is brand new.”

So, it was a haunted house. I understood now. I immediately put on a troubled expression.

“My God, someone died here! Why didn’t you say so earlier? Are you trying to rip me off?!” I said, feigning to walk out.

The agent quickly stopped me. “We just found out ourselves a while ago. The landlord even kept it from us. If the neighbors hadn’t said something, we’d still be in the dark. Now, this place has had over a dozen showings, and nobody wants it. If you rent it, I’ll go back to the landlord and negotiate the price for you.”

A haunted house? What was that compared to my sister, Blair, who in my last life dared to eat human flesh and drink human blood? The most terrifying things aren't the dead, but the living.

The landlord originally wanted a security deposit equal to three months’ rent, but thanks to the agent’s gift of gab, I ended up renting it with just a security deposit equal to one month's rent.

Watching the agent breathe a sigh of relief, he collected the money and immediately left the apartment as if a ghost were chasing him.

It was getting late. I filled the bathtub with water and gently placed Lumi inside.

I squatted down, looking into its beautiful blue eyes. “Lumi, you might have a tough night tonight.”

The little Merman nodded obediently. “What do you want me to do?”

I walked to the living room, brought over a small stool, and sat beside the bathtub. “Don’t worry, I’ll stay with you. Your only task tonight is to cry.”

Mermen’s tears turned into pearls. Merman pearls were different from ordinary pearls—they were richer in color, much larger, and naturally, far more valuable.

The little money my dad gave me was already spent on rent. Before the apocalypse arrived, I had to save enough money, or else I'd still face a dead end.

I found a few movies that had made countless netizens cry and started playing them. Lumi and I began watching.

The movies brought tears not only to the Merman’s eyes but to mine as well.

All night long, we watched over a dozen movies, crying harder and harder. By dawn, my eyes were swollen to mere slits, and the bathtub was filled with Merman pearls of all sizes.

“Alice, do you still need tears?” After watching movies all night, Lumi was exhausted but still managed to ask, summoning its last bit of energy.

“Not for now. If you’re tired, go ahead and sleep.” I splashed cold water on my face to wake myself up.

“Actually, if you need money, you can take my scales. My scales are very valuable.”

Saying this, it reached out to pull a scale from its tail.

I immediately stopped it. “No. Unless they fall off naturally, I won’t take them.”

Pulling a Merman's scale was like tearing human muscles and stripping bones. I wasn't that desperate for money yet.

“Okay. Just tell me if you need more tears, I can still…”

Before it could finish the word "cry," Lumi rested its head on the edge of the tub and fell asleep.

I found a black bag, put all the Merman pearls inside, and headed to the jewelry district.

Just as humans had police departments, Beastkins had their own Protection Agency. If I suddenly produced so many Merman pearls, it would certainly cause unnecessary trouble with the Beastkin Protection Agency.

Fortunately, Merman pearls were in such high demand on the black market that the supply couldn't meet demand. They had their ways of making these items bypass investigation.

The burly man with the tattooed arm, Big Mike, was inspecting the Merman pearls I brought. To prevent counterfeiting, he meticulously examined each one.

“I have a Merman at home. I’ll be selling pearls frequently in the future. Just take them all right away, I won’t compare prices. I’ll only work with you from now on.”

Saying this, I pulled out my ID, which showed my Beastkin was indeed a Merman.

Big Mike laughed heartily. “Alright, I like straightforward people. I’ll take all these pearls. Come back to me with more.”

“However, I see that Merman scale around your neck is even more valuable. Interested in working something out for that?”

I had strung the scale Lumi gave me onto a necklace and was wearing it.

“Big Mike, scales grow back much slower than Merman pearls. Besides, if I somehow killed my Merman, my loss would be much greater.”

Seeing I wasn’t interested, Big Mike weighed the pearls and transferred the money to me.