Heart of the Ocean (1): Looking for a lover

The scenery of the seaside town was exceptionally beautiful. The homestay Tan Xiao rented was an entire courtyard, costing him 20,000 spirit coins for just one month of short-term rent. Since it was a short-term lease, Tan Xiao had to pay a deposit equal to one month’s rent upfront, effectively shelling out a full 40,000 spirit coins.  

For other players, such an expense would have been unthinkable. Only a very few players, when assuming their roles, would receive funds from the system based on their character settings.  

However, this usually only happened during players’ novice instances. In later instances, players were outsiders with identification papers but were typically very poor, starting with no more than 5,000 spirit coins.  

To get more money, they would have to resort to other means—or dip into their own savings. It was only because Tan Xiao had the financial backing of his wealthy wife that he could afford to be so extravagant.  

This very fact made other players easily mistake him for an NPC in the instance. After all, spending so much on rent was practically the behavior of a sucker. Even wealthy players would hesitate to splurge like this.  

When disaster struck, they could always resort to scams or outright theft—there was no need to spend their own money.  

Another point was that Tan Xiao had a small white dog by his side. After the system’s major update, he was currently the only player who had reached the job-change level. Only after job-change would the pet system unlock, so no one expected a player to be keeping a little dog. Thus, Tan Xiao had to be an NPC—no doubt about it!  

Moreover, with his striking looks, he might even be a special NPC with a storyline. It was common knowledge among players that many instances featured special NPCs. These NPCs were a mix of danger and opportunity—they could bring players terrible misfortune, but they could also grant them unique benefits.  

But enough digression. You get what you pay for, and though the courtyard was expensive, the environment was excellent. The standalone homestay had three full floors, complete with air conditioning, a washing machine, and even an air purifier—no need for Tan Xiao to buy anything extra.  

The kitchen was fully equipped, and the courtyard was lush with flowers, plants, and trees, vibrant and colorful. A single photo posted online would surely rack up plenty of likes.  

This was, in fact, Tan Xiao’s first time doing an instance mission with his memories intact. He didn’t go out of his way to take any special actions—after all, this was a survival mission. He just needed to last 30 days to leave the instance.  

Thanks to his wealth, he didn’t have to be as tense as other players.  

Still, basic supplies were a must. After renting the courtyard, Tan Xiao went into town to rent a car and then headed to the supermarket to stock up on rice, oil, flour, and other staples. He had a bigger appetite now, and with a little dog to feed, buying extra supplies was only natural.

With only a month to prepare, he bought 100 kg of rice and opted for large containers of cooking oil. In addition to regular groceries, he also stocked up on instant meals, self-heating rice, and self-heating hot pot.  

He had never experienced a disaster-type survival instance before, but the forums were full of guides. In the later stages, it was usually impossible to rely on gas or electricity as usual.  

The supermarket had limited supplies, but fortunately, this was a tourist-heavy city. Using camping as an excuse, Tan Xiao stocked up on tents, windproof lighters, magnesium fire starters, alcohol burners… Of course, he also bought plenty of grilling equipment, like barbecue racks.  

Unlike players with clear agendas, his purchases, though numerous, were all within reasonable limits for his stated purpose.  

Naturally, Tan Xiao could sense that some people had taken notice of him. On one hand, his striking looks drew attention; on the other, his stockpiling didn’t go unnoticed.  

As the saying goes: If my neighbor hoards food and I hoard guns, my neighbor becomes my food supply. Some players never planned to stock up—they intended to rob those who did when the time came.  

Of course, this was only the first day of the instance. All the players here were seasoned veterans—no foolish novices. None would break the rules while things were still peaceful, lest they face legal consequences early on.  

Novices, having nothing to lose, lacked both the guts and the means to scheme against experienced players.  

Tan Xiao and Xiao Bai bought a lot of supplies. Since the quantity was large, some shop owners even offered free delivery for bulkier items like barbecue racks and charcoal.  

Aside from grilling supplies, Tan Xiao also bought various pots—steamers, stockpots, pressure cookers, milk pots—and a full set of tableware for a family. He even hired a professional to deep-clean the washing machine.  

He had a bit of a cleanliness obsession. If conditions allowed, he preferred using his own things, especially for anything related to food.  

Apart from his own necessities, Tan Xiao also stocked up on premium dog food, treats, and canned meals for Xiao Bai. 

After transforming from a robotic assistant to a small white dog, Xiao Bai lost its nanny-bot capabilities, appearing much weaker in both form and strength.  

As a pet, its attributes weren’t the same as in the instance—they were tied to Tan Xiao’s own. Being a growth-type companion, Xiao Bai’s stats would improve as Tan Xiao grew stronger.  

Its skills were also different from those in the AI instance. Now, as a pet, it had two special abilities:  

Xiao Bai was a loyal and adorable pup, so its skills were support-based.

One was a healing skill, usable three times a day. It could fully recover minor injuries or reduce moderate wounds to minor ones, though it had little effect on severe injuries—if any at all.  

The other was a purification skill: it could randomly dispel one negative debuff, with a cooldown of 24 hours.  

Both skills could be upgraded, though Tan Xiao didn’t yet know how to level up his pet. But he wasn’t in a hurry—he intended to avoid injuries whenever possible, so Xiao Bai’s skills wouldn’t be needed under normal circumstances.  

Come to think of it, he had originally wanted a cat, but fate had given him this cotton candy-like pup instead.  

Well, technically, he did already have a cat—Wen Yi, his clingy, jealous feline at home. Though loving and gentle, Wen Yi had a possessive streak and could be quite the handful when sulking.  

So perhaps a second cat was too much. A silly little dog was just right, completing his “cat and dog duo” and cementing his status as a winner in life.  

On his first day in the instance, Tan Xiao didn’t rush to investigate the so-called “mutated creatures” Instead, he focused on gathering supplies. That evening, he skipped cooking and dined at a local restaurant, sampling the island’s seafood specialties.  

The seaside scenery was beautiful—but also dangerous. He had no interest in diving, surfing, or fishing.  

More importantly, the coastal UV rays were brutal. Every time he stepped out, Tan Xiao made sure to apply high-quality sunscreen, carry a parasol, wear UV-protective clothing, a sun hat, and cooling sleeves.  

With both physical and chemical sun protection in place, he ensured his skin wouldn’t darken or roughen. Before reuniting with his wife, he had to take care of his face.  

Most love at first sight was just lust in disguise. He was certain he’d never stop loving Wen Yi even if he became less attractive—but what if he didn’t recognize him? Until they reunited, he couldn’t afford to let himself go.  

Still, he didn’t waste time. After two days of settling into his new home, Tan Xiao prepped meals for the fridge and even cooked special dog food for Xiao Bai.  

Right—Xiao Bai was no longer a battery-powered robo-pup. Now it could eat human food like him. If left unfed, its satiety meter might drop to zero, possibly starving it to death.  

Or maybe the system would just reclaim it.  

But Tan Xiao would never let that happen. He’d never test such a cruel hypothesis on Xiao Bai.  

By the second day, the instance remained peaceful. Tan Xiao took his pup out for a walk. As a newcomer with striking looks and an adorable dog, he easily struck up conversations with locals.  

“A handsome guy with such a cute pup can’t possibly be a bad guy!”  

Casually, he steered the topic toward local legends: “I heard someone saw a ‘water monkey’ in the sea. Any truth to that?”  

Every place had its tall tales—even in Tan Xiao’s world, “water monkey” sightings popped up now and then.  

But the locals shook their heads. “No such thing. Never heard of it.”  

Tan Xiao pressed, “What about mermaids?”  

“Only in fairy tales—or the aquarium,” they replied. “You can catch a mermaid show there if you’re interested.”  

A seaside town couldn’t rely solely on natural scenery. Besides seafood, attracting tourists required man-made attractions—a bit of cultural flair.  

The aquarium was one such highlight, home to dolphins, sea lions, jellyfish…  

But its star attraction? Mermaids.  

After all, when people thought of sea monsters, mermaids topped the list.  

Tan Xiao pictured Wen Yi’s exquisite face paired with a fishtail—now that would be a real mermaid.  

Over the next two days, he and Xiao Bai explored the town by car, covering nearly every corner. Yet Wen Yi was nowhere to be found.  

Tan Xiao was certain he’d recognize his lover instantly if they crossed paths.  

Maybe Wen Yi wasn’t in this instance—but he wasn’t giving up yet.  

Perhaps he was playing a mermaid at the aquarium.  

Tickets were pricey—500 spirit coins each, with pets requiring a half-price admission.  

Tan Xiao paid without hesitation.  

But to his disappointment, though the performers were beautiful, none were Wen Yi.