I'm not just human!

Chapter 194 What?! My cousin is actually the Father of Ten Thousand Stars?!

Chapter 194 What?! My cousin is actually the father of all stars?! (Part 1)

That call of "cousin" was so steady, so powerful, and so affectionate.

Before Xia Fa could turn around, his thoughts were immediately drawn back to his childhood, and countless fragments of memories surfaced.

It was sunset, and my cousin Hercules was running through the wheat field with a colorful little windmill in his hand, while I and my younger cousin Locke chased after him, laughing and playing.

It was on the beach when Cousin Hercules suddenly leaped out of the water, holding a sea bream high in his hand. He and Cousin Locke shouted excitedly and quickly started a fire.

In the forest, Hercules' cousin drew his small wooden bow, shot an arrow that instantly pierced a wild rabbit, and then sold it at the market, using the silver coins to buy himself lollipops.

And another thing, when he accidentally broke his neighbor's window with a slingshot and was about to be punished by his parents, it was his cousin Hercules who stepped forward and took the blame for him.

When he was bullied by some thugs on Daniel Street, it was his cousin Hercules who stepped in and taught those thugs a lesson. He came back with a bruised and swollen face, grinning and saying, "Cousin, I've avenged you!"

So many wonderful childhood memories flooded back to her, and hearing her cousin Hercules's steady and powerful voice again after ten years brought tears to Xia Fa's eyes.

He turned around and, sure enough, saw a burly man whose face vaguely resembled that of his cousin Hercules when he was young.

The burly man wore a linen shirt, his chest open to reveal a thick layer of black chest hair. His beard was only a thin layer, but it still covered the lower half of his face. Combined with his sharp eyebrows and deep black eyes, he looked extremely masculine.

Dark, charcoal-black eyes are a hallmark of the mother's family lineage; not only does Xia Fa have them, but her cousin Hercules certainly does as well.

The only difference is that Shafana's pupils, as black as charcoal, are very bright, like charcoal about to burn, while her cousin Hercules's are very deep, like coal buried deep in the earth.

"cousin!"

Xia Fa shouted excitedly, and immediately felt an inexplicable sense of closeness.

It is a connection from blood ties and from the beautiful times spent together in childhood.

"Cousin!"

Cousin Hercules also shouted happily, his voice as powerful as a bronze bell, making the ebony passageway vibrate.

His face was filled with excitement. He took a few steps forward and immediately put his arms around Xia Fa's shoulders: "Cousin Xia Fa, it really is you! When I first heard that you had gone to sea, I thought there was a mistake. I didn't expect you to actually come to sea!"

Xia Fa grinned, revealing her teeth: "Do you remember what Uncle Titchi said when he was drunk as a child, bragging to us?"

Cousin Hercules thought for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter: "You didn't really go to sea for this reason, did you? But Dad wasn't wrong!"

Xia Fa laughed and said, "Anyway, now that we're out at sea, I don't regret it. In fact, I find it very interesting."

At this moment, the scene from more than ten years ago, under the moonlight by the tavern, involuntarily surfaced in both of their minds.

It was a night with the sound of crashing waves and a refreshing sea breeze. Uncle Titchi sat atop a horizontal barrel of liquor, waved his hand, and said in a hearty voice, tinged with alcohol, "Remember this: we men who live by the sea will one day go out to sea. The sea is a man's true paradise—hiccup~, hahahahahaha!"

At the time, neither young Shafa, nor his cousin Hercules who had grown into a young adult, nor his clueless little cousin Locke, quite understood the deeper meaning behind Uncle Titsch's words.

But today, as Xia Fa and her cousin Hercules met at sea, she truly felt a sense of time passing by.

"Where's my cousin Locke? Oh, right, cousin, what are you doing on the Shark Gang?"

Xia Fa suddenly thought of his little cousin Locke, who always followed him around when they were kids. Locke wrote all the letters. He should still be here, right?

Hercules, the cousin, affectionately put his arm around Xia Fa's shoulder and said eagerly, "He's waiting for us at the Mango Tavern in the Worm Islands. As for me, you know I'm an old friend of the Shark Princess, so it's perfectly normal for me to be invited to the Shark Pirates' monthly banquet."

Xia Fa nodded thoughtfully, and was about to ask something when he heard his cousin Hercules laugh loudly, "Perfect, let's go to the Mango Tavern right now."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Fa suddenly felt the ebony passageway and the doors on both sides of it ripple and undulate, twisting and rotating, and a violent and powerful spatial force immediately spread out.

Xia Fa felt a chill run down his spine, realizing that he should change his address for his cousin Hercules from "he" to "He".

This alone was enough for him to be certain that his cousin Hercules was at least an angel!

As for Hercules's exact rank, Xia Fa was unsure; it seemed he possessed some kind of secret treasure or sealing artifact to conceal his aura.

Shafa himself was the same way. The secret suit he bought from Master Sutoop for more than 20,000 gold pounds, worth 50,000 gold pounds, could also conceal his aura. So, whether it was Prince Justinian and Avalon, or Captain Red Porcupine and Dagny, they all thought he was just an insect-level superhuman who had signed two secret contracts, based on his previous information.

It wasn't that Xia Fa was deliberately trying to hide it; it was just that he had only signed the second secret contract two days prior, and then signed the third secret contract to break through to the Eagle-level transcendent. It was simply too fast.

Unlike Princess Victoria, who was the ruler's biological child, he signed the agreement so quickly that it was bound to arouse suspicion.

Therefore, Xia Fa's plan was to reveal his true rank after returning from this voyage.

In that case, it could be explained by the fact that there were too many battles encountered at sea, which is why the secret understanding progressed so quickly, or simply by various fortuitous encounters.

Just as he was thinking, Xia Fa suddenly felt dizzy, the world spun around him, and his vision blurred.

When his vision cleared again, he saw the golden sand beach, the vast and flat sea under a full moon, and the undulating waves crashing against the shore.

In the very middle of the beach, there was a long brown table with coconut palm chairs on either side, exactly three chairs.

"cousin!"

A strong, youthful voice came from behind. Xia Fa turned around and saw a face that looked about five-tenths like his own, but slightly younger.

Compared to his own handsome, dashing, charming, and peerless face, his cousin Locke was obviously more rugged. He had rough skin, a slightly red face, and curly hair, perhaps because he had spent the last ten years at sea.

But Cousin Locke was clearly more particular, wearing a white suit, black gloves, and a spotless suit with a flamboyant red bow tie.

He stood tall and straight, a smile on his face, but his eyes held genuine surprise and a warmth no less than that of his cousin Hercules, as he stared at Xia Fa.

But that's not the key point. The key point is—

"Cousin—you—you've become an angel too?"

At this moment, Xia Fa clearly sensed the unique aura of an angel on his cousin Locke.

If I hadn't gotten used to being around angels these past few days, I'm afraid I would have been too terrified to speak under the pressure of this angelic aura.

Xia Fa never expected that not only had her cousin Hercules become an angel, but her cousin Locke had also become an angel. Thinking about it this way, since both brothers were angels, it seemed that they were indeed qualified to ask Princess Shark to help them deliver a letter to her.

Fortunately, although he was an Eagle-level superhuman, he was already capable of fighting angels; otherwise, he would have felt inferior in front of his cousin whom he hadn't seen for ten years.

Locke's cousin scratched his head sheepishly, smiling sincerely: "I had some remarkable adventures at sea, which is how I luckily became an angel. But enough about me, cousin, what made you decide to go to sea?"

He had clearly inquired about the relevant information and knew that Xia Fa was only an insect-level transcendent, but he did not show any contempt or disdain. Instead, he said happily, "But no matter what, from now on, on the Baron Sea, just follow your brother and me. With us brothers around, no one can bully you!"

Hercules' cousin laughed heartily, "Haha, that's right, Shafa, you're our cousin, we have to protect you!"

A warm feeling welled up in Xia Fa's heart; he had found a sense of belonging at sea.

Since coming into this world, my parents have disappeared, and I was all alone in that little attic. Later, I met the doll girl Benedict, which brought me some warmth. And now, I have two more family members.

Oh right, and chestnuts too. Xia Fa hasn't forgotten his promise to meet chestnuts again in three days, and he's planning to use the ultra-long-distance teleportation array to teleport back then.

"Come on, let's welcome you, cousin. Let's have a good chat, haha."

Cousin Locke was clearly very good at interpersonal skills, which was to be expected.

When he was a child, he not only had an older brother named Hercules, but also a cousin named Shafa. As the youngest of the three, he learned to read people's expressions from a young age, and now that he's grown up, he naturally has high emotional intelligence.

He put his arm around Xia Fa's shoulder and let him sit down first, followed by his cousin Hercules sitting opposite Xia Fa, and finally Locke sat down by himself.

The brown wooden table was covered with snacks to go with drinks, such as dried small fish, stink bugs, salted plums, peanuts, chicken feet, and so on.

With a casual wave of his hand, Locke's cousin immediately filled the table with bottles of beer.

The beer was surprisingly dark in color, exuding a spicy yet enticing aroma.

"Beer brewed from Fiber d'Arpeg?"

Xia Fa was somewhat surprised. The Fal'ais Fruit was an extraordinary fruit, with a market price of around 1,300 gold pounds per fruit.

This extraordinary fruit can slowly and gently increase a superhuman's control over elemental bond abilities, making it extremely popular among superhumans who have signed elemental bond agreements.

A warm feeling welled up in Xia Fa's heart. It seemed that his cousins ​​Hercules and Locke cared about him a lot. They even knew about his signing of the Ether Source Pact and specially prepared this beer brewed from the extraordinary fruit.

Locke's cousin smiled and said, "Cousin, your deeds at the Fog Carnival have already spread to the sea. Because of this, we know that you signed the Ether Source Pact. This Pall beer is perfect for you. Drink up, don't be shy with us."

Hercules, without wasting a word, waved his hand, and the caps of the three beer bottles on the table automatically opened, flying to Xia Fa and the two brothers respectively.

He raised his beer bottle first and laughed loudly, "Come on, let's toast Cousin Xia Fa first!"

Locke laughed and said, "Cheers!"

Xia Fa raised his glass and clinked it with the two men's. Black liquor splashed from the bottle's mouth. He held the bottle, tilted his head back, and drank the entire bottle in one gulp.

"Haa"

Xia Fa let out a comfortable sigh of relief, wiping the cool liquor that had dripped down his neck from the corner of his mouth. Although he had only been drinking for half a day, his eyes had undergone an astonishing change after he had just finished exercising, and his stomach was empty, so it was time to replenish it.

Moreover, unlike the banquet on the Shark, at this table, in front of Cousin Hercules and Cousin Locke, he could let down all his guard.

If we're talking about people in this world who are least likely to harm him, besides his parents, it would be his Uncle Tetridge, his cousin Hercules, and his cousin Locke.

"By the way, where are my uncle and aunt?"

Xia Fa suddenly thought of this and asked with concern.

Hercules' cousin replied with a sour expression, "About five years ago, when Dad was transporting a shipment to the Wave Moon Empire, he encountered a swarm of merfolk, and both Dad and Mom disappeared."

As he spoke, he gave a self-deprecating laugh: "To say he's missing is probably a lie; his body was probably eaten by the fishmen."

Murloc Frenzy?

Xia Fa's pupils contracted, and for the first time, a hint of fear appeared on his face.

Fish-men are a peculiar species that exists somewhere between humanoid and non-humanoid supernatural beings.

Their appearance is just like the fish-men in various stories and legends, but they have almost no intelligence and are no different from wild beasts.

In other words, as supernatural beings, they have a human-like appearance but no human-like intelligence.

The two main criteria for judging humanoid supernatural beings are that they must have a human-like appearance and their intelligence must be close to that of humans.

Both the dolls and the siren meet this standard, but the fish-men do not.

This leads to the practice of hunting fish-men together when they encounter them at sea. They also cut off the fish-men's plump bellies and livers, which are said to be top-notch delicacies whether eaten raw or cooked.

Moreover, those who ate the fish-men did not go out of control or mysteriously disappear like other people who dared to eat humanoid supernatural creatures; they all lived well.

Therefore, fish-men were ultimately identified as a special species that lies between humanoid and non-humanoid supernatural beings.

On the other hand, fishmen usually live in groups and have an amazing ability to reproduce. If left unattended for a few years, they can multiply to 100,000 in remote sea areas, and some may even give birth to a fishman king.

I've heard there's a fish-man emperor who rules over the world, but that seems to be just a legend; no one has ever seen him in the last 30,000 years.

Once the number of merfolk becomes too large, a merfolk frenzy will erupt, easily destroying a coastal city. Especially when led by the merfolk king Gu Shiwei Heng, each merfolk frenzy is a tremendous disaster.

This has led to humans and fish-men being mortal enemies.

Xia Fa never imagined that his Uncle Titezi would encounter the fish-man frenzy of the Wave Moon Kingdom five years ago.

That fishman frenzy was arguably the largest in history.

Under normal circumstances, a swarm of murlocs led by the Murloc King of Gushiwei Heng would consist of at most 100,000 murlocs.

But that thing was a million-strong army of merfolk attempting to land on the coast of the Wave Moon Empire!

Once the fishmen landed and scattered, they would pose a great threat to the entire Starcoin continent. At that time, it was said that His Majesty Octavian, Marshal Gaius, and the two rulers of the Cloth Bag Dynasty all extended a helping hand to the Wave Moon Empire.

Even now, he still often hears people talking about the devastating battle against the murloc horde from that era.

Locke's cousin also sighed and shook his head.

"Let's not talk about that. Today, we brothers are reunited, so let's talk about something nice. Xia Fa, did you need anything done at sea? My brother and I can help you with that."

Upon hearing his cousin Locke's question, Xia Fa immediately recalled the overlord-level secret contract that was suspected to be about to be born at sea, and the eternal proof that the mysterious emperor was searching for.

Although both Haihenlis and Locke are cousins ​​of the second rank, these two things are bound to be involved in the struggle for the supreme rank, so it's best not to let them get involved.

So, Xia Fa shook his head and laughed, "I'm just here to gain experience and take risks at sea. I'm not doing anything unworthy of a warrior. My master is just too bored staying in the capital of Augustus."

Cousin Hayhenlis laughed loudly: "Speaking of which, I heard that you were recruited by the Augustus family and became a member of their family."

'

Xia Fapi nodded: "Yes, I never expected that my grandfather's surname, Augustus, which he changed because he couldn't find a job, would actually allow me to join the Augustus family after several decades."

Cousin Hayhenlis sighed, "That's good, that's good. At sea, you have me to protect you, and in the Kingdom of Augustus, you're a member of the Augustus family. That puts our minds at ease."

He raised his cup again, laughing heartily, "Come, let's toast Cousin Xia Fa again. No matter what, our family can be considered noble, which is the wish of my father, my mother, and our ancestors!"

The three of them downed another glass, and the atmosphere at the table became even more lively.

In the Kingdom of Augu, it's perfectly normal for commoners to aspire to become nobles, so Xiafa knew that his cousin Hayhenlis's exclamation was heartfelt.

"By the way, cousin, you're both now envoys, why don't you return to the Kingdom of Augu? With your status and strength, I'm afraid His Majesty Octavian will immediately bestow upon you both the title of duke, and perhaps even appoint you as Privy Councilors or Marshals!"

Xia Fa suddenly thought of this and asked a rather smug question.

Cousins ​​Hayhenlis and Locke exchanged a glance and laughed, "We're used to the freedom at sea. Being a noble is comfortable, but it's still better to be free and not be controlled by others, haha!"

Xia Fa seemed to be deep in thought, tilted his head, and was just about to say something.

But just then—

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

On the distant sea, figures wielding iron forks crashed through the water with a deafening roar.

The figures had emerald green or azure blue skin, heads that looked like dead fish, bulging eyes, mouths full of sharp teeth, and drooling foul-smelling saliva.

It is indeed—the fishman!

In an instant, hundreds of fish-men burst out of the water, and the fishy stench immediately permeated the entire beach.

Xia Fa never expected that he would encounter a small-scale murloc frenzy here!

Haihenlis's cousin's gaze sharpened, but he remained seated motionless in the coconut tree chair.

It was Locke's cousin who stood up, his face cold, tightening the bow tie on his white suit, and said, "I came here to stretch my muscles. These mermen are just bringing us ingredients to go with our drinks."