Actually, besides the Human Race, there were also the Ghosts in the Ghost Ship Dock.

Qin Ziwen had never seen any other non-human intelligent races.

By the Fish Pond, he took out the Recruitment Card and silently willed it to activate.

The Card turned into a streak of light and vanished.

In the next moment, a blurry, deep purple silhouette appeared before him.

When the light faded, a male figure stood in its place. He was about 1.6 meters tall with a hunched back, his shoulders and spine covered in a hard, sea-green shell.

His snout protruded, his cheeks bore gills, and his eyes were deeply sunken.

His lower body wasn’t a mermaid’s tail, but rather a pair of human-like legs with webbed feet. After being summoned, the male Fishman glanced around, his eyes instinctively drawn to the Fish Pond behind him.

He then fell to his knees with a THUD, prostrating himself and knocking his forehead heavily against the ground.

"Honorable Master, I am Pura of the Fishman Artisan Race."

Though his voice was somewhat stiff, the language was unmistakably Chinese.

"You can speak Chinese?" Qin Ziwen asked, surprised.

The Fishman looked confused for a moment, then replied respectfully, "Honorable Master, after you recruited me, this language simply appeared in my mind."

Qin Ziwen could hear his speech improving.

This sentence was noticeably more fluent than the last.

"You can get up." After telling Pura to rise, Qin Ziwen’s gaze fell to the Fishman’s feet.

He was reminded of the Skeleton Miners he had seen in the Wailing Fortress.

The skeletal structure of those miners bore a slight resemblance to Pura’s build, especially the webbed feet.

’Could it be that the Skeleton Miners were transformed from Fishmen?’

He studied him again. In terms of build, Pura’s arms were slender and unusually long.

His skin was blue, darker on his back and lighter on his belly.

"You said you’re from the Artisan Race. Are you a craftsman?" Qin Ziwen remembered the Summon Card had described him as a sailor. ’Could this Pura be a man of multiple talents?’

"Master, I am a sailor, responsible for ship maintenance," Pura replied respectfully.

From Pura’s explanation, Qin Ziwen began to understand a little about the Fishman Race.

He came from a place called Rust Algae City.

There, a child born into the Artisan Race was destined to become a craftsman. If they failed to learn Craftsmanship, they were forced into even more menial jobs.

Besides the Artisan Race, there were three other clans.

They were the Hunting Race, the Sacrificial Race, and the Muddy Race.

The Sacrificial Race held the highest status and was the least numerous.

Its members were almost exclusively the Priests of the race. They wielded Extraordinary Power and were the only Casters, holding a revered status as the ruling class.

Next was the Hunting Race, the second least numerous. Every member of the Hunting Race was a natural-born warrior, responsible for hunting and defending the people. They belonged to the upper echelons of the Fishman Race.

Then came the Artisan Race, the craftsmen of the Fishman people. "Artisan Race" was a broad category encompassing all types of craftsmen. Members of the Artisan Race had the smallest build among the Fishmen but were also the most agile and were quick learners.

At the bottom was the Muddy Race.

The Muddy Race served as the manual laborers for the Fishman people. They were naturally dull-witted and stockily built, serving as the grunts of the Fishman City. They had voracious appetites and would eat anything, whether it was garbage, rotting corpses, or even excrement.

"So, descendants of the Sacrificial Race are all Priests?"

"Yes, Master."

’I didn’t expect that being an Extraordinary Being could be hereditary,’ Qin Ziwen mused. ’Just like how Celestial Dragon People give birth to little Celestial Dragon People.’

He then asked, "Do the ships of your Fishman Race travel on the surface of the sea or beneath it?"

"Master, our ships travel underwater," Pura said, a little perplexed. ’Why would a ship travel on the surface?’

He suddenly realized that his master was a human, and human ships sailed on the sea.

As he thought of human ships, vague fragments of memory flashed through Pura’s mind, but he couldn’t recall them clearly.

"Then can you build a ship that travels underwater?" Qin Ziwen’s interest was piqued.

He didn’t mind whether the ship sailed on the surface or below it.

’Besides, with Deep Sea Oxygen, even an underwater ship would be usable.’

Pura shook his head, looking troubled. "Master, ships that travel underwater require a Priest from the Sacrificial Race to offer a prayer before they can set sail."

Qin Ziwen frowned. ’Where am I supposed to find a Priest?’

Staring at Pura, Qin Ziwen was suddenly struck by an idea.

"Wait. Come with me underwater. I want to see you swim normally."

He stripped off his clothes and jumped into the Fish Pond.

Pura froze for a second before following him into the water.

In truth, he had wanted to get in the water from the moment he first saw the Fish Pond.

Although Fishmen could walk on land, they were far more comfortable in the water.

In the Fish Pond, Pura moved with the agility of a fish.

Watching his swimming form, Qin Ziwen’s eyes narrowed. ’That’s it. It’s exactly right. Those are the movements.’

’The creature I saw at the undersea altar that day... it was definitely a Fishman!’

’So there really are wild Fishmen on the seabed in this region!’

He recalled the image from the map’s starting prompt. ’It wasn’t just one Fishman, but most likely an entire Fishman tribe.’

He used Insight on Pura.

[Normal Fishman (Pura): ☆☆]

Two Stars physique, about the same as Jia Liangcai.

Jia Liangcai had been training frequently at the practice grounds recently, and his physical fitness had already reached Two Stars.

Judging by his physique, Pura’s physical condition was that of an unremarkable, ordinary Fishman.

Qin Ziwen beckoned to Pura, gesturing for him to try sparring with him underwater.

’He wanted to experience a Fishman’s combat prowess in the water firsthand.’

But Pura didn’t dare, no matter what Qin Ziwen said.

His face turned a purplish-blue as he performed a "dead man’s float" in the water.

Floating in the water, he repeatedly bowed his head.

Qin Ziwen swam over and smacked him on the back of the head.

SMACK~

Pura started bowing his head even faster, so fast it almost became a blur.

Qin Ziwen reached out, grabbed his arm, and started pulling him toward the surface.

Pura instinctively struggled for a moment but quickly went limp.

A hint of a smile touched the corner of Qin Ziwen’s eye. ’Just from that brief struggle, I can tell this guy is pretty strong.’

’Definitely stronger than an ordinary Two Stars human.’

’It seems the Fishman Race is stronger than humans.’

’Factoring in their aquatic expertise, their combat effectiveness on the seabed must be significant. Add to that their communal nature, the spellcasting of the Sacrificial Race, and their mastery of tool-making... in these waters, I bet even a Mosasaurus wouldn’t want to mess with them.’

Back on shore, Qin Ziwen dried off, got dressed, and then took Pura to the Ghost Ship Dock. He introduced him to Tao Fu, leaving the two of them to get acquainted.

’What would come of their conversation was up to them.’

Tao Fu gave Pura a friendly nod when he saw him.

After meeting Ghosts, seeing a Fishman wasn’t much of a shock.

"Don’t worry, Sir. You can leave him with me."

Two hours later, the ship’s repairs were finished.

The Lost Home’s maintenance was complete. After being pushed back into the sea, the well-rested crew boarded. Out on the ocean, the great ship set sail, heading for the largest island in the region.

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