'Whew, it's really hopeless.' Ark heaved a sigh.

He stopped Merpeople at random and asked, but it was of no use. Finding information about Christin was going to be harder than expected. Judging from past experience, there was only one way to solve situations like this. He must raise his intimacy with the Merpeople.

The problem was the information required significantly high intimacy.

Based on the Mermaid Guards' reaction, the favor he'd earned from just a few words was no use. In addition, he didn't know how to increase intimacy in this strange Underwater City.

'The first thing to do is to gain information about Merpeople other than Christin.'

Ark decided to relax and took a stroll around the city.

Nodelesse was slightly different compared to a Human Village. Human Villages, no matter how small always had a tavern, inn, and various shops. However Nodelesse even though it was 3, 4 times larger than a Human Village, only had one restaurant and a General Store.

'Should I clean out my japtem for now?'

After wandering in the ocean for nearly half a month, his bag and Snake's stomach were full of items.

"Oh, you're a Human. It's surprising for a Human to come to my store. Right, what are you looking for?"

As soon as he entered the store, an elderly Merman greeted him. With his wrinkled face and shaggy beard, the Merman didn't look quite right, but Ark still sported a friendly smile.

"I have some things to sell and things to buy. May I look around the shop?"

"Go ahead."

Ark went through the goods in the store.

All of the items available in the store were things he had never seen before. It was inevitable since he was in an Underwater City, and because all the materials could only be acquired in the ocean. Shields made out of seashells, bows made out of Whale bones, Spears carved from tuna bones, etc.

The materials had a slightly crude feeling to them. Perhaps because it was a difficult city to come to, the stats transcended his imagination.

Clam Shield