Closer to Revealing My True Self
Chapter 298 - 222: Capturing Demon Magic Artifact_1

Chapter 298: Chapter 222: Capturing Demon Magic Artifact_1

If Feng Yi didn’t know what kind of person Feng Chi was, he might really think he was hinting at something!

Compared to Feng Chi’s boastful "Ancient Giant Snake" masterpiece, the flimsy greeting card in front of him was the truly shocking, fright-inducing "brilliant idea" that shook Feng Yi to the core.

Taking a deep breath and calming himself, Feng Yi flipped the greeting card over, not wanting to look at the Photoshopped image.

Additionally, to be safe, he would observe Feng Chi’s emotional state in person next time they met to see if he truly was unaware.

After all, it concerned his biggest secret, so Feng Yi had to be extra careful.

Wiping his face, Feng Yi turned his attention to the watch inside the gift box.

It was a well-known model from a luxury brand, and aside from the initials of Feng Yi’s name engraved on it and a few snake pattern designs added to the strap, not much had changed. Anyone familiar with watches could instantly recognize the brand, the model, and its price range.

It wasn’t that Feng Chi didn’t care about "customization"; based on Feng Yi’s understanding of him, his main goal was probably—

To boast in a way that others could immediately understand!

What if a major change made it unrecognizable at first glance?

Smiling, Feng Yi took out the watch and put it on.

He owned quite an expensive watch himself, and besides, the butler had also given Feng Yi a watch, claiming it to be custom-made. It was hard to tell the brand, even hard to read the time—it was extravagant, very unique, more like a showcase of the maker’s skills.

Feng Yi would wear it to formal business events, but when out on missions, he seldom wore a watch—it wasn’t convenient, and he wasn’t used to it. Ever since Early March, when he shed his skin, Feng Yi felt uncomfortable having anything restrictive on his wrist, as it affected his performance.

However, since Feng Chi had given him this gift, Feng Yi would wear it for a few days.

He took a photo and sent it to Feng Chi:

Feng Yi: [Thanks [picture]]

Feng Chi: [Fits well! Next time you take a photo, make sure it shows! Throw it in their faces!]

"They" referred to people online who said Feng Yi couldn’t even afford a name-brand watch.

Feng Yi didn’t really care about those online comments, but Feng Chi kept them in mind.

Even though Feng Yi said many times that he had money, Feng Chi still didn’t seem to believe it.

However, more than that, Feng Yi really wanted to know what mindset Feng Chi had when he made that card.

Feng Yi took a photo of the greeting card and sent it over.

Feng Yi: [Why Photoshop it like this? [picture]]

Feng Chi: [You’re known as ’Brother Snake, Python King’ on the internet, so I thought about putting a ’Snake King’ photo. Initially, I wanted to use my ’Ancient Giant Snake’ masterpiece, but after some thought, I Photoshopped your face onto it. I realized a human head on a snake’s body was too strange and didn’t fit my aesthetic, so I only Photoshopped the upper body, and it looks more pleasing now. Hey, doesn’t this body proportion resemble Fuxi and Nüwa from ancient legends?]

Feng Yi: "..."

Feng Yi: [Quite similar.]

After some probing, Feng Yi found out that this guy really didn’t seem to know the secret.

Feng Chi, completely unaware that his greeting card had hit a sore spot for his brother, discussed with Feng Yi how to move his "Ancient Giant Snake" and didn’t mention their family’s next steps.

After finishing the call, Feng Yi let out a long sigh of relief, packed up the gift box, shouldered his backpack, and went to find the monitoring station staff.

He had arranged to take a walk along the coast today to learn about the local sea snakes.

Freedom within the mission team here was greater, and each of the experts in the group had their own styles and plans. They didn’t form a team for unified action.

This method suited Feng Yi better.

He had arranged to meet with a staff member of the station, Zuo Di, who was around the same age as him. Zuo Di was responsible for familiarizing Feng Yi with this area.

When Feng Yi arrived at the meeting spot, Zuo Di was helping a diving association team collect marine debris.

Zuo Di’s parents were coastal rescuers, so his diving skills were quite impressive. Since he often worked outdoors, his skin was a bit tanned, but he was very spirited.

"Coffee or juice? I have concentrated coffee and freeze-dried juice cubes in the car, and there’s water next to it, so just mix it yourself," Zuo Di said.

"No need, I brought water," Feng Yi said, pointing to the water bottle on the side of his backpack.

"Alright then, let’s go."

Dressed in casual clothes, Zuo Di drove Feng Yi along the coastline.

"Last week a fisherman said he saw something like a snake in the sea over there. People have been searching that area every day since, but found nothing. Some suspect the fisherman was mistaken, that it wasn’t a sea snake but some other fish. And up ahead, there have also been sightings of suspected sea snakes," Zuo Di pointed to a region and explained to Feng Yi.

Anomalous weather conditions had caused sharp declines in many species, including sea snakes.

"Actually, we haven’t seen sea snakes around here for many years. When I was a kid, some said that the abnormal climate had driven sea snakes to extinction. In recent years, sightings have increased a bit," Zuo Di mentioned.

If you look at the overall distribution of sea snakes, they indeed should be present in many regions, but the real situation is different. For example, in resort areas with frequented long sandy beaches, the chances of encountering sea snakes are extremely low.

And the location of the observation station didn’t have those long sandy beaches, but rather rockier shores.

The areas Zuo Di showed Feng Yi had rocky beaches.

After a general walkaround, Zuo Di asked Feng Yi, "Do you think there are sea snakes in this area?"

"Yes," Feng Yi confirmed.

The nearby seawater carried the scent of snakes. It wasn’t strong, but it was definitely there.

Zuo Di had heard of this internet-famous expert from colleagues and knew Feng Yi had a reputation for being good at searching for snakes.

Hearing Feng Yi mention snakes, Zuo Di’s heart tensed, thinking he should tell his friends later. Since this expert had real skills and claimed there were snakes, it was very likely the fisherman hadn’t been mistaken; they could really be sea snakes.

"When you’re searching for snakes, don’t go alone; you must have someone with you. If there’s no team available, ask the staff from the monitoring station to accompany you—that’s fine too. We’re usually not very busy anyway. Don’t find it annoying; we’re considering your safety. If you actually find a sea snake, it’s better to have help. And say, just in case you get bitten, having someone nearby to help get you to the hospital is priceless."

Apart from in the lab and the observation station’s specimen room, Zuo Di had never seen a sea snake while diving. Like most people, he had a fear of sea snakes—after all, they’re venomous, and the local area might not have the specific antivenom needed.

Compared to land snakes, there has been much less research on sea snakes.

"Oh, and there are some small auxiliary tools at the observation station, like waterproof phone cases and such, you’d better bring those too. Usually, you don’t take a phone when diving, but since you’re going to look for snakes, take your phone with you. Even if you can’t catch one, you can at least take a picture of it."

So you can quickly know what snake bit you if that happens. Zuo Di didn’t say this, but Feng Yi could read between the lines.

Yesterday, Feng Yi had walked around the area and gained some understanding of the living conditions nearby; today, Zuo Di accompanied him to familiarize himself with the distribution area of the sea snakes, providing a more detailed understanding.

After making the rounds and expressing his thanks, Zuo Di left to tend to his own affairs, while Feng Yi returned to the dorm.

Jia had already prepared the meal.

Since delivery options were few due to the distance from the city and it wasn’t convenient to hire someone to cook—firstly, such an arrangement would be too unusual, and special treatment could affect Feng Yi’s relationship with other experts.

Secondly, Feng Yi’s appetite was a challenge, his non-ordinary consumption better known to as few people as possible.

So, it was best to have one of their own take care of it.

When Feng Yi was out on missions, Jia would cook in the dorm with Bing providing remote guidance.

Of course, cooking paid extra. Jia was quite happy to take on the job.

Given the limited living conditions, Feng Yi wasn’t too picky about his meals, asking only two things—

One, that it was edible; two, that there was enough to fill him up.

By the time Feng Yi returned, Jia had already finished cooking the meal under Bing’s instructions.

"I ordered a batch of goods to be delivered; I’ll go receive them and discuss the types of dishes we can make, which might take some time, boss. You start eating first," Jia said as he grabbed his access card and left.

Feng Yi set down his bag and was washing his face when the doorbell rang.

The visitor definitely wasn’t Jia.

Feng Yi looked at the amount of food on the table, put half away in the cupboard, and then went to open the door.

"Station Chief Yan." Feng Yi invited the visitor in.

The guest was the chief of the observation station.

"You’re eating? Oh, the food looks good! The cooking is not bad!" Station Chief Yan said with a smile as he entered.

"The driver made it. I didn’t bring an assistant, just a driver, but luckily he’s got the skill. Otherwise, I’d have to order takeout. I’m no good at this," Feng Yi said, getting ready to pour some tea.

"No need to fuss, I’ll just say a few words and then be off," Station Chief Yan said, handing over a cloth bag. "This is a gift from our station to you experts. It’s a souvenir, specially designed by someone I asked. Take a look."

Feng Yi accepted it, and under Station Chief Yan’s expectant gaze, he took the gift box out of the cloth bag and opened it.

The observation station would give different gifts according to the nature of each team’s mission.

The gift box had expressions of thanks and blessing printed on it, with the name of the observation station in the bottom right corner.

Opening the gift box revealed a... bowl?

Or a soup bowl?

Feng Yi checked the size: six inches, not six inches.

About 20 centimeters in diameter.

Simple and rustic, but with good texture.

There was a snake pattern inside the bowl.

Back in Mo city, where Feng Yi had helped out, the special local gifts and starfish specimens were given. But this... bowl was unexpected.

"Is there any meaning or custom associated with this?" Feng Yi asked.

"We call this a ’Fahai Bowl’!" Station Chief Yan explained.

Feng Yi: ???

Station Chief Yan: "It’s like the one from the legendary stories, the ’Magic Artifact’ used by Fahai to capture demons!"

"Oh!" Feng Yi feigned sudden realization, though he was actually feeling quite mixed inside.

A Fahai Bowl, huh!

A demon-capturing ’Magic Artifact’, huh!

Station Chief Yan: "It’s a bowl made to that design, carrying good wishes and hopes that everyone’s mission will go smoothly, capturing... no, finding snakes safely. Plus, it’s practical! You can use it to serve soup."

Anyone else might think the gift was fitting, but when this style of a gift was held in Feng Yi’s hands, it felt particularly ironic.

"It’s very nice; I like it a lot," Feng Yi said with a smile.

After Station Chief Yan left, the smile on Feng Yi’s face disappeared.

Looking at the "demon-capturing Magic Artifact" in his hands, he wasn’t sure what to say.

After thinking it over, he decided, well, to just use it.

After cleaning it, Feng Yi carried his newly received six-inch Fahai Bowl into the kitchen to serve himself some food.

When Jia returned, at first glance, he thought that Feng Yi was holding the inner pot of a rice cooker.

After Feng Yi explained the conceptual design of the bowl, Jia too was lost for words for a moment.

Ah, this...

A demon-capturing Magic Artifact (×)

A bowl for eating (✓)