"That was an easy catch," the men laughed in glee, looking at the hybrid they managed to trap. "Good job, boy," the burly man patted the young boy's head, and his swift hands quickly snatched the money purse from his hand.
"Hey, that's mine! You promised me three silvers!" the boy shouted with tears in his eyes. "Please... my father needs it. Please... please…"
"What can I say? This is a life lesson for you, never trust anyone," the man pushed the young boy away and picked up the unconscious man off the ground. "This one looks quite pretty. We can sell him for a good price."
One of his men nodded. "The mayor of this city wanted to have a go at a Mer. Why don't we sell it to him?"
"No, the more inland we move, the more precious our commodities will be. Quickly pack up every single fish we have caught and leave before the authorities take action."
The men quickly ran back to the warehouse that was right at the end of the alley and tossed the unconscious man in.
"We need a big carriage. One that can carry a few catties of meat," the bandits said, looking at the huge bountiful catch of Mers they had caught. His men agreed to his requests. "But don't we need to cure the Mer meat first? Won't they rot?"
"They are magic. How can they rot?"
The Mers are such creatures after all. Their bodies consist of ancient magic that can keep their bodies from rotting even after death. That's why their meat was sought after. It was said to bring the eater eternal life.
"Quick, why are you guys dawdling there?"
Soon the group of seven men hired a huge carriage and moved it inconspicuously to the edge of the dark alley. They quietly worked together to move all the Mer corpses in along with the two Mers they had caught in the day.
"Make sure to tie that one properly," the burly man double-checked the rope that was tied around the younger hybrid. "Are you guys sure he is a hybrid? If we sell fake goods, our other goods will lose their value."
"The boy said he had seen this one in town. Many girls gush over him, but since he was a hybrid, they hadn't made a move. I'm pretty sure he is."
The group of seven bandits had instantly moved to the seaside town to complete a special task, but this bountiful haul was such an unexpected treat. The whole shore was littered with Mer corpses. Each of these Mers' fins was worth at least a thousand gold. How can they just let this commodity go to waste?
They scooped out all the corpses they could see. As a bonus, they even found a small unconscious live Mer.
The burly man laughed in glee. "Get a bigger barrel. That small Mer needs water to live."
They stuffed a huge barrel in the carriage and tossed the young Mer in.
"Quick, let's go."
Late at night, the huge carriage moved swiftly out of the town and into the wilderness before anyone could realize it.
Chao, who was waiting by the city gates, looked at the carriage intensely.
"He is still not here," his dad whispered, patting his back.
"He will be back! Dad… We can't leave like this. He barely remembers how to swim. How can he find our hideout? He will be lost and alone." He anxiously grabbed his clothes.
His father sighed loudly. "We can't do anything about it, son… we need to protect ourselves now… Maybe it's his fate that he had to…."
"Stop it! I'll search the town again." Chao rose to enter the gates, but the other men stopped him.
"That's enough. Don't waste time. Our family is waiting for us all alone, and we need to leave. If you want, you can choose to stay behind with him. It's likely that he found a backer with his pretty face," one of the men disdainfully whispered.
Chao hissed loudly, charging at him.
"I said stop it! Chao! Enough!" his father grabbed him by his shoulders and dragged him toward the forest. "We are going home! That's it! If we don't leave now, humans might track us, you idiot... do you wish to endanger our other family members for one?"
Chao gritted his teeth loudly. "This is so unfair… Kui is a kind person… he doesn't deserve to be abandoned like this."
"It's… there is nothing we can do, my child. Come," he dragged the limp Chao into the forest with a loud sigh.