"Don't mention it. Just now, the distance was too far, and since the fish tank was transparent, plus Mayor Wallis was wearing a blue suit today, Jiang Hai really couldn't see it clearly. But now that he was closer, Jiang Hai saw that there was indeed something in this not-so-small fish tank.
The object was primarily blue, about three or four centimeters long, with white lines running across it. It looked like a long blue-and-white creature with six large flowers on it, making it both beautiful and mysterious.
Subconsciously, Jiang Hai stretched out his hand to touch it.
"Hey!" Just as Jiang Hai's hand extended, he was stopped by Mayor Wallis.
"Uh, sorry. I've never seen anything like this little thing before. It's really pretty." Jiang Hai admitted. If you didn't look closely, you might miss it, but the creature really was striking.
"It's not that I don't want you to touch it, but this thing is highly poisonous. It feeds on jellyfish and stores many types of jellyfish toxins in its body. If you get poisoned by it, survival is almost impossible because no one knows what kind of toxin it carries," Mayor Wallis explained seriously. He remembered that Jiang Hai had a fishing ground, and although this dangerous creature was rare along the coast of the United States, it did occasionally appear. If stung, it would be a big problem.
"It's that dangerous? What is it? A sea slug?" Jiang Hai was startled by what Mayor Wallis said. He withdrew his hand, realizing that nature often hides danger behind beauty.
"It can be considered a type of sea slug. This creature is called a 'blue dragon,' also known as a 'petrel.' Its scientific name is the 'Atlantic sea god slug,'" Mayor Wallis said as they walked.
The name of this creature comes from Glaucus, the sea god in ancient Greek mythology.
Some people may wonder why the Greek sea god isn't Poseidon, but in reality, Poseidon is the king of the sea, while Glaucus is more of a sea god in a different sense. There's a dimensional difference between the two in terms of their divine status... According to legend, Glaucus was once an ordinary fisherman.
One day, he discovered a herb that could revive fish, and this activated his soul of death. After eating the herb, he transformed into a mermaid, half human and half fish, with three distinct forms: the left half human, the right half fish, the upper part human and the lower part fish... Ahem, I'm getting off-topic.
Anyway, his story isn't one with a happy ending. The main myths surrounding him involve a love triangle between Glaucus, the water nymph Scylla, and the witch Circe. However, his appearance was borrowed by European scientists after they first discovered the sea god slug in 1777. "Sea god!"
Over the years, this slug has been found in many places, including Africa, Europe, Australia, and Mozambique. It's not limited to the Atlantic Ocean but can also be found in the Pacific. As a result, it's commonly called the Atlantic Sea God slug.
Because this creature can reproduce by itself, its population isn't small.
Despite its high toxicity, its beautiful appearance still attracts many people who keep them as pets.
However, there aren't many wealthy people with that much free time in Winthrop Town. While Jiang Hai found it beautiful, to be honest, he preferred beasts over such a dangerous "toy." He only asked out of curiosity.
"If you ever go into the sea, stay away from this creature when you see it. You really don't want to provoke it," Mayor Wallis warned.
By the time Mayor Wallis finished explaining the blue dragon's origin, they had unknowingly walked from the town to the beach.
At this point, a sizable crowd had gathered, including Robbins, who had driven over. There were also many others, with several stalls and small tents scattered across the beach. These tents were filled with old items for trade. Jiang Hai had seen them earlier when he was leaving. Most of the items were discarded home appliances.
In the U.S., dealing with old home appliances is quite a hassle. You can't just throw them away. Each appliance must be disassembled and sorted before being sent to a processing plant. Some items are recycled, but there's an extra charge for that.
This poses a problem for Americans who are naturally lazy, but the penalties are severe.
If you're caught littering, you'll not only face a fine but might even go to jail. So, there's always a surplus of old goods in the U.S.
Some people won't throw out their old things after upgrading to new ones because it's too much trouble. As a result, they often pile up at the door or in a warehouse. Homeless individuals may take them, while newer items with some value are often sent to second-hand markets.
Jiang Hai glanced around, finding plenty of items for sale.
There were old home appliances like refrigerators, televisions, washing machines, air conditioners, and water heaters. Old game consoles of all kinds, including PS, handhelds, X-wave, and even the legendary red-and-white machines, were present. There were also old clothes, down jackets, fur coats, fabrics, small ornaments, old books, cups, computers, and more. It really felt like a department store where you could find almost anything, though most items were worn out and essentially worthless.
While Jiang Hai was inspecting the market, Mayor Wallis had already walked up to the stage. After reading a sacrificial text aloud, he poured the contents of the fish tank into the sea. The blue dragon swam into the water, and the crowd cheered as the festival came to an end. The rest of the time was for trading.
Jiang Hai exchanged a few words with Robbins and then dove into the second-hand goods market.
However, Jiang Hai wouldn't let himself go hungry. Before exploring, he had bought a Mexican tortilla and was eating it while walking around, taking in the various items.
For Jiang Hai, he already had everything he needed. Although Moses Adams had been paying taxes to Jiang Hai recently, he hadn't made any income since taking over the fishery last October—he only paid taxes, not earning anything himself. Without income, there's no tax to deduct.
Jiang Hai's gold coin transactions were private and not reported for tax purposes. If he voluntarily reported them, the U.S. government might be pleased, but it could complicate matters with Britain, as he had salvaged British gold coins. Jiang Hai wasn't naive enough to report it.
He didn't need to pay personal income tax, sales tax, or income tax. The only tax he paid was local, and because he had taken over in October, he only owed half a year's worth. Additionally, since he raised cattle, which stimulated the local economy, his local tax was reduced. He also employed over 20 people, more than a dozen of whom were locals, and had nine special employees, which earned him further tax reductions.
In total, according to the accountant hired by Moses Adams, Jiang Hai only owed a small amount of money in taxes this year, and after the tax return, he would receive $50 back to buy pasture and fish food.
While over a million dollars wasn't a small sum, it wasn't too much compared to the over four million he had originally estimated.
So, after paying the taxes, Jiang Hai still had a lot of money left, enough to buy anything he wanted.
At this point, he was simply browsing the market to see if anything interesting caught his eye.
However, after a quick glance, he wasn't interested in many of the items. He wasn't keen on old home appliances, game consoles, motors, fishing nets, or clothes. What piqued his interest were some handicrafts and books.
Most of the handicrafts were wooden carvings, said to be made by the Iroquois. After circulating through different hands, they became fun collectibles.
Jiang Hai picked out a few beautiful ones, like carvings of eagles, deer, and mountain lions. He bought over a dozen pieces, planning to display them in his house. They had a stylish, unique vibe.
Just as Jiang Hai was collecting the carvings and preparing to leave, he suddenly heard a shout.
"Treasure map! Come and see the treasure map left over from the real pirate era!" Following the voice, Jiang Hai noticed a big man, well over two meters tall with a large beard, holding a piece of cowhide and waving it around. Jiang Hai had seen this man before; he was a fisherman Jiang Hai had met a few times, but they had never spoken. Upon hearing his words, Jiang Hai was intrigued.
Ever since he had discovered the gold coins, Jiang Hai had become interested in treasures. However, he hadn't yet figured out where the ships might be located. The ocean is vast, and finding a sunken ship is no easy feat.
Moreover, Jiang Hai realized he had no means of protecting himself if he ran into a sea monster. But even though he had his fears, he couldn't resist the lure of treasure. Slowly, he made his way toward the man.
As Jiang Hai approached, the big man stopped shouting and looked at him with a smile.
(To be continued.)