This chapter opens with a description of the night view from the top of a mountain. It is clear that the moon is shining brightly, and the stars are still visible. The narrator is amazed by the beauty of the landscape. He is also surprised by the nocturnal snake, which he has never seen before. He wonders about the medical value of the snake's nocturnal activity. He also wonders why the explorer would not set a trap to protect him from harm. He asks the narrator to forget about the clothes he was wearing when he first arrived in the village. He tells the narrator that the conventional wisdom of the merpeople is different from his own, and that everything he did was wrong. He says that he is a fool for the native merpeople, but that much of the "conventional wisdom" of the island is different than his own. He explains that he was burned by the wilds and that he had no choice but to stay in the dark room. He was so sad when he arrived that he did not know whether he could still live the next day. He wants to tell the narrator about the pearl, which is the lifeblood of the egg. Without it, the egg becomes water, and without it, a fetus becomes a waterless body. He adds that the real father of the baby is dead. He feels that he has saved an egg, but the baby will never be born again. He promises to help the narrator in any way he can.