Chapter 66: Majesty

Chapter 66: Grandeur

“Ah—” Xiao Jin froze for a moment, then sprang to her feet. “What do we do? Is he okay? Should we go rescue Dr. Mogu?”

“He wants to play too, but he needs a little push to join in,” Liu Hai said, beaming. “Ah, but he’s a bit shy, so we can’t just leave him there alone. Let’s all go together!”

Liu Hai looked at Jiang Xun with pleading eyes. “Come on! Or do you have work today?”

“I just got back, everything else can wait,” Jiang Xun replied cooperatively, then quickly added, “But I won’t be participating in any seagull battles.”

“Ah—” Liu Hai looked a little disappointed. “Alright, you really don’t seem to want to.”

“How do you even tell?” Kong Tela squinted, his expression odd, and poked Liu Hai’s cheek. “Having such a convenient skill, you’re practically cheating, aren’t you?”

“It’s a feeling,” Liu Hai said, looking smug. “Humans are actually quite easy to read.”

“You have that kind of ability?” Kong Tela propped his head on his hand, joking casually. “You’re not some monster that can read minds, are you?”

Liu Hai’s eyes widened, and he stammered, “Wh-what are you saying? How could I be a monster, haha! I’m a mermaid, remember?”

“Exactly!” Xiao Jin desperately winked at Dr. Kong Tela. “Doesn’t everyone know our little Liu Hai is a mermaid? Haha, how could monsters even exist in this world?”

“Is that so?” Kong Tela raised an eyebrow, looking at Jiang Xun. “Your lab really is full of unromantic people.”

“One doesn’t believe in mermaids, another doesn’t believe in monsters…”

“May I ask, the one who ‘doesn’t believe in mermaids’—you’re not referring to me, are you?” Jiang Xun lifted his gaze. “As I’ve said before, I only believe in what I can see and what can be proven.”

“I didn’t believe in mermaids before because their existence couldn’t be proven, but now it can, and I fully believe in mermaids now.”

He lied without batting an eye.

But in reality, it was the complete opposite—he still didn’t believe in mermaids, but he did believe in spirits.

After all, right in front of him was a living seal spirit.

“N-no, let’s not talk about that!” Liu Hai nervously changed the subject. “Kong Tela, are you coming with us to fight the seagulls?”

Kong Tela looked disgusted. “No way. I hate getting sweaty, and that kind of activity is utterly ungraceful.”

“You know, before you came, that guy often roamed around the company like this, recruiting people for his activities. He usually came back empty-handed.”

He showed a subtle expression. “But lately, he seems to be succeeding more often.”

“Hmm?” Liu Hai tilted his head in confusion. “Why? Did his recruiting skills improve?”

“No, and I haven’t heard of him forcing anyone either.” Kong Tela’s expression turned odd as he stared at Liu Hai. “It couldn’t possibly be because of you, could it?”

Liu Hai answered honestly, “I didn’t do anything!”

“If you’re not joining, do you want to watch us play?”

“No thanks.” Kong Tela chuckled and poked his forehead. “I still have work to do, so I won’t be joining your shenanigans.”

“While Jiang Xun is busy playing with you, I’ll take the opportunity to do research and easily surpass him with a mountain of results! Just you wait.”

Liu Hai’s eyes widened instantly, and he looked worriedly at Jiang Xun, who snorted, “Still dreaming, I see.”

“Huh?” Kong Tela rolled up his sleeves indignantly. “Is it really so unbelievable that I could surpass you?”

“Don’t think you can relax just because you’re firmly in the lead now. I’ve noticed you’ve been quite lax lately!”

“I haven’t been putting all my energy into research like I used to,” Jiang Xun admitted with a nod. “However, perhaps it’s because I’m in a good mood, but my efficiency has been excellent lately. Several projects I had put on hold are now ready to move to the next stage.”

“If you want to catch up to me…”

He rested a hand on Liu Hai’s head and deliberately said, “Maybe you should find a mermaid that brings good luck too?”

Kong Tela clenched his fists: “Jiang! Xun!”

A smile flashed in Jiang Xun’s eyes. He pulled Liu Hai away, lowering his voice, “Quick, let’s go! Before he throws a fit!”

“Huh?” Liu Hai said, shocked. “Jiang Xun, did you provoke him on purpose? Why?”

“Hmm—” Jiang Xun answered honestly, “No reason. Just wanted to.”

Liu Hai narrowed his eyes with a complicated expression. “You’re something else.”

“Sometimes, your personality is a bit like an orca.”

Jiang Xun froze. “Your most hated orca?”

“Ugh.” Liu Hai frowned. “Orcas really are the worst.”

Liu Hai stared at Jiang Xun. “But if Jiang Xun were an orca…”

Jiang Xun couldn’t help but press, a little nervous, “Then what?”

Liu Hai said uncertainly, “Still… cute?”

He seemed unable to accept his own words. “Wow, how could I possibly think an orca is cute! That’s terrifying!”

He looked at Jiang Xun sincerely. “Thank goodness you’re human and not an orca.”

“Is that so?” Jiang Xun’s lips curled up involuntarily. “Then that’s truly fortunate.”

Liu Hai nodded, still traumatized.

Jiang Xun still took him to Feng Yan’s laboratory. Dr. Mogu, who had just been taken away by Feng Yan, was now fully geared up and learning the essential rules of seagull warfare.

“Oh? You’re here!” Feng Yan said proudly, hands on his hips. “I knew you wouldn’t back out, Rescue Captain Liu Hai! I’m counting on you again this time!”

Liu Hai responded enthusiastically, “Understood!”

“Oh, right, are the others joining?” Feng Yan cheerfully greeted them. “Considering the balance of power shouldn’t be too uneven, we can only add one more person at most.”

Liu Hai replied, “Jiang Xun isn’t coming.”

“Alright, I wasn’t expecting him anyway.” Feng Yan shrugged. “What about the other two…?”

A Yu shook his head. “I’ll pass.”

Xiao Jin gave a dry laugh. “Me neither…”

A Yu looked a little surprised. “I thought you’d be interested.”

“I used to be,” Xiao Jin said mournfully, propping her head on her hand. “But I saw the battle Liu Hai was involved in before.”

“Honestly, the seagulls using the females’ eggs and the males’ poop as projectiles was pretty hellish…”

“Ah, that’s because bird eggs are naturally subject to normal attrition,” Feng Yan said, spreading his hands. “I’ve been training them this way in hopes that one day they can maintain their wildness and once again soar freely over the ocean.”

Xiao Jin muttered, “I think by then, the people walking in the harbor would have more to worry about.”

“You should understand, right?” Feng Yan looked at Jiang Xun. “You took Liu Hai out to adapt to the ocean this time, presumably planning to release him back someday?”

The topic, which no one had brought up for a long time, was suddenly raised by Feng Yan, leaving Jiang Xun momentarily speechless.

Feng Yan raised an eyebrow in confusion. “What’s wrong? I heard he’s adapting well.”

“Is the time coming soon?”

“For now…” Jiang Xun hesitated, looking away as he made an excuse. “He is adapting very well, but we haven’t gained any research findings from him. So, if possible, we hope he can stay a bit longer.”

“Besides, he has already fully adapted to human society. When the time comes, we’ll have to see.”

“Oh—” Feng Yan mused, staring at Jiang Xun, then said bluntly, “You’re being strange.”

Jiang Xun: “…”

Feng Yan suddenly crouched down and asked Liu Hai, “Hey, little guy, do you want to go back to the ocean?”

“You came from there—don’t you have some innate longing for freedom or a homesick urge to return?”

Liu Hai blinked. “Hmm—”

“Because I’m very happy being with everyone, so I don’t particularly want to.”

He wrinkled his brow in distress. “I used to think about escaping, but now… I might not be able to leave everyone.”

He drooped his head gloomily. “I’d miss playing with everyone, and I’d miss fish and chips, fish pie, sweet and sour squirrel fish, fish ball soup…”

A Yu: “We count as ‘everyone,’ but the food list sounds like it could fill several lines.”

“Oh, well, at least you’re mentioned, don’t be so picky,” Xiao Jin elbowed him. “Don’t you think it’s adorable?!”

Liu Hai rattled off a string of food names, then looked up: “And I’d miss Jiang Xun too!”

Xiao Jin clapped, touched: “Boss! You get a line all to yourself!”

Jiang Xun: “…Noted.”

“Hey, boss—” Xiao Jin pointed at him. “Liu Hai said he’d miss you! Doesn’t that move you?”

“It did, a little,” Jiang Xun sighed. “But in this atmosphere, I feel like you all ruined the mood.”

Despite his words, a faint smile appeared. “Speaking of which, are you planning to play with them today, Liu Hai?”

“Did you forget? You still need to prepare for the filming.”

“That’s already done!” Liu Hai said righteously. “Didn’t we call and ask a professional?”

“Huan Hai said, ‘Just try to look good!’”

He lifted his face. “I look pretty good, right? Everyone always praises how grand I am.”

Jiang Xun: “…You do look good.”

“But it probably has nothing to do with ‘grandeur.’”

Xiao Jin scratched her head. “Liu Hai, do you know what ‘grandeur’ means? Did you misunderstand the word?”

“Of course not!” Liu Hai tried to prove himself, puffing himself up. “I’m very big! And my tail is very strong! Isn’t that grand?!”

“Uh, well…” Xiao Jin, who usually indulged Liu Hai, could only equivocate. “About that…”

Jiang Xun stated firmly, “Not at all.”

“No matter how you look at it, it’s just ‘cute.’”

“I know I’m cute!” Liu Hai leaned closer to Jiang Xun, trying to make him see clearly. “But cute and grand aren’t mutually exclusive, are they?”

He was the very cute and majestic Seal King! All the young ones used to agree!

Jiang Xun was momentarily dazzled by the enlarged, cute face before him and closed his eyes. “Very…”

“Very cute.”

Liu Hai gave him a headbutt.

Author’s Note:

Jiang Xun (thud): Ah, so cute it’s deadly.