Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Afternoon.

Warm, gentle sunlight bathed the entire mermaid pool, making the water shimmer. Luo Ci rested her chin on her hands by the window, her tail swaying lightly, scattering tiny, pale golden droplets like delicate pearls.

"Milu."

Miluba was naturally timid, its voice as soft as the infrasonic waves used among fish schools—only Luo Ci could hear it.

It usually loved being cradled in her arms or perching like an invisible little hat atop her head. Only when no one was around would it slowly crawl down, settling on her shoulder before extending its tiny suction cups to touch her face.

"Mi..."

The suction cups were too short to reach. Miluba's round eyes narrowed, its lips pouting pitifully as tears plopped down one by one.

So absorbed in crying, it accidentally tumbled off Luo Ci's shoulder.

Now its cries grew even more sorrowful.

"Pfft." Luo Ci beckoned with her tiny hand.

Miluba continued sobbing but still scampered eagerly toward her.

Such a crybaby.

She wasn’t nearly as prone to tears.

Luo Ci scooped up Miluba with her small hands, puffing her cheeks as she gently blew on its sore suction cups—what must be its feet. "Huu huu." There, all better.

Miluba clung to her tightly, sniffling as tears kept falling.

"Pfft." Stop crying, look at this.

Luo Ci's ear fins trembled slightly, her full, plump lips parting as she blew a chain of perfect, glistening bubbles—"bloop bloop."

Merbaby slept cocooned in bubbles.

Making bubbles came naturally to mermaids.

She still remembered the first time she nestled into a bubble. The crisp, clean scent wrapped around her, as if she were floating in a warm ocean current, rocking gently with the waves. She felt weightless, her spirit utterly at ease. A whisper of sweetness tickled her nose, lulling her to close her eyes and surrender to the drifting tides, letting her consciousness slip into dreams.

And so, she slept soundly. Even though she had just arrived in this world, filled with confusion and unease, the instant she nestled into the bubble, all her worries melted away, giving way to peaceful sleep.

Perhaps the little bubbles had a soothing, purifying effect.

The bubble was round and plump, tinted a soft pink, drifting through sunbeams like a sweet candy from a fairy-tale house.

Miluba watched, mesmerized, lifting its suction cups to gingerly tap the bubble.

"Pop."

The bubble vanished like a dream, releasing a hint of sweetness. Miluba's eyes squinted as it swayed its head—clearly delighted.

Since merbabies needed frequent nourishment for growth, Luo Ci often got hungry again soon after meals, especially after playing with Miluba.

But today, even after the fifth meal delivery, it was still the butler who came—no sign of Helunen. Her hopes were dashed once more.

What was going on?

Had something happened?

Luo Ci drooped listlessly, her tail swaying weakly as she swam to the windowsill.

Now she could control her tail well, no longer stalling mid-swim.

She had wanted to show Helunen, but he hadn’t appeared all day.

The little mermaid cupped her round cheeks in her hands by the poolside. If only she knew what Helunen was up to.

The butler visited the mermaid pool periodically. Seeing the little mermaid’s face puckered like a worried dumpling, his heart turned to mush.

Luo Ci fretted, remembering the chaotic aura—what she now knew was spiritual energy—she had sensed from Helunen.

That turbulent, decaying atmosphere made her shiver, like an endless black forest, silent and suffocating, with a festering swamp radiating dread. It made her chest feel tight.

Her pearly pink tail flicked the water restlessly as she frowned seriously.

As far as she could tell, almost everyone in the mansion had spiritual energy, so she had assumed everyone in this world did—until she saw the hospital staff and realized that wasn’t the case.

And Helunen’s spiritual energy was the most immense she had ever encountered!

Among the hospital workers, even the strongest only had a speck, while others had barely any. If spiritual energy were water, the mansion’s staff's energy ranged from buckets to spoonfuls—but Helunen’s was an entire ocean.

Could everyone sense spiritual energy, or was it just her?

And did she have any? How much?

The more Luo Ci thought, the more confused she became, her mind spinning. She plunged her face into the water to cool off, her gills behind her ear fins releasing a stream of tiny bubbles.

So many worries for such a little mermaid.

·

Evening.

The butler arrived on schedule with a towering cart stacked with every kind of gourmet fish—treasures from across the stars, prepared by master chefs.

Normally, Luo Ci’s stomach would already be growling at the aroma, her tail swishing eagerly as she swam over.

But this time, the butler waited by the shore for a long while without seeing the little mermaid surface.

Servants fretted in hushed tones: "What should we do?"

The butler’s heart ached. He had an idea—using a fan to waft the delicious smells toward the water.

Sure enough, moments later, the little mermaid emerged from the depths, peering up with just her eyes showing.

The butler placed a perfectly grilled fish slice into her special bowl. Luo Ci ate slowly, eating halfheartedly. The butler looked at her with gentle eyes, speaking softly, "You miss the Marshal, don’t you? He’s preparing a gift for you. You’ll see him tonight."

Luo Ci gave a little tug. "Bloo bloo."

She flicked her tail toward the living room.

The butler understood. "You want to wait in the living room?"

Who could say no to the little mermaid?

Short periods out of water wouldn't cause any burden on the little mermaid's body. After she ate and drank her fill, the butler had servants clear the food cart while he found a hydrating wrap to cocoon the little mermaid in and carried her into the living room.

This was Luo Ci's first time in the living room.

The living room was done entirely in light gray, with simple and clean lines and not too many decorations, giving it a high-end, polished look. One side featured a wide, sleek high-tech window wall, while the other had a curved holographic display.

In the corner stood a white vase with a few unidentified white blooms emitting a faint fragrance.

Worried the little mermaid might get bored, the butler casually flipped on the display.

Helunen hardly ever watched projections at home, so when the channel was turned on, it was still set to the default news channel.

What greeted Luo Ci's eyes were images of collapsed buildings, scorched earth everywhere. A reporter sat in a mech cockpit, while behind them, medics sprayed disinfectant across the battlefield. The soil and trees all bore marks as if corroded by some kind of pollutant.

Concerned this might disturb the little mermaid, the butler quickly changed the channel.

The screen switched to a bald politician being interviewed by a host in a studio.

"So, in the view of the head of state, what impact will the Sea Tribe's acceptance of the Sea Emperor's revelation have on our Federation's diplomacy?"

The politician took over, speaking at length on the topic in a measured, persuasive tone. The host smiled and nodded frequently in agreement.

*Click.*

Seeing the little mermaid yawning and rubbing her eyes, Miluba also mimicked her with a yawn. The butler decisively changed the channel again, this time to a popular entertainment show going viral across the StarNet.

The show had invited currently popular space-famous streamers to form a trainee program, with the finalists debuting as pop stars after screening.

This program was very popular on the StarNet, with various planets rallying votes for their homegrown stars. Rumor had it that the competition had grown from individual competitions to full planetary showdowns. Even the butler occasionally caught an episode or two.

The little mermaid was indeed more interested in the lively TV show.

Luo Ci watched intently, and before long, time flew by. Her gill fins fluttered slightly—she had heard the familiar infrasound of the hovercar.

*Vroom—*

The hovercar came to a smooth stop at the mansion's entrance.

Luo Ci had been waiting eagerly on the sofa. The moment Helunen stepped into the living room, before he could even loosen his coat collar, he heard the little mermaid's soft call: *Wua.*

Helunen paused mid-step, noticing the little mermaid clinging to the sofa, looking up at him.

He gently touched her hair. "How did you get to the living room, hmm?"

The butler interjected at just the right time, "The little mermaid wanted to wait for you in the living room."

"You were gone all day, and she was in low spirits, even lost her appetite."

If Helunen dared to reach out, Luo Ci dared to climb up his arm, using her tail for leverage, her tiny rear wiggling as she went.

Once settled on Helunen's shoulder, she only needed to tilt her head to rub against his cheek before curling her tail into a comfortable position.

"Such a clingy thing?" Helunen pinched the tip of her tail.

Luo Ci slowly rolled over, baring her soft tummy as if to say, "Pet me here too."

"It's time to give you a name." Helunen reflected, feeling the softness under his fingertips.

His eyelids lowered slightly. The little mermaid's pale, shimmering eyes seemed to hold the sun, moon, and stars, pressing against him in innocent, clingy affection.

He recalled an ancient text describing the Luo River—though the river itself no longer existed, if water could have a spirit, it would surely resemble this little mermaid.

"How about 'Luo Luo' for now?"

Luo Ci tilted her head. Seeing Helunen repeat a word to her and tap her chest, she guessed it was the name he had given her.

So when Helunen said the word again, she happily hugged his finger and nuzzled it. "Wuna."

The little mermaid was indeed clever, quickly realizing it was her name.

Helunen looked down at her proud little face and lightly pinched her soft cheeks.

The texture was quite nice.

It'd be even better if she plumped up a bit more.

Luo Ci smiled, her eyes curving as she wrapped her tail around his finger, asking for a reward.

He really had prepared a gift for her—Totsuka walked in carrying something and placed it on the table, waving the curious mermaid over.

When the black cloth was lifted, it revealed an aquatic enclosure.

Inside was a jet-black little shark, its unnerving vertical pupils—completely unlike a human's—silently rotating.

Yivain's words had inspired him. Perhaps the little mermaid didn't eat because the food wasn't alive.

For her to survive independently in the future, she needed to hone her hunting instincts in a planned manner.

After consulting thousands of fish encyclopedias, he had chosen the peacock-tail shark.

This type of shark had low aggression, dense muscle, and was rich in fish oil. Unfortunately, it lived in far-flung systems, so Helunen had to navigate across hundreds of small galaxies to find one for the little mermaid.

He deliberately chose one similar in size to the little mermaid, making it the perfect first practice prey for her.

Mermaids had no natural predators in the deep sea—they were apex predators, feared by all deep-sea creatures.

As everyone expected, the peacock-tail shark should have been trembling under the mermaid's bloodline pressure, with the little mermaid awakening her hunting instincts and proudly chasing it around the tank.

*Thud, thud...*

But from the start, the situation seemed to deviate from the adults' expectations.

The peacock-tail shark had a keen sense of smell. Upon catching the little mermaid's scent, it wasn't afraid at all—instead, it became agitated, excitedly ramming the enclosure walls. If not for the sturdy water cage, it might have escaped already.

It showed no signs of fear, seemingly eager to get closer to the little mermaid.

Its tail wagged like a dog's—if not for the confirmation it was a peacock-tail shark, one might have mistaken it for a dog shark.

Seeing the sharp-fanged shark wagging its tail at her, Luo Ci's gill fins quivered as she slowly blinked her wide eyes.

She really wanted...

Really wanted to touch Fish's fins...

But she couldn't.

What should a normal fishling's reaction be upon encountering a shark? Surely it would be terror and panic.

He was a normal fish; an ordinary merbaby facing a shark should be afraid. He needed to act scared.

Luo Ci nodded to himself.

Little Fish forced himself not to look at the water cage, secretly tugging at his soft, plump tail as he tried to work up the right act.

Helunen looked down at the little mermaid.

The little mermaid stared blankly at the water cage, as if petrified.

Her round eyes had welled up with glistening tears at some point, her snow-white, soft arms trembling as they hung limply by her sides, tiny fists clenched tight.

Like a pudgy little milk bun facing injustice, she looked like she wanted to cry but was forcing herself to stay strong.

Miluba swooped down from the little mermaid’s head, positioning himself in front of her and waving his flower-like little suction cups at the cage—though it did nothing to scare it away.

Helunen tipped up the little mermaid’s face. "Scared?"

Luo Ci looked up at him, her button nose wrinkling, lips trembling before she suddenly buried her face in his chest.

The little mermaid in his arms melted against him softly, her back tense, her delicate, pale as lotus root arms clutching at his clothes, her pearl-white hair fluffy and tousled from rubbing against him. Warm breaths puffed from her lips against his chest.

A moment later, Luo Ci felt a pair of large hands gently patting her back, comforting her.

The tank had been insisted on by Totsuka.

Was he trying to scare her?

Just as she was grumbling internally, she noticed Totsuka glancing her way, and the little fish angrily shot him a look.

What are you looking at!

This guy really was rotten! Deliberately trying to scare Fish!

After glaring, she clung even tighter to Helunen, like a bullied kid seeking comfort from a parent.

Totsuka’s heart dropped to his stomach at that glare—he was so wronged…

Knowing this shark was meant as a gift for the little mermaid, he had volunteered to carry it in, hoping to win her favor. Instead, it backfired.

He had shot himself in the foot.

Since the gift didn’t suit the little mermaid’s tastes, Helunen didn’t press the matter, instructing Totsuka to cover it with the black cloth again.

Totsuka hastily hauled the rejected present back onto the hovercart.

Well, back to the drawing board.

No matter how long he tried to coax her, the pitiful little mermaid remained curled into a little milk dumpling against his chest, refusing to come out.

Hearing the little mermaid’s tiny upset snuffles, the butler’s heart ached. He soothed from the side, "Luo Luo, don’t be scared, don’t cry, don’t cry. Look, the shark’s already been taken away."

Luo Ci, who had been clinging dramatically, flicked her ear fins at this. She wasn’t crying… Should she be?

She tightened her grip on Helunen’s uniform, squeezing out one fat tear with great effort.

Helunen gazed at the little mermaid’s upturned face—her irises pure white, her lashes long and delicate like a frosted lace fan, dotted with tiny, damp droplets. His heart felt as if it had been gently scratched by a soft, fluffy paw.

*Plink.*

A small, round, dewdropped pearl, snow-white tinged with pink, fell from her lashes.

Faster than thought, Helunen’s hand shot out, catching the tiny pearl on instinct.

It was small, still carrying a lingering warmth.

Helunen closed his fingers around it, his expression unreadable.

Luo Ci pressed her lips together, her chubby cheeks pink as peonies, like smooth, round milk cakes, tempting one to pinch the delicate skin. Her voice was honeyed. "Pfft."

"I’m sorry. I didn’t know you wouldn’t like this kind of gift," Helunen murmured, looking down at her as he coaxed the fragile merbaby. "This won’t happen again, I promise."

Totsuka, having finished moving the tank, walked back in. "Luo Luo—"

Before he could even finish, the little mermaid blew an indignant bubble at him, then shifted her tail, turning her pudgy fish bottom toward him.

*Oh no.*

He was permanently in her bad books.

After all the commotion, it was getting late.

Luo Ci got sleepier by the second, her tail curling into a ball as she buried her face in it and quickly fell asleep.

Helunen had intended to return her to the mermaid pool, but the merbaby’s finlet clung tightly to his finger, holding on for dear life. The slightest movement made her startle awake, bleary-eyed.

So clingy.

Luckily, Helunen was past needing sleep now—even if he returned to his room, he doubted he’d sleep anyway. So he stayed by the mermaid pool.

*Was this little mermaid really suited for the institute?*

She was nothing like the specimens in the files.

Though federal law now mandated that all juvenile specimens raised in the institute would be released upon adulthood, they still had to spend their developmental period there.

No doubt, Yivain would rear her according to his own understanding of mermaids—likely feeding her adult aggressive sharks. Would she weep in secret where no one could see?

Helunen wasn’t sure what to do with this exceptionally sensitive little mermaid.

Her body was limp as seaweed, her pink lips occasionally murmuring in her sleep. The pool’s simulated bioluminescence cast a gentle glow over her kelp-strand hair. Feeling the cool silk brush around his wrist, he let his eyelids drift shut as well.