Chapter 16 Baby Seal Lychee Tart

Chapter 16 Baby Seal's Lychee Tart

Li Hanchuan, a vein throbbing at his temple, suddenly closed his eyes.

The moment he felt a reaction, he pulled out a suppressant and injected it directly into the back of his neck. The potent medication quickly subdued his courtship pheromones.

But the burning, swelling pain did not disappear.

He desperately needed relief.

"..." When he opened his eyes, he met the innocent, inquiring gaze of his young wife, who asked with concern, "What are you doing? Are you feeling unwell?"

Still not working.

He smelled too good.

Whenever he encountered this merman, it was as if he had unlocked a seventh sense you see in movies—his sense of smell became extraordinarily sharp.

How had Li Hanchuan never known before that a person could emit such a clear, captivating scent?

The alpha swallowed hard and suddenly stood up, startling Rui Rui.

The easily frightened baby seal had never seen the Major General's ears so red—it was as if if you poked it with a paw, his leopard claws would sizzle like on a hotplate.

Rui Rui paused for a moment before sincerely praising, "You've gone all red."

Maybe he has some chameleon in his ancestry.

No wonder he was so friendly to beastmen.

"..."

"Who gave you permission to praise me?"

Li Hanchuan turned his back, no longer in the mood for breakfast, his tone unfriendly.

"I'm a rogue, aren't I?"

It was unclear whether he was angry at himself or just making excuses: "Just play the part of the rogue Major General's wife properly. Don't do anything extra."

After this stiff remark, he strode away briskly in his military boots.

The butler, holding freshly squeezed juice, refilled Rui Rui's cup and couldn't help sighing.

Poor child.

To encounter an alpha with such a terrible temper as the Major General.

The merman truly lived up to its legendary status.

Even without saying a word, one could sense the inner pain and melancholy in his heart just from his breathtakingly beautiful face.

Just look.

He was so upset that he polished off two breakfast portions all by himself and even asked for two more!

-

Since the rogue Major General had spoken, the hospitable baby seal decided to attend a baking class today, striving to learn how to make the most delicious pastries as a form of compensation.

He sent messages to the three officers' wives, and the baking group was formed in an instant.

The scenic former palace estate was not accessible to just anyone.

The reservation process was also quite cumbersome.

Even the paid training classes here weren’t open to just anyone with money—members had to be referred by others to gain participation.

Thus, this was an omega-dominated battleground for social elites.

Elegant attire, glittering jewels, impeccable manners, and carefully chosen words—every moment felt like attending a high-end banquet.

Even breathing the air here felt like you could almost hear a meter ticking.

By the time Rui Rui arrived at the back garden, a mist had begun to spread, blurring the outlines of the classical architecture and greenery.

The centuries-old buildings, in such weather, took on an eerie and creepy atmosphere.

"A foggy day?" the omega murmured softly. "It reminds me of the seafloor on overcast days."

The place made him unexpectedly homesick.

Plop.

The baby seal smoothly rolled into the mist-shrouded pond, opening his mouth to randomly scoop up some lucky pond-dwellers to eat.

Since his friends hadn’t arrived yet, he might as well eat while waiting!

The pond wasn’t deep, and the little one’s soft hind flippers found purchase, his round little head just peeking above the water, revealing only a pair of dark, bright animal eyes.

Chomp, chomp, chomp.

Why weren’t they here yet?

-

"Even though Rui Rui usually jokes with us, after all, he's the Major General's wife. To some extent, he’s also our superior. Since it’s our first baking class together, we should take it seriously!"

"Exactly. I specially hired a celebrity hairstylist to design an elegant hairstyle for me that wouldn’t outshine her."

Three Birds Madam was dressed extravagantly, as if ready to fly south for the winter at any moment.

As they ventured deeper into the estate, the colors dropped noticeably, and the chirping of birds grew quieter.

The ostrich omega got goosebumps.

"It’s so cold! H-how did it get so foggy so fast?"

The woodpecker’s already serious expression grew even tenser, his breathing quickening. "Haven’t you heard the legend?"

"What?" the two ladies asked, their voices panicked.

The woodpecker: "Legend has it that two hundred years ago, a beastman chieftain, still wild at heart, relied on the genes of prehistoric giant beasts to lead carnivorous animals in a nighttime raid on the palace, attempting to seize power and add human civilians to the menu."

"Unexpectedly, he was captured by humans, who cut off his ears and horns and imprisoned him in the back garden pond."

"The humans deliberately spared his life, leaving him to let out blood-curdling screams day and night..."

The flamingo and the ostrich went pale, their heavy blush looking rather ridiculous.

"Th-then he must have died long ago, right?"

The woodpecker’s voice was cold: "No. It’s said that he and the rebels of that time all died full of resentment, their souls condemned to remain here forever. Whenever night falls or on foggy, rainy days, they emerge to snatch up unsuspecting humans and beastmen."

"Stop it now!" Flamingo's spindly legs trembled wildly.

"L-let's just hurry up and find Rui Rui! He's a merman—he definitely won't be afraid of this ghost stuff!"

The group drew closer to the pond.

The low temperature and damp, sticky air made the ladies' fancy dresses stick to them. What had felt perfect just moments ago now they just felt in the way and tripping them up.

"Rui Rui, Rui Rui, where are you!" Flamingo couldn't help yelling out.

One minute earlier.

The little round-headed, round-bellied guy stood in the pond, chowing down on the buffet and nearly finishing off all the fish fry the staff had added. Finally, the spooky weather grabbed his attention.

"Somehow, I really miss my folks back home."

Little Dumpling blinked, glanced around, and seeing that his friends hadn't arrived yet, suddenly his little face went red as he pursed his lips.

He did something he had always been too shy to do before.

"Boom!!!" A deep, resonant seal roar erupted from Little Dumpling's small, round mouth.

So embarrassing... but kinda good.

"Boom, boom, boom—!"

He got this idea from wolf packs—how one wolf's call would get answered by another, no matter the distance, so they could sense each other no matter how far apart.

Let Mu miss his tribe this way.

Ten meters away, the three birds suddenly froze. "Wh-what was THAT?!"

"Damn it, how did we end up at the pond?!" Ostrich panicked, spotting this weird shadow through the thick fog. Her heart instantly jumped to 180 mph. "Hey—look at that!"

Ears cut off.

Horns severed.

Imprisoned in the pond.

Trapped for eternity!

Little Dumpling—who never had ears or horns to begin with—slapped his belly frantically underwater, then imitating a seal, arching his nose: "Bwooo! Bwooo—!"

The three birds decked out in all their fancy feathers completely lost their minds, stumbling to the ground and scrambling backward in pure terror.

Day and night.

Heart-wrenching wails!

The bird omegas never imagined they could let out screams that could rival a phoenix's just by flapping their wings—

"The ghost of some prehistoric monster is here to claim our lives!"

Nobles who were in nearby classrooms pushed open their windows to look outside. "What's going on?"

In less than thirty seconds, the rumbling sound echoed through the palace grounds, and all the noble ladies inside came pouring out in complete chaos.

Their usual elegance vanished without a trace, their expensive shoes and jewelry getting left behind in the rush.

Everyone shoved and scrambled toward the open ground, running like mad toward the gates.

"It's haunted, it's haunted!"

"If we don't run, we'll die!"

"Mu?" The little Little Dumpling, still roaring passionately, turned his head, wriggled ashore, and his dark grape-like eyes quickly welled up with terrified tears. "So scary...!"

The chubby little ball flailed his tiny claws, his belly skidding across the lawn as he seamlessly joined the fleeing crowd.

He even paused to help up a confused hamster.

Hamster: "What's happening?"

The enthusiastic baby seal furrowed his brow, tossed the hamster onto his back, and continued his high-speed skid. "Hurry, this place is haunted!"