Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The merfolk pool fell into an eerie silence.

Helunen had long prepared himself to face a ferocious mermaid, but the merbaby that hatched from the egg was completely different from what he had imagined.

The little mermaid was only the size of a thumb, with hair like seaweed that revealed an extremely faint pink hue against the snowy white. Two cute cowlicks stuck up adorably on its head.

Its tail wasn’t even fully developed yet—pure, transparent, reminiscent of the high-end porcelain one might see in a museum, yet far softer and more fragile.

Seemingly surprised by his sudden appearance, the little mermaid widened its beautiful eyes like winter frost, staring at him foolishly while blinking its equally frost-carved lashes.

Pure, soft, harmless.

Their gazes met, and Helunen leaned down, offering his palm toward the little mermaid. "Come here."

Luo Ci didn’t understand the words, but judging by the man’s gesture, he probably wanted him to approach.

He lifted his petite chin, eyeing the outstretched palm, but instead of moving closer, he hugged his tiny tail tighter and scooted back slightly.

It wasn’t because Helunen was much larger than him—rather, the mermaid’s keen senses picked up on the stormy and volatile psionic waves radiating from the man. In truth, he didn’t even know what psionic waves were, but the aura felt dangerous, putting his instincts on edge.

His chubby little hands covered his eyes as he slowly turned around, his bottom sticking up in the air, as if pretending not to see anything.

*If I can't see you, if I can't see you…*

Seeing the merbaby bury its face like an ostrich, its rear raised high in apparent fear, Helunen wasn’t particularly surprised.

He remembered his first visit to Yivain’s genetic research lab, which housed nearly 80% of known galactic species. The moment he walked past, they all shrank into the corners, trembling. It had been a thoroughly awkward encounter.

After encountering such reactions often enough, Helunen had grown accustomed to it—it barely registered.

It seemed this mermaid was no different.

Thus, he simply withdrew his hand and called for the steward.

The steward was astonished. He hadn’t expected the little mermaid to hatch so soon. Before he could fully process his surprise, Helunen instructed, "Feed it something."

The little mermaid was afraid of him, but it probably wouldn’t fear the steward.

Naturally, the steward complied.

Luo Ci remained sprawled among the shattered eggshells, his tail dangling in the shallow pool as he swayed it gently, studying his reflection in the water.

*Wait...*

Aside from his fish tail, even his hands looked different now—pudgy, delicate, and soft, like those of a newborn, as if they’d dent with the slightest pinch. A thin, delicate membrane stretched between his fingers.

His ear fins were soft and transparent, veins faintly visible beneath, their tips adorned with semi-transparent, snowy veils that closely resembled the fins on his tail.

Recalling the broken eggshells, Luo Ci suddenly understood—he was a freshly hatched merbaby.

Suspecting this might be a dream, he rubbed his eyes and slowly reopened them, but his tail remained the same chubby, stubby one.

He buried his face in the water—

"Gloop gloop~"

A string of bubbles floated to the surface.

Luo Ci worriedly pinched the tip of his tail, like a nervous child gripping the hem of their clothes, realizing he could breathe underwater now.

*So he really was a merbaby…*

Helunen observed the little mermaid’s movements, growing increasingly convinced that this merbaby wasn’t like normal merfolk at all. It lacked the innate aggression of its kind—timid, soft, even its translucent eyelashes trembling timidly.

Watching the little mermaid dunk its face underwater to blow bubbles, he thought idly,

*And kinda dumb too.*

As soon as Luo Ci lifted his face from the water, he saw the two men finish their conversation. The man glanced at him before leaving.

The steward then brought over a carefully prepared dish of fish paste.

Could it be… that the man had asked the steward to prepare food for him?

He had refused the man’s approach, yet the man hadn’t taken offense—instead, he’d had food brought. At the very least, they didn’t seem intent on harming him, which meant they weren't bad people.

Luo Ci thought to himself.

The steward had adored the little mermaid at first sight—though, really, who wouldn’t?

With its delicate features and chubby, puffing cheeks as if pondering something serious, the little mermaid was heart-meltingly adorable. Its fingers unconsciously played with the curled end of its tail, its liquid eyes occasionally drifting toward the doorway where the figure had long vanished.

Earlier, His Lordship had said the little mermaid was afraid of him, but seeing this, perhaps that wasn’t entirely true. The steward smiled warmly and said soothingly, "Little mermaid, have a bite. The marshal will return soon after finishing his business."

He nudged the small dish of fish paste toward Luo Ci.

"This is fresh cod paste—smooth as custard, that melts the moment it touches your tongue."

"Glurp..."

Little Fish’s cheeks flushed pink as he shyly patted his belly.

Having spent months inside the egg, sustained only by the egg fluids in a state of constant hunger, and having exhausted what little energy he had left during hatching, he was already famished.

But after sniffing the air, Luo Ci silently turned his head away.

A strong, fishy odor mixed with seawater hit his nose… Even though he was now a mermaid, he still couldn’t bring himself to accept raw fish paste.

Suddenly, he didn’t feel so hungry anymore.

When the steward coaxed from the left, the little mermaid turned its head to the right. When the steward moved to the right, it turned left.

Was the fish paste not to its liking?

The steward quickly had someone prepare sashimi, peeled Volren ice prawns, Southern Atoll oysters… all rare and expensive delicacies, arranged one by one before the little mermaid.

Yet the little one wouldn’t even look at them, instead flipping its tail and sinking to the bottom of the pool, idly blowing a stream of pearl-like bubbles.

The bubbles rose to the surface, bursting one by one.

This sent the steward into a tizzy.

A hatchling needs to eat—how could it go without?

He was reluctant to bother His Lordship, but with no other choice, he hurriedly reached out to Helunen.

While the butler was contacting Helunen, Luo Ci was curled up at the bottom of the pool, coiling his tail around his body into a tight ball.

He had originally planned to break the shell and sneak away, but that was impossible now. Firstly, a merbaby couldn’t stay out of water for long, and secondly, his body was too small and fragile—just breaking the shell had exhausted him. Who knew what he might encounter outside?

The man looked intimidating, but he didn’t seem to have any intention of harming him.

Luo Ci rested his chin in his hands, his tail swaying gently, stirring ripples in the water.

Outside, a shadow passed across the sky—what looked like a passing airship—reflecting in the pool. He tilted his head to look. The merfolk pool was flanked by floor-to-ceiling windows with a sleek, arcing design.

Swimming to the window with a flick of his tail, he peered outside, his eyes going wide in surprise.

In the distance, interwoven star tracks stretched across the sky like jagged cloud rings. Hundreds of floating buildings hovered in the air, looking like mushrooms dotting the azure sky. At the heart of this steel forest of a city stood a grand, circular structure that, at first glance, looked like a celestial eye opening.

*Whoa...*

Though he had already guessed he might no longer be in his original world, he couldn’t help gaping slightly.

Just as he was wondering what the circular structure was, Luo Ci heard unfamiliar Interstellar Language. His ear fins twitched slightly as he turned his gaze to the garden below.

Two gardeners were chatting while pruning.

“Heard your brother’s coming back the day after tomorrow? Surviving the Fifth District Plains—that’s some luck.”

“Hah, no kidding. Over three hundred perished. He got lucky—Bahai only scraped him. Got treated in time, lost his leg, but at least he’s alive.”

“Now you two can finally reunite.”

The man patted his own missing arm. “Thank the Marshal for having no prejudice, giving us a place to stay. Otherwise, we wouldn’t even have made it back to the capital planet.”

Merbaby hearing was too sensitive. Though the two gardeners chatted for a long time, Luo Ci couldn’t understand them—only guessing from their gestures.

Both gardeners below had visible disabilities. Recalling how the butler had a limp, Luo Ci guessed they had all suffered injuries from some unknown cause, left with permanent disabilities that couldn’t be cured—perhaps even facing discrimination.

Maybe that man from earlier had hired them, giving them a way to survive.

Luo Ci figured out some things through guesswork.

It dawned on him—he had heard many robotic voices in the mansion, yet so many human servants were still employed.

But with such advanced technology, couldn’t disabilities be cured?

Or was there another reason?

After thinking hard for a while, he gave up and stopped worrying. There’d be time to figure it out later.

But recalling how he had ignored the man earlier, the little mermaid puffed out his cheeks slightly, hugging his tail and kneading it nervously. Had he been too harsh?

Luo Ci frowned in thought.

…

Upon hearing the news, Helunen hurried back from the parliament, his eyes immediately found the little mermaid by the window.

By his standards, he was far too small, yet somehow, the moment he stepped inside, he spotted him.

A soft glow enveloped him like a veil.

Water droplets clung to his lashes and hair, shimmering like scattered light. His tail swayed gently with the water’s rhythm, his delicate fin veil dazzling like budding petals.

Helunen paused at the doorway. According to records, merfolk were highly territorial—had he already claimed this room as his own?

But unexpectedly, upon seeing him at the door, the little mermaid wiggled forward, his small tail swishing as he swam toward the shore.

Being so young, his tail lacked strength. His movements were clumsy, and after a short distance, he sank, leaving bubbles rising to the surface.

Helunen worried he might choke, but he struggled back up with effort, struggling his way toward him.

Once near the edge, he stopped, tilting his head up to look at him.

His pale hair was damp, his cheeks flushed pink from exertion. Biting his moistened lip, he looked up timidly, as if wanting to approach but hesitating, his tail tip flicking nervously against the pool wall.

Water beads clung to his lashes, trembling as if about to fall. Helunen had never dealt with such a delicate merbaby before, resisting the urge to wipe the water from his eyes.

But seeing him blinking up at him expectantly, he rolled up his sleeve and bent down, extending his palm once more.

*Plop.*

The little mermaid used the water’s buoyancy to leap into his hand.

*So small.*

That was his first thought.

*So soft.*

His second.

The merbaby was no larger than his thumb, his body translucent like a delicate snow figurine, yet softer than the fruit-paste creatures of Tote Planet.

Resting in his palm, he felt like a snowflake—light, fragile, as if he might vanish at daybreak, a single petal enough to serve as his blanket.

Luo Ci’s heart raced nervously, but once settled in Helunen’s palm, he noticed Helunen hadn’t moved at all, frozen in place.

*Did he pull a muscle?*

He frowned in thought.

No—he was probably just afraid of startling him.

*Was he… nervous?*

More nervous than *him*?

Realizing this, his eyes blinked rapidly, his tail tip curling upward. Sure, he was a little scared—just a tiny bit—but he wasn’t *that* fragile.

As the little mermaid’s faint heartbeat steadied in his palm, Helunen lifted his hand slightly, his finger gently wiping away the droplet at the corner of his eye. But he was so small—his touch accidentally grazed the translucent veil of his ear fin, making it flutter back shyly as he hid himself.

His deep voice softened. “Don’t be afraid.”

Luo Ci coiled his tail around himself, burying his face in it before peeking up occasionally.

Earlier, he had avoided the other’s psychic presence, but now, up close, Helunen was strikingly tall and imposing. His deep blue eyes were like frozen pools in a snow-laden forest, silently watching him.

The man’s face was handsome yet stern, his features sharp and defined. Most would likely be too intimidated by his aura to notice.

“Sir,” the butler knocked and entered.

Curious, Luo Ci peeked over to see him pushing a cart, smiling as he approached. “Sir, as you instructed, I’ve gathered every aquatic product available on the market. These are just a few samples.”

Helunen: "Have them open everything."

Documentation on mermaids was extremely limited, with no detailed records on their dietary preferences. Thus, the safest approach was to have the butler purchase every type of aquatic product available.

Trial-and-error never fails.

Sure enough, the little mermaid tilted its head in his palm before suddenly perking toward one particular direction, giving a little sniff, its tail tip tapping anxiously against his hand.

"Bring that dried fish over."

The butler immediately fetched the dried fish, thoughtfully shredding it.

Luo Ci was absolutely famished. After confirming the fish was cooked, he grabbed a piece and took a bite.

"Mmm!" Yummy.

The moment he opened his mouth, Luo Ci froze—what came out was a soft, milky, baby-like coo, damp yet delicate.

"Huh-ah...?" Why was this happening?

The little mermaid’s shock was unmistakable, its round eyes popping wide, utterly bewildered and adorable.

Had the butler not been mindful of his master’s presence, he would’ve snapped a photo with his HoloTab. The little mermaid’s first eating reaction was too hilarious—missing that shot was a real pity.

After observing, Helunen concluded that the little mermaid’s sounds carried meaning; it simply couldn’t articulate words yet. Its intelligence exceeded his expectations.

Wanting to express itself verbally right after hatching reminded him of rumors that some interstellar lifeforms even possessed inherited memories.

"Don’t rush," he said softly, gently stroking its throat with his fingertip. "You’re still small. Once your vocal organs develop, you’ll speak."

Luo Ci watched his gesture and understood.

In a sweet, docile voice: "Mm-hmm." Got it.

Being so tiny, the little mermaid couldn’t eat much before its belly grew round and full.

Now round and unsteady, it struggled to balance, hugging its chubby tail to steady itself in his palm.

But it remained restless, shifting its weight as if the spot beneath it was too hard. Its tail wriggled, pushing against his palm as it sought a comfier position.

"Enough. It’s time to rest." Helunen took a towel from the butler to wipe the grease off his hands, ready to return the little mermaid to its pool before heading back to handle his work.

He loosened his grip, expecting it to dart away the moment freed.

Yet as he lifted his hand, its soft tail coiled around his finger, its little thumb-sized body curling up to hide against his knuckles.

He didn't expect it to be this clingy.

When Helunen remained still, the little mermaid peeked around his finger, tilting its head. Meeting his gaze, it instantly ducked back, pretending nothing had happened.

"...You really think hiding like that works?"

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