The auction had begun.

Through the transparent glass, Yu Bai could see the host below introducing one auction item after another, and he could also hear the repeated bidding from the audience seats.

He could likewise feel Fu Linyuan’s gaze from behind him.

It was filled with curiosity and scrutiny, no different from the first time they met in his previous life.

Fu Linyuan was indeed looking at him.

Only, his sharp gaze eventually landed, seemingly unintentionally, on the blood-stained collar of the other.

The latter’s skin was a cold pale white, like someone who had not seen the sun for years, making the jagged wound on the back of his neck look all the more gruesome.

Yet the owner of that pale neck seemed completely unaware of any pain, his sea-blue eyes focused solely on the stage below.

Like a pure little creature newly arrived in the world, quiet with a touch of innocent curiosity.

When the video call from adjutant Duke came through, what he saw was their marshal staring expressionlessly at the boy by the window, as if his gaze alone could bore a hole through the young man’s back.

So focused — Duke gave Yu Bai a glance, then had to clear his throat to finally draw his superior’s attention back to himself: “Sir… everything has been taken care of as you instructed.”

Fu Linyuan gave a low “Mm,” paused, and then said to Yu Bai, “Come here.”

Although Yu Bai didn’t fully understand those two words, he could grasp the meaning from Fu Linyuan’s tone.

So he obediently scooted over to Fu Linyuan, eventually stopping two steps away from the holographic figure projected by the communicator.

He didn’t recognize the half-bodied human that emerged from the table, so instinctively, he didn’t get too close.

Duke, being projected, couldn’t help giving Yu Bai another glance.

The unfamiliar boy had walked with an odd gait, and though his appearance wasn’t particularly striking—at most, clean-cut—his sea-blue eyes were astonishingly beautiful, crystal clear and pure, giving Duke an odd sense of incongruity.

It was as if those eyes belonged to a face one could never forget.

But… why was he still awake?

Hadn’t he just administered a sedative before leaving?

Before Duke could think further, the marshal calmly repeated himself.

“Come here.”

Only then did Duke notice a medical kit sitting beside the marshal.

Yu Bai also noticed the open medical kit, and after a moment of hesitation—and observing Duke’s projection—he obediently sat down in front of Fu Linyuan.

Then, at the other’s signal, he lowered his head quietly, exposing the wounded, pale neck.

The interaction between the two seemed unfamiliar, but oddly harmonious. Duke was momentarily stunned, and couldn’t help but ask, “…Sir, where did you find this kid?”

They hadn’t used their official Imperial identities to enter the Tarl planet. They were at the auction for a mission.

However, the secrecy around this operation had been top-notch. Duke was certain no information had leaked beyond a few top brass in the military.

Even though Duke completely trusted the marshal’s judgment — bringing the boy here meant he was probably safe — he still couldn’t help but find Yu Bai’s appearance a bit suspicious.

“He ran into me himself.” Fu Linyuan’s tone was calm, as if he had no intention of elaborating further. Instead, he asked, “What about the other arrangements?”

Duke, used to his superior’s stinginess with words, obediently shifted the topic back to the mission: “Yes, all reverse-tracking setups have been deployed as planned.”

Fu Linyuan acknowledged with a hum and asked no further questions.

Duke ended the call.

Yu Bai didn’t understand what Duke had said at the end—he barely even noticed he was still speaking.

A mermaid’s nervous system was already extremely sensitive, and the sensation at the back of his neck was now unnervingly distinct.

Though the man’s movements weren’t heavy, the pain from the wound being stitched with a repair device was nearly unbearable.

Yu Bai didn’t make a sound, but his thin back trembled slightly from the pain.

And then he felt the man behind him pause.

He didn’t know if it was just his imagination, but the following movements seemed a little gentler.

Fu Linyuan treated the wound with practiced ease — fast and steady. The sharp pain soon dulled to a pressure beneath the sterile patch.

But Yu Bai didn’t relax completely.

Once Fu Linyuan closed the medical kit and set it aside, the small room fell into total silence.

One man stood, one boy sat. No one spoke. No one moved.

Downstairs, the auction was still in full swing. If Yu Bai remembered correctly, the star beast skeleton currently being auctioned signaled that the event was more than halfway through.

The rising and falling voices of bids became muffled as they passed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, but they had barely paused since the event began.

A mermaid’s senses were sharp. Through the soft reflection on the glass, Yu Bai could clearly see a sharp psychic tentacle hovering next to his temple.

But unlike normal white psychic tendrils, this one was dark gray, and it occasionally sprouted spikes, seemingly trying to escape its owner’s control.

Yu Bai knew that the darker the psychic power, the more polluted it was. He also knew those spikes meant the power was in a dangerously agitated state, close to a mental storm.

He further knew that its owner must be in great pain right now.

Yet when Yu Bai slightly raised his eyes, he found the man behind him still looked very calm.

If it weren’t for his own instincts resisting the chaotic energy, the little mermaid might have doubted what he was seeing.

Then, in the reflection, his eyes met the man’s.

Those obsidian-like eyes looked at him just as they had the first time they met after his rebirth.

Cold scrutiny, with a latent, dangerous threat.

Under the intense and growing pressure, the little mermaid’s ear fins instinctively twitched.

And with that twitch, the disguise device on his ear fell off, rolling across the floor with a few light spins.

At the same time, soft, smooth silver hair poured down.

In the reflection on the glass, the boy sitting there had pale skin, graceful and smooth facial lines, and features so refined they were almost unreal.

The tips of his ear fins, the same color as his eyes, poked slightly through his hair, making him look even more like a beautiful spirit who had accidentally wandered into the mortal world.

Yet those black eyes showed no hint of wavering in the face of such inhuman beauty—only continued scrutiny.

Although a little nervous, Yu Bai wasn’t afraid.

The fall of the disguise device also broke the silence in the private room. Fu Linyuan said in a low voice, “You’re the mermaid scheduled to be auctioned tonight.”

His speech wasn’t fast, and Yu Bai understood what he meant. Even though it wasn’t phrased as a question, the little mermaid still nodded.

Seeing that the mermaid before him really seemed to understand, Fu Linyuan raised an eyebrow slightly and asked again: “…What’s your name?”

Name.

Yu Bai understood that question too.

He opened his mouth, but unexpectedly, no sound came out.

It was as if his throat was stuffed with cotton, and he only noticed the subtle numbness when he tried to speak.

That numbness was familiar. In his previous life, every time he was caught after escaping, the people in the lab would inject him with a clear liquid. After that, this numbness would always follow.

Then unconsciousness.

Thinking back to the IV he’d yanked out upon waking, Yu Bai guessed it was probably a similar drug.

Only, because the dose wasn’t strong enough, his mind was still awake.

Unable to speak, the little mermaid looked around and spotted half a glass of water on the table.

He dipped a pink-tinted fingertip into the water and lowered his head, beginning to draw shakily on the tabletop.

After a while, the little mermaid looked up, sea-blue eyes filled with a barely concealed anticipation as he looked at Fu Linyuan.

The Imperial Marshal paused, his gaze sweeping over the table…

Then his brows furrowed.