Main ship, tea room next to the Marshal’s office.

“…Say that again, how many transaction points?!?!”

“Shhh—!” Duke quickly poked his head out, sneaking a glance through the small window on the door to check next door. Only after confirming that the two people inside hadn’t heard the exclamation did he let out a relieved sigh.

Then he patted his chest. “Please don’t let the Marshal hear that…”

Standing opposite Duke was a stooped old man with graying temples. A pair of extremely thick reading glasses sat on his large, reddish nose, and beneath his bushy gray brows, his eyes sparkled with an energy that belied his age.

He was Xu Yiming, chief researcher of the Imperial Research Institute.

Xu Yiming had originally come to assist the military with their investigation, but clearly, this old rascal’s attention had completely drifted away from work.

One hand adjusting his glasses, the other leaning on a cane, his face was full of shock. “Say it again—how many transaction points did Linyuan spend on this voyage?”

The fact that the Imperial Marshal brought someone extra back from a mission had sparked curiosity among everyone on the battleship. But only Xu Yiming had the opportunity to get close to Duke and hear the gossip straight from the source.

Duke glanced toward the room again, then whispered, “Eighty billion.”

Xu Yiming: “…Didn’t you say Linyuan wasn’t interested in merfolk?”

Hearing this, Duke couldn’t help but recall the mermaid he’d just seen.

“Maybe… the Marshal changed his mind?” he scratched his head. “Professor Xu, this little mer… Little Bai is different from other merfolk.”

“Oh?” Xu Yiming adjusted his glasses again. “In what way?”

Duke peeked outside once more to ensure no one was around, then said in a low voice, “Little Bai is very smart—his intelligence seems quite high. The Marshal only demonstrated how to use the disguise device once, and he remembered it right away. Although he’s wary of humans, he seems to be actively trying to communicate with the Marshal.”

“The name ‘Little Bai’ is what he told the Marshal himself.”

“But he’s definitely strong,” Duke added, recalling the miserable state of the two space pirates. “…Not to be underestimated.”

Xu Yiming stroked the gray-white stubble on his chin, deep in thought. “That really doesn’t match the records we currently have on merfolk… Did Linyuan say when he plans to send him to the research institute?”

Duke let out an “Ah”: “The Marshal didn’t mention that.”

Xu Yiming: “Then try to find a chance to ask?”

“It’s mainly that Little Bai is resistant to human contact, and he seems to have a fear of medical equipment.” Duke paused. “The Marshal seems to have noticed that too.”

Xu Yiming gave an understanding “Oh”: “Maybe he had some unpleasant experience before… By the way, has Linyuan been taking his medication regularly lately?”

At the mention of that, Duke’s expression turned gloomy. “Yes, but his episodes are becoming more frequent, and the sedatives aren’t lasting as long… Could you arrange another checkup for the Marshal when we return?”

Fu Linyuan’s spiritual sea was deteriorating.

Even with regular medication, it wasn’t enough to stop the increasingly frequent mental outbursts.

Xu Yiming also furrowed his brows, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end all his words became a sigh. “Alright. I’ll do it as soon as possible.”

As for what those two in the tea room were discussing, Yu Bai had no idea.

Fu Linyuan had seemed busy ever since boarding the starship, so now the little mermaid’s attention was entirely focused on the view outside the window.

As the altitude increased, the blue of the sky deepened. Then, at a certain point, it began to resemble the deep sea where he had lived alone for so long, and after that, it turned black like the rocks on the ocean floor.

Only, in the pitch-black void of deep space, there were still stars scattered about like shattered diamonds.

Twinkling and flickering, like those little glowing fish underwater.

The decor of the Marshal’s office was very simple. Other than the large window in front of him, there was only a desk and a chair for work; in front of the spacious desk, there was just a couch for meetings.

Yu Bai curled up on the couch, his legs habitually tucked to one side, the whole of him shrunk into a corner, buried in an oversized coat, looking small and obedient.

His fingers idly poked at the soft cushion, the pale pink of his fingertips standing out even more against the dark fabric.

Having finally finished his reports, Fu Linyuan got up to retrieve the medical kit, then paused at the door for a few seconds to look at him before walking over and sitting down beside him.

Sensing the movement nearby, Yu Bai’s attention shifted from the window back to the person beside him.

His long eyelashes fluttered like a little butterfly’s wings as he looked up.

Fu Linyuan lowered his eyes and gestured for him to lower his head. “Time to change the dressing.”

Yu Bai’s gaze followed the voice and landed on the opened medical kit.

In addition to gauze and ointment, there were also two syringes of different sizes lying quietly inside.

At the sight of the syringes, a clear trace of resistance flickered in his sea-blue eyes.

But he didn’t put up a fight—he merely shrank a little deeper into the couch.

Looking even more well-behaved.

Sensitive to the shift in Yu Bai’s mood, even though he knew the little mermaid might not understand everything, Fu Linyuan still explained, “Only one is for you. Your wound needs an anti-inflammatory injection.”

Yu Bai didn’t understand, but thinking his movement was subtle, he tried to inch further into the corner of the couch.

As if that could put more distance between him and the syringe.

Seeing his nervousness, Fu Linyuan didn’t pick up the syringe. Instead, he reached to carefully unwrap the gauze around Yu Bai’s neck.

His skin was very pale.

So pale that, at this close distance, Fu Linyuan could see the blue veins beneath the luminous surface.

His body temperature also ran low. Even the skin at his neck felt cool to the touch.

Once the gauze was fully removed, Fu Linyuan’s gaze shifted slightly as he looked at the uneven wound.

The little mermaid’s self-healing ability seemed far superior to that of humans.

The slight inflammation that had appeared during the emergency treatment earlier had completely disappeared.

More than that—the wound that had been bleeding heavily just a few hours ago had now fully scabbed over, with some areas even beginning to shed.

At this rate, he wouldn’t even need a full day to recover.

The medicines Fu Linyuan had brought might all be useless.

Pausing, the man reached out and gently grasped Yu Bai’s lower leg, unwrapping the bandage around his ankle as well.

As expected, the swelling had almost entirely subsided, with only a faint redness left around the joints.

Yu Bai let him check his injuries without resistance, his eyes locked tightly on the syringes on the coffee table.

Since he was already close to recovery, an anti-inflammatory injection was unnecessary. Fu Linyuan simply replaced the gauze with fresh bandages.

Then he picked up the larger syringe from the coffee table and aimed its sharp tip at the vein in his own inner elbow.

Yu Bai, who had been watching the syringe all along, was stunned. It wasn’t until the needle tip nearly pierced Fu Linyuan’s skin that he reacted.

Even though he was scared, he suddenly reached out and grabbed Fu Linyuan’s wrist.

The little mermaid’s palm was just as cool.

Fu Linyuan paused and looked up.

Seeing him look over, Yu Bai hurriedly shook his head, indicating that it was a bad thing. Then he frowned, puffed out his cheeks a little, and pushed the syringe away by Fu Linyuan’s wrist.

Whatever was in those glass tubes made people feel awful.

It might hurt, it might itch, it might cause dizziness or nausea.

In any case, it was nothing good.

The dislike and rejection in those sea-blue eyes were too obvious—Fu Linyuan seemed to understand what the little mermaid meant.

After a moment of silence, he set the syringe down, just as Yu Bai had hoped.

Then, he summoned a spiritual tendril.

This one looked even darker than the one Yu Bai had seen at the auction house, and the wild spiritual barbs struggled even more violently.

Yu Bai froze again, then instinctively looked toward Fu Linyuan’s spiritual sea.

The vast sea of consciousness had turned nearly pitch black.

Within it, turbulent waves surged, and immense forces rampaged uncontrollably, as if trying to tear his mind to shreds.

Yu Bai didn’t understand.

Why had Fu Linyuan’s spiritual sea worsened again?

Seeing the little mermaid dazed, Fu Linyuan picked up the syringe once more. This time, without hesitation, the metallic needle pierced his skin, and the transparent medication flowed silently into his bloodstream.

The drug worked quickly. The violent spiritual energy was soon brought under control.

Like a raging storm finally beginning to subside, Yu Bai watched as the man’s spiritual sea gradually calmed.

But the color didn’t return.

And perhaps it was just his imagination, but it seemed that after the syringe was withdrawn, the grey darkness in Fu Linyuan’s spiritual sea deepened a little more.

Yu Bai couldn’t help glancing at the syringe again.

…Didn’t it hurt?

Seeing that he seemed less afraid, Fu Linyuan said in a low voice, “Though it has side effects, this sedative is currently the fastest-acting one on the market.”

Yu Bai certainly didn’t understand, but judging from the tone and expression, he guessed Fu Linyuan was explaining what the transparent liquid in the syringe was for.

…Since it doesn’t hurt, then it must be a good thing, right?

So even something sharp like that can make someone feel better.

Thinking this, the little mermaid nodded half-understandingly.

Just then, there was a knock on the office door.

Yu Bai turned to look—it was a stranger, dressed in a dark green military uniform.

“Report—” the visitor saluted at the doorway, “Marshal, the refreshments for afternoon tea are ready. Should I bring them in now?”

So, unknowingly, they had already been traveling for most of the day.

They were likely going to land in a little while, and Fu Linyuan usually didn’t eat sweets anyway.

But the words “No need” stopped at his lips, and when he finally spoke, they came out as: “Bring two servings over.”

A little barbecue had been enough to lure him all the way to such a remote place.

He probably hadn’t eaten all day—he must be hungry, right?

The person at the door responded, saluted again, and turned to leave.

Yu Bai still didn’t understand the conversation, so his attention was drawn back to the scenery outside the window.

At some point, many other starships had appeared around them, and a new planet had come into view ahead.

Just as he was counting how many colors the planet had, Yu Bai suddenly noticed, sharp-eyed, a bright dot rapidly expanding in the far left distance.

It was flying straight toward them.

By the time Yu Bai realized the light came from the burning tail of a round object, a near-tangible fear overwhelmed him almost instantly.

The intense emotion made his brain freeze for a moment.

Then, as if purely by instinct, he suddenly tackled the person beside him to the ground.