Before Duke could say anything, Shen Zhichu suddenly remembered: “Seems like his name was Yu Bai?”

Duke froze again, almost choking once more.

He remembered now—when he was confirming patrol matters with the boss two days ago, he hadn’t reacted in time and had probably let it slip once.

Feeling guilty, he quickly picked up his cup and took a big gulp of water, his brain spinning rapidly: “Hmm… Yu Bai? Oh, him…”

In a flash of inspiration, Duke put down the cup and started half-lying, half-truthfully rambling: “Actually, I’m not too sure either? Since not everyone went on this patrol, he could’ve been a temporary replacement transferred from another legion?”

Brother, I’m sorry.

Duke silently apologized to Shen Zhichu in his heart.

It was the boss who told him to keep it a secret. Even though they were all close brothers, when it came to a superior’s direct order, he had no choice but to conceal it.

Luckily, there had been instances during past patrols where people were transferred in from other legions, so what Duke said now didn’t seem suspicious.

Shen Zhichu just let out an “oh” and didn’t ask further, going back to his other work.

Duke secretly wiped the sweat off his brow and lowered his head to keep eating.

Marshal’s Residence, Dining Room.

Perhaps because someone was thinking about him, Yu Bai, who was watching Huo Si serve the dishes, suddenly frowned and let out a small sneeze.

“Achoo—”

He had just come up from the water, and his hair was still damp.

With the sneeze, a few wet strands by his ear shook, and a single drop of water silently fell down.

For a brief moment, the little mermaid looked dazed after sneezing—just a bit silly, and a bit adorable.

Fu Linyuan paused, then told Huo Si to fetch a towel, gesturing for Yu Bai to dry his hair before eating.

Yu Bai didn’t really understand why he needed to dry his hair, but it seemed like Fu Linyuan wouldn’t let him eat the chicken leg if he didn’t. So the little mermaid reluctantly took the towel from Huo Si and clumsily rubbed his head with it.

His short silver hair were left half-dried and all messy, making him look even more like some kind of fluffy little animal.

Then the little animal tossed the towel aside, reached out for a chicken leg, and took a big bite.

His fair fingers quickly got greasy.

The man just watched him for a moment, then said, “Yu Bai.”

Yu Bai looked up with the chicken leg still in his mouth: “…?”

Why was he calling him?

Fu Linyuan glanced at the hand holding the chicken leg, then picked up his own knife and fork.

His movements weren’t fast or slow, not heavy or light, but the chicken leg on his plate was swiftly and neatly separated from the bone with the blade, sliced into clean pieces of meat.

After finishing, Fu Linyuan gestured at the knife and fork by Yu Bai’s hand. “…Did you learn it?”

The little mermaid tilted his head, put down the chicken leg, and mimicked Fu Linyuan’s actions by picking up the utensils.

Recalling the sequence of movements, Yu Bai carefully copied them, and before long, he perfectly replicated the result.

Then the little mermaid put down the knife and fork and continued munching on the neatly cut chicken pieces.

This time, the man said nothing more. He lowered his eyes and slowly forked a piece of meat from his own plate.

As long as he knew how to use them, that was enough.

…

The little mermaid always ate quickly.

After filling his belly, Yu Bai wiped his greasy little hands with a napkin and prepared to follow Huo Si to wash up.

He knew this — humans didn’t like food grease getting everywhere.

But just as he stood up, Fu Linyuan called out to him again.

The man glanced at the untouched glass on the table. “…Finish your drink before washing up.”

Yu Bai glanced at the contents of the glass, and his movements froze.

He was about to pretend he didn’t understand and sneak away when Fu Linyuan added in a leisurely tone, “Drink the milk, and then you can have candy.”

The little mermaid didn’t really like milk.

Fu Linyuan had noticed that during breakfast.

But Yu Bai’s personality was simple—just a little guidance, and he’d obediently drink it.

For example, telling this sweet-toothed creature that candy came after milk.

Yu Bai: “…”

Ugh! He used that trick again!

Yu Bai really didn’t like the taste of milk, but he also couldn’t resist the lure of candy.

Uuuu… who can say no to sweet, sugary candy?

But this white stuff tastes gross…

As Yu Bai stared at the glass of milk in deep agony, a faint, fleeting smile passed through the man’s dark eyes.

Fu Linyuan lightly coughed, and “casually” took out a piece of chocolate, giving it a small shake.

Yu Bai: “…!”

Absolutely shameless!

After staring at the milk like it had wronged him for several seconds, the little mermaid clenched his teeth, steeled himself, and picked up the glass.

Then, holding his nose, he gulped down the milk in a few big sips.

After putting down the cup, a faint trace of milk remained above his moist pink lips.

The little mermaid licked his lips, scrunched up his face, and stretched his hand toward Fu Linyuan.

“Candy.”

He spoke the word clearly and properly.

The man kept his promise and handed him the chocolate.

In the following days, Fu Linyuan seemed to get busier and busier. Yu Bai often didn’t see him for the entire day.

However, Huo Si came to teach the little mermaid every day.

The fairy tales Huo Si read to him were gradually coming to an end with the passage of time.

“The prince was about to marry the princess from the neighboring kingdom…”

“The little princess’s sisters, upon learning of this, cut off their hair and exchanged it with the sea witch for a dagger…”

Upon hearing this, Yu Bai hurriedly raised his hand.

The little mermaid had already learned that he should raise his hand before asking questions.

Huo Si stopped reading and asked, “What is it? What don’t you understand?”

Yu Bai pointed puzzledly at the little mermaid in the illustration, then at the princess also depicted: “Why… princess?”

Why are they both called princess?

Huo Si explained, “This one is a princess of the sea; that one is a princess of the land.”

“Sea…” Yu Bai repeated the pronunciation of the word.

So the place where he lived was called the sea in human language.

Looking down at the illustration again, the little mermaid furrowed his brow and pointed at the princess in the wedding dress next to the prince, asking with confusion, “…Why?”

Why was it this princess in the white dress now?

Just a page earlier, it was the little mermaid, who had turned human, wearing the white dress.

Huo Si knew that this concept might be a bit complex for Yu Bai, who hadn’t learned many words yet, so he slowed his pace and patiently explained: “Because the prince didn’t know it was the little princess who saved him.”

Saying that, he turned the book back to the page where the little princess rescued the prince from the sea.

“See, the prince didn’t know that it was the little princess who saved him,” the robot pointed at the prince lying unconscious on the beach. “He thought it was the princess from the neighboring kingdom who rescued him.”

Yu Bai frowned at the illustration, silent for a while.

He didn’t really like this prince.

How could he not even recognize the little princess?

“Tau…” He pointed at the black-haired, black-eyed prince, his brows furrowed, expression full of distaste, “Tau yan.”

Huo Si paused for a second and pulled up the pronunciation guide: “It’s ‘tao yan’ (讨厌), which means ‘dislike’.”

“Tau… yan?”

“Taǒ yàn.”

“Tao… yan…”

“That’s correct this time.” Confirming Yu Bai had gotten the pronunciation right, Huo Si said, “Shall I continue reading?”

“The little princess’s sisters handed her the dagger and said, ‘As long as you stab the prince in the heart before sunrise, your legs will turn back into a tail…’”

Before Huo Si finished the page, Yu Bai suddenly raised his hand again.

“…Why?”

He pointed at the large speech bubble above the sisters’ heads. Inside was an image of blood flowing from the prince’s chest onto the little princess’s legs, and in the next bubble, her legs transformed back into a fish tail.

Yu Bai, a real mermaid, was very confused by this.

Turning legs into a tail didn’t require someone to get hurt.

Just a little expenditure of mental energy was enough.

Thinking this, he pointed at his own ear fins.

This “why” from the little mermaid stumped Huo Si for a moment.

After some thought, Huo Si explained, “Um… The Little Mermaid is a fairy tale. Many parts of it are made up by the author, meaning the content isn’t all real.”

There were many unfamiliar words in that sentence, so Yu Bai didn’t understand.

He asked again, “Why?”

To make his meaning clearer, he even turned his two legs into a tail on the spot.

“Rip—”

With the sound of fabric tearing, his shimmering silver tail burst right through his thin loungewear.

“No…” The little mermaid pointed at his tail, then at the blood in the illustration, “No… need, can.”

No need to get hurt, he could still become a mermaid.

The book was wrong.

Huo Si fell silent again for a few seconds and then said, “Fairy tales aren’t real events. There are many exaggerated and fantastical elements in them.”

It paused, then helplessly added, “But your pants really are torn now… Please wait here for a moment while I get you a new pair.”

So that evening, when Fu Linyuan pushed open the study room door, what he saw was the little mermaid sitting on the chair with his brows almost twisted into a bowtie.

Unidentifiable bits of fabric were scattered on the floor around the chair, and those two slender legs were exposed to the air.

The chair seemed to have been adjusted to a slightly high position by someone, and those delicate feet swayed slightly in the air. Above them were the straight, slender calves, white with a pinkish hue, making one’s throat inexplicably dry.

Hearing the noise at the door, the swaying feet stopped, and Yu Bai turned around.

Fu Linyuan watched as he looked back at him, then jumped down from the chair, holding the book, and ran over in a few quick steps.

Bare feet stepping on the carpet made soft, muffled sounds.

Yu Bai held up the book and pointed at the illustration.

“Lies… lies!”

The little mermaid accused.

But Fu Linyuan’s eyes didn’t fall on the book.

He turned his face away, his tone carrying a barely detectable emotion: “…Where are your pants?”

Yu Bai gestured: “Torn… tail.”

The tail was too big, the pants too small, so they tore.

Fu Linyuan: “……”

Fu Linyuan pinched the bridge of his nose, a little helplessly said, “…Next time, don’t casually grow a tail.”

The little mermaid gave an “oh”, though it was unclear whether he truly understood.

At the same time, Huo Si came over holding a new set of loungewear.

“Huh? Sir, you’re back?”

Still looking elsewhere, Fu Linyuan said, “Come downstairs after you get dressed, there’s something I need to discuss with you.”

After speaking, he didn’t wait for the little mermaid’s reply and left the room.

…

After changing into the new pants, the little mermaid came downstairs.

Fu Linyuan was clearly still very busy. In just the brief time he’d been gone, he was already on another call.

“…Is that so?”

“I understand. Keep it confidential.”

“…Good job.”

Glancing at Yu Bai coming down the stairs, he paused and asked, “Did you prepare everything I asked for?”

“All ready.” On the other end of the line, Duke replied softly, “Prepared just as you instructed, boss.”

Having received confirmation, Fu Linyuan gave a few more instructions before ending the call and turning to face the person sitting across from him.

Meeting his gaze, Yu Bai tilted his head and slightly lifted the corner of his mouth.

Fu Linyuan looked at him for a few seconds and asked, “…I’ll be away on a business trip for a while in a few days. Do you… want to come with me?”

Yu Bai was stunned for a moment.

Then he quickly responded, and using a new sentence he had just learned from Huo Si over the past few days, he earnestly said word by word, “I… didn’t understand.”

Fu Linyuan thought for a moment, then rephrased in simpler terms and gestured a bit: “For a while after this, I’ll be staying outside instead of coming home.”

“Huh?” The little mermaid’s ears perked up instantly and he repeated, “Out-side?”

Fu Linyuan gave a low “mm” and asked, “Do you want to come with…”

But before he could finish the sentence, the person sitting across from him suddenly jumped up from the sofa and dashed upstairs with a flurry of ‘thud thud thud’ footsteps.

Before Fu Linyuan could even react, that slender figure came running down the stairs like the wind—this time with something in his hands.

When he stopped in front of Fu Linyuan, the man could finally see clearly: he was holding a pillow.

His delicate little face was tinged with red from the exertion, and his breathing had quickened. Standing in front of him, the little mermaid said, “To…gether. Together.”

Fu Linyuan had said he wouldn’t be sleeping at home for a long time.

So Yu Bai didn’t even think—he just ran to grab his favorite pillow.

He wanted to go with Fu Linyuan.

Looking at the little mermaid clutching his pillow so nervously, Fu Linyuan was momentarily speechless.

He couldn’t help but reach out and ruffle the fluffy little head, as if soothing a panicked small animal, and said softly, “Not right now.”

The silver short hair felt extremely soft to the touch. The little mermaid was startled by the petting, and reflexively reached up to touch his own hair.

His cool fingertips brushed against the back of Fu Linyuan’s hand, and only then did the latter realize what he had just done.

A flicker of an unreadable emotion passed through those deep black eyes. The man cleared his throat and withdrew his hand nonchalantly: “…Not today.”

Still touching his own head, Yu Bai was stunned again.

Fu Linyuan glanced at the schedule on his terminal and calmly added, “It should be tomorrow.”

Tomorrow—Monday—by then, all resources should be in place.

The little mermaid now understood what “tomorrow” meant.

It meant the sun would rise once more.

The next time, would be tomorrow.

Realizing this, Yu Bai gave a soft “oh” to show he understood.

Tomorrow came in the blink of an eye.

When Huo Si came to wake Yu Bai, the sky was still dark. The little mermaid, with messy bed hair, sat by the bed in a daze and looked at the already-packed suitcase. He asked instinctively, “…What?”

A bright smile appeared on Huo Si’s face.

＾ｖ＾: “The fleet departs at seven o’clock. Getting up now is just perfect\~”

Still half-asleep, Yu Bai was pushed by Huo Si to wash up and then taken downstairs for breakfast.

In the dining room, the first thing the drowsy little mermaid saw was Fu Linyuan standing by the window.

The neat dark military uniform outlined strong, powerful lines, making his already tall, broad-shouldered figure look even more striking. The silver tassels on his shoulder epaulets hung quietly, and the medals on his chest—like the look in his eyes—seemed cold and unapproachable.

Meeting Fu Linyuan’s gaze, the still-groggy Yu Bai suddenly jolted awake, and half his sleepiness vanished on the spot.

The little mermaid didn’t really understand what a military uniform was for. He only knew that he kind of liked it—but also kind of hated when Fu Linyuan wore it.

He liked it because the man looked really good in it. The shiny little badges on his chest sparkled like the pretty stones he used to dig up from underwater.

The little mermaid loved beautiful, glittering things.

But the reason he also disliked it… was because during their last parting, Fu Linyuan had worn this same outfit.

For a moment, Yu Bai felt like he had returned to that starship on the verge of disintegration.

The man had given him the last life suit, and amid the deafening explosion, through the glass of the helmet, he softly said something in his ear.

Fu Linyuan didn’t know what Yu Bai was thinking. Seeing him standing dazed at the dining room entrance, he couldn’t help but ask, “…What’s wrong?”

Yu Bai snapped out of it, shook his head to show he was fine, then walked over and sat down at the table.

…The little mermaid’s emotional shifts were too obvious.

The stunning little mermaid could barely hide his feelings, so Fu Linyuan had clearly caught that flash of pain rolling through those beautiful blue eyes.

So vivid, so piercing.

Why the sudden sadness?

Beside the dining table, Yu Bai seemed even quieter than usual.

It looked like he had really remembered something sad. Throughout the whole breakfast, he appeared a little gloomy.

He even finished a full glass of milk, which he usually didn’t like.

And after finishing it, he forgot to ask Fu Linyuan for candy.

The man wanted to ask him what was wrong, but with the upcoming cruise, messages kept popping up on his terminal that needed replies. He had no choice but to set the matter aside and focus on work first.

After breakfast, Huo Si took Yu Bai to change clothes, then hung a work badge around his neck.

Yu Bai had only seen Duke wear something like this before, so he curiously pinched the small badge and looked at it.

The badge had his photo on it.

Of course, not his original appearance, but the one he had after using the disguise device.

Below the photo were two small characters and a long string of numbers.

Yu Bai looked carefully and recognized that the two characters were his name.

So it was a name badge.

The little mermaid silently took note of the badge’s purpose in his heart.

Hmm… if he looked at Fu Linyuan’s badge, could he find out how Fu Linyuan’s name was written?

Noticing the little mermaid had started spacing out again, Huo Si cleared his throat and said, “This is the work badge Mister prepared for you. You need it to move freely around the starship. Always carry it with you, and never give it to anyone else, understand?”

Yu Bai didn’t understand the beginning part, but he understood the sentence about not giving his badge to others.

So he nodded at Huo Si, “Understood.”

Even though the pronunciation wasn’t standard, his progress in learning Aon Common was much faster than what the robot’s preset program had predicted.

Since Huo Si couldn’t go on the cruise, he reminded again, “For the next month, you’ll probably have to stay by Mister’s side. I’ve packed the books we’ve been studying in your luggage. Don’t forget to review your past lessons every day.”

“Of course, if the signal permits, I’ll also continue your remote classes every day.”

Yu Bai nodded again.

The robot butler continued to ramble through a long list of precautions.

Just like that, as the first rays of dawn peeked over the horizon, Huo Si loaded Yu Bai’s packed suitcase into the aircraft, then stood at the villa gate and waved at the departing vehicle.

Leaning on the window, Yu Bai also waved at Huo Si, then softly said, “Bye-bye, Huo Si.”

The aircraft flew straight to the military port where the fleet was stationed.

Although it was still early, the place was brightly lit and bustling due to the imminent cruise. People were rushing around, shouting orders through their walkie-talkies, making final preparations.

So many people.

That was Yu Bai’s first thought when he stepped off the aircraft.

Even more than the people in that very tall building the other day.

However, after several days of rest, his mental strength had partially recovered. 

Now he could filter out such sensory overload well.

So the crowd didn’t cause much burden to him anymore.

With no pressure, everything at the military port looked fresh and new to Yu Bai. He couldn’t help looking around curiously.

Hmm… someone over there was secretly eating under the cover of a folder.

And someone else nearby was on the phone, crying as they spoke.

While he was looking around with interest, Fu Linyuan, walking in front of him, suddenly stopped.

Not paying attention, Yu Bai walked straight into his back.

“Mm—”

His voice was soft and light, like a child acting spoiled.

It was quite a solid bump. The little mermaid rubbed his face and let out a muffled sound.

?

Why did they stop all of a sudden?

Fu Linyuan turned his head, his voice emotionless: “Stay close. Don’t get lost.”

Yu Bai understood this sentence.

So he responded with an “Oh,” and stopped looking around, obediently following behind the man like a little tail.

…

Although the Marshal had intentionally lowered his voice, everyone in the First Legion had at least B-level mental strength. Their hearing was sharp—how could they miss that line?

Gossip is human nature.

But no one dared to gossip in front of the Marshal. Only when the two figures had walked far enough away did whispers begin.

“Hey, did you see that kid who came with the boss?”

“Hiss… wasn’t he the same one who went to military HQ with the Marshal last time?”

“Must be, but this time he has a work badge around his neck… is he a newcomer?”

“How could a newcomer be directly at the Marshal’s side? Deputy Shen took leave due to injury, so maybe he’s been transferred from another unit?”

“…I don’t remember any unit having such a young deputy officer.”

“Also, did you guys feel it when he passed by? I… I couldn’t sense any mental fluctuations at all.”

“No way? Could he be SSS-level mentally powered too?!?!”

“What nonsense? It’s been years, and only the Marshal has reached SSS-level. Don’t you think that kid looks a bit too green?”

“Hiss… but to work at the military headquarters, you need at least C-level mental power. If he were C-level, there’s no way we wouldn’t sense him…”

“Hey hey hey, forget that for now… have you heard? About that… ahem… office incident last time?”

At those words, the area went quiet for a moment.

Then everyone perked up with interest.

“What office incident?”

“Come on, come on, what gossip do we not know yet?”

The soldier who brought it up looked around, confirmed the Marshal had really gone far, then lowered his voice mysteriously.

“Do you all still remember that Punk has always wanted to marry the princess off here?”

“Yeah, yeah…”

“But didn’t the Marshal reject it twice already?”

“Haha, with our Marshal’s temper, I bet he’ll end up marrying A-001 instead.”

“Tch, do you guys believe that the real reason the Marshal rejected the princess is actually because…”

“Because of what?”

“Come on, spit it out. Keep stalling and you’ll get mobbed.”

That soldier cleared his throat, then dropped a bombshell in a hushed voice: “Because the Marshal already has someone in his heart.”

“Huh?”

“No way!”

“You’re kidding. The Marshal usually doesn’t even have a single female fly around him…”

The soldier clicked his tongue: “That’s where you’re wrong. My classmate’s cousin’s friend went with the Marshal to the last drill. Guess what?”

“On the way back, the Marshal specifically asked the kitchen to prepare two desserts. When my classmate’s cousin’s friend delivered them, he happened to see…”

“Aiya, you’re killing me! Saw what?!”

“Ahem, he saw the Marshal and a pretty young lady… um…”

“What the—? For real?”

“Who? Do we know which minister’s daughter it was?”

The soldier shook his head and whispered: “As far as I remember, none of those heiresses have silver hair, right? That friend said he didn’t see the face, only the hair… and he said it was the most beautiful long hair he’d ever seen.”

Cruising Fleet, Main Ship.

Whether it was coincidence or intuition, the owner of the silver hair frowned again and sneezed twice.

Rubbing his nose, he followed Fu Linyuan through a long corridor, passing countless people in military uniforms, until they stopped in front of a room.

There was a plaque on the door that read “Marshal.”

Fu Linyuan gestured for Yu Bai to press the badge around his neck to the door’s scanner.

Yu Bai did as told. With a soft “beep,” the light on the scanner turned green, and the door silently slid open.

“You’ll be staying here for now…” the man said, stepping aside to let him in.

“…It’s not as big as home, but conditions during a cruise are limited. Please bear with it.”

The room was indeed quite small.

It wasn’t even as big as his bedroom in the Marshal’s mansion.

Inside were two single beds, one table, two chairs, and a cabinet. Next to the cabinet was another half-open door. From Yu Bai’s angle, he could see a shower and a sink inside.

Looking at the two beds not far apart, the little mermaid thought for a moment and pointed, asking: “Two… together?”

His pronunciation was still not perfect, but Fu Linyuan understood what he meant.

“Yeah,” the man nodded. “We’ll be staying in the same room for now.”

Yu Bai was about to say something when Duke appeared and interrupted.

“Boss—!” The voice came before the person, “Everyone’s in the control room. Should we head over now?”

After speaking, Duke, who had jogged over, finally noticed Yu Bai standing inside the room.

“Eh? Little Bai? Hello there!”

Yu Bai could now understand greetings, so he smiled at Duke and replied, “Hello.”

The fleet was about to set off. All starships needed the main ship commander’s permission to start their engines, so Fu Linyuan still had a lot to do.

After thinking for a moment, he told Yu Bai: “Stay here on your own for a bit, okay?”

The little mermaid obediently nodded.

“If you need anything, use the phone on the table. Long press 1, and you’ll reach me.”

As he spoke, the man walked over and demonstrated.

When the number 1 was long pressed, Fu Linyuan’s terminal rang.

Oh—

The little mermaid nodded in understanding again.

Pressing that button lets him talk to Fu Linyuan.

Seeing that he understood, Fu Linyuan handed him two pieces of candy. “…Don’t run off, alright?”

Receiving the candy clearly made the little mermaid happier. He smiled brightly and nodded hard. “Mm.”

Duke was left stunned on the side.

This… this…

As much as he hated to admit it, for just a moment there, when his usually cold and ruthless superior pulled out candy, Duke had a flashback of his dad coaxing him with a lollipop when he was a kid.

The young, mighty Marshal suddenly seemed to wear the filter of a doting dad.

“…Duke.”

The icy voice snapped Duke back to reality.

His superior, already several steps away, looked back at him with an expression that showed no trace of the previous warmth—only that familiar cold indifference.

Duke shrank his neck and quickly fell in line, no longer daring to daydream.

－

And so, the room was left with just Yu Bai.

The little mermaid first unwrapped the candy and popped it into his mouth, then tossed the wrapper into the trash bin nearby. After that, he skipped over to the cabinet.

There sat the suitcase that had been delivered earlier.

He had observed the robot butler at Fu Linyuan’s place these past few days, so now he opened the suitcase and took out the clothes that Huo Si had neatly folded, placing them in the wardrobe one by one.

After putting away his own clothes, the little mermaid glanced at the remaining books in the suitcase, then looked at the slightly smaller suitcase beside it.

That one belonged to Fu Linyuan.

Thinking for a bit, he decided to help Fu Linyuan organize his clothes too.

So he pushed his own suitcase aside, pulled the other one over, laid it flat, and opened it.

Unlike his own suitcase full of colorful clothing, Fu Linyuan’s was half-filled with military uniforms and the other half with similarly dark-toned combat gear.

All black…

The little mermaid thought as he neatly put the large items into the cabinet.

They weren’t particularly nice to look at.

After the large items came the smaller ones—ties, socks, and the like.

Yu Bai had also observed how Huo Si stored these, so he mimicked the process and arranged the small items neatly into the drawer as well.

Then, he ran into trouble with what was left in the suitcase.

…He had never seen Huo Si organizing this kind of clothing in his room before?

Curious, the little mermaid picked up a piece of pure black clothing.

It wasn’t big, had four corners when stretched out, three holes, and something seemed to bulge at the front…

Where exactly was this piece of clothing supposed to be worn?

The naive little mermaid held it up, examining it from the left and the right.

After a long while, he still couldn’t make sense of it.

Finally, going by the size of the fabric, he placed these four-cornered garments into the drawer with the other small items.

Hiss… Humans are really strange. So many different kinds of clothes in all sizes.

Thinking that, he took out the remaining books from his suitcase and neatly arranged them on the desk.

After doing all of this, Yu Bai pushed the two empty suitcases under the bed, then sat down on a chair.

Next to him was a small oval window with very thick glass. The little mermaid leaned on the windowsill and began counting the people below.

There were clearly fewer people who hadn’t boarded the starship yet compared to earlier, and the pace of those coming and going had become more hurried.

“Eighteen… nineteen… twenty…”

Practicing pronunciation in a low voice, Yu Bai scanned from left to right, then back again.

And then he froze.

Not far from the right side of the starship was a raised platform, on which stood a lit room with a few people inside. They were standing very close together, seemingly discussing something.

What made Yu Bai freeze was one of the figures standing with his back to him.

Anger, confusion, sadness…

A flood of intense emotions surged up all at once. The little mermaid unconsciously clenched his fists, his nails digging deeply into his palms.

It looked so much like him.

His breathing quickened uncontrollably.

That figure looked like the one who had betrayed him.

But just as he was about to stand up, the person on the lift platform turned around.

Ah…

As soon as he saw the person’s face, the tension in Yu Bai’s body collapsed.

It wasn’t him.

The face was completely different.

Letting out a soft breath, Yu Bai stared at the mist forming and dissipating rapidly on the glass in front of him, as if he were once again lost in a distant and blurry memory.

Back then, his vision hadn’t yet recovered. Everything he saw was just a hazy shadow. He was also very sensitive to light, and staring for too long would make his eyes hurt.

That man had lived on the shore for a while too.

One evening, as usual, he floated up to the surface with two fresh fish in hand.

Shluup—the man would conjure a ball of light and place the fish on top of it. 

Somehow, using some kind of magic, the fish would start to smell amazing.

So almost every evening, the little mermaid would catch two fish, float to the surface, and wait for the human to make them smell good before eating.

But that evening, when he swam ashore, the man wasn’t there waiting like usual.

The little mermaid found it strange, so he transformed his tail into legs and walked toward the cave on the shore.

Back then, he still wasn’t good at walking, and his vision was blurry. So even though it was only a few dozen meters, he stumbled and fell several times, scraping both knees before finally making it to the cave.

As he got closer, he sharply sensed a completely out-of-control spiritual force.

The little mermaid was startled by the violent power. The two fish he had tightly clutched dropped to the ground. He hurriedly steadied himself against the rock wall and staggered his way inside.

As he walked, he called out, “Li… Liyu?”

He remembered the human had said his name was Liyu.

Then he tripped—hard—over Liyu, who was lying unconscious on the ground.

The little mermaid winced from the fall, but there was no time to worry about pain. In the dim surroundings, he felt for Liyu’s face and tried to use his own spiritual power to calm the man’s mental storm.

Back then, Yu Bai’s own spiritual sea hadn’t stabilized yet. Forcefully connecting spiritually with another being like that had a direct consequence—

He ended up having a high fever for seven days straight, almost boiling himself into a little steamed fish.

But he saved Liyu.

While he was burning up, Liyu continuously soaked his clothes in seawater to cool him down.

…How did things end up the way they did?

Letting out another sigh, Yu Bai slumped onto the desk listlessly, staring off into an unknown point, lost in thought.

…

Naval Port Control Room.

Shen Zhichu, who had been quietly giving final instructions, suddenly paused and turned his head, sensing something, to look out toward the main ship not far away.

…It felt like someone had just been watching him.

The subordinates nearby were confused: “…Adjutant Shen?”

Shen Zhichu snapped out of it, chalking it up to hallucinations from working too long, and didn’t think further.

Main Ship, Command Center.

The officers on either side of the long table sat upright, listening attentively to the marshal as he detailed the cruise operation.

Local star charts flickered across the large screen occasionally, and the marshal would mark one or two locations to highlight key points.

There were less than twenty minutes left until engine ignition. Everyone had entered a state of full combat readiness.

“…The fleet will split into three groups. After passing through this coordinate’s warp point, regroup here.” Fu Linyuan signaled to Duke beside him to note down the coordinates. “If we encounter a magnetic storm mid-flight, we’ll first initiate the Alpha contingency plan…”

Just then, in the otherwise pin-drop silent control room, a cheerful “ding-dong” suddenly sounded.

Immediately after, a colorful message notification popped up at the top of the star chart projected on the large screen.

[“Children’s Emotions 3” — Why is your child always gloomy? Paying attention to your child’s emotional health is a crucial part of growth. Have you noticed their negative emotions? For more details, visit @ParentingGuide101 — tons of resources waiting for you\~]

Everyone who had been intently listening to the superior’s speech: “…”

The superior who had been interrupted: “…”

The command center instantly fell into a suffocating silence.

A full ten seconds passed before an officer seated at the table snapped out of it, slapped the table, and sternly asked,

“…Whose smart assistant is that?! Watching this kind of nonsense during work hours?!”

Duke had originally managed to maintain his composure, but after the officer’s outburst, he couldn’t hold it in anymore and lowered his head in a show of restraint—suppressing his laughter so hard it nearly caused internal damage.

The officer still hadn’t realized what was going on. Just as he was about to say something more to scold the staff member who was clearly slacking off, he saw Fu Linyuan, expressionless, walk over to the smart assistant and casually turn off the message alert.

“Apologies, it’s mine,” he said in his usual cool tone. “Let’s continue…”