The Record of Unusual Creatures - Chapter 141

Chapter 141: Dead Four Times

 

Name aside, the speed of the Petrachelys Patrol Frigate left Hao Ren grinning from ear to ear. It was so much faster than civilian transport ships—it took them just an hour to complete a journey that was 800 light years away. Plus, it included photo stops, sightseeing at reduced speed, and detour-adventures. In short, it was incredible. In fact, speed was not an appropriate measurement: once fired up, the superluminal engine drove the spacecraft at a rate faster than light speed. Hao Ren was not sure if he could have called it a “cruise” because, when they were cruised in the hyperspace bubble, it was like a spatial shift.

On top of that, this was just in Cruise mode. The frigate had another capability—warp jump. It could hop between two worlds as well as between two points within the same world. However, warp jumps required charging and charging took time. Using the warp jump capability would place additional load on the frigate’s drive system. Raven 12345 suggested that, unless it was absolutely necessary, short-distance journeys of a few hours should be in Cruise mode. This was to ensure that the frigate was always in tip-top condition and ready to respond should any circumstances arise—an SOP every captain should know.

However, Hao Ren was still a long way from becoming a real captain. He needed to at least get a crash course on all the information contained in the MDT. He may have been the owner of the frigate but, it was only by name; he just had to set his destination, and the main flight computer and his MDT would handle the rest. Was he a captain? Not yet.

After passing through the anti-reconnaissance shield, the guiding lights of Kuiper Station came into view. The last time he departed from the station, he hitched a ride but, in just a short span of two days, he came back with his own official spacecraft. Excited was an understatement. He actually could not wait to flaunt it.

Luckily, there was no one there he could show off to.

“Landing request sent—landing permission granted. The spacecraft will land on a special docking zone,” the main computer reported with a soft but monotone of voice in the cockpit. The Petrachelys was flying slowly towards a detached building at the Kuiper Station’s side wing. The MDT shouted excitedly, “Hurrah, hurrah! What a perfect first flight! I am made for this spacecraft! Quick, weld me down into that hole permanently!

Hao Ren grabbed a bottle of 502 Superglue, pretending to tip it all on the MDT. “Say that again? You want me to give you a hand?”

The MDT immediately shut up like a church mouse.

“From now on, your spacecraft will dock here.” Raven 12345 came forward and appeared to be in high spirits. In fact, she just woke up—she dozed off as soon as the spacecraft departed for Kuiper earlier on. Pointing at the hologram of Kuiper Station’s side wing, she said, “This special docking station is reserved for inspectors and other official, Empire spacecrafts. Remember, you have special privileges in the world of human civilization. They include right of way in any flight path, exemption from transit inspection, usage rights of the Stargate and unlimited docking time at any space station. But that doesn’t mean you can become a bully. You must act according to the prescribed rules. Strictly dock at the prescribed bay only, do not hang around the main flight path for non-official duty, do not expropriate civilian spacecrafts and facilities in the space stations for personal use, and strictly no shooting at neutral parties. I don’t want to get any complaints about you floating above these rules. I know what you’ve been thinking about from the moment your own excitement overcame you.”

Hao Ren cracked up. He was happy for Raven 12345’s business-like approach. “Don’t worry, you can trust me. By the way, that’s a lot of privileges!”

He did not have a clue what “right of way”, “exemption from transit inspection” and all that stuff meant but, he knew these were cool privileges. He now became even more curious.

“An inspector is a protector, who ensures the universe works normally and that civilizations develop safely.

Don’t be surprised. I know what you’re thinking. You think the things you do are trivial but, I’m telling you that there’s more to what I’ve assigned you than meets the eye. But, let’s talk about that later. In short, authority requires accountability; you’ve got to live up to the name and the privileges you have and earn respect. Notice the crew at the aircraft and port facilities? They’re working for the Empire with a sense of honor. You’ve got to show that you’re worthy of their hard work.”

Although Raven 12345 always sounded loud and harsh, it was not without reason. After having an earful, Hao Ren was feeling heavy with his sense of responsibility fired up. Because of his lackadaisical attitude, he felt sorry for the crew at Kuiper Station and the 883 transport ship, which had given him a free-ride. A flame was now within him. He felt like going out there and finding some villains of the dark force to vanquish. The fire burned for a mere six seconds before Raven 12345 confided in him. “However, these people work overtime because the pay is good and the parvenus from Fairy Void Consortium are the shareholders of Kuiper Station. I was just igniting the fire in you and your sense of responsibility—I got it all from corporate management self-help books…”

“…Can’t you let my fire burn a little while longer?”

Raven 12345 chuckled. “Just mind your own business. If you screw up, I’m going to screw you, right and proper.”

As they were spoke, the spacecraft docked. The port was a large facility similar to the No. 4 Connecting Port. The interior was so huge that it could easily fit another five spacecrafts in there. Hao Ren was not done with the Petrachelys yet but, he had to leave it. As he disembarked, there were a few crew members at the personnel platform and one of them was the female guide.

“Welcome back, sir.” The guide smiled. She bowed politely as the personnel behind her saluted him. Hao Ren was flattered: he was not a hero, he just brought back an egg from a foreign planet—and the egg was more important than him too…

“Oy, shouldn’t you greet me?” Raven 12345 jumped to her feet. She pulled up a ring of light behind her head as she yelled, “I’m your goddess, your Highness!”

“Yes, yes, Your Highness. We actually noticed you.” The guide smiled as she looked at Raven 12345. “But, we weren’t sure whether you were playing layman or not so, we didn’t dare speak a word… Guys, please greet our goddess: Welcome Goddess, the Omnipotent, the Almighty—”

Raven 12345 quickly stepped aside and said, “Ease up, I think I better pretend to be a layman now. Just act like you don’t know me.”

Hao Ren was surprised: another side of the goddess’ personality? She seemed to know everybody in Kuiper Station. Hao Ren was more than curious about her everyday life.

Meanwhile, an old man with overgrown white hair and a moustache pulled up to Hao Ren; the man looked like he was in his senior years but, still remained energetic. He was dressed in a crease-free, blue uniform and reached out to shake Hao Ren’s hand. “Sir, I’m the station master. You can call me Dan Moss. Sorry for not greeting you earlier, I was busy.”

Then the old man pointed at the guide. “Let me introduce you. She’s my granddaughter, Lulu. I guess you’ve met her before.”

“Nice to meet you.” As Hao Ren and the old man shook hands, he sensed a strange aura from the man. But, before he knew what it was, Raven 12345 cut in with her introduction. “Dan Moss was the commander of the Empire. He’s from Pan Galaxy Commonwealth. He died in a battle but, resurrected and left the army to become the station master here. You may want to get to know him more because, you might need him in the future.”

Hao Ren was left in a maze after the introduction: “Dead? Resurrected?”

“Yes, I died four times. The last time I died, they barely managed to bring me back to life.” The old station master sounded as if it was a routine matter. “When going into battle with the Xi Ling Disciples, dying a few times isn’t unusual. However, they told me that if I die again, I’ll certainly die for good so, they discharged me. Don’t worry, I know the Empire’s affairs inside and out. I’d be happy to help if you need my assistance.”

By then, Hao Ren was already as confused as a bee. He nodded his head and repeatedly uttered, “Nice to meet you, nice to meet you…”

An old man who has died four times. Can you believe that?!

Chapter 142: In the Eyes of God

 

Due to the old commander, Dan Moss, Hao Ren began to understand what Raven 12345 meant by “Even if you died, I could resurrect you and make you my slave.”

His superior was a real god!

They tactfully declined Dan Moss’ invitation for a taste of the exotic, alien food in the space station. Hao Ren was desperate for home to let the egg settle—he teleported back home straightaway while Raven 12345 headed back to her place. Hao Ren let out a long sigh the moment he stepped through the door: The journey to a foreign planet and space station was really cool for him to brag about the rest of his life but, the surreal feeling still choked his thoughts. He needed to take his mind off it.

Rollie was napping on the couch handle. It raised its tail lazily when it saw its master, like a king waving off its servant. “Yeah, I know you’re home. So what?” Hao Ren snuggled the egg in his arm and went upstairs. But, Vivian and Lily were not home. He was left wondering. “Where the hell are they?”

Nangong Wuyue and Y’zaks overheard Hao Ren muttering. The siren looked around the house. She found a piece of paper pinned under a heavy cupboard in the living room. She lifted up the cupboard and took the paper out. It was a note. “Oh, Lily just left a message. Thanks to Raven 12345, they knew that we were coming back today. So, they’ve gone to the market.”

Hao Ren stared at the cupboard, flabbergasted. “…Why did she pin the note under the cupboard?”

“Hell, only God knows. Maybe she found it convenient. She’s got strong muscles,” said Nangong Wuyue. She was just making a wild guess. She did not know the husky very well. Actually, Lily was simply being dumb. Nangong Wuyue yawned. “I’m going to take a nap.”

Hao Ren waved the siren goodbye, and continued to ponder. “What should I do with this egg?”

He looked at the cupboard—no, it was not a good idea to put the egg on it, or in it. He looked around his house and could not find an ideal place. The egg was a little too big for the drawer, and it was not appropriate enough to be a handicraft on the table. He carried the egg and strolled around the house for like half a day before he came to the tiny storeroom in the basement—a very ideal location. The egg should be safe there. No one would ever go down there. Then Y’zaks reminded him. “The egg’s going to hatch.”

A sense of realization gripped Hao Ren. Raven 12345 told him that the egg was alive. So, he could not just leave the egg in a corner and forget about it for good. What would happen when it hatched? The little thing would probably starve to death if it was left forgotten.

“The goddess said it should be near somewhere with water. The baby mermaid needs water when it hatches.” Y’zaks yanked out a small notebook, where he had jotted everything Raven 12345 had said about the egg. “Better yet, put it near a pond where the little mermaid can jump into it by itself. Don’t put it close to any toxic stuff. Once it hatches, the baby mermaid may bite anything within its reach…”

“…I bet you’ll make a good nanny,” said Hao Ren as he looked at Y’zaks in amazement.

“Yeah, I used to be. But, I’m sure I’m not a good daddy,” said Y’zaks as a strange expression flashed across his face. “Let’s not talk about that now. We’ve got to find a proper place.”

Hao Ren nodded. He carried the egg into the kitchen and was about to put it near the sink. However, he hesitated: what if Vivian unknowingly turned it into an omelet? So, he instead went into the bathroom, filled the tub up with water and put the egg in there. He finally felt so relieved: there would be more than enough water; and the floor was flat and clean. The baby mermaid would not hurt itself if it got out of the water; not only that, the bathroom was regularly used and people would know when the egg hatched—there was simply no better place than that!

Hao Ren went back out to the living room. He was busily recalling in his mind if he had missed anything. Then something hit him. He smacked himself on the forehead. “Oh, f*ck! I almost screwed up!”

“What’s wrong?” Y’zaks turned his head around. He was about to leave the house, wearing the clothes he had worn the day before.

“About The Plane of Dreams! I totally forgot about it. I need to see Raven.” Hao Ren grabbed the MDT, about to teleport. It was then that he only noticed Y’zaks was headed for the door. “You’re going out?”

“Just want to get some air. I’m bored here.” Y’zaks’ smile was very ingenuous.

Hao Ren was curious that after a journey of 800 light years, Y’zaks still had the energy to mooch outside. But, he did not have to be concerned. After all, it was none of his business. Hao Ren nodded and said, “I see. But, don’t forget to come back for dinner. Vivian will probably be making some really filling meals.”

He then activated the teleportation function on the MDT. In the blink of an eye, he was already in the garden of Raven’s mansion.

Raven 12345 was seen wielding a silver and white machete, walking into the garden purportedly to trim the bushes. She was shocked to see Hao Ren there. “Gee, what brings you here? Desperate for yet another mission?”

“No. Actually I have something to ask you—.” Hao Ren quickly waved his hand dismissively. “—about The Plane of Dreams.”

Noticing the seriousness on his face, Raven stopped poking fun. She strode over to the tea table and said, “Let’s take a seat. I’m all ears.”

Hao Ren and Raven 12345 sat by the fine tea table, facing each other. Out of nowhere, the arcane servant brought tea as well as biscuits and placed them on the table. Hao Ren tried to collect his thoughts about what he had seen in The Plane of Dreams. “In The Plane of Dreams, people there had runes on their walls like a decoration…”

He told her everything he had seen, and about the absurd legend where the goddess banished the world. “Have you heard about this legend? Did you actually do that?”

“You really think I made much ado about nothing?” Raven 12345 shot him a glance while she held a can of sugar in her hand. “Do you actually think banishing worlds is some kind of game I play on a whim?”

Hao Ren scratched his face and said, “But, it was said that people of the Magic Empire were playing god by creating gods, and they had given themselves loads of divine titles. If that’s true, how would you not be angry?”

“Why should I be?” Raven 12345 found it amusing. “If that’s true, it only shows that this civilization was highly developed, talented and independent; I should be happy instead. Do you know that I, as a goddess, would get high marks in the critical appraisal at the end of the year for having such an intelligent race under my rule?”

It was totally out of his expectations. Nonetheless, Hao Ren felt that it did not make any sense. “No, I mean humans were encroaching into the realm of God and yet you didn’t bother?”

“Only when things get out of hand. Only when they clearly step out of their boundaries and destroy the world. And according to what you’ve said, clearly they didn’t violate any of that. Some biological research won’t endanger and cause the world to fall into chaos. It’s not even worthy of an alarm, much less a banishment.” Raven 12345 grimaced. “The only thing that warranted discipline was th fact that they were crowning themselves as gods. But then, it was an innocent act and innocence is not a sin. After all, they didn’t know what God really looked like. As long as they don’t hurt someone in God’s name, they can enjoy themselves. Who doesn’t experience puberty?”

“…”

In the eyes of the goddess, the ancient civilization that was thought to have encroached into the realm of God, and deified themselves, was likened to a bunch of high school kids. She did not even care!

While Hao Ren remained silent, Raven 12345 continued, “What you said about the ‘knowledge of God’ is utter nonsense. Knowledge doesn’t belong to anyone. The truth is—the truth is out there, waiting to be discovered. If you can grasp it, it’s yours; if you can’t, don’t blame God for your ineptitude—doing that is akin to blaming the exam paper because you failed the exam. But then again, people who have failed during the development of civilization didn’t have the chance to complain. They’re already dead now.”

“So, the legend of a goddess banishing the world has nothing to do with you?”

“I swear to God, it wasn’t me.”

Chapter 143: …It Hatched!

 

Looking at Raven 12345’s calm expression, Hao Ren realized that a goddess like her did not need to purposely tell a bare faced lie to an entry level staff like him. He decided to just take her word for it. He nodded solemnly and dropped the topic about the “Goddess of Destruction”. Instead, he brought up the topic of the Letta runes. “What’s with the runes?”

“Ah, seems that you’ve noticed as well.” Raven 12345 had somehow managed to foresee the situation. “The runes used by demon hunters in the Superficial World exist in The Plane of Dreams. The same goes for werewolves and vampires. This is not a coincidence. In fact, most of the supernatural stuff that appears in the Superficial World… came from The Plane of Dreams.”

“F*ck! Why didn’t you tell me about this?!” Hao Ren exclaimed.

Raven 12345 waved her hand all too casually that it pissed Hao Ren off a bit. “I warned you before. I told you the Superficial World and the Dream World are very closely linked. Remember when you managed to bring a tuft of wolf fur out from The Plane of Dreams the other time? I didn’t tell you the deeper truth because, I wanted you to use your eyes and see for yourself, the truth of things. Alas, you’re still too inexperienced, and to have you take on such tasks will require proper nurturing.

Hao Ren stared hard at Raven 12345, trying hopefully to pry any insidious trickery that was hiding behind her doe-eyed features. Then again, the goddess had developed a skin so thick that it rivaled composite armor. Hao Ren’s puny gaze meant nothing to her. Raven 12345 allowed Hao Ren to stare at her for a good while before she casually continued, “Hmm… just to satisfy your curiosity, the supernaturals on Earth, at least a good 90% of them came from The Planes of Dreams. The demon hunters started that way too but, I’m still investigating this. Their sudden appearance also caught me off-guard. You should know, I’m not only in charge of Earth alone. The proliferation of demon hunters and supernaturals happened when I wasn’t around. It had been for a good millennium or two. As they didn’t cause any overly big ruckus, I didn’t send anyone to investigate. So, whatever information I have is also sketchy.”

It took a while for Hao Ren to digest the revelation. He came to realize that the unknown parts of Earth’s history itself were monumental, and could possibly be extremely shocking. The arrival of the supernaturals and demon hunters could be traced all the way back to The Plane of Dreams. What was their intention, coming here in droves?

“Could it be the catastrophe 10,000 years ago?!” Hao Ren suddenly recalled. “The Empire of Magic in The Plane of Dreams was destroyed 10,000 years ago, and Vivian’s earliest memories seem to only stretch back that far. Is it because of the apocalypse in The Plane of Dreams Plane that had many of the supernaturals coming to Earth as refugees?”

“Hah, you seemed to have caught on a bit, but sadly, you’ve missed the mark.” Raven12345 shook her head. “Did you think that 10,000 years ago, The Plane of Dreams and Earth were aligned? Who told you that it’s 24 hours a day, 365 days a year over there?”

Hao Ren was stunned. He had messed up the most basic of things.

“If both the supernaturals and demon hunters came to Earth from The Plane of Dreams, it would have been a history defining moment.” Hao Ren looked on at Raven 12345 in anticipation. “You see…someone who can connect to The Plane of Dreams is very uncommon. It’s like one in every few hundred years. Given the number of arrivals, it is clearly unnatural. How did they arrive from the Dream Plane?”

“You really want to know the truth behind The Plane of Dreams?” Raven 12345 demurred for a moment and gave Hao Ren a cold, piercing stare.

Hao Ren swallowed his saliva. He felt things were about to come to a climax.

“Not telling you.”

“…”

“Have patience, young man. You will know when you need to.” Raven 12345 grinned as she patted Hao Ren on the shoulder. “With your capabilities now, what can you do even if you know the secrets of the supernaturals and demon hunters? Can you broker peace between them? Can you pacify all of the supernaturals? Or can you ensure that there won’t be any further incursion between The Plane of Dreams and the Superficial World? You simply can’t. So, it’s best if you just focus on what you can do. Listen, you’d be better off resting at home for your next foray into The Plane of Dreams. My words alone won’t be enough to describe what’s going on. It’s better for you see it for yourself.”

Raven 12345 then crossed her arms with a forlorn look on her face. “My child, the blessing of the goddess is with you. I’ll try to be there before you get killed… Well, even if you do get killed, I’ll do my best to get there and resurrect you.”

Hao Ren was just about to respond to that when Raven 12345 broke his attention with a wave of her hand. “I’ll be out for work these few days. Do things as you see fit. Maybe there’ll be a stand-in but, don’t put your hopes on that.”

Hao Ren could sense that something was very urgent since Raven 12345 needed to leave in a jiffy. He was curious about what was going on but, figured there would be no answers to his questions. After finishing their afternoon tea, the goddess tossed him off the heavens and back to his house. (There’s a goddess here so, is it considered Heaven?)

All was quiet when he got home. Wuyue was still napping, and Y’zaks had not come home. He saw Lily’s pouch on the sofa, and realized that the werehusky was home. He was not sure if Vivian had also come back though. Hao Ren was still fretting about the egg, and he went straight to the aquarium.

His heart dropped at the scene before him.

The aquarium was there but, the egg was not.

At that very moment, Hao Ren feared for the worst. He initially thought the little mermaid had hatched and flopped its way into a corner but, there were no egg shells around the aquarium. He turned the room upside down, looking for it and could only come to a sad conclusion: An egg that he labored so hard to bring to Earth, and his promise this afternoon to Raven 12345 to take care of it. He even wondered when the egg would hatch. All that was gone now…

He suddenly remembered that Lily was home. By chance, she could have seen the egg in the aquarium. He yelled at the top of his voice, calling for her. “Lily!!!”

She responded almost immediately from the kitchen. “I’m here!!!”

Hao Ren almost ran towards the kitchen and saw the werehusky squatting while staring at the stove. As all of them were part of the “family” at this point, Lily could tell if a stranger had come in. So, she was in a semi-canine form with her eyes and tail out. The sight of her squatting and wagging her tail reminded him of a real house dog. As she saw Hao Ren appear by the doorway, she turned over excitedly. “Oh, you’re back Mr. Landlord? Is the alien planet fun? Did you get anything nice for me to eat?”

“…I wasn’t sure what to get you in that jungle of a planet.” Hao Ren could not help himself as he pressed Lily’s ears. “Did you see the egg in the room… Uh…what are you cooking?”

Only then did Hao Ren realize that there was a pot on the stove, and something was boiling in it. Lily was staring at it all the while she was squatting earlier. Cold sweat started pouring out of Hao Ren’s forehead. He swore that this idiot of a husky had probably outdone herself again. The thing inside the pot was most likely…

“I’m hungry!” Lily growled pathetically as she continued to squat there. Her tail swept the floor back and forth. “Battie said she was going to find some wild herbs for tonight’s stewed pork but, she’s not back yet. I was starving… And I saw a big goose egg in the aquarium so, I put it to boil. Why are you sitting on the floor too, Mr. Landlord?”

Hao Ren fell straight on his butt and almost asphyxiated himself from disbelief. He clutched his chest as he looked at the husky, her face all too innocent. He really saw the true essence of an idiot in her and did not know what to say towards the husky, who was still wagging her tail. He could only get up and open the pot cover as quickly as he possible, not knowing what to expect.

The next scene would forever be etched in his memory.

In the pot, a little mermaid about half a foot in length was swimming in the water. It clutched a broken eggshell as it swam. Hao Ren’s opening of the pot cover seemed to have startled the little thing. It’s eyes widened as it saw Hao Ren’s face. Then it cheekily shot out a jet of water at him.

Boiling water.

Chapter 144: A Little New Member

 

The little mermaid cheekily shot a jet of water right on his face; boiling water.

Hao Ren recoiled in shock with a loud, “Yikes!”. Thank goodness however, his body was previously strengthened (face included) and aside from the scare as well as a slight sting, there were no signs of scalding. He stared blankly at the mermaid as it swam in the boiling pot of water. It took him a good while before something clicked. The egg had hatched! It hatched after Lily put it to boil…

You really cannot make assumptions about these alien life forms.

Lily leapt up curiously to have a look too. Her eyes widened immediately but, her husky-brain took some time before it came to a conclusion. “…Oh… I guess I can’t eat that now…”

The little mermaid could not understand what Hao Ren and Lily were saying. It only stared at the world outside the pot curiously (For the mermaid, the world only comprised of a ceiling and the two big faces it saw). It was a beautiful thing; its tail was a shade of pale red, and its hair was hazelnut brown. Its eyes were particularly big, and a curious as well as witty glint shone from them. Hao Ren was not sure if all mermaids were like this, that they would look like a teenager once they hatched. Only her size itself was dimunitive, about half a foot; like a mini Wuyue when she was in Siren form. The little bugger floated face up in the pot. Before long, it seemed like she was bored and with a mighty leap (mighty for her size), she jumped out of the pot and directly onto the stove.

Hao Ren was caught by surprise but thankfully, he reacted in time to catch the little bugger using the pot cover. The little mermaid sat there as she stared at Hao Ren again. After that, she started making a weird gurgling noise. Then, she slapped her tail against the pot’s cover. Hao Ren prodded the mermaid’s tail in response, and she calmed down. It appeared like she was testing if that would catch Hao Ren’s attention.

“What’s that?” Lily asked as she sniffed the mermaid, her tail wagging. She then gave the little mermaid’s tail a quick lick. “I did put it to boil for a while but, it doesn’t seem to be cooked… Where did you find this, Mr. Landlord?”

“Quiet.” Hao Ren pushed Lily away. “This is our new tenant. I brought her back as an egg, from a place 800 light years away. Never thought that you putting the egg to boil would have her hatch. This world is bloody insane.”

Lily’s eyes widened as she gawped. “Wow!”

“I think…” Hao Ren thought for a bit on what he could do at that moment. He realized that the little mermaid was naked (Well, you could not see much from her six-inch frame anyway). “Let’s get her some clothes.”

Lily gave Hao Ren a weird look. Both of them soon discovered; where were they suppose to find such small clothes?

By then, the little mermaid had started to flap about again. She had realized there was more to the world than what she saw from the pot. Her boundless curiosity now extended to everything in the kitchen, including the knife rack and the lit stove. Hao Ren broke into cold sweat at her enthusiasm and quickly got Lily to bring a tub of water. He then carefully put the mermaid into the tub. He did wonder if the little thing would be alright in cool water after she hatched in boiling water. However, her ability to adapt was impressive, and she swam naturally in the tub. With this, Hao Ren brought the tub to the hall, his mind now at ease. He then asked Lily to wake Wuyue up. The siren had already been napping for a good part of the day.

“…She was hatched by being boiled?” The siren asked incredulously. “And, she was swimming in it?”

“Well, there are creatures that can survive under high temperatures in the deep ocean. Even those volcanic hot springs have microbes in them,” Hao Ren quipped. “But, I’m still amazed that she hatched after being boiled by Lily for lunch. By the way, do you have any idea how to make some clothes for her? While she’s a small one, it’s still weird seeing her naked.”

Wuyue had no idea about sewing but, she was quick with her head. She ran upstairs to her room and pulled out a sealing tape. “Let’s use this for the moment…”

“This?” Hao Ren raised an eyebrow.

“Why not? It’s just temporary anyway. Let Vivian figure it out when she gets back. I’ve never seen any vampire as good as her when it comes to housework,” Wuyue said as she brought the tape to the little mermaid. The poor thing got scared and instantly jumped back into the tub. She curled into a ball, trying to dodge it. It seemed like she did not like the white coloured tape at all. Wuyue pouted.

“Mr. Landlord, help me hold her still.”

Hao Ren extended his hand towards the little mermaid, and it was obvious that the mermaid trusted him more. She quickly hugged his thumb and would not let go. Wuyue laughed at the scene. “I guess you were the first thing she saw after she hatched. She probably thinks you’re her mother now.”

“…”

Hao Ren never thought such a cliched novel scene would become a reality for him.

As he calmed the agitated mermaid down, she finally understood that the sealing tape meant her no harm, and sat still while Wuyue rolled the tape around her twice to cover her up. By that point, she was also bored of the water tub and got out of it a moment later, flopping onto the table. As she had no legs, she could only flop forward like a seal. She used her hands to put weight onto her chest, then transferred the weight to her pelvis as she flapped her tail, pushing her forward. The way she moved was clumsy yet endearing. She also had a curious streak about her. While she was slightly afraid of her new enviroment after being moved from the kitchen to the living room, she had gotten used to it. So, she was fearlessly exploring the area.

But, you could see that she was still a baby at heart: she was very concious about where her “parents” were, and would keep turning her head to check if Hao Ren was nearby. After making a few rounds, she hopped onto Hao Ren’s palm and stopped moving. It was time to rest.

The three of them were admiring the little creature. Lily especially, stared at her for a long time. “I guess I can’t eat this but, it does look very interesting!”

Wuyue was also curiously playing with the mermaid’s tail using her pinky. “So, this is how mermaids look like when they’ve just hatched… Not sure if sirens are the same as well… I’ve heard mother say that normal sirens had also hatched from eggs, and they were tiny, tiny creatures.”

Such conversations were now common place in the household, and Hao Ren had gotten used to it. He was however in an awkward position of cradling the little mermaid. He looked to Wuyue for help. “You think we can carry it back to the tub? I can’t be cradling her all day.”

Hao Ren’s plight was not unfounded. Earlier, he had moved slightly towards the tub and the mermaid quickly threw a tantrum. She flailed her arms and tail, and growled. Her face had this “put me back there and I’ll cry” sort of look to it. Clearly, she was very attached to someone now.

“We can’t communicate like this…” Wuyue frowned. The growls that the little mermaid made were very strange. Even the implanted automatic translator could not decipher what she was saying.”

Perhaps, it was simply baby talk without any actual meaning. They did not even know what her intellectual level was. While she displayed a very strong sense of curiosity and agility, these were all inborn. They doubted a newborn mermaid was any smarter than your average infant. At most, her motor ability was much more developed.

As the three were fretting over what to do with the little mermaid, the main door creaked opened; Vivian had returned.

The vampire was carrying a basket full of vegetables and herbs. She was greeted by the sight of the trio gathered around the table, looking at something. She went to check what was going on, and just then, the mermaid jumped into Hao Ren’s shirt. Vivian caught sight of the swishing fish tail and said, “Are we having this for dinner? Let’s braise it. My specialty!”

The other three simply kept quiet.

It seemed like things were about to get more interesting from here on out.

Chapter 145: It’s Hard Being a Babysitter.

 

At first, there were only three people surrounding the small fish and studying it. Now, there were four of them in the living room. Vivian just joined them. After hearing about the little one’s origins, she stared open-mouthed and asked, “Did this just hatch?”

“She did it.” Hao Ren pointed to the innocent Lily, who was squatting on the sofa and scratching her face with her foot. He then lifted his arm to indicate that he was entangled with the little fish and said, “This little fish has completely taken me as her mother, somebody help me.”

Vivian curiously reached over to touch the little mermaid’s tail. The little mermaid was bolder. She did not dodge. However, when Vivian tried to get the little mermaid out of Hao Ren’s arms, the little mermaid resisted fiercely. She flapped her tail violently and hit the vampire’s hand without hesitation. This frightened Vivian.

“It’s been like this since just now,” Hao Ren said and sighed helplessly. “At the beginning, she was still willing to swim in the basin for a while. But after she got tired, she came to me and rested on my arm. You see, she completely won’t let go.”

The little mermaid curled her tail slightly and sat on Hao Ren’s arm. She stared at the strange people around her with inquisitive eyes. She was a fingerling with great ability to adapt and feel the changes in the atmosphere around her. She was unusually nervous when she first arrived in a strange environment or met a stranger. But, as long as there was no danger in a certain period of time, the little mermaid became bolder. Now, she was completely unafraid of people and things around her. She was just looking around in amazement, wondering why other people did not have long tails.

The little one stayed quiet for a while but, as Hao Ren was trying to figure out a way to get her back into the basin again, she suddenly jumped away. She then hopped and flipped around on the coffee table afterwhich, she began to emit a loud cry, which was sharper and nastier than before.

“What’s wrong?” Hao Ren was suddenly confused. He stepped forward, trying to calm the little mermaid down but, that just made her more aggresive. Lily and the others were startled, and hurriedly came forward to help. Nonetheless, nobody had any experience in taking care of a little kid. All of a sudden, the living room was in chaos. The little mermaid got even more excited when she saw the scene. She shouted even louder to entice them. Nangong Wuyue thought the little one had probably been dehydrated for too long, and was feeling uncomfortable. So, she made a small water ball, attempting to get the mermaid wet. After that, she forcefully threw the little mermaid into the basin. However, it did not work, and she was almost bitten. Lily made faces and scratched the little mermaid’s tail, trying to make her happy. Instead, she scared the little mermaid. Finally, Vivian thought of something and asked, “Is she hungry?”

And it reminded everyone that newborns were very prone to feel hunger. However, Hao Ren as well as the other three half-baked guardians looked at each other for quite some time and realized there was a problem. “…What do mermaids eat?”

“Don’t look at me.” Nangong Wuyue waved her hand and explained, “I’m a siren but also, a hybrid siren. I drank milk when I was little.”

Lily asked without thinking, as usual, “Do you have any milk then?”

Everybody was speechless.

“Go and get everything in the fridge plus, whatever snacks you guys have. Let’s try them one by one.” Being the ace guardian in the house, Hao Ren was stood on the sofa and gave instructions. “Take anything edible you have. This mermaid from a different world may want to eat something we have. Lily, put your molar stick back. Do you think such a tiny little thing can bite that?”

Everyone went back to their own rooms to find food. Hao Ren remembered that he had half a box of cookies in his room and ran back to get it. The little mermaid was probably really hungry at the moment. She was busy messing around on the coffee table, and no longer pestered Hao Ren. Seeing Hao Ren run away, she seemed to understand that he was going to find food for her. She just stared at him and watched him walk away but, she did not jump up and follow him.

Hao Ren rushed back to his room and found the half box of cookies on the desk, which he left two days before. However, when he ran back to the living room, he saw a scene that almost stopped his heart: a black and white cat was on the coffee table, curiously sniffing the little mermaid and the mermaid was ignorantly using her thin hand to poke the cat’s nose!

Hao Ren yelled, “Rollie!” He had not shouted so loudly for ages.

Hao Ren swore that, since the cat believed it was called “Rollie”, he did not have to shout it out for such a long time.

When Rollie heard him shout, it immediately let go of the fish, which had already reached its mouth at this point. It ran excitedly to Hao Ren and rubbed itself against his feet. It thought that when its owner called so loudly, dinner was ready.

Hao Ren saw the fish baby prop herself up and move her tail to greet him. He was relieved and threw two pieces of biscuit to the cat. He then put the cookie box on the coffee table, pointed to the little mermaid and introduced her to Rollie. “Listen, this is our new tenant, you are strictly forbidden from eating her!!”

As mentioned before, Rollie was a spiritual cat. Over the years, it became familiar with Hao Ren’s “work” and even understood what “tenant” meant. So usually, when Hao Ren introduced a new tenant, it would know that there would be a newcomer sharing in its kingdom in the big house. But this time, it just looked blank. The cat looked foolishly at the weird fish on the coffee table as if its understanding of life was massively impacted. It froze for quite some time and did not understand why its master decided to take a fish as a new tenant.

And more importantly, it was not allowed to eat the fish.

“Anyway, just remember that you can’t eat the fish.” Hao Ren really did not know how to explain this to a cat. He did not know if his orders would work for a cat. He could only repeatedly stress it. “If you dare to eat her, I’ll throw you to Bean Bun in the back alley.”

Bean Bun was a dog in the back alley, plump and sturdy like a bean bun. Before Lily came to the street, it was the alpha dog of the entire Southern Suburbs and the only enemy, whom the lawless Rollie was truly afraid of. Although Bean Bun had since been relegated to the second tier, and became a local separatist in the Southern Suburbs’ dog kingdom (the new alpha dog was Lily), Bean Bun was still powerful. Every creature with four legs was afraid of it when it walked the streets. When Hao Ren said this, Rollie finally accepted it. It lowered its head and mumbled; licked its paws and pretended it did not know a thing. It was its own way of saying, “You’re the boss”.

Clever readers would have probably discovered that there is a counteractive relationship between Lily, Rollie, and Bean Bun: Lily was scared of Rollie, Bean Bun was scared of Lily, and Rollie was scared of Bean Bun. It seemed to be a sad story to anyone.

At this time, Lily and the rest also came out of their rooms with a variety of snacks. The three of them heard Hao Ren shouting earlier on. When they saw Rollie in the living room, they could certainly guess what had happened. Vivian gulped and said, “Phew, we almost forgot there’s a cat at home!”

“Be more careful next time, this is too dangerous.” Hao Ren was still in a state of shock. He looked at Nangong Wuyue and asked, “When will the mermaid grow up? She’s not gonna be like this forever, is she?”

“How many times do I have to tell you, I’m a siren! And I’m viviparous!” Nangong Wuyue could not take it anymore. “It’d be even better for you to bring Hans Christian Andersen back from the dead and ask him than ask me!”

A variety of food was quickly placed in front of the little mermaid. There were all kinds of food. Hao Ren’s half a box of biscuits was the most plain. Nangong Wuyue had squid strips, dried squid, salted fish and other seafood. Although Vivian was poor, she now lived a worry-free life with Hao Ren’s help. She took out some of her handmade snacks. The snacks Lily took out were the most delicious: prawn strips, crispy candied fritters, spicy strips, shrimp crackers, popcorn, and even a pack of kibble…

“Aha… Just wanted to try.” Embarrassed, Lily kept the kibble and explained, “But, they really taste good.”

Everybody put their snacks in front of the little mermaid. She was immediately dazzled by this big pile of colorful packaging and small dishes. She looked at these mysterious and weird-smelling items with astonishment. She did not expect them to bring her so many things after she made a little noise. However, it was exactly what Hao Ren was afraid of, the little mermaid from a different world did not seem to eat conventional human food…

The little mermaid grabbed a cookie, bit it and spat it out. She then grabbed the spicy bar, smelled it and threw it away in fear. Then, she held the chocolate bean and looked at it for quite some time and thought it was not edible. At last, just when everyone was about to give up, the little mermaid finally found something it was interested in: she came to a plate of tiny snacks prepared by Vivian, sniffed and flapped her tail happily. And then…

She happily ate the chopsticks on the plate.