The Little Mermaid and the Merman Hooked Up - Chapter 5

The boundless sea surface shimmered under the sparkling golden sunlight. Deng Xi lay propped up on a reef above the water, his blue caudal fin swaying back and forth, kicking up wave after wave of spray.

Deng Xi flipped over, holding the black iron ring up to the light to inspect it and the blue screen that had appeared out of thin air, connected to the ring. Curiously, he tapped it with his fingertip.

Even though he touched only air, the content displayed on the blue screen changed. Deng Xi’s eyes lit up; like a child with a new toy, he began tapping around randomly. Suddenly, he pressed something that caused the screen to go black and emit a burst of white noise.

Did I break it?

Deng Xi hurriedly withdrew his hand, feeling a pang of distress as he stroked his new toy. Then, the blue screen suddenly flashed to life, revealing a clear figure of a person.

Imperial Capital Star, The Council of Elders

Half an hour ago, when the research institute captured the signal from the Marshal’s optical computer, they didn’t just notify the military; the Council of Elders was informed as well.

A few days ago, the Marshal had led the Empire in an unprecedented battle against the Federation. Every citizen of the Empire believed they would win because they possessed a unique God of War—an Imperial Marshal who had single-handedly annihilated an entire Zerg swarm and held the reins of Imperial power at a young age. No one believed this undefeated warrior would ever see the day of defeat.

Yet, that was exactly what happened. The Empire lost.

Imperial soldiers fell under the Federation’s mechs, and warships were destroyed in the vastness of space. Even their Marshal had vanished, seemingly dead in the conflict. Only the military insisted that their Marshal was merely missing. Just before the Royal Family and the Council were about to announce his death, the Marshal’s terminal signal suddenly restored.

This news was urgently suppressed; currently, only the high-ranking officials of the Empire knew.

Every faction wanted to be the first to establish contact. The Council of Elders, who had always been at odds with the military, was even more anxious. However, the Elders never expected that the first person the Marshal’s device would connect to… was them.

When the Head Elder saw the notification, his face turned pale. On that wrinkled face, it was usually hard to see any expression other than old age, but in that moment, the powerful Elder showed a rare flash of panic.

At the round table, the other Elders noticed the anomaly. “Your Excellency?”

The Head Elder waved them off. “An incoming communication.”

He stood and went to a private booth in the back, locking the door tightly. With trembling hands, he pressed the accept button. Within moments, his guilty face regained its usual composure. As the connection went through, he asked nervously, “Marshal, you—”

Before he could finish, the Elder froze, staring at the unfamiliar face on the blue screen.

It was a young man with golden hair and blue eyes.

The Elder dazed for a moment before narrowing his aged eyes. He calculated quickly: If the person who picked up isn’t the Marshal, how did this youth get his optical computer? Did he find it, or did the Marshal give it to him personally? Or… is this a trap set by the Marshal because he sensed something was wrong?

In a single second, countless thoughts whirled by. The Elder asked sharply, “Who are you? Why is the Marshal’s optical computer in your hands?!”

The youth: “…”

The Elder continued, “Young man, did you find the optical computer, or did you see the man himself? Is the Marshal injured? Is his life in danger?”

The boy on the screen tilted his head and spoke slowly. It seemed to be his first time speaking Interstellar Standard, and he was a bit clumsy. But if one listened closely, his accent was as authentic as the Elder’s own, as if he were a child learning to mimic. “Who… are… you?”

The Elder countered, “You don’t recognize me?”

As long as one was a citizen of the Empire, there was no reason not to know him. Since the boy wasn’t from the Empire, things became easier. The Elder asked, “Is there anyone else with you?”

Deng Xi slowly uttered a syllable: “Person?”

Was he asking about a mermaid?

Deng Xi shook his head honestly, his eyes full of curiosity. He was certain the owner of this face wasn’t a mermaid, because among the mermaid race, there were no merfolk who looked this ugly.

Truly, too ugly!!!

If he wasn’t a mermaid, what species was he? A “human”? Was the language he spoke “human” language?

Deng Xi repeated those unfamiliar syllables in his heart. The mermaid race was naturally sensitive to sound; they could understand the languages of all intelligent beings without obstacles. Leveraging this talent, Deng Xi quickly mastered the new language.

A sharp glint flashed in the Elder’s eyes. He said cryptically, “You don’t need to know who I am, young man. I only ask you: Have you seen a man with silver hair and silver eyes?”

Was he referring to the little mute?

Deng Xi nodded innocently.

The Elder began to smile. “Is that person injured?”

Deng Xi nodded again.

The smile on the Elder’s face widened, his wrinkles bunching together. “I will give you one hundred million Star Coins to buy his life.”

What are Star Coins?

Deng Xi was puzzled again. “Star Coins… besides a life, what else can they buy?”

The Elder thought the youth was being humorous. “You can buy whatever you want, of course.” His tone was casual, carrying a high-and-mighty, corrupt aura as he tempted, “In the future, you will have everything.”

“You will no longer be hungry or cold. Every meal can be a feast; you can eat whatever you like…”

A sudden knock sounded on the booth door. The Elder paused, his expression turning ruthless. “One hundred million—no, one billion. I will give you one billion Star Coins. Young man, you know what to do.”

As the words fell, the communication was abruptly cut.

The screen went black. Deng Xi poked his new toy, but the iron ring remained unresponsive. He slapped the water surface with a troubled expression, thought for a bit in a daze, and then dove back under the sea out of boredom.

The best way to replenish energy was to eat.

Even though his bleeding had been stopped, being alone meant that “recovering” was equivalent to waiting for death. Si Jisheng was looking for food.

His keen senses—hearing, smell, sight, and even touch—ensured he wouldn’t get lost in the vast ocean, even though he rarely had the chance to experience a completely natural sea. The merman’s intuition allowed him to analyze every surge of the current and determine which direction the faint scent of fish was coming from.

The silver-tailed merman moved swiftly through the seabed. He swam for a very long time, and his wounds began to tear open again due to the intense movement.

Despite covering thousands of meters, Si Jisheng hadn’t seen a single fish. With his keen perception, he could sense danger ahead, but because he needed to eat, he chose to enter the territory belonging to another master.

The ocean currents in this area were clearly clashing. As he traveled further, the seaweed, small fish, and shrimp gradually increased. Si Jisheng encountered a school of fish and began his attack; these fish were no match for a merman.

Crimson blood erupted, staining the seawater completely. The heavy scent slowly attracted the masters of this territory. Danger was approaching in the dark.

Si Jisheng’s sense of smell was clouded by the thick blood. By the time he realized something was wrong, he was already surrounded.

The scent in the water was the foul smell of blood from the serrated teeth of Great White Sharks—intensely salty and fishy. Over a dozen massive, gaping maws seemed ready to drown the silver merman. Before these sharks, the silver merman looked like a weak ant, so tiny they could crush him with a single movement.

The Great White Sharks circled the silver figure. The scent of blood grew thicker. Every time he looked for an opening to escape, he was blocked by the watchful sharks.

The wounds on his body tore further during the struggle. Excessive blood loss made Si Jisheng feel dizzy. His most prized weapon—his tail—was at a disadvantage due to the broken tailbone, and his heavy injuries had not healed.

If there were only one shark, he might have fought for his life. But there was an entire pack. He could only wait for death.

Si Jisheng stood in the water, his two-meter-long silver tail hanging limply and powerlessly. He closed his eyes in exhaustion, not even bothering to resist. As the “Blade of the Empire,” he wasn’t supposed to accept fate.

But he did.

Seeing that their prey had finally given up, the Great White Sharks couldn’t help but pounce with their bloody maws wide open.

In the next instant, the ocean suddenly began to chant.

Wave after wave of seawater surged up, the movements so light and graceful. Every cell touched by the flowing tide began to resonate and tremble. One couldn’t help but sink—couldn’t help but be intoxicated. It was like falling into the embrace of the Mother of All Living Things. It was gentle and soft, yet full of power.

The exquisite singing was like the rising sun over the sea—not scorching, but casting a peaceful, equal layer of broken gold light upon the waves.

Tense nerves relaxed involuntarily; cold bodies warmed up from the heat. The malicious shadows that had surfaced were pressed back into the depths by this gentle embrace.

When the singing stopped, the Great White Sharks retreated submissively into the nests their instincts found most familiar. In the depths of the sea, only a speck of bright silver and a flash of dazzling blue remained.

Si Jisheng slowly opened his eyes. The blue-tailed mermaid burst into his cold silver eyes like a little sun.

Deng Xi had been very scared too. He had been huddled behind a reef, clutching his large tail and hiding his face behind his fin, cautiously peeking out with his pale blue eyes to observe the tense situation. As for that iron ring, he had lost it somewhere while searching for the little mute.

The pale little mermaid swam in circles around the silver merman. He lifted his chin proudly. “Little mute, aren’t I amazing?”

Hearing this malicious nickname, Si Jisheng’s eyes didn’t fill with ferocity like the last time. He was slightly dazed.

Deng Xi swam back and forth with his hands behind his back, like a little adult. “It’s okay if you can’t speak.” His eyes curved into crescent moons. “Little mute, let me sing for you from now on, okay?”