ICTEUWMN Chapter 168

And just as everyone was immersing themselves in the story, in a seaside villa, the rumored Lady Landis stood silently by the window, gazing at the distant horizon of the sea.

“Are you really not considering taking a look at these books? It is said that these stories have recently become very popular among young readers.”

The old steward took the opportunity to introduce the collection of novels by Fish Soup Noodles that Ke Ke and the others had sent over.

“Especially in this newly delivered magazine, there is even a story about mermaids.”

It wasn’t until these words fell that Lady Landis finally reacted.

‘Mermaids?’

That was a word she hadn’t heard in a long time.

“Although the author is from Federation Star, the story itself should be quite good. Otherwise, Ke Ke and the others wouldn’t have been so eager to bring it over.”

Seeing Lady Landis take the magazine, the old steward’s face softened into a slight smile.

No matter what, it was always good to have a change of mood.

Even if it was just for Lady Landis to point out any inaccuracies in the story and offer the young author some corrections, that would be perfectly acceptable as well.

In the main story of “Deep Sea Secret Realm,” following Zhu Yao’s “it’s really fragrant” moment and first recharge, a series of increasingly rich and colorful interactive plots kept countless interstellar readers glued to the pages.

As the favorability level increased, more interaction options with the little fish were unlocked.

One could even vividly feel the transformation from the initial wariness and unease to gradually developing trust and affection for “you”.

Gently poking the other party’s head through the screen, one could see Zhu Yu sulking while covering his head, with a new white dialogue bubble appearing above him: “Don’t do that again.”

Not only did this completely melt Zhu Yao’s heart, leading to another major in-game purchase, but it also made readers outside the story grin uncontrollably.

[Why is it that the more he tells me not to do it, the more I want to? Could it be that the pervert is actually me? [Thunderstruck, biting paws.jpg]]

Who could possibly resist interacting?

[Ahem, if poking his head is already this cute, what would happen if we poke his tail? Does anyone else want to know?]

Of course, even more readers couldn’t help but grow curious about that beautiful fish tail!

The way it shimmered in the water was simply mesmerizing, making everyone’s fingertips itch with the urge to touch it.

And in the story, Zhu Yao couldn’t resist either. During the next interaction, he lightly poked Zhu Yu’s fish tail.

Before he could even react, a huge notification popped up: [Favorability -30].

[Fuck! A deduction of 30 favorability points!?]

At that moment, everyone felt a deep, gut-wrenching pain alongside Zhu Yao.

After painstakingly accumulating 45 favorability points, furnishing the little house bit by bit, only to touch the fish tail and get no cute interaction…worse yet, an immediate 30-point deduction?

What kind of black-hearted game was this? Refund! TwT

“Of course there’s a penalty. A mermaid’s tail isn’t something that can be touched casually.”

But by the seaside, Ke Ke and the others were seriously emphasizing this point while holding the magazine.

“Exactly, who just goes around touching it like that?”

“If you ask me, the fact that Zhu Yu even allows his forehead to be poked already proves he’s an exceptionally gentle mermaid. The fact that his favorability didn’t drop to zero after having his tail touched is already impressive.”

However, as they discussed this, everyone at the beach collectively paused, slowly realizing something…

The way Fish Soup Noodles described mermaids in the story was actually incredibly accurate?

The details were so accurate that they perfectly aligned with even the habits of their aquatic races?

How was this even possible? O.O

[[And just as Zhu Yao was completely frozen in shock, a system notification with an explanation appeared:

[Zhu Yu is a little disappointed in you because a mermaid’s tail cannot be touched casually.]

At the same time, a new entry was added to the “Mermaid Care Manual”.

‘So you aren’t supposed to touch the tail casually…’

Zhu Yao, who was in great heartache, carefully read through the entry again, then used the little speaker to type out an apology, sincerely explaining that he hadn’t known this beforehand.

At worst, he could just start over. Wasn’t it just a matter of grinding and spending money again?

Unexpectedly, the moment he apologized, Zhu Yao saw the favorability level suddenly start to rise.

Not only did it slowly increase by [+1][+1], but Zhu Yu, who had tucked away his tail, also unfurled it again in the water.

Has he been forgiven!?

Ahhh, his little cub really did love him!

TwT

Otherwise, why was he deducting his favorability points and not anyone else’s?

At that moment, Zhu Yao even felt that all the sweat he had shed working at his grandmother’s seafood stall during the day was totally worth it. Tomorrow, he was going to work twice as hard! Earn twice as much! Spend it all to raise his cub!

“And this game is really so advanced. The interactions make it feel like Zhu Yu is a real person.”

That night, Zhu Yao stared at the light brain in a daze and couldn’t help but become suspicious of this strange APP again.

The interactions were so intelligent that he started wondering if there was actually a real person controlling Zhu Yu from the other side.

Otherwise, how could it be this realistic?]]

Of course, it wasn’t just Zhu Yao in the story who was starting to have doubts, readers outside the story were also speculating:

[I’m telling you, if a game like this existed in the real world, the intelligent interaction program for the little fish would require an enormous investment to develop. How did they manage to make all the responses feel so lifelike?]

Not only were the reactions incredibly realistic, but the way Fish Soup Noodles described mermaids was also suspiciously detailed.

“That’s because when the favorability level reaches the next key milestone, an in-person interaction plot is triggered.”

Yu Mian watched the discussion on his light brain and smiled knowingly. People in the interstellar era were still too naive.

In fact, a few weeks later, when Zhu Yao’s favorability level finally broke past the 60-point threshold, he was completely shocked to discover that the map of the little house had expanded, revealing a vast ocean.

[[Congratulations! You have unlocked a new achievement: Ocean Voyage!]

[Would you like to activate real-person storyline interaction?]

[A: Accept] [B: Decline]

Zhu Yao hesitantly clicked [A], and in the next second, a white light flashed before his eyes. He suddenly found himself inside the game, transformed into a chibi version of himself, staring dumbfounded at Zhu Yu inside the fish tank.

[Favorability +1] [ +1] [ +1]…

But this time, before Zhu Yao could even do anything, his favorability shot up by 10 points all at once.

Opening the system panel, he found a new explanation:

[Zhu Yu appreciates aesthetically pleasing individuals, and mermaids have always had an objective standard for beauty.]]

At first, readers outside the story were just as stunned, but after reading the system explanation, they suddenly understood..

[It’s so funny, so our little Zhu Yu is actually obsessed with looks?]

[Wow, so just being good-looking can increase favorability? What kind of cheat strategy is this? Though I have to admit, the two chibi versions are so cute.]

After all, as the protagonist, Zhu Yao had a bright and handsome appearance, and was really well-liked and praised by the elders. Every time he returned to his hometown, the elderly neighbors would always give him a few extra pieces of fruit.

What fascinated everyone, however, was the activation of the attractive ocean adventure interactive quest in the story.

Even though the favorability was high enough, Zhu Yu did not choose to take the opportunity to leave the ocean. Instead, he was rewarded with a mermaid transformation prop card, allowing him to transform into a mermaid and swim into the sea alongside Zhu Yu!

This time, it was no longer Zhu Yao raising Zhu Yu by hand. Instead, the mermaid Zhu Yu patiently taught Zhu Yao how to use his tail to navigate the ocean.

From the scorching underwater volcanoes to the icy and silent polar seas, or even the dazzling coral gardens beneath the waves… under the vast sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers, and lakes, two mermaids, one blue, one white, swam through nature’s breathtaking wonders.

Faced with the vast and magnificent scenery of nature, all the troubles and sorrows of human life seemed insignificant.

After each ocean expedition, a new achievement collectible would always appear on the crystal display shelf in the initial small house.

These included numerous seashell and crystal souvenirs they picked up during their deep-sea explorations, but even more so, gifts from the deep friendships they formed with their aquatic companions.

“Wow, even Aunt Landis’ whale family is here!”

As the aquatic descendants continued reading, they became increasingly certain that Fish Soup Noodles had done extensive research for this new story. The many aquatic friends introduced throughout the story were depicted with remarkable vividness.

There was the sperm whale that could sleep upright in the water, the humpback whale whose songs could travel thousands of miles across the seabed, and even the enthusiastic young orca who, upon discovering Zhu Yao and Zhu Yu, immediately brought them food as a gesture of sharing…

What should have been a long and uneventful summer vacation in the coastal town passed in the blink of an eye with the company of the mysterious “Ocean Mysteries” app.

Zhu Yao also gradually realized that he no longer seemed to be Zhu Yu’s caretaker. Instead, it was Zhu Yu who was leading him to witness the vast and mysterious ocean world.

“Look, Ke Ke, you appeared too! A jellyfish!”

By now, the group of friends surrounding Ke Ke on the beach was completely immersed in the story. When they reached the passage describing the “jellyfish bloom” phenomenon, they couldn’t help but let out screams.

It turned out that on the very last day of summer vacation, Zhu Yao, out of habit, opened the game app to complete his daily tasks.

However, as soon as he logged in, Zhu Yu took his hand and led him toward a certain area of the ocean.

When the full moon rose high in the sky, tens of thousands of glowing jellyfish slowly ascended from around the two mermaids, drifting toward the deep blue moonlit surface. Not only was Zhu Yao mesmerized by the sight, but even the readers outside the story were completely entranced.

[Why do I feel a little emotional? My precious child is growing up, he even knows to take Zhu Yao to see beautiful sights now. Who could say this investment wasn’t worth it? TwT]

[Exactly, just like Zhu Yao thought…otherwise, why would this app scam only me out of money and not anyone else?]

It had to be some kind of special fate!

Just moments ago, everyone had been laughing at Zhu Yao for being obsessed with spending so much money on raising a virtual fish, but now, the mirror had turned on them.

Moreover, the process of Zhu Yu shedding scales and reaching adulthood left countless readers in awe.

So just like how humans lose hair, beautiful mermaids also shed their scales!

The fallen dark blue scales resembled the starry night sky. Zhu Yu meticulously collected them every time, carefully burying them in the fine sand of the Fish tank.

But this time, after the luminous jellyfish had departed, Zhu Yu held out the most beautiful scale he had shed and solemnly placed it in Zhu Yao’s hand.

[Favorability 100. Congratulations, you have successfully cleared the game and unlocked the hidden secret ending!]

When Zhu Yao exited the game and opened his eyes, the strange sensation in his palm immediately caught his attention.

It was the gift that his precious son, Zhu Yu, had given him in the game. The very same scale now existed in reality.

The scale in his palm sparkled, causing Zhu Yao to sit up in bed in disbelief.

Because…how could this be possible?

He had only been playing a game.

Zhu Yao immediately tried to reopen the app, wanting to ask Zhu Yu how he did it. But before he could react, he realized that after reaching full favorability and clearing the game, the “Ocean Mysteries” app had seemingly broken and could no longer be launched.

[What! The app actually broke!?]

The readers outside the story immediately grabbed their magazines and sat upright in shock.

This was no different from grinding through a game for full achievements, only for the system to suddenly crash and render all progress useless. It is very devastating.

Just like Zhu Yao, they had grown accustomed to logging into the app every day and seeing the growing and now very handsome Zhu Yu.

They had been looking forward to the next oceanic adventure and the new breathtaking sights and friends they would encounter.

And now, it is suddenly gone?

[I refuse to accept this ending! Ahhhh! [clutching head and sobbing]]

[Damn it, if I put myself in Zhu Yao’s shoes, I honestly feel like I just got dumped. This damn app, you can scam me out of money, but how dare you scam me out of my feelings.]

This app was practically a heartless scumbag! Fish Soup Noodles, what exactly are you planning?

[And what does it mean for Zhu Yu to give Zhu Yao his scale? Is it just a game completion souvenir?]

Even Aunt Landis, who had been reading the latest magazine issue with an expressionless face, unknowingly sat up straighter and quickly flipped to the next page.

Yu Mian, who was being cursed by countless readers, suddenly sneezed.

Come on, don’t be in such a rush, just turn the next few pages and you’ll find out, okay!

This magazine still had plenty of pages left, after all.

There was an old saying that the two scariest things about following an ongoing novel were:

First, realizing that a whole pile of unresolved plot points remained, but there was only one page left in the book.

Second, realizing that everything had already been resolved, yet there were still thousands of pages remaining…

But Yu Mian firmly believed he had never been either of those types of authors. His track record had always been good. [Fish nodding with certainty]