In fact, it was precisely because the portrayals of jellyfish, pufferfish, whales, and other aquatic creatures were scientifically accurate that the main character, the mermaid, became the target of criticism.
After all, there were standard reference points for the other creatures, but no one had ever seen a real mermaid. So how could one prove that the depiction was realistic?
In the body of the post, the blogger specifically expressed their discontent with the recent phenomenon of blinding following the trend.
[I acknowledge that this author’s works are extremely popular across the entire star network, but I still want to share my personal opinion, this latest piece is nothing more than a pure fantasy work.
As we all know, mermaids are a rare and mysterious special race, and have not appeared for many years. A highly influential author publishing such a story will undoubtedly mislead many young readers, making it difficult for them to distinguish fiction from reality.
And a fantasy work being widely celebrated simply because of an interesting plot, leading to this so-called seaside travel craze, is truly disappointing. I hope everyone can think rationally.]
Once this post was published on star network, it immediately garnered massive traffic and attention.
After all, the finale of Star Beast World’s “Mysteries Of The Ocean” was undeniably popular, even boosting the blue ocean economy.
According to statistics from major travel agencies on Central Star, compared to previous years, there was a significant surge in people traveling to coastal vacation spots during the same period.
As soon as the seaside town’s water train appeared in Yu Mian’s story, many federal star administrative regions near the coast seized the opportunity by adapting and launching new water tourism routes accordingly.
For just one star coin, travelers could experience the same kind of water train featured in Fish Soup Noodles’ novel.
They couldn’t bring in real mermaids, but riding a scenic train wasn’t hard, right?
This kind of phenomenal popularity was widely recognized across the entire stat network as a signature feature of Fish Soup Noodles’ serialized novels.
“But this is a good thing, isn’t it? What’s there to criticize? People visiting the seaside for sightseeing doesn’t mean they expect to see real mermaids.”
The “Star Beast World” magazine staff felt their hearts skip a beat when they first saw the post’s title.
They thought that Fish Soup Noodles’ new work contained some kind of factual mistake, offending certain aquatic-descendant races and prompting them to protest.
After all, some special races were rumored to have rather peculiar temperaments. What if a reader had taken offense and decided to file a complaint?
But upon opening the post, they discovered that it was actually written by a federal citizen, criticizing readers for blindly following trends and hyping up the story.
“But the angle of this post is really tricky. They probably think “Star Beast World” won’t be able to refute it.”
Even the Huanyu editorial team, upon hearing about the situation, were worried.
Ever since Fish Soup Noodles’ first novel, “Contract Marriage”, became an instant hit, every new book of his had been closely scrutinized. Countless eyes were fixed on him, watching whether his next work would be as successful as the previous one.
After all, there were only so many fresh ideas. No one could create miracles with every single book, right?
At the slightest disturbance, naysayers were always quick to jump in.
Take “God of Cooking”, for example. It was a slow burn, and just because its early data didn’t skyrocket like previous works, there were discussions about the decline in new book data.
It wasn’t until later, when the novel’s gradual buildup led to a massive surge in readership and attracted a dedicated fanbase of farming novel enthusiasts, that these remarks no longer had a market and fell into silence.
“And now that every book is a hit, these guys have run out of room to show off their skills, so they’re trying to find fault with the subject matter?”
Shaxs browsed through the post, his frown deepening.
After the post went viral, the blogger seemed confident that the magazine wouldn’t respond and repeatedly bumped their own thread with comments.
As a result, more and more readers, seeing the growing controversy, couldn’t help but join the discussion, trying to speak up, although some were admittedly uncertain.
[After all, we all know mermaids haven’t been seen for a long time, but Teacher Fish Soup Noodles’ descriptions of other small aquatic creatures are extremely accurate. Why focus on just this one point?]
[Exactly. Besides, shouldn’t the one making the claim provide the proof first? You’re saying Teacher Fish Soup Noodles doesn’t understand mermaids and that the story is pure fantasy, have you seen a mermaid yourself?]
……
[My son became deeply interested in the ocean after reading this issue of “Star Beast World” and even started learning about marine science. I don’t see how this article has any negative impact.]
But the blogger completely ignored these earnest responses:
[I just can’t stand this kind of behavior. You’re only supporting Fish Soup Noodles because he’s popular and famous. You’d read anything he writes, even if it’s just “Star Beast World” pandering for clicks. There are so many inaccuracies in the way mermaids are written!]
Especially that last reply, which made everyone at “Star Beast World” magazine break out in a cold sweat.
“By the universe, why is this guy so good at nitpicking? Since when did our magazine become about chasing traffic?”
“Does this count as indirect acknowledgment that Fish Soup Noodles’ popularity is recognized across the entire universe?”
“But this topic is indeed getting more and more sensitive.”
Just when everyone was at a loss, a repost left them all stunned.
[Huo Ting V: What exactly is inaccurate? Feel free to elaborate. //Repost:]
?
Teacher Fish Soup Noodles’ friend, General Huo Ting, actually stepped in!
Although many fans had followed his account after the previous hot search incident, unfortunately, he hadn’t posted any new updates since then.
At one point, people even thought they had followed the wrong account.
No one expected that he would make a reappearance when Fish Soup Noodles was being attacked.
[I’m shocked. He barely wrote a few words, yet why does it feel so ominous, like he’s seriously about to tear the blogger apart if they don’t answer properly?]
[Wait, if General Huo Ting frequently travels to outer star systems for missions, could it be possible that he’s actually seen a real mermaid? If that’s the case, I’m signing up for this year’s recruitment plan, ahem ahem.]
[Fine, I’ll forgive you for shutting down Teacher Fish Soup Noodles’ live broadcast earlier, TwT. But where’s the blogger now? Why aren’t they responding?!]
Huo Ting’s overly calm post clearly made the blogger hesitate. After a long silence, they only managed a vague reply:
[There are so many inaccuracies in the article, and none of you can see them? Or are you planning to silence me by banning my account?]
Classic diversion tactic when unable to respond.
[Huh? General Huo Ting only asked you calmly what was inaccurate, and now you’re talking about getting banned?]
This time, there was no need for Huo Ting to reply again. Everyone gradually realized the blogger was just stirring up trouble.
A wave of rewards started appearing in the author reward column on the Huanyu Reading Platform, as readers were worried that Fish Soup Noodles might be disturbed and stop updating.
[Starship reward X1]: I just don’t get why Teacher Fish Soup Noodles would need to ride on hype. My head hurts. I just hope tonight’s update isn’t delayed, wuuu.]
[Meteor shower reward X1]: Fine, we admit it. We’ll read whatever Fish Soup Noodles writes, happy now? TwT What, are we not even allowed to follow an author we like?]
[Meteor shower reward X3]: Forget mermaids, even if Teacher Fish Soup Noodles writes about fish-people, I’d still read it. This person is completely unreasonable, criticizing inaccuracies but refusing to explain them.]
“But this situation really is a bit tricky. I hope Teacher Fish Soup Noodles isn’t affected. If this delays the serialization of “The Vast Immortal Path” we’d feel really guilty.”
At the magazine, Editor Wellington and the others were both entertained and frustrated.
Fish Soup Noodles had been steadily serializing the second volume of “The Vast Immortal Path,” and its popularity was continuously growing. If this short story for the magazine caused a controversy, forcing them to handle a public relations issue and leading to a hiatus, it would be a huge problem.
After all, the mermaid topic wasn’t something that could be easily settled.
Even the research expert on aquatic life that the magazine had consulted during the manuscript review confirmed that the story’s details were highly accurate, closely matching aquatic species characteristics, and even provided insightful portrayals.
[Fish: Uh, I’m fine. I just finished today’s update and posted it. I’m just thinking about how to respond.]
Hearing this, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief. Despite the controversy, Teacher Fish Soup Noodles seemed completely unaffected.
[Chief Editor Wellington: But I think it’s best if you don’t respond. This is clearly a trap. The other party is probably hoping you’ll reply so they can ride the wave of attention.]
After careful consideration, Wellington gave Yu Mian a completely opposite piece of advice.
“But that actually makes sense. Letting the heat die down is the best approach. After all, when it comes to mermaids, there’s no definitive answer anyway.”
Some in the magazine staff furrowed their brows, deep in thought.
However, Yu Mian’s reply left everyone momentarily confused.
[Fish: Actually, there is a way to respond. Orz]
!! Teacher Fish Soup Noodles is this amazing?
He actually has a way to respond? He won’t really summon a real mermaid from across the universe to mediate this?
At this time, after sending his message, Yu Mian flipped over in the water, flicking his fish tail as he lounged in the pool. He watched as more and more self-proclaimed “mermaid experts” emerged online, nitpicking details in the stories, and more and more black lines filled his head.
Some were even claiming that Fish Soup Noodles describing mermaids as being obsessed with looks was a deliberate attempt to slander them, which made Yu Mian feel strangely embarrassed.
Well… it’s true, though. His parents were the ultimate face-con couple, and maybe he inherited a bit of that himself…
And in this lifetime, he really hadn’t seen any other mermaids.
There was no way he could just start a live broadcast and show everyone his tail from every possible angle, right?
Telling them that, in fact, the only mermaid currently known to exist in the entire universe was just like this…nothing as perfect as they imagined?
[Start a live broadcast, start a live broadcast! I’ve been saying forever that you should do this. The popularity would be through the roof. Star network might even crash. Isn’t this the perfect opportunity?!]
The long-dormant little system suddenly sprang to life, cheering wildly.
It had almost lost all hope, and its development path had gone completely off track. But its long-held dream of making Yu Mian a superstar had never disappeared!
According to the original career trajectory, this was a critical moment.
And since this topic was spreading so rapidly, even those in outer star systems were starting to take notice.
Even Chairman Michaels personally called to ask if he needed assistance handling the situation.
As one of the few elders who knew the truth, Chairman Michaels remained deeply concerned about how Yu Mian, the only mermaid, was faring in the Federation.
“Actually, we had considered inviting Yu Mian to officially attend a special talent policy press conference as a mermaid representative.”
After all, among the many special talent races who had settled and lived on Federation Star, who could be more suitable than Yu Mian to serve as a representative of such talent?
Not only was he famous and persuasive, but his image was also excellent, and most importantly, his political screening was highly qualified and trustworthy.
“Moreover, just the mental soothing effects in Fish Soup Noodles’ works alone far surpass any other special race talent applicants. Personally, I highly recommend him!”
Ever since Dr. Cook learned that this was actually a unique racial ability, he had been enthusiastically recommending his idol, convinced that there was no one more suitable than Yu Mian.
Using an official event to dispel rumors…what could anyone criticize about that?
The only issue was that Fish Soup Noodles himself rarely attended offline public events.
But just then, a new development on star network shattered the calm.
Editor Shaxs’ notifications began flashing wildly.
[Crispy Shark: Fish Soup Noodles, your work has actually been read by aquatic readers, and they even highly approve of the details in your writing!]
Yu Mian: ?
When Yu Mian opened star network, he was surprised to find that someone had stepped forward to debunk the rumors with even more anger and passion than himself…and had even uploaded a video.
“Although I don’t know how those so-called ‘mermaid experts’ on star network claim to understand mermaid behavior, I can say with absolute certainty that many of the details in Teacher Fish Soup Noodles’ work align perfectly with our habits and characteristics.”
“The most crucial point is that an elder in our race has personally seen a mermaid before, and the way Fish Soup Noodles describes them, including the scales on the gift necklace from the book, matches exactly what we know.”
A group of young aquatic-descendant readers sat earnestly by the ocean, trying to convince the Federation people not to make baseless assumptions about the credibility of this story.
“So, what Fish Soup Noodles wrote is not fantasy literature but rather a realistic documentary!”
As soon as this video came out, it caused an instant sensation across the star network.
Could those so-called amateur mermaid experts in the discussion thread be more reliable than these aquatic-descendant readers from a water planet?
[Your IP location alone wins this argument. We believe you! This is the first time I’ve seen so many cute little fish [covering face, crying]]
[I’ve heard that Fish Soup Noodles’ new story has been very popular among water-system star readers. So it really reached the aquatic races? Would you like to join our Fish Fans club? OvO]
Although aquatic races were numerous, they rarely appeared in public. This was the first time so many members of a special race had come forward just to defend Fish Soup Noodles.
And they were all so cute. Was it because they spent so much time swimming that they had such great figures and skin?
Meanwhile, Ke Ke and the others, who had prepared for a heated debate, were bewildered when they saw that the people on star network were not only not refuting them but were warm and friendly to the point of being a little scary.
“What’s going on, Ke Ke? Weren’t we supposed to argue with them? But these Federation people are acting really weird.”
“Someone even called me cute… Am I actually cute?”
“No wonder Douglas never came back after visiting Federation Star. The way these people talk is so fun!”
For a moment, they all stared at each other, at a loss for how to respond.
[It’s absolutely true. Fish Soup Noodles was kind enough to send me a pearl, which has alleviated my long-standing illness. And the ability to soothe mental power, this is something only mermaid tear pearls can do. There is no possibility of forgery.
Although this story doesn’t include all habits and abilities of mermaids, every detail that is mentioned is accurate. So Fish Soup Noodles must know, or at least have met, a mermaid.
I sincerely apologize for neglecting your package for so long. I should have contacted you much sooner. I hope I haven’t caused you any trouble.]
A post from a mysterious account once again captured the attention of the entire interstellar community.
Mermaid tear pearls?
[Is this for real? We really need to hold Teacher Fish Soup Noodles accountable…why are you keeping secrets in your writing? O.O]
How could Fish Soup Noodles selectively write about things like this? Such an incredible ability should have been highlighted!
