ICTEUWMN Chapter 171

Moreover, upon closer inspection, the account that had come forward to vouch for Fish Soup Noodles belonged to none other than Lady Landis. And to everyone’s shock, she had quite the extraordinary background.

Although younger generations might not recognize Lady Landis, many older interstellar citizens were amazed when they saw the photos on her account from her youth.

Wasn’t this their goddess when they were young!?

[Fuck, my dad used to sing Lady Landis’ songs all the time when he was young! Teacher Fish Soup Noodles’ social circle is a complete mystery, how did he even get to know her?]

[It’s like two figures from completely different eras suddenly appearing together, haha. But wait, has the goddess really been missing all these years because she was ill?]

[Teacher Fish Soup Noodles is so kind to give such an incredible pearl as a gift. So Lady Landis, how do you know all this so clearly? QAQ]

While many users rushed to Lady Landis’ long-inactive account to dig through its history, they also curiously flooded her with questions.

In the past, before her husband passed away, Lady Landis and her spouse, one skilled in painting, the other in singing, were considered a legendary couple.

Unfortunately, after her husband’s death, Lady Landis developed an incurable mental sea disorder and withdrew from public life, retreating to a seaside villa on her home planet.

Even An did not know that this eccentric and hard-to-approach special-race widow had once enjoyed such a glorious career peak during her youth.

But thinking about it, it wasn’t surprising.

Special aquatic races, which were not known for physical strength, often had heightened sensitivity, making them more prone to producing artists.

Now, faced with the overwhelming curiosity and questions from netizens, Lady Landis, who felt somewhat indebted to Yu Mian, naturally did everything she could to explain:

[Because my husband and I are both aquatic special races, he had personally seen a mermaid before his death and even created an oil painting of one, so I can take full responsibility for my statement.]

The entire interstellar audience: !

By the cosmos above, is this real this time?

With this short piece, Fish Soup Noodles seemed to have successfully drawn out all the bigshots who had ever seen a mermaid.

[Why do I feel like that blogger’s post was actually reverse baiting, bringing everyone in to witness the truth?]

It was like posting a request for book recommendations on major platforms. If the title was something normal like “Looking for a good mermaid novel recommendation,” the replies might be sparse.

But if you said, “There’s not a single good mermaid novel in the whole universe!” you’d instantly provoke a flood of book lovers to argue and recommend titles, reverse baiting a wave of recommendation posts.

[Starting to think… does this count as one black fan equaling ten fans?]

[How could it not? Blogger, you’re actually quite nice? Kinda funny ←.←]

As netizens flocked in to watch the drama, the blogger seemed stuck in an internal struggle before finally replying: [He’s just relying on his fame and wide connections, that’s all.]

And after that, they no longer responded as aggressively as they had at the start.

Without the center of the vortex, the heat naturally began to dissipate.

This brief lull made the staff at StarBlog breathe a sigh of relief.

By the cosmos above, this guy finally shut up.

Who knew this sudden viral event nearly crashed StarBlog’s servers?

Mermaids were already a hot topic, and adding the naturally storm-attracting author Fish Soup Noodles, combined with the blogger striking right at the emotional core of countless fans, had created wave after wave of overwhelming traffic.

It was like a massive drama series. If StarBlog’s servers really crashed because of this, it would be beyond embarrassing.

“We really need to start closely monitoring this author, Fish Soup Noodles. His traffic impact isn’t any less than a top-tier celebrity.”

Even StarBlog’s senior management adjusted their glasses with lingering fear.

“But a lot of top-tier celebrities only became famous because they acted in Fish Soup Noodles’ works, right?”

Clearly, there were young Fish Soup Noodles fans in the team, who whispered a small explanation.

In this incident alone, even the ones helping to share posts included many well-known celebrities and directors.

Looking at it from this angle, Fish Soup Noodles’ social circle was truly terrifying.

Of all people to provoke, you just had to pick him?

Everyone looked at the blogger’s account, seeing them logging in and out multiple times, and couldn’t help but feel a little sympathetic.

Fortunately, the topic now seemed to be shifting back to mermaids.

After all, many had keenly noticed the oil painting mentioned in Lady Landis’ response.

[So, Goddess, could you share your husband’s mermaid oil painting? We really, really want to see it! [Praying] [Praying]]

At this moment, Lady Landis was trying to get in touch with Yu Mian.

Ever since finishing the mermaid short story, Lady Landis had binge-read the entire collection of Fish Soup Noodles’ novels sent by Ke Ke and the others in one go overnight, nearly scaring her old steward.

Can her health even handle this?

Strangely enough, though, instead of worsening, her mental sea had actually stabilized.

“I think it’s because the words in these stories have a magical power that makes people happy, just like spiritual desserts or medicine. After reading them, they soothe a lot of sorrow and pain.”

Lady Landis stroked the book in her hands, her tone both wistful and amazed.

When immersed in those vibrant and fantastical stories, it was as if she had truly escaped all worldly troubles for a moment, experiencing the highs and lows of an extraordinary life alongside the characters.

It wasn’t hard to see why Ke Ke and the others were so obsessed.

“You hold this Federation author’s works in very high regard.”

The old steward was both surprised and pleased.

After all, Lady Landis had been in low spirits for so long, seeing her suddenly so engaged was undoubtedly a good thing.

“A Bowl Of Fish Soup Noodles… I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere before. Are they a Federation author?”

As Lady Landis stared at the author’s name, she finally recalled something she had long forgotten.

“That Federation painter, An, whom you’ve known for years, was actually asked by this author to deliver a gift to you. Apparently, they wanted to inquire about the mermaid painting you sold back then.”

The steward immediately fetched the box and handed it to Lady Landis.

The moment she opened it, she was stunned, then quickly realized that this gift was likely more precious than she had ever imagined.

Though perhaps due to the pearl being stored for a long time without immediate use, the dream images it projected had faded significantly.

But when she woke up the next morning, Lady Landis felt a rare and profound peace in her mental sea.

Only then did she realize, she had been trapped in a long, long dream for the latter half of her life.

In that dream, her personality had become sharp, sensitive, and withdrawn, no longer the person she once was.

It was this pearl that had brought her back to her original self. This was, without a doubt, a tear of a mermaid, an unimaginably precious gift.

“This gift is so valuable that I don’t even know how to properly repay him.”

Determined to contact Yu Mian, Lady Landis logged back into her old account, only to discover that people online were questioning Fish Soup Noodles’ mermaid short story.

Naturally, she couldn’t sit back and do nothing.

Meanwhile, after watching the whole situation unfold, An was left in awe.

No wonder Fish Soup Noodles was so sure that Lady Landis would reach out.

[An: Lady Landis is really planning to head to Federation Star to meet you now. When the time comes, you might be able to discuss all your questions directly with her.

I was so worried about the situation online before, but now that Lady Landis has spoken up, no one will be able to argue anymore. [Happy] [Happy]]

This was a rare elder whale who had personally seen a mermaid, who could be more authoritative than Lady Landis?

Yu Mian looked at his light brain and couldn’t help but laugh at the flood of messages from many good friends and former colleagues, aside from An, who were sending their concerns.

Lilith said she planned to personally offer a bounty to find a mermaid. Omirs mentioned that back when he was a star pirate, he had heard some mermaid-related clues in an outer star system. Even Lu Wei somehow managed to dig up a few rare mermaid documents and sent them over…

Being cared for and valued like this felt really nice.

Without realizing it, he had been in the interstellar era for so long and had made so many lovely friends.

[That’s true. Among all the hosts I’ve seen, you have the most friends and fans, and it’s across all age groups, no less. You literally appeal to men, women, young, and old alike!]

The little system saw Yu Mian holding onto his fish tail and smiling, so it proudly bubbled up as well.

Perhaps it was precisely because his host had delivered so many cute and dreamy stories that brought countless people moments of happiness that he was receiving so much happiness and kindness in return.

“Alright then, I’ve made a decision.”

Yu Mian hugged his light brain, blinked his eyes, and after a moment, suddenly sat up from the water.

“Are you planning to accept Chairman Michaels’ invitation? That would mean the whole universe would know you’re a special race.”

That night, after listening to Yu Mian’s plan, Huo Ting raised an eyebrow and looked over.

Thinking about everything that had happened recently, many people could probably guess the answer.

He just hadn’t expected that this fish, who was usually a bit lazy about anything unrelated to writing, would actually change his mind one day.

“Otherwise, keeping it hidden from everyone feels like such a waste of all their sincerity. Besides, wasn’t I always writing about myself anyway?”

Yu Mian sat in a swivel chair, using his fish tail to nudge the carpet, spinning left and right.

It was like how some well-known athletes’ master’s theses often analyzed “The Champion’s Technical Performance in the Nth Olympic Games,” only for people to find out that the champion being studied was the athlete themselves.

How could a master’s thesis like that possibly fail?

Got any questions? Let’s demonstrate it live right now.

Although Lady Landis stepping in to help smooth things over did leave Yu Mian feeling a little embarrassed, the whole mermaid pearl incident wasn’t something he had intended to reveal.

After all, admitting he was that mermaid meant the entire universe would know that the author Fish Soup Noodles had actually shed tears.

Then his overly concerned friends would go crazy worrying whether Fish Soup Noodles had been bullied… but the truth was, he had just bumped his head on the aquarium.

“Either way, you are absolutely not allowed to tell anyone.”

If you do, I’ll kill you.

Huo Ting, who was affectionately pinned down and threatened by Yu Mian, felt the weight and warmth behind him, then let out a low chuckle before replying seriously, “Understood.”

Like he had received an order.

That, in turn, made Yu Mian feel a little embarrassed. This guy didn’t resist at all, it made him seem too overbearing and unreasonable

However, Grandpa Huo and the others were quite supportive after learning about his decision.

“I fully support it! You have no idea how furious I’ve been at school recently, I almost couldn’t hold back from fighting my classmates.”

Huo Yan bounced up, strongly demanding that Yu Mian immediately accept the invitation and attend the event.

He had been holding back for too long.

Brother Yu Mian was a mermaid, okay? Why should he have to prove it?

They just didn’t get it!

Grandfather Huo Yuejiang, on the other hand, chuckled as he wiped his fishing rod. “Do whatever you want. Us old folks might be getting on in years, but backing up the young ones isn’t a problem.”

The only real concern was that once the little guy’s rare ability was made public, certain people might start having other thoughts.

“But since that old fellow Michaels personally invited you, it’s fine to go.”

If the only special race talent residing in the Federation got into trouble at a conference, the entire military might as well resign collectively.

“Besides, isn’t Huo Ting already looking after you? If anything happens, I’ll hold him accountable first.”

Huo Yan, who had been shoveling food into his mouth, suddenly paused and his eyes darted around sharply. He abruptly put down his bowl and raised his hand, signaling that he had something to say.

Everyone: ?

“Brother Yu Mian, I finally understand what a child marriage means. I strongly object! I also want to report this, Cousin actually wanted to throw the fish at first…”

The next second, Yu Mian saw Qiao Ni leap forward in an instant and cover Huo Yan’s mouth, her smile bleak as she exchanged glances with everyone in the room.

The scene was so bizarre that Yu Mian wanted to laugh, especially after noticing Huo Ting’s calm gaze shifting over.

Speaking of which, when he met Lady Landis, would he be able to ask about his parents? Was there any chance he could see them again?

It sounded almost impossible, but Yu Mian had a strong feeling that maybe, just maybe, it wasn’t.

But since he had made his decision, he didn’t dwell on it anymore and planned to focus on finishing the second volume of “The Vast Immortal Path” before the event.

After all, he knew this would definitely become a huge news story. That worked perfectly, he could use the opportunity to release the physical book.

Yu Mian felt no psychological pressure at all for riding on the popularity of his new book.

After all, the higher his popularity, the better his completion rewards.

And he was really looking forward to the completion reward for the “Vast Immortal Path”.