Lady Landis’s visit this time actually surprised and attracted great attention from the Federation Star officials
A rare and special race willing to accept an invitation to visit the Federation was, in a way, an endorsement of the Federation’s multicultural environment and strong public safety measures.
Moreover, in her youth, Lady Landis had been regarded as an ageless goddess by many elders, and was quite famous.
“So, this time, it was also because she was invited by that author, Fish Soup Noodles? The same one whose book signing in the Eternal Night Star System was a massive hit?”
When Minister Barton of the Interstellar Exchange Department heard the name, Fish Soup Noodles, he felt it was very familiar.
Even though some time had passed, the sensational scenes from the Eternal Night book signing were still vivid in his mind.
Having dealt with the Bart people from the Eternal Night Star System before, Minister Barton was all too familiar, and endlessly frustrated, by their naturally aloof and reticent nature.
So much so that when he saw the live broadcast of the book signing event, he almost thought that the Bart people, who were enthusiastically waving around the signed physical books, queuing for photos, and even being shy and nervous, were actually hired actors.
Weren’t they supposed to be distant and cool?
“Minister, Teacher Fish Soup Noodles’ fanbase has now spread across the entire universe. Huanyu just released a statement that after “The Vast Immortal Path” concludes, its copyright licensing will expand to over ten new star systems. With such a massive fanbase, it’s not surprising that there are many fans from special races among them.”
One of the younger subordinates, clearly a fan, couldn’t help but start explaining enthusiastically.
“Besides, it’s only natural that many readers develop a subconscious fondness for the Federation after reading Teacher Fish Soup Noodles’ works.”
Unfortunately, since this visit to the Federation was a private gathering rather than an official event, it was organized solely by Fish Soup Noodles and the Freckton Gallery.
Otherwise, attending in person would have been very fascinating.
After all, Lady Landis had seen mermaids before. And as for the legendary mystery surrounding mermaid tears, the curiosity about it had not yet faded from the star network.
People were still debating whether such a magical legend could be true.
“In that case, the candidate proposed by Chairman Michaels during the last meeting seems even more fitting…”
Minister Barton suddenly recalled their previous discussions.
Wouldn’t inviting this person to represent special races at the interstellar talent event be a reassuring choice?
“What? Invite Teacher Fish Soup Noodles? But isn’t a talent representative required to be a special race themselves? Though we all agree Fish Soup Noodles would be perfect for the role.”
Hearing the minister’s remark, the subordinates immediately perked up as if their radars had been triggered.
“Oh, the decisions from the meeting haven’t been publicly announced yet. If the invitation is finalized, you’ll all know soon enough.”
Minister Barton coughed lightly, signaling that the news was still confidential and could not be disclosed at will for the time being.
But this revelation completely hooked the Fish fans in the office.
They were practically praying that the officials would do their best to persuade their beloved author to accept the invitation!
Otherwise, fans all over the Federation would be heartbroken!
“Honestly, why not just hold a public vote? Teacher Fish Soup Noodles would definitely be the top pick.”
“Ahem, wouldn’t that be a bit unfair? Considering Fish Soup Noodles’ popularity…”
If those big stars and directors who had starred and adapted Fish Soup Noodles’ works also started promoting the vote, wouldn’t that be a guaranteed landslide victory?
While the discussion continued, Minister Barton waved a hand slightly.
“You all underestimate this author. Just based on his accomplishments and credentials alone, many people have already recommended them on the spot.”
Such an extraordinary and rare special race, not to mention his abilities, these were something the Federation was bound to value highly and want to keep.
Meanwhile, on the other side, with An’s assistance in making arrangements, Yu Mian finally met the mysterious Lady Landis for the first time.
What shocked An the most was that Lady Landis, who had been extremely kind throughout the journey and even frequently responded to his topics, suddenly stopped in front of the reception hall on the top floor of the gallery.
She stared at Teacher Fish Soup Noodles in astonishment.
Even Yu Mian himself subconsciously lowered his head to check if there was something strange on his clothes or face.
Theoretically, with the system’s halo, he shouldn’t encounter such an awkward social situation.
“Hello, may I ask if you are Lady Landis?”
Yu Mian asked tentatively.
Lady Landis did indeed look elegant and kind. Even though she had more white hair after recovering from illness, it was still clear that she must have been a great beauty in her youth.
“This resemblance is just too much…”
However, what Lady Landis muttered in the next second truly left An in a daze.
‘Too much resemblance? Resemblance to what? What was too similar? How come I don’t understand at all?’
Yu Mian, on the other hand, immediately widened his eyes upon understanding the implication, while Huo Ting beside him also slightly raised an eyebrow at Lady Landis.
It was likely that their guess was correct.
That meant the mermaid couple Lady Landis and her husband encountered in their youth were indeed Yu Mian’s parents.
“Sorry, for a moment I almost thought I was hallucinating. No wonder that painting caught your attention…”
Noticing Yu Mian’s expression, Lady Landis gave a small apologetic smile.
However, she still couldn’t help but continue staring at Yu Mian’s brows and eyes, even though she knew it was somewhat impolite.
“So, you might have already guessed? What I wanted to ask you about that painting is truly important to me.”
Yu Mian finally smiled as well.
He hadn’t expected that he wouldn’t even need to say much…Lady Landis had already noticed.
He did indeed look a lot like his parents.
The only one struggling to keep up with this cryptic conversation was An, who was almost questioning his very existence.
What kind of encrypted communication was this?
He understood every word, but when put together, they made no sense at all!
Although a few minutes later, An, who was theoretically the first book fan to learn about this, was so shocked that his brain almost stopped working.
“Wait, are you saying that in the painting made by Lady Landis’ husband, the depicted figures are your parents…!?”
Which means, by extension… Teacher Fish Soup Noodles, you’re a mermaid!?
An didn’t even dare to say the latter half of his sentence out loud.
‘Didn’t I wake up last night? Isn’t this too incredible?’
The most critical part was that he had even proudly brought Teacher Fish Soup Noodles to the second floor to admire the painting, not knowing that the figures in the painting were actually his own relatives.
This was beyond embarrassing.
An couldn’t even recall what he had said that day.
He had passionately praised how Teacher Fish Soup Noodles shared his sentiment that the pair in the painting were a married couple.
How could they not be a couple?
Otherwise, Teacher Fish Soup Noodles wouldn’t be standing here now!
“That’s right, but I wasn’t ready to tell everyone at the time, so I wasn’t deliberately keeping it from you. And I have to thank you, An, for leading me to that painting. Otherwise, I might not have been able to get in touch with Lady Landis.”
Seeing An’s extremely shocked expression, Yu Mian chuckled softly and explained earnestly.
An looked around and suddenly didn’t know where to place his hands, which had been holding the painting’s frame.
As for being angry? How could he possibly be angry?
Fortunately, he hadn’t refused to help Teacher Fish Soup Noodles contact Lady Landis just because he thought it was impossible.
But thinking back now, it was no wonder Teacher Fish Soup Noodles had been able to write that mermaid short story so well…
Wait a minute, so what was all that drama on star network before? Why had the argument gone back and forth for so long? How did these people think they understood mermaids better than an actual mermaid?
No, the amount of information was simply too overwhelming and his brain couldn’t process it all!
[Frantically scratching head.jpg]
Lady Landis, who was beside An, watched as the other party’s pupils trembled and his brain seemingly froze, causing her own eyes to crinkle in amusement.
“It’s not just An who is shocked, I’m quite surprised too. I had assumed your pearl came from some mermaid friend.”
“Of course, I know what you care most about is still the painting.”
Once Lady Landis got to the main topic, her expression turned serious.
As expected, the situation was just as Yu Mian had suspected. His parents had indeed been active at sea for quite some time.
Even the way Lady Landis recounted the events was eerily vivid, as if Yu Mian could clearly imagine their reactions at the time.
“They were truly wonderful people, just a bit forgetful. My husband once had his head patted by them in the water, and they even enthusiastically helped him clean off some barnacles.”
“But a few weeks later, when my husband and I went to gift them a bunch of beautiful corals, they had already forgotten about him and simply complimented how pretty the corals were.”
Recalling the past, Lady Landis’ face was filled with a bittersweet yet joyful smile.
Yu Mian, on the other hand, felt an almost irresistible urge to cover his face.
Being forgetful was one thing, but even to their own son? His parents were just incredibly carefree.
“Sorry, but they’ve always been like that, it was never intentional.”
Maybe that’s why they lived such a happy life?
At least, he had never seen them worry about anything. They were absolute optimists, and their relationship was undeniably strong.
Sometimes, Yu Mian even felt like he was a bit of an accident, while his parents were the real love story.
=.=
“There’s nothing to apologize for. In fact, we’ve always cherished those joyful memories…swimming freely in the ocean, with rainbows occasionally appearing above the waves. But your parents seemed to have left these waters long ago, just like the wind.”
“If you want to know the exact location of that sea area, I can go back, find the precise coordinates, and send them to you.”
“That triangular sea area is actually quite mysterious. Even marine creatures with excellent swimming abilities often get lost in the undercurrents. But during the time your parents were there, the waters were unusually calm.”
Lady Landis explained everything she knew to Yu Mian without even taking a sip of water.
Perhaps mermaids truly were the darlings of the sea.
When they appeared, even storms would become gentle.
Hearing Lady Landis’ description, Yu Mian listened attentively, and even those around him had a subtly softened expression.
It was as if they could truly imagine what that mermaid couple looked like.
“It’s just that the pearl you gave me is far too precious. To be honest, I don’t even know how to repay you for such a gift. There might not be a treasure in the ocean more valuable than this.”
In the end, Lady Landis looked troubled as she apologized to Yu Mian.
“No, no, it’s really fine. If this pearl can serve such an important purpose, I think it’s the best place for it. Besides, you’re even taking the trouble to go back and find the coordinates of that sea area for me.”
Yu Mian smiled and reassured her upon hearing this.
And technically speaking, he had taken the pearl back from Huo Ting. Now that it had ended up with someone who needed it more, that was actually quite nice.
“If you truly feel uneasy about it, just help promote my works a little more.”
After all, the more popularity, the better.
As they were about to part ways, Yu Mian noticed Lady Landis hesitating to speak, so he explained quite seriously.
This made Lady Landis pause for a moment, before her eyes suddenly lit up.
“If that’s the case, I might actually be able to help.”
After all, a whale’s song can be transmitted very far in the ocean.
“I might be able to call out to many old friends who are hiding in the depths and don’t want to come ashore to read your novels.”
“Eh? Really? If that’s possible, then I truly appreciate it.”
Yu Mian was briefly stunned before suddenly recalling that this was indeed one of the special abilities of whales.
He had even watched a documentary before that specifically explained how whale calls could spread across an entire ocean, traveling hundreds of kilometers with perfect clarity. They were truly the ocean spirits capable of “transmitting voices across ten thousand miles”.
Even submarines mimicked whale calls for communication, allowing their messages to travel both far and well.
If Lady Landis was willing to help promote his works, wouldn’t that be like having an ocean-wide broadcasting station, summoning everyone underwater to read his novels?
Imagining that scene, Yu Mian found it oddly fascinating.
“Maybe don’t go too overboard… What if there are those who don’t like reading? It wouldn’t be good to bother them.”
“How could that be? Do you really not know how popular your works are in our water planet? Even Ke Ke, who never wanted to engage with anything outside the water system, is completely absorbed in them.”
Lady Landis was quite surprised by Yu Mian’s obliviousness to his own widespread popularity and proceeded to give him a serious explanation.
In fact, ever since the first novel spread to their water star system, his books had begun to spread virally.
Not to mention, the moment the new mermaid short story came out, it exploded in popularity.
Anyone who hadn’t read it could hardly even participate in conversations with their friends.
Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been an avalanche of orders flooding towards the Huanyu Tower on the Federation Star.
“The only downside is that now, many of them are constantly staring at their bathtubs, complaining about why a mermaid hasn’t appeared inside yet.”
Lady Landis tried to suppress her laughter as she shared this anecdote with Yu Mian. Hearing this, An, who was nearby, couldn’t help but nod in deep agreement.
“Sigh, the Fish Fans on the Federation Star are the same. Their bathtubs always have to be filled with water, soaking that mermaid scale necklace inside, just in case a mermaid suddenly appears and needs somewhere to soak their tail!”
At this point, An suddenly froze.
Wait a minute, wasn’t his own bathtub at home also filled with water?
Oh no, this was too embarrassing. He absolutely couldn’t let Teacher Fish Soup Noodles know!
