“A mermaid couple? But aren’t mermaids supposed to be extinct in this world?”
Yu Mian was already in disbelief just hearing Granny Delanchi’s words.
After all, the little system had told him before that he was the last mermaid in existence.
In the next moment, Granny Delanchi revealed a mysterious smile.
“Of course not many people know this secret, and I wouldn’t tell ordinary humans about it.”
But after glancing at the well-cared-for Xiao Mi in her arms, Granny Delanchi hesitated and looked back at Yu Mian.
“However, since you’ve taken such good care of Xiao Mi for me, I suppose I can share this secret with you. Haven’t you noticed that you have a rather magical ability?”
“…?”
Hearing this, Yu Mian immediately became nervous, his gaze darting to the now-dimmed light brain screen. Could this mysterious old woman even know about his writing activities?
“Your singing possesses the ability to sooth mental power, don’t you know that?”
Granny Delanchi looked at Yu Mian in surprise, seemingly stunned by how oblivious this young mermaid appeared to be.
Granny Delanchi looked at Yu Mian, who looked confused and nervous, in surprise. She never expected this young mermaid to be so oblivious.
“Uh… well, my singing isn’t very good.”
Realizing she was referring to singing, Yu Mian breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
“How could that be? Mermaid singing is famously beautiful…”
Not believing him, Granny Delanchi had Yu Mian sing a short tune. Once he finished, an awkward silence settled between the two of them.
“That’s so strange. Could it be that your parents didn’t teach you anything?!”
“But who exactly is the mermaid couple you mentioned earlier?”
Seeing Granny Delanchi’s confusion, Yu Mian pressed on with his questions.
“Well, it’s nothing too mysterious. Many years ago, the special races near the oceanic star system with codes beginning with the letter E, all knew about a mermaid couple who often appeared in the waters there. They were known for helping others sooth their chaotic mental seas…”
Granny Delanchi reminisced about her younger days.
In a sense, the ethereal singing she heard across the ocean on that full-moon night was an almost unforgettable and wonderful experience.
However, this secret had always been kept among groups with special racial bloodlines and was never revealed to any human.
“Why couldn’t it be told to pure humans?”
Somehow, Yu Mian felt like he had just asked the exact same question that Da Xi had once asked Gredo in “The King of Tian Mountains”.
“Because, in a way, we remain wary of pure humans without special bloodlines. A few hundred years ago, descendants with beastman bloodlines faced all kinds of prejudice in the interstellar realm, forcing them to hide their beastly traits.”
“People always saw them as star beast descendants rather than equal humans. Of course, now the law strictly prohibits such discrimination, and this attitude has mostly disappeared. But many special races still instinctively hide their identities.”
Granny Delanchi spoke with a serious tone. The next moment, she extended her hand, revealing dense, fierce black dragon scales.
Yu Mian: !
It was the first time Yu Mian had seen a special interstellar race reveal their features before him, but the “non-human” aura was unmistakable.
How cool.
He couldn’t help but wonder if there were humans with big cat bloodlines. Wouldn’t that mean they could grow big furry paw pads with a swipe?
‘You guys in the interstellar era, don’t you know how cute animal ears and tails are! ?’
“But what about the mermaid couple?”
Realizing Granny Delanchi was drifting off-topic, Yu Mian steered the conversation back.
“Ahem, well, I haven’t seen them in many years. It seems they’ve moved to another region. But perhaps you could visit that star system to see if you find any clues.”
Granny Delanchi noticed Yu Mian’s wide-eyed stare, which made her unable to stop herself from sharing all kinds of stored-up knowledge.
Could it be that she had a natural weakness for shiny fish tails? Or was it simply impossible for her to resist mermaids?
“But you do have a very kind face. Mermaids are such a beautiful race. It’s a shame you haven’t mastered singing or inherited that ability.”
Granny Delanchi sighed wistfully, then handed Yu Mian a set of electronic coordinates as a parting gift.
As he took the coordinates, Yu Mian appeared thoughtful.
“But since you’re familiar with mermaids, could you tell me why scales fall off? Or what happens after the shedding phase ends?”
Seeing Granny Delanchi cradling Xiao Mi and preparing to leave, Yu Mian hurriedly asked.
“Ah, you really don’t know anything, do you?”
“For us races with scales, the shedding phase usually marks the beginning of the mating season.”
“The most important rule is actually just one,” Granny Delanchi said with a serious expression.
“One rule? What is it?”
“Hunt for a strong enough mate! Not like me whose partner passed away so early, sigh…”
Yu Mian stared at his own fish tail, sinking into deep thought.
It would be better to let the scales fall off for a while longer!
And Granny Delanchi… she really seemed like someone with stories to tell, but her partner was no longer around?
“Chi~ chi!”
Just as Yu Mian leaned against the window, watching Granny Delanchi leave in a whirlwind, a panicked crying sound came from beside him.
?
It was a forgotten little white dandelion, it was crying so hard that its tears soaked the fluff around it.
Apparently, in her joy over having found Xiao Mi, Granny Delanchi had forgotten about this little one in her emotional state.
“But I didn’t keep Granny Delanchi’s contact information?”
Yu Mian cradled the crying fluffball and realized it was probably something Granny Delanchi left behind. She really was an animal lover.
Now that he thought about it, was the reason Xiao Mi got lost in the first place because Granny Delanchi had forgotten it somewhere?
“Perhaps you’ll have to wait until she remembers and comes back to take you.”
Yu Mian didn’t mind. He was actually interested in chatting more with Granny Delanchi about that oceanic region; it felt like she knew many interstellar secrets.
He took a tissue and gently wiped the little one’s tears.
It stopped crying but instead clung tightly to Yu Mian’s back.
This incident piqued Yu Mian’s curiosity about the so-called star beasts and beastman bloodline groups in the interstellar space.
Upon some research, he discovered that, like the Bart, many descendants of beastman bloodlines had their own specific star systems where they were active. Although there were quite a few living on the Federation Star, they mostly kept a low profile.
Could there be readers of “Star Beast World” among them?
Maybe even some who read “The King of Tian Mountains”?
In fact, the latest issue of “Star Beast World” caused a huge stir on the star network, igniting a lively discussion among readers.
While many readers’ first reaction was to lament Da Xi and Gredo’s parting, a significant portion believed the ending was the most perfect conclusion.
Unexpectedly, the most vocal group of readers turned out to be the previously low-profile descendants of beastman bloodlines living on the Federation Star.
It was surprising, but that was exactly how things unfolded.
As a small, often-overlooked community on the Federation Star, these descendants of beastman bloodlines typically kept a low profile, quietly working without drawing attention.
But after reading “The King of Tian Mountains-Snow Leopard,” they experienced far more complex and emotional reactions than ordinary interstellar readers.
Some even felt that the story should be shared in their home star systems so their companions could also feel this indescribable emotion.
One of them even made a rare and high-profile post on the star network:
[As a beastman descendant, I usually don’t like others knowing about my bloodline. But this time, I have to speak up.
Gredo is the true brave and fearless hero in my heart. His wild vigor and kingly presence as he strides across the snowy plains are exactly the qualities we admire most!
Although I also like Da Xi and think he’s absolutely cute, I firmly believe that Gredo belongs on the Tian Mountain snowfields to remain the kingly Gredo we respect.
Teacher Fish Soup Noodles’ story greatly respects our habits and traits. So if anyone still feels dissatisfied, I’d suggest they first consult my fists to see if they agree!
[Image] [Image] [Image]]
This beastman descendant seemed deeply displeased with those lamenting the ending and was ready to battle anyone online to defend his idea of a perfect conclusion.
He even posted pictures of his beastman traits: a pair of powerful furry beast paws and a long, trailing tail.
Unsurprisingly, this reader’s feedback quickly went viral, rivaling the popularity of the previous “Star Beast World” reader letter.
However, the direction and content of the comments was completely unexpected.
[You… you actually have a tail!?]
Faced with the netizens’ exclamations, the beastman brother became both wary and annoyed:
[That’s right, I do. What’s it to you!?]
[Oh my goodness, I want to bury my face in it and take a big sniff! Does our Gredo’s tail look just as beautiful!?]
[Me too, me too… let me go first!]
[???]
The previously wary beastman brother was now at a loss after seeing these comments. He felt like he’d punched cotton and even felt the urge to retreat and report this as harassment.
This was outrageous!
What kind of new interstellar human conspiracy is this?
After all, the release of “The King of Tian Mountains-Snow Leopard” had indeed sparked a wave of tail obsession and adoration across the interstellar community.
Apart from the heart-wrenching ending between Da Xi and Gredo, the cute scenes of the two snow leopards interacting with their tails had left a deep impression.
Whether it was Gredo shielding Da Xi from the wind and snow with his tail, Da Xi occasionally dozing off on Gredo’s tail, or the playful moments of Da Xi biting Gredo’s tail, each scene was more cute and heartwarming than the last.
Readers couldn’t help but wish they could jump into the story and hug those fluffy tails for themselves.
[I just learned that humans used to have tails too! Why don’t we anymore?]
[Yeah, tails are so cool! Plus, you could accessorize them or create fashionable tail decorations…it’s such a missed opportunity.]
