After refusing the caretaker’s manual transport, Jun Ye also moved to the bed, estimating the distance between his fishtail water bed and himself.
It was less than half a meter away, and he could reach it with his hand.
Jun Ye, not very proficient, carefully placed his tail down, and the layered fins spread out all over the floor.
Having never seen how a merman walks, but judging from this long tail, he figured it would be somewhat similar to snakes on Earth.
Just to be safe, Jun Ye first reached his hand to support himself on the small fishtail water bed, then lifted his body with his tail.
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With a distance of less than half a meter, there was no need for “walking.” Jun Ye was worried that he might cause unnecessary trouble by walking inappropriately, so he simply turned around and sat between the two water beds.
When he looked up, he caught the caretaker’s gaze full of distress. “Did the researchers at the breeding center train you guys?”
Jun Ye: What?
Ai Li, self-absorbed, continued, “There are researchers who hope that merfolk can live on land without relying on external objects, but how is that possible?”
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“You’ve suffered,” Ai Lisaid sympathetically. “But from now on, you won’t have to endure such hardships. Here, you have me to serve you. In a month, a promising young officer will take care of you for the rest of your life.”
Jun Ye looked puzzled. Could rare animals from your aquarium be sold? Wait, merfolk can’t walk on land? Does that mean he has to crawl on the ground from now on?
After saying these things, Ai Li’s mood improved a lot. With a proper smile, he remotely controlled the mermaid vehicle carrying “Luo Sha” to the closet.
Opening the closet door, he bowed and said, “Your Excellency Luo Sha, these are the mermaid clothes we purchased for you based on the information provided by the breeding center. I hope you like them.”
Jun Ye was almost blinded by the dresses in this closet. He wanted to ask the caretaker, “Are you serious?” but looking at his own tail…
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Fuck, should he curse out loud?
Wear it. Those are dresses, but if he doesn’t wear them, he’ll have to run naked. With his sense of shame, he couldn’t do that.
Jun Ye tried to find a more neutral-looking one from a pile of colorful, lace-trimmed dresses, but even the most neutral one was still a skirt.
Only now did he realize how perfect the design of the sleeping robe was.
Jun Ye, trying not to stare, looked away from the blue and white fishtail skirt in his hand and reached out to untie the belt of the sleeping robe. However, he heard the attendant’s breath suddenly becoming erratic.
When Jun Ye turned to look, the other person had swiftly turned his back, the white gloves resting behind his waist, and his body stood straight, with an abnormal red on his ears.
“…”
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Was it necessary? They were both males, not even the same species. Moreover, he hadn’t taken it off yet.
In the end, Jun Ye attributed the caretaker’s reaction to the fact that this was still an innocent youth. Afterward, he efficiently changed into the dress.
Swinging his tail, the long skirt directly extended beyond the end of the fish tail, almost dragging onto the tail fin.
“…”
No wonder your mermaids can’t walk upright. Is it a good idea to wear such a long dress?
After putting on the mermaid dress, Jun Ye, under the guidance of the caretaker, went through grooming. It was the first time he had been cared for like a disabled person since he could remember, and this feeling was quite uncomfortable.
Sitting on the mermaid vehicle as per the attendant’s call, he went to the restaurant. Inside, there were already quite a few merfolk. They sat on soft chairs by the dining table, each with a caretaker standing beside them, holding a white towel on their arms.
Looking at mermaids in dresses in the restaurant and then looking at himself in a similar outfit, Jun Ye felt his cheeks heating up.
The mermaid vehicle stopped near a long table. Jun Ye noticed that the merfolk at this table were familiar faces, and the coded metal plates carried by the attendants all started with “L.” Considering the conversation he overheard last night, they should be from the same group?
At this moment, the caretaker pulled out a chair from the side, not too far away. Jun Ye directly stood up and sat down, instantly attracting surprised looks from the merfolk and caretakers at the table.
Jun Ye: “…”
Just look if you want; it’s better than being carried around by someone.
Ai Li’s expression remained unchanged as he slightly bowed to Jun Ye. “Please wait a moment, Your Excellency. I’ll go get your breakfast.”
Jun Ye nodded, but he noticed that when Ai Li and his metal plate were seen, or perhaps when the metal plate on Ai Li’s chest was noticed, the gazes of the merfolk at the table shifted knowingly.
What’s wrong with the metal plate? Jun Ye turned his head to look at the metal plates on the merfolk attendants. They were labeled with “L16.” He remembered Ai Li’s had “L17” on it. Does this number have some special meaning?
Jun Ye also looked at the other merfolk caretakers and noticed another strange thing. The table had two rows, ten seats in one row, but there were only seventeen merfolk.
He sat next to number sixteen, and there were three empty seats between number sixteen and number fifteen.
Ranking?
The term “ranking” popped into Jun Ye’s mind.
At this moment, the female merfolk in the pink skirt, number sixteen, put down her knife and fork, picked up the napkin on her leg, and wiped her mouth. Perhaps noticing that Jun Ye was looking at her, she turned her head and smiled at Jun Ye. Her gaze swept over Jun Ye’s tail and she said with a smile, “Your tail is really long.”
Jun Ye was slightly stunned. Was that a compliment?
“Thank you.”
The language here was not any language Jun Ye was familiar with, but he could naturally understand what others were saying, and there was no obstacle to his own expression.
Whether this was an inherent ability of this body or an addon given by that “system” without his knowledge, Jun Ye could not determine.
Looking at the mermaid with the pink skirt and those brightly colored pink eyes, Jun Ye also praised, “Your eyes are beautiful.”
“Hehe,” the mermaid in the pink skirt blinked at Jun Ye and said with a smile, “This is the direction of my mutation.”
Mutation?
While still puzzled, a hand wearing white gloves placed a plate in front of Jun Ye. Glancing at it, Jun Ye was immediately stunned by a plate of greenery.
A plate of grass? Are you kidding me?
Jun Ye turned to look at the caretaker standing beside him.
Ai Li slightly bent down and asked, “Does Your Excellency have any orders?”
Seemingly, the others didn’t find anything wrong with receiving just a plate of seaweed, so Jun Ye also looked at the plates of other merfolk. Their plates were also filled with various types of seaweed.
Wait a minute, something’s not right. The table next to him had all kinds of sashimi on their plates!
Could it be… everyone at his table is herbivorous fish?
Jun Ye looked at the seaweed of varying shades in his plate and pointed to the other table, asking the attendant, “Can I eat what they’re having?”
Ai Li glanced at the sashimi on the other table and immediately shook his head, explaining, “They are carnivorous merfolk, and you are an herbivorous merfolk. You cannot digest meat.”
…Is that so?
Jun Ye hesitated but picked up a piece of seaweed with his fork and put it in his mouth. The taste wasn’t particularly good, but it was not as unbearable as he had imagined.
However, after finishing the whole plate, he felt no sense of fullness. Wasn’t there too little quantity?
Jun Ye lightly tapped his clean plate with the fork and turned to his dedicated caretaker.
—Cough, you know what I mean, right?
Ai Li felt his eyelids uncontrollably twitch, helpless. “This is a nutritious meal prepared by the breeding center according to your body’s needs. Don’t overeat.”
Overeat? I’m not even half full. Did I just eat something?
Jun Ye put down the fork in silence, thinking that in such a vast water area of the aquarium, he could probably sneakily grab some seaweed and fish later. Perhaps there might even be visitors feeding him.
To be in this state on the first day in this world, it’s really miserable.
Seeing that the merfolk he was responsible for finally stopped worrying about food, Ai Li quickly controlled the mermaid vehicle over, and as soon as Jun Ye got on, he swiftly took him away from the restaurant towards the activity area of the L-numbered merfolk.
The so-called merfolk activity area was an indoor water area of over two thousand square meters, about thirty meters deep, with fine white sand on the bottom, simulating the ecological landscape of a shallow sea.
Jun Ye watched small schools of fish swimming underwater from the platform, his eyes shining. He was just thinking about touching and eating some fish when it happened.
Ai Li did not notice Jun Ye’s unusual expression. He half-knelt on the ground, put something like a sports watch on Jun Ye’s wrist, and instructed, “Today, you can play freely in the L Pavilion. This wristwatch will record your heart rate and blood pressure in real-time. When the text turns orange, swim to the shore.”
After finishing, Ai Lismiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry too much. If you exceed the safety limit, the staff will bring you up. Later, there will be officers from the military coming. They are good swimmers, have a good time.”
Jun Ye nodded to show that he understood. Ai Lithen retreated to the side, observing him from a distance further away than usual.
A group of slender small fish swam past Jun Ye’s water area. Jun Ye secretly swallowed his saliva.
He looked at the dress that was hindering him and was unsure if he could take it off. So, he looked towards the pink-skirted mermaid at number sixteen.
The mermaid in the pink skirt sat by the pool, swinging her fish tail in the water, and a section of the skirt was soaked in the water.
Feeling Jun Ye’s gaze, she tilted her head, blinked at Jun Ye, made a gesture similar to a beckoning cat, and then dived into the water.
Jun Ye didn’t understand what the beckoning cat gesture meant, but he confirmed that he couldn’t take off the dress. He could only, with a sigh, jump into the water with this cumbersome outfit.
The azure seawater covered his head, and Jun Ye subconsciously held his breath. Although he was now a merman, he didn’t see any gill-like organs on his body.
Fortunately, his free diving skills were pretty good.
There was a slight stinging sensation in his eyes as he entered the water, but it quickly disappeared.
Swinging his tail, layer upon layer of beautiful fins unfolded in the water, creating a mesmerizing sight.
Jun Ye marveled at how good a large tail could be; a gentle sway provided powerful propulsion.
During his descent, Jun Ye also saw the pink-skirted mermaid surrounded by a group of colorful fish. She swam with him for a while, but when he swam deeper, she turned around and went back.
At a depth of thirty meters, it didn’t take long for Jun Ye to reach the bottom of the pool. He hesitated momentarily between the seaweed, seashells, and fish, then chose the seashells within the coral clusters.
Having already consumed a good amount of seaweed in the morning, which not only tasted ordinary but also provided little energy, Jun Ye dismissed the idea of eating the nearby fish. The vibrant colors of these fish, not to mention potential toxicity, made him doubt their palatability.
Collecting a few shells, Jun Ye was about to swim back up when he felt a slight itch on his cheeks. He instinctively touched his face and was stunned. There were tiny scales and openings on the edges – were these… gills?
He tentatively moved his gills, and a refreshing feeling swept through his body. He could actually breathe?!
This was even better. He didn’t have to worry about how to discreetly eat near the surface of the water. Jun Ye decisively turned back towards the coral clusters, keeping an eye out for anything edible in the vicinity.
Once satisfied, he covered the mess on the ground with white sand, swaying his tail and swimming back to the water surface.
As he emerged, Jun Ye raised his head, ruffling his wet hair. Only then did he realize that, at some point, he had swum to the center of the water area. With over two thousand square meters of water, nearly the size of three football fields, it was more like a small lake.
Maintaining a posture where his shoulders were above the water, Jun Ye swam back towards the location of his mermaid vehicle.
His face had dried up, but he felt a slight itch on his cheeks again. With the prior experience, Jun Ye lowered his head, observing his reflection in the water.
The small blue-white scales on his cheeks gradually disappeared, and looking at his profile, the openings where gills were supposed to be were also gradually closing.
Jun Ye suddenly flicked his tail, rushing to the edge of the pool where his mermaid vehicle was. He was about to climb up when he heard the footsteps of military boots on the floor.
Looking towards the source of the sound, a group of young people in military uniforms walked in through the entrance. They all looked excited, with flushed faces, and kept adjusting their uniforms, resembling individuals ready to attend a matchmaking banquet.
Well, not everyone was that excited. The young military officer in the front left, wearing a monocle, appeared calm. His leisurely appearance, as if strolling through his own backyard, vaguely made Jun Ye feel a bit familiar.
At this moment, the officer’s gaze swept in this direction, and as it passed Jun Ye, it abruptly stopped.
Subconsciously, Gu Jiaoxiu wanted to raise his hand to touch his slightly painful left cheek. Midway, he forcefully changed the direction to push up his glasses.
Special news for today! As it’s this humble translator’s birthday in two days and i won’t be around much, I’m releasing some extra chapters for all my projects to celebrate with you all