y exiledrebelsscanlationsupdated on July 2, 20222 Commentson After Becoming a Mermaid Chapter 73: I Don’t Want to Give up on Me?
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15 min read
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Kiramekineko
Norman walked into the living room and saw the teenager sitting on the sofa in beige casual clothes, looking at the terminal with his eyebrows unconsciously knitted. He walked over to him, leaned down, and kissed him on the brow, asking in a warm voice, “Why are you unhappy?”
An Jin’s eyebrows were stretched and he smiled up at him. “I’m not unhappy.” He didn’t even feel himself frowning as he showed Norman the product search interface. “There are no level eight or nine beast cores on the market.”
The higher the level the more expensive the beast cores were, and there were no level eight or nine beast cores. Although his current water ability was only level four, his upgrade speed was fast, and if he was successfully baptized in Rabe Star, his upgrade speed might even increase. So he wanted to prepare in advance the beast cores that would be used for future upgrades, so that the upgrade would not be slowed down by the lack of beast cores.
Norman sat next to him and gave him a lecture. “Class eight and nine beast cores from SS and SSS class beasts are very few in number, I had a few before and the institute made them into mecha energy cartridges.”
Taking out a new level nine energy box from the space button, he said, “This is made of three level nine crystal cores, can you still try?”
The energy box was a square black box, with a length, width, and height of about fifty cm.
An Jin’s hand fell on the energy box, and running the water ability, felt the majestic energy, but could not absorb it. The energy that had been flowing in the beast’s core, which could be absorbed, seemed to have lost its activity and solidified, and he tried twice and shook his head. “No.”
Norman rubbed the top of his hair. “I told the military to pay more attention to the star beasts, and later, when they kill high-level star beasts, the core of the beast is to stay.”
An Jin smiled at him. “Thank you.”
Norman slid his hand to the back of his neck and rested his forehead against his. “Sleeping in the bedroom tonight?” He paused for reassurance. “I won’t mess around.”
He didn’t want the teenager to go back to the pool again like he did last night. An Jin’s cheeks instantly warmed up and his heart sped up as he nodded.
Norman rubbed his thumb over the side of his face and whispered, “I’m sorry, did I scare you the other day?”
An Jin shook his head and whispered, “No, I’m just tired.” He said this and pursed his lips, his cheeks puffing out unconsciously.
Norman touched his cheek, and the terminal rang softly. The chef informed the two that dinner was ready, and after a dinner stroll, they returned to the living room.
An Jin translated the latest document from the technical department, a document whose content was relatively rare in everyday life and contained some specialized terminology. This was the second time the translator was upgraded, and the technical department was working very efficiently, often returning to the translator’s users for feedback and expanding their vocabulary.
An Jin translated very carefully, and after the mermaid was judged to be an intelligent creature and the Rabe Star joined the Star Alliance, the translator had been sold to the public. The sales were still very good, and he also had a share of the profits.
Norman was looking at the wedding flow design sheet. The military department had made arrangements for each of the scenes that required his presence. He was usually part of the alien patrol, and since going to Rabe Star did not affect Siao, he went out on patrol to make up the difference so Siao’s daily defense did not have to move.
His bracelet kept vibrating. He scanned it and saw it was a message from the mermaid boss group.
Seeing nothing but purely idle chatter, he set the group to do-not-disturb mode. When the last group of mermaids finished the surgery, the lives of the first group of mermaids who did the surgery had silently changed.
—
When Mu Chen came home, he saw Little Silver sitting on the living room floor with his back against the side of the couch and his wheelchair by his side. Startled, he quickly walked over to him. “What’s wrong with you?”
Little Silver’s eyes lit up for a moment, then he screwed up his eyebrows. “You’re thirteen minutes later than usual!”
He said this, and raised his tail and slapped the ground with a crisp pop.
Mu Chen was surprised. “You remember so well.” He swept past Little Silver’s tail and couldn’t help but ask, “You’re not in pain, are you?”
Little Silver raised his eyebrows and gave him a look. “I’m a mermaid!”
Mu Chen didn’t bother to argue that he was “delicate”, but said with relief, “It’s rare that you finally know I’m human.”
Little Silver grunted. “Are you questioning my intelligence?”
“Of course not, you’re so smart,” Mu Chen said immediately. He walked up to Little Silver and pointed down to the wheelchair. “Do you want me to carry you?”
“No, I didn’t wait for you to get in the wheelchair!”
“You waited for me on purpose?” Mu Chen was surprised.
Little Silver remembered that he had waited for ten more minutes and said unhappily, “You’re too slow!”
Mu Chen was helpless. “I didn’t know you’d wait for me, I had to hand over my work to someone and I was delayed a bit.” He scanned Little Silver’s terminal. “You can contact me directly if you need anything in the future.” He asked curiously, “What do you want to see me about?”
Little Silver’s tail fin tilted upward and he turned the virtual screen to Mu Chen, his eyes full of expectation. “You have a mecha, right?”
Mu Chen looked at the virtual screen, and there was a video of the attack on Rabe, and the mecha battle scene was very cool.
Mu Chen understood. “You want to play mecha?”
Little Silver nodded immediately, his silver eyes very bright. “Take me there! I’ll give you a nice flat fish!”
Mu Chen hesitated for a moment. A mermaid’s identity quality is great, but…he looked at Little Silver’s tail and wondered, Can he sit still?
Little Silver saw that he did not speak, thought he did not agree, stretched out his right palm, then the other. “Two!” He glared at Mu Chen. “Damned two-legged beast, don’t be insatiable!”
The corners of Mu Chen’s mouth twitched. “You just shouted ‘human’.” He looked at Little Silver, and said, “My name is Mu Chen, you can call me by my first name.”
Little Silver lifted his chin and narrowed his eyes. “You won’t take me to play mecha if you don’t shout?” He grinned and showed his canines. “Are you threatening me, asshole?”
Mu Chen’s eyes swept over his teeth and unconsciously touched the side of his neck, the bite wound had long since recovered.
Little Silver noticed his movement, his expression stiffened for a moment, and he collected his expression. “I…I didn’t mean to do it that day.” His back left the couch as he straightened his upper body and he reached out, but found that he could not reach his desired height at all, and said angrily, “Why are you standing so high? Showing off to me?”
“You’re the one looking for a fight, aren’t you?” Mu Chen knelt down and reached out to pick up Little Silver.
Little Silver’s eyes rounded. “What are you doing?”
Mu Chen replied, “I’m taking you to a mecha.”
Little Silver’s tail wagged subconsciously, and Mu Chen’s hand hurriedly stabilized his tail. “Ancestor, don’t move, don’t blame me if you fall down!”
Little Silver grunted. “Just a little movement and you can’t hold it? You’re too weak!”
That’s what he said, but his tail settled down.
Mu Chen knew Little Silver too well, and he took it in stride. “Yes, yes, I’m weak, you’re the strongest.”
Little Silver was satisfied. “Slippery human, nice speech.”
Mu Chen silently rolled his eyes and carried him to the front yard. He leaned down, slowly let go of his right hand, his left hand still wrapped around Little Silver. “You hold me to stand.”
Little Silver was already very skilled at holding Mu Chen’s arm when he was learning how to use a mobility scooter. He was about to put back the space button when the left side of his neck felt cold. He was startled, jumped to the right, and touched the side of his neck.
Little Silver, who was holding his arm, lost his support and fell to the right, hitting Mu Chen.
Mu Chen quickly returned to his senses and reached out to help Little Silver.
Little Silver’s reaction was almost a reflex, his tail pushed hard as if he was bouncing off the water, but this was on land. The force of his tail pushing back against the ground was so great that Mu Chen was knocked to the ground before he could hold him steady. Mu Chen almost landed in time to use a spiritual force defense and did not fall, only hitting his chin, and he hurried to see Little Silver.
“Hiss…” Little Silver’s eyes floated physiological tears. He had not yet fully landed, and the orange-red light shining in his eyes looked extremely bright.
Little Silver covered his forehead, angry. “Bastard two-legged beast, you want to kill me?”
Mu Chen immediately knew what was hitting his chin. He propped up his upper body and took Little Silver’s hand away. His white forehead was red and he frowned. He asked helplessly, “Why are you touching my neck all of a sudden?”
Little Silver glared at him. “Didn’t you touch it yourself?”
Mu Chen was speechless. “Is it the same if I touch it and you touch it?”
“How is it different?” Little Silver was not convinced.
Mu Chen raised his hand and wrinkled his brow. He decided not to argue with Little Silver about this issue. “I’ll take the treatment instrument to treat you.”
Little Silver looked at his long, sharp fingernails, his tail fins exploded, and the scene from the night of his rut came to mind. Once he knew how Mu Chen had helped him, he decided to do the same for himself, yet he found out that it just wouldn’t work! His nails were too long and, well, it didn’t feel right.
Well…indeed being touched was not the same as touching yourself. His eyes blinked quickly and he said weakly, “Okay, well, it’s not the same.” His breath coming back to him, he said, “I just wanted to see if you were healed! You’re so timid!”
Mu Chen was slightly surprised when Little Silver looked at his neck again while reaching up to lift the collar. “Are you done yet? I told you, mermaid’s saliva is good for healing wounds, but you won’t let me lick it for you.”
Mu Chen took his wrist and quickly pulled down the collar to reveal the recovered neck. “Yes.”
He let go of Little Silver and stood up quickly with Little Silver in his arms. Changing the subject, he asked, “Do you still want to play mecha?”
Little Silver nodded heavily. “Yes!”
Mu Chen carried Little Silver to the passenger seat, let him sit unsteadily on the armrest, and gave him a treatment for his forehead with a therapeutic device.
Little Silver was a little surprised and patted his forehead. “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”
Mu Chen put the device away, and the corners of his mouth twitched. “Your own head, can it not be lighter?”
“Hmph, I’m the strongest mermaid, I’m not afraid of pain.” Little Silver raised his chin lightly.
Mu Chen looked at him and decided not to mention a certain mermaid whose eyes were watery before.
“Show you around Siao Planet?” Mu Chen paused and added, “Soon you will return to Rabe Star, and I don’t know when you will come back to Siao.”
Little Silver tilted his head to look at him. “You’re not happy?”
Mu Chen’s voice rose slightly. “Who said that?”
Little Silver said smugly, “Don’t try to fool me, your voice is lowered, do you miss me? I knew you were smitten with me.”
Mu Chen said, “…Why don’t we go back to the mermaid room?”
“No way!” Little Silver immediately glared at him. “You go find someone to fight.”
Mu Chen hesitated and went to the ring. For the next two hours, Mu Chen was in deep regret, this was definitely the loudest fight he had ever experienced.
Little Silver was so excited, he kept yelling in his ear, and after it was over, it seemed like his ears were still ringing with the words “Beat him up, show him a good time, show him what we’re made of…”
Little Silver went back with a sense of satisfaction, and Mu Chen couldn’t help but be very glad that he came out without dinner, otherwise he would have had to “sell his art” all night.
Little Silver was floating in the pond eating his fish, and before Mu Chen left, he heard Little Silver say, “You’re pretty good.”
Mu Chen’s original depression was gone. “Good eyesight!”
Little Silver raised his eyebrows and showed his canines. “I’ll be even better than you.”
—
In the mermaid room at Xie Li’s house, Ling Ling and Rui Rui each had a piece of grilled fish in front of them, Xie Li was sitting on a seat with a small coffee table next to it not far away, and Garrett was sitting across from him.
Ling Ling took a bite of the fish. “It’s a little lighter than yesterday, a little more salt should make it better.”
Rui Rui also tasted the fish in front of him. “It’s a bit too spicy, need to put less chili,” he paused, “the day before yesterday’s spicy taste was just right.”
Xie Li wrote down their feedback. “I will adjust the chef’s recipe.”
Ling Ling’s platinum eyes blinked. “Can we add new recipes? I read the history books, and the previous humans, for a medium dish, would make adjustments according to the tastes of different people.”
Garrett was surprised. “Ling Ling, you are so smart!”
Rui Rui put his chin on Ling Ling’s shoulder. “That, of course, Ling Ling is the smartest.”
Xie Li nodded. “I can increase the menu, and in the menu, list each medium dish according to taste and then divide it into subcategories. When you order food, pay attention not to order wrong.”
He said this while taking notes in the terminal, and when he said the last sentence, he paused.
Garrett Swept his hand and looked at Ling Ling and Rui Rui. “Do you take the chef with you?”
Ling Ling shook his head. “No, we’ll be back soon.”
Xie Li looked at him and Ling Ling said, “I have discussed with Rui Rui. I will come back after the baptism into two legs. An An will also come back, only he can make delicious ingredients.”
He seriously asked Xie Li, “Will you still hire me? I’ve been reading a lot of books lately and I’m interested in improving the chef. I need to learn a lot and I need star coins for school.”
Rui Rui said, “I want to be with Ling Ling too.”
Xie Li said, “Of course, you are always welcome here, this is your new room.”
Ling Ling’s eyes lit up. “Great!”
Garrett smiled happily. “Don’t worry, you can go to school if you want, I’ll make sure you’re all set.”
Xie Li said lightly, “I’ll hire both of them.”
‘“Rui Rui is my son.”
“What did you say?” Rui Rui’s hand was propped up on the shore, and he glared at Garrett.
Garrett laughed dryly. “You, you’re my brother!”
—
The mermaid bosses were well aware that the mermaids were about to go back to Rabe Star, and it was unknown whether they would return after the baptism. Except for a few who did not care, and those who were sure that mermaids would come back, most of them were in a low mood, especially those who had bought mermaids a long time before.
Bubbles floated in the pool and stared earnestly at Eamon as he spoke.
Eamon took something from space while instructing, “I checked the weather on Rabe, sometimes it can be very hot and light, you have to remember to wear a hat. These hair ornaments are for you. You should be careful not to cut them off with your nails in the future…but it’s okay, tell me if you run out, I’ll send them to you by express.”
His son Gaia reminded him in a whisper, “Rabe Star has not opened Star Alliance Express.”
Eamon was silent for a moment and said to Bubbles, “Let your brother send it to you then.”
“Who’s my brother?” asked Bubbles, his purple eyes rounded. “Have I even forgotten my brother before?”
Eamon patted Gaia’s shoulder. “He is your brother.”
Gaia looked at him questioningly.
Bubbles’ eyes fell on Gaia’s feet and he exclaimed, “When did you go through the baptism?”
Eamon explained to Bubbles, and Bubbles understood, So he was a human brother, ah. He hesitated for a moment, looked at Eamon with a kind face, nodded and recognized this brother. “Okay.”
Eamon was very happy and very pleased. “Bubbles’ memory becomes better, and his good behavior and understanding is a lot better.”
Bubbles nodded in agreement. “Yes, Bubbles always remembered the instructional video, to respect the old and love the young.”
Eamon’s expression stiffened. Old?
—
A week later, all the mermaids from the surgery had responded well. Both Jorens and Admiral Rabe were happy and assembled their troops. Following the deployment, they were always ready to depart.
After another day of preparation, Rabe’s army was integrated with Siao’s welcome party. All mermaids were sent on board the main ship, accompanied by doctors, institute researchers, and conservators.
An Jin and Norman arrived at the spaceport to see many former ex-breeders and ex-mermaid bosses who had come to see them off.