Chapter 234: Socially Awkward Liang He, the Handsome Him

Chapter 234: Chapter 234: Socially Awkward Liang He, the Handsome Him

Spending her first night at sea, Liang He proved to be highly adaptable. After finishing her video call with the furry ones watching the house, she washed up and fell asleep cuddling the Mojin King Tiger and the Canglan Hunting Eagle.

"Hey, did you hear? The Vice District Chief brought back an incredible person. Word is she can communicate with animals!"

"Are you serious? I’ve been sailing for years, so don’t you try to fool me!"

"It’s absolutely true! Last night, that Federation colonel and the captain even joined her for dinner!"

On this new day, it wasn’t the sunlight and ocean waves that woke Liang He, nor the warm embrace of her fluffy companions, but the gossiping voices of the sailors.

"AWOOO~"

As soon as Liang He opened her eyes, Cedriel, who had been feigning sleep, immediately stood up and began stretching his somewhat stiff and numb body. In truth, he had been awake for a while. Had he not been afraid of disturbing Liang He’s rest, he wouldn’t have held out for so long.

"Cedriel, did I wake you up?" Thinking her movements had been too loud and awakened the Mojin King Tiger, Liang He gently stroked his increasingly smooth fur.

Seeing this, the nearby Canglan Hunting Eagle hurriedly squeezed his little head in, demanding to be petted as well.

"Haha, alright, I know, I know. I’ll pet our Lanton, too." Enjoying the feeling of being surrounded by affection so early in the morning, with both beasts vying for her favor, Liang He was in an excellent mood. At the same time, she noticed that Little Black, who had originally been coiled around her wrist, was nowhere to be seen once again.

"How come Little Black always comes and goes like a phantom?" Although she found the mysterious Little Black a bit strange, Liang He didn’t dwell on it. After all, he had to be somewhere on the Sea Ship; it wasn’t like he could run off anywhere else.

"SCREECH~"

The Canglan Hunting Eagle tapped the glass door leading to the small balcony, clearly intending to go outside for a stroll.

"Alright, I’ll get up and open the door for you right away."

Because they were at sea, the facilities on the Sea Ship differed from those on land. Swinging doors like this one were equipped with special locks to prevent them from bursting open in the event of rough waves or other dangers. It wasn’t that Lanton didn’t know how to open it, but primarily because he only had two eagle talons to work with, making it quite a hassle.

"SCREECH!"

As soon as the door opened, the Canglan Hunting Eagle immediately put on a show, soaring straight up and piercing into the clouds. The gossiping voices that had just been chattering came to an abrupt halt with his appearance.

"Holy crap! Was that just...?"

"That was him! Oh my god! He looks way too cool!"

"Ahem, keep your voices down!"

The sharp-eyed sailors easily connected the appearance of the Canglan Hunting Eagle to Liang He. Upon spotting the figure on the balcony, one of them immediately nudged his companions with his elbow, warning them to watch what they were saying.

"Good morning, Miss Liang He!"

Finally snapping out of their daze, the sailors scratched their heads in slight embarrassment and greeted Liang He in unison, which left her feeling a bit overwhelmed. Well then, that mortifying feeling of social death had returned.

"Uh... good morning to you too." Terrified that if she stayed any longer, the sailors might do something to embarrass her even further, Liang He pretended that Cedriel was calling her and immediately retreated indoors.

"Phew... sure enough, I much prefer staying with my fluffy companions." Hugging the Mojin King Tiger tightly, Liang He felt her little heart desperately needed some comfort.

Hearing her genuine words, a strange gleam flashed through Cedriel’s golden eyes. Ultimately, he just silently wrapped his tail around Liang He’s feet.

[Liang He, are you awake?]

Just as she calmed down, Liang He heard her Light Brain go BEEP BEEP. Opening it, she saw it was a message from Huo An. Because of what happened yesterday, he had learned his lesson and wised up—he would contact her first before looking for her.

[Yeah! I’m already up.]

Liang He quickly finished washing up, changed into an outfit more suitable for moving around at sea, and headed out the door with the Mojin King Tiger.

"Good morning, Brother Hao."

"Good morning," Huo An replied. He had also just witnessed Lanton’s heroic posture soaring through the air, so he wasn’t surprised that only Cedriel was following behind her right now. "President Lucas said he’s already gone to the dining hall to eat, so we can just head straight down."

Like many other elderly people, President Lucas was getting up there in years and required relatively less sleep. He had woken up early and taken the Dwarf Marmoset, Koko, to enjoy breakfast together.

"Okay."

Liang He and Huo An arrived at the same dining hall where they had eaten last night. Since there was no business to discuss today, they simply found a seat in the main hall and sat down.

"I’ll go see if there’s anything Cedriel can eat first. Brother Hao, please make yourself at home." Lanton was still outside playing wildly. Liang He figured he might be planning to try his talons at catching fish at sea, so she wasn’t in a hurry to prepare food for him. Comparatively bored and with no place to stretch his legs, the Mojin King Tiger transformed into a personal bodyguard, trailing by Liang He’s side at all times.

"Cedriel, do you like eating this?" Liang He held up a piece of meat with her tongs, asking for Cedriel’s opinion. She had recently confirmed that, at some unknown point, both Cedriel and Lanton had fallen in love with cooked food. They completely refused to touch anything raw. Fortunately, it only required a bit of cooking, which wasn’t a difficult task. It was certainly easier to resolve than true picky eating.

"AWOOO!"

When it came to food prepared by Liang He, as long as it wasn’t raw, Cedriel would accept it without hesitation—even if it was vegetables. Because there were many sailors on the Sea Ship, the dining hall operated in a buffet style for convenience. After taking a lap around and adding the canned food she had brought, Liang He managed to scrape together a full bowl’s worth.

"Liang He! Come sit over here!" President Lucas had spotted Liang He and the others early on and specifically waited for them at his seat. Seeing Liang He carrying a basin of food, he knew she had prepared it for Cedriel.

"Good morning, President." Liang He greeted President Lucas politely, then picked a seat and placed the food basin on the table. Meanwhile, Huo An had finished selecting his breakfast a step ahead of her and sat down on the other side of President Lucas.

"Alright, you be a good boy and eat here. I’m going to grab some breakfast for myself." Cedriel had a massive frame, and eating while lying on his stomach was too exhausting. At home, Liang He always prepared small tables for them. Yesterday, because Goring and the others were present, Liang He was afraid they might mind and thus didn’t let the Mojin King Tiger eat at the table. Now that she was only surrounded by acquaintances, she didn’t have to worry so much.

"President, Brother Hao, I’m going to get some more breakfast. Do you guys need anything else?" Entrusting Huo An to keep an eye on the Mojin King Tiger, Liang He casually asked.

"I’ve already eaten. If it’s convenient, could you grab some fruit for me?" President Lucas asked.

Regarding Liang He’s kind offer, Huo An indicated that he didn’t need any other food for the time being. Only President Lucas troubled Liang He slightly. Fruit was relatively rare on the Sea Ship, and since President Lucas had arrived early, the fruit hadn’t been put out yet. Spotting some in Cedriel’s basin just now, he brought it up.

"Sure, no problem." After agreeing readily, Liang He went to select her own breakfast. Since she had already made a round earlier, she quickly locked onto the food she wanted to eat. Before finishing, she didn’t forget the fruit President Lucas had requested.

"President, here is your fruit." Unsure of what kind of fruit President Lucas preferred, Liang He had grabbed a little bit of everything.