Chapter 235: The Legend of Mermaids

Chapter 235: Chapter 235: The Legend of Mermaids

"Awesome, thank you!"

Seeing the plate filled with a variety of fruit, President Lucas immediately knew that Liang He had taken a little bit of everything.

Fortunately, there were three of them at the table. Divided evenly, it was about one portion per person, which wasn’t excessive.

"You guys can pick what you like, and I’ll just eat the rest," Liang He offered.

Liang He wasn’t a picky eater when it came to fruit; she was happy to eat whatever was available. Besides, it was no easy feat transporting fresh fruit aboard a Sea Ship, and she didn’t want to be wasteful.

"By the way, President, Brother Hao, have you ever seen a Mermaid?"

As they enjoyed their breakfast, Liang He asked them about Mermaids. There were many legends about Mermaids back on Blue Star, so she was incredibly curious. She wondered if they were just like the myths—possessing a human upper body and a fish tail, ethereal beauty, and an enchanting singing voice.

Wait, wasn’t an enchanting singing voice more of a Sea Demon’s signature trait?

"I haven’t seen one, but I’ve heard of them," Brother Hao replied.

"I’ve actually seen one, but that was quite a few years ago," President Lucas chimed in.

Although the Tianyao Star Protection Zone where Huo An worked had a small marine area, there were no Mermaids there, so it was perfectly normal that he hadn’t seen one. President Lucas, on the other hand, had the advantage of age and experience. He was well-traveled and knowledgeable.

"You’re curious about what a Mermaid looks like, aren’t you?" President Lucas asked.

Thanks to Liang He’s recommendations and his own self-study, President Lucas had become quite adept at scrolling through short videos. Naturally, he occasionally came across legends about Mermaids.

Poor President Lucas had no idea that this was entirely due to the Big Data algorithms originally from Blue Star—it pushed these videos to him simply because they had casually mentioned the topic during a conversation.

"Mhm! Do they really have a human body and a fish tail?"

Liang He looked at President Lucas expectantly, suddenly feeling like the food in her bowl wasn’t quite as appetizing anymore compared to this juicy topic. She finally understood why so many people loved to gossip. When encountering something interesting, one truly just wanted to know all the details as soon as possible.

"That is correct. And just as their name implies, every single Mermaid is a stunning beauty."

Seeing Liang He’s interest, President Lucas grew enthusiastic and began sharing his knowledge about Mermaids.

"Mermaids are considered a special race in the interstellar era. They generally live on Ocean System planets, and most of them live in groups."

Mermaids were quite a unique existence, both within human society and among Beastmen. Because they were born as Half-beastmen, their innate talents were inherently limited. There had never been an SSS-level Beastman among them, so naturally, they didn’t face any issues with an Evolutionary Stage.

"Perhaps due to their clan rules, Mermaids rarely appear before others, let alone initiate contact with humans. If they sense the presence of a Sea Ship or something similar nearby, they will purposefully avoid it," President Lucas explained.

This situation was likely caused by the fact that, in the early days, the Half-beastman forms of Mermaids drew a lot of criticism and even ostracization. However, ever since Beastmen gradually became the main military force of the Federation, Mermaids—being rare Ocean Beastmen who lived as a unified clan—naturally became subjects of intense focus.

"The Federation once attempted to communicate with the Mermaid Clan, hoping to reach a consensus to jointly protect the oceans."

As for the outcome of those negotiations, it wasn’t exactly a success, but it wasn’t a failure either. The Mermaid Clan stated that the ocean was the home they relied on for survival. Even if the Federation hadn’t brought it up, they would still guard it with all their might.

"Later on, the Mermaid Clan essentially gave their tacit approval to the agreement of jointly protecting the ocean. They are even willing to lend a helping hand and safely escort people back when they find someone in distress."

In fact, regarding this point, it wasn’t just Mermaids. After coexisting with humans for a long time, most creatures living in the ocean had essentially acquired a knack for saving people. Even Killer Whales, the Living Yama of the sea, would choose to save people rather than harm them.

"So that’s how it is..."

Liang He originally thought she might have a chance to see a Mermaid, but hearing President Lucas say all this made her suddenly feel like her request was a bit unreasonable. She decided it would be best to try not to disturb the Mermaid Clan’s peaceful life.

"SCREECH!"

Liang He had just quickly finished her breakfast when she heard the Canglan Hunting Eagle’s cry coming from outside the dining hall. She hurried out to take a look.

"Lanton?"

As soon as she stepped out, Liang He saw a crowd of people gathered around, pointing and whispering. Through the throng, she could faintly make out the little stray feather bobbing on Lanton’s head.

"SCREECH~"

Even amidst the surrounding noise, the Canglan Hunting Eagle sharply distinguished Liang He’s voice. He immediately flapped his wings, wanting to fly toward her.

"Ah! My clothes!"

As Lanton took flight, the water droplets clinging to his slightly damp wings instantly sprayed out over the onlookers, causing widespread collateral damage.

"PTUI... I feel like I washed my face for nothing."

Compared to having a small patch of their clothes dampened, the people who had their mouths open to speak were noticeably worse off. They constantly spat—PTUI PTUI PTUI—trying to expel the seawater that had accidentally gotten into their mouths.

"Sorry, so sorry! Lanton didn’t do it on purpose. Are you all alright?"

As the Breeder of the Canglan Hunting Eagle, Liang He was now effectively his guardian. Since Lanton had made a mistake, she naturally had to step up and apologize on his behalf.

"It’s fine, it’s fine. We stood too close. It’s not Lanton’s fault..."

The crew member who nearly called him "Lord Lanton" had his mouth covered just in time by a colleague standing next to him.

"Right, right! It has nothing to do with Lanton. We were just too curious and didn’t pay attention."

Terrified of letting something slip, the crew members began to quietly sneak away. If they ended up bumping into Deputy Governor Goring while he was looking for Liang He, they would be done for. After all, he was currently their immediate superior.

"Eh? Are you sure it’s alright?"

Seeing them scatter in all directions, Liang He felt a bit bewildered. She exchanged a confused glance with Lanton before silently closing her mouth.

She figured that since they weren’t making a fuss about it, there was no reason for her to keep harping on the matter.

"You! You need to be more careful next time, you hear me?"

Liang He gently poked Lanton’s little head, scolding him in a mix of exasperation and amusement. Then, she looked toward the spot that the crew members had been circling just moments prior. Once the people left, the area had completely cleared out, and Liang He finally realized what had happened.

"How did you catch so many fish?"

Liang He’s eyes widened. She couldn’t understand how the Canglan Hunting Eagle had managed to catch several hundred pounds of fish when he had only been out for such a short while. It felt like there was enough to feed the entire ship.

"SCREECH!"

Eager for praise, Lanton happily tried to take flight, but Liang He quickly pushed him back down with swift reflexes.

"Don’t rush to fly just yet, or you’ll spray water all over my face again."

She had no desire to drink seawater. Especially seawater that had soaked through eagle feathers.

"SCREECH..."

Hearing the clear disdain in Liang He’s voice, Lanton tucked his wings in with a pitiful expression and shuffled his talons forward in tiny steps. His eagle eyes no longer looked at Liang He. He drooped his head, staring fixedly at the ground, looking absolutely miserable.

"Alright, alright. I didn’t mean to sound disgusted."

Once again won over by the fluffy creature, Liang He sighed helplessly and gave him a gentle hug to comfort him.

"SCREECH~"

Always exceptionally easy to coax when it came to Liang He, Lanton lowered his head slightly. Seeing the top of Liang He’s fluffy head, he instantly cheered up.

"SCREECH!"

Lanton began to show off his freshly caught prey to Liang He.

"Wow! Are these all the fish the Canglan Hunting Eagle caught? This is amazing!"