Transmigrated to the Interstellar Era to Raise Mermaids GL - Chapter 15
Orsa’s determined tone carried a kind of magic that commanded unconditional belief. He Jia nestled into the pillow and vaguely drifted back to sleep.
When she woke up again, she found the light outside was bright, and the sun was already high in the sky.
Seeing the clock about to strike noon, she shot up from the bed, quickly put on her protective suit, and hurried out of the hotel.
Oh no! Today’s sea patrol report was going to be late again!
When He Jia sent the report to the Interstellar Administration late last month, they had sternly warned her: submit the report late again, and her salary would be deducted!
The thought of losing money made He Jia gasp in agony. The Administration was truly ruthless; they were hitting her right where it hurt!
He Jia ran all the way to the beach and saw Orsa already sitting on the deck of the patrol boat, supporting her upper body with her two arms, sunbathing with her eyes closed.
She slightly raised her chin. Her exquisite, defined facial features extended down her graceful neck. Her smooth, silvery-white top blended seamlessly with her fish body. Her long fish tail flickered in the sea, splashing water, looking like a scene only a court painter could sketch with a single stroke, where infinite, enchanting beauty was contained within the simple, free-flowing brushwork.
He Jia couldn’t help but slow her steps and adjust her breathing. She quietly and gently walked onto the boat. Her frantic and anxious emotions were gradually calmed by this sense of leisure and ease.
Wow, no wonder so many people liked to keep cats and dogs and dote on them like children. These moments of being healed by a pet were simply too wonderful! Truly, just seeing her curved lips made it possible to forget all worries!
He Jia sternly admonished herself mentally: She must never be careless with her work again. She was not alone now; she was also shouldering the heavy responsibility of raising a mermaid! She had to find ways to earn more money to provide a better life for Orsa!
He Jia commanded the boat to sail at full speed towards the first island. She walked onto the deck, sat side-by-side with Orsa, and asked, “Was the bed comfortable for you last night?”
Orsa turned her head and smiled faintly at her: “Very good.”
Although it was an unfamiliar room, the lovely bedtime stories and the soft humanoid pillow perfectly fulfilled the scenes she had imagined as a child.
“However, it’s easier to recover my spirit in the water.”
She raised a hand and rubbed her temple, saying, “I need to catch up on a full day’s sleep in the ocean tomorrow, so I won’t be coming ashore.”
So that was the mermaid’s physiological habit!
He Jia immediately dismissed the thought of inviting her to stay in the hotel. She thumped her head and said, “Oh, I’m so silly! I should have let you go back last night and only come back this morning to change clothes!”
Orsa smiled nonchalantly. She was about to enter a period of meditation. She couldn’t guarantee that once she slept in her shell, she wouldn’t automatically sleep until evening before waking up, just like last time.
She lowered her head and pointed to the pearl adorning the neckline of her top, saying, “This shirt fits well, but this pearl is…”
He Jia nodded and replied, “It’s the one you gave me last time. I had no use for it, and I thought it matched this white top well, so I embroidered it on as a decoration.”
Since she didn’t need to buy a new protective suit, such a valuable item naturally had to be returned to Orsa. Although He Jia desperately needed money now, she couldn’t possibly take advantage of Orsa. Otherwise, how could she prove to Orsa that she was capable of adopting her?
He Jia had read quite a few more books over the past half-month. It turned out that the Mus Star System had stipulated some supplementary clauses to the Intelligent Species Protection Act. These clauses deemed exiles living within the Mus Star System as the property of the system. She would have to obtain permission from the Interstellar Administration and pay a certain fee before she could take the mermaid off the planet.
She had never been involved in such a transaction and naturally didn’t know the Administration’s fee structure. She could only wait until the Administration’s repairman visited next month to try and gauge their stance.
While she had to humble herself when under someone else’s roof, He Jia genuinely despised this blatant act of human trafficking. She also sensed that many problems must be hidden behind the prosperity and power of Mus Star. Otherwise, why would the Empress, who enacted the law to help exiles, also set down such publicly mercenary clauses?
Sigh, in short, a thousand words boiled down to one phrase: she had to find a way to earn more money!
Fortunately, there was still plenty of time before she had to leave Xize’er Planet. Before achieving the main goal of saving enough money to bring Orsa back to Earth, He Jia first set herself a smaller goal: buy a gift for Orsa the next time the Interstellar Administration personnel came!
The two people sitting on the deck swayed and rocked with the surging waves. Their bodies occasionally brushed against each other, setting He Jia’s little heart racing erratically.
She did her best to keep her gaze steady and avoid looking at the delicate, beautiful profile beside her, concentrating on figuring out: what other gift, besides a brilliant, lustrous pearl, could match Orsa’s noble and serene temperament.
Orsa, on the other hand, was very pleased that her maid’s craftsmanship and aesthetic sense were so sharp. She closed her eyes with contentment, enjoying the cool sea breeze blowing towards her.
Sensing that the person beside her was too quiet, Orsa turned her head and saw He Jia, wearing a protective suit, staring nervously at the sea. One hand was gripping the railing beside her, and the other was secretly pulling the bottom edge of her own shirt.
Orsa generously bent one arm and offered it to her: “Hold on if you’re scared.”
Watching the swiftly moving boat cut through the waves ahead with tremendous momentum, He Jia cast aside her shyness.
She clung tightly to the long, firm arm. Her heart started pounding again, and her voice even began to tremble: “The boat is moving so fast, it is quite scary!”
“Are you in a hurry?”
“Yes, after the patrol, I have to submit a report to the Administration. Submitting it late will result in a salary deduction.”
He Jia blamed herself: “But I overslept, so I definitely can’t submit the report before sunset. I can only try to save time on the road, trying to minimize the deduction as much as possible!”
Seeing He Jia looking disappointed and aggrieved with her eyebrows lowered, Orsa couldn’t help but chuckle.
This person was truly amusing. She even kept the scraps from making clothes, and she would feel terribly upset over a small salary deduction, yet she turned around and sewed the pearl she gave her back onto her collar.
Orsa remembered that she had quite a few small items in her childhood collection, such as coral trees and sapphires, all much prettier than this pearl.
In a few days, she would find an excuse, saying she picked one up from the sea, and give it to He Jia as a reward for making her clothes.
It would be even better if He Jia wasn’t afraid of water. She could take her diving to her treasure trove to let this little money-lover open her eyes. Her expression would surely be even more amusing…
Sharon’s voice came over the deck loudspeaker: “Hello, lunch is ready. Will you be dining in the captain’s cabin?”
“Yes, we’re coming over now!”
He Jia led Orsa back to the dining table in the captain’s cabin and said to her, “I’m sorry, I really didn’t have time to cook today! After the boat stops, Sharon and I will go clean up the island. Please make do with the simple meal on the boat this time. Next time, I will definitely prepare a full table of delicious food to properly compensate you!”
“It’s just a meal, it’s fine. I’ll get off the boat with you.”
Orsa thought, since He Jia’s late start today was her fault, she naturally had to help He Jia avoid being penalized.
Seeing the display screen indicating their imminent arrival at the target island, He Jia walked to the control panel to dock the patrol boat. Orsa followed beside her, silently noting the island that needed to be inspected this time and its location on the map.
They walked onto the deck side-by-side again. After calculating the time in her mind, Orsa held back the hurried He Jia and said, “Don’t rush, I have a way for you to return before sunset.”
“Really?” He Jia’s eyes widened.
But she had already had Sharon accurately calculate the time many times. It was impossible to be that fast!
“You and Sharon work on this island. I’ll swim to the next island now to clean up. That will save more time.”
“No, no!”
He Jia shook her head repeatedly, spreading her arms to block Orsa, who was gliding towards the side of the boat: “The island work is all manual labor, like clearing trash from the roads and dusting and wiping the resort houses! How can you do that kind of thing!”
Orsa pointed to the sea: “Like you, I’m only responsible for command and recording. The rest will be handled by it.”
As she spoke, a series of churning waves suddenly bubbled up on the sea surface. The giant brown octopus, comparable in size to a small island, appeared before He Jia, raising its full set of tentacles!