Transmigrated to the Interstellar Era to Raise Mermaids GL - Chapter 19

Orsa swam to the surface of the sea. This meditation had again consumed a full day of her time; it was now evening. She looked at the deserted beach, hesitated for a moment, and then came ashore, sliding her fish tail towards the brightly lit hotel. If Xize’er Planet was a secluded haven far from the madding crowd, then Mus Prime was a melting pot gathering countless problems. As comfortable and tranquil as her life was here, the memories from the Prime Star were equally chaotic and jumbled. Her cold and stern mother, her yet-to-be-recovered abilities, the monstrous power of the Laceia family, and that swapped bomb…

The memories that suddenly appeared in Orsa’s mind were tangled together like a messy ball of yarn, making her want to temporarily cast aside all worries and go listen to He Jia tell beautiful stories from another planet. He Jia was nowhere to be seen in the empty hotel. Orsa searched until she reached the vicinity of the reading room and heard sounds coming from a slightly ajar door.

“Hello! This is the Galaxy Administration Shopping Hotline, number 006 at your service. What would you like to purchase?” Administrators of all planets under the Administration could procure items through this exclusive hotline. He Jia had waited in the control room for a whole afternoon, and finally, it was her turn. “Hello, I am He Jia, the administrator of Xize’er Planet. May I ask if there are any communication devices that do not require a network to be used?” For the past half-month, she had been pondering over what gift she should buy for Orsa. Although she knew Orsa would not come ashore today, He Jia finally made up her mind after sitting blankly on the beach for half a day, staring longingly at the sea.

“No network required… That must be a very primitive item, please wait while I look!” Number 006, a grassroots staff member of the Administration, was unaware of the situation concealed by the higher-ups and provided service to He Jia based on the principle of earning money whenever possible. After checking that Xize’er Planet’s restriction level prohibited communication with the outside world, 006 found a toy radio. “You must be terribly bored, right? How about this vintage-style radio? It only costs 199 interstellar common currency and can use an antenna to receive broadcast signals from nearby satellite base stations.” “Can it only listen to broadcasts? Does it have any other functions?”

Hearing the disappointment in He Jia’s tone, 006 knew she must be going crazy alone on the planet and began to showcase the art of deception: “Of course there are! If you and other devices are on the same frequency band, you can also communicate with the other party using the keys. For example, you can send a message to a music radio station to request a song, or even chat with a stranger by typing!” In reality, this toy was only equipped with a row of extremely simple number keys and delete/send buttons, entirely for children under 3 years old to play house. Anyway, if He Jia couldn’t communicate with others using the number keys, that was her problem, and this salesperson hadn’t told a single lie! “Alright! Then I’ll buy it. Please have the Administration’s repairman bring it to me.” He Jia agreed. Although she couldn’t buy a communication device like a mobile phone, at least this item was cheap enough, and being able to communicate by typing was much better than just wildly scratching her heart and mind with guesses now.

He Jia turned off the communicator and stood up to check the calendar. The repairman would arrive in almost two weeks. If the Administration agreed to her adoption of Orsa, she would formally invite her to return to Earth to live with her… Heavens! Just thinking about this made her feel so nervous! To show sincerity, should she prepare a speech in advance… but what if she suddenly forgot her lines halfway through?

He Jia pushed open the door, preoccupied with her thoughts, and bumped right into Orsa, who was also deep in thought with her head lowered. “Hey hey hey! You… why are you here!” He Jia covered her forehead with one hand and her heart with the other, blinking hard a few times, her cheeks flushing all the way to her earlobes. Orsa saw her panicking like a small animal, and her heart felt like it had been brushed by a soft, furry paw. She raised an eyebrow and said, “I couldn’t sleep, so I came to the hotel to look for you, and I ran into you right at the doorway.”

Oh! It’s good that she didn’t hear what I was buying, or I wouldn’t be able to surprise her! Seeing He Jia clearly relieved, Orsa deliberately asked, “What were you rushing out to do?” “I… I was…” He Jia’s eyes darted around, flickering, when she suddenly saw the shape of a hand/gun visible in Orsa’s jacket pocket. She blurted out, “I just finished submitting my report to the Administration and wanted to go to the shooting range to practice shooting!”

“Shooting?” Orsa was quite interested in her made-up reason and told He Jia to lead the way: “I’ll go with you.” The two walked side-by-side toward the shooting range behind the hotel. Orsa glided faster, stopping occasionally to turn around and wait for He Jia. She felt that He Jia’s soft face seemed to have slightly clearer contours, and couldn’t help but ask, “Why have you suddenly become so keen on exercising recently?”

Over the past half-month, He Jia had completely changed her habit of staying indoors to read in the reading room. Not only did she often swim and surf with Orsa, fish by the shore with a rod every day, and even use snacks to bribe Sam into taking her up trees and down into the sea, but now she also wanted to practice shooting. “Oh, exercise makes people healthier! Not only can it help with weight loss, but even my sleep quality has improved. I feel great every time I wake up!” He Jia’s twinkling eyes were particularly bright, like glowing obsidian. She stretched her arms in a lazy pose, pulling the hem of her shirt upwards and exposing a small section of her waist. The stark white skin on her waist flashed into Orsa’s eyes. She turned her head, pinched the bridge of her nose, and entered the shooting range first.

Orsa had trained in the military for a long time, and her control over firearms was already etched into her bones. Now that her memory was recovered, she hit the bullseye every time. He Jia watched her fluidly pick up a rifle, then tilt her head and shoot a circle around the center number of the bullseye on the target. She couldn’t help but applaud wildly: “Wow, how are you so good at everything! That’s amazing!” If not for the fish tail on her lower body, she would look just like a heroic and gallant warrior from a movie or TV show!

Orsa glided behind He Jia, rested the end of the rifle on her shoulder, held He Jia’s arm, and raised the body of the gun to her chest, saying, “Come, I’ll teach you.” She was about half a head taller than He Jia, and this posture was like entirely enveloping He Jia in her arms. He Jia stood frozen like a human doll as Orsa positioned her to hold the gun, feeling her warm breath spray on her ear: “…Tilt your head this way a little, place this hand on the trigger…” She couldn’t help her finger trembling. Startled, she fired a shot without warning. Her body and heart shook uncontrollably, and she shuffled two steps forward, breaking free from the embrace behind her. She missed the target.

Seeing He Jia panting and supporting herself on the gun rest with both hands as if exhausted, Orsa figured the rifle was too difficult for her to control. She took out the small hand/gun she carried with her and said, “Let’s start with the simplest one.” She held He Jia’s hands, raised her arms, and taught He Jia how to release the safety and aim, her profile practically pressed against the side of the other person’s ear. He Jia stiffened her neck, not daring to move, exerting herself so much that even her fingertips turned pink. Yet, no matter how hard she concentrated, she couldn’t see anything. “Bang!” She missed the target again.

Orsa was wondering if there was something wrong with her teaching when He Jia, completely flushed, shoved the gun back into her hand and said, “…It’s too stimulating, this sport isn’t for me. Let’s do something else!” Orsa nodded, and seeing her looking overly startled, she naturally escorted He Jia back to her room to rest.

She familiarly scooped out Little Feicui and tossed it into the bathtub, walked out of the restroom, and sat in the sofa chair. She beckoned to a bewildered He Jia, “Come here, tell me a story.” “Huh?” He Jia realized that recently she had been busy with exercising and earning money, greatly reducing the time she spent telling stories to Orsa. The mermaid, lacking companionship, was deliberately coming to find her at night to express her dissatisfaction! It seems it’s really not easy to be a good… good owner who balances family and work!

Filled with guilt, He Jia sat down in front of Orsa and began telling a story with great emotion. Orsa had just woken up from meditation and had vented the pent-up frustration in her heart at the shooting range. She leaned on her arm, listening to the story energetically while planning her next steps. He Jia, however, was physically exhausted from her recent excessive exercise. As she told the story, she began to yawn continuously and her eyelids drooped.

“Later… later the king issued a new policy, deciding to use examinations to select ministers…” He Jia’s head involuntarily fell to the side, landing in a warm embrace. She heard Orsa say, “Alright, you sleep now!” “No, I haven’t finished telling it yet…” He Jia tried in vain to wake up, but she was quickly picked up around the waist and placed on the bed. Her exceptionally good sleep quality made her fall into a deep slumber the moment her head touched the pillow.

Orsa tucked He Jia in and turned off the light. Watching her breathing become steady and long, she reached out and pinched her small chin, dissatisfied: “She really has lost weight.” She didn’t feel the same when held anymore. She recalled the scenes before and after her injury again, her finger unconsciously drawing circles on that soft face. Looking at He Jia’s slightly pouted lips from being disturbed, a faint, gentle light gradually rose in her azure eyes, which had merged into the deep night.