Transmigrated to the Interstellar Era to Raise Mermaids GL - Chapter 23
Another half month passed in a blink of an eye.
That evening, a bright moon, a facsimile of Earth’s ecosystem, rose over Xize’er Planet. It reflected like a silver disk on the tranquil sea, appearing exceptionally serene and beautiful. He Jia invited Orsa to admire the moon with her.
She placed a few plates of homemade dried fruit on the table and brewed a pot of green tea. She introduced it to Orsa: “According to Earth’s customs, the night when the moon is at its fullest is called Mid-Autumn Festival. It’s a holiday for eating mooncakes, admiring the moon, and missing loved ones. Although Mus Star’s calendar is different from Earth’s, the date is almost upon us. Since the moon is simulated anyway, let’s also celebrate a simulated Mid-Autumn Festival!”
Since Orsa agreed to be adopted by her, He Jia always seized every opportunity to educate Orsa about Earth’s knowledge, so that she could quickly integrate into the Earth environment later on. Under her influence, Orsa also appeared to be very interested in this rich and fascinating culture.
She propped her chin with one hand, listening intently as He Jia told short stories about the moon, such as “The Jade Rabbit Enters the Moon Palace” and “Wu Gang Chopping the Osmanthus Tree.” Her eyes were like the azure deep sea reflecting the moonlight. Her long golden hair danced with the wind, illuminating the deep night behind her. She was so serene and noble that even Chang’e in the Guanghan Palace seemed slightly overshadowed.
Appreciating the beautiful moonlit scenery before her, He Jia felt a faint tipsiness, as if she were drinking the fragrant and pleasant osmanthus wine, after a few cups of tea.
She suddenly wanted to know what kind of experience could shape a character like Orsa, with a noble temperament completely contradictory to the status of an exile.
In the past, He Jia had been afraid of stirring up painful memories, so she dared not mention it. But Orsa also never spoke about herself.
Now that Orsa no longer had to live a life of displacement, He Jia wanted to understand her a little more.
Except for the projected image of the moon, the vast and brilliant starry sky above their heads was real. He Jia raised her hand and pointed to the left: “The starry sky here is completely different from what you see from Earth. I don’t recognize a single constellation, I only know that the Solar System is probably in that direction. Orsa, do you know where your home star is?”
“Home star?”
“Mm, it is said that even after a star system is destroyed, traces of it remain…”
Orsa also looked up. She could easily spot the brightest Mus Prime Star hanging in the sky.
But she also immediately realized that the satellite monitoring her was also hidden within this brilliant galaxy. She frowned unhappily and said, “…I don’t know.”
“So, were you born after your home star was destroyed?” Given the little information she had, He Jia could only make assumptions.
“Perhaps.”
Orsa put herself into the memory of when she had just broken out of the shell: “I was born on this planet. I only remember that someone gave me the name Orsa when I was still in the fish egg.”
“Fish egg? So, merfolk babies come out of eggs? And do you actually have memories of being in the egg?”
Orsa’s upper body was so much like a human’s that when the two sat face-to-face chatting, He Jia was always particularly shocked to hear about her biological characteristics that were completely different from humans.
“Yes, the little merfolk slowly grow and form inside the egg, and by the time they hatch, they have already passed most of their infancy. It’s just that inside the fish egg, they can’t see or hear clearly, so they spend most of the time sleeping, leaving only vague memories.”
“Wow, so that’s how it is…” He Jia felt she had learned something new.
She thought this characteristic was superb! The most difficult infant stage of a child’s life didn’t require any worry from the parents. Giving birth to a little merfolk baby was much easier than having a human baby!
He Jia had read in a book that cross-species mating between intelligent beings could now be achieved through technology. She wondered what would be born if a mermaid and a human were to mate?
Oh dear, why was she suddenly thinking about such random things again?
He Jia quickly shook her head. She felt a bit guilty under Orsa’s gaze and quickly asked, “Then did you go to Mus Prime Star when you were still in the egg? I saw your expression was very… very unhappy when I mentioned it before.”
“Although the memories in the egg are vague, I did live there once. My mother probably didn’t love me, which is why she deliberately threw the fish egg containing me into the ocean of Xize’er Planet, forcing me to live alone since I was little.”
The half-truth mixed with sorrowful emotion. Orsa’s deep voice struck He Jia’s heart like a tolling bell.
She knew the life of an exile must be difficult, but she hadn’t expected Orsa’s background to be so tragic. She had no relatives to care for her even as a child, forced to grow up wildly in the ocean all by herself, and having to work hard to avoid being discovered by people on the beach…
He Jia’s heart felt sour, as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand. She hurriedly said, “No, there are no parents in the world who don’t love their children! Your mother must have had a hidden reason for doing that. Maybe she was forcibly brought there, and she didn’t want you to live the same life as her, which is why she was reluctantly forced to abandon you!”
Orsa looked at He Jia’s sympathetic gaze, thinking that her highly respected and immensely noble mother was being mistaken for an exile. She actually found it somewhat amusing.
She was about to open her mouth to comfort He Jia when a sharp stinging pain suddenly came from her fish tail, like an intense burning sensation as if her skin were being ripped apart.
Orsa’s face instantly turned ashen.
This was the sign of an impending molting!
She quickly got up and rapidly swam into the sea. Only when her fish tail was immersed in the cold seawater did the tearing, burning pain significantly subside.
She heavily drew a breath, hid all her emotions, and even flicked her tail a few times as if she were playing in the water.
He Jia saw her face change and swim away instantly, thinking that this painful past had made Orsa too sad.
She stumbled and chased after Orsa through the waves, grabbing her arm and saying, “I’m sorry! I won’t ever ask about these things again. Orsa, even if you don’t have a mother who cares about you, you have me now. I will be very, very good to you. Please don’t be too sad, okay? When we leave Xize’er Planet, you will have a brand new life, and you will definitely be able to completely forget those unhappy memories!”
Orsa turned around, looking at He Jia’s eyes, which were brimming with tears. For a moment, she didn’t know how to reply.
Noticing a few water droplets splashing on He Jia’s face, she instinctively raised her hand to wipe them away, but felt her seawater-soaked palm grow cold and quickly withdrew her hand.
During this time, Orsa had contacted Genor several times.
Under her deployment, Genor’s dispatched personnel had successfully infiltrated the satellite monitoring and Administration interior and were on standby.
After her molting was complete, her people would temporarily cut off the satellite monitoring, pilot the Administration’s spaceship through Xize’er Planet’s security system, and quietly bring her back to the Prime Star.
She was indeed leaving Xize’er Planet to start a brand new life.
It’s just that…
“I know you are a good owner.” Orsa said hoarsely.
Hearing her affirmation, He Jia instantly smiled again.
Her curved eyebrows, still glistening with tears, were filled with the soft moonlight, causing Orsa to be momentarily distracted.
She suddenly recalled that day when He Jia had also stood before her, pulling her arm and proposing to adopt her.
She hadn’t expected time to fly by so quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was already time to end things.
Fortunately, she had already sent Genor to arrange a school for He Jia. Once Anglue was captured, she would be able to bring He Jia and Sam to the Prime Star.
Even though they were about to part now, they would still have a chance to meet again.
Orsa slowly retreated a few steps, preparing to submerge into the seabed.
Unexpectedly, He Jia followed suit. Seeing her about to step from the shallow water into the deep sea, Orsa quickly swam forward a few steps again, catching her just as her foot missed the bottom: “Be careful!”
“Oh dear, I was in such a hurry I didn’t watch where I was going, I almost fell into the water!”
After being helped back onto the shallow beach by Orsa, He Jia was afraid she would leave again. She grabbed both her arms and said, “Orsa, I want to tell you that if you can’t sleep tonight, feel free to message me anytime. I can sing or tell you stories… In short, I know you are still quite sad, but I will always be with you, and I am willing to share all the bad things with you.”
“…Aren’t you going back to your room tonight?”
“It’s fine! I’ll just move the mattress to the control room and sleep on the floor! You already praised me for being a good owner, so when you’re unhappy, I naturally have the responsibility to cheer you up!”
Orsa suddenly felt the burning sensation on her tail turn into a piercing pain, instantly jolting her out of the low emotion of impending departure.
Yes, even if she couldn’t tell He Jia the truth, she couldn’t just leave like this.
She had accepted He Jia’s gift, knew He Jia’s feelings for her, and even used He Jia as a cover to deceive the satellite monitoring.
The great Princess of Mus Star owed such a huge favor, and simply sending He Jia to school would not be enough to repay it.
Once they returned to the Prime Star, their identities would be vastly different. They wouldn’t be able to see each other every day like they did now, and she wouldn’t be able to appear in time if He Jia encountered danger.
But He Jia’s knowledge of Mus Prime Star was blank. If she stayed alone in a completely unfamiliar environment, what if something happened…
Seeing He Jia’s soaked clothes clinging to her body, her almost entirely visible figure slightly trembling in the sea breeze, a strong sense of unease rose in Orsa’s heart.
She grabbed He Jia’s fingers, placed them on the seashell-shaped scale on her waist, and asked, “Does it look pretty?”
He Jia looked at her tender, affectionate eyes and suddenly felt her heart pound very fast. She quickly lowered her head to look at the scale.
The self-luminous scale, under the moonlight, refracted a more brilliant light than a diamond, appearing iridescent, crystal clear, and translucent.
“Ah… of course it’s pretty!”
“Do you like it?”
“I do like it, but…” He Jia vaguely guessed what she was about to do.
Before she could stop her, Orsa smiled gently, and in a flash, the scale fell from her waist into He Jia’s hand.
“Hey!” He Jia widened her eyes in surprise and asked, “You… how did you take it off? Doesn’t it hurt?”
Orsa fiercely bit her tongue, pretending to be nonchalant: “It’s fine. Merfolk have an automatic regeneration ability. As long as I sleep in the ocean for a few days, this scale will grow back automatically.”
“Really?”
He Jia looked at the scale in her palm in disbelief, cautiously observing it as if holding fragile crystal: “Such a beautiful thing can actually grow back!”
Orsa rolled up He Jia’s palm to stop her from thinking further and said, “You’ve given me many gifts. I should also give you a small return gift. Keep it safe, and remember not to sew it onto someone else’s clothes again.”
“Oh dear, be careful not to break it!”
He Jia quickly opened her palm again. Seeing the scale safe and sound, she gently touched it and said, “Of course! This is something taken from your body. How could it be the same! I will definitely cherish this treasure and won’t let anyone even look at it!”
“Mm.”
Orsa didn’t offer any further explanation. She added, “I will be resting in the sea for the next few days to let the scale grow back. Don’t worry if you don’t see me. I will occasionally send you messages on the radio when I’m conscious.”
“Oh, then how many days will it take for the scale to grow back? Do you need me to have Sam bring you some food? Or should I dive down to the seabed to visit you?”
“I’ve never taken it off before, so I don’t know exactly how long it will take. I don’t need food, I’m not that fragile.”
Seeing He Jia pouting with a thoughtful look, Orsa raised her hand and tapped her forehead: “Alright, Sam will take care of me, so don’t worry. Besides, how can you eat cooked food in the sea!”
He Jia had her thoughts seen through and chuckled a few times while covering her forehead, replying, “Alright then, I’ll wait until you come ashore and then make a big feast to replenish you!”
All the necessary instructions were almost given. The pain from her tail was also growing increasingly intense, reminding Orsa to quickly return to the deep sea.
She had no choice but to let go and prepare to submerge into the sea. She turned and swam a few meters forward, then looked back and said, “Oh right, I’m not sad anymore. Be a good girl and go back to your room to sleep tonight. Pay attention to getting plenty of rest in the coming days, and don’t work too hard…”
She wanted to give a few more instructions, but she was afraid that being overly unusual would cause suspicion. She could only gaze silently at the person on the shore, slowly submerging into the sea.
“I know! Goodbye! And I hope you have sweet dreams!”
He Jia waved, watching Orsa enter the sea. She vaguely sensed that Orsa’s mood was a bit off, but she couldn’t figure out the reason.
After all, everyone, including the people in the satellite monitoring room, also thought this was just a normal farewell.
But the monitoring room was terrifyingly quiet at this moment. Everyone held their breath, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
“…Oh my god!”
One of the Royal Guard members finally came to their senses, clutching their chest and saying in disbelief: “This is outrageous! I already thought it was outrageous for Her Royal Highness to acknowledge this Earthling as her owner, but I didn’t expect something even more outrageous! It’s just utterly preposterous!”
Another person stood up and said, “Captain, what should we do now? How could Her Royal Highness give away that scale! She naively believes it can regenerate like other parts, but that happens to be the only thing on her body that cannot regenerate!”
“The iridescent scale of every Blue-Tailed Merfolk is an important symbol of identity. Her Royal Highness’s scale is even more precious and absolutely cannot fall into the hands of an alien! Captain, how about we send the Administration’s spaceship to the beach right now to snatch it back?”
“Shut up! You’re too noisy!” Ouda’s face was terrifyingly pale.
“Her Royal Highness is only doing this because she has amnesia. Once her consciousness recovers, she will definitely take back the scale herself. As for that Earthling… Her Highness will handle her herself.”
After welcoming Orsa back, Ouda had served by her side for a while and had personally witnessed how Orsa dealt with someone who was disrespectful to her, and he had heard many tales of her ruthless measures in the military.
“If we go to Xize’er Planet now, and word reaches Her Majesty, we will certainly be severely punished.”
Ouda said somewhat mercifully: “Let that Earthling serve Her Highness for a little longer. Perhaps Her Highness will spare her, seeing this service, and not erase all of her memories!”