Transmigrated to the Interstellar Era to Raise Mermaids GL - Chapter 4
Following Hejia’s instructions, Shelly placed two plates of food on the large rocks in front of Hejia and the mermaid, respectively.
Orsa lowered her eyes and quickly scanned the buttered dinner roll, Bolognese spaghetti, and cream of corn soup in front of her. She casually changed her posture to a side-lying position, then looked up again, directing her gaze towards Hejia’s busy figure in front of the bonfire.
She only wanted to eat things made right under her nose.
Not only for safety, but more importantly, these fish were given to her by the mermaid, so she could eat them righteously.
Hejia finished preparing all the fish and coconuts. Taking the cooking tools brought by Shelly, she worked on three things simultaneously: a pot to boil coconut fish soup, a frying pan to make pan-fried fish fillets, and a simple grill set up with bamboo skewers to barbecue a few fish.
The steaming cooking smoke, carrying a fresh and fragrant smell, curled upwards, enticing the small animals living in the forest to peek out nervously. One bold little squirrel even hopped to Orsa’s side, curiously watching her shimmering silver-white fish body.
Orsa was also very interested in this fluffy-tailed creature. She picked up a piece of the dinner roll, tore it into small strips, and fed it to the squirrel.
She supported her forehead with one hand and teased the little squirrel in front of her. Her thick, beautiful long hair flowed like a small golden river along her smooth, deep collarbone and into the lush green grass, appearing both lazy and noble. Although she was on a secluded island in the forest, she looked like a brightly colored European court oil painting, distracting Hejia, who was busy with her hands, to steal a few glances.
The beautiful scene before her also gave Hejia a moment of leisure and elegance, wanting to present the mermaid with a dish that was perfect in color, aroma, and taste.
Noticing that the mermaid hadn’t touched the meal on the rock at all, Hejia put down her other work. She stacked small pieces of coconut flesh on top of the translucent fish slices, then arranged them one by one onto a snow-white round plate. She then dotted the sauce on the other side of the plate, drawing it into the shape of a flower stem, and finally placed three pink petals as a garnish.
She carried the plate to the mermaid and pointed at the sashimi in the dish, saying, “If you don’t like cooked food, you can try this first.”
Orsa sat up straight, slightly furrowing her brow, as if surprised by the exquisite presentation.
Under Hejia’s expectant gaze, she reached out, picked up a slice of sashimi, dipped a little sauce, and put it into her mouth to taste.
Although it was still raw meat, it used the most tender part of the fish. Paired with the chewy and smooth coconut flesh, which was like jelly, and the sauce that removed the fishy smell, the fresh and clean flavor quickly spread in her mouth.
The crease between the mermaid’s brows smoothed out, and she smiled at Hejia, indicating that she found the taste excellent.
Her azure eyes always had a hint of cool detachment, appearing noble and proud when she didn’t smile. When she smiled, the corners of her mouth curved slightly on her snow-white cheeks, and her eyes were tinged with a delicate light, as fragrant and splendid as the vibrant green grass around them.
Hejia couldn’t help but sigh in her heart: This mermaid looks so beautiful when she eats!
The lines of her shoulders and neck when she reached out, her naturally upright back when she sat, and her unhurried manner of eating were all so graceful and reserved that she didn’t seem like a member of a tragic, exiled race.
Like a worried old mother hoping she would eat a few more bites, Hejia put the plate into the mermaid’s hand, saying, “This plate was made especially for you. If you like it, try to eat a little more!”
The mermaid seemed to be touched by her kindness, was stunned for a moment, and then smiled and shook her head at Hejia.
She placed the plate back on the rock in front of her and pointed to Hejia, as if to say that she was willing to share it with Hejia.
Hejia once again sighed in her heart: It was true that the mermaid ran away last time because of the language barrier and fright. She was actually very polite and considerate!
This mermaid was so kind and fragile. Her days in exile must have been very difficult. Looking at her slim, white-onion-like arms and her waist, which was barely an armful, she probably only had a few ounces of flesh on her entire body in the area hidden by her long hair…
Oh dear, where did her thoughts suddenly wander to?!
Hejia shot up to her feet, saying, “I have a few other dishes on the stove over there. You can eat by yourself for a while! Don’t be shy!”
She quickly walked back to the fireplace and started bustling around again, her pretty, youthful face steaming like a boiled egg from the heat of the fire.
Hejia stirred the gurgling fish soup with a spoon, turned the skewers of grilled fish a few times, and sprinkled a handful of cumin and chili powder on them.
Thinking that the mermaid liked raw food, she picked up a knife, grabbed a piece of unprocessed fish meat, and started rapidly deboning and slicing it on the cutting board.
The coconut fish soup turned a creamy white color, and the chili powder permeated the fish meat, releasing a fragrant oil when grilled. The strong, smoky aroma made the little squirrel chewing on bread crumbs look up and swallow its saliva.
Orsa lightly sniffed, instantly finding the sashimi in front of her bland.
Seeing Hejia concentrating on slicing the fish into thin pieces, clearly making the same food as the plate in front of her, she pondered for a moment, then looked up at the surrounding forest.
Orsa’s vision was extremely sharp. She could see many furry four-legged creatures hiding in the surrounding bushes or trees, but these land creatures could not receive her sound waves.
Then she could only command it…
Hejia was focused on cooking when she suddenly heard a rustling sound behind her, like a sharp knife scraping across ice, carrying an ear-piercing chill.
A bad premonition surged in her heart. She turned her head and was instantly terrified.
A large, mottled python, as thick as an arm, was slowly flicking its tongue, emerging from the grass in the woods, swimming leisurely towards them.
“Help! There’s a snake! Shelly, where are you! Come back quickly ahhhhhh!!!”
This python must have been attracted by the food on the plate in front of the mermaid, heading straight for her. Its smooth, effortless swimming speed was something Shelly, who was still cleaning up trash on the distant beach, couldn’t possibly match.
“Ahhhh, I’ll fight you!”
Seeing the mermaid frozen in place, utterly terrified, Hejia found courage from somewhere. She picked up a few pieces of firewood from the bonfire and rushed over, aggressively smashing the burning wood at the large python.
The snake was clearly afraid of fire. Seeing the fiery red flames rushing towards it, it immediately changed direction, turning its head and drilling into another patch of grass.
Oh my god, today was too perilous! First the giant octopus, then the mottled python! It was truly difficult for the mermaid to survive in such a primitive world!
Hejia quickly extinguished the remaining fire on the ground and had the belated Shelly clean up the piles of grass around them first.
She took a few deep breaths again, trying to calm her nerves, and walked to the mermaid, lowering her head to ask, “Are you okay? Were you scared?”
Orsa’s eyes flickered slightly in the gloom.
She had only wanted to make some noise to attract this person’s attention, but she hadn’t expected this person to be so afraid. Her already flushed face instantly turned as pale as paper, just like when she was tearfully and tremblingly confronting the octopus before. She looked pitiful…
Orsa stood up, her fish belly on the ground, and used the edge of her upturned tail to gently brush the back of Hejia’s still-trembling hand, as a gesture of comfort.
She vaguely remembered that her voluntary touch was a great honor for others.
Hejia suddenly clenched her fist, her eyes wide with surprise, recalling the entry in the encyclopedia: “White-Tailed Merfolk… express friendliness by touching each other’s fish tails.”
She hadn’t expected to gain the mermaid’s approval and her first friend in this world so quickly. She had to respond formally!
Hejia leaned down in front of the mermaid and reached out, gently stroking the fan-shaped patterns on her tail from one side to the other.
A warm, smooth sensation traveled from her fingertips. The novel experience of touching an alien creature made Hejia’s heart tremble.
Orsa frowned again. The middle of her tail, like a newborn baby, had no memory of ever being touched.
This feeling of being gently stroked by human fingertips was a little ticklish and a little comfortable, like someone was lightly stroking her back, or scratching an itch.
That analogy didn’t seem right either. No one would ever dare to tickle her…
The indistinct memory she couldn’t summon made Orsa uncomfortable. She quickly flipped her fish tail behind her and shook it from side to side a few times, trying to shake off this strange feeling.
This movement, which in the animal kingdom meant submission and appeasement, made Hejia feel especially close. If the mermaid weren’t slightly taller than her when standing up, she would even want to stroke the other’s dense, smooth golden hair, which was like seaweed, a few more times.
Seeing the mermaid tuck her tail and sit back down on the rock, Hejia then noticed that the sashimi on the plate in front of her hadn’t been touched again. She wondered in her heart, “Does she not like this dish either? Or is she… waiting for me to eat with her?”
Hejia quickly returned to the fire, plated the cooked food, and arranged it one by one in front of the mermaid.
It wasn’t until Hejia served the last dish, sat down opposite the mermaid, and picked up her bowl and chopsticks, that the mermaid calmly picked up the grilled fish skewer covered in chili powder.
So she really was waiting for her!
Hejia felt a warmth in her heart. She observed the mermaid’s visibly improved mood and carefully asked, “Are you… unable to speak?”
The mermaid hadn’t uttered a single word since they met. Even when the large python rushed towards them just now, she didn’t even cry out. After much thought, Hejia concluded that this was the most likely possibility.
The notion of a mermaid’s beautiful, moving voice was a fairy tale that circulated on Earth thousands of years ago. The encyclopedia hadn’t mentioned whether mermaids could speak or not, and perhaps this race was naturally incapable of making sounds!
Orsa paused with the bamboo skewer in her hand, thought for a moment, and did not shake her head in denial.
That was tantamount to acquiescence.
“I’m sorry, I just wanted to ask to be sure if there was any other reason. Please don’t take offense! Besides, technology is so advanced now, this isn’t a big problem!”
Hejia pointed to the translator pen in front of her, comforting her, “Look, I can’t speak the interstellar common language at all. I rely on this translator to communicate with you! A couple of days ago, I read in a book that there’s also a machine that can directly convert brain waves into language…”
Seeing no fluctuation in the mermaid’s expression, Hejia abruptly fell silent, realizing she had said the wrong thing.
Her translator pen was provided by the Interstellar Administration Bureau for her work, but for a mermaid in exile in the deep sea, where survival was already so difficult, how could she afford expensive machines!
Wuwuwu, this was the first time she had seen someone whose fate was so tragic. Even the unparalleled beauty bestowed upon the mermaid by heaven was unknowingly increasing the danger of her being forcibly trafficked and possessed.
Seeing Hejia biting her lower lip with a self-reproaching expression, Orsa felt that she looked better when her eyes were curved and she was smiling. She reached out and patted her shoulder as a gesture of comfort.
This girl named Hejia was as soft and harmless on the inside as she was on the outside, and her cooking skills were even more endearing. Although Orsa felt she had never been cared for so warmly and proactively by anyone, she wasn’t averse to the feeling.
Furthermore, she truly had not recovered to the point where she could speak normally.
What she needed to do now was to consume a large amount of food to reserve energy for her next meditation.
When Hejia adjusted her mood and started eating, Orsa again lifted the bamboo skewer with the grilled fish and took a bite. She immediately felt the intense, charred aroma rush into her nasal cavity.
This! This was the familiar and beloved taste etched into her DNA!
Orsa took small bites one after another, savoring the long-lost joy without changing her expression.
Watching the mermaid finish a grilled fish skewer that Hejia had accidentally over-sprinkled with chili powder in her nervousness, Hejia’s eyes widened in astonishment, exclaiming, “That’s incredible, you can eat so much spicy food!”
Orsa gave Hejia an unreserved thumbs-up, signaling her approval. She needed to make sure Hejia fully understood her preferences so that she wouldn’t make a pile of sashimi for her again.
“So you like spicy food! Then all these grilled fish are for you! Also, try this fish soup. Although the ingredients were limited, preventing its full potential, the taste is really good! Oh right, adding a little black pepper should make it even more to your liking!”
Hejia was quickly full and began ladling soup and serving dishes for the mermaid.
Seeing the mermaid systematically clearing the food on the table with an extremely pleasing manner of eating, the smile on Hejia’s face couldn’t be restrained, and she unconsciously opened up the conversation.
“Don’t look at me now, my cooking skills are decent, but I really wasn’t very good at cooking before. I ate at the canteen in college, and we didn’t have the conditions for it in the dorm! I only started cooking after I came to this planet. I never expected to accidentally unlock a skill, haha! Maybe I can become a chef in the future.”
“But, I still want to continue studying because there are too, too many things I don’t know! But the schools are so expensive now! I don’t know if I can save enough money to go back to school after working as an administrator for a full year.”
Hejia noticed that this mermaid was both gentle-natured and well-mannered. Whenever she was speaking, the mermaid would always stop eating and look up, adopting a posture of serious listening.
After living in solitude for a month, having someone to talk to face-to-face, even if the other person couldn’t speak, just a response with a look made Hejia happier than eating a feast.
She looked at the mermaid’s crystalline, azure pupils, which were like colored glass, and couldn’t help but want to pour out all the secrets hidden in her heart.
But Hejia also didn’t want to be regarded as crazy by her newly acquainted friend. She turned off the translator pen and said, “You definitely won’t believe it, but I actually time-traveled from a few thousand years ago. In my era, Earth hadn’t made contact with aliens, and my country became the strongest country on Earth after many years of effort. I originally found a job I really liked, teaching foreigners my mother tongue. But a wave sent me here, and everything changed. I only know that the most powerful place in the world now is the Mûsin Galaxy, which is said to be very rich and prosperous, and all Earthlings want to emigrate there.”
Hejia turned the translator pen back on and said to the confused-looking mermaid, “I’m sorry, I was just talking to myself just now…”
She looked up at the sky and said, “Speaking of which, we are right on the edge of the Mûsin Galaxy. Do you know which direction the Mûsin home planet is in?”
Mûsin, such a familiar word…
Orsa supported her forehead with her hand, closing her eyes, trying to recall.
Hejia thought she had brought up a painful memory for the mermaid again. She quickly brought a post-meal drink and handed it to her, changing the subject, “It was great meeting you! The Cêzar Planet is currently under lockdown, and I’m the only person on the entire planet. I live on the beach in the hotel area. You can come find me anytime! I’ll make you other delicious things next time!”
The mermaid looked up at the sound, took a coconut filled with juice, clinked it with Hejia’s glass, nodded and smiled at Hejia to express her thanks, and then got up and slid towards the ocean.
A gentle and refreshing breeze blew over the sea in the afternoon. Shelly’s busy figure moved back and forth on the beach. Hejia walked the mermaid all the way to the shore, watching her lightheartedly leap into the ocean and quickly disappear from sight.
“Alas, I’m really worried about her. I wonder if she’ll run into any more danger!”
Hejia took a few steps towards the shore, turning her head back three times. Looking at the slowly descending artificial sun, she suddenly covered her face and exclaimed, “Oh no! I still have half the island left to clean up. I definitely won’t make it back in time to have dinner with Little Jade!”