Hi Master, Little Mermaid Will Support You! 1

Chapter 1

Shimmering waves, slightly cool water.

The mermaid cage jostled, and mermaid number 55 twitched the tip of its fin, regaining consciousness…

Did I just faint from hunger?

Where am I being taken?

Number 55 curled its tail uncomfortably, trying to alleviate the hunger pangs.

It surfaced to listen to the sounds outside the cage—

“We’re at the aquarium entrance. I’ll put it in.” The person pushing the cage stopped and unfastened the latch.

“Don’t! This is a low-grade mermaid. It’s not qualified to enter the aquarium and be viewed by the nobles!”

The other person hurriedly stopped him, “Mermaids from there are always sent to the outside vendors.”

“The fishmonger who sells cheap mermaids to the poor?”

“Yes, if they’re lucky enough to be sold, the mermaids can at least get something to eat.”

The water temperature in the mermaid cage suddenly became unbearable, and number 55 felt a chill all over:

Abandoned by my master?

Even though I didn’t get enough to eat before if I didn’t complete the tasks, if I’m unlucky in the future, I won’t even have a life of “not enough to eat”…

No, I absolutely cannot be sent to the fishmonger!

Number 55’s pointed ears trembled as it pressed against the cage door.

Besides the conversation between the two transporters, there was the background noise of a large pool and shouts mixed with the aroma of food:

“Xiao Fen, come get your snacks!”

There’s food here!

Number 55’s eyes lit up, and its tail flicked rapidly. Taking advantage of the moment before the transporters locked the latch, it pushed open the cage and rushed out!

“Splash!”

The gradient blue tail arced through the air and disappeared into the surface of the aquarium…

“Oh no!” the two transporters exclaimed.

They glanced apprehensively at the “No Mental Seascape Use” warning sign and turned to look for a net, preparing to fish it out.

The staff member who was feeding the mermaids blocked the net with their body:

“You can’t use it now!

The aquarium is decorated to simulate the seabed, and the net will mess up the artificial scenery. We can only use it after the nobles finish their visit.”

“But we must catch it back as soon as possible!”

The transporter cautiously looked around and lowered his voice, “It’s a mermaid abandoned by the laboratory. Aren’t you afraid it will cause trouble?”

The staff member’s expression wavered:

“There are diving suits by your feet…”

Under the water, number 55 was stunned by the scene before it.

Artificial rocks, aquatic plants, coral… A huge sheet of plexiglass let in the light, ethereal and dreamy, it was simply the mermaid sanctuary of its dreams!

The surrounding mermaids didn’t treat this place as a “sanctuary.” Their scales were glossy, they were leisurely and carefree, each holding snacks, chewing occasionally.

Number 55 swished its dull, scarred tail, picking up the food they discarded, and gobbled it down.

“Xiao Fen!”

It swam to a clump of seaweed and spoke to the mermaid inside gnawing on dried fish: “Xiao Fen, they’re calling you up top to get snacks.”

The other mermaid didn’t even look up: “My name isn’t Xiao Fen.”

The sound wave ranges of human language and mermaid language are different. Xiao Fen was used to the human pronunciation of “Xiao Fen” and couldn’t understand number 55’s mermaid language translation of “Xiao Fen.”

Number 55 stared intently at the dried fish in Xiao Fen’s hand and swallowed: “Only your tail is pink, they must be calling you.”

“That’s true.”

Xiao Fen was convinced and swam upwards, then suddenly stopped:

Wait a minute, how does that mermaid know what the “legged ones” are saying?

It belatedly stretched out its hands, its palms empty.

The dried fish was gone!

…

Number 55 took the dried fish Xiao Fen had dropped, hid in the seaweed, took a bite, and blew bubbles in delight.

There are such delicious fishy snacks in the world?

The mermaids here can get delicious food without completing tasks?

Why is the pool wall transparent?

Number 55 looked around curiously.

“So big!” It marveled at the giant glass wall of the pool and looked outwards, bumping into a pair of frosty black eyes.

It was a very strange human.

He stood alone in the crowd, gloomy, indifferent, lifeless.

An invisible barrier surrounded him, only his pupils reflecting a touch of blue from the mermaid, proving his tangible existence.

The ripples of the water blurred the vision, making the figure seem even more illusory.

The small dried fish in number 55’s hand was momentarily less captivating than the man…

Outside the aquarium, the nobles chatted in twos and threes.

In this large social gathering disguised as “buying mermaids,” only one man stood alone, quietly gazing at the tank.

“Admiral Wen Ming actually came to the Mermaid Center?”

Someone whispered, covering their mouth, “I remember he couldn’t be soothed by mermaids, otherwise his mental seascape wouldn’t be so severely damaged.”

Another person sighed with emotion: “What a pity. Admiral Wen was a god of war on the battlefield when his mental seascape was at its peak. Look at the row of medals on his chest, all military merits!”

“He’s also very capable after retiring from the battlefield. The Wen Corporation’s mermaid supplies have squeezed into the interstellar top 10 in just a few years. He’s the youngest winner of the Entrepreneurship Gold Award…”

Everyone subtly paid attention to Wen Ming, some with admiration, some with sympathy, some just out of curiosity, but no one dared to approach.

“Admiral Wen!”

An exception appeared.

All eyes swiveled towards the speaker—

The person had a cool-looking external optical brain clipped behind their ear, flashing with changing colors.

Optical brain technology had evolved to the point where it could be implanted in the body, so wearing an external device only served a stylistic purpose.

It was the attention-seeking young master of the Qi family, Qi Xuan.

Qi Xuan pretended to casually show off the expensive, custom-made interstellar optical brain he had bought:

“Admiral Wen, I heard that the new mermaid food your company released has dismal sales. The Qi Corporation is also preparing to launch a new flavor. Could you share some of your experience with failure?”

Qi Xuan emphasized the words “dismal sales” and let out a mocking laugh.

The winner of the Interstellar Entrepreneurship Gold Award, is that all?

The onlookers gasped, quietly waiting for Wen Ming’s reply.

One second, two seconds… half a minute. Needless to say a reply, Wen Ming didn’t even spare Qi Xuan a glance.

The corners of Qi Xuan’s upturned mouth gradually flattened as he looked Wen Ming up and down—

The simple white suit was tailored to flatter his figure, broad shoulders, narrow waist.

An air of unsullied coldness made Qi Xuan look like a nouveau riche…

Qi Xuan coughed twice: “Forget it if you don’t want to talk about experience. Are you here to choose a mermaid today?

I have seven high-grade mermaids at home. You don’t even have one, do you? Which one have you taken a fancy to? I’ll help you check it out—”

He followed Wen Ming’s gaze and noticed a blue mermaid in the seaweed, only its head visible.

Unlike the other mermaids in the aquarium, it had a tag on its ear with a number written on it:

55

As if afraid that Qi Xuan would steal its food, the mermaid flared its fins and stuffed the dried fish into its mouth in one gulp, its cheeks bulging.

Qi Xuan frowned strangely: “Its features and color are good, but its hair is rough, its eating habits are crude, and it’s not friendly to people. Don’t choose this one!”

After his critique, there was still no response.

Another round of exhilarating monologue!

Qi Xuan’s anger flared: “If you don’t listen to me, just buy whatever you want. Anyway, you have enough assets to support all the mermaids in the interstellar world. Oh, I almost forgot that your mental seascape is so damaged that mermaid soothing is ineffective…”

“Whoa!” His chatter was interrupted by a gasp from the crowd.

Two people in diving suits suddenly entered the aquarium.

They carefully avoided the underwater decorations, searching for something.

As the two entered the water, the blue mermaid hid its head in the seaweed, even stealthily retrieving the tip of its tail that was floating outside…

Wen Ming’s fingers twitched.

Seeing that Wen Ming finally reacted, Qi Xuan thought his words had been effective:

“Actually, buying a mermaid also depends on whether the mermaid is willing to soothe you. My mental seascape is strong, so high-grade mermaids feel a sense of accomplishment when soothing me. If they encounter a damaged mental seascape, mermaids naturally don’t want to waste their time!”

His voice grew louder and louder, and the two people who had dived into the aquarium heard the commotion and swam towards them.

The seaweed clump hiding the blue mermaid began to tremble slightly, pitifully…

Qi Xuan shook his head: “You simply don’t have any affinity with mermaids. I advise you to stop doing business in mermaid supplies and leave the market to…”

“Shut up.”

Two words, devoid of inflection, were like dunking Qi Xuan upside down in icy water. The rest of his words froze in his throat, unable to be uttered.

He shivered, unwilling to accept it:

How could I be intimidated by someone with a damaged mental seascape?

Qi Xuan glanced surreptitiously at the “No Mental Seascape Use” sign and released his energy, murmuring:

“Everyone’s focused on the aquarium, no one will notice, right…”

On the other side of the glass, the two divers had already found the mermaid and were engaged in a “chase.”

Number 55 used the artificial rocks as obstacles, swimming nimbly, escaping capture again and again.

“Damn it, its tail is too slippery!” the transporter cursed inwardly. “We can’t catch it without using our mental seascapes!”

Although they couldn’t hear clearly what was being said outside the glass underwater, the increasing volume indicated that the nobles were very dissatisfied with the commotion.

The staff above the water also kept urging them to hurry up and catch it.

The transporter gritted his teeth and activated his mental seascape: It should be fine…

The mental seascape, an energy reservoir possessed by every human.

It only works on living beings and specific materials, such as suppressing mermaids, protecting oneself when others attack, controlling mechs…

And destroying plexiglass.

That’s why the use of mental seascapes is prohibited around the aquarium.

Under normal circumstances, one or two mental seascape attacks wouldn’t cause serious damage to the aquarium.

But a combined attack from inside and outside, that was hard to say…

Qi Xuan released his mental seascape towards Wen Ming; the transporter released his mental seascape towards number 55. The two energies converged in the middle.

First a point, then spreading outwards in all directions.

As number 55 was chased towards the glass, what it saw was no longer a transparent scene, but a dense network of cracks like a spiderweb…

“Crash!”

Glass shards mixed with water gushed out, and the crowd screamed, unfolding their mental seascapes to protect themselves.

Number 55, swept away by the current: ?

Did I do that?

Number 55 involuntarily fell towards the crowd, and in its dizziness, it locked onto Qi Xuan with his shining head.

It was because he was so loud that its hiding place was exposed!

Number 55 was furious. It adjusted its posture, its tail gathering power, aiming at that shining head—

“Slap! Slap!”

“Ah!”

Qi Xuan’s vision blurred as he was suddenly slapped twice.

A roaring sound filled his ears as he clutched them in pain, but his hands caught the falling external optical brain unit.

The optical brain flickered weakly, struggling, before completely shutting down, declaring itself dead.

Qi Xuan couldn’t tell if the tears were from the slaps or from sadness: “A custom model… I spent a million star coins on it…”

The “culprit,” number 55, opened its eyes. The pain from hitting the ground wasn’t as severe as expected.

In order to hit Qi Xuan, it had fallen headfirst.

A hand had cushioned the impact just in time.

Number 55 raised its head from the strong palm and lightly flicked its tail tip at Wen Ming:

Thank you!

“Get your manager here!” Qi Xuan yelled, holding the “corpse” of his optical brain. “A mermaid attacked me! Catch it! The ugly one with the damaged tail scales!”

Number 55 lowered its head guiltily and crawled forward, bypassing Wen Ming…

“It was a blue mermaid.”

Qi Xuan looked around. Several blue mermaids were being retrieved by the Mermaid Center’s nets: “Which one was it?”

He grabbed Wen Ming: “Admiral Wen, you were closest to me. Did you see the mermaid that attacked me?”

Wen Ming avoided his hand, shifting half a step to block what was behind him.

Qi Xuan’s face was numb from the slaps, dulling his senses, and he didn’t notice Wen Ming’s displeasure.

“Where’s the manager? Hurry up and find him. My face has been shattered by that incredibly ugly mermaid… Ugh!”

Without warning, his chin was suddenly gripped tightly.

The terrifying thing was that this excruciating pain was caused by just two fingers.

Even more terrifying was that the pressure was still increasing…

Wen Ming, enraged by some word or other, his usually calm demeanor suddenly turned icy as his hand tightened:

“You should be thanking that mermaid.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t be your face that’s shattered, but your jawbone.”

“Gasp… Gasp…”

Under the suffocating pressure, Qi Xuan vaguely recalled the media’s evaluation of Wen Ming:

‘After Admiral Wen’s mental seascape was declared damaged, he lost interest in everything in the interstellar world, his emotional fluctuations almost zero.

But don’t forget that he was once a god of war who sliced through the Zerg like tofu. Someone who disregards his own life and death, would he care about the life and death of others?’

Qi Xuan now deeply understood these words.

Let alone crushing his jawbone, even if Wen Ming wanted to crush his head, he could do it…

Wen Ming raised his hand and threw him at the approaching manager:

“He illegally used his mental seascape, causing the aquarium to break.”

“Yes, yes.” The manager looked at Qi Xuan, limp as a noodle at his feet, and said with a stiff smile, “The Mermaid Center will certainly punish him according to the regulations.”

“Punish?” Qi Xuan’s legs were weak, he couldn’t stand up, and he tugged at the manager’s clothes, pleading, “I don’t want my family to know. I finally got the management authority for the company’s mermaid food project…”

Wen Ming glanced over.

“Compensate!” Qi Xuan immediately changed his tune. “I’ll pay any amount of star coins!”

“.”

Wen Ming looked away, turned around. The mermaid with the numbered tag on its ear had disappeared…

Qi Xuan breathed a long sigh of relief behind him, picked up the fragments of his optical brain, and wanted to cry:

So unlucky. They said Wen Ming had no emotional fluctuations, so what exactly did I do to provoke him?

“Drip.”

A drop of water from the cuff of a white suit landed next to Qi Xuan, followed by a few faint words:

“It’s not ugly.”