Chapter 81
“Mama, I time traveled.”
MuMu swam circles around its mother, describing Wen Ming’s collapse.
“So that energy rain our clan felt was you?”
MuMu nodded: “But Master doesn’t remember, I thought it was a dream…”
“The other Jiao Ren who time traveled said the same, only they remember.”
Its mother’s tail brushed against MuMu’s: “But there are always consequences, you must have changed something, even if they don’t remember.”
MuMu puffed out its chest: “I saved a human!”
“My child is the best!”
MuMu blushed: “Not that amazing, I failed my airship piloting test a few days ago.”
“Don’t worry, Jiao Ren aren’t good with technology.” Its mother stared at its belly: “You’ve gained weight, are you carrying eggs?”
“No, I just ate too much…” MuMu froze. “Can Jiao Ren lay eggs regardless of gender?”
Seriously!? MuMu clutched its stomach.
Its mother chuckled: “No, I’m teasing you.” Male Jiao Ren couldn’t lay eggs, and neither could male-male couples, let alone a Jiao Ren and a human.
Otherwise, Master wouldn’t keep poking my belly…
“Can’t you two have children? Human technology can help, right?”
“I wasn’t raised by my parents, I don’t know how to raise children, human or Jiao Ren. And Master’s mental seascape condition is hereditary.”
Its mother smiled and took out something…
“Let’s go home!”
MuMu sent their location to the home butler and jumped out of the ocean, caught by the mech. It carefully held its bag.
“What’s in there?”
MuMu opened it: “Our baby.”
“?” The mech swayed, then stabilized.
MuMu had brought back an egg, placing it in a small sandy area it had created in the mermaid room.
“What kind of egg?” Wen Ming asked.
“I don’t know,” MuMu said. “But take good care of it.”
Wen Ming looked at it: “What are you doing?”
“Incubating.” MuMu, transformed into a mermaid, curled its tail around the egg. “Awoo.” I checked, this is how you do it.
It shifted, making space: “Whoo!” Join me, the baby will feel our love and hatch faster!
“Birds incubate like that.”
“…” MuMu transformed back, brushing off the sand. “I thought it felt weird.”
The “Mermaid Language” livestream added a new segment – egg watching.
“…Your mermaid has OCD, it won’t eat unless it sees you clean the bowl.”
[So meticulous, starving itself for its principles.]
[Another entry for the Encyclopedia of Bizarre Mermaid Behavior.]
[Ever since the masked streamer, the official mermaid documentaries have been replaced by books, haha!]
[Any news from the egg today?]
“No signs of hatching, I’m starting to think it’s… whoa!” MuMu moved the camera. “A crack!”
[Finally!]
[The streamer and the Admiral’s baby, so exciting!]
“Crack!”
A tiny head poked through the eggshell, slowly emerging.
[A turtle?]
[A sea turtle egg… not exactly dominant or cute…]
[So calm. /Thumbs up/]
[So well-behaved.]
[Look at the proud papa!]
The sea turtle was named Xiao Ke (Little Shell). It was easy to care for, sleeping in its shell after eating.
MuMu, while practicing writing, would lecture Xiao Ke:
“Wen. Master’s name. Symmetrical, but not quite symmetrical, human language is weird!”
Xiao Ke poked its head out: “Blub.”
“Don’t eat the paper!” MuMu held it up to Wen Ming: “Xiao Ke, this is Master.”
Wen Ming raised an eyebrow: “No.”
“You are Master!”
“Not anymore. You know my name.”
“Why not? I’ve always called you Master.”
“Things are different now.”
MuMu looked dejected: “They were right, men change their minds quickly, you won’t even let me call you ‘Master’ anymore.” It placed Xiao Ke in Wen Ming’s hand: “Xiao Ke is sleepy.” While Wen Ming was distracted, MuMu ran off: “I’m running away!”
It hid around the corner, sulking. The ear stud lit up.
“Little Butler, whose side are you on? Go back in your cold metal body if you won’t help me!”
“Beep beep, unwavering loyalty, will not disclose your location.”
“That’s not what I meant.” MuMu mumbled: “Subtly reveal my location, I’m cold without my jacket.”
“…”
“Also, look up how to address a human master.”
Wen Ming found it, wrapped it in his jacket, and carried it home.
MuMu recited a line from the home butler’s search results:
“Master, do you want to shower first, eat first, or eat me first?”
“…MuMu.” Wen Ming carried it to the bedroom. “You can call me ‘Master’ as a term of endearment, but we’re not in a master-pet relationship.”
“It’s not that complicated.” MuMu was placed on the sleep pod. “Mama also said ‘equals.’ So, tonight, I’m on top!”
“No.”
“You agreed?” MuMu patted the mattress. “Come here.”
An hour later.
Wen Ming pressed his thumb against MuMu’s lower back: “Slacking off?”
“That’s not what I meant!” MuMu, unable to stand or sit, wanted to cry. “What’s the difference, just a different position.” It struggled, protesting: “Stop it! I’m tired, I have a shoot tomorrow!”
“You rest, I’ll take over.”
“That’s not what I… stop!”
MuMu, clinging to a cabinet, looked back: “Communicating with you… did I not learn human language properly…?”
“On your toes.”
“But I’m tired!” MuMu’s trembling arms slipped, and it knocked over the energy stone box.
Seashells, dried shrimp, the cufflink… all of MuMu’s “treasures” spilled out.
“You kept all of this?”
MuMu’s voice was breathless: “I knew it, you’re the best, Master.”
Wen Ming bent down and bit the back of its neck.
“Stop!” MuMu struggled. “I have a shoot tomorrow, no marks on my neck!” It pointed at its body: “Here, and here, they’ll be visible!”
Wen Ming “marked” each spot.
“You!” MuMu, unable to resist, grabbed something from the spilled treasures: “Put this on! You need this more than I do!”
“…” Wen Ming put on the muzzle. Like a restrained beast, he could only nuzzle MuMu with the cold metal.
MuMu shivered, uncomfortable.
“MuMu, say it again?”
MuMu’s eyes were hazy, its voice slurred:
“Master.”
Wen Ming’s jaw tensed beneath the muzzle.
“Hello, can I help you find some smart furniture?”
“A sleep pod,” MuMu’s voice was barely audible. “And a cabinet…”
“Any specific requirements?” the salesperson asked with a professional smile.
Wen Ming said calmly: “Durable.”
“?”
“These are usually quite durable…”
MuMu was silent. Their sleep pod’s programming had been fried by its energy surge during soothing; the cabinet… had been… enthusiastically utilized.
“How did they break? I can recommend suitable models.”
“Well…” MuMu improvised. “We have a baby, it likes to jump on furniture…”
“A playful baby, haha!” The salesperson laughed. “I understand, how about this one? Very sturdy…”
MuMu covered its face and whispered: “Sorry, Xiao Ke…”
At home, in the mermaid room, Xiao Ke slowly poked its head out, waking from a long nap. It paddled around, puzzled: Is my shell heavier today? Like I’m carrying something…
Lol Xiao Ke is carrying the pot (used as a scapegoat) XD