Chapter 15
“What’s that noise, Ning Meow Meow, what are you doing?!”
Qu Banqing came out, spatula in hand, his face turning pale at the sight of the large mass behind Ning Zhixia. He quickly pulled Ning Zhixia behind him, muttering warily, “Wow… what a huge slime…”
“It’s not slime, it’s a sea monster from the Monis Sea! It’s harmless!”
Ning Zhixia peeked out, twirling a slippery tentacle in his hand, and introduced, “Its name is Popokula!”
Qu Banqing gulped: “It’s certainly… impressive.”
The wooden floor was too slippery for Popokula. It used the suckers on its tentacles to grip the floor tightly. Hearing Ning Zhixia’s introduction, it politely raised a tentacle to say hello.
“Pop, pop, pop…”
A series of popping sounds followed as the suckers detached from the floor.
Qu Banqing: “.”
As the brains of the Monis Sea, Popokula disdained interacting with the strange-looking fish around it. While wandering, it discovered a mysterious cave hidden in the abyss.
It took great effort to enter, but unexpectedly, after passing through the water wall, it encountered the legendary land creatures living in small houses.
“So that’s how it is…”
Ning Zhixia, his mouth full of bread crumbs, sat on a curled-up tentacle, listening to its story, and handed it a giant burger, explaining, “This is a nail salon that connects to many worlds. I might not be able to offer you any services, but you’re welcome to visit.”
The burger Qu Banqing made was generously filled, too big to hold with two hands. Popokula gratefully wrapped it with a tentacle, shyly glanced at the small human, and elegantly opened its giant mouth filled with tiny teeth, tossing the burger inside like a candy.
“Your food is so delicious!”
Two tentacles delicately supported its smooth, round head, the pink octopus praising in a soft voice.
Ning Zhixia: “…”
Honey, have you even tasted it yet? And you’re already praising it.
Popokula sampled three giant burgers, politely rubbing its tentacles in thanks. After learning that this shop was from another world, it extended a long tentacle through the doorway and retrieved a glass bottle from somewhere.
“Actually, I’d really like to know if you’ve seen a certain evil creature on your continent—”
A tentacle deftly uncorked the glass bottle, pouring out a roll of parchment. Popokula’s mysterious voice drifted over, “It’s said that once you’re attached, you can never quit.”
“What evil creature, hahaha…” Qu Banqing chuckled. “How could we have such a thing here?”
Ning Zhixia nudged him aside and asked like a curious child, “What does it look like?”
“Like this!”
Popokula waved a tentacle and unfurled the parchment with a flourish.
A soft body, sharp, hooked claws, and a ferocious expression…
The two of them leaned in for a closer look and were instantly dumbfounded.
Qu Banqing held the tentacle and shook it, saying with deep understanding: “Indeed very evil!”
“What, it’s just a cat.” Ning Zhixia poked the drawing of the small furball on the parchment, turned around, and pressed the button on the automatic feeder.
The crisp sound of cat food falling into the bowl followed. Several pairs of ears twitched, and in the blink of an eye, the parkour team dashed out from every corner of the room, charging down like a herd of wild boars!
“Munch, munch, munch…”
The kittens ate heartily. The pink octopus, suddenly seeing the fluffy balls it had been longing for, trembled like seaweed swaying in the ocean.
“Oh my god, oh my god! One, two, three… oh, oh, oh!”
The tips of its tentacles waved in the air above the kittens’ heads, and Popokula rubbed its tentacles excitedly.
There were five fluffy balls! And one was especially round!
After finishing their extra meal, the kittens finally noticed the giant creature in the corner and cautiously approached to sniff it.
Popokula was so happy it almost burst into bubbles. Before Ning Zhixia could stop it, it wrapped a tentacle around the fat orange cat.
“Meow!”
The cold, slippery sensation made the fat orange cat’s fur stand on end. It struggled to escape the tentacle, hissing and throwing punches, its movements a blur.
Seeing this, the other kittens scattered, hiding behind the sofa and peeking out cautiously.
“Oh… the kittens are all gone…”
Popokula sadly deflated into a puddle of slime, its round eyes filled with tears, and after a moment of restraint, covered its eyes with a tentacle and sobbed uncontrollably.
“Popo, don’t cry, they were just startled.” Ning Zhixia scratched his face awkwardly, squatted down, and patted its large head to comfort it.
“So… I… sob… am… am… sob… hated… by the kittens…”
The pink octopus’s joy vanished, its whole body shaking with sobs, a puddle of water forming beneath it and staining the floor. It quickly sucked the water back up, hiccuped, and continued sobbing.
Qu Banqing couldn’t help but mutter, “This thing would make such an intelligent mop.”
Ning Zhixia: “…”
Mommy, please stop that eager look in your eyes!
Popokula slumped against the wall like a deflated inflatable toy, filled with melancholy.
It seemed that being rejected by the kittens had caused serious psychological trauma to this sea monster.
Ning Zhixia looked down and lectured the fat orange cat: “Do you know whose love you rejected? The love of a sea monster!”
The love-rejecting god cat twitched its whiskers, flicked its tail, and walked away.
“Sigh.” Seeing this, Qu Banqing asked helplessly, “Popo, can you make yourself smaller?”
A sea monster sounded impressive, it should have this ability, right?
As expected, Popokula gave a soft “hmm”: “I can.”
“That’s great!”
Ning Zhixia’s eyes lit up. He suddenly had an idea, leaned closer to it, and whispered, “Give me some time, and I guarantee the kittens will approach you on their own!”
“Really?” Popokula gradually inflated, rubbing its tentacles together, and cautiously glancing at the kittens hiding behind him. “But I must look scary…”
Ning Zhixia smiled: “Not at all, your color is very pretty, like a sweet marshmallow!”
Popokula blinked its tennis ball-sized round eyes shyly: “What’s a marshmallow?”
Ning Zhixia gestured: “It’s like a soft cloud! Pink, very dreamy!”
“Very dreamy…” Popokula blushed. “Oh, stop it, what are you saying!”
A dreamy pink tentacle landed on Ning Zhixia’s shoulder and gently pushed him, sending him sliding two meters across the floor.
Qu Banqing silently applauded. The floor was destined to be sparkling clean tonight.
Ning Zhixia kept his word and bought a special fish tank online. The middle part was a rectangular space with a rounded arched opening, just big enough for a few kittens to squeeze in.
When Popokula came back that evening, it filled the tank with seawater from its own plane, its eight tentacles also bringing in various decorations.
It clung to the glass wall, two tentacles uncorking the glass bottle and pouring out sand and gravel, four tentacles placing coral reefs and shiny shells, and the remaining two tentacles adjusting the angle of the seaweed.
Ning Zhixia and Qu Banqing squatted beside it, watching it enthusiastically decorate its new home, holding a pineapple house and a stone house ornament, unable to help at all.
The ordinary fish tank was instantly transformed into a luxurious underwater villa. Popokula shrunk its size, took its favorite glass bottle, and slid into the tank.
Ning Zhixia knocked on the glass: “How is it? Comfortable?”
The little octopus fan, like an open umbrella, puffed up with water and happily bounced around the tank.
It swam excitedly, poked half of its round head out of the shimmering water, and extended a tentacle to wrap around Ning Zhixia’s finger, giving it a friendly shake, looking extremely satisfied.
Seeing this, Ning Zhixia asked Qu Banqing to bring the kittens over.
Before Qu Banqing could even tempt them with treats, the kittens, who had been observing for a while, had already boldly approached.
They circled the fish tank, spotted the arch-shaped opening that looked like a cat bed, and squeezed inside, their eyes glued to Popokula as it gracefully swam among the seaweed and reefs.
“Meow…”
Fluffy paws patted the glass. Popokula quickly noticed the flesh-colored balls similar to its own color, excitedly waving its tentacles, and soon more paws appeared.
Because they had lingered too long, it was past the passage closing time. They figured that since Popokula was already in the fish tank, they might as well move it next to the TV cabinet and let it stay for the night, returning to its underwater city tomorrow.
Popokula, thrilled to be able to watch the fluffy balls up close, readily agreed, its small pink tentacles popping out of the water and waving as a response.
Ning Zhixia knew that creatures from other planes couldn’t stay for too long, but he optimistically thought that an extra day occasionally wouldn’t matter.
Unexpectedly, the next morning, Audrow came to the Monster Manicure Shop and caught Popokula red-handed, happily enjoying the company of cats in its underwater villa.
“Why did you keep the Monis Sea Monster here?”
Audrow stirred the water, creating ripples, and in one swift move, fished out the small pink octopus disguised as coral.
He held the soft, boneless creature between two fingers, his eyes narrowed as he examined it, unable to understand why Ning Zhixia would keep it. After a while, he turned his head and asked, “Are you planning to sell snacks?”
Ning Zhixia was confused: “What?”
“Takoyaki.”
His light red tongue subconsciously licked his lips, and Audrow stared at Popokula, his voice a demonic whisper, “Its tentacles regenerate very quickly…”
An endless supply, the perfect raw material supplier!
“No, no, no! Don’t!”
Popokula paled in fear, screaming internally, What kind of demon are these humans?, frantically twisting its body and trying to hide its tentacles under its head.
“That’s not what I’m planning!”
Ning Zhixia shook his head vehemently, reassuring the almost-tearful Popokula that he had no designs on its tentacles.
“Thank goodness, wuwuwu.”
Popokula struggled free from Audrow’s hand and plopped onto the table.
To prove that it wasn’t just freeloading for the cats, Popokula rubbed its tentacles and said to Audrow, “I-I’m here to sell good things to Boss Ning, we, we have serious business to discuss!”
Keywords triggered, Ning Zhixia’s eyes instantly lit up!
What good things?
Let me see!
