The mermaid was raising humans and was quite proficient at it.
The gifts that humans rejected were rolled back into the sea by it. Overnight, it rushed from the Anner Ocean to the icy waters at the far north, seeking the tastiest food suitable for human stomachs.
All creatures hurriedly avoided its path.
The mermaid’s handsome face was covered with a thin layer of frost. The temperature of the icy sea is terrifyingly low. Its tail swayed so slowly that it was visibly dragging.
The marine life nurtured by the icy sea had a flavor that could never be cultivated anywhere else.
It hated the icy sea, but it believed its human would like the food here.
Zong Yuan arrived at the beach just as the sun cast its first rays of light. He crouched at the water’s edge, stirring the sea with a stick. “Little fool?”
After waiting a few minutes with no response, 0046 asked, “It can’t be sleeping, right?”
Who knew whether mermaids slept or not?
Zong Yuan stared out at the sea, keenly noticing the surface shifting slightly. “It’s coming.”
The mermaid poked its head out, unusually not approaching Zong Yuan. Instead, it used the force of the sea to deliver the gift it had found to Zong Yuan’s side.
Then, it revealed only its pair of eyes, intently watching him.
It looked just like a shy young man retreating after a confession.
Suddenly, something over a meter and a half long crashed into Zong Yuan, nearly knocking him over.
“What is this?”
The thing looked strange, with a smooth body that felt like ice to the touch, giving off a cool sensation from the inside out. Yet it had no eyes or mouth—just a flat surface that rose and fell as if it were breathing.
0046 searched but was bewildered. “Can’t find anything.”
Zong Yuan held onto this thing, which felt like a soft piece of tofu, looking at the mermaid with a strange expression. “A gift?”
The mermaid let out a low sound, hesitating, “Daddy…”
The mermaid was telling him that this was food.
Zong Yuan was quite bold with this scaleless and eyeless underwater creature. Since the mermaid said it was edible, he immediately began contemplating how to eat it.
With only fire and no pot, and no seasonings whatsoever.
After pondering for a moment, he asked 0046, “How do you extract sea salt?”
“…,” 0046 replied, “Stop messing around.”
Zong Yuan said, “Do I look like I’m messing around?”
Eventually, 0046 pointed him in the right direction. “Herbivorous animals need salt, too. They often lick the rocks on the southern side of the island; that’s their source of salt. You can check that area.”
Zong Yuan nodded and said to the mermaid, who had only one eye visible, “Come on, follow Dad to the south.”
0046 was still somewhat useful.
Zong Yuan found a clean spot at the corner of the rocks and washed the item several times. “Can this powder be eaten?”
It wouldn’t kill him; that little bit wouldn’t even affect his lung function. 0046 confirmed, “Yes!”
Zong Yuan started a fire, moving close to the sea while the mermaid stood nearby, quietly observing his actions.
Zong Yuan did his best to ignore its large fish tail and, under 0046’s guidance, found several substitutes that could serve as seasonings.
To be honest, he hadn’t eaten a proper meal in two or three days, and he was really hungry.
Zong Yuan walked over, holding the meat while staring at the mermaid’s face without averting his gaze. “Come on, baby, swipe a claw over here.”
He took the mermaid’s hand and indicated a route.
The mermaid lazily looked at him, unwilling to move an inch. Zong Yuan was quite understanding, kissing its pale, smooth hand. “Baby, give Daddy a swipe.”
With a quiver of its finger, the meat in his arms was split in half. Zong Yuan looked at the smooth cross-section. “Tsk, tsk, tsk, wait for your husband to cook something delicious for you.”
He didn’t know if it would taste good, but at least it could be cooked.
Zong Yuan had never activated his cooking skill before. He skewered the two halves of meat onto prepared branches and boldly placed them by the fire to roast, disregarding the cooking time, haphazardly sprinkling all the alternative seasonings he had found onto the meat.
Despite this casual approach, an enticing aroma wafted up, making mouths water.
The meat sizzled over the flames, the fat oozing to the surface, glistening with grease. Zong Yuan had no idea which of the seasonings had worked, but amidst the spicy notes, there was also a fruity fragrance.
He swallowed hard, trying to maintain his composure.
The mermaid’s gaze had shifted from him to the piece of meat, its nostrils flaring, eyes suddenly sparkling, as it approached Zong Yuan, buoyed by the rising tide.
It called out, “Daddy…”
What it meant was, Human, I want to eat.
Zong Yuan interpreted this as a display of affection. “Hmm, it’ll be ready soon.”
The mermaid fixated on the meat, its face illuminated by the warm glow of the fire, driving away any trace of its wild nature. It looked so delicious.
When it was almost done, Zong Yuan kicked out the fire. Before he could even pick up the branch with the meat, water rushed over his feet as the mermaid swiftly dashed past him, pouncing on the hot meat like a hungry tiger.
Zong Yuan was startled. “Hot!”
The mermaid’s sharp teeth came out as it fiercely tore into the steaming meat, completely unfazed by the heat.
Its eyes grew brighter, practically wanting to devour the branch along with the meat.
Zong Yuan let out a sigh of relief, somewhat exhilarated. “Is it really that delicious?”
He tore off a small piece of meat. Just as he popped it into his mouth, he exclaimed, “…Damn!”
The meat was so tender it melted in his mouth, and its unique texture, combined with the crude seasonings, highlighted its inherent deliciousness. The contrasting temperatures—cool from the inside and hot from the outside—created an incredible chemical reaction.
Zong Yuan ate in disbelief. “Do I really have this talent?”
After finishing its share, the mermaid licked its fingers and shifted its gaze to Zong Yuan’s hands.
Zong Yuan’s appetite was much smaller than the mermaid’s. “Call me Daddy.”
The mermaid obediently said the human’s name, “Daddy.”
It was so well-behaved and focused that Zong Yuan suddenly felt a bit guilty. “Ahem, Daddy is Zong Yuan. Call me Zong Yuan. Zong—Yuan, if you get it right, I’ll give you more to eat.”
Zong Yuan.
These two syllables seemed to hold some magical power, causing the mermaid to fixate on them. It stared into Zong Yuan’s eyes and actually repeated, “Zong Yuan,” correctly.
The one whose name was called felt a stir within.
By the time Zong Yuan came to his senses, the mermaid had already finished its portion and was preparing to dive back into the sea.
Instinctively, Zong Yuan called out to it, “Wait.”
The mermaid paused, its tail stopping, its eyes narrowing into slits. Zong Yuan steeled himself, trembling as he reached out to touch its tail.
The mermaid didn’t know what he was up to, but it cooperatively obliged his gesture with a playful demeanor.
Seizing the surge of emotion within him, Zong Yuan closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and felt his fingertips touch a small, delicate fish scale.
His mind went blank; the sensation was both icy and hard, like a piece of iron.
He maintained this position for a long time.
His lover was a fish; did that mean he should be afraid of his lover?
His lover loved him, protected him, and had never harmed him. Was he really going to distance himself just because of its tail?
After a long while, Zong Yuan lowered his hand and locked eyes with the mermaid. He slowly approached it; even though the mermaid had the advantage of its tail, his commanding aura could overcome anything. He wrapped his arms around its curly hair, forcing it to bend down. “Sleep now and we’ll see each other tonight.”
His voice was gentle, soothing like water.
The mermaid also experienced the mesmerizing effect of his voice, feeling drowsy as it burrowed into the seabed, enveloped in thoughts of Zong Yuan’s voice, and fell into a deep sleep.
0046 watched Zong Yuan standing in place. “Have you come to terms with it?”
Zong Yuan sighed in relief only when he could no longer see the mermaid. He sat down on a nearby rock. “A bit better.”
Even though he could easily imagine the mermaid’s scales as iron plates, the very sight of the fish scale shape made it impossible for him to easily overcome his fear.
As they were talking, a piercing scream suddenly erupted from the mountain top. Zong Yuan’s expression changed, and he dashed up the mountain.
What happened?!
He ran to the top in one breath, where a crowd had formed in a circle, their faces pale. Zong Yuan took a moment to steady his breathing. “What’s wrong?”
A suited man slowly turned around, terror etched on his face. “Someone… someone is dead…”
Zong Yuan’s heart sank. He pushed through the crowd to look inside— the victim was a woman, quiet and inconspicuous. Her death was brutal; there was a thumb-sized hole in her neck and her abdomen was slashed open, blood pooling all around.
Their faces were pale, not just from fear but also from disgust.
Zong Yuan frowned. “It could be a beast, but there are no signs of being eaten on her.”
Another remaining woman trembled as she hugged herself, nervously questioning, “How could it be a beast?! Didn’t they say there were no large carnivores?! No, no! It must be that mermaid! It has to be that mermaid!”
“The next person to die… could it be me…”
Zong Yuan’s face grew cold as he surveyed the surroundings. “Are you saying that a mermaid, which can only stay in the water, came up to the mountain to kill her?”
The woman suddenly recalled this detail, her expression dazed. “Then who did it?”
Zong Yuan asked 0046 for assistance. After a quick glance, 0046 said, “No, the amount of blood doesn’t match.”
The arterial blood in her neck shouldn’t have resulted in this amount of blood.
Zong Yuan’s eyelids twitched. “Was she drained of blood? Or is this not the primary scene?”
He looked around; there were bloodstains scattered about.
Another man interjected, “If there’s a mermaid, could there be other monsters too?!”
Zong Yuan paused, pondering deeply. “It’s possible.”
In truth, he had already dismissed this thought deep down. The mermaid was his lover and he understood its character clearly; it would only protect him on its territory.
But he couldn’t completely rule out the possibility of another creature trying to invade its territory.
The atmosphere grew tense. The woman instinctively hid behind Zong Yuan, who seemed the most reassuring. “W-what should we do?!”
She felt as if she were being hunted! Who knew if she would be the next to die?!
Zong Yuan pressed his lips together. “We need to leave as soon as possible.”
They had only been on this island for less than three days, yet each of them looked as though they had aged ten years. No, this was absolutely unacceptable.
Putting aside the mission, even out of camaraderie in escaping together, Zong Yuan couldn’t bear to watch them die.
The suited man squatted down, despairing as he hugged his head. “How do we leave? We can’t!”
Zong Yuan looked at them, his gaze passing over their faces, conveying a convincing strength. “Trust me; right now, focus on keeping yourselves fed and hydrated. Don’t let yourselves collapse before we can get back.”
They felt reassured by Zong Yuan’s gaze and determination. “Then we’ll wait for your news!”
A man who could negotiate with a mermaid must be extraordinary.
Zong Yuan made an “okay” gesture, hoping to lighten the atmosphere, and then found a spot to bury the deceased woman with the others.
0046 was still searching for details. “Hey?”
Zong Yuan became alert. “What is it?”
The woman had a strangulation mark on her wrist. After thinking for a moment, 0046 replied, “It’s nothing.”
It could have been caused accidentally when the others rushed over.
The others didn’t understand why Zong Yuan was so adamant about wanting them to return, but he knew where his confidence lay; his only assurance came from his mermaid.
Couldn’t his mermaid get a boat for them?
Author’s Note:
The herbivores mentioned in the text regularly replenish their salt intake, but they are large herbivores! Like elephants and goats! The stone powder, even just inhaling it, is not good for the body and can affect kidney function! [doge emoji] If you’re going to survive in the wild, make sure to bring salt! [predicting when you’ll need to survive in the wild, haha]
There are a lot of bugs in this text! Don’t imitate Zong Yuan! He’ll eventually get himself killed!
