Chapter 138 – Love in a Fallen City: You Are My Eternal, Unfading Starlight – Mermaids Don’t Handle Scares Well (02)
“Mr. Eddie, could you please check this for me? I want this mermaid,” Turs said without even turning his head, fully focused on supporting the little mermaid.
“Y-yes, of course.” Eddie glanced at the security camera above. It should be fine to leave Admiral Walker alone with the mermaid for now.
Each mermaid has their own private and public activity areas, set up to ensure their healthy development. Mermaids are extremely delicate creatures and must be cared for with great attention.
At this moment, Bai Tang was in his private activity area. Turs had been “playing” with Bai Tang for a while now, asking him about his life and learning many of the little mermaid’s interests. Just then, Mr. Eddie returned.
“Admiral Walker,” Eddie said, holding Bai Tang’s physical data records. “Bai Tang won’t be officially of age until the day after tomorrow. According to the rules, if you choose him, the earliest you can take him home is then.”
Turs paused. He understood it was a regulation of the mermaid facility and couldn’t be changed. “Bai Tang is the one I want. Cancel any other appointments with potential selectors.”
“Of course. Please come this way to register,” Eddie responded respectfully.
Mermaids can only be selected after reaching adulthood. Since Bai Tang was not yet of age, technically, no outsiders were allowed into the minor mermaids’ area.
In the original plot, the male lead had come to select a mermaid on Bai Tang’s birthday, which was why Bai Tang had been lucky enough to be chosen—even though the male lead had only picked randomly.
After registering the information with Eddie, Turs returned to the pool. The little mermaid was still holding the pose he’d left him in, eyes wide with anticipation. When he saw Turs come back, his eyes lit up brilliantly.
“Turs, ah…”
Bai Tang tried to come ashore but forgot that his legs had turned into a fishtail. The slippery tail twisted on the tile and—plop—he slipped and fell back into the water.
The little mermaid flailed in the pool, and once again, Turs jumped in to fish him out.
“Wuuu~ I want to go ashore… I want to go ashore…” Bai Tang clung tightly to Turs’ neck, whimpering.
From Turs’ perspective, he could see Bai Tang’s pale collarbones, with beads of water rolling down his skin and into his clothes. Turs felt parched; the skin under his hands was so soft and smooth it made his mind wander.
Following Eddie’s guidance, Turs carried Bai Tang back to the mermaid’s bedroom and gently placed him on a specially designed waterbed.
Young or newly matured mermaids cannot stay out of the water for long; otherwise, they risk dying from dehydration. Even their beds are specially designed—half is a soft cushion, while the area for the tail mimics the gentle waves of a shoreline, allowing the water to occasionally moisten the fishtail.
Once mermaids reach adulthood, their tails can temporarily transform into legs. Over time, they can gradually stay in leg form longer.
“Can you take me home, please?”
The little mermaid clutched the admiral’s sleeve, pleading with a pitiful look in his eyes.
Turs did want to take the little mermaid home right away, but Bai Tang was still underage. Staying at the mermaid facility was the best way to ensure he received proper care.
Besides, Turs hadn’t even considered adopting a mermaid before—his home had absolutely nothing prepared for one. The little mermaid was so delicate and fragile; how could he possibly live in a cold, unwelcoming environment?
With that in mind, and since he had some free time tomorrow, Turs decided he could use the day to set things up at home before bringing the little mermaid back.
“Tang Tang, be good. I’ll come get you the day after tomorrow. Just stay here one more day…” the admiral coaxed patiently. But with his infamously cold and intimidating demeanor, Mr. Eddie couldn’t help but think the admiral was terrifying the poor little mermaid.
This wouldn’t do at all—mermaids were sensitive and easily frightened, especially the underage ones, who had barely had any contact with outsiders. Wouldn’t he scare the boy into tears?
“Admiral, perhaps I should talk to the little mermaid instead—”
Before Eddie could finish his sentence, he was silenced by what he saw next.
Was he hallucinating? Why did it look like the little mermaid was nuzzling the admiral’s hand with his soft, delicate cheek?
Heaven knew how many mermaids they’d passed earlier that morning who were scared to tears just by the admiral’s presence. But this little mermaid wasn’t scared at all. Was every mermaid the admiral took a liking to this… unusual?
“Then you have to come early~” The little mermaid clung to the admiral’s hand, unwilling to let go.
“I will. I promise I’ll come get Tangtang early and take you home.”
He leaned down, about to make contact with the mermaid’s skin—when Mr. Eddie stepped in just in time to stop him.
“Admiral Walker, mermaids must not engage in intense physical contact before reaching maturity. It can trigger premature development and shorten their lifespan.”
“My apologies. I wasn’t thinking.” Turs gently patted the confused little mermaid.
No matter how reluctant he was to leave, visiting hours at the mermaid facility were over. After bidding Bai Tang farewell, Turs had no choice but to follow Eddie out of the mermaid’s rest area.
“Admiral Walker, we look forward to your return the day after tomorrow,” Mr. Eddie said with a professional smile as he saw Turs Walker off.
He turned and went back into the mermaid facility. As he passed through the minors’ public activity area, he noticed a mermaid with a pale green tail floating at the surface of the water—something felt very wrong.
A mermaid was entering adulthood and had developed a fever.
Le Mengqi felt like she was burning up from the inside, her whole body weak and limp. Her head throbbed like it was about to split open. A flood of memories surged into her mind.
This was the future—an interstellar world where the average human lifespan was 300 years. Mermaids had become the primary means of reproduction. And mermaids were only considered adults at the age of thirty. Right now, she was experiencing the fever that marked the onset of adulthood.
A jumble of memories settled into Le Mengqi’s mind. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in a soft blue room. Several people were standing nearby, including the familiar Mr. Eddie, who cared for the mermaids, and the facility’s medical staff.
“Get some rest. It’s nothing serious—just soak in water more often. Be careful not to catch a chill during this period,” the doctor said as he packed away a set of instruments.
Le Mengqi was then moved from the light therapy bed to a waterbed.
Mr. Eddie, as always, was gentle. He helped the medical team push her back to her room, reminding her, “Mengqi, make sure to rest well. If you feel unwell, you must let me know.”
Seeing her nod, Eddie and the medical staff left, giving the mermaid some privacy.
Perhaps because the original host had been a girl, the room was decorated in shades of pink and lavender—perfectly suited to a sweet and romantic personality. But Le Mengqi didn’t like it at all. She felt like everyone in the facility treated mermaids like simple-minded children. Calling them the “main force of reproduction” was just a pretty way of saying they were to be used as breeding tools.
In this world, mermaids had virtually no freedom. Everything they did had to be monitored by their so-called “guardians”—their designated partners. Social interactions required permission, random eating was forbidden, going out alone was prohibited, and having a job was out of the question. What a waste of a mermaid’s beautiful voice.
From the perspective of Le Mengqi, who had transmigrated into this world, it seemed that humans were controlling the fate of mermaids. But what she didn’t consider was that mermaids were incredibly delicate creatures who needed careful care. If their guardians didn’t properly “supervise” them, these naturally curious mermaids—always eager to explore everything—would quickly end up dead.
Driven by the harsh realities of their environment, mermaids had no choice but to accept human protection. Even after being selected by a guardian, during the adjustment period, if a mermaid found they disliked their guardian, they could apply to return to the mermaid facility.
Suddenly, Le Mengqi remembered that her earlier fever was a sign of reaching adulthood. In other words, she would soon be eligible to be selected by a human.
No—she couldn’t just sit around and wait for that to happen. Other mermaids might submit quietly, but she refused to live under constant restriction.
However, her body was too weak at the moment. It would take another day before her tail could transform into legs. She needed to carefully plan her “escape.”
Meanwhile, Turs had returned home and was undertaking a major “overhaul” of his residence—not only clearing out the general commercial items he deemed too generic and uncomfortable, but also hiring specialists to custom-make supplies specifically for a mermaid.
On another front, the system had entered the interstellar network as soon as it arrived in this world and was now busy teaching Bai Tang about the basic knowledge of this society.
Unlike Le Mengqi, who only inherited some scattered second-hand knowledge passed down from adult mermaids and saw things in a limited way, the system provided Bai Tang with a comprehensive and multi-perspective explanation of the world.
“In short, while this world isn’t dangerous, mermaids are extremely fragile—so Tang Tang, you must be careful!” the system warned earnestly.
“But… do I have to stay in the water forever?” Right now, Bai Tang only had his tail soaking in the water, which was bearable. But the thought of never being able to leave it for a lifetime felt worse than death.
“Of course not. Once a mermaid matures, their bodily functions will fully develop, and they’ll be able to transform their tail into legs for extended periods.”
That was at least some good news. Bai Tang let out a sigh of relief.
While the system continued its lesson with Bai Tang, time quietly passed. Before they knew it, a day and two nights had gone by.
Today, the weather was beautiful—a sunny, breezy day, perfect for a date.
Turs Walker dressed in his most dashing outfit, styling his hair meticulously—determined to make a striking impression on the little mermaid.
He could already picture it: the way Bai Tang’s eyes would light up, his smile curving adorably as two dimples appeared on his round, chubby cheeks, arms stretched out, asking for a hug.
Just imagining that scene was enough to make his blood boil with excitement.
Meanwhile, on Bai Tang’s side, his adulthood was officially declared. Just before dawn, while he was still asleep, his body began to heat up involuntarily.
Prepared in advance, Mr. Eddie calmly brought a doctor to examine Bai Tang. Everything was normal, and after a little over two hours, the heat in his tail gradually subsided—leaving behind a limp, utterly exhausted, yet breathtakingly handsome merman.
Bai Tang lay idly by the edge of the pool in the public activity area, waiting for Turs.
Originally, because Bai Tang had already been privately selected by the admiral, he wasn’t supposed to wait in the public area like the others. But Mr. Eddie felt that it would be too lonely for Bai Tang to leave the mermaid base without ever interacting with other mermaids—he wouldn’t have a single familiar companion or close friend in the future. So, Eddie made a special exception and placed Bai Tang in the communal area.
The other mermaids were buzzing with excitement, chatting about what kind of guardian they might meet today. Bai Tang had no interest in their conversation. No matter what kind of guardian they get, none can compare to my Turs.
Among the mermaids in the activity area today was the female lead, Le Mengqi.
She knew today was the day adult mermaids were chosen by guardians and was racking her brain for a way to avoid being picked.
Unwilling to come to the activity area, Le Mengqi had dawdled in her room for quite a while before finally getting onto the mermaid cart and being wheeled out by Mr. Eddie.
In high spirits, Turs arrived at the mermaid base and followed the staff into the activity area. The moment the mermaids saw the first guardian arrive—tall and handsome—he immediately drew the attention of many, their gazes filled with either curiosity or admiration.
Turs frowned slightly, displeased that the base had placed Bai Tang in the crowded public area.
The little mermaid is so delicate and small—what if one of the other mermaids accidentally bumps into him?
Just imagining Bai Tang tearfully curling up in the pool, clinging to him for comfort, made Turs ache with worry.
Author’s Note:
The three-person face-off is about to begin—are you ready?