Chapter 264: Mermaid Baby Su Su

"Once bound, the connection cannot be broken. No matter the distance, you will be able to sense when the other person is in danger."

"The power of the Glacier will manifest on the person you are bound to."

"A Sixth Rank Glacier Talent can block the vast majority of attacks in this world. And as the Talent Ability User’s spiritual power increases, the Soul Resonance will grow stronger as well."

Yusen gazed at the jujube in his hand and said, enunciating each word, "Once I reach the Sixth Rank, I can... bind myself to you."

"Me?" Yu Zhizhi froze.

She had only eaten half of the jujube. Yusen had explained it so clearly that she now basically understood the Glacier Talent and the Sixth Rank that Sensen was striving for.

’I can’t believe Sensen wants to bind himself to me.’

Yusen had never craved power so intensely before.

That was the night he had suddenly realized—

—that the only thing more terrifying than being separated from her was her death.

「Outside the door.」

Buli and the Black-clothed Steward exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock mirrored in the other’s eyes.

This was the first they had ever heard of the ability that came with a Sixth Rank Glacier Talent. ’Soul Resonance? It sounds like a way to protect the bound person at all times, no matter what.’

But for him to say such a thing was just... too much.

That was the Glacier Talent the Deep Sea Empire coveted above all else.

Once cultivated to its apex, the power it granted would be enough to see the Deep Sea through the most difficult periods it might face in the future.

It was a supreme talent capable of protecting the entire Empire.

And yet, the Mermaid Youth who wielded this power wanted to protect...

...was just a single person.

A female from the Rabbit Clan.

The Black-clothed Steward seemed to recall something. A faint smile touched his somewhat world-weary face, and his eyes glistened with unshed tears.

’This is the love of a Mermaid.’

’Pure, passionate, and everlasting.’

Now that Yusen had made his decision, he was no longer adrift. He lifted his gaze to the little rabbit sitting beside him. She was the love of his life, and he would spend every day from now on fighting for her.

’I have to protect her.’

’Not just her heart.’

’I must protect her life as well.’

"Do you want to... see our baby?" Yusen asked softly.

’A Mermaid Baby?’

Yu Zhizhi swallowed the mouthful of jujube and nodded eagerly.

Yusen pulled up the communication link to the Undersea Palace.

A few days prior, he had already ordered someone to go to the Glacier and bring their little baby back to the palace for a few days, precisely so his little rabbit could see it.

’...This is our baby.’

’The one with our blood flowing through its veins.’

’To the Mermaid Clan, a child is the very embodiment of love.’

Of course, Yu Zhizhi was desperate to see their baby. She watched as the holographic screen established a video connection. A few seconds later, the image came through.

The Undersea Palace appeared on the screen.

Bubbles drifted clearly into view. Inside the brightly lit palace, a small, light-blue whale lay on a snow-white clamshell bed, blowing bubbles.

Hmm? Yu Zhizhi tilted her head slightly. ’This isn’t what I imagined at all.’

Sensing her confusion, Yusen explained, "Newborns of the Mermaid Clan resemble whales. It isn’t until they are three years old that they slowly transition into their Mermaid Beast Form and develop a human upper body. Only then will we know their gender."

Until then, the young of the Mermaid Clan are without gender.

"Does it have a name?" Yu Zhizhi asked curiously.

Yusen replied, "Yes. Its name is Sui Sui."

"Sui Sui?"

’That sounds a little odd.’

The Black-clothed Steward couldn’t help but clear his throat. For a noble heir of the Mermaid Clan, the name was certainly... casual.

At the time, Prince You Sen had just returned from Moonrise and hadn’t spoken a single word for an entire month. Everyone thought he had gone mute...

When the Mermaid Baby hatched from its shell, the entire Deep Sea Empire celebrated—

—but the newly hatched baby mermaid swept its tail and knocked over the Glazed Cup containing the Blessing Holy Water.

CRASH! It shattered.

So, when a Mermaid Clan elder asked to record the name, His Highness uttered those two words.

—Did he mean to name it "Shatter"?

—Or was it "Sui Sui"?

The elder tasked with recording the name hesitated for a moment before writing down the words "Sui Sui." Prince You Sen glanced at it without a word, and so the little Mermaid Baby’s name was set.

Yu Zhizhi, however, seemed to love the name.

She called out softly, "Sui Sui~"

The little, light-blue whale in the video suddenly looked up. Just like its father, it had round, sparkling, ice-blue eyes. It wagged its tail and swam closer, curiously observing the figures on the screen—

’After a moment of careful inspection, it decided the male must be Father.’

’It’s been so long, I can barely remember him!’

It let out a soft cry.

And as for the other one—

The little Mermaid Baby stared for a long time. Its gaze fell upon the pair of snow-white rabbit ears, and its eyes suddenly lit up. "CHIRP!"

It knew its mother was a female from the Rabbit Clan.

Even though it had never met her.

And no one in the Undersea Palace ever mentioned anything about its mother.

But it just knew.

It just knew!

The little whale became incredibly cheerful and active. It wagged its tail, swimming back and forth in front of the screen, and accidentally bumped into a nearby lamp. There was a loud BANG as the sturdy fixture was struck, but the little Mermaid Baby only swam more joyfully, completely unfazed.

Yu Zhizhi watched it, stunned.

"CHIRP~ CHIRP CHIRP~"

The little Mermaid Baby, not yet able to speak, made soft, sweet-sounding cries. It zoomed around the room in its excitement, breaking many things in the process.

Servants scrambled to clean up the mess.

The little culprit, however, was still busy being cute. It turned to show its white belly to the screen and did a gentle roll, glancing up after each flip to catch a glimpse of the mother it missed so dearly.

Its antics made Yu Zhizhi laugh.

Hearing his little rabbit’s laugh, Yusen looked over, and a faint smile formed on his lips as well.

’I’d love to have...’

’...three more.’

’We could name them Ann, Dawn, and Eve.’

’To be with her, year after year, from dawn till dusk.’

The little Mermaid Baby was overjoyed to finally see its mother, so much so that it even ate several extra bowls of food.

The video call lasted for three hours.

Yu Zhizhi noticed that the little Mermaid Baby seemed to have boundless energy. It wolfed down its food, finishing its bowl in a flash, and seemed the very picture of health.

Buli watched the harmonious "family of three" in the hospital room. The Black-clothed Steward was already dabbing his eyes with a handkerchief, but Buli felt a bitter pang in his heart. He thought of his own lord, who was still all alone. After finally finding a female he liked, she instead... He sighed. ’It seems that matters of fate are truly unpredictable,’ he thought.

Buli’s thoughts suddenly drifted to Mimi. They had known each other since they were little, and their families were so close that they were just one step short of being betrothed as children.

It wasn’t that he disliked Mimi.

It was just that he didn’t know if he would even come back alive from the battlefield after the truce ended.

Both the Valoran Empire and the Moon Rising Empire possessed immense military strength, and they were allies. The soldiers of the Deep Sea fought for their Empire, but no one could guarantee they would survive to the end.

Buli quickly composed himself.

First, he had to report the situation here to Lord Shen He.

It was likely that even Lord Shen He was unaware of the existence of Soul Resonance.

「Night fell.」

The treatment facility grew exceptionally quiet.

Yu Zhizhi lay on the other side of the large hospital bed, watching the profile of Yusen’s sleeping face as drowsiness slowly crept over her.

A single strand of spider silk descended silently.