On the main ship, in the tea room next to the Marshal's office.
"... Say it again, how many trade points?!"
"Hush!" Duke quickly poked his head out from this side, sneakily looked through the small window on the door to check that the two people inside seemed not to have heard the exclamation just now. He breathed a sigh of relief with lingering fear.
Then he patted his own chest, "Don't let the Marshal hear that..."
Standing opposite Duke was a hunchbacked old man with white sideburns, a big red nose, and a thick pair of reading glasses perched on his nose. The eyes under the gray-white eyebrows were full of vitality that seemed incompatible with his age.
He was Chief Researcher Xu Yiming from the Imperial Research Institute.
Xu Yiming originally came to cooperate with the military for investigation work, but the mind of this old troublemaker was clearly not on work now.
He held his glasses with one hand and supported himself with a cane in the other, looking shocked, "Say it again, how many trade points did Linyuan spend on this long-distance voyage?"
When the Imperial Marshal brought back an extra person on a mission, this matter made everyone on the battleship curious. However, only Xu Yiming had the opportunity to get close to Duke to hear the firsthand gossip.
Duke peeked through the door again, then whispered, "Eight billion."
Xu Yiming, looking shocked, said, "Didn't you say Linyuan wasn't interested in the merpeople before?"
Hearing this, Duke couldn't help but think of the true appearance of the merperson he had just seen.
"Probably... the Marshal changed his mind?" Scratching his head, Duke said, "Professor Xu, this little merperson... Xiao Bai is different from other merpeople."
"Oh?" Xu Yiming pushed his glasses again, "How so?"
Duke peeked out again to make sure there was no one else nearby before whispering, "Xiao Bai is very intelligent, seems to have a high IQ. He remembered the usage of the disguise device after the Marshal demonstrated it to him only once. Although he is quite wary of humans, it seems like he's been trying to communicate with the Marshal."
"Xiao Bai told the Marshal his name."
"But he is indeed very strong." Recalling the miserable situation of the two space pirates, Duke's tone became more certain. "...Not to be underestimated."
Feeling the texture of his white beard, Professor Xu Yiming seemed thoughtful. "This is quite different from our existing records of the merpeople... Did Linyuan mention when he will send him to the research institute?"
Duke exclaimed, "The Marshal didn't mention that."
Xu Yiming asked, "Then try to find out when you have the chance?"
"Mainly, Xiao Bai is somewhat resistant to contact with humans, and he seems to have a certain fear of medical instruments." Duke paused and said, "The Marshal seems to have noticed this."
Understanding, Xu Yiming nodded, "Perhaps there was some unpleasant experience before... By the way, has Linyuan been taking his medicine regularly lately?"
Upon mentioning this, Duke frowned. "Yes, but the frequency of his recent episodes has been increasing, and the effective time of the sedative is getting shorter... Can you arrange another examination for the Marshal when we return this time?"
Marshal Fu Linyuan's mental state was deteriorating. Despite consistently taking the corresponding medication, it couldn't prevent the increasingly frequent mental disturbances.
Xu Yiming also frowned, seemingly wanting to say something but ultimately sighed. "Alright, I'll do it as soon as possible."
Unaware of the conversation happening next door in the tea room, Yu Bai was completely oblivious. Marshal Fu Linyuan seemed to have been busy since boarding the starship, and the little merman's attention was entirely focused outside the window.
With the increasing altitude, the blue colour in the sky deepened, resembling the depths of the ocean where he had lived alone for a long time. Eventually, it turned as dark as the stones at the bottom of the sea. However, in the pitch-black deep space, there were countless stars twinkling like luminescent fish in the water.
The decoration in the Marshal's office was simple. Apart from the large window in front of him, there was only a set of office furniture, and in front of the spacious desk, there was only a sofa for discussions.
When Yu Bai huddled on the sofa, his legs habitually curled to one side, he looked tiny, nestled in the corner, covered in a large coat. He appeared exceptionally well-behaved.
Fingers tapped on the soft sofa cushion, and when the fingertips touched the dark fabric, they looked even paler and more translucent.
Having finished dealing with the reports, Marshal Fu Linyuan, who had picked up the medicine box, stood for a few seconds at the door, watching him before walking over and sitting down.
Sensing the movement beside him, Yu Bai's attention returned from the window, looking up at the person next to him. The slender eyelashes fluttered like agile butterfly wings when his gaze lifted.
Fu Linyuan lowered his eyes, signaling him to bow his head. "It's time to change the dressing."
Yu Bai's gaze, following the words, landed on the open medicine box. Besides gauze and ointment, there were two syringes lying quietly inside.
At the sight of the syringes, there was a noticeable resistance in the ocean-blue eyes. However, he didn't resist outright, merely subtly shrinking further into the sofa.
As if staying like this could keep the syringes away.
Seeing that he seemed nervous, Fu Linyuan didn't pick up the syringe but started by removing the bandage from his neck.
His skin was very pale, allowing Fu Linyuan to see the blue veins beneath the translucent surface. His body temperature was also low, and even in places like his neck, occasional touches were cool.
Until the bandage was completely removed, and Fu Linyuan looked at the somewhat irregular wound, his gaze shifted slightly.
Xiao Bai's self-healing ability seemed to be much stronger than that of humans. The slight signs of inflammation that appeared during the emergency treatment in the room had completely disappeared.
Moreover, the wounds that were bleeding profusely just a few hours ago had already scabbed over completely, with some signs of peeling around the edges.
At this rate, Xiao Hai would be completely healed in less than a day.
The medicines he brought seemed to be of no use at all.
Paused for a moment, Fu Linyuan reached out and gently held Xiao Bai's calf, uncovering the bandage around his ankle.
As expected, the redness and swelling had almost completely subsided, with only a faint trace of red remaining at the joints.
Xiao Bai let him check the wound without resistance, but his eyes were fixed on the slightly larger syringe on the coffee table in front of him.
Since it was almost healed, injecting an anti-inflammatory agent again would be superfluous. Therefore, in the end, Fu Linyuan only replaced the bandage with a new one.
Then he picked up the larger syringe from the coffee table, and when the sharp tip was aimed at the vein in his elbow, Xiao Bai finally reacted.
Even if he was a bit scared, he quickly reached out, grabbing Fu Linyuan's wrist.
Fu Linyuan paused and looked up.
Seeing him looking at himself, Yu Bai quickly shook his head at him, indicating that this was not a good thing. Then, he frowned, put on a serious expression, and held the wrist of the other person, pushing the syringe away.
The things in these glass tubes would make him very uncomfortable once they entered his body.
It might hurt, itch, or even cause dizziness and nausea.
In any case, it was not something good.
The dislike and aversion in the ocean-blue eyes were too obvious, and Fu Linyuan seemed to understand Xiao Bai's meaning.
After a moment of contemplation, just as Xiao Bai hoped, he put down the syringe.
Then, he condensed a mental tentacle.
This time, the mental tentacle seemed to have a deeper colour than the one seen at the auction, and the struggling mental spikes that wanted to escape were more intense.
Xiao Bai was stunned again, then subconsciously looked at Fu Linyuan's mental subconscious.
The vast mental subconscious, almost endless, was approaching a dark state overall.
Inside the mental subconscious, turbulent waves surged, and wave after wave of massive forces seemed to be wildly rushing, as if trying to directly tear apart his consciousness.
Xiao Bai didn't quite understand.
How did Fu Linyuan's mental sea worsen again?
Seeing that Xiao Bai seemed to be in a daze, Fu Linyuan picked up the syringe again. This time, without any hesitation, the sharp metal needle pierced the skin, and the transparent medicine silently flowed into the bloodstream through the needle.
The effect of the medicine was significant; the restless spiritual power began to be noticeably controlled.
It was as if a violent storm had finally come to an end, and Xiao Bai saw the gradual calmness of the other's mental subconscious.
However, the colour did not return.
Whether it was his illusion or not, he always felt that after pulling out the syringe, the dark colour in the other's mental subconscious became heavier.
Unable to resist, Xiao Bai couldn't help but glance at the syringe again.
...Would it not hurt?
Seeing that he seemed not so afraid anymore, Fu Linyuan whispered, "Although there are side effects, this sedative is currently the fastest-acting one on the market."
Xiao Bai certainly didn't understand, but judging from the other's tone and expression, he guessed that Fu Linyuan was explaining the function of the transparent liquid in the syringe.
...Since it doesn't hurt, then it should be a good thing?
So, this kind of sharp thing could also make people feel better.
Thinking of this, the little merperson nodded half-understanding.
At this moment, the office door was knocked.
Xiao Bai turned his head, seeing a stranger in a dark green military uniform. "Report," the person saluted at the door, "Marshal, the afternoon tea is ready. Shall I bring it over now?"
Unbeknownst to them, they had been sailing for most of the day.
Probably in a little while, they would land. Besides, Fu Linyuan didn't have the habit of eating sweets originally.
But as he was about to say "no need," it changed to, "Bring two servings."
How could he be attracted to such a remote place just for barbecue?
It seemed like it had been a day since he last ate. Was he hungry?
The person at the door responded, saluted again, and then turned to leave.
Xiao Bai still didn't understand, so his attention was once again drawn to the scenery outside the window.
Unnoticed, many other starships had appeared around them, and there was an additional planet in the front.
While counting how many colours there were on that planet, Xiao Bai suddenly noticed, in the distant left front, a bright spot was rapidly expanding.
It was flying straight toward them.
As Xiao Bai realized that the light was coming from the burning tail of a circular object, an almost tangible fear enveloped him in an instant.
The intense emotions made his brain straighten up in that moment of contemplation.
Then, as if completely following instinct, he forcibly pressed the person next to him to the ground.
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