“I don’t know. We can only continue to take care of little Gale, there is nothing more to say about it. If they want to take him, then unless they can give a 100% reasonable explanation for him being abandoned on Gaia, we will not let them.” To simplify the problem, Xie Tao summarized what they needed to do and at the same time tried to reassure the surrounding people who were obviously a little anxious.
But how would they stop them? Although no one said anything, Zheng Zhou was a person who liked to prepare for the worst.
Their club’s mermaid cub had developed a rare variant ability and if the people of the Houdie family got word of that, they would surely try to take the cub back with all their might…
Even though they each had some concerns, they all still agreed with Xie Tao’s words and temporarily ended the subject.
Apart from the president who was not as involved with the club’s matters these days, Zarad was the last person in the club to know about it. It was only when Xie Tao approached him the next day that he got to hear about it.
Although he had a lot of experience and knowledge, Zarad was not familiar with that Houdie family’s mark. After the youth informed him of the situation, he couldn’t help but move his eyes to the forehead on the mermaid cub swimming nearby in the pool.
“Paa~”
Not aware of what had happened, the mermaid cub, with both of his hands clinging to the edge of the pool, gently swayed his blue tail and gazed up at the human youth standing to the left. His happy mood could be heard through the sound he made.
While together with the youth, he would be selectively ignored by the mermaid cub, Zarad could only silently accept this.
After getting an overview of the matter, Zarad was 90% certain that the mermaid cub had been deliberately abandoned by that family.
He couldn’t be completely sure until he got more information, hence the missing ten percent. But, to be honest, Zarad felt that it was very likely.
The mermaid race was known for their captivating and intoxicating, utterly beautiful voice, which was used as a medium for their abilities. A mute mermaid, who could not sing, was destined to be despised by the mermaid race.
It would be very disgraceful for a family to have a cub who could not speak. This was especially true for a big family like the Houdie, as it was not just the cub’s parents, but the whole family who would be criticized for it.
Together with the fact that they did not take action after losing the cub and that the cub was found on Gaia, which was far away from their planet, it all gave Zarad enough reason to trust his judgment.
“We should prepare in advance, don’t you think?” Having worked together for some time now, Xie Tao felt that the person next to him was quite knowledgeable. He therefore wanted to ask the other for advice this time.
The only thing they could do right now was to gather evidence to prove that the cub had been abandoned. Zarad knew this and he did not believe that there was nothing to be done about the situation. But there was another way to look at.
“Actually, if the Houdie family were to take the cub back, he would not be treated badly. Even if it is just for outsiders to see, the fact remains that the cub would live a good life.” Unless those other people were shameless, Zarad’s way of thinking was quite accurate.
“Furthermore, the cub has developed an ice ability, that alone is enough assurance that he won’t be mistreated when brought back to his family.” Zarad was speaking objectively, he was now looking at the matter from a purely beneficial perspective. “There are very few people with variant abilities, having one shows a very high innate skill. If the cub is brought back, he might very well become the future master of the Houdie family.”
This was not a joke. Zarad was extremely serious, especially when he said the last sentence.
Due to the rarity of variant abilities, there was not one family out there that did not want their cub to have one and neither was there a family who wouldn’t pounce on the chance to obtain one, should the opportunity be presented. Even if the Houdie did not take action at first, once the news of little Gales ice ability spread, there was no doubt that they would come knocking.
In his heart, Zarad did of course not want to let the Houdie take the cub back.
But if he considered the benefits the cub would get, Zarad did not know what to think. Maybe the little mermaid would prefer to be the Houdie family’s master in the future?
The Houdie family’s name held a lot of weight in the mermaid race. For the mermaid cub in front of him, the golden mark on his forehead was equivalent to having a golden crown on his head.
Zarad explained this alternative way of looking at it to Xie Tao, while standing in front of the cub. When he said these words, he thought that the mermaid cub could not understand, but he was wrong.
Just as he was considering what would be best for the cub and what he would want, a weak sound rang out, and then, in the next moment, the mermaid cub’s response completely dispelled any doubts they had about keeping him in the club.
“Pah… Pa, Papa-Papa!” The mermaid cub hastily reached out and tightly grabbed onto the trouser leg of the human youth standing by the pool. As if afraid that the youth would not want him anymore, the cub called out to him with great effort, trying to make louder and louder sounds, one after another.
From a whisper to weak syllables, to then truly coherent and clear words.
Like a flower bud stubbornly growing from cracks in the pavement, a beautiful flower eventually blossomed.
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Translator’s note:
Oh, bl-god. This was so touching. Our little Gale~
On another note, I made the font size a little smaller, what do you guys think? Better or worse? I want to make your reading experience the best I can. ^^
Also, many thanks to the mysterious spirit for the coffee. ????
Editor’s note: This brought tears to my eyes (>﹏<)(>﹏<)(>﹏<)