The sparkling and translucent pendant put on by the youth gently rested against the mermaid cub's skin. Its cool touch made the cub nestled in Xie Tao's embrace like it very much.
The feeling was like touching the sea and the mermaid race had a natural love for water.
Xie Tao stood in front of the two graves for a while. Because of what he had just said, the mermaid cub he was holding was now looking at the two pictures embedded on the gravestones in front of him.
The stones couldn't speak or move, there were only silent photographs embedded on them.
Looking at those photographs, the mermaid cub nestled in Xie Tao's arms instinctively hugged and snuggled into the youth's embrace.
Although he did not know what those standing stones were, the little mermaid instinctively wanted to express his dependence on the youth who held him and at the same time seek security from him.
"Gale, be good."
In response to the cub's dependence, Xie Tao hugged the little mermaid closer.
To Xie Tao's surprise, he saw the Knox lower his head a bit. He did not know if it was intentional or not, but the small horn on the left got closer to the mermaid cub's hand.
Xie Tao watched as the mermaid cub nestled in his arms reached out and grabbed the Knox's horn. After the cub had successfully grasped it, Xie Tao touched the cub's head again and soon the cub's tail fin was back to gently swaying back and forth.
As he was coaxing the cub, Xie Tao glanced over at the Knox whose horn was being gripped by the cub. He was actually quite amazed. The Knox had let the little mermaid grab his horn. To some extent, it could also be considered as coaxing the cub....
All the planned trips on Hailumite had been completed and the starship tickets had been booked. That evening Xie Tao boarded the ship together with the cubs.
Several days later, they arrived at Gaia. The first thing Xie Tao did when he returned to Yunbao Branch was to take out the small bottle he had filled with holy spring water and sit down on the carpet-covered floor in the living room.
The cubs who had just received basic combat training from Zarad were now sitting in rows around Xie Tao. He had temporarily stopped several cubs from trying to climb onto him and gently asked them with a warm voice to be good and sit down first.
The water in the transparent bottle was sea-blue. Xie Tao began from the left and one by one smeared the holy water on the cubs' fluffy foreheads.
Not all foreheads were fluffy, such as the Moye cub. When Xie Tao reached out his finger towards him, the cub hummed and shook his pointy tail behind him.
While Xie Tao marked the other cubs heads, the huge Muka cub waited a bit away, at the very edge of the group. When it was his turn, because of the cub's height and position, Xie Tao stood up.
Vertical scarlet pupils stared at the close by youth. The Muka cub had a dreadful appearance which could easily be frightening. If it was a normal person, they would most likely not dare to move when faced with those fierce and cold eyes.
Although he was still just a barley one year old cub, this Muka cub was much taller than the average adult humanoid and his huge body made this scary Muka cub seem even more aggressive.
However, Xie Tao calmly stood in front of the Muka cub, raised his hand and patted the cub's sharp forearm. He then extended a forefinger wetted with holy water towards the cub.
The vertical scarlet pupils originally focused on the youth's face, turned to the youth's outstretched finger. The Muka cub seemed to be thinking for several seconds, then he at last lowered his head. The cold and hard head gently touched the youth's fingertip that had been dipped in the holy water.
"Nick is really smart."
Xie Tao praised him with a warm voice as he let his finger slide down along the cub's lowered forehead.
To praise a Muka cub with the word "smart", for caretakers in other nursing clubs this was probably something that had never even crossed their minds.
In the whole galaxy, there were very few clubs that accepted Muka cubs. Mukas were a relatively unintelligent race, this fact could be regarded as common knowledge in the interstellar.
However, in Xie Tao's eyes, the cub had done the right thing and deserved this kind of praise.
Like a good baby, he had lowered his head for the youth. Once the youth was done, the Muka cub issued a low sound and snuggled his head into the youth's arms.
Xie Tao responded by gently hugging the large cub. Ever since the first time, when he had been snuggled to the ground, the Muka had worked hard to learn how to control his strength.
When the cub stopped snuggling him, Xie Tao patted the forearm of the Muka cub again and said, "Come on baby, ahhh..." Having been taught what to do, the Muka cub obediently opened his mouth when he heard the youth's words.
Muka cubs apparently lost their milk teeth when they were about one year old. Many of the other races' cubs were still teething at this age, but unlike them, Muka cubs already had to get their second set of teeth.
Xie Tao took a closer look at the fang he had suspected was about to fall off. Having confirmed that it could fall off by itself, Xie Tao nodded to the Muka cub.
Seeing the youth nod, the dangerous creature with the dreadful appearance closed his mouth and motionless stared at the youth silently.
This was actually a docile gesture. The Muka cub had completely dropped his sharp forearms, indicating that the cub was very submissive to the youth in front of him.
Mukas were a natural fighting race and their bodies had evolved to adapt to combat.
The race's appearance had its roots in a very distant era, but it was first after a long time that it had evolved into what it was today.
Getting their second set of teeth was a sign that a Muka cub had become a qualified hunter. In this race, because living resources were precious, even cubs needed to improve their fighting ability as soon as possible.
"When the other tooth starts to fall off too, come to me so that I can have a look."
Xie Tao met the two scarlet eyes and said this sentence slowly.
He had drawn this cub in the other world. When he drew the Muka cub, Xie Tao had made him into a chibi, the cub had become very adorable in the picture.
The cub's actual appearance looked quite dangerous, but Xie Tao knew that this Muka cub was actually very obedience and, just like the other cubs, was a good baby.
After Xie Tao finished speaking, the muka cub in front of him soon issued a sound again, obediently responding.
The muka cub would have higher fighting capabilities after he got new teeth and his instincts let this muka cub know this.
He wanted to quickly change teeth.
The desire to improve his fighting ability and in the future acquire more survival resources was innate.
In this way, when he grew up, he would be able to get a lot of resources for the youth and it would not matter that the youth could not fight.
This was the thinking of the muka cub. Although Xie Tao did not lack the resources needed to live on, if he knew what the cub was thinking, surely the only thing he would feel was his heart softening.
The next half-month at Yunbao Branch passed smoothly. In this half-month, Xie Tao fulfilled his previous promise to the two feathery fluffballs and unexpectedly acquired a new source of funds in the process.
Earlier on Orte, when the father of the Kuhti cub had carried the cub and flown in the sky, Xie Tao had made a promised to the two other fluffballs in his arms.
He had asked the two cubs if they wanted to fly with him later and the two little fluffballs had chirped and chirped at him several times.
Xie Tao did not say this only to abandon it at the back of his head the next second. After returning to Yunbao Branch from Orte, Xie Tao went onto the starnet in order to find a way to let an ordinary human fly in the sky together with the cubs.
Among the methods he found, the most reliable one was to buy a micro machine armor.
Unlike the conventional machine armor model, which had a huge size, the size of the micro machine armor depended on the individual's figure. It was basically equivalent to adding an extra layer around the body.
Machine armor itself cost a lot to make. Although the price of micro machine armor was not as high as that of the conventional machine armor, as personal equipment that had to be customized, its price could not be especially low either.
At least 2 million were needed. To get these funds, Xie Tao finally put his eyes on the auction house.
After Xie Tao sold that flower at the auction house, they got enough start-up funds to begin the development of Yunbao Branch. The living conditions of the cubs improved and the club could operate normally. Xie Tao did not go back to the auction house again.
It goes without saying that the rarer something is, the greater its value. For him to sell more plants of this kind was not only unrealistic but may also attract unnecessary trouble.
To avoid that outcome, this time Xie Tao selected two different types of auctions. By bringing the required auction items from his original world and auctioning off, not just one, but several less valuable things, he managed scraped together enough money to buy the micro machine amor.
"Tiuh! Tiuh, Tiuh— " Being held in the arms of the youth as they walked over to the courtyard, the round fluffballs fluttered their small wings in excitement. The two pairs of black eyes were bright.
The cubs called out repeatedly with a crisp voice and snuggled against Xie Tao's chest several times.
Xie Tao touched the soft back feathers of the two fluffy little cubs. Turning around, the little fluffballs rubbed their small pointy beaks against his outstretched fingers. Xie Tao responded by briefly stroking the small beaks of the two cubs with his fingertips.
Xia Qi and Lin Yi, who had come to watch, stood not far away. Xie Tao pressed a button and the custom made micro machine armor quickly assembled, covering his body.
He picked up the two cubs he had put down on the grass. Holding them firmly, Xie Tao took control of the armor and flew up into the clouds.
"Tiuh, Tiuh!" Flying in the sky with the youth, the two little balls of fluff chirped happily and continuously fluttered their small wings. Ever since Xie Tao took off they had been chirping nonstop.
Xie Tao flew with the two cubs in a circle across the sky. After landing, he was snuggled by the two cubs with glittering eyes.
He stroked their backs and hugged them. Xie Tao then bowed his head and kissed the fluffy foreheads of the two little fluffballs.
Shortly after Xie Tao had taken the two little cubs flying, Yunbao Branch welcomed its first adopters.
It was a Kuwei couple, and it just so happened that they were interested in adopting the two cubs together.
"Tiuh-Tiuh?" In the process of letting the cubs bond with the couple, the two fluffy cubs were carefully being held by the Kuwei woman. They looked back and forth at the two people who were looking at them tenderly.
They need a mother and father?
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Translator's note:
It might just be my dirty mind, but no matter how I tried, I could not make this sentence feel more decent, "Come on baby, ahhh..." （；￣ェ￣）
Cough, cough...
On another note, here is a beautiful drawing of Gale made by Electsky: