Chapter 130: They’re Called Yuanxiao
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
A fleeting thought suddenly crossed Lin Xu’s mind. He furrowed his brow slightly and pondered for a moment, catching onto this subtle clue. “When you were on Sand Star… did you ask the same question?” he asked. “You told me to collect pheromones, but I said I didn’t have any.”
Heinrich nodded. “It’s the same honey-sweet scent. Only I can smell it.”
At the time, Lin Xu had been somewhat confused. He didn’t quite understand what Heinrich meant and even felt that the phrase “only I can smell it” carried a strange teasing undertone. The situation on Sand Star had been urgent, so Lin Xu hadn’t pursued the matter further. Instead, he turned on the ventilation system so the so-called “scent” wouldn’t bother Heinrich.
But since Heinrich had originally thought the scent was pheromones, and even reacted the first time they met—when Lin Xu wasn’t emotionally stirred—Heinrich could still smell that sweetness. Wouldn’t that scent be a tremendous test of Heinrich’s self-control? That subtle thought flashed briefly through Lin Xu’s mind.
“When we first met, I was in the rejection phase of the gene transplant. Later, during the S105 jump, my spacetime abilities were affected by the distortion of space and time,” Lin Xu said, gathering his scattered thoughts and speaking seriously as he analyzed the situation with Heinrich. “The honey scent might be connected to your abilities?”
“Possibly,” Lin Xu said. “I’ll activate my powers now. See if you can still smell the honey.”
As he spoke, a flame appeared in the palm of Lin Xu’s hand. The fire crackled and popped as it burned underwater, the waves rippling outward under the heat. A faint honeyed sweetness floated along the water toward Heinrich’s nose. The next moment, Heinrich leaned closer to the side of Lin Xu’s neck. The pulsing blood beneath the skin intensified the sweet scent.
“There is… you’re so sweet,” Heinrich murmured.
The tiny flame in Lin Xu’s hand suddenly flared into a large torch. The orange-red firelight danced on his slightly flushed cheeks. He turned his head slightly, his lips nearly brushing Heinrich’s ear. “Actually, you don’t just smell like vetiver pheromones.” Heat surged along the water’s current.
“Your… taste is like white chocolate,” Lin Xu said softly. “I really like it.”
The person who had just been boldly rubbing against Lin Xu’s shoulder stiffened at Lin Xu’s words. Lin Xu curved his eyes with a smile and continued, “So from now on, don’t leave it all over the place. Give it all to me, okay?”
Even Heinrich’s dragon tail stiffened, coiling tightly around Lin Xu’s waist. His breathing nearly stopped as he dared not move an inch. Lin Xu reached out and cupped Heinrich’s cheek, locking his gaze with him. Heinrich’s golden eyes, tense enough to turn into vertical slits, furrowed slightly. His lips pressed into a straight line, his expression cold and deep, but the tips of his ears burned red enough to bleed.
He looked at Lin Xu’s rare smile and wanted to look a little longer, but worried Lin Xu would tease him more. He tried to turn away to avoid it. Lin Xu tightened his grip, refusing to let him go. Smiling, he gently patted Heinrich’s cheek. “Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. I suspect these two scents come from energy leaking out of our bodies, which is why we can smell each other. White chocolate even helps me regain some spirit. Don’t waste it next time.”
Before Lin Xu finished speaking, Heinrich grasped both of Lin Xu’s wrists firmly in his large palms. The rough calluses rubbed against Lin Xu’s distinct knuckles. The dragon tail tightened even more, and with his other hand, Heinrich straightened Lin Xu’s curled fish tail, then slowly pressed his whole body down onto Lin Xu. Heinrich could restore some of Lin Xu’s energy right now.
Lin Xu, who had been smiling, suddenly panicked. “Heinrich, stop! Don’t do this!” Heinrich ignored him.
“You’re going to crush our egg!”
Lin Xu’s shout startled Heinrich awake. He immediately pulled Lin Xu into his arms, holding him tightly, and glanced at the large white egg that had been neglected for quite a while beside them. The large white egg lay alone in the nest, cold and hard. Half a day had passed since their birth, yet they hadn’t received any care from their two new fathers.
Lin Xu sat up in Heinrich’s arms, turned around, and reached out to pick up the egg. They were about the size of a human head, but Lin Xu weighed them and thought they were heavier than a head. He picked up a few strands of seaweed and wiped off the sticky residue on the eggshell’s surface. The shell was delicate and smooth, with the texture and sheen of fine porcelain.
Then Lin Xu held the egg to his ear, listening quietly. Even through the thin shell, the heartbeat of the small life inside was clearer and stronger than the sounds Lin Xu had heard through a stethoscope. After listening, Lin Xu handed the egg to Heinrich to listen as well. The two new dads sat quietly for a long time, listening to their child’s heartbeat.
Besides the light gauze and seaweed, the nest was filled with many colorful sea crystals. While Heinrich listened to the egg, Lin Xu picked up a few smaller sea crystals. According to Shen Yuan, mermaid eggs didn’t need to be incubated; they could absorb energy from the seawater to grow on their own. The sea crystals also contained energy, but at a higher concentration than seawater.
Lin Xu took the egg from Heinrich and suggested, “I want to give them some sea crystal energy. Maybe they will grow faster.”
“Give it a try,” Heinrich replied. He watched intently as Lin Xu cradled the egg in his arms. With one hand, Lin Xu crushed a sea crystal above the egg, letting the glowing droplets of energy drip onto the shell. Plip—plip—
The pale blue energy liquid landed on the shell and was quickly absorbed. The eggshell warmed slightly, and the tiny life inside even moved a little. Did this mean the egg could absorb the sea crystal energy?
Lin Xu picked up a pink sea crystal next. After crushing it, he let its energy drip onto the shell. The large white egg absorbed the liquid again and gently wobbled.
“He seems to want more,” Heinrich said. Lin Xu fed the egg three more sea crystals before trying a fourth. But the pale blue energy liquid slid off the shell into the water, unable to be absorbed. The egg swayed in Lin Xu’s arms before slipping into the seaweed nest, rolling over once.
“Hic—” a very faint sound came from inside the egg. Lin Xu’s eyes widened. “Are they hiccupping after being full?”
Heinrich carefully lifted the egg and patted their other side. When Lin Xu looked at him puzzled, Heinrich explained seriously, “The guide says if a baby hiccups after feeding, you should pat their back to help them burp.”
But how exactly do you tell the front of an egg from the back? Lin Xu only hesitated briefly before another question came to mind. “What should we name them? They don’t have a name yet.”
Humans, dragons, and mermaids all had different naming customs. They still didn’t know if the egg contained a baby dragon, a baby mermaid, or a human infant, or even their gender.
“We can give them a temporary name first,” Heinrich said. “No need to rush on a full name or surname. Dragons and mermaids don’t use surnames anyway.”
Lin Xu poked the egg with his finger. They seemed to have fallen asleep under Heinrich’s gentle pats, showing no reaction to Lin Xu’s touch. “It’s so round. Let’s call them Yuanxiao.”
“Yuanxiao?”
“It’s a traditional festival on ancient Earth, and also a kind of food—glutinous rice balls filled with sweet sesame paste, rolled into spheres and boiled.”
“Alright, then we’ll call them Yuanxiao.”
After naming them, Heinrich told Lin Xu to stay in the crystal cave and eat some sea crystals to replenish his energy. Heinrich went to find Shen Yuan and Ji Yu to inform them that Lin Xu’s egg was born.
After eating half a pound of sea crystals, Lin Xu finally felt his drained energy return and began tidying up their nest. He planned to remove the hard sea crystals entirely, leaving only the soft nest made of light gauze and seaweed, so Yuanxiao could sleep more comfortably.
Then he moved a huge crystal into the cave and ground its surface flat and smooth, laying seaweed over it to serve as a bed for himself and Heinrich. Yuanxiao’s nest was right beside this crystal bed, easily visible whenever Lin Xu glanced up.
Originally, Heinrich had intended to just find Ji Yu and Shen Yuan—to update them on the health of Lin Xu and the baby, and to ask Shen Yuan if there were any other precautions to take. But he ended up returning with a large group of mermaids in tow. Thankfully, Xian Huo helped block most of the crowd outside the crystal cave; otherwise, Heinrich suspected Ji Yu and Lin Xu might both have social anxiety attacks.
The mermaids’ eyes sparkled as they watched from a distance. Lun Yuesheng and Shen Yuan examined Lin Xu and the egg’s condition; the father and child were healthy. The only concern was that Yuanxiao’s weight exceeded that of an average mermaid egg, but considering their dragon bloodline, it was understandable.
Outside, the mermaids brought countless gifts—from crystal sculptures of baby cradles to seaweed-woven tiny clothes—so many that Heinrich was overwhelmed and the gifts nearly filled the cave.
The crystal cave remained lively from morning until dusk. Only when the shallow sea darkened under nightfall did the mermaids reluctantly depart.
Some came to celebrate the new life, but most just wanted to catch a glimpse of Mr. Lin—the man whose heroic deeds they had admired since childhood. The gentle mermaids’ hearts pounded wildly at the sight of Lin Xu’s sharp aura, but he was so strikingly handsome that they couldn’t tell if they were scared or smitten. Alas, no matter what, Mr. Lin was already taken—claimed by a dragon.
One mermaid then asked the traveling bard if Mr. Lin was like a princess stolen by a fearsome dragon. The bard thought for a moment before offering an idea: “Mr. Lin is the king who tamed the dragon. From now on, the dragon belongs to him, and so does the treasure.”
The young mermaids, who idolized Mr. Lin, left satisfied.
Lin Xu rested in the crystal cave for five days. He couldn’t help but keep his eyes on his egg every moment, but stubborn Yuanxiao had not hatched within the usual incubation period for mermaid eggs.
On the sixth day, feeling his muscles stiff and growing restless, he asked Heinrich to stay in the cave and watch over the baby. With a flick of his black fish tail, he shot out like an arrow into the sea, ready to swim a few laps to stretch his body. The muscle soreness from childbirth had long since faded.
Yuanxiao lay in the soft nest, fully fed with energy liquid, peacefully sleeping. Lin Xu was still slightly engorged, but the amount was so small it was barely noticeable—and with Yuanxiao refusing to break the shell, it wasn’t much use anyway.
Heinrich remained in the crystal cave, continuing to sort through the gifts the mermaids had brought. He carefully categorized everything, packing the presents with durable, flexible mermaid silk, planning to take them all back on the S297 when he left.
Clack—clack—
He was tidying a bag of crystal-carved building blocks. The crystal toys clicked and clattered as they bumped against each other.
Clack—clack—
In a place Heinrich couldn’t see, several fine cracks appeared on the large white egg. The shell split slightly open, and a curious round eye peeked out, analyzing the world outside.
Suddenly, a white figure appeared before them. The figure reached out a finger and poked at the crack in the eggshell.
“Who’s there?—”
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