Si Lu and Bai Di returned to the Giant Crocodile Tribe with a great haul!
Halfway back, they noticed Kano trailing behind them. He didn't say a word, just stared intensely at them.
Si Lu was confused.Even Bai Di frowned.
"What do you want?" Bai Di asked Kano, not bothering to hide his hostility.
Why was this guy always following them? And without saying a single word—it was unsettling.
"Do you need something from me?" Si Lu asked Kano, unsure of his intentions.
The young man just kept staring at her. Si Lu felt like he definitely had something important to say.
Kano stared back at her, then slowly shook his head… and then nodded.
"…What?" Si Lu was completely baffled.
What was that supposed to mean? First no, then yes?
He seemed introverted at first, but now… it seemed worse. Was he autistic?
She remembered him speaking to her once before. He stuttered a bit, but he managed.
And now? He wouldn't even talk?
Si Lu felt concerned. She didn't want to see this pretty boy isolate himself like this.
"I don't get it. Why'd you shake your head and then nod?" she asked gently.
Bai Di looked just as confused.
"Can you talk? You spoke to me before," Si Lu said softly, offering him a kind smile. She didn't want to scare the young man from the crocodile clan.
"I… I can… talk… The… the pearls on your neck… they're from a mermaid… I've seen them before," Kano said, pointing to the necklace around Si Lu's neck.
His speech was slow and hesitant.
He recognized the necklace—because he had seen mermaids before, back when he used to go to the beach often.
He hadn't expected the little female to have met one too.
And not only that—she'd even received a gift from one.
Curious and a little stunned, he couldn't help but follow her.
"Yes, it was a gift from a mermaid. I love it. I didn't know you knew them—do you know his name?" Si Lu touched the necklace, smiling.
So Kano had really met a mermaid. And not just once—he clearly knew enough to recognize their jewelry.
She was curious now. What was the mermaid's name?
He was incredibly beautiful—like something straight out of a story.
In her past life, mermaids were just legends. But here? They were real.
She'd seen one with her own eyes.
She was falling in love with this magical world of beastmen and mythical creatures more and more each day.
"…Don't know his name," Kano replied softly.
Although he had seen the mermaid a few times, they barely spoke. The mermaid never told him his name, and he never asked.
Kano only saw him while sitting on the rocks during quiet moments.
"That's okay. I'll ask him next time. You should head home, Kano—we need to rest too. See you later." Si Lu waved, then pulled Bai Di toward their cave.
She was starving.
Time for a seafood feast!
Kano watched them leave, stunned.
What was Bai Di carrying—shrimp, crabs, or clams?
So the little female liked to eat these things?
Kano's eyes lit up. If she liked them, he could catch some too.
Without a second thought, he turned and headed for the beach.
He would bring back a ton of seafood for her.
Giant crocodile beastmen didn't usually eat sea creatures. The meat was small, and without proper cooking, it didn't taste good.
Usually, only young ones got seafood to chew on while teething.
But now that he knew Si Lu liked it? He'd make an exception.
After all, the mermaid gave her pearls—he had to step up too.
He might not be great at talking, but he understood how things worked.
If he liked a female, he had to show her—earn her affection through effort and sincerity.
That's how males in the tribe pursued their mates. He'd seen it countless times.
And now, he finally had someone he wanted to impress.
Meanwhile, Si Lu and Bai Di arrived at the cave.
Coincidentally, Nans, Song Zhan, and the others had just returned from a hunt.
As soon as they saw Si Lu, they happily gathered around her.
Cheng Mo had heard she and Bai Di went to the beach, and although he'd considered looking for her, he was relieved he hadn't.
She was back safe and sound.
"You're back! We were just about to go look for you," Nans greeted her with a warm smile.
"Hey… Why do you smell like another male?" Song Zhan sniffed around her, puzzled.
Hei Yao, meanwhile, had his eyes on the pearl necklace.
He'd spotted it from afar—it sparkled in the sunlight.
But more than that, he sensed the unfamiliar scent of a male on the necklace.
"Lulu, where did this pearl come from?" Hei Yao asked.
He could smell mermaid aura on it. Each race had a unique scent—this one was unmistakable.
"Pretty, right? A blue mermaid gave it to me. I love it!" Si Lu said happily.
Hei Yao could tell she truly did.
It looks like they might have a new member in their growing family.
As long as the new suitor was sincere and strong enough, he didn't mind.
Everyone else had the same unspoken understanding. They didn't say anything—just smiled.
"Oh! Bai Di and I brought back a ton of seafood from the beach. We're having a seafood feast tonight!" Si Lu beamed.
"Sounds good," Hei Yao chuckled, ruffling her hair affectionately.
"Start a fire outside the cave and get the pot ready!" Si Lu instructed.
She also had Bai Di unload the large bundle he was carrying and lay it out on a stone slab.
"Look at all this! We did great!" she said proudly.
The others gathered around to see.
Cheng Mo emerged with the baby, and everyone stared at the pile of seafood.
"You've never seen shrimp, crabs, or clams this big, right?" Si Lu grinned as she unveiled the haul.
There were massive king prawns, giant crabs, river clams, and sea fish.
The group was stunned.
"Is this crab… bigger than my head?" Nans! exclaimed. "And this shrimp—it's thicker than my arm!"
"Of course! Bai Di and I are amazing, right?" Si Lu said, puffing up with pride.
Everyone laughed. Their little female was too cute.
"Lulu, you and Bai Di are awesome," Nans said with sparkly eyes.
"Truly impressive," Cheng Mo added with a soft smile.
Even the baby babbled in agreement.
"You're incredible, Lulu. Let's go catch more next time!" Song Zhan grinned.
"Alright, let's start cooking!" Si Lu cheered.
"No need for you to lift a finger. We've got this," Hei Yao said seriously. "You're too delicate—we worry."
He was right. Her skin bruised easily, and shellfish weren't gentle.
"Okay, I'll listen," Si Lu nodded.
"Bai Di, prep the spices. Nans, boil water—we need to blanch everything first," she directed.
"What about me?" Song Zhan asked eagerly.
"You can break the crab shells and open the clams. Be careful not to waste the meat!" Si Lu replied.
"On it!"
"Amo, you handle the baby. Hei Yao, you chop the vegetables. I'll supervise," Si Lu said playfully.
Everyone got to work.
They even lit a second fire for more space. Hei Yao helped Si Lu set up a clean stone slab for grilling, while Bai Di skewered the squid.
Nans started blanching clams, and Si Lu secretly added river shrimp to make seafood porridge later with rice from her space.
She explained the recipe to Bai Di, who began cooking it.
Meanwhile, the rest of the seafood was ready for stir-frying.
"Adi, let's start the stir-fry now!" Si Lu said excitedly.
She'd once eaten a seafood stir-fry at a restaurant that became popular overnight—it was cooked in a huge pan and served with gloves. Delicious.
She wanted to recreate it here.
"Tell me how, and I'll cook it," Bai Di nodded.
"Start by frying some fatty meat for oil, add the spices until they're fragrant, and then toss in the seafood!"
"Got it!"
Across the clearing, Kano and Kai arrived.
Kano carried a large bundle, and Kai had two large, neatly prepared pieces of meat.
The scent of cooking filled the air, and the scene before them was unfamiliar—everyone was busy, cooking together with joy and laughter.
Kai had never seen anything like it.
Even Kano was stunned. So much effort just for a meal?
"Need help with anything?" Cheng Mo asked with a smile.
Otherwise, those two might've stood there forever.
It was a lot of work, but they didn't mind.
They were happy to help the little female they all adored.
"My brother caught some seafood for you, and we brought some high-quality meat we hunted. It's good for females—very tender," Kai said.
"Thank you! Want to stay for dinner?" Cheng Mo offered.
They'd helped a lot—it was only fair.
"Isn't that inconvenient?" Kai asked.
"Not at all. Like Lulu said, it's just a matter of setting out two more plates," Cheng Mo replied, cradling the baby.
"Yeah, stay! We're making a seafood feast—you've never tasted anything like it!" Si Lu smiled.