Chapter 89: I Love Slacking Off
Seeing Tao Ning staring at her silently, Callista couldn’t help but urge, “So, what did you find out?”
Tao Ning, still holding the restless wrist on her knee, organized her words: “I can tell you have a very good memory and can remember many things that happen each day.”
Callista considered this, agreeing wholeheartedly. She could indeed remember many things that happened within a day.
She could even remember the tail color and name of each of her subjects, as well as their psychic fluctuations.
That’s why she was able to immediately notice their disappearance and come ashore to search for them.
Then she asked, “What else?”
Tao Ning said, “You’re very organized and tenacious, and you always achieve victory in the end.”
Callista thought the human method of pulse-taking was magical, that it could reveal such things. Her blue eyes sparkled as she continued to ask, “Is that all? Anything else?”
Anything else?
Tao Ning pondered for a moment: “You’re very intelligent and have a keen sense of smell, always able to easily find the food and things you like.”
This sounded like praise, and Callista was pleased. She hadn’t expected such a high evaluation from Tao Ning.
With just a few words, Callista’s lingering anger dissipated, a smile spreading across her face.
Judging by her expression, she had probably already forgotten her lengthy accusations from yesterday.
520 translated in its mind: [Isn’t that just saying she’s petty, holds grudges, loves to eat, and is competitive?]
After a moment of silence, 520 decided this was the art of language.
Some things, even if taught step-by-step, 520 couldn’t replicate.
Tao Ning seized the opportunity: “Since you’re so smart, learning human language must be very easy for you, right?”
Callista’s first reaction was: “Why should I learn? You understand me just fine.”
Tao Ning: “Learning another language gives you more control and allows you to accomplish what you want faster, eliminating the trouble caused by language barriers.”
Seeing that Callista was still unmoved, Tao Ning said, “Don’t you have anything you want to accomplish quickly?”
Callista, about to retort, fell silent. Her thoughts had been exposed. She did have something she wanted to accomplish quickly after coming ashore.
This was a secret no one knew, and being guessed by the other party, Callista’s first reaction was vigilance.
Meeting the other person’s clear, guileless eyes, Callista felt an urge to avoid her gaze.
The reason she came ashore when Gu Yuan passed by was because she had heard from other sea creatures that they had seen one of her people boarding a similarly marked ship.
Perhaps their destinations were the same, and she wouldn’t give up any opportunity to search.
Callista asked, “Will you teach me?”
Tao Ning coaxed, “As long as you’re willing to learn, it won’t be difficult.”
Callista replied decisively, “Okay.” As long as she could achieve her goal, she didn’t share the human habit of needing to know every detail.
520 felt this wasn’t the real reason, and it was also curious: [Why do you insist on her learning human language?]
Tao Ning: “In case there are times when I’m not around and humans try to trick her, but she can’t understand them.”
Wasn’t that exactly what happened in the original world line? Callista couldn’t understand human language, and the humans, in their self-righteousness, broadcasted her mate selection to the entire universe.
After a lot of miscommunication, they set a wedding date, seemingly to everyone’s satisfaction, except for Callista, who couldn’t understand a word anyone was saying.
On the eve of the wedding, Callista finally sensed something was wrong and found her people, who informed her that she was about to get married.
Callista, who believed she belonged to the sea, not the land, thought it was absurd and immediately wanted to leave.
With the wedding about to begin and one of the main characters wanting to leave, it naturally caused chaos.
Then the tragic double death occurred, with the Federation’s youngest Major General torn apart like tissue paper.
Recalling the human language she had heard before, Callista said, “Your human pronunciation is completely different from ours.”
Tao Ning shrugged nonchalantly: “Human language is even more difficult for Mermaids to learn. I’ve already learned your language, don’t you even have the confidence to surpass me?”
These words had the effect of a stimulant on Callista, who declared she would definitely learn human language.
She would learn it before any other human learned Mermaid language.
Although swayed by Tao Ning’s words, the leader’s remaining rationality told her that learning a language as quickly as Tao Ning had was impossible.
The small human language class began. Tao Ning didn’t bother with elaborate methods, simply finding materials for systematic instruction, starting with everyday phrases.
Not only that, but Tao Ning, inspired by her own experience learning Mermaid language, decided that the fastest way to learn a language was through insults.
The pronunciation of human language and Mermaid language were completely different, and correcting the pronunciation from the beginning required a lot of effort.
After Callista mispronounced her name for the umpteenth time, Tao Ning grabbed her hand and placed it on her throat.
Tao Ning: “It’s not like that. Feel how my throat moves when I pronounce it.”
Her movement was so sudden that Callista hurriedly retracted her nails, afraid of scratching the fragile throat.
Her fingertips pressed against the thin, warm skin, the residual water droplets leaving a glistening trail on Tao Ning’s neck. Callista could even feel the blood flowing beneath the skin.
For any creature, the neck was always a fatal weakness, never to be exposed to an enemy.
This human was truly audacious, exposing her neck to a belligerent Mermaid’s claws. Wasn’t she afraid of being hurt?
Or was she too confident that no one could harm her?
The hand holding her wrist tightened, and a slightly deeper voice reminded her, “Focus, the pronunciation of this word is like this.”
Callista immediately snapped back to attention, becoming focused.
She had figured out this person’s temper. She seemed gentle and soft-spoken, always smiling and easy to talk to, but she was actually quite strict.
Strangely, Callista felt nervous facing that serious expression, involuntarily becoming more attentive.
The entire afternoon was spent correcting pronunciation, and it yielded results.
Callista went from stammering repetitions of Tao Ning’s words to fluently pronouncing her name, clear and accurate.
However, with other words, Callista would still mispronounce them, sometimes switching back to Mermaid language in frustration to repeat the word.
“Refuse, refuse, refuse… I can say refuse now.”
Repeating the same word in her melodious voice, her natural talent made it sound like a chant.
Nodding, satisfied with her learning progress, Callista noticed Tao Ning’s expression, paused, and silently switched back to human language.
Tao Ning: “…”
Callista’s explanation for this was: “It’s not my fault. Your human language is difficult to learn, but your name is easier to pronounce.”
Tao Ning affirmed her reasoning: “I believe you. Human language is too difficult, it’s not your fault.”
Callista nodded vigorously in agreement: “Exactly!”
520: […]
After teaching her a few words, Tao Ning noticed something from the corner of her eye, a slight smile playing on her lips. She said to Callista, “How about I teach you a longer sentence?”
Callista: “?” A long sentence already?
Tao Ning whispered devilishly, “You’re so smart, you’ll definitely learn it quickly, right?”
Callista was most susceptible to provocation. She immediately clenched her claws and declared, “Of course!”
Tao Ning: “Good.”
“What are you looking at? Don’t you have your own work to do?”
The observer, turning on the monitor as scheduled, heard this slightly awkward sentence: “?”
Who? Who’s scolding us?
Switching to a closer view of the pool, she heard a female voice say, “The pronunciation is very accurate now, say it again.”
Callista repeated the sentence, looking at the person on the shore with anticipation.
Tao Ning didn’t hold back on her praise: “Very good.”
Callista’s eyes sparkled: “I knew I would learn quickly!”
The observer silently screamed behind the monitor: “Don’t teach the Mermaid strange things!”
The sound from behind the monitor couldn’t reach the pool, and the Research Institute could only fret. The professors, however, remained optimistic.
They had listened to the recording of the Mermaid cursing hundreds of times and would invariably ask: Who was the genius who managed to make the aloof and taciturn Mermaid speak so much?
Before even returning to the First Star System, Zang Yuzhu’s name had spread throughout the Research Institute, and they were eager to offer her a position.
The Mermaid socialization training, which countless others had struggled with, had actually been achieved by Zang Yuzhu.
Just in a slightly unorthodox way.
Ahhh, the Mermaid can now curse in human language!
They belatedly realized that Zang Yuzhu not only spoke Mermaid language fluently but could also teach it.
We need this kind of talent in our Research Institute.jpg
No matter what Callista said, regardless of her intonation, Tao Ning would respond with an abundance of compliments, showering the impatient learner with positive reinforcement.
Then she would meticulously correct her pronunciation.
The compliments flowed endlessly, making the Mermaid practically bubble with joy. She even gave Tao Ning a fallen scale, shimmering and beautiful.
The observers behind the monitor were green with envy. Mermaids didn’t shed scales easily, and they would collect the fallen ones, destroying any imperfect ones.
A scale given as a gift by a Mermaid was perfect in shape, color, and hardness.
Tao Ning examined the scale repeatedly, deciding to make a hole in it later and wear it as a necklace.
It was a token of affection, and she would definitely wear it.
520: [You know, in ancient times, you would be called a flatterer.]
Tao Ning: “You flatter me.”
520: […] I wasn’t complimenting you.
But on second thought, wasn’t this a form of affirmation for Tao Ning?
Indeed, those who dared to incur large debts and be hopelessly romantic weren’t the type to overthink.
Callista, watching her examine the scale, asked in confusion, “You’ve looked at it so many times, are you not happy with it?”
If she dared to say she didn’t like it, Callista would never give her anything again.
Tao Ning put the scale into her pocket, close to her heart, and asked, “This is your scale. If I wear it every day, will you be able to find me wherever I am?”
Callista paused, seemingly not having considered this question. She blinked: “Yes, but why do you ask?”
Tao Ning smiled at her, a gentle smile, her eyes like the sunlit sea, sparkling with warmth.
Callista was momentarily stunned, a certain part of her softening, the feeling fading too quickly for her to grasp.
Then she heard Tao Ning say, “Nothing, just asking. I really like the gift you gave me.”
Callista replied with a seemingly indifferent “Oh.”
In reality, she hadn’t yet recovered, still immersed in the moment she had just witnessed.
Callista, with her simple mindset, didn’t understand what it meant to be moved. For their species, reproduction was simply a matter of reaching maturity and entering the mating season. As long as there was mutual attraction, and they spent the mating season together, they would become lifelong partners.
If they were lucky, they would conceive a child, raise it, and then drive it out of their nest, continuing to live with their partner.
At least, that’s how Callista understood it.
Callista was born without parents, with no one to teach her anything, including survival.
In her life, learning to survive was already a complex and difficult task, struggling every day to learn how to hunt.
After becoming the leader, some Mermaids admired her strength and expressed their affection.
But Callista was indifferent, throwing away the flowers placed on her food and telling them that the leader ate fruit, not flowers.
Gradually, the tribe knew that their leader was powerful, but she was still a youngster who hadn’t reached mating season.
She didn’t understand their admiration, mistaking it for offerings.
Tao Ning asked again, “Can I call you Lita?”
“Lita?” Callista repeated the name. She said, “That sounds like a name for a baby.”
Tao Ning was puzzled and asked, “Why do you think so?”
Callista said, “The way you say it, it sounds soft like a sponge, as if I could squeeze water out of it.”
520, never one to miss out on the fun, said: [She’s saying you have a cutesy voice.]
Tao Ning: “So you’re willing to let me call you that, right?”
With a splash, Callista’s other arm, which had been submerged, emerged from the water, reaching up to hook around the back of Tao Ning’s neck.
The gentle force bent Tao Ning’s waist, bringing her closer and closer to the figure emerging from the water.
The platinum-haired Mermaid breathed gently against her ear, her voice laced with temptation: “Actually, I like you very much, and I like being called that name by you.”
She said she liked her.
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