Chapter 26: Jellyfish Jelly

Xiu said helplessly, “No, we didn’t quarrel.”
He wasn’t even angry with Wen Chu; how could they quarrel?

Wen Chu shook his head as well, “No, no, not arguing.”

The narwhal was confused, “Then why did you suddenly think about dying? You even told me you were Lord Siren’s trouble and felt it would be better if you died.”
Her voice was very loud, even vibrating a few loose stones off the submarine mountain range, as if afraid Xiu couldn’t hear.

“Oh?” Xiu raised an eyebrow.
Xiu stopped completely, his gaze falling on Wen Chu, as if wanting to see through the jellyfish’s appearance to what he was actually thinking.

Wen Chu backed away guiltily, “…I was just curious.”

Xiu didn’t answer him but said indifferently, “Come here.”

It took Wen Chu a while to realize Xiu was calling him. Although still guilty, he swam obediently to Xiu’s side.
Only his movements were slow.

“What is it… Mmph mmph mmph?“
Wen Chu was grabbed by his tentacles halfway through speaking by the impatient Xiu and pulled over, crashing directly onto Xiu’s soft chest and getting a mouthful.
His Lifespan points increased by three hours in the process.

Xiu remained indifferent, holding his tentacles, “Nothing much. I’m taking you to kiss, to show you whether I find you troublesome or not.”

Wen Chu: “Huh?”
The change came too suddenly. Seeing Xiu was serious, Wen Chu tried his best to push against Xiu’s cheek with his tentacles to prevent the other from getting closer, “No no no no need. I won’t kiss. I want to take responsibility. Give me some time; I can figure it out.”

Wen Chu’s voice became smaller and smaller.
Actually, he wasn’t sure if he could figure it out.
But he had to take responsibility.

Wen Chu added very quietly, “…Should be able to figure it out.”

Xiu didn’t expect Wen Chu to be so stubborn, but thinking carefully, this indeed seemed to be Wen Chu’s character.
He would cling to him recklessly for survival, and would also give up Lifespan points directly to figure out what love was.
Wen Chu’s thinking had always been simple and direct. He would firmly do whatever he wanted to do, no matter the means. Xiu was the one who got tangled in twists and turns.
He couldn’t treat Wen Chu as an ordinary jellyfish.

Xiu looked at the jellyfish who looked like he was “resisting to the death.”
Feeling the slight push from the other’s tentacles on his face, Xiu sighed lightly and barely retreated a step, “Fine. I’ll only give you one morning. At noon, whether you figured it out or not, come with me.”
He couldn’t stand seeing the jellyfish shrink.

Wen Chu nodded frantically, “Okay okay okay.”

The narwhal on the side was completely petrified.
Of course she knew that Wen Chu and Xiu disappearing for more than two hours every day wasn’t just as simple as eating, but due to Xiu’s repeated avoidance of suspicion earlier, the narwhal didn’t really believe Wen Chu’s words, thinking their progress was still in the talking stage.
Turns out they were already kissing? And kissed more than once?? Now they were even talking about post-marital responsibility??

While greatly shocked, the narwhal couldn’t help but deeply doubt Xiu’s previous clarifications.
——They were not only dating but in love, right?

Only after finishing speaking with Wen Chu did Xiu realize there was a narwhal beside them.
He was purely irritated by the narwhal’s sentence “Wen Chu feels he is a trouble,” plus the jellyfish also looked guilty by default, so he pulled Wen Chu over in a moment of emotion.
Now that rationality returned, Xiu realized how bold his actions were just now. He pressed his lips together and said, “It’s not what you think.”

The narwhal nodded, “I understand, I understand. My mouth is very tight; I won’t ask more.”

Xiu: “…”
Even if the narwhal’s mouth wasn’t tight, there was no fourth creature in the ocean for the narwhal to gossip with now.

Wen Chu took the opportunity to break free from Xiu’s embrace. He couldn’t bear to swim far. After breaking free, he still floated beside Xiu.
“Xiu,” Wen Chu called him, “Let’s continue our journey. Don’t delay time because of me.”

He finished speaking and turned to the narwhal, explaining seriously, “I am not Xiu’s lover yet. Now I can only call him Teacher. I still have to wait for me to think a bit more.”

The narwhal really wanted to ask if it was the “Teacher-Husband” kind of teacher, but out of respect for Xiu being nearby, she held back.

Xiu was obviously a bit triggered by the title “Teacher” as well, turning his head directly and changing the subject stiffly, “Alright, let’s continue.”
He turned and continued to lead the way.

Wen Chu didn’t return to the narwhal’s head but continued to swim beside Xiu.
Xiu felt the jellyfish following him like a shadow after swimming a few meters and cast a puzzled look at Wen Chu, “Aren’t you going to rest on the narwhal’s back?”

“No,” Wen Chu contracted his umbrella cap vigorously, pushing himself forward.
“I thought about it. You said I didn’t know you well enough because I was sleeping on the road every time. I won’t sleep anymore in the future. I’ll walk with you and talk to you, okay?”

Wen Chu felt nervous after a long time.
He always knew he wasn’t good at talking. At the beginning, even his speaking speed was very slow, barely speeding up after being scared by the system releasing fish.
Xiu initially always found him annoying, and the doctors rarely paid attention to him. Wen Chu wasn’t sure if Xiu would agree to this request.
If he didn’t agree, he would, would…
Would ask a few more times.
Xiu gave in easily. As long as he pestered Xiu, he could always make him agree.

“Suit yourself,” Xiu withdrew his gaze. “If you’re tired, go rest with the narwhal yourself. I won’t take care of you if you get sick from exhaustion.”

Wen Chu looked at the bandage on his tentacle that had fallen off and been re-wrapped several times, expressing doubt about Xiu’s words.
But he still answered briskly, “Okay!”

Xiu’s previous assessment of the route was accurate. This part of the submarine mountain range was indeed difficult to traverse. Not only were there deep, invisible rift valleys and cliffs from time to time, but flatter areas were densely populated with factories.
Although Xiu tried his best to avoid these factories, he inevitably approached them on the way, allowing Wen Chu to see the full view of the factories seen from the hillside last night up close.
Human civilization had developed to its peak at this time. Factories were built inside transparent glass vacuum covers, filled with fully automated machinery. From mining ore in the mountains to sending it to transport pipelines, a series of processes were efficient and convenient.

With Xiu’s permission, Wen Chu couldn’t stop talking. While swimming beside Xiu, he asked curiously, “Xiu, did these factories explode last night?”

Mentioning last night, Xiu was still a bit uncomfortable. He glanced at a mine operating not far away and said indifferently, “Yes. It’s been so long; the circuits in the factories have more or less aged. Especially some pipelines transporting natural gas are prone to explosion due to disrepair. Last night was a small explosion.”

“Small?” Wen Chu was shocked.
Although it was far away last night, he also felt the earth-shaking vibration. The landslide pouring down in the distance was even more spectacular; just the roaring sound almost deafened him.

“Mn, quite small. The biggest explosion I’ve seen was a chain explosion of pipelines transporting natural gas. At that time, all nearby natural gas extraction fields collapsed. The ruins of Atlantis also completely collapsed at that time.”
Xiu was very calm. Wen Chu was just confused because he had no specific concept.

The narwhal behind them asked in shock, “Atlantis… doesn’t even have ruins anymore?”

“Mn.” Xiu glanced sideways at the jellyfish who didn’t understand the situation and thought for a moment, “It’s good too. When Wen Chu arrives at the Arctic, we can rebuild slowly.”
He didn’t understand why a jellyfish like Wen Chu who wanted to live would suddenly think of death, so he could only guess that perhaps Wen Chu felt he was troublesome. At this moment, he silently handed Wen Chu an absolutely meaningful reason for survival.

Sure enough, Wen Chu was full of motivation, “Okay! Let’s build a big home in the Arctic, the kind that can fit Granny Narwhal.”

The narwhal was still very moved this time because Wen Chu finally didn’t treat her as a home.

Xiu smiled very faintly and didn’t tell the naive jellyfish the scale of Atlantis, only saying, “We should arrive at the ruins of Atlantis tomorrow or the day after. I’ll take you to see.”
Xiu paused, looking at the narwhal, hinting, “You can hold on until there, right?”

The narwhal nodded.

Wen Chu looked between them in puzzlement.
He felt that while he was sleeping, Xiu had many conversations with the narwhal that he didn’t know about at all.
If he knew earlier, he wouldn’t have slept. He should have talked more with Xiu too.
But it wasn’t too late to start now.

Wen Chu looked at the surrounding scenery. This was the first time he viewed the scenery on the journey from his own moving perspective.
The submarine mountain range stretched for thousands of kilometers. In the dark ocean, the mountains stood silently, and the trenches were deep and secluded.
Xiu had simply explained the principle of plate tectonics to him. Wen Chu knew that these mountains would continue to rise or sink with plate movements, becoming land or trenches, melting and being reborn.
Just like the cold spring, everything in the deep sea was a cycle of life.
Only now, this life cycle was abruptly cut off in part.
This part might take millions of years to heal, or perhaps that day would never come.

Wen Chu looked at the landslide mountain in the distance, where debris and sediment mixed, directly burying the factory at the foot of the mountain.
He suddenly remembered the parrotfish Xiu mentioned and asked, “Xiu, you said before that the little parrotfish was buried in the collapsed mine. Is it here too?”

“Yes.” Xiu also glanced at the landslide mountain in the distance, “But I dug him out and sent him to the graveyard for burial.”

“Graveyard?”

“A place to bury fish corpses.” Xiu explained, “People are buried in the earth for peace after death. I think fish should be the same after death.”
Buried, decomposed by microorganisms, turning into mineral deposits or oil, and then one day, nurturing new life.

“Then when I die, I also want to be buried in the earth for peace.” Wen Chu liked this saying very much.

Xiu patted him lightly, “Don’t talk nonsense. You won’t die.”

Wen Chu glanced at his Lifespan panel and thought, if he didn’t find a solution, he really might die.
He couldn’t stick to Xiu’s mouth and kiss for twenty-four hours.
Leaving aside whether Xiu agreed, he felt it was a bit excessive himself.
But he couldn’t touch Xiu’s scales anymore. That was mating. Xiu didn’t agree to mate now, so…

Wen Chu sighed.

[System, will Xiu in the next world still have memories?]

[No. Why?] The system’s voice was still cold.

Wen Chu said: [Nothing, just thinking that the first mission seems to be failing. I want to do better in the next world.]
The jellyfish talked to the system while traveling, his semi-transparent body swaying due to continuous contraction and relaxation generating thrust.

[Cut it out. Talk to Xiu properly, and he won’t refuse you.]
The system got angry seeing Wen Chu’s indifferent attitude towards death, opening its mouth to mock: [Can’t you, a piece of jelly, think less about love and just live first?]

[Jelly? I am jelly?] Wen Chu’s focus completely deviated.

System: […]
System: [I mean find a way to live.]

[I thought of a way, but mating is something only lovers can do. I can’t mate with Xiu.]
Wen Chu was serious.
[I don’t want Xiu to think I’m irresponsible. If it doesn’t work in this world, I will find a way to approach Xiu in a better way in the next world.]

He became principled at this time.
In the final analysis, he knew he wouldn’t die if he lost one chance, and feeling the system’s tough-talking soft-hearted help, he started to push his luck.

The system choked for a moment, finally choosing to disappear directly.
It couldn’t possibly teach Wen Chu how to pursue Xiu hand in hand.
It didn’t know such things itself.
But if he insisted on pursuing…
Tsk, maybe add a patch function for Wen Chu in the next plane, lest Wen Chu pester it every day treating it as a love strategist.

The system checked Wen Chu’s remaining Lifespan points and really disappeared directly this time.
Went to study if a love patch function could be added.

Wen Chu didn’t know about the system’s disappearance and followed Xiu diligently.
One merfolk, one jellyfish, and one whale shuttled through the submarine mountain range until noon.
Xiu originally wanted to take care of Wen Chu, but finding that Wen Chu really seemed to keep up, he didn’t hold back anymore and continued at the original speed.

Wen Chu talked to Xiu intermittently, finishing the story of “The Princess and the Pea” he hadn’t finished before.

“Why must the prince marry such a delicate princess? Won’t it be troublesome?” This was Wen Chu’s first feeling after listening.

“Yes.” Xiu didn’t even lift his eyelids, “So I was saying you were troublesome and hard to take care of back then.”

“Oh…” Wen Chu accepted it.
So he was the troublesome princess.
He looked up to ask Xiu, “Then you are the prince?”

Xiu was used to the jellyfish’s brain circuit. He sneered, raised his hand to transform into sharp claws to show Wen Chu, “I am the evil dragon, the villain who directly captures the princess and eats her.”

Wen Chu misunderstood Xiu’s meaning of reaching out. He pasted himself over and rubbed against his claws, suddenly realizing again, “Oh, so you wanted to eat me at the beginning for this reason.”
Wen Chu felt he completely clarified the logic of events after meeting Xiu and wasn’t intimidated by the other at all.

Xiu quickly retracted his claws the moment Wen Chu pasted himself over. He frowned at the rubbing jellyfish and flicked him with a bent finger.
“Don’t know how to be careful.”
Getting scratched by his claws wasn’t fun.

Wen Chu tilted his head and rubbed against Xiu again, not understanding.
Be careful of what? Careful of the evil dragon?
But it didn’t matter if he was eaten.

Because they had to go to Atlantis located on the seabed, they traveled along the foot of the mountain.
Just as Wen Chu was rubbing against Xiu’s hand, he suddenly felt a very light landing sound beside him.
Turning his head, he saw a small pebble rolling down from the mountain.

It was just a falling stone.
Wen Chu didn’t care and continued to chase Xiu’s hand forward, wanting to continue rubbing against Xiu.
However, in just half a second, stones fell one after another, and the ground began to shake violently like last night, stirring up water waves in the deep sea.

“Boom——”

An explosion sound came from the distance.
Even though they deliberately avoided the mine, their location was still affected by the explosion.
This was an abandoned mine mountain. After mining, the mountain body had long been hollow. Shaken like this, a huge black crack quickly appeared on the mountain.
Then came more rock fragmentation.

Wen Chu was tumbled by the water waves, too late to dodge, and was hit by falling stones several times in a row.
Seeing a larger stone slab about to fall, almost smashing his entire jellyfish body flat, Wen Chu didn’t have time to think, trying hard to balance his tentacles to leave.
However.

[Remaining Lifespan: 24 Days 23 Hours 41 Minutes]

Wen Chu suddenly shrank by a circle again.
He was already unstable swimming. Shrinking like this made him lose his center of gravity directly, rolling around in the water, unable to dodge the stone slab in time.
Everything happened too fast. A series of changes took only three seconds at most.
Just then, Wen Chu glimpsed a golden figure from the corner of his eye.
Then, Wen Chu felt a pull on his tentacles and was dragged into a warm embrace.

“Boom——”

The stone slab shattered, raising dust in the water, but didn’t touch the jellyfish at all.
Wen Chu slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a familiar chest.
It was Xiu.
The golden-haired merfolk protected him firmly, blocking the falling stones with his back.

“Are you okay——”

Xiu’s words were interrupted by a sharp roaring sound.
The long-hollowed mountain range emitted an overwhelmed scream after this explosion. The entire mountain body split diagonally into two halves, revealing the hollow cave in the middle.
The upper half of the mountain roared down the slope.
In front of the huge mountain range, the merfolk protecting him seemed so small.

[System, let me turn into a human quickly!!]

“Careful!”
Wen Chu’s voice sounded simultaneously with the narwhal’s voice.
Before the system could respond, Wen Chu noticed his vision suddenly darken.
The adult narwhal, fully over five meters long, like a small building, blocked in front of him and Xiu.
He once thought the narwhal was like a mobile home.
Now, the narwhal indeed acted like a home, blocking the overwhelming debris for them, isolating all dangers outside her body.

The narwhal was just flesh and blood, without Wen Chu’s regeneration ability. Stones fell on her, leaving wounds one by one. Her long horn broke, and blood mist spread.

“Granny Narwhal!”

Wen Chu broke free from Xiu’s arms, ignoring the still falling debris. His tentacles touched the narwhal, about to transfer Lifespan points to her.
However, the narwhal turned her head at this time.
She was very old and usually liked to indulge in memories alone, her eyes much clouded. But at this moment, the narwhal’s gaze was exceptionally clear.
She looked at Wen Chu and asked, “Do you want to heal me? Just like the coral beside the parrotfish? That kind of… miracle-like scene.”

Recovery of all things, rejuvenation of life.
If a miracle had to be described specifically, the narwhal felt it was Wen Chu’s appearance.
The narwhal once suspected that everything she experienced after escaping from the oceanarium was just her pipe dream.

Otherwise, how could everything be so dreamy and beautiful.
She met Lord Siren, met a peculiar jellyfish. They were willing to take her to the ridiculous-sounding Arctic and actually embarked on the journey.

If only this was really a dream.
When the dream woke up, there was no ocean pollution. She still stayed lonely in the oceanarium, guarding the holographic projection to watch TV alone, occasionally appearing in the noise, chased by flashlights.

Lord Siren was still in prosperous Atlantis, the jellyfish could happily be a simple jellyfish, the Arctic…
The Arctic remained in her dream.

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Author’s Note:

Just in case, stating it’s a HE (Happy Ending) (Someone keen on making dumplings – implying plot twists/drama but ending well)