Beauty and the Beasts

The temperature at the depths of the sea was a tad too cold for An’an. After living underwater for a few days, Bluepool brought her back to the island.

After that day, An’an’s stomach started growing visibly bigger.

Merfolks’ gestation period was around 50 days. In the blink of an eye, the due date was about to arrive.

Bluepool went out less frequently and tried his best to stay by An’an’s side. He most enjoyed caressing her stomach and speaking to it.

“I was just saying that we need to go ashore to pick cotton flowers since they’re nearly used up. Unexpectedly, you stopped bleeding after you got pregnant. How nice.”

Bluepool pressed against An’an’s round belly and listened for a while. Looking up, he smiled at her and said, “After they hatch, I’ll be able to go out with peace of mind. When they grow a bit older, we can let them do the chores while I accompany you every day. Okay?”

An’an glanced at Bluepool, then at her own tummy, and reached out to scratch.

An’an’s IQ was very normal, and she could even be considered smart. She could feel the outline of the world through her closed senses, it was just that certain places were slightly distorted.

Looking at her round and puffed-up tummy, An’an felt troubled. If fruits really grew inside of her, where would she eat them?

Bluepool quickly grabbed her hand. “Be careful not to scratch yourself. Does your belly feel too full? I’ll help you apply some seaweed juice.”

Having grown up in a merfolk tribe that had a female, Bluepool had plenty of experience helping a female procure daily necessities. Only items of the most premium quality had the chance to be sent to a female, and that was something the mermen took pride in.

Seaweed juice was a skincare product females often used during their pregnancy. When used on the face, the effects were not bad as well. If not for the fact that Bluepool couldn’t spare the time to search for it, he really wished to let An’an apply seaweed juice of the most superior grade all over her body to maintain her beauty.

However, he had spent too much energy on An’an. Otherwise, he would have leveled up over these ten-odd years and wouldn’t have remained a three-striped beastman.

If it weren’t for the fact that mermen grew old at a slower pace, the most urgent matter for him at present would be to obtain green crystals to maintain his peak form.

“Mmm…”

The two of them lay on the grass, one gazing fixedly at the trees above, while the other spaced out while he rested his mind. Suddenly, An’an let out a soft moan and turned her head towards him.

Now, she could already accurately determine Bluepool’s location. This was the one thing that cheered her up the most in recent years.

Bluepool hurriedly got up. “Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere? Do you want to relieve yourself?”

An’an hugged her belly with both arms. Seemingly due to the discomfort in her belly, she wanted to remove her stomach.

“Are you about to give birth?” Bluepool instantly reacted, then started feeling nervous. He carried An’an and ran towards the sea.

Bluepool set An’an down on the shoal. The seawater had turned warm under the blazing sun, and when a person soaked in it it was like they were taking a hot bath.

Soaking in the seawater made survival easier during the delivery. Also, it was beneficial for the health of the fish roe. It was just that the sunlight was too intense, An’an’s skin couldn’t withstand it.

At first, Bluepool shielded the sun rays using his own body. But the effects were insignificant. Besides, being a fish, he was also terrified of being exposed to the sun. Shortly after, he couldn’t take it anymore.

“An’an, stay here and wait for me for a while. I’ll come back after plucking some tree leaves.” Bluepool dragged her up a little to let her sit on the sand, before running ashore.

An’an’s face scrunched up as she watched him leave. She was about to crawl after him when a big wave came at her. In an instant, she drifted away like a floating leaf.

“An’an!” Worried, Bluepool turned around and looked. What he saw greatly alarmed him, and he hurriedly ran towards the sea again. As a first-time father-to-be, he was immensely flustered.

Thankfully, An’an had gotten used to the water and didn’t choke.. By the time Bluepool caught up, she had already reached deeper waters.