"It's not for eating, I'm using it to build a house." Mu Qingyun turned her head and looked around—there were scattered bricks and stones everywhere. It seemed like some construction company had carelessly dumped their leftover materials here.
The military academy trial changed locations every year for fairness. Maybe the construction company never expected that the things they tossed aside would come in handy for her here.
Previously, when she went undercover, she had been to a place where the houses were all made from seaweed, locally called "seaweed houses."
Seeing those houses had amazed her. She specifically asked the locals about how they made such seaweed houses.
She was deeply impressed by the wisdom of the working people. Little did she expect that this wisdom would now help her.
Seaweed from the deep ocean is tougher than that from shallow waters; using it to build houses is much more effective.
"Y-You mean, just use these?" Su looked at the seaweed in his hand and gave it a sharp tug—surprisingly, it didn't break.
Wow, how rare.
He applied a bit more force and was about to pull harder but suddenly remembered his persona. Quickly changing his expression, he played weak and said, "It doesn't break."
"Mm, this kind of seaweed is tougher than the shallow sea variety. It blocks wind well and also keeps out the rain," Mu Qingyun looked at the seaweed, a smile flickering in her eyes. "Building a simple house is definitely better than living in a cave all the time."
"Build a house?" Kazel listened for a while, then grabbed a strand of seaweed, squeezed it in his hand, and decisively stuffed it into his mouth. "This is clearly food—how can it be used to build a house?"
"Want to bet?" She calmly hid all the seaweed behind her back, worried Kazel might eat a few more.
At this, Kazel flicked his tail. His shimmering scales gleamed dazzlingly under the sunlight. "You say."
"You don't believe I can build a house with this, do you?" She stared into Kazel's violet eyes, a mischievous smile flashing in her gaze.
Kazel looked at her and nodded, "Yes."
"Good, then I'll build it for you to see." She raised an eyebrow and waved the seaweed in her hand. "But you have to get me more seaweed."
"If I manage to build the house, then this seaweed is yours for free."
"And if you can't build it?" Kazel tilted his head and casually propped his chin with one hand, watching her with interest.
Mu Qingyun tilted her head too. "Then I'll pay you ten times the market price for the seaweed—as if buying it from you."
"Deal!" Hearing this, Kazel quickly shouted, as if afraid she might change her mind if he hesitated.
"You've lived here all this time, right?" Mu Qingyun watched Kazel nod and immediately slapped her thigh and stood up. "Alright, I'll come find you again tomorrow."
[Wow, did I hear that right?]
[Building a house? Is Mu Qingyun crazy, or am I?]
[No, I get building a house, since there are plenty of bricks and stuff, but using seaweed to build? This is the first time I've heard of it.]
[Exactly, seaweed for building? I've lived so long and never heard of it either.]
[Tsk, Mu Ge knows so much—I've known this for a while. He'll definitely build a great seaweed house, I believe in him!]
[Yeah, Kazel doesn't believe it yet, but when Mu Ge finishes, it'll definitely blow everyone away.]
[Why do you all blindly trust Mu Qingyun? Whatever he says goes, you're total fangirls.]
[Damn, why do you talk so much? If you don't like Mu Ge, why are you even watching?]
[What's wrong? Don't like it but won't let others watch? Why are you so bossy, as if you decided the military trial is a live broadcast?]
...
Carrying the seaweed back to the cave, Mu Qingyun felt instantly energized at the thought of the upcoming house. She just put the seaweed down and went out again to collect bricks.
"I'll come with you."
Su called out and quickly followed behind her.
"Don't overdo it. If you're too tired, rest a bit." She glanced at Su following her closely, casually picked up a scattered brick, "Just find bricks like this—don't use ones that are too damaged."
"Okay." Su obediently responded and went to another spot to pick bricks from the ground.
He looked forward to seeing what kind of house Mu Qingyun would build.
Days went by with collecting bricks and seaweed. At first, it was just Mu Qingyun and Su, but later others from the cave joined them.
Their efforts turned one area of the island into a beautiful scene.
"Are you done collecting?" Kazel lay comfortably by the shore, the gentle waves lightly lapping against his body—it looked incredibly relaxing.
"Almost done." Mu Qingyun picked up a brick and looked over at Kazel.
His tail gently swayed, looking really enticing.
She stared at the tail for a while, pinching the brick in her hand, really wanting to feel what a mermaid's tail felt like.
But, she reminded herself not to be too reckless. After staring a moment, she looked away.
Just as she refocused on the bricks, Kazel chuckled softly, "Want to touch it?"
At those words, she immediately looked up. Although she didn't answer directly, her intense gaze fully expressed her inner thoughts.
"Don't get your hopes up. Do you know what it means to touch a mermaid's tail?" Kazel folded his hands behind his head, smiling lazily.
[I know, I know—the mermaid's tail is a sensitive spot!]
[Hehehe, Mu Ge wants to touch Kazel's tail, hehe.]
[Um, upstairs folks, you're making me uncomfortable.]
[Ahhhh, touch it, touch it, let mama touch it, if not, mama will hold your hand and touch it (and I wanna touch too).]
[Didn't you hear Kazel say, 'Don't get your hopes up'?]
[Get that outta here! Why do you always remind me of reality when I'm shipping so hard?]
"I know." Mu Qingyun recalled the description from the Classic of Mountains and Seas—she clearly remembered the details about mermaids.
"Knowing that and still wanting to touch it—have you fallen for me, ugly?" Kazel smugly raised an eyebrow and flicked his tail up and down.
Seeing him act so coquettish, Mu Qingyun's mouth twitched, "I'm just interested in mermaids. You're not the only one. Don't be so full of yourself."
"Uh, you two are both guys." Beside them, Xiong Ruoyou watched their interaction, pursed her lips, and quietly reminded.
"What era is this, still discriminating?" Kazel rolled onto his side leisurely. Though he was talking to Xiong Ruoyou, his violet eyes remained locked tightly on Mu Qingyun.
[Well said. What era is this, still discriminating?]
[Wow, Kazel saying this is interesting. Could he really like Mu Ge?]