The Record of Unusual Creatures

Chapter 146: Naming the Baby

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

It was the first time Hao Ren got to witness with his own eyes the wonder of racial differences.

After some meticulous observation, the half-past-six guardian knew it was not part of teething behavior instead, she had mistaken the chopstick for food. The six-inch mermaid had really powerful jaws. She bit the bamboo chopstick in half like she was eating a chocolate bar, leaving the table full of bamboo residue. Hao Ren was shocked. He went to grab the piece of chopstick left in her mouth but thought better of it after seeing a mouthful of saliva.

The piece of chopstick disappeared into her mouth, and the little mermaid's stomach was bloated. She patted her tummy as she burped out some bamboo breath before she jumped into the tub and darted across the water. She was so agile that it was hard to imagine this little one was just a newborn of a few hours. Lily looked on in amazement. Then she said, "Hmm, looks like she could gnaw on my teething rusk too... Don’t you think so, Landlord?"

Not to say the husky was being over imaginative but, she was the only one who would think of such a thing.

"She eats bamboo?" Vivian had the weirdest expression in the entire universe. "Since I was born, this is my first time seeing a mermaid eat bamboo. A bamboo-eating fingerling."

"I think she feeds on roughage." As a water-bound creature, Nangong Wuyue knew more about mermaids than anyone else. "There are no bamboos in the sea. I bet the oceans in other worlds don’t have it too. But, this little mermaid’s main food is coarse fiber. It thrives in the toughest environments and survives on its own. No wonder Sister Goddess was so damn sure the egg would hatch—this thing’s really tough."

"The fact that the egg only hatched when it was boiled really got me. Yet, she warned me not to cook it. What the heck?" said Hao Ren as his mouth twitched slightly. He was not too surprised that the little fish was tough. Mainly because, he always thought that mermaids in the Otherworld were ferocious and tough. Just judging from her powerful jaws and maneuverability, throwing a few of these eggs into the Pacific Ocean would completely wipe out the other life forms in no time. Not even fishing boats would survive. Unfortunately, the fingerling was the only one left of her species.

As everyone surrounded the tub to study the little mermaid, a prickly voice was suddenly heard coming from the doorway. "Hey, I’m back! What are you guys doing?"

Lily turned her head and glanced over her shoulder. It was Y’zaks. She waved and called out to him. "Big guy, over here, quickly! Landlord’s egg has hatched! Thanks to me!"

At that moment, Hao Ren felt like hauling the husky out of the window. Unfortunately, he was no match for her...

"What the heck are you talking about?" Y’zaks was confused. As he poked his head around, he saw a little fish in the tub, and was astonished. "Nangong, I didn’t know you were pregnant."

Hao Ren was speechless.

"Ah, I see it now!" Sensing something was wrong, the penny dropped, and Y’zaks quickly realized his mistake. He smacked his forehead and said, "Please, excuse my blunder. It’s the egg we brought back. It hatched so quickly!"

Hao Ren glanced at the demon suspiciously. He sensed Y’zaks was up to something. It was not a mere slip of tongue. His mind was obviously not there. However, the great demon was swift to divert attention.

"What’s the name of this little thing?"

"Oh, it doesn't have a name!" Vivian clapped her hands. "We can’t keep calling it Baby Fish, right?"

Everyone started to think of a name for the baby fish. It seemed like the little mermaid had a promising future. Barely hours since she was born, she had become the crown jewel of the family. Rollie circled around and meowed for like half a day and yet nobody noticed it. It looked like it had lost its place and that was very depressing for Rollie.

Hao Ren teased the little mermaid's tail with his finger. He had a suggestion. "Let’s call it Baby as a nickname. After all, we don't have to register her. We could always give her a proper name when she grows up."

"No, that sounds too conventional." Nangong Wuyue waved her hands frantically. "Next, please."

"Considering she's a mermaid and she's been sticking to our landlord since he brought her back, shall we name her Hao Fishy?"

Lily was elated. "Yeah, I agree..."

"Next, please!" Hao Ren had a big headache. "Can’t you guys be more serious?"

Then Lily had another idea. "Okay, since it was I who did the incubating, let’s name it Dog Egg..."

Everyone cried, "Next!"

"I think the name should be gorgeous and distinguished," Y’zaks broke his silence with his coarse voice. "We need to take her identity into consideration: she’s the only mermaid left whom the goddess placed in our custody. Her guardian, that's you, Landlord, is the right-hand man of God; in the language of my world, you’re kind of a pontiff character whom even the king will bow to. So, this mermaid deserves a princess name..."

Hao Ren was even more confused now. "What do you suggest then?"

"Elizabeth Francois Velasquez Furier—hey, wait a second, I'm not done—"

Hao Ren shoved Y’zaks away (it felt like pushing away a mountain). "You’re not as good as me!"

The great demon sounded like an unimaginative name-generator and a lame bookworm.

Everybody was at it again, and nobody seemed to be able to come up with something sensible. At last Vivian spoke with a low voice with her arms crossed, "The big guy’s right. The little mermaid deserves a good name. But, his suggestion was a little bit too wordy. Hey, we can shorten it and call her Elizabeth. What do you say?"

Not that the name was bad, but Hao Ren felt that it was too common and lacked ingenuity. Before Hao Ren could say anything, the hammer fell as Vivian spoke again, "If there are no objections, then it’ll be decided as such. The earliest mermaid legend originated from the west, and I think this name suits the little one quite nicely. What do you think, Landlord?"

To Hao Ren, this fingerling, who was just under half a foot was anything but elegant. He looked at his mad tenants and could not help himself. He nodded, thinking that least Elizabeth was a proper name. If things were left to the husky, it was not impossible that Dog Egg would have very well become the chosen name.

"I’d like to give her a nickname," Nangong Wuyue raised her hand. "Elizabeth sounds too formal. She shall be called Lil Pea because she's small like a pea."

Without waiting for the others to spill their thoughts, the little mermaid started to slap its tail in the tub happily. Although she could have been happy for other reasons, everyone felt the same. Hao Ren clapped his hands and said, "That’s it. She agreed. She’s Lil Pea from now on!"

The little mermaid finally got her names: Elizabeth, and Lil Pea as a nickname.

Hao Ren had a hunch that the name would one day become legend—just look at the contrast...

After half a day of hoo-ha, Lily was starving. Everyone dispersed back to where they were supposed to be; Vivian went into the kitchen and started cooking while Y’zaks as well as Nangong Wuyue started to unpack. Just when Hao Ren was about to leave, there was trouble: the little mermaid wanted to tag along wherever he went.

As everyone had left and Hao Ren was about to do the same, Lil Pea, the little mermaid began to beat her tail against the water and scream like crazy. She scrambled out of the water, onto the tea table and then onto the floor. After that, she jumped towards Hao Ren. Hao Ren was shocked seeing all that.

Lil Pea calmed down once she clung onto Hao Ren’s leg. However, Hao Ren was almost in tears: the little fish was looking up to him like he was her mum, and he needed to do something about it real quick!

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