After falling asleep, Qiao You felt as if he had stepped into the void.

"Where is this?" Qiao You took small steps forward. "Helian Jue? Are you there?"

This is the new servant's name, which Qiao You has already memorized.

There was no response, and it was pitch black all around, except for a white ball that was gleaming not far ahead.

Qiao You bit his lip and ran forward as fast as he could. Helian Jue was so irresponsible, leaving him alone in such a place!

A pair of long, slender legs, running incredibly fast.

By the way, Qiao You can freely switch between a fish tail and human legs.

After running for a while, there was finally light.

A clear little spring came into Qiao You's view. Wasn't this his spiritual spring?

He thought Little Pearl had been swept away by the tsunami, but it turns out she's here.

Qiao You squatted down beside the spring, dipped his finger in the spring water, and sipped it. Yes, it was his spiritual spring.

Having confirmed it was a spiritual spring, Qiao You got up and examined the surrounding environment.

A few dozen meters from the spring, there is a withered sycamore tree. It has no leaves, only dry branches, and the trunk looks like it is about to collapse.

Upon witnessing this scene, Qiao You felt a deep sadness welling up in his heart.

Tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks, each drop turning into a pearl.

Qiao You's eyes were red as he picked up the small pearls that had fallen to the ground one by one.

Standing under the sycamore tree, Qiao You reached out and stroked the trunk, then closed his eyes.

Helian Jue?

Is this Helian Jue's spiritual sea?

In the interstellar era, humanity awakened its mental power, which in turn caused mental damage. The war between the Empire and the Alliance, with its constant emergence of new weapons, further damaged their mental power.

Those with higher mental strength are especially affected.

Therefore, with spirit pets, one can heal damaged mental energy.

Helian Jue, as the God of War of the Empire, naturally took the lead. In the battle three years ago, he drove the alliance out of the Empire's territory.

Nowadays, everyone in the alliance trembles at the mere mention of Helian Jue's name.

As a result, Helian Jue's spiritual power suffered an unprecedented blow and was almost exhausted.

For the past three years, His Highness the Crown Prince of the Empire has visited the Spirit Pet Pavilion many times, but has not found a suitable spirit pet.

Qiao You's mind was filled with the painful experiences Helian Jue had gone through over the years.

Helian Jue single-handedly saved the empire, but now he is feared by the people because of his ruthless methods back then. Qiao You felt it was a waste for him!

After receiving the information from the mental sea, Qiao You's eyes turned even redder, and four or five small pearls fell to the ground at his feet.

After collecting all the small pearls, Qiao You cupped his hands and poured the spiritual spring water onto the phoenix tree, drop by drop.

Qiao You ran back and forth more than a dozen times. The sycamore tree was in better condition than when he first saw it, but it was still a drop in the ocean.

Exhausted, Qiao You leaned against the sycamore tree and fell asleep without realizing it.

————

While at the Spirit Pet Pavilion, Helian Jue discovered that the little mermaid had fallen asleep.

Carrying the things he bought for the little merman, he boarded the hovercar and returned to his residence.

Since being injured three years ago, Helian Jue has moved out of the palace and is now living in a detached villa in Yushui Bay.

"Your Highness, should we put these things away?" Lin Zhong asked, carrying various items he had bought from the Spirit Pet Pavilion, following behind Helian Jue.

The little mermaid in his palm was fast asleep, and Helian Jue unconsciously lowered his voice, "Just put it down, I can do it myself."

"Yes!" Lin Zhong replied.

Seeing how carefully His Highness was taking care of the little mermaid, Lin Zhong felt somewhat gratified; His Highness finally had hope.

Lin Zhong left Yushui Bay and immediately opened the StarNet after getting into the hovercar.

The fact that His Highness entered the Spirit Pet Pavilion today will likely cause a huge uproar on the StarNet.

As Lin Zhong expected, the most discussed topic on the StarNet's trending search list was His Highness the Crown Prince entering the Spirit Pet Pavilion and taking away a little mermaid.

Milk Tea Without Sugar: "His Highness the Crown Prince finally has a spirit pet! A cause for celebration!"

Orange loves oranges: "Waaaaaah, His Highness the Crown Prince is so handsome it's unbelievable!"

"Only a gigolo: Indeed, I must say, our Crown Prince's looks are truly stunning! He is undoubtedly the most handsome man in the empire!"

...

Of course, amidst the cheers and effusive praise, there were also some discordant remarks.

"Didn't you notice that the little mermaid was lying motionless in the palm of your hand? I have a bold guess!"

"You mean, the little mermaid was not there willingly?"

"The person upstairs is right!"

"But the Spirit Pet Pavilion has regulations personally issued by His Majesty, surely not..."

"That depends on who the person is!"

"How can His Highness the Crown Prince be compared to us commoners!"

...

The matter of whether His Highness the Crown Prince's spirit pet was acquired against his will has become increasingly heated on the Star Network. Lin Zhong immediately contacted the staff of the Spirit Pet Pavilion and asked them to issue an official statement. He also instructed Eleanor, who was in charge of public opinion at the Eastern Palace, to release a video using the Eastern Palace's official account.

Upon hearing the news, netizens flocked to the site and gathered under the official account of the Eastern Palace.

"Your Highness's little mermaid pet is so beautiful! Its silver-blue fishtail and hair are such rare colors for mermaids!"

"The little mermaid is so cute!!! What color burlap sack does she like???"

"Upstairs, you're terrible!"

"Didn't you all notice how gentle His Highness is? The little mermaid is holding onto his fingers and won't let go, and His Highness has such a doting smile on his lips... Waaaaaah, I'm so envious!"

"The interaction between His Highness and the little mermaid is so sweet!"

"Have you forgotten that the Crown Prince, whose mental state went out of control, slaughtered tens of thousands of people?"

"They are members of the Alliance, Your Highness is acting in accordance with the law!"

"But they are also ordinary people, with the right to live, and should not be wantonly slaughtered!"

...

Eleanor also saw these comments and could only try to quell the discussion by steering the conversation; deleting them would only further incite people's backlash.

After Lin Zhong left, Helian Jue used a wet towel to wipe the little mermaid's tail to keep it moist.

The little house I bought for the merman at the Spirit Pet Pavilion is two stories. The first floor is a small pool, and the second floor is a miniature bedroom. There is a slide and a small elevator connecting the two floors, making it easy for the merman to go up and down.

After assembling the little mermaid's house, Helian Jue sat down at the table again, looking at the little mermaid, his fingers resting on its silver-blue tail, feeling if it was wet.

Before he knew it, Helian Jue had fallen asleep.

In his dream, he saw a boy standing in front of him, silently shedding tears.

Helian Jue felt a pang of pain in his heart. He wanted to comfort the boy, but he couldn't. As if bound by some force, he gradually fell into a coma.