Future Beast World: Becoming A Pampered Beauty-Chapter 168 - 112: First Birthday Grab

The phantom instantly entered the space between Blue Eucalyptus’s eyebrows, turning into a faint blue mark before quickly vanishing.

"Adult Merfolk are kings of the Deep Sea, but their young are weak and reproduction is difficult. The remnants of our ancestors’ Divine Souls remain to protect their descendants. In times of crisis, they can be summoned for aid."

After Lou Xianyue finished explaining this via spiritual power, he smiled at Sang Luo, his eyes crinkling. "Sang’er, it’s your turn to give your blessing."

Below the altar, tens of thousands of Beastmen looked up at her in unison. Most had never been fortunate enough to witness the baptism of a previous Sea Emperor’s heir, but they had long heard that the biological Beast Mother’s blessing had a tremendous impact on the child. However, very few Beast Mothers ever offered such a prayer. ’The Young Master is truly lucky!’

’What kind of blessing will the Queen give?’

’Will she wish for her child to awaken a supreme Rule Talent? To become the strongest Beast King? To lead the South Sea Beastmen in conquest? To expand her family’s power? Or maybe...’

"My wish for Little An is a life of peace and joy, free from pain and worry, and to grow up healthy."

Sang Luo didn’t have grand expectations for her children, only this simple wish.

The moment she finished speaking, her words transformed into a stream of light that flowed into the space between Blue Eucalyptus’s eyebrows.

This...

’It’s a real Word Spirit blessing!’

Sang Luo was dumbfounded. ’I thought it was just a simple verbal blessing, I didn’t expect it to actually happen! Th-th-this... Was what I just said too casual? Can I please have a do-over?!’

"Thank you for your blessing, Sang’er. Our Little An will certainly grow up healthy," Lou Xianyue said with deep affection, solemnly placing a kiss on her forehead.

From an angle hidden from the crowd, Sang Luo reached out and gently tugged on Lou Xianyue’s wide, silver sleeve. "Wasn’t my blessing too simple and casual?" she whispered. "It’s practically the same as saying nothing. This is our precious son’s once-in-a-lifetime opportunity... I didn’t waste it, did I...?"

"How could it be a waste?" Lou Xianyue’s gaze was so tender it was almost overwhelming. If they weren’t in public, he would have pulled her into a fierce embrace. "Trust me, that was the best possible wish for him. One day, Little An will thank you for it."

"There are still quite a few tedious ceremonies to go through. They’re mostly just for show, for the Priests’ sake. If you’re tired, you can head back and rest. I’ll bring our son back to the palace and find you when everything is finished."

Sang Luo sensed he had more he wanted to say, but then she turned and saw several of the South Sea’s gorgeously robed High Priests approaching. She nodded. "Alright. I’ll go back to the palace and wait for you."

Sang Luo wasn’t fond of such crowded and lively occasions anyway, and since her part was over, she returned to the palace to rest.

「In the middle of the night」

Lou Xianyue returned, holding their child.

Blue Eucalyptus slept peacefully in his arms, looking no different than before. But Sang Luo could feel that his Soul Power was much more substantial now.

When she had first met Blue Eucalyptus, his body had been incredibly weak, and his Soul Power was like an ethereal mist that seemed like it could dissipate at any moment.

"This is..."

"Your blessing, Sang’er." Lou Xianyue wrapped his other arm around her waist, leaned down to kiss her, and said, "The situation with our Merfolk Clan is a bit special. It’s... rather complicated to explain. If you want to know more later, I’ll tell you everything, piece by piece."

"But there is one thing I must tell you. A biological Beast Mother’s blessing during the baptism has a profound impact on a Merfolk’s entire life. Your blessing was like injecting a new power into Little An. From now on, he won’t need to hibernate anymore. He can live like a normal child."

"But didn’t you say you hibernated for a long time when you were little?"

"I never received a blessing." Lou Xianyue shook his head, speaking nonchalantly. "It’s quite normal. Most Beast Mothers don’t give their children blessings during the baptism."

"Why?" Sang Luo knew that in the Beast World, children were typically raised by their Beast Father and that the bond between a Beast Mother and her offspring was often shallow. ’But still, it’s their own child. Why would they pass up such a great opportunity?’

"A blessing, in truth, is the transfer of a portion of one’s own ’fortune’ to their child. Merfolk cubs are born with a kind of Void Providence, but during gestation, half of that providence remains in the mother’s body. The blessing is essentially the child taking back that portion... This providence isn’t particularly useful to the mother, but it’s a valuable thing nonetheless, so no one is willing to just give it away." Lou Xianyue sounded a little apprehensive. "I didn’t tell you this beforehand. Are you angry with me?"

"I knew you wanted me to give our son the blessing. I would have done it whether you told me or not."

Sang Luo could understand Lou Xianyue’s devotion as a Beast Father; this son was the most important person to him. "I’m more concerned about something else," she said. "Logically, an Innate King Beast should have a much stronger constitution than an ordinary Beastman. My other cubs are all perfectly healthy. So why are Merfolk Clan cubs born so frail? Are they really just congenitally weak?"

"All the Merfolk of our clan have gone through the same thing, and we’ve all turned out fine, haven’t we?" He handed the baby to her. "Alright, Sang’er, don’t worry about it so much. There’s nothing wrong with Little An’s health now, and you’ll have more time to spend with him."

Seeing Lou Xianyue’s untroubled expression, Sang Luo figured she was probably overthinking things. She nodded with a smile. "In my hometown, we have a custom for a child’s first birthday."

"What kind of custom?"

"When a child turns one, they start to develop their own will. So the parents gather some small, symbolic items and let the child choose one. The item they grab can supposedly hint at their future temperament, personality, and interests. They might even grow up to be talented in that field," Sang Luo explained. "It’s not always accurate, but it’s a meaningful tradition."

"Hmm, that does sound interesting." Lou Xianyue nodded in agreement. "What do you need? I’ll have it prepared."

"Let me see... The usual items are an abacus, a book, scissors, a wooden ruler, a comb, an ink brush, a flute, a wooden spoon, copper coins, a gourd, a wooden mallet, a fan, a rouge box, a seal..." Sang Luo listed them out.

Most of these items weren’t available in the sea regions, so Lou Xianyue sent his people to the surface. It took them a full day to gather everything.

Once everything was ready, they spread the small objects on a large red cloth. Lou Xianyue placed Blue Eucalyptus on the floor, and Little Blue Eucalyptus began crawling about, carefully considering his options.

Sang Luo thought he would grab the flute, or perhaps the book. She never expected that he would end up picking... the abacus.

"He doesn’t take after me at all," Lou Xianyue said, dismayed. "Why an abacus? Our Merfolk Clan has had no connection to them for generations."

"It would be a disaster if he did take after you!" Sang Luo retorted. "I’ve seen the mountain of paperwork piled up in your study, and I’ve barely seen you touch any of it. Grabbing the abacus means our son has a talent for management. He has a boundless future ahead of him!"

"Yes, yes, Sang’er is right. My position has a worthy successor. When Little An becomes the Sea Emperor, he’ll certainly be a better ruler than I am."

That night, after dinner, Sang Luo lay in bed staring at the ceiling. The joy of the past few days slowly dissipated, replaced by a strange sense of melancholy.

’I never realized how much Blue Eucalyptus, who I hadn’t seen for a year, missed me.’ She had held celebrations for the Wolf Pup’s first month and the Little Mermaid’s first birthday, but there were two other litters of her cubs that she couldn’t even see. ’I haven’t even had the chance to throw them a birthday party...’