Favorite of the Beast-world: I Got Rich Through Farming-Chapter 366 - 245: A Piece of Paper and Appeasement
The door opened, then closed again. Mi Yin, who had been searching the area, heard the sound and glanced up to see the late-arriving Ling Hong in the distance.
His expression was grim, and he clutched a piece of paper in his hand.
"What happened?" Mi Yin asked, his tone detached. "Jin’er is hungry. She needs to eat, so hurry up and make something."
"See for yourself," Ling Hong said, his grip tightening. "Don’t... don’t tell her about this yet." He thrust the ink-stained paper at Mi Yin before walking into the kitchen.
Mi Yin glanced at Ling Hong’s retreating figure, his pace hurried. He frowned, reached out, and smoothed open the crumpled piece of paper—
After reading its contents, his once-detached expression instantly darkened, and immense anger flared in his heart:
"Damn it!"
A flicker of flame ignited on his fingertip. A Fire Snake licked at the paper, and the crumpled note was instantly reduced to ash.
Once back in the room, neither of them mentioned the matter. They decided to keep it from her for now. Everything... could wait until after she gave birth.
...
Xi was gone for two days, then rushed back in a great hurry. He was still entangled in seaweed and kelp that he hadn’t had time to remove, and his hair was sopping wet. He completely lacked the meticulous grooming he usually prided himself on. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺
"Did you... go back to the sea?" An Jin couldn’t help but laugh. She stepped forward, plucked a piece of kelp from his hair, and placed it on the bamboo tray on the stone table.
’We can eat this tonight.’
"I went back into the sea to get you something!" Xi nodded, stooping to wrap an arm around her waist, his voice brimming with unconcealable joy. "These are things the pregnant Merfolk females in my tribe use. I thought they might be helpful for you!"
"What is it?" An Jin asked, curious.
She watched as he took out several Crystal Stones. Amazingly, faint green and blue lights swirled simultaneously within the thumb-sized gems.
That evening, when it was time for her bath, Xi boiled a pot of water. He poured it into the cool water in the large wooden tub, then stirred it with his hand to test the temperature.
Hiss. It was a little hot. Xi rubbed his slightly red hand. ’But this temperature should be perfect for Ah Jin,’ he thought.
"Ah Jin! It’s perfect now! You can come get in the bath!" he exclaimed, patting the side of the tub cheerfully.
An Jin didn’t understand why he was so worked up, but she still planned on her usual soak before bed. She noticed the Little Merfolk was just standing by the tub, watching her, with no intention of leaving.
"Do you want to get in with me?" An Jin teased with a smile.
Xi’s ear fins turned slightly red. ’I do want to,’ he thought, ’but I’m afraid I won’t be able to control myself... Now isn’t a good time to get close.’
"You’re impossible! Just get in and wash, you’ll see in a minute!"
An Jin nodded. Feeling no particular shyness, she removed her Shark Sha and submerged herself in the warm water, letting out a sigh of comfort.
Ripples spread across the water’s surface. Her long, wet hair fanned out, tracing sensuous arcs with the gentle waves. The warmth of the water brought a rosy flush to her cheeks, and her light-colored eyes grew misty. He saw her fair skin, her delicate collarbones and shoulders, and then... lower...
Xi quickly averted his eyes, his azure eyelashes trembling. He didn’t dare look any further down.
’His Ah Jin is more beautiful than all the female Merfolk he’s seen in his entire life, combined.’
"Are you feeling a little more comfortable now?" Xi asked expectantly, composing himself before sprinkling the Crystal Stones into the bathwater.
The small stones quickly dissolved into a warm current that flowed through the water.
An Jin’s eyes flew open in surprise. She felt the fatigue that had plagued her recently vanish in an instant. She touched her swollen belly; even the discomfort there seemed to have lessened.
She nodded, her eyes shining with delighted surprise. "This is amazing." She looked up at him expectantly. "Are there more of these little stones? I want to use them for my bath every day."
"Of course! As many as you want, Ah Jin~" Xi said, instinctively touching a scar on his arm, which was perfectly hidden by his Shark Sha.
These Crystal Stones contained a magical Energy that soothed the soul. They could only be obtained by hunting specific, ferocious Sea Beasts, making them exceptionally precious. Only the Merfolk Royal Family was privileged enough to use them.
Even Xi’s own mother would only use a single one when the discomfort of her pregnancy became extreme.
...
An Jin’s pregnancy, however, coincided with the busy spring season. All the city’s affairs were starting up again, several major infrastructure projects were on the schedule, and merchandise orders from other continents were pouring in.
Every project required An Jin’s personal inspection and seal of approval to prevent any oversights, which could otherwise lead to disastrous losses for the project.
She had also always been the one to manage the orders and ledgers.
The orders and bills from every region had to be checked, number by number. The sums involved were too large, and none of the other Beastmen had the skills to manage them.
She was also the one who had to make most of the other decisions for the city, big and small, from expanding territory and accepting the allegiance of new tribes to building bridges and paving roads.
With the number of orders increasing daily, the *Voyager 1*’s round trip took at least seven days, which was nowhere near enough to meet the demand for goods.
Plans for the *Voyager 2* and *Voyager 3* were put on the agenda, along with the construction of major ports. An Jin had to go and supervise the work periodically. Even during her rest periods, countless Beastmen came to the castle to report to her on the progress of various projects.
Every day, the council hall on the castle’s first floor was packed to the gills. An Jin was busy to the point of exhaustion.
Unfortunately, her physical condition was deteriorating by the day. A constant sense of fatigue clung to her, making it impossible to handle so many tasks.
’If only I had trained a few more assistants before this.’
At first, Mi Yin and the others could only watch anxiously, wishing they had learned more about city management so she wouldn’t have to work so hard.
But it wasn’t too late to start learning. Mi Yin, the others, and a few quick-witted Beastmen became An Jin’s assistants-in-training.
「Another half a month passed.」
An Jin delegated the city’s affairs, both large and small, to them. Major construction proposals were postponed, to be revisited once her condition improved.
...
A month and a half had passed since her pregnancy was confirmed. Her energy had gradually depleted over that time, and she now spent a dozen or more hours a day in a deep sleep.
Chi Li had also moved to the castle’s fourth floor, making it easier to monitor her condition around the clock and adjust her medicine to ensure everything went smoothly.
After all, in a place with such primitive medicine as the Beast World, pregnancy and childbirth still posed significant risks for a female.
Because of An Jin’s unique and exceptional constitution, it was impossible to determine the gestation period for the cub in her womb.
But judging by her current condition, Chi Li estimated that the time was only a few days away. He stayed by her side twenty-four hours a day, his heart filled with an unprecedented sense of anxiety and helplessness.
Finally, one night a few days later, a sharp cry pierced the dead of night.
