The club had before received two million credits through an anonymous donation and after consulting the staff at Yunbao branch, they finally decided to use the money to construct a new facility—
An outdoor venue for the aquatic races.
Not only would it come in handy as the number of aquatic race cubs increased in the future, it would also let the existing Mermaid and Moye cub have a more free living environment.
To build an outdoor pool of moderate size and connect it to the pool inside, would only cost them approximately one million credits.
Included was also an invisible shielding barrier which could protect the cubs from rain and wind when needed. The barrier was the kind that automatically deactivated when not required, which was very convenient.
The rest of the money was spent on an environment simulator, which was even more expensive than building the new pool and required them to take a little from the money Xie Tao had previously acquired for the club.
Although it was a large expense, Xie Tao still decided to do it after considering all aspects of the situation.
At present, the funds to maintain their club's daily operations were still very adequate. It was therefore quite reasonable to spend money on essentials such as the new facility and the machine, they had all agreed on that.
Professionals were hired and it took a few days before the new outdoor pool was finished.
The installation of the environment simulator, however, did not need as much time and was done before the end of the day. Once the construction of the new pool was finished, Xie Tao and several of the other caretakers brought the cubs over to show it to them.
Although it was mainly for aquatic races, it was not uncommon for the terrestrial cubs to occasionally play in the water as well. When they had sufficient funds, Xie Tao even planned on also building a water playground for the cubs.
As they approached the newly built pool, they entered the scope of the environment simulator and immediately felt a change. The breeze brushing against their face was slightly different and the air had the scent of ocean.
It was not just the wind, the sound of waves could also be heard. As soon as the cubs following the caretakers stepped into the simulation, they saw a blue ocean spread out before them.
The actual space was naturally not that large, it was simply the newly installed simulator that made it seem this way. It even manipulated the flow of water and many more aspects of the environment to make the area as similar to the ocean as possible.
Of course, there was also safety measures. The pool had an automatic rescue system, so there was no need to worry about the terrestrial cubs accidentally drowning.
The sea.
Most cubs at Yunbao branch had never seen the ocean before. But despite this, they still thought that the scene in front of them was very beautiful.
As for the two aquatic cubs, the current simulation showing the ocean gave them a very familiar and nostalgic feeling. The Moye cub had already taken the initiative and was eagerly making his way towards the water. He seemed like he wanted to enter it and never leave.
Unfortunately, after just a few steps, he stumbled and accidentally turned onto his back. The Moye cub waved his small legs in the air for a while and after finding that he could not turn back, hummed, calling out to the youth standing nearby.
In fact, every time the cub walked carelessly and ended up on his back, he would not immediately ask out for help. The only exception was if he was in his parents' presence.
Because he always turned over onto his shell for no reason when he walked, he was always inconveniencing people. The cub could feel other people's impatience and so struggled, kicking his legs in the air, trying desperately to do it himself. It was first when he realized that he really could not do it on his own that he would call out to others with a humming sound.
He turned over again….
Xie Tao pressed his lips together, but still couldn't stop a laugh from escaping. Hearing how the humming grew louder after his suppressed laughter, Xie Tao gave a low cough and squatted down to turn the Moye cub back. He then held him in his arms.
"If you turn over in the future and there are no adults around, you can ask the other cubs for help. They will certainly be willing to help you." Although the possibility of no adults being around was very small, Xie Tao touched the Moye cub's hard shell and said this in a soft tone.
The Moye cub, who was being held by the youth, was very obedient. The little sharp tail was shaking behind him as he raised his head and hummed to the youth.
Although the youth in front of him had just a moment ago laughed when he was on his back, the cub knew that he had not laughed at him. Besides, the youth had helped him, turning him over very gently without making him feel the slightest discomfort.
Cubs were actually much more perceptive than many people thought. When it came to sensing other people's emotions and attitude towards them, cubs were especially susceptible.
The people who would be good to them and those who would be bad to them, the cubs could often distinguish them simply through instinct.
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Translator's note:
Many thanks to K. Samel for the coffees. ❤️
My exams took up a lot of time, more than I had expected, so to be able to publish today I decided to divide this chapter into two parts. Since I'm quite busy next week as well and have a report due on Monday, I will publish part two next Frida–
Readers – Stares intensely
Leo – Freezes, stops talking. Hesitantly takes one nervous step back
Readers – Gets triggered by movement
Leo: …Please don't mush me ahhh!
(Btw, it was very interesting to read your comments on the last chapter, to think that mom and dad were so similar all over the globe, fascinating.)