As the gentle radiance of "Amum" gradually faded, the continent of Cadheus entered the only few minutes of darkness in the entire day. All things lay dormant in the darkness, watching the gas giant's final sliver of light leave the horizon before welcoming the resplendent sunrise.
A day on the continent of Cadheus lasted only sixteen hours. It wasn't the shortest daytime period among all planes, but it was the shortest among planes with large populations, so newcomers needed some time to adjust to the local routine. Hao Ren was still lying on the inn bed, sleeping soundly, while on the cabinet beside him, a tiny mermaid had already been awakened by the sunlight. Doudou climbed out of the basin and patted her tail against the Data Terminal beside her in greeting. "Good morning, Data Brick!"
The Data Terminal had watched Doudou all night to keep the little one from wandering off after waking up. Hearing this as the first greeting of the morning, it immediately flared up. "You little brat, don't learn that from your dad!"
Doudou had no idea what "little brat" meant. She took it as praise and accepted it with giggles. Then she stared blankly at the increasingly lively streets outside. After a while, the little one grew bored, opened her mouth, and began singing the tune Nangong May had taught her in a series of babbles.
The little one's singing was completely incoherent, with no lyrics at all—the teacher herself was only half-competent and couldn't remember lyrics, so the fact that Doudou had managed to learn the tune from that cheeky shrimp Siren was already a testament to her extraordinary talent.
Half-asleep, Hao Ren heard a delicate yet exceptionally beautiful song beside him. At first, he thought May was humming downstairs, but when he opened