This pod had a total of twenty-seven Dolphins. Compared to other Dolphin pods, it was already considered small, but they were very close-knit.
Twenty-seven was a fairly friendly number for Lu Ao.
The nearby ecosystem was decent enough to support twenty-seven Dolphins without any problem. If there were any more, this area simply could not sustain them. They would need to be fed, or guided elsewhere to live.
The Dolphins seemed to like the Marine Ranch and had no intention of leaving.
Lu Ao did not chase them away, and they peacefully coexisted for over half a month.
In the blink of an eye, March arrived.
The weather was already quite warm. At noon, the villagers wore only a long-sleeved shirt, no longer needing sweaters or jackets outside.
This season was breeding season for many fish, and it was also a busy time for many researchers.
News of the Dolphins near Lu Ao's place eventually spread. Many people came specifically to see them, from all sorts of professions—researchers, boat captains, volunteers, and tourists he did not know at all.
They flocked to the village. If they were people Lu Ao knew, he would make time to receive them. If not, the tourists could only fend for themselves.
Even so, visitors arrived in an endless stream, with one or two groups coming almost every day.
Lu Ao had contracted the Marine Ranch, making that stretch of sea his private territory. Without his permission, no one's boat was allowed to enter.
That was what kept the Marine Ranch peaceful.
It was inconvenient for tourists to rent boats, so they remained fairly well-behaved and merely stood on the reefs to look out over Lu Ao's sea.
The Dolphins were in the waters not far from shore. If they were lucky, tourists could see