She was still modest, not calling herself "Whale God."
In ancient Yanxia, whales were called "great fish." Back then, they likely didn't distinguish between fish and mammals, thinking anything living in the sea looked similar and thus belonged to the same category. It was like calling snakes "long worms" and tigers "great beasts," contrasting them with small, short insects.
I nodded. "Yes, I know. To introduce myself, my surname is Wu, given name Chengfeng. They say I might be the reincarnation of Bai Ze."
The Whale God wasn't particularly surprised, merely nodding. "I have heard this."
"What brings you here? I heard you rarely stay on land for extended periods," I asked her conversationally. In fact, after dispelling the spirit-sensing technique, the person before me was merely an ordinary girl, resembling the one with red hair from that figure skating trio, though I couldn't recall her name. Her signature move was a sideward slide like a crab, what was it called, "Trolley-bus girl"?
Unexpectedly, the Whale God was more candid. She took a sip of water and replied, "Seeking Bai Ze."
"Isn't that me?" I chuckled.
The Whale God shook her head. "Not so."
"How can you say that?"
"Bai Ze reincarnates as one yin and one yang. The Bai Ze of the previous life was Zeng Gong Wenzheng. Therefore, the Bai Ze of this life should be a woman."
Oh? Is there such a theory? Little King Yama didn't tell me this, and all the reincarnated Bai Ze who left their names in history were men.
However, as an ancient great demon and a witness to history, the Whale Demon should have more accurate knowledge.
Is there a possibility that when Bai Ze reincarnated as a woman, they generally hid their identity and weren't recorded?
If so, that would explain why Bai Ze typically reincarnated every two to three hundred years. Zeng Guofan's reincarnation was only a little over a hundred years ago. It's not because Bai Ze reincarnated early, but rather a secret reincarnation, into a woman.
This aligns perfectly with my own deduction!
It also basically confirms that the strange aura I encountered was definitely Bai Ze!
However, I'm still uncertain whether Bai Ze's current physical form is aware of its identity as Bai Ze.
At this moment, the chef approached. The reception was quite far away, and the Whale God and I were speaking softly, so he likely couldn't hear us. He walked over and asked the Whale God something in Russian, pointing at the menu, probably asking if she had ordered.
The Whale God actually understood Russian, and spoke it fluently. After responding, she shook her head.
"What were you two chatting about?" I asked the chef curiously.
"This girl can't understand the menu and doesn't know what to order," the chef frowned, looking troubled. "But my Russian is also rudimentary; I can't translate these dish names!"
"Master, you go ahead. I'll help her order in a moment," I said.
"You know Russian?"
"Ya liubliu tebya!" I blurted out.
The chef was momentarily taken aback, and with a wry smile, he quickly left.
"How was it? Was my pronunciation standard?" I asked the Whale God softly after the chef had gone.
"Do you know what you just said?" the Whale God chuckled.
"It means 'hello.' A classmate taught me." I said. I used the word "classmate" fearing she might not understand, but it was actually a female online friend from my high school days. We took English for the college entrance exam, and I don't know why she took Russian. She taught me this phrase with perfect pronunciation.
The Whale God burst into laughter. "Female classmate, right?"
"Yes, how did you know?"
"That phrase doesn't mean 'hello.' It means 'I love you.'" the Whale God said, and then repeated "Ya liubliu tebya," with the exact same accent as mine.
So I was fooled. How absurd. No wonder the chef looked at me strangely just now. He probably thought I had unusual preferences.
Never mind, it's insignificant.
I pointed to the menu and translated the ingredients and cooking methods of the dishes for the Whale God. She understood these and selected three dishes.
"We Yanxia people usually order an even number of dishes. This meal is my treat, please order one more," I said generously.
"You, you order one."