The clock on the tower chimed on the hour. The starry night sky was covered by dark clouds, the night wind wailed, and snow fell into Lu Rong’s vision once again.
Lucas watched Lu Rong in silence for a long time, unsure whether he was satisfied or displeased, yet still tending to him with the utmost care, terrified of displeasing this revered figure.
His communicator chimed with a message. Lucas glanced at it and replied to Lu Rong, “Mr. Lu, the bidding for lot 07 has concluded. My assistant has successfully secured the item for you, and the billing invoice will be sent to your terminal shortly.”
Lu Rong pulled his thoughts back from his memories, his gaze still resting on Fenie. His expression, however, had grown more complicated. Lucas could not quite read Lu Rong’s expression, but he watched as Lu Rong took a few steps forward, walking to the edge of the cage.
It seemed Lu Rong had some interest in this commodity. Lucas’s eyes rolled around repeatedly. “Would you like to participate in the bidding? I can arrange it for you.”
Lu Rong did not answer. He looked up at Fenie, attempting to catch a glimpse of vitality within Fenie’s proudly held head. Yet, no fierce golden eyes of the past were revealed amidst the white hair, and the chest remained flat and motionless with breathing.
The fierce and unyielding appearance of Fenie in the past was still vivid in his mind, and the cold words the other had once spoken surfaced in Lu Rong’s mind yet again. He inexplicably found everything about the present moment somewhat absurd.
“This doesn’t seem like the kind of place you ought to be,” he murmured, laughing with a hint of mockery.
Lucas cautiously stepped closer. “Are you considering taking him away?” His expression was a mix of apprehension and nervousness.
Lu Rong glanced sideways at him. “No.” He tapped the metal bars, his mood shifting abruptly to reveal a trace of malice. “His wings look quite nice. How much to buy them?”
If the wings were stripped off, this lot would be ruined. Lucas was so startled that cold sweat broke out. “This… This isn’t sold separately… If you like them, you can take the whole thing.”
“Oh, never mind then.” Upon hearing this, Lu Rong lost interest and quietly recalled the spiritual entity resting on Lucas. The tiny green butterfly flickered and vanished.
Lucas only felt a cold wind blow past him, sobering him up considerably. Recalling the conversation just now, a cold sweat broke out all over again, and he wished he could slap himself. Why had he run his mouth so much today? Everything he should have said, and everything he shouldn’t have said, he had blurted out!
However… however, the Wanderer had emphasized that he must show Fenie to Lu Rong and observe Lu Rong’s reaction, while also ensuring Lu Rong did not win the bid for Fenie. He had managed to accomplish that much, hadn’t he? Besides, the Wanderer hadn’t explicitly said he couldn’t tell Lu Rong Fenie’s true identity and the backstory, right? Although the process of the whole affair felt a bit twisted, the outcome seemed identical, didn’t it?
Lucas patted his chest and chuckled dryly, “Would you like to look at other lots? I’ll take you to see some others. This one truly isn’t very interesting.”
Lu Rong casually uttered an “Mn.” “I’m returning to the spacecraft. Thank you for your hard work today.”
Lucas hurried to reply that it was no trouble at all. He glanced at his terminal once more. “The lot numbers 03 and 07 that you requested have both been delivered to your spacecraft. You can inspect the goods directly aboard.” With that, Lucas wiped away his cold sweat and escorted Lu Rong away from the tower.
As they walked down the tower, Lu Rong instructed X01, “Help me contact Eros.”
Over the years, to facilitate his collection of star cores, Lu Rong had made the acquaintance of many people across different star domains. Eros was one of them. Rumor had it that Eros loved collecting rare beastmen and took pleasure in torturing them. No one cared whether the rumors were true or false, and Eros allowed his notorious reputation to stand.
X01 did not understand the purpose, but executed the command.
Upon exiting the tower, Lu Rong parted ways with Lucas. He returned to his spacecraft, and Eros’s communication connection came through right on cue.
“Long time no see, Lu Rong. Do you have some new moneymaking method to share with me?” Eros’s laughter was dripping with the scent of money.
“No, I need a favor,” Lu Rong said with a smile. “It’s very simple. Using your identity, contact Gladel, participate in tonight’s auction online, and help me win lot number 10. Regardless of the price, I will pay you an extra 5%.”
Participating in auctions online always incurred various miscellaneous handling fees, and one could not inspect the physical items. Lu Rong usually preferred attending in person, but tonight was an exception. Eros happened to be a Silver Sparrow member of Gladel and possessed the privilege to participate in auctions. However, aside from gambling, he never participated in Gladel’s other activities; his hobbies were quite singular.
“No problem, my dear friend. Let me see what could make you go to such great lengths—wait a second,” Eros’s voice changed. “Are you trying to get me killed? If Caos sees that I bought a winged serpent specimen, he’ll twist my head right off.”
Caos was Eros’s merfolk spouse with a very fiery temperament. He was one of Eros’s few hobbies, but held the highest priority.
“Then I’ll pay you 8 extra percent,” Lu Rong began raising the price.
“No, no, no, it’s not a matter of money. You know he gets extremely jealous, I—”
“Then 10%. That’s enough for you to buy a complete set of high-quality emeralds, and you can explain to him that I’m the one who needs this winged serpent. You can also play the recording for him,” Lu Rong said as he walked into his spacecraft. He walked straight to the cargo hold, where the star cores were neatly stacked, glowing brilliantly.
“How could I be so embarrassed, my friend? I actually have been eyeing a set of emeralds for a long time.” Eros’s voice sounded hardly able to contain itself.
After verifying that the star cores were intact, Lu Rong started the spacecraft. “It’s nothing. Give my regards to Caos, and thanks for your help.”
Eros burst into laughter. “No need for regards, but I will transfer the money you give me to him. His project is short on funds lately, so he’ll definitely be thrilled!”
“Good.” The spacecraft smoothly lifted off, and Lu Rong set his destination. “I’ll meet you at the Memphis Starport for the handoff. Don’t delay; I need to take custody of him immediately.”
“Alright, no problem,” Eros agreed crisply.
At the same time, Lu Rong’s spacecraft smoothly sailed out of Gladel’s starport.
Once the spacecraft stabilized, Lu Rong leaned back in the pilot’s seat, gazing at the vast stellar map before him. The universe was boundless, and endless nebulae rolled like crimson smoke drifting deep into the ocean, layered with waves and treacherous as a dream. In the deepest depths, only solitary stars spun eternally.
X01 had uploaded himself into an octopoid mechanical body, a physique he had designed for himself. At the moment, he was observing the navigational star map alongside Lu Rong. “What happened? I’ve detected that your mood seems somewhat poor.”
Lu Rong tilted his head slightly. “Thinking of the past.”
X01 curled up his eight legs, resting them near Lu Rong’s hand. “Asta Star?”
Lu Rong nodded.
In truth, he often reminisced about the time before he arrived in this present universe. Even though a decade had passed and the scenes in his memories had blurred, he would still replay them over and over. After all, that was his homeland; he came from there, a place called Asta Star.
Lu Rong was actually an orphan, adopted from an orphanage by two adoptive fathers who gave him the love and respect he was due, allowing him to grow up smoothly and happily. However, he never expected that the shadow of destruction had lurked within his warm and harmonious home from the very beginning.
When he was nine years old, his adoptive fathers brought back an orphan of a fallen comrade from the battlefield—a seven-year-old boy named Yunguang. His adoptive fathers had a talk with Lu Rong, and afterward, Yunguang was added to their family of three as a foster dependent.
The two grew up together as childhood sweethearts. When Lu Rong turned 16, he differentiated into an S-class Alpha. Four years later, Yunguang differentiated into an Omega at age 18. When Lu Rong turned 20, the two professed their love and became a couple.
Subsequently, Asta Star ushered in a turbulent decade due to energy issues, with various factions carving up territories. After enduring years of warfare and turmoil, Asta Star welcomed a long-awaited peace. Lu Rong became the young leader of the alliance amidst the chaos, while Yunguang became a doctor, and the two finally decided to get married.
The wedding was held on a lawn in the outskirts. The sunlight was exceptionally brilliant, and the venue was filled with blooming white freesias and pink lychee roses. The rich fragrance immersed everyone in sweet happiness.
The gathering crowd was blessing him and his fiancé, Yunguang. His two adoptive fathers had also eagerly anticipated their union. Yet, Lu Rong never imagined that this wedding was a betrayal—Yunguang actually harbored such deep-seated hatred toward his foster family.
The opening of the wedding was the beginning of the rebellion. The sound of explosions replaced celebratory salutes, and terror replaced joy. The lawn was stained with blood. Yunguang wore a white wedding suit, yet led rebel forces right into the venue.
Lu Rong could not comprehend why Yunguang would do such a thing. While protecting his foster parents as they fled, a grenade landed near his feet, and he instantly lost consciousness. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in this unfamiliar universe.
This bloody wedding brought an end to his warm and beautiful past life, and it was also the beginning of his encounter with Fenie.
Ding!
His terminal notified Lu Rong that he had received a message.
Lu Rong looked down to see a message sent by Eros: “Secured. I’m coming to find you right now.”
Eros always delivered on his word. Seeing the message, Lu Rong’s mind settled, yet he hadn’t expected that it would take three standard cosmic days from receiving this message to finally taking custody of Fenie.
The Memphis Starport where they agreed to meet was nestled at the core of the crimson nebula, situated in an extremely remote location within the second star domain. This starport was a clandestine plotting point jointly established by Lu Rong and Eros—a jump point known to very few.
In the universe, there were many such jump points; unless one knew the coordinates, it was extremely difficult for outsiders to find them.
Logically speaking, traveling from Gladel to this jump point should have taken only nine standard cosmic hours, but Eros did not arrive until the third standard cosmic day.
Had he not intermittently received messages from Eros telling him to stay put and avoid alerting the enemy, Lu Rong would have already considered launching a rescue operation. That was because, by the second day, X01 had already detected a news broadcast within the Alliance: “Beastman Killer Eros intended to buy contraband beastmen and was shot down by the Alliance.” The news heavily praised the Alliance’s execution force regarding the ban on trafficking beastmen, while denouncing Eros’s purchasing behavior.
This news felt rather subtle. While other ordinary citizens might not know better, Lu Rong was well aware that Alliance leader Gulmo himself was a collector of beastman immortal flower specimens—a fact testified to by Eros’s spouse, Caos, and known to some beastman tribes who deeply despised Gulmo. Presumably because of this, the Alliance had come up with such a bizarre strategy.
It was fishing enforcement, meant to make their own stance clear in hopes of softening the resistance of the beastmen.
When Eros arrived, he was piloting a dilapidated spacecraft that looked as though it had crawled out of a scrap heap.
“I can’t believe you went in person. How did it take you this long?” Lu Rong stood up and tossed a bottle of water over to him.
A black panther trailed at Eros’s heels. He wiped away some sweat, ran a hand through his golden hair, unscrewed the bottle, and drained it in one gulp. “Don’t even mention it. I happened to be negotiating a deal with someone at a Gladel casino when my subordinate said he saw you. I thought he was just bragging.”
While Eros spoke, the black panther at his heels paced gracefully toward Lu Rong, gazing at him with glowing eyes as if wanting to nuzzle against him. Lu Rong, wearing a white signal suit, couldn’t handle the torment of black furry animals; a tiny green butterfly flew from his fingertips, and the black panther’s eyes lit up as it chased the butterfly far away.
X01 scurried along on his eight legs behind the black panther, chattering away while constantly reminding the panther not to crash into things inside the spacecraft, all the while picking up displaced items and returning them to their proper places.
Eros was well accustomed to the black panther chasing butterflies. He tossed the empty bottle aside, slumped his hips onto a nearby sofa, and groaned, “This trip was truly perilous. The moment I left the starport carrying this specimen, someone tailed me, and once we left Gladel’s territory, they opened fire with intent to kill. Fortunately, my reflexes were quick; I immediately split our forces into two, drew the pursuers away, staged a feigned death, and had to destroy a starship just to escape.”
“Check the news; you’ve already become a sacrificial pawn used by the Alliance to glorify itself,” Lu Rong chuckled.
Eros waved a hand. “I think something’s fishy.”
Lu Rong was unsurprised, a smile lingering at the corners of his lips. “Indeed. If they wanted to make their stance clear, they should have directly arrested you, taken the opportunity to announce a revision to the Beastman Protection Act, continued imperial traditions, and sentenced you according to law. There was no need to hunt you down relentlessly.”
The Alliance’s operations looked much more like an effort to destroy Fenie.
Eros stared deeply at Lu Rong. “Looks like you know something.” He thought for a moment and asked meaningfully, “What’s the background of this winged serpent?”
Lu Rong raised an eyebrow with a smile and remained silent.
Their tacit understanding made Eros realize something. He patted Lu Rong’s shoulder. “That winged serpent is either of imperial blood or royal kin; you’d better tread carefully. If you ask me, aside from the 10%, you also owe me a starship plus a mental distress fee.”
Even true brothers must settle accounts clearly, and money could also make an existing relationship all the more solid.
“No problem.” Lu Rong agreed to Eros’s demand; it was compensation he ought to pay. “So, how is the winged serpent?”
Eros squinted at him. “He’s being moved over now, but I still want to ask—you don’t have any of those weird hobbies, do you?”
Lu Rong smiled, asking a question with an obvious answer: “Weird hobbies? Specifically referring to what?”
Eros did not elaborate, but continued, “Caos found out that you wanted an immortal flower. He asked me to tell you that beastmen have their own dignity, and this winged serpent has already suffered endless humiliation. He hopes you won’t let him continue to be a flower imprisoned for eternity, and let him die with dignity instead.”
Lu Rong stared fixedly at Eros with a half-smile that made Eros unable to read him.
Initially, Lu Rong had been like everyone else, believing that Eros truly loved torturing beastmen as rumored. But after helping Eros resolve a water-star crisis and making a fortune together via star cores, he finally realized those rumors weren’t true, and that they were very likely the pranks of Eros’s merfolk spouse.
Lu Rong did not satisfy Eros’s expectations and merely smiled. “Could it be that I’m about to become the next victim of rumors?”
Eros burst into laughter. “Don’t even think about it, I won’t give you that chance.” If possible, he hoped Caos would only spread rumors about him for the rest of his life.
Seeing that Lu Rong refused to give a straight answer, Eros didn’t bother pressing further. He recalled his black panther, which reluctantly and agonizingly abandoned the uncatchable butterfly. Eros patted the panther’s head. “Why does he always get lured away by your butterflies? Your spiritual entity is always so popular among these spiritual entities.”
Lu Rong said nothing as the butterfly fluttered back to rest on his shoulder.
Come to think of it, it was quite strange.
Back on Asta Star, he was the only one who possessed a spiritual entity—a tiny green butterfly. No one else could see his spiritual entity except him.
His adoptive father had always told him this was because he was an S-class Alpha. Only S-class Alphas were capable of manifesting spiritual entities that no one else could see.
He had always believed this as well.
It wasn’t until he arrived in the vast interstellar expanse, traveled to countless planets, and interacted with countless people that he discovered how diverse creatures in the universe were, and that spiritual entities were not exclusive to S-class Alphas.
On certain planets, whether Alphas, Omegas, or Betas, everyone was born with a spiritual entity.
And other people could see his spiritual entity, too.