“I heard Xu Ning’s master has a really high status—he’s a Duke, apparently. His power is even greater than Sister Mo Li’s master’s. He insisted on protecting her, and now they’re just waiting for the baby to be born. Who knows, she might be the first human to become a Duchess.”
The mention of the title ‘Duke’ made Cheng Xi’s heart skip a beat.
She asked tentatively, “Is the rank of Duke very high?”
Tan Wei nodded.
“Of course it’s high! You probably don’t know about the Aliens’ power structure yet. The supreme ruler of this planet is the Beast King. Below the Beast King are the nobles, and they have their own hierarchy. The titles, from highest to lowest, are Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, and Baron. And Xu Ning’s master is a Duke, a rank second only to the Beast King!”
Cheng Xi’s eyes widened in shock.
“Oh my god!”
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but these Aliens aren’t human at all. They’re Beastmen who can freely switch between their beast and human forms. Back on Earth, we’d call them shapeshifting spirits. The men here are called ‘males,’ and the women are ‘females.'” Tan Wei spilled everything she knew in a rush.
Cheng Xi already knew that.
‘They definitely aren’t human,’ she thought.
‘What kind of normal person has ears and a tail?’
After telling her all the basic information she knew, Tan Wei asked curiously, “It looks like your master is a noble, too. Do you know what his title is?”
Cheng Xi hesitated, then shook her head.
“I’m not sure…”
Tan Wei didn’t think much of it.
“That makes sense.
You just got here and can’t even understand their language, so it’s normal that you wouldn’t know.”
“Once you learn their language, everything will be much easier.
It looks like the shop is less crowded now.
Let’s go find Sister Mo Li.”
With that, she pulled Cheng Xi up and headed toward the salon.
As she was pulled along, Cheng Xi looked like she wanted to say something but couldn’t.
‘I want to tell her I have a translator,’ she thought.
‘I can understand them just fine, I just can’t speak the language yet.’
‘As for his title, I have a feeling it’s better not to reveal it.
First, my master seems to be a Duke, and second, he’s a male.
If I mention that, won’t everyone assume I’m the next Xu Ning?’
‘The one thing I don’t understand is what Tan Wei just said about the Beast King banning nobles from keeping human pets of the opposite sex.
If that’s true, then what does that make me?’
‘And the fact that humans can… with Aliens…’ For some reason, a wave of panic washed over her.
‘My master doesn’t think of me that way, does he?’
‘Please, no.
That would be horrifying!’
Lost in her anxious thoughts, Cheng Xi was pulled into the salon.
The Jasmine Beauty Salon was beautifully decorated and spacious.
Its bright countertops were lined with exquisitely packaged bottles and jars.
Come to think of it, ever since she’d arrived at the castle, Mary Mani had been the one preparing all her toiletries.
After using it for half a month, her face had become smooth and soft—in much better condition than it had been back on Earth.
“Sister Mo Li,” Tan Wei called out, walking over to a chic, beautiful, and elegant woman inside the salon.
Hearing her name, Bai Molili turned around.
A faint, ever-present smile was on her face.
“Tan Wei?”
Her gaze then fell on Cheng Xi, who stood beside Tan Wei.
Her expression flickered slightly.
‘A clean, pretty young woman.’
Cheng Xi looked back at her, curious.
The woman appeared poised and elegant, around thirty years old, reminding Cheng Xi of a highly educated, senior white-collar professional from the modern world.
‘She looks so sharp.
But she’s the leader of a human organization?’
‘Er, what exactly is this organization for, anyway?’
“Tan Wei, didn’t you just buy a new skincare set a few days ago? Did you use it all up already?” Bai Molili asked, making familiar small talk.
Tan Wei said, “I’m not here to buy anything this time, Sister Mo Li. This is Cheng Xi. It’s her first time at the Pet Plaza. She was brought to Outer Space two months ago and can’t speak the language yet, so I brought her to you.”
At this, Bai Molili looked at Cheng Xi in surprise.
Cheng Xi quickly greeted her, “Hello, Sister Mo Li.”
Bai Molili smiled, her eyes sizing up Cheng Xi.
“So your name is Cheng Xi,” she said with another smile.
“You’re so pretty. You must have been taken in by a noble, right?”
Cheng Xi gave an awkward smile.
“I’m not really sure about that…”
Bai Molili seemed accustomed to this kind of answer and didn’t press further.
Instead, she took a book, about five centimeters thick, out of her Space Bracelet.
The cover bore a simple title in large letters: “Rabbit Star Language Compilation.”
“Take this back and take your time learning from it,” she said.
“The notes are very detailed. As long as you’re dedicated and willing to memorize it, you’ll learn. If there’s anything you don’t understand, come to the Pet Plaza often and chat with the others. Stay here for a year or two, and you’ll understand everything.”
Cheng Xi quickly took the book and thanked her gratefully.
“Thank you, Sister Mo Li.”
Bai Molili shook her head.
“Don’t mention it.
We’re all the same here.
We should help each other out.”
If you ever run into any trouble, you can come find me at the Pet Plaza.
I’ll do my best to help you with anything within my power.”
Those two short sentences made Cheng Xi’s favorable impression of Sister Mo Li skyrocket.
“Really?
Thank you so much, Sister Mo Li.”
“Heh, don’t mention it,” Bai Molili said with a smile.
Just then, other customers came in, so Bai Molili couldn’t attend to them any longer and went to greet the newcomers.
Cheng Xi was only just now realizing how popular the woman was.
“Cheng Xi, Sister Mo Li is busy. We should get going,” Tan Wei said.
Cheng Xi asked, “Do I not have to pay for the book?”
Tan Wei shook her head with a smile.
“Nope, Sister Mo Li is really nice.
She gives the books to everyone for free.
If you want to thank her, you can just buy more skincare products from her salon in the future.”
“And let me tell you, the skincare products at Sister Mo Li’s salon are amazing.
My skin is really prone to breakouts, but ever since I started using her products, I haven’t had a single pimple, and my skin is incredible!”
Tan Wei touched her own face proudly before looking at Cheng Xi’s.
Her expression immediately turned to one of envy.
“Huh? Your skin isn’t bad either! Let me feel… Wow, it’s even smoother than mine!”
Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, Cheng Xi dodged her friend’s incoming hand.
“Well, since you recommend it so highly, I’ll take a look at a set.”
Cradling the book, she walked toward the counter.
The salon was very large, with at least a dozen counters.
In addition to the owner, Bai Molili, another ten or so people were employed there.
Some of them were working to earn spending money, while others were just looking for something to do to pass the time.
Seeing that she was interested in buying something, Tan Wei called over an acquaintance.
“Xiao Li, could you grab a couple of samples for my friend to try?”
“Sure thing.” The clerk, Xiao Li, took out several sample bottles from behind the counter, arranged by price from low to high.
The cheapest cost one or two thousand Star Coins, while the most expensive was tens of thousands.