During this time, the seemingly insignificant Garbage Star EC580 was far from peaceful.
After the release of the second volume of “Rebirth Of The Interstellar Soldier King”, a generous reader from the Federation named An had sent an entire box of physical copies to the Dwarf Tavern via a starship.
Some mercenaries and space pirates who couldn’t read before began, for the first time in their lives, learning basic literacy just so they could read the book firsthand.
After all, the frustration of being unable to read was truly unbearable.
Though they could wait for Fos, the dwarf tavern owner, to read it aloud, not being able to access their favorite passages whenever they wanted was deeply unsatisfying.
As a result, the Dwarf Tavern had practically transformed into a library on the Garbage Star, and at a glance, one might even mistake it for a university.
Of course, there were still small groups of people drinking and chatting together here and there.
“Boss, look at this. This is the star beast I caught recently. It’s smaller this time, so it’ll definitely be convenient for YU to keep at home.”
One of the space pirates held a fluffy snowball beast in his hand, earnestly seeking the boss’s opinion.
The tiny white, furry creature looked like a dandelion and sat innocently in the pirate’s palm with wide-open eyes.
“Isn’t this a bit too small? And it seems more like the kind of pet beast a noble lady would prefer. YU is a macho man, how could he keep something like this?”
Before the boss could reply, another pirate pulled out his catch.
“You should take a look at mine!”
This time, it was a beast resembling a Tibetan Mastiff. It was growling and baring its teeth, attempting to escape from its cage.
“Well… uh, it’s impressive, sure, but it’s not exactly good-looking.”
The surrounding space pirates quickly began a lively discussion, brainstorming how they could win over author YU with these gifts and ensure he accepted their kind gesture.
However, just as the space pirates were enthusiastically debating, the tavern doors suddenly swung open.
An incredibly fashionable elderly lady stood at the entrance, leaning on her cane and adjusting her sunglasses.
“So it was you who stole my Xiao Mi.”
When Granny Delanchi entered and saw the room full of star beasts, she was almost certain it was these guys who had taken her beloved Xiao Mi!
“Y-you… why are you here, Granny Delanchi?”
The dwarf Fos jumped out from behind the counter the moment he saw her, eagerly trying to pour her a cup of tea.
“This is a misunderstanding! We don’t even know who Xiao Mi is…”
But in the next second, one of the space pirates screamed as Granny Delanchi lifted him high into the air with a clawed hand.
“Is this the Xiao Mi you’re talking about? We’ll return it to you immediately!”
Another space pirate hastily held up the white, fluffy dandelion-like beast, trying to hand it over to Granny Delanchi.
After all, Granny Delanchi’s reputation was infamous throughout this lawless star system.
No one dared provoke this evil spirit.
“Oh, this one is also very cute, but unfortunately, it’s not my Xiao Mi.”
Granny Delanchi’s expression softened slightly as she looked at the dandelion-like creature, but her gaze quickly swept over all the star beasts in the tavern.
The space pirates scrambled frantically, pulling out each beast for her inspection.
However, as Granny Delanchi continued to shake her head in denial, an overwhelming pressure engulfed the Dwarf Tavern, leaving everyone paralyzed with fear. Even Fos, the tavern owner, was on the verge of tears.
“Can’t you just be honest and confess!?”
“But we really didn’t catch any Xiao Mi…our first catch was this giant lion!!”
“Yes, that’s my Xiao Mi.”
However, just as the pirates held up a photo in their hands in despair, Delanchi suddenly became excited and even threw the pirates in her hands aside.
??
‘You call that “little”??’
The group of space pirates stared speechlessly at the ferocious behemoth in the photo, utterly at a loss for words.
“So, where is Xiao Mi now?”
“… It, uh, it was sent as a gift to the Central Star, but we swear it’s fine! Not a single scratch! It was just sedated.”
One space pirate on the verge of tears hurriedly explained.
How were they supposed to know this thing wasn’t a wild alien star beast but actually someone’s pet!?
Soon, Granny Delanchi calmly clapped her hands, picked up a pristine copy of “Rebirth Of The Interstellar Soldier King”, and strode out of the tavern, leaving behind a pile of space pirates stacked like a human pyramid.
“The Federation’s Central Star, huh… an old place indeed. Thinking about it brings back memories.”
Granny Delanchi adjusted her gem-encrusted sunglasses with her ring-laden fingers and looked out at the interstellar expanse.
A massive, luxurious private spacecraft slowly descended in front of her.
“Whoosh, whoosh~”
The fluffy, dandelion-like exotic beast perched on Granny Delanchi’s gem-topped cane twitched its ears, joining her departure.
After all, when it came to Granny Delanchi’s pets, looks were always a top priority.
“So, it was sent to this author…? And there’s a giant beast in the book that resembles Xiao Mi?”
Sitting on the sofa in her starship, Granny Delanchi casually flipped open “Rebirth Of The Interstellar Soldier King”, recalling the clues she had extracted from the space pirates.
Her curiosity was piqued by the work that had led to her three-month-old Xiao Mi being whisked away.
Meanwhile, Yu Mian had no idea that a peculiar guest was en route to the Federation to find the “cat” he had been keeping on his windowsill for the past few days.
At the moment, Yu Mian was stretching his legs, which had just been transformed from a fishtail, warming up for the system task ahead.
“It really itches…”
The faint golden scales around his ankles were fading, becoming lighter and more translucent. Even the slightest touch made him squirm with a ticklish sensation.
Not even the essence helped anymore.
[For races with scales, shedding is inevitable as they grow. You should finish this task quickly and avoid running around during this period.]
The system skillfully pulled over a pair of black slippers and placed them by Yu Mian’s feet.
“Even the slippers feel a bit big and don’t fit properly.”
Yu Mian slipped his feet into them and tried walking a few steps, but it felt like wearing shoes stolen from someone else.
[Are you sure Huo Ting won’t open his eyes? What if he secretly peeks? What then?]
The system was still uneasy about Yu Mian’s way of using simple notes to discuss with Huo Ting on how to complete the task.
“Huo Ting has never gone back on his word.”
Yu Mian glanced at the small note on the table. He recalled the time he had known Huo Ting and felt confident in his character.
Perhaps it was a trust born out of familiarity.
[Even so… I think we should be cautious!]
As the system finished speaking, a light blue silk ribbon appeared in Yu Mian’s hand.
[So, blindfolding him might be more reliable.]
“Uh… this feels weird.”
Yu Mian held the ribbon, feeling that something wasn’t quite right but unable to pinpoint the issue.
Would Huo Ting really let himself be blindfolded?
In fact, as Huo Ting sat on the chair with his eyes closed, per the note’s instructions, the faint sound of the doorknob turning in the living room caused his heightened senses during the radiation period to focus intensely.
It was as if he could picture the door being gently pushed open in his mind.
Yu Mian nervously pushed the door open and peeked in. When he saw Huo Ting quietly sitting there with his eyes closed, he let out a small sigh of relief.
“He’s really keeping his promise!”
[But we can’t let our guard down!!!]
Internally, Yu Mian communicated with the little system, feeling a mix of disbelief and apprehension at how smoothly the plan seemed to be going.
If it weren’t for the notes helping them arrange the task, Yu Mian figured he’d have had to sneak in while Huo Ting was asleep at night to get it done.
The door closed again, and the sound of slippers shuffling on the carpet echoed. The sound made Huo Ting subtly tense up.
If he were to describe the atmosphere, it felt like the quiet tension when some birds occasionally came to the window of the military office…one small movement, and they would instantly take off and disappear.
The footsteps were light, suggesting the person wasn’t very heavy and possibly on the slender side.
And the slippers seemed to fit poorly?
Were they the backup slippers from the study?
As Huo Ting unconsciously analyzed the visitor’s physique, something was gently placed in his hand.
“… A ribbon?”
The soft, silky texture made Huo Ting immediately aware of what it was.
Just as Yu Mian was about to respond, he realized speaking would give himself away.
Huo Ting’s sharp hearing and memory would easily link his voice to the intern.
He couldn’t speak, yet he needed to let Huo Ting know he should use the ribbon to cover his eyes.
While Yu Mian was caught in this dilemma, Huo Ting, after a brief moment of silence, began tying the ribbon over his eyes on his own.
