Chapter 4: Zao Zao is the most amazing little angel!!

Chapter 4 Zao Zao Is the Best Little Angel!!

This felt like a horror movie for the Crown Clan.

"Meow?"

Xiao Chuzao blinked his big eyes, confused as he hugged his crown halo.

This could just be taken off.

Was there a problem?

Big problem.

Amos silently looked at Xiao Chuzao, then at the halo in the little one's arms, and the spilled nutrient fluid lying nearby.

He felt a headache.

Literally.

He turned to modify the course chart.

"Let's head to the nearest drifting planet first."

Amos said.

"To find you some food. Can you put away the halo for now?"

That halo would be too conspicuous on a drifting planet.

Xiao Chuzao thought for a moment—then answered with a "Meow."

This place was really strange. In his original world, angel halos were meant to be displayed at all times to show one's identity, but here they had to be hidden.

The golden little halo gradually disappeared from the small cub's embrace. The white fluffball flipped over and got up, the fluffy white fur around his little head gone, his pointed ears perked up and twitched as he stretched out his tiny paws—"Meow."

Wanna hug.

"No."

Amos said firmly to the little one.

Though he didn't know the cub's exact origins, since he was a Crown Clan cub—even if there was some conspiracy involved—Xiao Chuzao was undoubtedly the last remaining cub of the Crown Clan and would be raised as a true member of their clan.

Though Amos had no experience raising a cub, he vaguely recalled from his distant memories—he had never acted this needy during his own childhood.

His brothers and other clan members had mostly displayed the Crown Clan's competitive streak from a young age, never been this cuddly, never asking for hugs—

"Meow?"

The little cub tilted his head at Amos, ears twitching as he whimpered again, his tiny paws slowly lowering, his voice sounding pitiful.

No... no hugs?

Well... fine, Zao Zao didn’t really want hugs that much anyway, wasn’t even that jealous of others getting so many hugs.

Amos:...

After a pause, Amos sat rigidly before the starship console, a soft little bundle nestled in his arms.

The little one's head drooped, exhausted, he fell asleep. His tiny paws stretched out, cradling his own head, his small body rising and falling slowly with each breath and heartbeat.

Amos looked down silently.

Moments later, above Amos's head, a black crown on the verge of shattering slowly appeared.

Amos seemed to ponder for a moment before reaching up to grasp the crown.

The crown: ?

He attempted to pull the crown down.

The crown: ????

The fragile crown began flickering wildly, as if about to screech in protest at what he was trying to do.

Amos slowly lowered his hand, frowning in confusion. "It won't come off."

Drift Star 499, Black Street.

*

This place was close to the former habitat of the Crown Clan of the Saint Cas Empire. Occasionally, Saint Cas Empire warships and airships would fly by to clear out mutated Star Beasts and control pollution. Compared to many other wandering planets, it was relatively bustling.

Black Street was the marketplace of Drift Star 499. Here, almost everything was sold—daily supplies, food, water, energy crystals, and so on. There were even some vendors illegally peddling mutated Star Beasts, though at exorbitant prices. There were no laws here; the rules were enforced by the most influential merchants in Black Street.

Because of this, aside from the interstellar alliances and empires, brutal underworld factions had also emerged in the outer regions.

"What? You're saying you want completely pure food, sir?"

Inside the largest shop on Black Street of Drift Star 499.

The shopkeeper, with several gold teeth, eyes widened in surprise, studied the man before him.

"You must know, completely pure food is the rarest to find. It'll cost at least—this much!"

The man before him wore a black military uniform, his expression indifferent. He didn’t bat an eye at the price. He didn’t look like a drifter, but rather military from a nearby empire.

Amos’s uniform differed from that of ordinary Saint Cas soldiers. The Crown Clan were big on ceremony, often adding unique flourishes to such things. Because of this, the shopkeeper couldn’t immediately tell which empire’s military this man belonged to.

Especially since he was cradling a small snow-white bundle in his arms—apparently asleep, its face hidden, just a soft little mass. The only visible detail was the twitching little white ears, unlike any ordinary pet's.

Was this... some exotic creature?

The shopkeeper thought to himself. However, any territory that joined an empire or coalition would have laws prohibiting the entry of possibly tainted creatures that could pose a threat to the state or alliance.

It seemed he'd have to report this to his superiors.

Thinking this, he quickly continued, "What sort of food do you need, sir? Meat, eggs, dairy? Or perhaps dry rations?"

"Something suitable for a young one to eat," the black-haired man—Amos—replied, holding the sleeping bundle in his arms.

A young one?

The shopkeeper couldn’t help but glance at the small white bundle in Amos’s arms.

"That's not easy to come by. But we just received a batch of lactofruit, brought back from the Aqua Marsh Alliance. It's been tested for contamination—almost completely unaffected. The only issue is... the price."

With a wave of his hand, Amos casually tossed over an energy core.

The shopkeeper glanced at it and lit up with delight.

"Right this way, please. I'll fetch it for you personally."

The shopkeeper led Amos aside, then pulled out a small breathable box from a locked cabinet. Inside were three creamy-white fruits with a blush of pink.

Amos gave them a brief glance and nodded.

He cradled both the fruits and the little one in his arms.

Then he saw the once-limp little creature's ears suddenly perk up. Its tiny head lifted, sniffing around, and its small paws instinctively grabbed one of the fruits, taking a crunchy bite before sleepily blinking its glossy amber eyes.

"Meow~!"

Yummy, daddy!

The little one was irresistibly cute—a fluffy little ball with tiny wings on its back. Its fur wasn’t long, except for a slightly messy tuft around its neck. The fur on its head was mussed up from napping, making it look adorably groggy. It obediently took another crunchy bite of the fruit, its eyes lighting up, and its tail wagged like a happy puppy’s, patting against Amos.

Clearly famished, it clutched the fruit tightly with both tiny paws, gobbling one down in quick, crunchy bites. Its pink little tongue licked its lips before it let out a soft "meow" and immediately dove into the next fruit.

Amos looked down as the little one munched away.

For some strange reason—he felt a sense of satisfaction.

Amos lifted his head expressionlessly—seriously, what a weird feeling.

The bystanders were stunned silent.

Especially the shopkeeper, who gaped at the scene.

Though he had mentally prepared himself, seeing the precious, uncontaminated fruit actually being devoured by this "little Star Beast" still made his heart ache a little.

All this luxury—just for this "little Star Beast"?

"Do you have any other similar food?"

Amos glanced at the speed at which the little one was eating.

A Little Crown Clan this young would still need milk, but given the limited conditions...

Returning to Saint Cas’s imperial capital, bypassing Star Beast territory and high-pollution zones, would take an unknown amount of time. Normally, Amos would unhesitatingly choose the shortest route, but now he had a young one with him.

Amos wasn’t keen on tangling with those mutated Star Beast legions.

"There might be some in the warehouse. Would you like to take a look? I can introduce them to you and inspect the goods, though the warehouse is full of all sorts of miscellaneous items."

He glanced at the little one, a bit uneasy.

Letting a "little Star Beast" inside would make it hard for him to explain to his superiors.

"Perhaps you could place him in a small basket? Or on that chair over there? He doesn’t seem like he’ll run around."

Indeed, the little one looked tiny and entirely focused on munching the fruit, appearing both well-behaved and adorable.

Hearing their conversation, the little one lifted its head, its mouth still stained with fruit juice. Placed on a soft cushion atop a high stool nearby, Little Chuzao immediately popped right up, clutching the fruit: "Meow!"

The soft, fluffy white bundle stared at Amos with its hazy amber eyes, filled with unease, ready to scramble into its caretaker’s arms at any moment.

After all, this was an unfamiliar environment, and there were strangers outside.

The little one had been curled up in Amos's arms all along, and being suddenly set down made it restless.

"I'll be right back."

Amos hadn't originally planned to come to this wandering planet. But the gradual destruction of the Crown Clan had drawn countless prying busybodies eager to investigate. Amos had no intention of letting outsiders pry into the clan's affairs.

Still, wasn’t the little one a bit too timid in these situations? Though just a small cub, it was still a member of the Crown Clan, bearing the honor and responsibility of Saint Cas.

Not to mention, compared to a warehouse that might be filled with contaminated items, this environment was clearly more suitable for the little cub to eat.

Amos soothed it, attaching a strand of psychic energy to the cub.

That energy immediately made the little one's stiffened wings slowly droop again. For Chu Zao, this sensation was oddly comforting.

The feeling of being adrift was soothed away. The cub blinked its round eyes, still clutching the half-eaten fruit in its paws, and pulled in its tiny claws.

"Meow meow~"

Then, then Zao Zao will wait here just a little bit.

Just a little bit!

Daddy better come back quick!

The little cub seemed happy again, its little tail swishing slightly as it took another bite of the fruit. But this time, it took a bite and glanced at Amos, then another bite and another glance.

Amos looked at the little one, his usually cold and stern expression softening imperceptibly, his voice unconsciously gentler—something he didn’t even realize himself.

"Okay."

The cub watched as Amos stood up and left, obediently curling into a ball as it continued munching on the fruit.

Fruit yummy, Zao Zao likes!

Daddy looks just like Zao Zao, Zao Zao likes him too!

The little cub was happily crunching away, its eyes shining, when suddenly—a loud commotion broke out from nearby.

"My monster egg is gone! The monster egg I just bought!! Someone must have stolen it!? Shopkeeper! Shopkeeper!!"

Huh?

Xiao Chuzao was startled, curiously poking its little head out.

But someone hurried past just as it peeked, startling the passerby in turn. The person stumbled, and with a crisp *crack*—barely noticed by others—a snow-white, palm-sized egg with intricate patterns tumbled out of their overstuffed pocket and shattered on the ground.

The person panicked and, before anyone could react, pointed accusingly at Xiao Chuzao, who was still lying on the soft blanket munching on its fruit.

"I—I saw an egg fall near this little beast! See if it's this one!"

Blank-headed Xiao Chuzao: ...?

It took a moment to process—Wait, no! The little one puffed up its cheeks. Trying to meow in protest—How dare you frame Zao Zao!!! Meanie!!! And *you're* the little beast!! Your whole family is little beasts! Zao Zao is a Little Angel!! The Most Amazing Little Angel!!!