Chapter 62: A ‘Little Zao Car’ Comes with Its ‘Lights’ On.

Chapter 62 A 'Zao Zao Car' came driving over with its 'headlights' on.

King Amos, at a steady, unhurried pace, successfully chased Finn all over the field.

Xiao Chuzao stood beside his aunt, his eyes wide open. Every time Finn got hit, his little wings would tremble slightly.

Finn, always unreliable and getting into trouble, had often been dealt with by Amos before. After all, among the Crown Clan, aside from Amos, no one else could really beat Finn if it came to a fight.

Fei Man was quite used to seeing this.

Meanwhile, the trio who had just finished their training session stood nearby, keeping their distance.

The little one instinctively looked their way, and Fei Man, following his gaze, spoke to him.

"It's about time for a break. Go hang out with your teammates."

The cub indeed got along really well with these three.

Unable to bear watching the 'tragedy' of Uncle Finn getting whacked any longer—Zao Zao chose not to look.

Peng Liang had evidently gotten his emotions under control over the past few days.

His gaze toward Xiao Chuzao burned brighter.

Different from before, it seemed as though he had made up his mind about something.

The little cub was super sensitive to others' emotions. Looking at Peng Liang before him, he didn’t bring up Elder Peng’s passing.

Peng Liang had been busy with all that in recent days and hadn’t come to the royal court.

"Little Highness."

The three of them looked at the little cub. After this period of interaction and bonding, they had clearly gotten to know Xiao Chuzao much better.

Then, the little cub began digging around in his pocket.

His small head bowed, soft black curls bouncing slightly with his movements. Finally, he found what he was looking for and lifted his head, his honey-amber eyes so sweet they made you melt.

"For you."

Xiao Chuzao opened his palm to reveal a colorfully wrapped candy, which he handed to Peng Liang.

The little cub gave a soft, sweet smile, delicate and adorable. His face, pampered by the Crown Clan these days, had filled out with baby chub, making him look rounder and even more endearing.

"It’s really tasty."

A five-year-old cub naturally wouldn’t overthink things.

For a little cub, the best thing ever was just some yummy snacks. For Xiao Chuzao, the foods he could eat weren’t plentiful—most were specially prepared by the royal chefs of Saint Cas, approved by the medical center. The so-called flavors leaned more toward—being healthy.

Thus, the highlight of his day, his most anticipated moment, was the candy Amos gave him every morning.

Hearing that all three of them would be coming for training today, the little cub had deliberately saved it just for this.

Because in the little cub’s memory—when Zao Zao felt sad or upset, eating something sweet would make him feel much better. For the little one in the past, such treats were luxuries; for the little one now, they were limited.

But he was still willing to share.

"For me?"

Peng Liang carefully took it and looked at Xiao Chuzao.

The toddler nodded vigorously, then rummaged around again.

"This is for you—"

Zao Zao knew how to share fairly; everyone got a share.

He pulled out another piece of candy and handed it to Yun Songquan beside him.

Yun Songquan also froze momentarily. He naturally knew what had happened to the Peng family, but as an orphan, he couldn't quite relate. He and Chao Huangmu—one too cold, the other too lively—neither had figured out what to say to Peng Liang today.

He accepted the candy.

His gaze inadvertently swept over Chao Huangmu next to him and was nearly blinded by the gleam in his eyes—

Yun Songquan was awestruck.

No, buddy, it's just Little Highness handing out candy, no need to look like you're gearing up for war!

Xiao Chuzao had already reached Chao Huangmu.

Chao Huangmu bent down slightly. His cheerful face was surprisingly refined, but he was a bit tanned and always wore a beaming smile, radiating such youthful energy that people often overlooked everything else.

The toddler dug around, looking up at Chao Huangmu's expectant gaze, then paused, blinking his big eyes—he, he seemed really eager for candy.

It was this momentary hesitation that sent Chao Huangmu's mind racing—just a second ago, he'd been thinking how tiny and adorable Little Highness was, pushing all his cute buttons, especially those bouncy little curls. So cute, he wanted to fix them. And then Xiao Chuzao stopped.

Chao Huangmu also paused—was he... not getting one?

With a benevolent smile, Chao Huangmu glanced at his companions.

No problem, he could tell Little Highness he didn’t really want any, and then… well, snatching Peng Liang's would be rude. Brother Yun probably wasn't big on candy, but he still really wanted one given by Little Highness himself…

Was it because his name was too hard to remember, making his presence less noticeable to Little Highness?

Chao Huangmu was questioning his entire existence. His smiling yet clingy demeanor made Yun Songquan's skin crawl.

Yun Songquan instinctively unwrapped the candy and plopped it into his mouth—

You wouldn't fish it out of someone's mouth, would you?

Then he noticed Chao Huangmu still staring at him.

Yun Songquan: …?

Wait, what are you thinking? Could you maybe not think right now??? You're freaking me out!!

"Zao Zao only has one left."

Just then, came the save.

The toddler held up the last piece of candy in his hand and offered it to Chao Huangmu, his little voice stumbling slightly.

"That's the last one, Chao… Chao Hwa…"

Chao Huangmu: !

He scored one!

Chao Huangmu's voice suddenly got all high-pitched.

"Okay, that's enough. Thanks, Little Highness - Chao Huangmu."

Xiao Chuzao nodded, pulling out the word he'd forgotten: "Brother Mu."

His tiny wings gave a little flutter.

He remembered.

Zao Zao swears he'll remember this time!

Chao Huangmu: ...!

Long after Xiao Chuzao had been called back by the Crown Clan's Emperor and Highnesses, Chao Huangmu still looked dazed.

Brother, Mu.

He didn't want to keep thinking how adorable the Little Highness was all the time. Though Chao Huangmu loved to smile, that wasn't really his personality—but he called me Brother Mu!

"Wake up, wake up, you big lug, snap out of it—"

Yun Songquan and Peng Liang had had enough and waved their hands in front of Chao Huangmu.

"I told you, listening to the diviner is always right."

Chao Huangmu snapped out of his daze, grinning as he threw an arm around the person next to him.

"...What good luck junk did you bring now? Never mind, don't tell me. I don't want to know."

Yun Songquan wore his usual poker face, the piece of candy making one side of his cheek bulge slightly. His expressionless eyes remained impassive as he let Chao Huangmu's hand rest on his shoulder.

"The Little Highness is just so adorable—"

Peng Liang sighed, putting away his candy. He glanced at Chao Huangmu, who was always way more into the Little Highness than they were—it was genuinely surprising.

"But Mu, are you actually into plushies?"

"Kinda? But not really."

Chao Huangmu waved his hand dismissively.

He didn't find other people or things particularly cute—only Xiao Chuzao. From their first meeting, that eerie power, the swift and decisive way he fired arrows, and everything afterward had relentlessly hit all of Chao Huangmu's weak spots.

"Whatever, do you—"

Peng Liang's eyes also sparkled as he watched the little guy head off to train.

"From now on, I'm the Little Highness's biggest fan. Don't even think about challenging me."

He would never forget the change in his grandfather before and after the Little Highness appeared.

His father had said that meeting the Crown Clan was lucky for the Saint Casians, and meeting Highness Kaman and the Little Highness was a godsend for their Peng family.

It was a quiet miracle—he now understood better how the ancestors who had passed away a millennium ago must've felt seeing the Crown Clan.

Chao Huangmu: Huh?

Yun Songquan: What?

"Speaking of which, have you guys met Ling Ye after returning to the military academy?"

Peng Liang looked over.

"No."

"No, what about him?"

"When he came to my place, he asked how much contact I’ve had with the Little Highness. That guy’s always unreadable, and he’s been getting pretty close to Speaker Cheng Xuan. Rumor has it that Ling Ye is one of the key talents in Saint Cas who stepped up after the Crown Clan disappeared, isn't he?"

Peng Liang clenched his fist.

He better not uncover anything that could harm the Little Highness.

"Oh—"

Chao Huangmu was still smiling, but he was clearly lost in thought.

Peng Liang quickly turned his head—"Don’t even think about jumping him with a sack and beating him up! If you get caught, you’ll be expelled!"

Chao Huangmu turned with a look of *what are you talking about*: "I didn’t say anything?"

Tsk. Too bad.

*

As the National Day approached, members of the Crown Clan who had been dealing with the Aberrant Beast Legions outside began returning one after another, while others continued suppressing the pollution-born aberrants affecting the entire star system.

A starship touched down quietly in the days leading up to the National Day.

In the coming days, invited nations, alliances, and organizations would send representatives to celebrate Saint Cas’s National Day ceremony.

Security measures across Saint Cas had already been heightened due to the appearance of the young heir, and now they were even more tightened.

The Crown Clan member who disembarked from the starship was calm and quiet, his presence almost muted. He stepped off, tilting his head slightly as if absently studying the palace structures before lifting his gaze toward the distance.

Speaker Cheng Xuan stood waiting not far away, accompanied by his entourage.

"Long time no see, Your Highness Lynn."

"Hm."

Lynn acknowledged.

He made to walk past quietly.

"Speaker Cheng Xuan."

"You’ve no doubt heard the news regarding King Amos’s offspring."

Lynn’s steps halted.

"Of course."

His gaze stayed calm, as if the mention of the child left him unfazed.

This was the same Lynn who had once fought alongside Amos’s father, His Majesty Clancy, against the aberrant beasts—a trusted ally who supported all of His Majesty Clancy’s plans.

He was also the only one of his generation in the Crown Clan whose crown was still whole enough to meet the requirements for field operations. Others of his generation, like Mei Lun, Kaman, and Hale, had crowns too damaged to be viable.

"Get to the point."

Lynn tilted his head slightly.

"Regarding His Majesty Clancy’s original plan—whether to resolutely carry it out, to be honest—" Cheng Xuan lowered his gaze, "Your Highness, I find myself wavering. The young prince is still growing, but he appears far too gentle—this isn’t what His Majesty Clancy envisioned. And if I were to proceed, I would inevitably clash with King Amos."

It wasn’t that Cheng Xuan wanted to oppose Amos, but Amos, fiercely protective of his child, would undoubtedly tear apart anyone or any plan that threatened his offspring.

"Clancy left this plan in your hands. You should exercise your own judgment. It has been a long time since I last returned to Saint Cas's imperial capital, and I have yet to meet the little one. I can’t weigh in."

Lynn walked past Cheng Xuan calmly, leaving only a final remark.

"But don’t lose sight of what matters. When the time comes, I won’t shield you."

Lynn departed, his entourage moving as one—silent and unobtrusive, like shadows themselves.

Cheng Xuan straightened slightly from his bow.

He turned to watch Lynn’s retreating figure, then pondered the concerns he had recently encountered regarding the Crown Clan’s current state—particularly from the Northern Free Federation.

The Northern Free Federation—a human coalition—was not particularly close to Saint Cas in terms of distance, but they’d always been on good terms. They, too, believed that the stability of the galaxy largely depended on Saint Cas having a reliable and formidable ruler.

Cheng Xuan’s typically warm expression was now blank. He simply stood in quiet contemplation for a moment.

Then he glanced back. "Ling Ye, during the military academy tournament, did you have any contact with the Northern Free Federation?"

"Some, but not much."

The fifteen or sixteen-year-old youth behind Cheng Xuan answered promptly.

Cheng Xuan looked up at the sky—thinking of His Majesty Clancy.

A ruler of ice and iron, he had valued his clan and empire equally. Though he appeared harsh toward King Amos, his care ran deep. He had shielded his children from harsh choices, instead devising plans for the future—some so radical for their time that they made him plenty of enemies within the Crown Clan.

The king he’d served lifelong had repeatedly told him: Saint Cas must survive, must hold its own in this cutthroat galaxy. It needed a command core of steel—one that could not afford to be swayed by sentiment...

Saint Cas, the Little Highness, King Amos, His Majesty Clancy...

Cheng Xuan finally smiled faintly. "Let’s go."

*

As an elder of Amos, Lynn’s return meant checking in with the king.

Beyond the National Day celebrations, his homecoming was due to issues with his crown—he had lasted the longest among his generation, but even he was nearing his limit. Rumors that the child could fix the Crown Clan’s broken crowns had kept him from dying in the field.

Yet he had no obligation to formally report to Amos. His previous mission had been to suppress the beasts in a designated region. As the former king’s closest confidant, he had left Saint Cas’s imperial capital almost immediately after Amos ascended the throne.

Coming back now was like stepping into a dream.

Peaceful. No howling beasts, no starships’ roar—just overwhelming tranquility.

Though no report was required, he found himself wandering toward Dwight’s palace. Long ago, he had frequented this place—back when Clancy and Solan were still here, their formidable psychic union having produced five offspring, all breaking Crown Clan records. Back then, they were just a pack of fierce, wild little Dwights.

And now, he would see another little Dwight.

A gentle little Dwight.

Lynn struggled to imagine it.

But he was numb to it. He didn’t believe a child could stir much emotion in him.

Like the rest of the Crown Clan, he would protect the young—but he was no doting grandfather. Lynn assessed himself with detachment. If anything, he was puzzled: had Amos, raised under Clancy’s strict discipline, really turned into the doting parent they said?

Though he believed it was indeed something worth caring about—judging by subsequent events, Amos had clearly had a stress response.

Recalling how Amos used to be, Lynn felt a sense of absurdity.

He would never act like that.

This trip back had its own purpose for him.

"Baba, baba—why can't Zao Zao jump off the roof? Uncle Three said Zao Zao must try it!"

The young voice of the little one instantly flooded his ears.

Bright, soft, and dripping with sweetness, like a baby bird chirping for attention.

"Eh—? No, wait, Zao Zao, Uncle Three never said that, never said that!"

Finn's voice mingled with the laughter of Frey, An Ya, and Fei Man, along with Hale's dissatisfied interjection—"King Amos has always said you're unreliable, Your Highness Finn, must you live up to that reputation constantly?"

It was already past dinnertime.

The sky was darkening, clearly indicating King Amos was taking the little one out for an after-dinner walk, and quite a few people had joined them.

Lynn froze for a moment, instinctively hiding by the wall, pressed against the corner in the shadows, silently observing.

His concealment skills ranked first among the Crown Clan—as long as he maintained distance, not even Amos could spot him.

His gaze swept over the familiar faces before slowly settling on the tiny figure held by Amos.

Compared to the two-meter-tall Crown Clan members around him, Xiao Chuzao was truly a tiny speck.

The streetlights lit up, illuminating the path in front of Dwight’s palace.

The little one squinted, his small wings fluttering gently behind him, a soft and tiny figure tilting his soft, round face upward—heart-meltingly cute.

Expressionless, Lynn lurked in the shadows, digging his fingers into the corner of the wall.

The little one seemed to sense something. Xiao Chuzao blinked in a daze and glanced toward the distance—

But he saw nothing. His small wings trembled slightly as he reached up to touch his tiny halo before turning his attention back to Amos.

Beside them, Finn stared at that innocent little face, his own youthful face momentarily blank. He reached from behind to grab the little one’s halo, only to grasp empty air. He had to settle for vigorously messing up the little one’s hair—"Are you snitching, you little troublemaker?"

"Zao Zao is telling the truth! Zao Zao is an honest baby!"

Finn was torn between pinching his cheeks and simply marveling at how impossibly cute he was.

Letting out a tiny "Meow," the little one covered his head, guarding his curls, before darting over to his teacher and tugging at Hale’s clothes.

"Teacher, what are we learning tonight?"

Indeed, the little one’s schedule was quite packed.

Having missed out on nearly everything before, he now had to catch up on knowledge typical for his age.

Starting with the Saint Cas language, then moving on to the various abilities of the Crown Clan.

One thing that made it easier was that the little one had already manifested his own Psychic Weapon, saving him the effort of lengthy trial and error.

Mornings were dedicated to cultural studies, afternoons to physical training—mostly combat training and archery—and evenings to mastering the Crown Clan’s core psychic techniques.

"Tonight...?"

Hale thought over the plan.

They’d already drilled stealth multiple times. They could ramp it up later—for now, this was enough. The kid was a fast learner, making rapid progress in both physical combat and other areas. So, the counter-scouting training was paying off.

"Next up: sharpening your senses with psychic energy. Today, we’ll work on vision—seeing clearer, farther, and sensing the positions of surrounding objects with psychic perception."

The little one blinked, nodding like he half got it.

The weather wasn’t too chilly now, and Amos wasn’t too worried about the little one catching a breeze—after all, they were just helping him digest.

He hauled Finn off to the nearby training area.

Frey, Fei Man, and An Ya crowded around to watch.

Finn: "...Seriously?! You’re just gonna stare?!"

His creepy doll face crumpled under the righteous iron fist of his elder brother.

"Bro, wait—you’re gonna lecture me twice today? Dad never came at you this hard—"

Finn felt he’d fallen way down the pecking order since his return—oh, mostly because his second brother had gone full mama bear over the kid.

And what he excelled at most was poking the bear. With other Crown Clan members, it was fine—they were no match for him, and his second brother usually ignored it. But now...

"Ow—Second Brother, ease up!!"

"Tsk tsk tsk, I told you Second Bro wouldn’t hold back."

"Of course. We’ve all been there—only Finn has a bad memory."

"But Second Brother never hit Eldest Brother, right?"

An Ya and Fei Man exchanged glances before turning to Frey.

Frey slowly turned to look at them, his face went eerily still for a moment: "...Oh, he did. You just didn’t know."

Fei Man, An Ya: ?

Wait—Amos was *that* brutal?

What a... lively family...

Lynn, huddled in the shadows, observed everything with this thought.

Meanwhile, the little one was learning from Mr. Hale—how to push his vision further with psychic energy, even perceiving things in blind spots.

The little one closed his eyes, focusing intently.

Psychic energy flowed to his eyes—hm, Zao Zao felt heat bloom in his eyes.

When he opened his eyes, he froze. First, he saw Hale’s psychic energy, strands of familiar-looking psychic threads branching from it, actively avoiding his tiny halo.

Hale, on the other hand, was stunned—

As mentioned earlier, the Crown Clan couldn’t see psychic energy, so the little one’s current ability clearly wasn’t what Hale had been teaching.

But the little one widened his eyes—Had Zao Zao actually cracked it?

His little chest instinctively puffed up.

Zao Zao got it!

Did I get it right?

The little cub looked at the stunned Hale, then turned towards Amos's direction and scampered over—"Daddy, Daddy—is this right?"

Hale came to his senses and reached out—"Wait, Zao Zao..."

Something wasn't right.

Really... something was really off.

Amos and the others turned to look.

Xiao Chuzao had been with Hale in a slightly brighter spot, but now he ran out of the lighted area and ran toward their darker area—his eyes were glowing?

Not the kind of reflected light from a Crown Clan's pupils—his eyes were actually glowing!!!

The little cub bounded forward, his big eyes shining with a golden radiance, like two tiny flashlights, scurrying over—

—well, a little Zao-mobile, with its high beams on, was coming.