Chapter 96

Chapter 96

Luo Ci lay nestled against Chen Wang’s chest, allowing Cooper to gently stroke her head while running another scan with the device.

A Jin was frantic: "What's wrong? Why aren't you saying anything?"

Cooper repeatedly checked the data on the dashboard before speaking with difficulty, "Little Snowball... might be an SS-class guide."

She pointed to the dashboard. This measuring device, a recent development, could already measure S-class guide levels. The light column indicating the reading had surpassed the S-class mark, showing no sign of slowing its ascent; it even exceeded the instrument's testing range.

"Is this real?" Zhong Shijin was momentarily stunned. "Little Snowball is SS-class?"

"Most likely," Cooper said, excitedly cross-referencing the values.

Generally, once a guide awakened, their rank would stabilize. However, a rare few might experience fluctuations—rising or falling—after certain incidents.

But Little Snowball was already the sole S-class guide, an incredibly rare case to begin with. Could there really be room for further growth? Cooper had been bracing for bad news, never expecting the rank to rise instead.

Chen Wang checked Little Snowball's temperature again and found the fever had subsided. "Are there any precautions to take?"

Still caught up in her excitement, Cooper snapped back to reality at his question. "Little Snowball will likely be in a weakened state for the next few days. It might help to give her some nutrient supplements."

Nutritional supplements...

He had seen some while rummaging through the medical kit earlier.

Chen Wang pulled out a supplement from the kit, unwrapped the box, and saw a cheerful cartoon design on the packaging—clearly meant for younglings.

Being a physically powerful sentinel, Chen Wang had naturally never consumed such things. He carefully flipped through the instructions and muttered, "Huh, it's an oral spray."

Following the instructions, he removed the safety cap and gently rubbed Little Snowball's brow. "Little Snowball, wake up for me."

Luo Ci’s eyelids drooped, but she wasn't fully asleep—just exhausted and drowsy. Her little ears stayed alert, and when Chen Wang lifted her chin, she obediently opened her mouth.

A Jin eagerly stepped forward, about to offer to take over, but Zhong Shijin pulled him aside.

Chen Wang cupped Little Snowball's face with extreme gentleness.

Tilting her little face upward, Little Snowball kept her eyes closed out of sheer trust, mouth still obediently open.

A glimpse revealed tiny, densely packed milky-white teeth and a petal-pink tongue peeking out slightly.

Chen Wang sprayed the potion onto her tongue. Luo Ci pursed her lips, feeling the sweet yet sour taste spread across her tongue. Her soft, plump cheeks immediately scrunched up, and her little nose twitched. "So sour..."

Chen Wang tossed the potion aside. The little one whined at the slightest hint of sourness, yet they all indulged her without hesitation. He gave A Jin a look, and A Jin bolted to the kitchen like a whirlwind to fetch water.

Still weak, Luo Ci sleepily gulped down a few sips of warm water before clinging to Chen Wang and dozing off again. Perhaps truly exhausted, the little one pouted slightly and soon fell into a deep sleep.

Zhong Shijin and Cooper stepped away to quietly discuss Little Snowball's rank. Given how fragile she still was, it was best to delay contacting the Guide Association until she fully recovered, then have their representatives come over.

Cooper nodded in understanding—she would hold off on filing the report.

But the announcement was inevitable.

Cooper sighed inwardly. Little Snowball was already the only S-class guide. If her SS-class status were made public, it would undoubtedly cause an even bigger sensation.

Chen Wang carried the deeply sleeping youngling back to the bedroom. Though her fever had subsided, her soft, snow-pale cheeks still bore a warm, rosy flush. Her tiny hands clung tightly to his arm, and the slightest movement made the fluffy little ears on her head tremble, making it hard to resist the urge to kiss them.

Gazing down at her, Chen Wang couldn't help but smile. He had never experienced such a rollercoaster of emotions in a single day. When he thought he had hurt Little Snowball, she told him it wasn't his fault. When he thought it was all a delusion, she embraced him again.

Like a massive weight had been lifted from his heart. Leaning against the headboard, Chen Wang chuckled softly.

Night fell, his profile half-submerged in the dim light. Beyond the frosted windows, snowbound Snowbird City lay silent, as if asleep. He murmured under his breath, "My Little Snowball..."

......

A month later, the Guide Association revisited Tansapa and conducted a series of examinations on Luo Ci. After confirming the facts, they officially announced that Little Snowball was SS-class.

During that month, many events unfolded. The current head of the HMC Guild was Aikote. Due to the earlier concealment of the Shape-shifting Gate incident, HMC came under constant fire. Following the negotiations at the treehouse, Aikote decided to lead HMC into joining Tansapa.

Ao Qi also engaged in a series of discussions with Tansapa regarding the antidote, ultimately paying through the nose to obtain the potion that neutralized the toxic miasma.

Once the miasma was cleared, the original structure of the underground city was revealed, getting many guilds excited to explore it after a month of preparation.

News about the underground city remained all anyone could talk about, but the announcement of Little Snowball's SS-class status instantly became just as huge.

An SS-class guide! Tansapa, already highly sought-after, became even more popular. Sentinels were fighting to get in, though the vetting got tougher. Some reporters even revealed that two S-class individuals, previously declared as non-guild members, had already joined Tansapa—though they were still grinding to earn enough points.

Little Snowball was so well-protected that the last photos the public had of her were from the press conference.

In the pictures, Little Snowball looked like an adorable mochi ball, round and soft, with a tiny cotton-like tail that was impossibly cute. Who wouldn’t want to cuddle such a fluffy little thing?

Especially when she seemed to realize she might have disrupted the conference—her wide, aqua-blue eyes filled with visible confusion and hesitation as she slowly pulled her little foot back, as if pretending nothing had happened. Overnight, memes like "[Testing the waters.jpg]" and "[Retracting a Little Snowball.jpg]" spread like wildfire.

The media tried every trick in the book to secure exclusive coverage of Little Snowball.

But no matter how persistently they tried, the front desk's response remained the same: Little Snowball wasn’t currently at Tansapa Tower.

In reality, before heading to the underground city, Chen Wang had decided to organize a group getaway.

This time, their destination was farther away—the southern beaches of Firiel, a renowned vacation island. The waters here were said to possess a special property, displaying three distinct colors at dawn, dusk, and night.

The stunning natural beauty attracted many tourists, but since they arrived during the off-season, it wasn't crowded.

In the afternoon, golden sunlight spilled over the sandy beach, turning the sand golden-brown.

After being cooped up in the tower for a month, Luo Ci was overjoyed to be outside playing. Clutching a small bucket, she went racing across the beach.

One moment, she was collecting starfish in the shallows; the next, she was chasing crabs on the sand. When tired, she ducked under the shade of an umbrella to play with the sand.

Though the beach wasn’t crowded, a few vacationing sentinels were present. After becoming an SS-class guide, Little Snowball's soothing range had expanded significantly.

Most sentinels had never experienced this level of soothing energy before.

They couldn’t resist it at all—as if enchanted, they instinctively moved toward the source.

Yet the next second, they were jolted back to awareness by the oppressive aura of a high-ranking sentinel, an invisible force that snapped them back to reality.

Chen Wang walked over and placed a newly bought sun hat on that fluffy little head, smiling as he asked, "What are you building? A castle?"

The little one, clutching a small shovel, remained oblivious to what had just happened. Propping her chin with one hand, her tiny feet covered in damp sand, she lifted her face—her nose and chin smudged with grit, like a little kitten fresh from rolling in the mud.

She shook her head. "No..."

Chen Wang studied it for a moment and realized Little Snowball seemed to be building Tansapa Tower.

Noticing the droop in her ears, Chen Wang chuckled softly. "I see it now. Then what’s this part?"

He was referring to the crooked little mud figure beside it.

"Eh?" Luo Ci blinked, her grubby little finger innocently pointing at his chest.

Being sharp-eared, Sha Ni Lu coughed and laughed in the distance, nearly spitting his drink all over A Jin and Roland.

Chen Wang examined the mud figure with a straight face. Though the craftsmanship of the little one was... questionable, it amused him greatly. After all, Little Snowball liked him best, and the first mud figure she made was also him. He bent down slightly and kissed Little Snowball's snow-white ear: "Well done."

Luo Ci's cotton-ball tail wagged, inexplicably happy from the praise. She held out her tiny arms for a hug.

Chen Wang easily lifted the little one into his arms. Unaware of her muddy state, she snuggled against him, grinning, wrapping her arms around his neck and cooing.

Of course, Chen Wang didn't mind. All he cared about was Little Snowball. The little one sat on his arm, her round cheeks pressed against his neck, sticky and impossible to refuse. Her fluffy little ears swayed and rubbed, tickling him slightly. When he pulled away, she pouted, displeased.

Soon, the waning sun began to sink, a red sunset poised to dip into the sea. The seaweed on the rocks emitted a faint silver glow, tinting the water a hue between blue and silver—another color the sea took on at night.

Luo Ci couldn't help but let out a little 'wow', staring wide-eyed.

Until Zhong Shijin came out of the beach house, announcing that dinner was ready.

The cuddly little thing nestled in his arms twitched her ears. Chen Wang stood up, carrying Little Snowball back.

Though two walked together, only a single trail of footprints marked the sand.

Even if this was but a delusion, he would hold it firmly in his grasp.