Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Pawpaw shadowed Ye Mo. Seeing that Ye Mo didn't stop, it quickened its pace, circled around to stand in front of him, then flopped down and stretched out a paw to gently nudge Ye Mo's foot. It had already learned to play gently with Ye Mo and not to casually damage his things.

Ye Mo crouched down and reached out to stroke its fluffy mane. "That's it for apples. You polished off half a box already."

Pawpaw shook its head, nudging against Ye Mo, eagerly wanting to play a rolling game with him.

"Not here. The space is too small. Are you feeling cooped up?"

Although there was an entire floor of space, it was mostly corridors and various rooms. Pawpaw hadn't had a proper chance to move around for several days.

A passing staff member said to Ye Mo, "Your Highness, you can take it to the courtyard to run around and burn off some energy. A Baran Lion can't stay cooped up. These past few days here, the open areas are smaller than on a starship. It's probably getting stir-crazy. Do you need a leash and its muzzle? I'll go get them for you."

At first, they didn't know how to treat Ye Mo or what to call him. These past few days, they figured out the situation and all took their cue from Secretary-General Lin, calling him "Your Highness" and treating him according to the standards for a crown prince.

Ye Mo didn't know him and hadn't had time to react before the man, clutching a stack of documents, walked into a room. When he came out, he had the special leash and muzzle for the Baran Lion. He strapped them on Pawpaw and handed the leash to Ye Mo.

"This should do the trick. If no one's in the courtyard downstairs, you can let it play in the central pet park for a while. As long as the muzzle isn't removed, it's allowed."

Ye Mo took the leash, thanked him, and then led Pawpaw downstairs.

Pawpaw seemed very excited. It slowed its pace, following Ye Mo. Even when urged, it only hurried half a step ahead, giving the leash a gentle tug. The force was very light. For some reason, Pawpaw played without much restraint with Arnold, but with Ye Mo, it was always gentle.

Even so, Ye Mo held the leash tightly. Although Pawpaw sometimes seemed reliable, perhaps due to its young age, sometimes when it got excited, it would forget all about such considerations.

The conference building was converted from a palace. The courtyard was also lavishly planted with many flowers and ornamental trees, with paths that twisted and turned.

Ye Mo walked toward the guards standing on either side of the path. The guards eyed Pawpaw warily. Ye Mo pulled back on the leash, stepping in front of Pawpaw before he spoke.

"Excuse me, is the pet park here?"

One of them hesitated. "That seems to be in the east..."

The other glanced at the lion Ye Mo was leading and affirmed, "Go straight ahead along this path."

Ye Mo thanked them and led the restless Pawpaw forward.

The other guard was still a bit uncertain. "Isn't the pet park in the east?"

"Today, that bunch of noble kids is having a gathering up ahead. They brought quite a few beasts and prey, and a lot were transported over. You saw it too. That child is probably also going to the gathering. He can't really be taking a lion out for a walk, right?"

His companion also thought it made sense and sighed. "I hope no accidents happen."

"Probably not. Don't worry, they value their lives more than anyone."

Ye Mo and Pawpaw were already far away.

Probably from lack of upkeep, the plants here grew very lush.

Pawpaw was raring to go. It was very familiar with places with abundant vegetation and began nosing around in the roadside grass and flowers.

Suddenly, something darted through the nearby bushes. Just as Ye Mo turned to look, Pawpaw charged out. The leash in Ye Mo's hand was yanked out and disappeared in an instant.

"Hey! Pawpaw!"

Ye Mo was a bit anxious. Even with the muzzle on, Pawpaw was so big; it wouldn't do to have it scare someone.

He started running along the path.

Soon, he saw a circular building. Ye Mo found Pawpaw's paw prints at the foot of the wall. Circling around it, he saw a passageway.

Without much thought, he ran in along the passage. If Pawpaw caused trouble, it would be a disaster. It might even get shot.

Not far away, a group of young men and women stood on the second floor looking down. Due to different national systems, they were either children of royalty or nobility, or children of various countries' leaders or important dignitaries.

Having attended several conferences with their parents since childhood, they'd usually run into each other a few times and were at least casually acquainted.

Downstairs was a makeshift arena built with memory metal, imitating the architectural style of a long-lost civilization. Although it was temporarily constructed, it looked the part. The decorations upstairs and the attire of the banquet guests also followed a retro style. Combined with the lush trees nearby, it really evoked a sense of tragic grandeur and the decadent extravagance of the old aristocracy in ancient civilizations.

The iron gates at both ends of the arena were pulled open again. Two beasts emerged from either side, wary of each other, but their mouths were shackled, preventing them from biting.

Several people on the second floor held bows and arrows. The arrows were special; the tips weren't sharp metal but special instruments that could emit a specific signal. As long as they were shot near the beasts below, they could function as "keys," unlocking the restraints on their mouths.

Two of the young men enthusiastically pulled back their bows.

Another group stood far away. "It's too cruel. I don't know what's fun about such a barbaric activity."

"Me neither, but they said the Graths go hunting beasts, so keeping these things became popular."

"The Graths have always hunted Zerg, right? They're not as childish as these people."

The other shrugged. "Who knows what Boer is thinking? Anyway, they don't have the guts to watch the whole thing. As soon as they shoot their arrows, they can't wait to yell to stop. And they can't bear to let their expensive beasts die. They never really see it through."

His companion thought for a moment. Rather than saying they were staging beast fights, it was more like they were playing archery. Most of the time, the well-fed beasts didn't even fight. They didn't mind; the important part was parading the beasts out to show off their archery. Then they'd just move on to the next round, as if loosing the arrow was the whole point.

He nodded. "That's true."

One of the young men drawing the bow was Boer, the prince of the Clay Empire.

That group of young men was indeed like that. If the beasts didn't fight, it was fine. As soon as the two beasts started fighting, they'd start shrieking at the first sign of blood and start worrying about their own beast, rushing to have the robots separate them.

Just as they drew their bows and shot, unlocking the shackles on both beasts, a commotion broke out on the second floor.

A crowd gathered around the railing, looking down and discussing.

"Someone went in down there."

"Wasn't the gate closed?"

Boer was especially nervous. He gripped his bow tightly, leaning against the railing.

In the arena below were a fiercely aggressive old wolf and a bear.

The bear wasn't Boer's, but that old wolf liked to toy with its prey even when well-fed. If they hadn't been short on numbers, Boer wouldn't have planned to bring it out.

"The robots? Get the robots to lock them back up!"

"The robots are on their way, but they just withdrew. They need to re-enter through the passage. How did he get in? Was the passage not closed?"

The person below was Ye Mo. He had already drawn a dagger from his boot and was gradually retreating, planning to slowly go back through the passage.

Opposite him, an old wolf with a deep scar across its nose was slowly approaching, its body tense, poised to attack.

Ye Mo instinctively felt that if he turned around, it would pounce without hesitation.

He stopped at the entrance to the passage. When Ye Mo stopped, the old wolf also paused for a few seconds before slowly, tentatively approaching him again.

The passage was narrow and dim. Entering it would mean giving up the visual advantage, and Ye Mo's space to escape would be greatly reduced.

One wolf should be manageable enough; the real worry is if the other one also pounces.

The other bear was also in the distance, seemingly hesitating about whether to step forward and get a piece of the pie.

Just then, a lion's roar came from the passage on the other side.

Pawpaw came barreling out from inside, with its mane all puffed out, making its body appear even larger.

It lunged furiously toward the wolf, and even with its muzzle still on, it looked extremely threatening.

The old wolf and the bear immediately abandoned Ye Mo, with their tails between their legs as they backed into a corner, huddling against the wall.

"Not another one!"

Boer shouted down at Ye Mo, "What are you standing there for? Run!"

Ye Mo didn't hear him. He put away his dagger and stepped forward to grab the rope around Pawpaw's neck.

A soft wave of gasps went through the crowd on the second floor.

Only when Pawpaw lay down at Ye Mo's feet, fawning over him, did they all let out a collective sigh of relief.

Especially Boer. After relaxing, he was both embarrassed and furious. "Come up here! What are you doing down there!"

...

Ye Mo brought Pawpaw up to the second floor and stood among them. Whether it was because of Pawpaw or Ye Mo himself, they all kept a distance of over a meter from him, leaving a large empty circle in the middle.

Boer was practically scared to death. He sized up Ye Mo. "Who are you? Why did you suddenly barge in, and why are you bringing a lion?"

Ye Mo hadn't fully grasped the situation yet, but he knew he had caused trouble for others and instinctively apologized first. "I'm sorry. I thought this was a pet park and wanted to take it out for a walk. I lost my grip on the leash for a second, figured it must have run in here, and went in after it."

Someone in the crowd started whispering among themselves.

"Look at the clothes he's wearing."

The companion understood what they meant—this was always the Grath style.

"What's the big deal? It's nothing new for people to copy Grath's style. People in every country are crazy for these clothes, and Grath isn't bothered by it anyway."

Boer didn't hear his companions' discussion at all. He was still immersed in the shock from earlier, almost seething. "I don't care whose fault it is. Who's with you?"

"What's going on here? Who did something wrong?"

A questioning voice came from behind the crowd.

All the children turned to look back. A group of adults had appeared behind them at some point—dignitaries and key leaders from various nations, with Norton Grass at the center, surrounded by them.

Boer pushed through the crowd and stepped to the front. "Father."

Boer's father had a kind and gentle face, looking like a cheerful old man. He stood with his hands behind his back on the right side of the crowd. "I heard you seemed to be having a little disagreement, is that right?"