Before setting off, the leopard-eared maid offered a spherical necklace.
The pendant was the size of a thumb, exuding a deep blue glass-like texture, as though polished from some precious gemstone.
Looking closer, something could be seen swimming inside the sphere—it looked like a living, chibi octopus.
Looking at the disc of the necklace again, instead of patterns, it was engraved with a barcode.
Yuxing asked with curiosity, "What is this?"
Ornado's deep voice carried a faint smile.
"Aquamarine Pearl. There is only one in the entire interstellar realm."
"After scanning, it will display your pet information, just to prevent you from getting lost and being mistaken for a wild human, then snatched away and resold."
He truly was an impeccably perfect owner.
He had anticipated every single situation.
The pet must be deeply moved.
Yuxing's eyes lit up. "How much is it worth?"
Ornado's eyes held undisguised amusement. "Without an owner to accompany you, even if I gave you money, you couldn't spend it."
Yuxing accepted this readily. "I'm happy just looking at it."
Ornado: "......"
Why was everyone around him obsessed with money?
Quinn was one, and so was his pet.
Ornado closed his eyes for a moment to compose himself, took out the necklace, and personally put it on his pet.
Hidden within the Aquamarine Pearl was his mimic avatar; the moment the pet encountered mortal danger, he would be the first to know.
Yuxing was curious about everything, looking around constantly from the moment she left the seaside castle until she was seated in the airspeeder.
Before stepping onto the airspeeder, Ornado suddenly stopped in his tracks, gazing toward the southwest of the royal palace, and frowned almost imperceptibly.
"You go first, I'll be right there."
Yuxing didn't hear clearly and nodded repeatedly, entirely focused on figuring out how to operate the airspeeder.
She pressed a button at random.
The next second, a 3D figure materialized in front of the cockpit. A white dolphin wearing a top hat made an electronic, mechanical sound.
"Idiot is happy to serve you. Shall I start the airspeeder?"
Yuxing was stunned for two seconds. "Your name is Idiot?"
Idiot's tone didn't fluctuate in the slightest. "Yes. Shall I start the airspeeder?"
Yuxing: "......"
What kind of name was that?
Who had such a warped sense of humor?
Could it be Ornado?
While guessing, Yuxing nodded. "Yes."
She didn't see that Quinn had quietly appeared, standing in the rain on the left side of the airspeeder, shouting loudly at her. When she didn't respond, he anxiously pounded on the window.
Idiot used a fin to remove its top hat and bowed in a greeting. "Please choose: Autopilot Mode / Manual Control Mode."
Yuxing didn't hesitate. "Autopilot Mode."
Idiot elegantly put its top hat back on. "Please enter the destination."
Yuxing enunciated clearly. "Human-Pet Exchange Convention."
Idiot simulated a seatbelt and patiently taught her how to fasten it.
"Destination locked. Please fasten your seatbelt. Departing for the Human-Pet Exchange Convention. Estimated time of arrival: thirty-six minutes and fifty-seven seconds."
Yuxing sat steadily in the soft driver's seat and praised, "So intelligent, how can anyone call it an idiot?"
She was too busy marveling to notice Quinn frantically chasing after the airspeeder outside.
It was a smooth ride all the way.
Idiot made a timely announcement. "Please select a nearby parking lot."
Yuxing chose the nearest location.
The airspeeder came to a steady stop.
After getting out, Yuxing noticed there was not a soul around her, and it finally dawned on her.
You've got to be kidding me, Ah-Ao?
Was he really that confident about letting her go out alone?
While grumbling inwardly, Yuxing held her umbrella and walked aimlessly.
Suddenly, a girl crashed straight into her arms.
Yuxing raised both hands. "Hey, hey! Don't even think about trying to scam me!"
"Save me..."
The girl had black hair and black eyes, and her exposed skin was covered in bruises. The rain beating down on her made her look even more wretched.
Yuxing noticed that after the girl saw her face, her eyes filled with utter despair, and she struggled to get up.
Yuxing helped the stumbling girl to her feet. "If this isn't a scam, tell me what you're suffering from. Maybe I can play the hero and save the day?"
The girl closed her eyes and gave a bitter smile. "You? You can't."
Before Yuxing could say anything, the sound of noisy footsteps drew closer from a distance.
Yuxing found herself facing a group of people.
The man leading them had flashy red hair and wore exquisite aristocratic attire, with a long coat reaching his knees and expensive gems dangling from his collar, cuffs, and hem.
Underneath his umbrella, his red eyes narrowed slightly as he gave a soft smile, putting on an air of righteous hypocrisy. "Human, what is your name?"
The man's gloomy gaze fixed on her unblinkingly, carrying an intense aggressivity, as though appraising a rare item.
Having fought her way out of the apocalyptic wasteland, Yuxing—even in a new body—was exceptionally sensitive to other people's gazes and expressions.
She had seen that kind of look too many times in the apocalypse. She shifted her foot, desperately wanting to treat the fellow to a kick that would cut off his lineage.
Seeing that she didn't reply, a guard beside the man barked angrily, "Mr. Holt is speaking to you, human. How dare you pretend you didn't hear?"
Mr. Holt stroked the bite mark on the web of his hand and said condescendingly, "The one you're holding in your arms is my pet. She hurt me, so according to the rules, she should be executed on the spot."
The girl looked at Mr. Holt with eyes filled with hatred. She wanted to fight him to the death, but her physical condition wouldn't allow it, and she passed out on the spot.
Yuxing firmly caught the girl. "And what if we don't follow the rules?"
Mr. Holt's smile deepened. "Come with me. Take her place, and please me."
Human pets were delicate, pitiful, and innocent.
When they were injured, the corners of their eyes always flushed with a striking red.
He enjoyed the look of terror humans gave him.
To constantly see that expression, he had specially built a Hunting Park inside his estate, where humans were locked up together with beastmen who had suffered mental collapses and lost their minds, just to listen to their sweet, melodious shrieks.
Lately, he had been feeling bored.
He wanted to develop a new game, which was why he had come to the Human-Pet Exchange Convention for inspiration.
He hadn't expected that the pet kept by his side, who usually seemed so well-behaved, would actually dare to bite him and escape the guards' blockade.
What he expected even less was that during the chase, he would encounter a muse who made his heart tremble.
His muse seemed to have beautiful, blooming flowers within her eyes.
Softly curled sideburns hung against a pure white face, her lips curved into a gorgeous arc, and when she looked at him, her eyes were filled with disgust.
Arrogant yet stubborn.
He loved destroying this type of human the most.
Mr. Holt couldn't wait to take his muse home, and his steps forward became all the more resolute.
Yuxing squinted and smiled.
Anyone familiar with her knew she was about to throw hands.
Yuxing carefully placed the girl under the shade of a tree, flexed her wrists, and wondered if her ice-type superpower had followed her across space.
She liked to kill with a single strike.
It sounded a bit reckless.
Hopefully her owner could clean up this mess for her.
Thinking this to herself, suddenly, a golden owl flew down to the ground, transformed into human form, and began circling her while chattering away.
"You, you, you—I called out to you so many times, didn't you hear me?"
Yuxing blinked and pointed at herself. "You called me? When? Sorry, I really didn't hear."
Quinn fell silent. He remembered now—the King's airspeeder had exceptionally good soundproofing.
Yuxing sighed inwardly.
Good thing she hadn't entertained the idea of running away on a whim. If she had bolted, wouldn't she have been caught red-handed by the owl gentleman?
She had every reason to suspect her owner was using himself as bait in a sting operation!
Quinn glanced coldly at the surroundings. "What's going on?"
Yuxing raised her hand to speak. "He wants me to go with him, and wants me to please him."
The owner wasn't here.
The owner's lapdog was.
Who else was she going to complain to if not him?