The enraged alien beast sensed danger and instinctively tried to twist its enormous body to flee.
Compared to those alien beast legions with clear ranks and psychic powers, this beast, completely lacking psychic strength, was nothing at all.
But it was too late.
The black halo above Amos’s head seemed to signify the outcome.
He swung his sword toward the sky.
Amos’s overwhelming psychic power devoured these entities—who to him were merely ants—in an instant.
The small starship that man piloted exploded violently, turning to dust as it fell from the sky, while the massive beast froze in mid-air, then slowly seemed to be sliced apart, raining blood and flesh, bones and gore down onto the ground below.
Amos scooped up the little cub, whose golden halo above his head trembled slightly, and tucked him into his arms. His expression remained just as indifferent, even a bit slow, the tip of his psychic sword pointed casually toward the ground as he strolled forward.
That black crown atop his head was emitting a shadowy glow. On closer look, it seemed faintly fractured, crumbling at the edges like flowing sand, like a galaxy of falling stars, mysterious and chilling.
The pressure from the beast’s savage roar had been great, but it was nothing compared to the utter silence now.
For a moment, it was as if only Amos’s footsteps could be heard.
No, not even his footsteps.
That sound should be the uneasy flapping of the little cub’s wings, as he cuddled closer in Amos’s arms, trying to comfort himself.
“No, no, no—”
The vice-captain was utterly terrified.
They had targeted Amos because of the wealth he displayed, but at most they’d thought he might be a general from some alliance or empire. Even if things got violent, as long as they ran fast enough, their drifter status would shield them from reprisal.
Such violence and robbery were common in many places. In fact, they had succeeded like this many times before. They were star pirates once, before the combined suppression by several empires and alliances forced them to switch to being mercenaries and alien beast hunters on drifter planets.
They hadn’t acted like this in a long time, but Amos’s display of wealth was hard to ignore.
Yet there was one kind of target against whom their ambushes never worked.
That was the mythic race of immortals who lived in this galaxy, so entirely different from them—like the Crown Clan.
“No, I’m not—”
He scrambled backward in panic.
But Amos decided he’d wasted enough time here.
He turned his wrist slightly, the black blade of his sword drifting lazily toward them, just like it had with the previous strike.
Those paralyzed thugs died instantly.
Death came so swiftly, their bodies had no time to react. They could only stare blankly at themselves breaking apart, the heavy scent of blood filling the air, but nothing they did made a difference. At last, they collapsed quietly to the ground.
Holding the cub, Amos turned. The shards of the exploded starship and the flesh and blood of the alien beast rained down elsewhere. He casually flicked the blood from the psychic blade, the crown on his head seeming to flash briefly, as if lazily replete from drinking its fill.
The psychic blade in his hand slowly dissipated, and the crown above his head faded bit by bit as well, vanishing like embers dying at the end of a fire.
Only the carnage behind him bore witness to what had just occurred.
The shopkeeper, who’d almost wanted to accuse Amos of madness, swallowed hard and watched Amos with extreme caution.
The Crown Clan—
He was actually from the Crown Clan!
That fierce, brutal, mad race, the mythic clan that over time had never really shown any weakness, but who instead faded away by its own hands as years passed.
Was he the crazy one??!!
The shopkeeper doubted his own sanity.
He’d only hoped someone with power would come and handle the trouble here.
But no one said it’d be someone so overwhelmingly strong as this?!
Who on earth was this man??
Weren’t all the Crown Clan the nobility of Holy Cas?
“Awoo?”
It had grown quiet outside.
Stuffed in Amos’s arms, little Chu Zao gave a muffled, baby-voiced sound.
Baba?
“What’s wrong? Are you getting smothered?”
Amos looked down, pulling open his coat to glance at the little cub curled in his arms. The psychic halo above the cub’s head hadn’t faded yet, sparkling brightly in his hold, blinking on and off.
The white, soft little furball was still gripping a bright red fruit.
Then Chu Zao heard Amos ask, “Were you scared?”
There was no annoyance or impatience in his tone.
The little cub lying in Amos’s arms gazed up at his face, dazed, obedient, as if he’d just heard a question he’d never encountered before.
All teeth and claws a moment ago, now he seemed rather dumbstruck.
Then Amos watched those watery amber eyes flicker with light.
Softly: “Awoo.”
Zao Zao calls for Baba, and Baba really answered?
What else, then?
Amos raised his brows, pinching the little one’s tail.
The little guy wanted to wiggle out.
He was still hugging that fire-red fruit, a ball of white fluff, little ears twitching, such a soft, tiny thing.
There was no more danger now.
Amos let go.
He watched the little cub poke his head curiously from his clothes and glance about.
Amos didn’t let the little guy look behind them; he always blocked that view.
Most of the surrounding drifters were scared stiff, some scrambling away, some still frozen.
Little Chu Zao’s eyes met again with the slightly frightened, gray eyes not far away.
She looked yellowed, thin, surrounded by an aura of utter despair—so intense Little Chu Zao kept glancing over. He was very sensitive to such emotions.
Amos hadn’t planned to linger any longer, but the little cub tugged at his clothes with his paw.
Amos looked down in confusion.
The cub held up the red fruit.
“Awoo~”
This—can Zao Zao give this to someone else?
This is what Baba gave Zao Zao, so Zao Zao has to ask first.
“Once it’s given to you, it’s yours to do with as you like,” Amos thought for a moment. “Just make sure you keep enough for yourself to eat. But if it’s only this one, it’s all right.”
Not far away, a 15- or 16-year-old girl, knees weak, sat blankly on the side, not leaving with the other drifters.
She hadn’t always been a drifter—she’d been abandoned halfway, left with nothing, thrown away here.
She couldn’t do anything right. She was so useless—she’d surely die here soon.
In this survival-of-the-fittest place.
She thought so, tears welling in her large eyes.
But then she paused.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a flash of snowy white, wobbling as it flew over.
Startled, she instinctively wanted to dodge, but the little one moved too quickly—in a blink it was before her, scanning to make sure no one else was watching, and then slowly pushing the same bright red fruit she’d been eyeing toward her.
A round little head cocked to one side to look at her. Above it, a little golden crown—the most beautiful she’d ever seen—glimmered as he said in babyish tones: “Awoo~”
Zao Zao’s full, this one’s for you.
Little angel Zao Zao couldn’t bear to see such emotions.
Even if he was a cub all alone, trying hard to be strong and not easy to bully, he wasn’t a troublemaking type; he was soft, hoping for friends, family. He could feel sad, feel pain, but he’d still try to do better by himself.
When meeting others, seeing withered plants nearby, he’d patiently use leaves to gather water and nurture them. Wherever Little Chu Zao went, everything seemed to come alive, thriving.
She dazedly clutched the fruit, looking up.
Little Chu Zao was already flying back to his parent, only a fluffy white back left in view.
Suddenly, she took a big bite from the fruit and leapt up: “Saint Hua, my name is Saint Hua!”
The little cub just gave one “Awoo” before Amos caught him. Neither of them looked back.
Soon, Amos brought the little cub back to the starship.
Any alien beasts along the travel route had been cleared by Amos.
The ship returned to course, speeding ahead, expected to reach the Holy Cas Empire’s capital planet in a few days.
The little cub was clearly flagging now. With his little halo glowing above his head, he curiously sprawled on the seat back, big eyes peeking around everywhere.
Amos was pulling out fruits one by one, the ruined medical pod behind him.
The medical pod’s screen was gamely trying to call for help and report abuse, seeking legal aid for the mistreated cub.
Chu Zao’s little tail swung back and forth.
“Awoo!”
Baba!
“……”
“Awoo!”
Baba!
“Huh?”
“Awoo——”
Baba——
“What is it now?”
Amos was finishing sorting out the little one’s food supply for the next few days. The cub kept fidgeting, calling out every so often.
At last, Amos looked up at the little guy.
Sweet, glistening amber eyes, supple fur, as exquisite as a fine toy doll, ears twitching gently, his little tail swaying in a curve, gazing longingly at him.
Curiously “awoo’ing” in babyish inquiry.
Baba, don’t you think Zao Zao’s annoying?
“Why would I think that?”
The Crown Clan had unexpected patience with their young—
He was thinking this, when he stopped short.
Hiss—that wasn’t how he’d thought about this little one at first, was it?
“Awoo awoo.”
Because before, a lot of people thought Zao Zao was annoying.
The cub whimpered softly.
Thinking of the past, he was a bit fearful—the greatest fear being that, no matter how hard he tried, one day, disaster came that was simply unavoidable for someone his age and ability.
Amos noticed the cub’s mood, watching his gently rocking halo. He didn’t know how much pity he truly felt, but he didn’t ask. He simply ceded the only bed on the little starship to the cub.
The little guy scampered over on four short legs and curled up in a soft ball.
Obviously, he was full and getting sleepy, which was very normal for a cub.
This was the time for psychic development and growth.
Amos lounged in his chair, bored, watching for anything that needed clearing from the travel lane.
Who knows how long passed when the little one on the bed shuffled, then mumbled a drowsy “Awoo……”
Baba……
Amos just kept looking out the window, pausing a moment before replying lazily.
“Mm.”