Compared to humans, beastmen had an exceptionally high reproductive rate, and their royal capital was also extremely crowded.
Lin Yan rushed in excitedly, but the next second, his heart sank halfway.
He grabbed a Dogman Race girl beside him and asked shakily:
"Um, may I ask something? Is this really the Beastman Empire?"
"Of course! Didn't you see the sign outside? It says 'Beastman Empire Royal Capital.'"
"But... why... why do you have a dog's head?! Didn't they say only your ears would look like a dog's, while the rest would look human? You bastard!!!!"
Livestream chat.
[The real Dogman Race!] [Is there anything wrong with the Dogman Race having dog heads?!] [I don't think there's anything wrong! The people who think there's a problem are the ones with problems!] [As expected, they're not Kemonomimi Girls! Aren't these Dogman Race people just dogs that walk upright?!] [No one could bring themselves to do anything with that!] [Actually, I think it's pretty good...] [The person above is acting suspicious!]
Just then, An Xinghe caught up from behind and patted Lin Yan on the shoulder:
"Lin Yan, this is your paradise! Here, you don't have to hide your XP anymore! As for Katie's little lamb, I'll have someone send her a message saying she doesn't need to wait for you to return."
"Ahhhhh!! An Xinghe! How many times do I have to tell you before you'll believe me? I don't have that kind of fetish!"
"The little lamb is so warm..."
"Don't you dare say it, you bastard!"
Lin Yan rushed over and was about to grapple with An Xinghe, but he suddenly realized that An Xinghe had somehow put on a large conical hat that happened to conceal his face.
Lin Yan asked in confusion:
"An Xinghe, why are you wearing that?"
"To suppress my irresistible charm."
"Oh... oh, to hell with 'oh'!" Lin Yan grabbed An Xinghe by the shoulders and shook him violently. "Why didn't you wear it in the human kingdoms?! Why did you have to wear it in the beastman kingdom?! You damn member of the looks-obsessed club, aaaaaah!"
Amid Lin Yan's storm of shouting, An Xinghe explained:
"I just don't want to add to my tangled romances."
"Bullshit! You scumbag! You don't care about tangled romances at all!"
An Xinghe steadied Lin Yan and said in a low voice:
"Fine, I admit it. I really can't accept that kind of XP. I'm sorry, Lin Yan, but I can't be good friends with you."
"Why does not accepting that kind of XP mean you can't be friends with me?! What kind of image do I have in your heart, anyway?!"
"A pervert who likes satisfying his desires with animals."
"For fuck's sake, I was criticizing you just now! That wasn't a question!"
After a bout of struggling, Lin Yan seemed to have given up on changing the image An Xinghe had of him. He lowered his eyes and asked the Dogman Race girl in front of him weakly:
"Um... miss, has your country's Princess been cursed into sleeping for several years?"
I Wish I Could Take Her Place!
"Um... miss, has your country's Princess been cursed into sleeping for several years?"
The Dogman Race girl looked Lin Yan up and down and asked:
"Are you here to awaken the Princess too?"
Lin Yan nodded.
The Dogman Race girl suddenly shouted:
"Help! Somebody help! There's a pervert who likes small animals here!"
The moment he heard that, Lin Yan grabbed An Xinghe and hurriedly ran away. The two of them didn't stop until they reached an empty alley.
An Xinghe said:
"So even someone you just met can tell what your XP is."
"Piss off! Shouldn't you be criticizing what that beastman girl said?! She's an animal herself..."
After this incident, Lin Yan no longer wanted to ask around in the streets. After discussing it with An Xinghe, they decided to sneak into the palace that night and take a look.
After night fell, the two of them arrived at the palace, one in front of the other.
The Beastman Empire's palace was easy to recognize. Its exterior was completely wrapped in thorns and all kinds of plants. From the outside, the entire palace looked like a gigantic botanical garden!
An Xinghe gave Lin Yan a look, and Lin Yan immediately walked up to the main gate.
Something incredible happened! The thorns on the gate actually parted on their own, opening a path for Lin Yan!
This was the power of the Protagonist Halo!
However, the disappearance of the thorns didn't mean the two of them could enter the palace, because the door inside was still locked.
Lin Yan pondered for a moment before saying:
"I think the key to the main gate is probably on one of the guards. We just need to find..."
"Bam!!"
Before Lin Yan could finish, he saw An Xinghe kick the gate open.
He shot Lin Yan a disdainful look and said:
"Do you fucking think you're still playing a game?! Every time you come across a door, you have to look for a key! Can't you just kick it down?!"
"..." Lin Yan silently gave An Xinghe a thumbs-up!
After successfully entering the palace, Lin Yan discovered that another problem had appeared!
The Beastman Empire's palace was enormous! Room after room stretched out in every direction. Finding the clock tower where the Princess was hidden among all those rooms was easier said than done.
But An Xinghe merely snapped his fingers and said:
"Follow me."
Under Lin Yan's astonished gaze, An Xinghe deftly bypassed the kitchen, study, and other rooms, heading straight for the dilapidated clock tower!
Lin Yan couldn't help asking:
"Old An, how did you find the clock tower?"
"Oh, I've been to so many palaces that I know their layouts are all more or less the same. Naturally, I know what's where."
Livestream chat.
[You've been to so many palaces? Why not just say you've bedded so many Princesses and Queens!] [Why is An Xinghe so familiar with this?!] [Standing before you now is An Xinghe! The Slit-Mouthed Woman's sweetheart, the man of Castle Dimitrescu, Jia Hui's husband, and the husband of Snow White, Cinderella, and Vanessa!] [He seduced three Queens in one instance! And he was the one who pushed one of them into becoming a Queen! An Xinghe, enough already!] [Most people only show off their money when they humblebrag, but An Xinghe is directly showing off Queens!]
Lin Yan was rendered speechless by An Xinghe's words as well, but he felt that he was almost used to it by now.
It's no big deal. It's just eating someone else's dog food, right? I can eat it by the mouthful if that's what it takes!
The clock tower before them was where Sleeping Beauty was located. An Xinghe gave Lin Yan a push:
"Go on. Show off your masculine prowess! After this, you'll be the husband of the Beastman Empire's Princess! You might even become the next Beastman King!"
Lin Yan pushed aside the promise An Xinghe had painted for him and asked:
"Um, Old An, do you think the beastman Princess might also have an animal's head, like the beastmen outside?"
"How could that be~" An Xinghe drawled. "The beastman Princess is definitely a cute Kemonomimi Girl, just like the one in your dreams!"
"You're not lying to me?"
"Why would I lie to you?"
Still uneasy, Lin Yan continued asking:
"Old An, do you know what kind of animal the Beastman Empire's royal family is? Cats? Foxes?"
A gleeful expression flashed across An Xinghe's face:
"I don't know that either. Why don't you go take a look yourself?"
"All right."
Wreathed in An Xinghe's springlike smile, Lin Yan entered the clock tower.
Livestream chat.
[Hahaha! An Xinghe's move was so nasty!] [I clearly saw An Xinghe secretly go out and ask around. The Beastman Empire's royal family is the Pig Race.] [I'm starting to sympathize with Lin Yan in that clock tower.] [Sympathize with what?! Maybe he's enjoying himself!] [Hmph! I wish I could take her place!] [Hey, hey, hey! Why are there so many people with strange XP in this livestream?! So whose problem is it, anyway?!]
The Black Tower
Less than five minutes after Lin Yan went inside, An Xinghe heard a scream from outside!
After that came the "snort, snort" sound of a pig eating.
The snorting lasted for about ten minutes before stopping. Then An Xinghe felt the entire clock tower begin to shake!
Before you continue