A Loyal Dog

Fidelis Hound.

It was the biggest dog Ye Yan had ever seen.

Its tawny fur covered a broad body big enough to block half an adult man.

It looked much like an ordinary Great Dane, but, like the Light-Phosphor Moth he had seen before, the Fidelis Hound was a product of the Royal Research Institute, with something unusual in its bloodline.

The big yellow dog seemed to notice Ye Yan looking at it. Its ears twitched, and its damp black nose stopped sniffing.

It raised its head alertly.

The moment its eyes met Ye Yan's, its tense muscles relaxed again.

It tilted its fluffy head, and its tail began to sway from side to side of its own accord. The amber eyes that should have looked sharp now held a childlike innocence and goofiness.

"Parker seems to like you."

Watson said with a smile.

"Fidelis Hounds have the bravery of a lion and the loyalty of a faithful dog. They rarely show affection to anyone but their own masters."

"Maybe little animals just like me?"

Ye Yan replied.

Being liked by dogs was better than being chased and bitten by them.

The Fidelis Hound's fighting ability was no joke. Even a grown male lion might not be able to beat one.

Ye Yan had originally planned to take Uncle Jules's advice and borrow a dog from the Administration. Before he could do anything, Watson learned about it during a visit and offered to bring Parker, the dog he kept.

That saved Ye Yan the trouble of filing a request.

Ye Yan crouched and tentatively held out his hand.

Parker immediately came closer, sniffed his palm with its wet nose, then stuck out its tongue and licked his fingers. The rough sensation made him chuckle.

"Looks like you two will get along well." Watson nodded with satisfaction and pulled out a leather notebook. "This has Parker's habits and training commands recorded in it. He's very clever and can understand most of the commands people give him."

Ye Yan took the notebook. He opened to the first page and froze. It contained a detailed record of Parker's daily meals:

Breakfast was a steak cooked medium-well with fresh milk. Lunch was mackerel sashimi mixed with egg yolk. Dinner even included such luxurious dishes as canned sardines and chicken stew with potatoes.

"This..." Ye Yan looked up and saw Dr. Watson awkwardly stroking his mustache.

"Parker was a failed experimental subject from the Royal Research Institute. I met a researcher from the Sanctuary during an operation. He knew how much I liked dogs, so he gave Parker to me."

Watson paused, then continued, "To be honest, Parker doesn't need such good food. Some canned ham and milk would normally be enough.

"But I always want to give him a little more. You don't know how pitiful the little fellow was when he first came to me..."

All right.

It was clear that the doctor really did love dogs.

Ye Yan had reason to suspect that one of the reasons Watson in this world was still poor despite being a surgeon was that he had Parker to support.

It was said that Fidelis Hounds had three treasures.

The first was their fur, which never shed and was waterproof and fireproof. Some pureblooded Fidelis Hounds could even stiffen their fur to withstand blades.

The second was their sharp teeth. Their astonishing bite force let them crush a skull in a single bite.

The third was their loyal heart. They would carry out any order from their master without hesitation.

Though Parker was a failed experimental subject, that didn't affect his loyalty to his master. Right now, he was gently nuzzling Watson's hand with his nose, seeming to show his affection and reluctance to part.

"For the next three days, Parker will be in your care."

Watson put on his bowler hat and handed Ye Yan a bag of assorted canned meats. "Remember, don't let him sneak any chocolate. Last time, he stole the chocolate I'd prepared for the head nurse, and then shed fur all over the house."

Ye Yan turned to look at Parker's innocent eyes and suddenly thought the dog might not be quite as honest as he seemed.

After a few more instructions, Watson left.

Ye Yan and Parker looked at each other.

"Um... would you like some milk?" Ye Yan asked, clearing his throat.

Parker understood him and nodded vigorously.

Ye Yan went to the kitchen, took out a small bowl, and poured in some milk. He watched Parker eagerly plunge his whole face into it, his tail beating a merry rhythm against the floor.

When Parker finished drinking, he licked his milk-stained paws, still wanting more.

Ye Yan crouched and patted Parker's head.

"For the next three days, keep an eye on that woman for me. If she does anything suspicious, just bark."

He pointed at the unconscious witch in the living room.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, Ye Yan had kept the witch, Miss Julie, unconscious. He only woke her briefly when he needed to feed her.

"But before that, Parker..." Ye Yan narrowed his eyes. "You wouldn't take advantage of being immune to theobromine and sneak chocolate just so you could have fun shedding fur, would you?"

Parker's ears twitched in a peculiar way, and the rhythm of his tail suddenly became unnatural. He turned his head aside, pretending to be very interested in a landscape painting on the wall.

"Are you feeling guilty?"

Parker froze, then slowly raised his head.

Suddenly, he rolled over and exposed his fluffy belly, letting out an ingratiating whine.

Ye Yan couldn't help rubbing his soft belly. "Looks like I'll have to eat all the chocolate in the house, huh?"

Parker's ears immediately drooped.

"Parker, how about we make a deal?"

Ye Yan smiled and held up one finger. "I'll give you a can of ham, and you give me one of your hairs?"

Parker stuck out his tongue and nodded at once. He even lifted a forepaw and slapped it into Ye Yan's palm, as if sealing the deal.

Ye Yan couldn't help laughing.

The metal pull tab popped open, and the rich meaty aroma immediately filled the room. Parker's nose twitched wildly, his tail wagged so hard it nearly took flight, and saliva dripped from the corner of his mouth, splattering into little drops on the floor.

"Not so fast. Let me get a hair first."

Ye Yan took a small pair of silver scissors from a drawer and gently parted the thick fur at Parker's neck.

Parker was so eager that he whined, but he still sat obediently. Only the tip of his tail kept thumping against the floor.

Snip.

A hair fell free. Ye Yan held it up to the sunlight and saw a faint, dark-earth sheen running through it. It felt tough yet flexible, nothing like the fur of an ordinary dog.

"All right, deal's done."

Ye Yan set the can in front of Parker.

Before he could finish speaking, Parker eagerly rushed forward. The smacking sounds of him eating, accompanied by satisfied purrs, rang especially loudly in the quiet living room.

Ye Yan placed Parker's hair into Consciousness Space.

[ FIDELIS DOG HAIR ]

[ Category: Tier-One Material ]

[ Trading one can of ham for one hair is unquestionably a very good deal for both sides. ]

[ Aspect: Heart, Scale ]

Ye Yan's eyes lit up.

Just as he'd thought.

Parker's fur was a Tier-One material too.

When he'd first heard about the three treasures of the Fidelis Hound, Ye Yan had suspected that its fur and teeth could be used to make tools.

Of course, he wasn't going to pull out one of Parker's teeth just to test his theory, but taking a little unimportant fur from him was fine.

Unfortunately, he didn't have a recipe that could use this material.

As for the newly discovered Principle of Scale—

That was an unexpected bonus.

"On the outside, it is firm within; hard to awaken, harder still to suppress."

Reading the description of the Principle of Scale, Ye Yan sighed. So the descriptions for Principles like Lamp, Forge, and Heart could be so clear, while those for Honey, Guidance, and Scale were so obscure.

Could there be some secret behind it?

Ye Yan suddenly sat up straight as a thought flashed through his mind like lightning.

Could the Principles themselves be divided into two categories?

One category comprised universal Principles, widely known, while the other consisted of special Principles deliberately kept hidden?

But special Principles seemed quite common in this world.

He glanced thoughtfully at Parker, who was wolfing down his food. Thinking of the source of Parker's hidden bloodline, he grew even more interested in this world's New Continent.

Interesting.

Ye Yan got up and walked to the bookshelf, pulling out a Fan-English Dictionary. After a moment's thought, he took a Nautical Astronomical Almanac from the shelf beside it.

In any case,

the sooner he began preparing to set sail, the better.