An Egg

Chapter 7

"I saw it in the garden in such cold weather and thought it was a stray dog..."

The man's sudden appearance startled Ye Nanxun. When had this person gotten here? Had he been watching nearby the whole time?

Realizing he looked like a dog thief, Ye Nanxun took a few steps toward the man. His shoes crunched softly through the snow.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know it was your dog."

As the distance between them closed, the alpha's face became clearer against the backlight.

Ye Nanxun only glanced up once before quickly lowering his head. He was unused to talking to people and even more averse to making eye contact.

Though it had only been a glance, he had clearly seen the lower half of the other man's face.

A high, straight nose bridge, thin lips pressed lightly together, and a sharply defined, handsome chin.

Ye Nanxun lowered his eyes, his thick, curled lashes trembling faintly. He stretched out both hands and handed over the Little Yellow Dog.

The tension in his movements was obvious, even a little stiff.

"It's fine."

A low, magnetic voice sounded beside him as the alpha took the Little Yellow Dog from Ye Nanxun's hands.

After taking the Little Yellow Dog, the other man said nothing more. Ye Nanxun did not know whether he should turn around and leave or do something else.

After some thought, Ye Nanxun took several steps back, putting distance between himself and the alpha before him. His gaze remained fixed on the Little Yellow Dog, and he never dared look at the man's face, afraid they might accidentally make eye contact.

"In weather this cold, you should still take the dog indoors... I-I don't mean anything else. I'm just worried it might get sick from the cold. You can have a veterinarian look at it when you get back." Ye Nanxun forced himself to say what he felt was an utterly presumptuous thing.

Would the owner not know whether their own dog might get sick?

Not only had he, a stranger, picked up someone else's dog, but he was even standing here telling its owner what to do.

But when he thought of the possibility that the dog had accidentally eaten his Mushroom Spore, Ye Nanxun could not put his mind at ease.

If the Mushroom Spore was gone, he would be very sad.

If a small animal lost its life after accidentally eating his Mushroom Spore, he would not merely be sad. He would probably blame himself for the rest of his life.

Yan Beiyou gave a soft hum. "I will."

A weight lifted from his heart. Ye Nanxun tightly twisted his fingers together, lowering his head to look at the alpha's shadow on the snow. "Sorry for disturbing you. I'll leave now."

After saying that, he turned around, eager to leave.

He had hurried forward just two steps when he heard the alpha's voice behind him. "Do you know the way back?"

Ye Nanxun paused. "I do. Goodbye."

The tall, slender young man left with flustered, awkward steps. His figure gradually shrank into the night until it disappeared from sight.

Slowly withdrawing his distant gaze, Yan Beiyou looked down at the little dog crouched in his arms.

The Companion Beast was also watching in the direction the omega had left, letting out the occasional reluctant whimper as its little tail wagged without stopping.

"Pathetic."

Curling his fingers, Yan Beiyou rapped the Companion Beast twice on the head.

Yan Beiyou turned and took the Companion Beast back inside. Not long afterward, Song Ren hurried over, covered in windblown snow.

Song Ren said, "Your Majesty."

The alpha seated behind the desk held a book in his hands. He carelessly lifted his eyelids and glanced at the Little Yellow Dog crouching on the desk beside him. "My Companion Beast seems to have accidentally eaten someone else's Companion Beast."

A crack abruptly appeared in Song Ren's calm expression. "Accidentally eaten... a Companion Beast?"

A Companion Beast was the manifested creature of a person's spiritual body. When a Companion Beast was injured, its host would also be affected to a certain extent.

As for one Companion Beast eating another—

It was uncommon, exceedingly rare, but not without precedent.

For instance, the emperor who ruled the star system before Song Ren often indiscriminately devoured other people's Companion Beasts when he brought his own onto the battlefield.

But this was not a battlefield. This was Dream City, the largest city on Dream Star, the Imperial Palace right under Yan Beiyou's nose.

Song Ren's expression turned solemn, his brows knitting together as he assumed some assassination attempt had occurred.

But who would have to be insane to dare assassinate an SSS-class alpha? And in the Imperial Palace, no less?

Yan Beiyou remained composed. His long fingers slipped a leaf-shaped bookmark into the open pages, then he closed the book and casually set it aside. "Yes. Accidentally eaten."

The Little Yellow Dog, the culprit, barked twice, its tail wagging cheerfully.

Song Ren asked, "Your Majesty, do you know what kind of Companion Beast it ate?"

Yan Beiyou said, "A... Mushroom Spore."

A Mushroom Spore?

Someone actually had a Mushroom Spore as a Companion Beast?

A glint flashed through Song Ren's eyes. "Your Majesty, I'll examine your Companion Beast first."

Yan Beiyou said, "Mm."

Propping himself against the desk with one hand, Yan Beiyou watched Song Ren examine the Companion Beast and asked, "What reaction would the host of the Mushroom Spore that was eaten have?"

A faint, soft green glow gathered in Song Ren's palm. An alpha's Companion Beast was usually an aggressive creature, but his was quite different. It was an exceptionally rare plant, and one with healing abilities at that.

Plant-type Companion Beasts, aquatic animals, and birds were all extremely rare.

As for the Mushroom Spore Yan Beiyou had mentioned—a fungal Companion Beast—this was Song Ren's first time hearing of one.

As he examined the Little Yellow Dog, Song Ren said, "If the Companion Beast is a Mushroom Spore, the host himself probably won't be affected too much."

Most people only had one Companion Beast, like Yan Beiyou's Little Yellow Dog.

Song Ren had a plant-type Companion Beast. He often used his own Companion Beast for experiments; even if it was eaten, new plants would continue to grow.

He guessed that the host with the Mushroom Spore Companion Beast should likewise have many Mushroom Spores.

To confirm his guess, Song Ren asked, "Your Majesty, did you see the host himself? How did he look?"

How did he look?

A tall, slender figure flashed through Yan Beiyou's mind. The omega had kept his head lowered, his thick, curled lashes casting dark shadows beneath his eyes.

With the fingers supporting his cheek resting against his chin, the alpha answered evenly, "He didn't seem any different."

"Then he should be fine, but it would be best to keep observing him afterward." Song Ren asked again, "Your Majesty, where is the host? Let me examine him."

"He went home."

Song Ren froze. They had eaten someone's Mushroom Spore and simply let him go home?

Song Ren carefully suggested, "Your Majesty, it would be best if I examined him."

Yan Beiyou gave a faint hum, and it was unclear whether he had truly taken it in.

"Awroo—" The Little Yellow Dog, which had been quietly lying on the desk, suddenly cried out twice.

As though its stomach hurt, it collapsed onto the desk. The next second, accompanied by a burst of white light, the Little Yellow Dog transformed into a majestic little Black Dragon.

If Ye Nanxun had been there, he would have discovered that this little Black Dragon was practically a miniature version of the Black Dragon Boss from the game.

Under Yan Beiyou and Song Ren's watchful gazes, the little Black Dragon opened its mouth and spat something out.

With a thud—

A white egg marked with black patterns rolled to a stop in front of Yan Beiyou.