An Egg

Chapter Seven

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

The man's sudden appearance made Ye Nanxun freeze for a moment. When had this person gotten here? Had he been watching nearby this whole time?

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

Ye Nanxun only glanced up once before quickly lowering his head. He was not used to talking with people, much less 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.

With his eyes lowered and his thick curled lashes trembling faintly, Ye Nanxun stretched out both hands and offered the little yellow dog to him.

His tension was obvious, with a hint of stiffness.

"It's fine."

A deep, magnetic voice sounded beside him, and the alpha took the little yellow dog from Ye Nanxun's hands.

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

After thinking it over, Ye Nanxun stepped back a few paces, putting some distance between himself and the alpha. He kept his eyes on the little yellow dog, never daring to look at the other man's face for fear of accidentally meeting his gaze.

"It's so cold. You should take the puppy back inside... I-I don't mean anything else. I'm just worried it might get sick from the cold. You could have a veterinarian look at it when you get back." Ye Nanxun forced himself to say what he considered something utterly unreasonable.

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

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

But at the thought that the dog might have accidentally eaten a Mushroom Spore, Ye Nanxun could not put his mind at ease.

The Mushroom Spore was gone. He would be very sad.

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

Yan Beiyou gave a quiet 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 be leaving now."

With that, he turned around, eager to leave.

After hurriedly taking two steps forward, Ye Nanxun 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, constrained steps, his figure gradually shrinking into the night until it disappeared.

Slowly withdrawing his distant gaze, Yan Beiyou lowered his head to look at the little dog crouched in his arms.

The Companion Beast was also looking in the direction the omega had left, letting out an occasional reluctant whimper as its little tail wagged nonstop.

"Pathetic."

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

Yan Beiyou turned and returned indoors with the Companion Beast. Not long after, Song Ren hurried over, covered in windblown snow.

Song Ren: "Your Majesty."

The alpha seated behind the desk held a book in his hands. He lazily lifted his eyelids and glanced at the little yellow dog crouching on the desk nearby. "My Companion Beast seems to have accidentally eaten someone else's Companion Beast."

A crack unexpectedly appeared in Song Ren's calm expression. "Ate... a Companion Beast?"

A Companion Beast was the physical manifestation 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 and rarely happened, but there had been precedents.

For example, the emperor before Song Ren, who ruled the star system, often had his Companion Beast indiscriminately devour other people's Companion Beasts on the battlefield.

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

Song Ren's expression turned stern, his brows knitting together as he assumed some assassination attempt had taken place.

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

Yan Beiyou remained calm. His long fingers placed a leaf-shaped bookmark between the open pages, then he closed the book and casually set it aside. "Yes. Accidentally ate it."

The culprit, the little yellow dog, barked twice, wagging its tail cheerfully.

Song Ren: "Does Your Majesty know what kind of Companion Beast it ate?"

Yan Beiyou: "A... Mushroom Spore."

A Mushroom Spore?

Someone's Companion Beast was a Mushroom Spore?

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

Yan Beiyou: "Mm."

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

A faint green glow gathered in Song Ren's palm. An alpha's Companion Beast was usually an aggressive creature, but his was quite different: an extremely rare plant, one that possessed healing abilities.

Plant types, aquatic animals, and birds were all exceptionally rare types of Companion Beasts.

As for the Mushroom Spore Yan Beiyou mentioned, a fungal Companion Beast, it 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's Companion Beast was plant-type. He often used it for experiments, and even if he ate it, new plants would continue to grow.

He guessed that the host with Mushroom Spore Companion Beasts 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.

The fingers supporting his cheek rested against his chin as the alpha replied 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? I can examine him for you."

"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 to let me examine him."

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

"Awoo—" 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, amid 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 covered in black markings rolled to a stop before Yan Beiyou.