"Never mind where it came from for now. How could you tell it hadn't been sterilized?" Mu You looked at Chen Yichuan curiously.
Sterilization in the Star Spirit World used magic rather than the physical castration practiced on Earth. There should have been no visible difference before and afterward.
"When a Silver Owl loses its ability to reproduce, the feathers at the ends of its wings become slightly duller than the rest. That difference is very difficult to distinguish by appearance alone. Only someone who has worked with Silver Owls for a long time can spot it," Song Wenjing answered for Chen Yichuan.
She was also astonished by the Silver Owl in Mu You's hands. As far as she knew, the supply of Silver Owls in the Star Spirit World was monopolized, and every Silver Owl available on the market had been sterilized.
The Silver Owls at their base had also all been purchased, already sterilized, from pet merchants. They had only ever seen truly wild Silver Owls in photographs.
"I see..."
Mu You nodded. There was no way he would have known a detail like that. It made him even more interested in the reference materials the old man had mentioned. Unfortunately, they weren't for sale.
"Can you perform quarantine inspections on this kind of Silver Owl, then?" Mu You asked.
"Of course." Song Wenjing nodded.
"Good. Start checking these, then. I'll get the others."
"There are more animals?" Chen Yichuan asked.
"Oh, you bet." Mu You turned and entered the backpack again. This time, Chen Yichuan and Song Wenjing both instinctively approached its entrance to peer inside.
Before they could make anything out, Mu You emerged again, carrying a fish tank. Coral grass grew inside, and beside the cluster of coral floated a bizarre, wormlike creature no larger