Chapter 41: Hatching in Public

Mansendis’s gaze locked tightly onto where the seashell bed sat.

On the other side of the screen was dead silence.

Not a single Saint Clan member dared to speak at a time like this.

Their attention was almost entirely fixed on that tiny cub egg.

For a moment, the whole cavern was so quiet it felt like you could hear a pin drop.

Even knowing they wouldn’t actually disturb anything, the Saint Clan on the other side of the screen still carefully held their breath.

“Crack— crack—”

The sound of the eggshell splitting rang out again.

Starting from the top, fragments of shell fell away. As the cracked area grew larger and larger, the cub hidden inside was revealed little by little.

With just one glance, the Saint Clan couldn’t look away.

It was the little Highness...

No, no! It was a mini version of the little Highness!

Curled up inside the shell and sleeping, the cub had soft, silver-white hair. His snow-white, delicate cheeks were slightly puffed, with a bit of childish baby fat that rose and fell slowly with each breath.

His eyes were shut tight. The light shining in from outside fell across his body, and each snow-colored, curled lash was lit so clearly it looked like it had been edged with a faint halo.

The cub was wearing an equally tiny sleep robe. And on the back at the shoulder blades was a pair of very babyish little wings—so small, with no hard bones yet, only covered in a layer of down that still hadn’t shed.

So frail, so tender.

And with the cub sleeping so quietly, obediently, he looked like a little angel living inside a fairy tale.

“......!!!”

Cold vertical pupils shrank violently in that instant.

No Saint Clan member wanted to break such a serene, beautiful picture.

They just watched in silence, as if no matter how long they looked, it still wouldn’t be enough.

Wen Yuzhi felt like he’d slept for a very, very long time.

This sleep had been especially solid and comfortable.

He didn’t want to wake up, but he also knew he couldn’t keep sleeping forever.

If he slept too long, they would worry...

Alvin, Mond, Merita, Yiluo, Feier... and also...

The image of the silver-haired sovereign flashed through Wen Yuzhi’s mind.

Mansendis...

Silently reciting that name in his heart, Wen Yuzhi slowly opened his eyes.

The Saint Clan watching only saw the cub inside the shell tremble his lashes slightly, then open a pair of pale-gold eyes.

That faint gold was clean and transparent, like a gemstone without impurities, still carrying a hazy, sleepy moisture.

The cub yawned, then couldn’t help raising a hand to rub at his eyes.

Rubbing, rubbing...

Wen Yuzhi realized something was off.

Why did it feel like something was... weird?

He tilted his head, lifted his gaze, and his eyes met the many pairs of vertical pupils outside.

“.....!!!”

This time it was Wen Yuzhi’s turn to be startled.

Those round pupils shrank back in fear, and the little wings behind him, feeling their little owner’s panic, whooshed up and blocked in front of him.

Only the cub’s wings were really too small.

Even spread all the way out in front, they still couldn’t hide the cub completely.

Through the narrow gap left exposed, you could vaguely see the cub’s eyes peeking out, cautiously watching.

Timid—eyes full of that newborn little beast’s muddled, watery curiosity.

Every Saint Clan member’s breathing caught.

Their hearts were instantly struck by something called “cute,” and their heartbeats sped up violently.

This ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ feeling was more intense than ever.

Even though they were already trying their best to restrain their emotions.

But affection was something you couldn’t cover up no matter what. Those pairs of eyes—hot and bright—were the best proof.

It was just that these Saint Clan members had clearly forgotten the little Highness had only just woken up, and was in such a cub-like state.

Their overly excited love had obviously scared Wen Yuzhi a bit.

It wasn’t strange that Wen Yuzhi felt scared.

From his perspective, everything around him had been magnified more than tenfold.

Right now, those Saint Clan in his eyes were like towering giants.

Who wouldn’t be scared if they woke up to dozens of giants silently staring at them?

He even thought he’d come to a new world again.

Only when Mansendis’s voice sounded above his head did Wen Yuzhi gradually react.

He hadn’t transmigrated, and he hadn’t reincarnated—he was still with the Saint Clan.

It was just...

Wen Yuzhi lowered his head, looked at himself, then looked at those Saint Clan.

Confirmed. His body seemed to have gotten smaller again.

And just as Wen Yuzhi was feeling puzzled, Mansendis asked again.

“Does it hurt?”

It didn’t hurt.

It didn’t seem like there was any problem, and he didn’t feel uncomfortable.

It was just...

He looked at the front—

Wen Yuzhi’s eyes held curiosity.

What was this?

Without thinking, he reached out, wanting to tug it.

Mansendis was startled by the cub’s sudden movement, his brow twitching.

He quickly stopped Wen Yuzhi, preventing the cub from accidentally using too much force and injuring those still-tender wings.

At the same time, Mansendis saw the confusion in the cub’s eyes and explained, “Those are your wings.”

All Saint Clan had wings.

Whether it was an ordinary Saint Clan member or a royal-blood Salilaino, once they hatched, their wings were already fully transformed—sharp, strong, and lethal enough.

A cub like this, whose down hadn’t even shed yet... was something even Mansendis had never seen before.

For Wen Yuzhi, he’d only ever seen wings on other people before. Now that wings had grown on him too, his first reaction was pure novelty.

Staring at those wings covered in white feathers, Wen Yuzhi tried gently flapping them, and the wings moved along with him.

But Wen Yuzhi hadn’t expected that his body was smaller and much lighter, and one flap directly lifted him into the air.

The cub still wasn’t used to flying, so he wobbled unsteadily.

It had the Saint Clan on the other side of the screen scared out of their minds.

Mansendis didn’t stop him. Instead, he soothed and guided him from the side, saying, “Don’t be afraid. Flight is an instinct engraved in our genes. Feel it carefully. It’s part of your body. You can control it.”

Listening to Mansendis’s voice, Wen Yuzhi followed the instructions and tried hard to learn how to control the pair of wings.

They were part of his body... he could control them...

Thinking that, Wen Yuzhi felt like he was starting to get the hang of it.

But just as he tried to land, the little wings on his back suddenly went limp like they’d run out of power.

Thump.

Wen Yuzhi fell straight into Mansendis’s palm, and the little wings, startled, even hugged Mansendis’s hand.

Soft down brushed unconsciously over the silver-haired sovereign’s knuckles, fluffy and gentle.

Mansendis paused, then carefully checked the cub’s wings.

A sweep of mental energy passed over them, and Mansendis found there was nothing wrong—just a bit tired.

Mansendis, who had once hatched and immediately flapped his wings into a fight with Tasiya and nearly flipped the King’s Pool: “......”

He hadn’t expected Wen Yuzhi to still be this fragile even after his bloodline reawakened.

...Was there something wrong with the bloodline inheritance on his side?

Mansendis lowered his head and looked at the tiny cub in his palm.

With that look, he also noticed Wen Yuzhi’s mental energy was extremely active, and was still spontaneously absorbing energy from the red crystal.

And that process kept going, endlessly.

Like there was a reservoir inside the cub that could never be filled.

This wasn’t unfamiliar to Mansendis.

Because he had been like this too.

Royal-blood Salilaino needed extremely abundant nourishment in their childhood to develop, so they would strive to absorb energy from the red crystal.

But even so, they couldn’t keep absorbing forever. The mental sea had limits. Once the energy was enough, they would stop.

And among all royal blood, Mansendis was an exception.

Because he was the one who could keep absorbing energy continuously.

Through his entire childhood, he basically stayed in the King’s Pool and didn’t go out. Every day, he either slept in the nest or absorbed energy.

Among all royal blood, only Mansendis wouldn’t end up unable to withstand it and burst from absorbing too much.

And now there was another.

More than that, Mansendis realized the cub’s mental energy seemed to be growing at an astonishing speed.

A few days ago, when Wen Yuzhi combed through him, that mental energy had only been pitifully small.

But just now, inside the shell, the cub’s mental energy could directly cover dozens of Saint Clan members.

That growth rate was terrifying.

Especially when combined with the cub’s healing effect—if that talent got out...

Mansendis’s expression grew heavier.

The silver-haired sovereign’s brows sank slightly as he looked at the tender cub in his palm.

All he thought was—

No matter who it was, he would absolutely not give anyone the chance to hurt his child.

“Selet.”

Selet, who had been watching the cub on the other side of the screen, didn’t expect Mansendis to suddenly call out.

The severe-faced Saint Clan member paused in surprise, then immediately pulled their mind back, bent down, and saluted.

“Please give your orders.”

Mansendis lowered his eyes and said, “Starting tomorrow, formally seal off the Ninth Star Sector. From now on, aside from the Saint Clan, no outside race and no starships of theirs are allowed in.”

He was going to build an absolutely safe environment for his child. Anything that could threaten the cub had to be kept outside.

Selet answered decisively, “This subordinate obeys.”

Seeing this, Alvin hurriedly asked, “Regarding the matter of the little Highness successfully hatching, should it be announced?”

These days, what the Saint Clan on Dark Tower Star cared about most every day was the little Highness’s condition.

It was just that the King’s Pool was a forbidden land of the Saint Clan.

Aside from a small number like Mond who were allowed to enter, under normal circumstances only Salilaino could go in.

So if the Saint Clan on Dark Tower Star wanted to know how the little Highness was doing, they could only wait for news from the palace, or for the Heimo who attended meetings to secretly snap a few photos.

So Alvin was thinking... should they announce the news of the little Highness hatching, so everyone wouldn’t worry so much?

Mansendis didn’t answer directly.

He chose to ask the cub’s opinion first.

“Do you want to show your face?”

Show his face?

Wen Yuzhi blinked.

He lowered his head and looked at his little arms and little legs.

Like this... was it okay?

A hint of hesitation surfaced in the cub’s eyes.

Mansendis looked at him and said evenly, “As long as you want to, you can.”

It was a very simple sentence, but the meaning inside it was the same as that other line—

What you need to do is accept.

Wen Yuzhi understood Mansendis’s meaning instantly.

Under the gaze of so many Saint Clan, the cub pressed his lips together and nodded lightly. Those soft silver strands swayed by his ear, and even the signature little cowlick at the top of his head flopped and bobbed twice.

Unsurprisingly, Wen Yuzhi’s tiny movement made the Saint Clan watching nearly stop breathing again.

Alvin quickly pushed up the glasses on the bridge of the nose and blurted, “Then please cooperate, little Highness. This subordinate will take a photo of you first.”

Wen Yuzhi naturally had no objections.

“Then... please go back to bed.”

The place that could be called a bed...

Wen Yuzhi looked around, and beside him he saw that gorgeous, beautiful seashell bed.

Half an eggshell was still on it.

So earlier, he had been inside that egg?

Wen Yuzhi slowly moved closer to the eggshell.

“Please lie down inside,” Alvin continued.

Wen Yuzhi did as instructed.

Actually, Alvin didn’t even need to say it—once Wen Yuzhi returned to the shell, his body instinctively found the most comfortable angle and lay down.

Only, his eyes were still blinking as he looked at Alvin.

That expression—yes, that expression!

Alvin instantly caught the moment and snapped the photo.

In the photo, the cub was curled inside the eggshell in a long sleep robe, a pair of pale-gold eyes looking at the camera with a slightly muddled innocence.

There was no cuter picture in the world than this.

If it weren’t for the silver-haired sovereign, Alvin would’ve wanted to take countless photos of the cub.

But Mansendis clearly wouldn’t allow that.

In fact, the moment Alvin finished taking the photo, the silver-haired sovereign announced the meeting was over, and also turned off the light-brain.

How lost and empty those Heimo felt the instant the little Highness vanished, Mansendis didn’t know.

He only looked at Wen Yuzhi, thoughtful.

Mansendis had realized from earlier that the cub seemed to have never spoken.

And Wen Yuzhi’s obedient, quiet look also made it very easy to overlook that.

...Had the vocal cords not developed yet? Or was there some other reason?

Mansendis pondered for a moment. Then, under Wen Yuzhi’s puzzled gaze, the silver-haired sovereign asked blandly, “Can you call me Father?”

Wen Yuzhi froze.

As if a little surprised.

Because before, Mansendis had never actively asked him to say “Father.”

But Wen Yuzhi thought about how he’d already called him “Dad.” Saying “Father” again didn’t seem like something he couldn’t accept.

Thinking that, Wen Yuzhi puffed his cheeks slightly. He opened his mouth, and the two words Father were already at the tip of his tongue.

But the instant he spoke—

“...Guji guji?”