Chapter 44: Happy Hatch Day

Even after returning to the cavern, Wen Yuzhi’s eyes were still shining brightly.

He watched as the silver giant beast in front of him changed back into human form.

Before Mansendis could even steady himself, he saw the cub flap his little wings pat pat and fly straight toward him.

And then—

He dove headfirst into Mansendis’s arms.

“Guji...!”

The cub’s tone was a little excited, the tender, milky baby voice unconsciously lifting at the end. Anyone could tell how happy the cub was right now.

Mansendis’s emotions also seemed to be infected by it at that moment.

In those golden vertical pupils, a trace of warmth appeared—so faint it was almost imperceptible.

Very shallow, but it was undeniably there.

The silver-haired sovereign gently stroked the cub’s head with his fingertip pads, lowering his voice.

“From now on, anything you want to do, you can tell me.”

After saying that, Mansendis thought for a moment, then added, “This is a promise that will always be valid.”

He would try to be the cub’s support.

And at the same time, he also hoped his child would trust and rely on him a little more.

Today they were leaving the cavern, and the bone spines had already started packing.

Wen Yuzhi also wanted to go help.

But he had barely managed to fly over when the bone spines gently pushed him back into the little basket.

Right after that, the bone spines went and brought over the eggshell that was still left.

Pointing at the eggshell, they indicated that there was a very difficult mission that needed cub’s help.

...Does sorting and packing eggshell count as a difficult mission?

Wen Yuzhi tilted his head. For a moment, he reasonably suspected the bone spines were deliberately coaxing him.

But then he looked at his tiny arms and legs...

Mm... it really did seem like he couldn’t help with much.

On the contrary, because he was so small, if he went to help, the bone spines would have to lower their efficiency and split their attention to look after him.

Thinking of that, Wen Yuzhi simply stopped insisting.

He stayed obediently in the little basket, biting eggshell while watching the bone spines pack everything up piece by piece.

And with these past days of cub-raising experience, the bone spines were already very practiced at handling these little chores. In an orderly way, they got the cavern’s things packed up.

Other things could be left behind, but the seashell bed the cub liked, the little blanket he liked—those absolutely had to come.

Oh, right, and the cub’s little desk... all of it had to come too!

While they were packing, the bone spines didn’t notice something falling down.

And it just happened to drop right in front of Wen Yuzhi.

Huh?

The cub picked it up.

Only after Wen Yuzhi lifted it did he realize it seemed to be a piece of clothing?

Why “seemed”...

Because the stitching on this clothing was crooked and slanted, and it looked like a sack.

A little ugly.

But Wen Yuzhi held it up and compared it to the clothes he was wearing, and you could tell that the two pieces—whether in shape or in how they were made—were very similar.

It was just that the former was stitched much more roughly. It looked like whoever made it was doing this for the first time and still wasn’t familiar, so it ended up sewn that badly.

And what Wen Yuzhi was wearing now—though you could still clearly tell it was made by a beginner—was much better than the one in his hands. The improvement was obvious.

“Gu...?”

So... was this one abandoned because it wasn’t done right?

Wen Yuzhi touched the clothing in his hands, and the image in his mind couldn’t help surfacing: the silver-haired sovereign sitting behind the desk, crocheting little clothes for him.

This was made by the other personally. Every single thread on it had been sewn in by the other’s own hands.

This kind of thing... only his mother had done for him before.

He used to have many clothes his mother designed and made herself.

After Wen Yuzhi put them on, he was practically the prettiest cub in the Wen family, and all the kids nearby envied him.

And compared to what Madam Jilanya made, Mansendis’s handiwork was honestly... painful to look at.

If Madam Jilanya’s clothes turned Wen Yuzhi into a pretty cub that all the other kids envied, then the clothes Mansendis made would turn a perfectly good little angel cub into a little beggar child begging on the street corner.

But...

Even if it made him look like a little beggar, Wen Yuzhi couldn’t bear to just throw it away like that.

He took off the clothes he was wearing, put this ugly outfit on himself, and he also folded the one he’d taken off very carefully and set it beside his pillow, together with that mini silver doll.

When Mansendis came over, this was what he saw.

He immediately noticed the clothes Wen Yuzhi had on had changed.

This was...?

Mansendis could tell at a glance that this wasn’t the piece he’d made later for the cub.

This was the first one he’d made—so ugly that he had quietly hidden it away.

He hadn’t expected the cub to find it now, and even put it on.

The silver-haired sovereign’s steps paused slightly. Then he walked up, asking in a deliberately flat tone, “You don’t like the previous outfit?”

Wen Yuzhi did like it.

He liked it.

But he also liked this one.

The cub still couldn’t use words to express what he meant, but his eyes were like they could speak.

Bright and clear, plainly showing the word like.

Not only that, Wen Yuzhi also gently hugged Mansendis.

“Thank you.”

He silently formed those words at the silver-haired sovereign, then lowered his head.

Mansendis, though, stood there without realizing it, slightly stunned for a moment.

Seeing that the cub didn’t dislike it at all—on the contrary, in those bright, clean eyes, the cub even looked... happy—Mansendis felt a kind of at-a-loss feeling, like something had wrapped around him.

The silver-haired sovereign didn’t show it on his face, but the cold aura around him gradually softened.

He didn’t bring up the clothing again, as if silently allowing the cub to wear that outfit that should have been thrown away.

“We’re leaving.”

He came over to remind Wen Yuzhi that they were about to go.

The bone spines had already finished packing. Aside from the cub’s things, the cavern went back to how it had been at first—empty.

Mansendis had spent his entire childhood here. The cavern’s appearance didn’t differ much from what he remembered. The bone spines had only taken the things away; the cavern’s general structure was still the same as before.

It was clearly a place he had long been used to.

But at this moment, Mansendis inexplicably felt that the cavern, with nothing in it, looked a little too empty.

As if, without realizing it, he had already grown used to having a cub by his side.

From not caring much about this child at first, to now trying to be a good father—this process had taken less than a month.

A month was enough for Mansendis’s mindset to completely change, and it also made him start being unable to imagine what it would be like if one day the cub might leave him.

Just like this cavern—once the cub’s things were gone, even a place Mansendis was so familiar with instantly seemed cold and spacious.

In the past, Mansendis had never felt that this kind of lonely quiet was anything bad.

But now that he had a cub’s companionship, being made to return to that lonely feeling again—he found he couldn’t quite adapt.

Wen Yuzhi also felt a little sad.

He hadn’t lived here long, and most of the time he had still been inside the eggshell, but in just these two days, he had felt very happy here.

Now that it was really time to leave, he subconsciously felt reluctant.

A light touch suddenly fell on his hair.

Mansendis tapped the cub’s little head with his finger.

“Let’s go. If there’s a chance later, I’ll bring you back.”

Wen Yuzhi’s emotions had only risen up for a moment, and cubs forgot quickly. Very soon, he tossed that small mood behind him.

Besides, for Wen Yuzhi right now, as long as he could be with the silver-haired sovereign and the bone spines, it didn’t matter where he lived.

Mansendis changed into beast form again.

On the way from the King’s Pool to the palace, Wen Yuzhi still sat on top of the silver giant beast’s head.

He watched everything below shrink smaller and smaller. The King’s Pool grew more and more distant, until it vanished from sight.

In its place were towering metal buildings.

Streets, houses—those familiar things came back into view again.

Looking down from high above felt completely different from looking through the window of a hovercar.

From above, you could see more fully, more completely.

It was only after seeing it with his own eyes that Wen Yuzhi gradually gained a clearer sense of just how big this floating city really was.

The silver giant beast flew for quite a while before reaching the palace.

The moment the silver giant beast appeared, almost the entire palace noticed the commotion from above. That immense pressure made the Saint Clan below feel bloodline suppression.

Mu Luo wasn’t affected by bloodline suppression, but the might of the strong still made the older doctor feel lingering fear.

He glanced out the window, unable to stop himself from frowning.

“This is too reckless. The little Highness just hatched—how can the cub be brought back in such a dangerous way?”

“You’re right. The King’s way of doing things really is outrageous.”

What kind of parent brings a child up to that kind of height like it’s nothing? Isn’t that just messing around?

What if the little Highness fell?!

Seeing that, Mond also put on a stern face, as if selectively forgetting that when Mansendis and Tasiya had first hatched, they could already fight.

Maybe in Mond’s heart, the quiet, frail, completely non-aggressive little Highness truly was different from the other Saint Clan.

No matter who saw Wen Yuzhi like this, they probably couldn’t connect him to the powerful Saint Clan.

Even the Saint Clan themselves couldn’t help treating the little Highness as a precious treasure that needed to be carefully protected.

In a certain sense, Mond and Mu Luo could be considered kindred spirits.

They both believed the cub needed more careful care.

And Mansendis’s rough way of raising a cub—through the eyes of these two elders—was undoubtedly extremely unreliable and unqualified.

Sure enough, letting the King bring the little Highness back had been wrong. Otherwise, with the silver-haired sovereign’s way of caring for a cub...

Mond couldn’t help worrying about the little Highness’s safety.

Wen Yuzhi felt the silver giant beast descending.

And the familiar palace drew closer and closer.

He couldn’t help repeatedly looking down, a feeling of excitement and anticipation rising in his chest.

It felt like he was about to go home.

Especially when he saw Mond, Mu Luo, Alvin, Merita, Selet, and the others—those familiar figures—standing below to welcome them, Wen Yuzhi’s eyes widened in an instant. He couldn’t describe the surge of surprise and joy that welled up in his heart at that moment.

He only knew he kept staring over there without blinking even once.

Until Mond slowly walked forward, holding a big cake. A single candle was stuck into it, and in frosting it said: Happy hatch day to our little baby.

...Little baby?

Was that him?

Wen Yuzhi stared blankly at Mond.

Mond smiled at him gently. The tone was kind and warm.

“Yes, it’s you. You are our one and only treasure.”

Even more ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) so, a gift the Mother Goddess bestowed upon the Saint Clan.

Thinking of that, Mond lowered the head and met Wen Yuzhi’s eyes. With a blink, Mond smiled, eyes curved, and said, “Little Highness, welcome back.”

“Welcome—!”

Merita and Alvin set off small party poppers over the cub’s head.

With a bang—

In an instant, colorful streamers drifted down in a fluttering rain.

And Wen Yuzhi watched those familiar figures walk up to him one by one.

“Little Highness, grow up well.” That was Mond.

“Safe and sound.” Merita still couldn’t manage a smile. In her nervousness, even the blessing came out like a slogan being read in the military.

“This subordinate hopes you will have peace year after year.” Alvin’s tone was still as gentle as ever.

“A cub shouldn’t be anxious about so many things. Be happier.” Mu Luo said with a chuckle.

“Be happy.”

“Don’t be sad.”

Yiluo and Feier awkwardly echoed what everyone in front had said.

And the Gumu being held in their arms also hopped up.

“Guji guji!!”

—And us too!

“Guji guji!”

Happy hatch day, little cub!

They all guji’d together. Even though no one present could understand what they were saying, you could still hear the meaning of that blessing.

Almost everyone gave Wen Yuzhi their congratulations.

Even Selet came in front of the cub.

The adjutant’s face was stern, like it was the first time doing something like this. The expression was heavy, and after hesitating for a moment, Selet slowly said, “Welcome back. And... happy hatch day.”

Just like Merita, Selet was serious, like reading out a command.

And the last one to offer the cub congratulations was Mansendis.

He removed the scale brooch on his chest that symbolized the Salilaino identity, and gave it to Wen Yuzhi.

The silver-haired sovereign lowered his brows and eyes. For an instant, his expression seemed to soften as well.

“Grow up well,” he said to the cub in front of him.

And in this process, he would also shoulder the duties of a father—protecting, teaching, and accompanying his child as he grew up.

After all, in Wen Yuzhi’s past growing up, he had already missed it once.

This time, since there was a chance to start again, no matter what, Mansendis would not miss it again.

He would accompany his child as he grew.

Until the end of his life.

—Sworn by his blood and honor.