Chapter 25
To Lin Ran’s surprise, the cub, instead of struggling, snuggled into his arms, its fluffy tail wrapping around him. Sootball had been wary of him initially. But this cub seemed to trust him instinctively.
“Is this a snow leopard?” he wondered, looking at the cub’s distinctive grey and white fur and long tail. His wish for a feline had come true! And it was a beautiful snow leopard cub. Even with dried blood on its face, he could tell it was incredibly handsome, its features resembling a little celebrity.
“But why is it so cold?” He touched the cub, realizing it was dangerously cold, almost hypothermic.
“Sootball, we need to set up a tent,” he said, placing the snow leopard cub inside his jacket to warm it up while setting up the tent near the cave.
“Cheep.” Sootball, watching the cub peeking out of Lin Ran’s jacket, suddenly felt envious. But it dutifully helped set up the tent.
Unnoticed by them, a tiny, white Snow Bird chick was watching Sootball from a nearby cliff, its eyes shining. Being so young, its feathers hadn’t fully developed their colors yet. It blended in perfectly with the snow.
Inside the tent, Lin Ran removed his jacket, wrapping the cub in it.
“Is that warmer?” He examined the cub, finding numerous small wounds on its body, still shivering despite the warmth.
“And was its ear injured?” The most severe injury was a bleeding ear.
“Sootball, can I use one of your little fruits for it?” he asked, wanting to use a Golden Spirit Fruit.
“Cheep!” Sootball, seeing the blood, nudged a fruit towards him.
“Good Sootball! Say thank you to Sootball for the little one,” Lin Ran said, petting Sootball, then feeding the hungry cub some milk. The fluffy cub trembled as it drank, its paws gripping his sweater. After burping it, he marveled at its soft fur.
“Aah— Open wide and eat this,” he said, placing the fruit in the cub’s mouth.
“Mew…” The cub obediently swallowed the fruit and licked his finger.
Lin Ran chuckled and lifted it onto his lap to examine it again. The fruit was effective; many of the scratches had healed. But the ear was still bleeding, a greyish mist, likely poison from the Snow Bird’s saliva, preventing it from clotting. The cub just trembled, its blue eyes looking at him.
“Does it hurt? Is your ear hurting?” he asked, realizing the cub might have hearing difficulties. Its injured ear seemed less responsive to sound.
“Can you hear me better in this ear?” he asked, speaking closer to its other ear. The cub hesitated, then shook its head, whimpering softly. Had he been mistaken?
According to the “Demon World Encyclopedia,” the poison required Ice Crystal Grass to heal; otherwise, they had to wait for it to dissipate naturally.
“Cheep cheep cheep!!!” Sootball, which had been keeping watch outside, flew back into the tent, hiding behind Lin Ran.
“What’s wrong, Sootball? Is there danger?” he asked, alarmed.
“Cheep!” Sootball pointed outside.
“Coo?” A tiny, white Snow Bird chick was holding a bright red fruit, tilting its head as if offering it to Sootball. Seeing Lin Ran, it hesitated, then dropped the fruit and flew away.
Lin Ran: …A Snow Bird chick? He looked at Sootball, who seemed relieved, collapsing beside him.
“What was that? A gift? For you?” he asked, picking up the red fruit. The system identified it as a Flame Fruit, found in snowy regions, useful for warding off the cold. What a thoughtful gift.
“Cheep cheep!” Sootball shook its head vehemently, denying it.
Lin Ran was even more curious. Snow Bird chicks were harmless, even cute. But they grew into fearsome, pack-hunting predators.
“Let’s go home before it gets dark,” he said. They had been out for a while, and their supplies weren’t enough for an overnight stay. He would have to find the Phantom Stone later. He could look for Ice Crystal Grass on their way back, though its location was random. The snowfield became dangerous at night, so they had to hurry.
“You want to come inside too?” he asked Sootball, noticing it hesitating to fly, then glancing at the snow leopard cub inside his jacket.
“Cheep!” Sootball nodded.
Lin Ran smiled and placed Sootball inside his jacket as well, the two fluffballs now nestled against him.
“Cheep!”
“Mew…” The snow leopard cub looked at Sootball, realizing it was another cub A-Ran had been carrying, and nervously wrapped its tail around Lin Ran’s waist.
“Hiss… That tickles! No tail tickles, baby,” Lin Ran said, grabbing the tail through his jacket. His sides were sensitive.
“Mew!” An Xun quickly retracted its tail, then snuggled against him, soothed by the warmth, and started to doze off.
Sootball, wide-eyed, observed An Xun’s long tail, unaware that it would soon become a rival for A-Ran’s affection.
“Coo?” Just as they were about to leave the snowfield, the Snow Bird chick reappeared, landing in front of Lin Ran.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
The chick was holding a blue flower, seemingly offering it to Sootball.
“Cheep—!” Sootball, however, was startled and flew away, trying to avoid the persistent chick.
The two fluffballs chased each other in the air, leaving Lin Ran bewildered.
[Beep—Snow Birds often offer gifts to express affection. There is an 87.6% probability your cub is being courted.] The system answered his unspoken question.
Courted?! Sootball was just a baby!
[It finds your cub’s flying style attractive and has left its flock. But it may have mistaken your cub’s gender.]
Lin Ran: ??
So, the chick was male?
[Yes.]
“Cheep cheep—!” Sootball tried to complain to A-Ran but saw his barely suppressed laughter and felt even more aggrieved.
Realizing Sootball was about to throw a tantrum, Lin Ran quickly hugged it, stifling his laughter, and stopped the confused Snow Bird chick.
“Ahem, no early romances for little cubs. And Sootball is the same gender as you,” he said, wanting to show the chick Sootball’s anatomy but deciding against it.
“…Coo?!” The chick, seemingly understanding, took a few steps back, then flew away, leaving the blue flower behind.
“Why are you so upset? You even left your gift,” Lin Ran said, picking up the flower. It was a gift for Sootball, a memento. This would be an amusing story to tell the Luna Clan parents.
[Beep—Congratulations! Obtained key item: Ice Crystal Grass.]
What!? Lin Ran was stunned. It was the Ice Crystal Grass! He looked closely; the five petals did resemble ice crystals. It was a five-leaf clover.
“Cheep!” Sootball, however, didn’t care, hiding in Lin Ran’s neck, covering its eyes with his hair, as if trying to block out the sight.
“Well, Snowball should thank Sootball for this,” he said. He had already named the snow leopard cub “Snowball,” a simple and fitting name.
As he named it, a new page appeared in the Monster Notes:
[Name: Snowball (named by Caretaker)]
[Species: Snow Leopard (Cub Stage)]
[Awakened Talent: None]
So, it was a snow leopard cub, with no awakened talent yet. But its affection level was surprisingly high:
[Affection Level: 60/100 (Max level unlocks unusual phenomena)]
It had already passed the halfway mark! He tried to remember what he had done to earn such high affection. Perhaps rescuing it from the cave?
The Monster Notes for Snowball also caught his attention:
[Monster Notes: A paradox standing at the edge of chaos, yet able to hear the whispers of fate from the void.]
He tried flipping through the two-page book, the pages shimmering. Who wrote these notes? Were they there from the moment the cubs were born? The game offered no answers.
“Well, since they’re with me now, they’re both my good babies,” he said, giving up on finding answers, and hurried back, carrying the cubs.
As dusk fell in “Demon World,” fireflies danced in the forest, and strange insect calls filled the air. His house, with the glowing nightstone lamp he and Sootball had placed in the yard, offered a welcoming beacon of warmth.
“We’re home—” he said, then noticed a familiar figure by the door.
“Yuanbao, you’re here again? Were you waiting for us?” he asked, surprised and delighted, feeling a surge of safety at the sight of the powerful lion. Seeing such a strong protector on his first night in “Demon World” was reassuring.
Shao Mian had been waiting for a while. The monthly demonic energy tide made nights in “Demon World” especially dangerous. Although the human carried a trace of his scent, offering some protection, he had still come to check on him. Finding the house empty, he had assumed the human had moved, but then he noticed the half-finished fence. They wouldn’t have left without finishing it.
Just as he was about to use his demonic energy to locate them, he saw the human returning, carrying something in his arms, waving at him with a happy expression.
“Roar…” But as Lin Ran reached out to pet him, he growled, warning him to stop.
“Shh— Don’t shout, Yuanbao. The little one is sleeping,” Lin Ran said, boldly covering his mouth.
“Mew…?” The snow leopard cub, startled awake, looked at the lion with fear in its blue eyes, then relaxed slightly, realizing it was still in Lin Ran’s arms.
“You scared him, Yuanbao,” Lin Ran said, soothing the cub, his attention now solely on it, with a hint of disapproval towards the lion.
Shao Mian: … Humans!
He had realized the human had an unusual fondness for cubs, unlike his attitude towards adult demons. Well, who hadn’t been a cub once?
“Aw…” The next moment, Lin Ran stared in silence as Yuanbao transformed into a small lion cub.
Even An Xun, in his arms, looked at the miniature lion with wide eyes, then hid his face against Lin Ran, peeking out cautiously.
“Cheep! Cheep?” Sootball, shocked, flew over to the little lion, looking at it curiously, as if trying to confirm it was the same lion.
“Yuanbao, are you pretending to be a cub?” Lin Ran finally asked, his voice filled with amusement and disbelief.
Shao Mian: !!! He was furious. Why had he waited here for so long?!
“Oh no, he’s running away!” Lin Ran chuckled, realizing he had gone too far, watching Shao Mian disappear into the forest. The miniature lion had been incredibly cute, fulfilling his wish for a lion cub! But seeing its expectant look, he couldn’t resist teasing it.
So, even a large, powerful lion could act coy.
“Let’s bring him some grilled meat next time,” he said to Sootball, who chirped in agreement. It had wanted to play with the little lion.
Snowball, nestled in his arms, felt safe and secure, soothed by his familiar scent and warmth.
A few minutes later, following the “Demon World Encyclopedia,” Lin Ran applied the Ice Crystal Grass to Snowball’s ear.
“There, it should be healed by tomorrow.”
“Mew…” An Xun, sensing his care, remained still, then, after the treatment, offered its tail to Lin Ran.
“You want me to brush it?” he asked, enjoying the cub’s affection, and gently brushed its fluffy tail.
The Immersive Mode duration was longer this time, allowing him to stay overnight. And since Snowball was new, he decided to stay the full duration, just in case.
The Four Seasons Simulator proved useful, creating a cozy winter environment for Snowball.
“This should be comfortable, right? Good night, Snowball, baby.”
“Mew…” An Xun looked at him, holding Sootball, then curled up in its basket, clutching its tail, its blue eyes filled with complex emotions, watching him go upstairs.
Back in his bedroom, Lin Ran took Sootball to brush its teeth and wash its face. It was Sootball’s first time spending the night with him. It was usually gone by this time. Sootball was happy but also cautious, fearing he might disappear again.
“Don’t space out, Sootball. You’ll swallow the toothpaste,” Lin Ran said, unaware of Sootball’s anxiety, reminding it to pay attention.
“Cheep cheep!” Sootball, its fangs being brushed, wobbled, careful not to bite his fingers. If the Luna Clan parents saw this, they would be horrified. He was breaking all their taboos, touching their heir’s fangs!
“Gurgle gurgle—” Sootball obediently rinsed its mouth, shaking all over.
“Good Sootball! You’re so smart and clean!” Lin Ran praised, making Sootball blush.
Sootball was so sweet and well-behaved, and it never shed… why couldn’t he sleep with it? Looking at his bed, he felt a surge of temptation. Cats weren’t allowed on the bed in real life, but why not in “Demon World”?
“So, you’re sleeping with Daddy tonight!” he declared, grabbing Sootball, who was about to fly to its basket, and placing it beside him on the pillow.
“Ch-Cheep!” Sootball, surprised, stared at him with wide eyes.
“Good night, Sootball,” Lin Ran said softly, turning off the light and falling asleep quickly, exhausted from the snow mountain trip. He had intended to check on Snowball but forgot in his deep sleep.
For Sootball, sleeping so close to A-Ran was incredibly comforting and secure. It snuggled against him and closed its eyes.
But in the middle of the night, the bedroom door creaked open. An Xun, carrying a small blanket, had been searching for Lin Ran. It looked enviously at Sootball on the pillow.
“Mew…” After hesitating, it gently nudged Sootball aside, creating a small space for itself, then jumped onto the pillow, using its tail as a pillow for Lin Ran, and curled up, falling asleep.
