Past Outworlders hadn’t received such treatment. Examination meant examination – directly bound by Heavy Mecha and thrust into an isolation chamber for data extraction.
Not like Ming Ruan, coaxed and pampered by a whole group, housed in a private property under the Adjudicator’s name, with the latest model companion robots specifically purchased to accompany him daily, careful during examinations not to scare him…
Pampered.
The Lion leaped down from his Flying Sedan, arrogantly judging in his heart.
Admittedly, he acknowledged Ming Ruan’s abilities were highly desirable, but profit was profit; attaching emotions was laughable.
Adjudicator, Council Speaker… all just the same.
The Lion’s purpose for this visit wasn’t just to reassess whether Ming Ruan was worthy enough for the Clarence Family to spend effort recruiting.
As for the Outworlder himself, he didn’t warrant special attention.
Arrogant, indifferent, heartless – the Lion thought this way. Even his footsteps as he walked exuded a degree of hard-hearted resolve and an aura of utter detachment.
He arrived outside the house.
The house’s windows were set to two-way transparent mode. With one glance, the Lion saw the young man sitting at the dining table, eating.
However, on that large dining table, there was only a single, small bowl in front of the young man. The youth was bent over, eating very, very slowly, his entire demeanor lacking luster.
The Lion frowned: Where were the little robots? How were they doing their companionship duty?
The next moment, he suddenly saw the young man put down the chopsticks in his hand, lower his head, and after a while, wipe his eyes with the back of his hand.
The Lion: ?
Ah?
What was this?
Crying?
No way?
The Lion’s eyes widened, trying to see the young man’s face clearly. By the time he realized what he was doing, he found himself standing upright, both front paws pressed against the glass, scratching continuously.
The Lion: …
Just as he was awkwardly about to put his paws down, he saw the young man seem to notice the commotion and come trotting over.
The young man pushed open the window in one motion. The look he gave the Lion held some surprise, but his overall mood still wasn’t high.
“It’s you.” He spoke, but with a thick nasal tone, his nose tip red.
As he spoke, a new string of teardrops rolled down the young man’s face. He reached up and wiped them again, his eyes red-rimmed.
The Lion was greatly alarmed.
The Outworlder’s observation period wasn’t over yet; he could not expose information related to the Alpha Galaxy, such as the fact that wild beasts weren’t wild beasts, but Beastmen.
Therefore, he had no choice but to try communicating with the young man using beast roars.
“Roar—” No way, you’re really crying?
“Rawr—” Don’t cry, don’t cry, damn, you’ve thrown me for a loop. It’s not because of being reported, is it?
The Lion’s paws scrambled numbly as he flipped in through the window, circling the young man anxiously, front and back.
The young man sniffled and extended his hand before the Lion.
Without a moment’s hesitation, the Lion butted his head against it.
Damn, how did things end up like this.
A noble young master who valued etiquette and upbringing above all else was pushed, by the scene before him, to utter two coarse curses in a row.
He spoke as softly as he could manage: “Roar~”
Stop crying, the check’s all done, there’s no hiding this now. Don’t cry, I’ll let you pet my head.
Ming Ruan stroked the Lion, feeling the stinging in his eyes ease a little.
He’d splashed chili oil into his eyes earlier while slurping his hot and sour noodles!
Even after so many tears, it hadn’t subsided.
But today, Ming Ruan’s mood truly wasn’t high.
He simply sat down by the window, petting the Lion who had been so cold and fierce upon first meeting, yet was excessively enthusiastic this second time around.
He buried his hands in the thick mane, rubbing in circles from the ears down to the ruff, then back up to the nape.
Just as the Lion was thinking this was perhaps a bit too intimate, he suddenly heard Ming Ruan speak: “Your mane feels a little dry to the touch, you know. If only you’d been in the Sanatorium Zone before, I could have helped you with a meal plan and grooming. You’d definitely be even more handsome than you are now.”
Then, the young man’s hand drooped down. He no longer stroked the Lion, but propped his own face up. “But not now. I don’t think… I can continue being an Executor anymore.”
Today was the last day for regularization. But the Regularization System showed no reaction whatsoever. Whether it was the points settlement, the vote, or the presentation he had painstakingly prepared for so long, no one had notified him to proceed.
And the only thing that had happened in the meantime was that he’d gone for an onboarding physical exam.
The only thing Ming Ruan could think of was that maybe he had failed some part of his physical exam.
But even if he failed, wouldn’t his Boss at least notify him?
Ming Ruan was a little bit miffed.
The Lion’s ears twitched.
The young man was actually crying because of the Executor regularization?
The Lion had never held the Sanatorium Zone in any regard.
He had reported Ming Ruan only to draw a clear line between this Outworlder and the previous Ming Ruan, ensuring the current one wouldn’t have to carry baseless charges for the old ‘Ming Ruan’ in the future.
And to prevent the past Ming Ruan from trying to whitewash his crimes by riding on the Outworlder’s coattails.
As for the Sanatorium Zone.
The Lion truly didn’t understand what was so good about that broken place the Adjudicator ran.
Remote wilderness, crude housing, plus the Information Shackle, going ten days to half a month without seeing a soul, spending every day with Beastmen—more unbearable than prison.
What could the young man possibly want from there? Whatever it was, the Clarence Family could provide it tenfold, a hundredfold.
Ming Ruan, unaware of the Lion’s thoughts, found his own rambling suddenly making him genuinely sad.
Thinking of that absolutely perfect job scope and environment, thinking he might never see Gray Wolf, Fox, or even White Tiger again, thinking of his Boss’s silent departure.
He let out a small sigh.
His eyes grew hot again.
Seeing the young man like this, the few shreds of reason the Lion had just recovered promptly absconded again.
“Roar!” Let’s drop this subject! Don’t be sad! Isn’t it just an Executor position? I’ll write you a recommendation letter. You can be the Executor for all twelve Districts if you want!
The Eldest Son of Clarence had always been this wildly arrogant, presumptuous, and ostentatious.
In this world, there were a hundred Old Nobility families, their combined influence barely able to balance the Royal Family, the Council, and the Adjudicator. Of this noble power, the hundred families held but a tenth; the Clarence Family alone held the other nine-tenths.
Not to mention the Clarence Family was united and harmonious, with little internal strife. The Lion—Clarence Fuxi—had possessed the capital to look down on anyone since childhood.
But Ming Ruan couldn’t understand. He just felt the Lion was a great audience, responding to every sentence he spoke.
Ming Ruan was easily amused again. He temporarily set aside his worries about the future and stood up. “Alright, since you’re here, let me show you my skills.”
Even though… even though it was incredibly regretful.
Still, if you lose one job, you find another.
Life always finds a way!
Because Ming Ruan had wanted some quiet time earlier, he had turned off the little robots. Now he turned them back on, and laughter and cheerful chatter once again filled the room.
Hearing the merriment beside his ears, Fuxi stood by the window, letting the wind blow on him alone. It was a long, long time before reason slowly crept back in.
The entire Lion gradually stiffened.
What… had he just been doing?
Fuxi, how disgraceful!
Why must he rush to comfort someone?
What did Ming Ruan’s tears even have to do with him?
He just viewed Ming Ruan as he would any other potential partner worth noticing.
…Yet, the sight of the young man with red-rimmed eyes, silently shedding tears, was truly worthy of comforting, wasn’t it?
The heart that had just hardened instantly softened again, like cotton candy meeting water.
Damn it.
Fuxi began to hesitate whether he should report today’s incident to the Outsider Control Center.
He suspected Ming Ruan possessed some degree of bewitching charm.
Caution was imperative!
Had Ming Ruan just said he would let him experience his skills?
Fuxi had been coddled and fastidious since childhood; he never compromised his own comfort. If he could eat the most delicious dishes and enjoy the finest service, he would never lower his standards one iota.
On this point of dining, Fuxi thought, no matter what, he absolutely would not compromise his own standards just to pander to Ming Ruan.
The next second, Ming Ruan’s voice came from the other side of the house: “Hey! Big Lion! Come and eat!”
Without a moment’s delay, Fuxi stood up and trotted towards the kitchen, the tip of his tail bouncing happily in the air.
Ming Ruan had only done some simple meal preparation, nothing fancy.
The Lion maintained his elegance while eating at a steady pace. His two ears twitched up and down, his tail swayed slightly on the floor, and the crunching sounds of him chewing bones and meat were crisp and very pleasing to the ear. Ming Ruan felt a deep sense of satisfaction.
This was the joy of feeding Fluffballs!
If only, after eating his fill, he would come and rub against him a couple of times.
That wasn’t very likely.
Because after finishing his satisfying meal, and even unconsciously licking the blood residue off the bowl’s bottom, Fuxi fell into profound silence.
This place was not suitable to linger in.
Thus, after the meal, the Lion ran off without looking back.
Ming Ruan gazed at the setting sun and sighed again.
If it had been his own Gray Wolf, Little Fox, and White Tiger, they surely could have played together all afternoon.
……
This lonely state didn’t last long, because early the next morning, Ming Ruan was awakened by continuous commotion.
The heavy rain of the previous days had been inaudible inside the house, which showed just how loud the noise outside was this morning.
There was a knock on Ming Ruan’s door.
A round little robot wheeled over, its head swiveling towards the door for a moment, then swiveled back, displaying =V= as it said, “It’s a visit from the Clarence Family, Little Master.”
The Clarence Family?
Why would they suddenly come looking for him at a time like this?
