Chapter 76
Lin Ran, seeing Little Feather suddenly fly over and try to peck at Pepe’s hand that was holding him, immediately stopped the little guy.
“Little Feather? What are you doing?”
Her grandfather was right there, what would happen if he saw Little Feather bullying the little girl?
And Little Feather was a little boy, couldn’t he be a little more gentlemanly?
Although Lin Ran suspected that the phrase “gentlemanly conduct” probably didn’t exist in Little Feather’s vocabulary.
After all, Little Feather always resorted to direct action whenever he was dissatisfied with something.
“Ee!”
Little Feather’s small head was held back by A-Ran’s finger, so he could only glare at Pepe, warning her to let go quickly.
She wasn’t A-Ran’s little cub, why was she hugging A-Ran randomly!?
“…”
However, the little girl called Pepe just pursed her lips and looked at Little Feather. Not only did she not let go, but she hugged him even tighter.
This time, even her sapphire blue wings nestled against Lin Ran’s side.
“Ee!”
Little Feather was so anxious that he almost spoke. He was at a loss facing this sudden appearance that snatched A-Ran away, flapping his wings and flying around anxiously.
As if asking who could take her away!
At the same time, Elder Gu Li and other Feather Clan elders also hurriedly flew over. The old man tried to coax his granddaughter to quickly return from the human’s side.
Who knew what the consequences of approaching him would be?
For example, would they be held hostage and have unreasonable demands made of them!?
“Pepe, come back quickly. Didn’t I tell you not to approach strangers?”
Elder Gu Li always had a very bad attitude towards humans, but unfortunately, his granddaughter was in the human’s hands, so the grumpy Elder Gu Li was forced to speak tactfully.
His gaze towards Lin Ran was indescribable. Gu Li suspected that this human had deliberately put something on himself that would particularly attract the Feather Clan and make them look at him favorably!
Contrary to Gu Li’s expectations, Lin Ran didn’t use Pepe to threaten the Feather Clan elders. Instead, he half-squatted down and asked the little girl what was wrong while looking her in the eye.
“Your grandpa is calling you, baby, aren’t you going back to him?”
After Lin Ran half-squatted, Pepe let go of A-Ran’s waist and held his hand instead.
The little girl stared straight at Lin Ran, and Lin Ran noticed that the little cub’s eyes were incredibly beautiful, like a pair of sapphires, ethereal and clear.
But upon closer inspection, they were a bit unfocused, as if she was immersed in her own world, lost in thought.
Only when Lin Ran reached out and touched the little girl’s cheek did Pepe throw herself around A-Ran’s neck again.
“Eh, be gentle, we’ll fall.”
Lin Ran was caught off guard and almost fell backward from the little girl’s sudden hug. Fortunately, Little Feather propped him up from behind in time, helping Lin Ran maintain his balance.
Little Feather flapped his wings and landed on Pepe’s shoulder, extremely annoyed.
He couldn’t move or drive her away.
How could this guy be even more shameless than him?
“Pepe?”
Elder Gu Li also coaxed her for a long time, and seeing that his granddaughter didn’t move at all, the wrinkles on his face almost doubled.
It was his granddaughter who had gone over on her own initiative, so he couldn’t find any excuse to attack this human!
“It’s okay, how about I hold her?”
Lin Ran tried to estimate the little girl’s weight and successfully lifted Pepe up with a little effort.
Pepe held onto A-Ran’s shoulders and looked around, then looked at the beautiful A-Ran again.
The next second, the little girl tilted her head and secretly kissed Lin Ran’s cheek.
Lin Ran: !
After feeling the soft and fragrant little cub’s affectionate kiss on his cheek, Lin Ran’s face flushed, and he subconsciously looked at the only familiar face, Anvers, as if asking for an explanation.
What was going on?
As for Elder Gu Li, his face was as dark as the bottom of a pot. His original plans had been completely disrupted by this sudden unexpected event.
“Ee, no, kiss A-Ran——!”
Little Feather stammered anxiously and actually spoke, wishing he could drive her away on the spot, forgetting all about gentlemanly conduct.
The little cub hadn’t fully developed a concept of gender yet. After all, in Little Feather’s eyes, he also had long hair, just not a little dress!
Lin Ran never expected Little Feather to learn to speak under these circumstances.
Was this a good thing or a bad thing?
“How about we go to the council hall first? This situation seems a bit… um, complicated.”
Anvers, finally reacting, held back Elder Gu Li. He never expected things to develop like this.
A few minutes later, in the Feather Clan’s ancient tree council hall, Lin Ran sat restlessly in the guest seat, and Pepe, in her blue dress, still clung tightly to Lin Ran, staring at him as if she couldn’t get enough.
She even opened her palm towards A-Ran.
Lin Ran was surprised to find a small green fruit in the little girl’s palm. It was very beautiful.
“Is this for me?”
“Mm.”
Pepe nodded, wanting A-Ran to accept it.
“Ee!”
However, Little Feather forcibly flew over and shook his head at A-Ran, signaling him not to accept it.
He would get A-Ran something better!
“This fruit is called Feather Cardamom. Eating it can make your body light and agile. It’s a rare specialty of the Feather Clan, but only cubs can pick it. It helps them learn to fly and reduces injuries when they fall.”
Anvers explained as he watched this scene. The Feather Clan had a system for raising cubs.
“Are there special teachers who teach how to fly?”
“Of course, the clan has a complete set of training courses.”
After Lin Ran asked, Anvers explained without reservation.
But the more detailed and complete Anvers’ explanation was, the more complicated Lin Ran’s gaze towards the sulking Little Feather became.
“How did you learn to fly without the fruit?”
Lin Ran touched the little guy and asked.
“Ee!”
Just fly by force.
Little Feather showed A-Ran his wings, indicating that he didn’t need such complicated and cumbersome things. If he fell, he would just fly again.
Elder Gu Li glanced at the cub hatched from the cursed egg and snorted coldly. Under normal circumstances, he would definitely say something, but now, because his granddaughter was still in the other party’s hands, he forced himself to shut up.
“Patriarch Anvers, can I send Little Feather here to learn some basic flight courses in the future? I can pay the tuition, as long as I can afford it.”
Lin Ran touched Little Feather’s wings and couldn’t help but ask Anvers.
Although he could send Little Feather to kindergarten in the human world to make up for his cultural lessons, the relevant skills of demons still had to be taught by the Feather Clan.
This made Lin Ran realize that this visit to the Feather Clan was really necessary. Otherwise, wouldn’t Little Feather be growing up completely wild?
However, Lin Ran’s question made Anvers hesitate. He had many things he wanted to tell Lin Ran directly, but he couldn’t say them directly because the cub was still present.
For example, the clan hadn’t planned to let this egg hatch in the first place, let alone teach him these basic skills.
The Feather Clan’s magic power circulation was unique. Without systematic learning, if they forcibly used and drew magic power for many years, it was easy to leave many hidden injuries.
Over time, it would become a significant burden on the body, especially for those with stronger magic power.
And for an existence like Eno Gard, most demons in the clan were very wary, so how could they teach him the correct way to circulate and draw magic power?
Lin Ran glanced at Anvers’ eyes and quickly realized that he seemed to be concerned about something.
“Little Feather, why don’t you go play with the other little guys for a while? Aren’t you happy to see children your age for the first time?”
Little Feather stubbornly shook his head.
Not happy.
There was only one A-Ran, and they were still competing with him for A-Ran.
Little Feather scared away all the other cubs who tried to approach, except for Pepe, the biggest “fish that slipped through the net.” He should have driven her away in the first place.
“Why are you shaking your head?”
Lin Ran couldn’t help but laugh at Little Feather’s honest and stubborn look.
“But I have something to talk to Mr. Anvers about, it’s not convenient for you little guys to be here. Pepe, can you let go for a while too?”
After patiently comforting Little Feather, Lin Ran looked at Pepe and touched the little girl’s hair.
“If you’re obedient, I’ll braid your hair for you right away.”
Her hair was so long and of such good quality, it was quite suitable for braiding, but it seemed that the Feather Clan didn’t have this custom?
Braids?
Pepe obediently let go, not unfamiliar with this scene.
Because her grandfather, Gu Li, also often needed to talk and discuss matters, and at such times, Pepe knew it was time for her to leave.
“Pepe is really well-behaved.”
Lin Ran also found that Pepe was indeed well-taught and didn’t cry or make a fuss at all.
“…”
Seeing this, Little Feather inexplicably felt that he had been outdone.
He had originally thought that she would keep clinging to A-Ran.
But she suddenly became so understanding and quiet, making him look unreasonable.
“Eh, Little Feather, are you willing to go out and play now?”
Lin Ran laughed when he saw Little Feather flapping his wings angrily and no longer clinging to him.
He felt that if the two cubs stayed together, they could actually learn from each other.
However, Pepe should be much older than Little Feather, after all, Pepe could already transform into such a big form, while Little Feather was still small.
“I’ll take them out for a walk, Mr. Lin Ran, don’t worry, I’ll help keep an eye on Little Feather too.”
A gentle lady who had been following them smiled and appeared, clearly acting as Pepe’s caregiver.
“Eh, okay, thank you.”
Lin Ran nodded at her, noticing that she was the first person he had met in the Feather Clan who didn’t show obvious hostility or wariness towards Little Feather.
She seemed to have a very good temper.
“Liya is a White-rumped Munia. Many humans call them ‘Society Finches.’ Although their attack power is very low, they are very gentle nanny birds. You don’t have to worry with her around.”
Seeing Liya leave, Anvers seemed to want to reassure Lin Ran and explained a few more words.
“I think I’ve heard of this kind of bird.”
It was said that this kind of bird would incubate any egg they saw and could even take care of the incubation and brooding of other bird species.
But Lin Ran felt a little melancholic. Compared to Pepe, Little Feather really didn’t have anything.
Had he been fending for himself since hatching?
Even at the most important moment of hatching, he wasn’t by his side, and Little Feather had never complained about this to his guardian…
“But Little Feather is obviously much smaller, is it because he’s younger than Pepe?”
Pepe was the size of an ordinary kindergarten cub, but Little Feather was only palm-sized and needed magic power to forcibly grow bigger for a period of time.
“Hmph, a prematurely hatched cub is naturally weak. It’s already incredible that you, a human, managed to raise him.”
Elder Gu Li, seeing that Pepe had finally left the human, finally dared to speak, but he was still much gentler than usual.
“Little Feather was indeed hatched prematurely?”
The suspicion he had always had in his heart was confirmed, but Lin Ran’s mood wasn’t so good.
“I really don’t understand why you, a human, would take on such a troublesome matter. Do you really think there will be anything good about raising such a cub out of curiosity? It might only bring disaster. Survival of the fittest, such a cub being eliminated is also…”
Elder Gu Li knew the purpose of Lin Ran’s visit, but he was simply an internal opponent and didn’t want to publicize the matter of the cursed egg again.
It would be best to let this little guy fend for himself.
“Elder Gu Li!”
Anvers had to frown and interrupt the old man, glancing at Lin Ran apologetically.
Although he was the patriarch, because he was relatively young, he often respected the opinions of the elders in the clan.
Anvers sometimes wondered if he was too respectful of different opinions, which led to his failure to make crucial and correct decisions in a timely manner on many matters.
“Take this, I’ll take you directly to the forbidden area. Perhaps you’ll find the answers to many of the questions you want to know. But the radiation and pollution there are very serious, you must take some protective measures.”
Lin Ran unexpectedly received a protective bracelet from Anvers. The moment he touched it, he felt a protective barrier surround him.
“What? Patriarch, are you really letting a human go there?”
Elder Gu Li looked at Anvers incredulously. They had originally agreed to at most inform him of the danger and persuade him to give up, but that didn’t include showing the forbidden area to a foreigner!
“Since Little Feather is being raised by someone now, I think it’s necessary to let Lin Ran fully understand the cause and effect.”
Anvers’ attitude didn’t change this time.
“And regarding this matter, that person also instructed…”
As he spoke, Anvers’ words entered an encrypted state, and Lin Ran found that he couldn’t understand anymore. On the other hand, Elder Gu Li’s expression changed repeatedly.
Finally, he nodded with a look of incomprehension and disbelief.
Looking at Anvers, Lin Ran was somewhat curious.
Was the so-called “that person” actually Yuanbao?
Yuanbao seemed to know Anvers and the others, could he have really greeted them in advance?
Then why didn’t Yuanbao come with him?
Lin Ran felt that with Yuanbao’s personality, he would clearly look unhappy and say that he didn’t really want to come, but in the end, he would be dragged along by him.
But today, he hadn’t come to find him after logging in, which was rare.
However, lions were large felines, and the Feather Clan were all birds. Letting a large golden tabby enter a bird gathering place would indeed easily cause chaos.
Perhaps Yuanbao didn’t come because he was self-aware for this reason?
One question after another popped up in his mind.
“Can you still transform your wings? If not, I’ll hold you and fly.”
Just as they were about to set off, Anvers looked at Lin Ran with some anticipation.
He felt like he wouldn’t lose out either way.
If he could transform his wings, he could see the Feather Clan version of A-Ran again. If he couldn’t, he could personally hold him!
God knew how much he wanted to get closer last time, and finally, he had the chance~
“I’ll try?”
Lin Ran understood what Anvers meant, closed his eyes, and explored. After more than ten seconds, the white wings gradually appeared.
The Feather Clan members who were originally standing near Elder Gu Li became even more restless, and their gazes towards Lin Ran clearly changed.
After all, apart from stubborn conservatives like Elder Gu Li, most of the Feather Clan were quite curious and welcoming towards Lin Ran’s arrival!
It’s just that they hadn’t had the chance to participate in the conversation.
Now that Lin Ran had actually grown Feather Clan wings, and they were so elegant and beautiful, it instantly struck a chord in the hearts of these little birds!
My god, even if we take a step back, couldn’t A-Ran be a descendant of our Feather Clan!?
How could those demons of the Luna Clan have the nerve to say that A-Ran was a descendant of the Luna Clan!?
“Quiet! What’s with all the chirping?”
Had they really turned into a flock of sparrows?
Elder Gu Li had to try hard to keep a straight face and quiet the scene down. He felt that this human was doing this on purpose!
“This seems to be the magic power shared by Eno Gard.”
Anvers explained.
Actually, this was also an important point that changed Anvers’ view. Magic power was a very private and precious thing, and most demons would never share it with others in such a thankless way.
With Eno Gard’s temper, it was unbelievable that he was willing to split his already limited magic power in half and give half to the human in front of him.
After all, he only ever took things in, there was no possibility of him giving anything out.
Therefore, upon hearing this, Gu Li looked at Lin Ran in puzzlement, not understanding how this human had done it.
“Is Pepe your granddaughter?”
Lin Ran also clearly sensed that conservatives like Elder Gu Li seemed to be the biggest obstacle to their visit.
Because the other Feather Clan members were clearly quite friendly.
Not to mention investigating the truth about Little Feather’s birth, even if he asked to borrow the “Feather of Truth,” it might be negotiable. But with Elder Gu Li present, things were different.
“Yes, what about it?”
Gu Li actually didn’t want to talk much with this strange human, because he was worried that he would also be affected by some strange magic and become abnormal.
But Pepe was indeed Gu Li’s most beloved granddaughter.
“Is Pepe a little different from other cubs?”
Lin Ran hesitated for a moment, but still asked the question he had noticed.
Hearing this, Anvers and the other Feather Clan demons also looked over in shock, not expecting Lin Ran’s perception to be so sharp.
Pepe’s condition had improved a lot, at least on the surface, she seemed no different from ordinary cubs, and sometimes she was even quite lively and active.
“What do you mean?”
Elder Gu Li looked at Lin Ran vigilantly, unsure of what this human was planning to do.
“I just noticed that Pepe is a little prone to zoning out sometimes.”
Lin Ran carefully chose his words, trying to express his intentions clearly.
“If possible, I might be able to offer some help.”
“You? A human?”
Elder Gu Li stopped himself before his habitual mockery could continue.
After all, this human in front of him was indeed very strange.
“Hmph, isn’t this what you humans did in the first place?”
But when Elder Gu Li thought of what had happened back then, his face darkened again.
“It was something humans did?”
Lin Ran looked at Elder Gu Li in surprise.
“We’re here.”
However, at this moment, Anvers happened to remind the demons that they had already entered the forbidden zone, and Lin Ran’s question was temporarily interrupted.
“How could this be… this place is like a no man’s land.”
Seeing the desolate land before him, Lin Ran quickly realized that there was no sign of life here at all.
“That’s right, this is the result of an experimental explosion caused by Eno Gard’s parents, Yin Er and Rhine Man En, which forced the entire clan to migrate to the current new settlement. Can you imagine that this place used to be full of towering ancient trees?”
Anvers also sighed. He hadn’t been back for a long time and had almost forgotten about these things.
“Eno Gard, is that Little Feather’s full name?”
Lin Ran remembered that this name had been mentioned in the “Demon World” quest prompt.
“Yes, and all the demons migrated immediately at that time, only that egg was forgotten. By the time we discovered its existence, it had already been severely contaminated by radiation.”
“So you want to cure the pollution on that cub? I actually think the possibility is very low, but if you don’t see it with your own eyes, you probably won’t believe it.”
Anvers said helplessly.
“And to be honest, many demons in the clan resent Yin Er and Rhine Man En, so that egg wasn’t welcomed by anyone from the beginning, let alone anyone daring to be sure whether the harm it would cause after hatching would be even greater.”
Lin Ran listened to Anvers’ words and clenched his hand slightly.
The disaster caused by the parents, but in the end, it was Little Feather who had to bear all the consequences?
“But Little Feather himself was also greatly harmed in this disaster caused by his parents. He was never a beneficiary, why should he bear all the consequences alone?”
“And if it was caused by an accidental explosion in his parents’ experiment, doesn’t the Feather Clan have any complete procedures for prior review and supervision?”
“If they tacitly allowed them to conduct this series of experiments, can I assume that the entire Feather Clan once benefited from some of the experimental results?”
Lin Ran’s personality was always very gentle, so suddenly asking such sharp questions in a calm tone made Anvers look at the human’s deep eyes and instantly become speechless.
Anvers even suspected that Shao Mian had told Lin Ran some details in advance, otherwise how could he have guessed so accurately?
After all, at the beginning, those experimental results did have many good inventions, making many demons in the clan feel that it was a wonderful and magical experience.
Who would have thought that the couple would be so daring as to study the source miasma, trying to solve the biggest disaster in “Demon World” in one fell swoop?
However, while the guardians were talking, no one noticed that the two cubs had quietly followed them.
Because the moment she saw A-Ran fly out with the patriarch and the other demons, Pepe made a century-old reconciliation with Little Feather.
They quietly used magic power to create two clones, bypassing the nanny bird Liya, and wanted to catch up with A-Ran.
Little Feather initially didn’t take it seriously, thinking that a greenhouse bird like Pepe didn’t seem to have much ability, but he didn’t expect her to actually follow them all the way up here without saying a word.
At this moment, Little Feather, who had just landed behind a large rock not far away, heard Anvers’ words, including the phrase “cannot be cured.”
The feathers on his wings drooped.
Actually, Little Feather knew that he was never blessed.
He just…
Just didn’t want to disappear quietly like this.
It was too quiet here.
No matter how much he called out, only the sound of the wind blowing past the stones would respond to him inside the eggshell.
No one would find him.
It was as if the whole world had forgotten him.
Pepe tilted her head and looked at Little Feather silently, then looked up at A-Ran in the distance.
She seemed to be seriously and solemnly feeling this silent emotion.
“Patriarch Anvers, I want to go in and see if there are any clues inside.”
Lin Ran, looking at the speechless Anvers, didn’t give up directly as the demons expected, and even tried to approach the ruins of Yin Er and Rhine Man En’s laboratory!
Wasn’t this a little too daring? And was it really worth it for such a cub? Even the demons in the clan hadn’t gone this far.
[Ding——Activated Cub Exclusive Quest: Searching for the Past!]
[Overall Feather Clan Affection Level increased by 30 points. Their current attitude towards you is very curious and complicated.]
[Cub Affection Level +10!]
As soon as Lin Ran finished speaking, two new notifications popped up in “Demon World.”
To be honest, Lin Ran was quite surprised that his insistence on going in could actually increase the race’s affection level. Could it be that giving up directly would actually decrease it?
More importantly, Little Feather wasn’t by his side, so why did his Cub Affection Level suddenly increase?
Unless…
Lin Ran subconsciously turned around to look, and sure enough, he saw a small figure stumbling and trying to hide behind the rock.
