Silver Wing’s outer shell today was that long-limbed humanoid machine.
Such a big courtyard, yet this short-legged cat had to squeeze between its legs, poking his head out to see who was calling him.
“Ah!” Li Ao’s eyes lit up as he shouted at the visitor, “It’s you again!”
Thanks to the previous hair-petting session, the little cat’s voice carried a note of delight.
Bai Yunjun looked down upon hearing him, his eyes curving into a smile. Unlike their last meeting where Li Ao had been squatting on the high platform at an appropriate distance, this time the little cat was on the ground. His base was too low to properly perform the hand-kissing ceremony.
So he went down on one knee and performed the imperial standard salute, his tone warm and gentle like a breeze over white clouds. “Good day, Your Highness Li Ao.”
“You’re good too.” The little cat lifted his head and asked, “What do you want with me?”
Following the robot’s guidance, Bai Yunjun entered the house. Once the little cat hopped up onto the chair via the steps, he sat on the other side before speaking. “There are three matters.”
Brenna approached silently, serving the guest a cup of tea on a tray and placing a basin of milk in front of the little cat.
Bai Yunjun smiled at the maid in thanks, then spoke warmly. “The first matter is to ask how Your Highness found the experience at the amusement park.”
Li Ao’s paws gripped the edge of the bowl, his entire face nearly buried in the milk basin. Hearing the question, he licked the milk foam from his mouth and looked up. “What’s ‘experience’ mean?”
“It means, did you have fun there?”
Of course it was super fun. The little cat had never played with so many entertainment facilities before. Be it the whinnying hobby horses or the chugging little trains, everything was novel to him. And most importantly, it was free!
That was the little cat’s own amusement park, so naturally, there was no charge.
The kid was so straightforward. Bai Yunjun, who had navigated the cutthroat business world for years, could tell the answer just from those sparkling eyes.
“It was so much fun.” Li Ao released the milk basin and licked his paws, trying to wipe his face. After rubbing left and right, he finally did a series of barrel rolls with his head to shake it off, then chattered to the man again. “But the Machine broke, and it only let me play for two hours all week.”
That Machine was really bad.
But the little cat could badmouth the Machine—how could Bai Yunjun? The man could only curve his eyes, suppressing the urge to wipe the little cat’s face, and continued, “The second matter is regarding the tomatoes and vegetables.”
“What about them?” His face freshly wiped, he dove back into the milk—who knew why he’d bothered wiping so hard.
“The yield from the vegetables you planted is just too high.” This wasn’t Bai Yunjun flattering with his eyes closed; it was genuinely excessive… Annual plants like tomatoes and cucumbers should be one crop per season, uprooted after harvest. But the little cat’s plants were all perennials, going dormant after one harvest and blooming again next season—super convenient.
The Delphians were being total Versailles right now, sighing over their aggressive veggie patches that there was no sense of achievement since growing them was too easy.
The first harvest season had just ended, and household veggie stocks weren’t finished yet when the next batch was already coming. Even making jams and pickles couldn’t consume it all.
They couldn’t finish it—absolutely couldn’t.
And these fruits rich in healing power only worked within three days of picking; after that, they were just tasty ordinary veggies.
Delphians weren’t interstellar do-gooders, but wasting healing fruits felt regrettable.
Bai Yunjun was an extremely successful businessman. He wanted to partner with Delphi to sell the surplus produce at high prices to the wider interstellar market.
Delphians weren’t short on money, but who would complain about having too much? That was Bai Yunjun’s thinking.
But the department that considered waste shameful replied: “These are planted by His Highness the little cat; all rights belong to him. We’re just helping till the soil.”
Bai Yunjun was a master merchant, daring to claim no one in the stars was more successful. But how to do business with a six-year-old kitten? He was still at the age of drinking from basins.
“So, what do you think—want to sell some?” Bai Yunjun leaned down to Li Ao. “I’ll handle the product line for you. After operational costs, all profits are yours.”
Afraid the little cat wouldn’t understand, he explained again. “For example, sell a tomato for ten thousand, I take one thousand ops fee, the rest is yours.”
Li Ao had been in kindergarten for days now; he wasn’t the clueless kid who only knew about one-credit coins anymore.
He wanted to make money. His current life was worry-free, but he had Grandma. He’d find her eventually, and he wanted to earn loads of money to give her a good life.
“If there’s too much to eat, we can sell.” The little cat raised his head. “Do I need to set up a stall outside?”
To prove his reliability, he puffed out his chest proudly. “I’m really good at stalls!”
He used to sell veggies with Grandma, usually at dawn when the sun was just rising, spreading a cloth at the market entrance for their little stall.
“No need for that…” Bai Yunjun pressed his left hand with his right, exerting massive self-control not to touch that obviously fluffy chest begging to be rubbed. “We’ll sell via livestream. You can appear if you want, or not.”
With the healing effects of these veggies and fruits, buyers wouldn’t be an issue—pure seller’s market.
“Does livestreaming make money?” The sharp little cat followed up immediately. He’d live-streamed before too; the money for gifts to Xun and the Machine came from that.
Bai Yunjun was good at seizing opportunities. Seeing the little cat wanted to earn, he immediately affirmed, “Absolutely.”
With the little cat’s sleek, glossy fur and that barely discernible height from his paws alone, never mind selling anti-pollution meds—even just standing there would mesmerize crowds.
The Fierce Cat didn’t speak, just spread his paws counting.
Counting how many gifts to send: the little dog, the robot, Susu and Auntie, Little Lion, Queque and Bunana, and most importantly Xixi! They were all good to him; he wanted to buy them gifts too—all that cost money!
The more Li Ao calculated, the more serious his expression grew, fluffier face turning earnest. “Then let’s do livestream.”
Bai Yunjun naturally wouldn’t plan livestream details with a kitten, just smiled and agreed, planning to discuss with his guardians later.
The main matter now was the third. Bai Yunjun left his seat, kneeling on one knee again and bowing his head. “Your Highness Li Ao, I have an presumptuous request.”
The little cat tilted his head listening, his eyes conveying a dull cuteness, still puzzled over what this “unintimate request” meant.
Kiss or not kiss? The kitty felt he didn’t want to kiss.
Just as the little cat was about to dizzy himself, Bai Yunjun added warmly, “I’d like to ask you to help me complete one matter.”
“Tell me.” Seeing Bai Yunjun so serious, the little cat instinctively sat up straight, placing his front paws neatly in front, tail curled properly around his body.
“I want to join Delphi and ask you to be my recommender.”
Throughout history, successful foreign applicants to Delphi could be counted on two hands. Brenna, attending nearby, tied a bib on the clueless little cat, soaked some cookies in his milk basin to guide him to eat, then turned to Bai Yunjun. “This requires His Majesty’s approval.”
No matter who recommended Bai Yunjun, imperial sovereign permission was prerequisite.
Brenna crossed her hands in front, her mild expression fading to reveal the edge of the imperial Vice Captain of the Guard. “Please leave.”
What was Bai Yunjun if not perceptive? He instantly knew she’d misunderstood, thinking he was bypassing procedure to trick the little Highness. No anger; instead, he bowed slightly, tone sincere. “My expression was imprecise; I was negligent.”
He drew a letter authenticated by the imperial sovereign from his bosom, presenting it with both hands, tone steady and solemn. “This isn’t my own initiative. Before His Majesty Isiris set out on campaign, he personally approved me communicating with Your Highness Li Ao. The document has clear annotations; Delphi’s Immigration Minister is aware and it’s on file.”
Despite Bai Yunjun’s earnest words and the sovereign-approved letter, Brenna didn’t relax.
As Vice Captain of the Guard, she was vigilant enough to immediately contact Immigration for verification, only smiling once confirmed. She returned the letter.
“Oh dear, pardon my rudeness.” She smiled, lifting her skirt hem.
Bai Yunjun rather admired her rigor; after all, she guarded the little cat, so caution was paramount.
Li Ao had been eating on the side while listening. Thanks to watching TV with Grandma from national news to local gossip, he grasped about seventy to eighty percent.
With such long smart whiskers, how could the Fierce Cat not understand? “So how do I help you?”
It wasn’t hard. Judging eligibility for Delphi was done by the Kingdom’s Will. A recommender with Regalis bloodline just needed to awaken it.
The so-called Kingdom’s Will was a towering statue.
It stood at the center of Delphi, towering about a hundred meters high. The figure depicted in the statue was none other than Delphi’s first Monarch—Regalis I. He wore a crown upon his head, his hands resting on the hilt of his sword, his emerald-gold robe fluttering ceaselessly.
Li Ao, meticulously dressed by the maids, tilted his head back. The little crown on his head was crooked and about to slip off from his overly enthusiastic movements. He stood perfectly still, gazing upward. The oversized red cape draped over his back, revealing only the tip of his tail.
The statue’s face was stern, silently and majestically overlooking the entire kingdom.
Li Ao craned his neck for a good long while before calling out tentatively with a hint of confusion, “…Xixi wa?”
His voice wasn’t loud, yet it rang out exceptionally clearly in the solemn atmosphere.
Quite a few Delphians had come to witness the ceremony—after all, such a scene was a rarity even once every few decades. Upon hearing the little kitten’s call, they burst into good-natured laughter. “As expected, Little Cat Highness thinks His Majesty Isiris looks just like the First King.”
“It’s not His Majesty Isiris, you know.” The kitten was too young, so he still needed a guide to lead him through the actual ritual. “By seniority, you should call him Ancestor Grandpa.”
Li Ao, looking adorably dazed, followed the cue and shouted, “Ancestor Grandpa wa?”
It was just a casual, offhand call—no preparation, no ceremony whatsoever. In that instant, the statue stirred to life, awakening the long-dormant will of the kingdom.
Nothing like this had ever happened before. Even the Monarchs of old had to personally offer their oaths, activate the altar with their spiritual power, and complete an entire set of complex and solemn rites to awaken the kingdom’s will.
The guide had initially been fretting over how to teach the little kitten the ritual, but this fluffy little thing—not even six years old—had awakened it with the lightest touch.
It was all too simple. The Delphians found it somewhat unbelievable at first, but one glance at the kitten’s face made it all seem perfectly natural.
This was the child bestowed upon Delphi by fate himself. He deserved all the favoritism this nation could offer.
The crowd knelt down in unison.
The giant sword embedded in the statue’s base was drawn out and raised high—a perfectly standard slashing motion.
The guide dropped to one knee and scooped up the kitten, turning to Bai Yunjun. “Mr. Bai, you already know the potential consequences. Whether to accept the trial is your final decision to weigh.”
If he passed the trial, he would become a true Delphian, and the Crystal of Delphi would take effect on him. If he failed, the emperor’s sword hanging overhead would cleave his head from his shoulders on the spot.
Throughout Delphi’s history, countless outsiders had been judged by that blade. Their severed heads were cast in metal and sealed, becoming part of the statue’s very base.
No one could face life and death without some fear. Even someone as calculating as Bai Yunjun felt a chill in his fingertips and a slight stutter in his heartbeat while standing beneath the statue.
But he did not retreat.
Compared to his instinctual dread of death, the emotion surging in his heart was far more intense—excitement. The thrill of drawing closer to his heart’s desire, of finally being acknowledged.
He had been vouched for by Isiris’s child. He was now one step closer to that person. From this day forward, he could gaze upon him openly, call him “sun” just like everyone else.
Bai Yunjun lowered his gaze, concealing the flash of fervor in his eyes. He took a deep breath and knelt before the statue.
The giant sword whistled down through the air. The guide covered the kitten’s eyes and used spiritual power to briefly block out his hearing.
The future Monarch could not be allowed to fear the sight of blood—but he was too young. No Delphian wanted him to witness such a scene.
During that brief moment of judgment, countless images flashed through Bai Yunjun’s mind. With the giant sword suspended at his neck, he neither looked up nor flinched. Then, he heard the cheers.
The sword lifted and plunged back into the base. He heard voices shouting, “All good, all good—a new one’s here—”
The guide released his hand from the kitten’s eyes. Before Li Ao could even figure out what was happening, he was hoisted into the air. “Let us give thanks and express our gratitude to Leo Highness for bringing fresh blood to Delphi—”
“Let us say: Thank you, little cat!”
This vast nation held only ninety-odd thousand souls. At this moment, they rejoiced over a single new addition. Yet in the decades to come, nearly every year, hundreds or even thousands would set foot on this land, devoting themselves to the nation.
They were the believers of the one named Li Ao.
“Paimon.” Reniya, cradling the little white lion, smiled at the man beside her. “What do you think? Since you’re interested in the Crystal of Delphi, why not undergo the trial and join us?”
Paimon’s handsome brows curved in a smile. “That’s a fine suggestion. I’ll consider it.”
