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| The Beloved Little Mother Insect (LITTLE MOTHER) |
Pearl slept very comfortably.
Having left the cold storage of the auction house, he no longer had to sleep on that rough, prickly, worn-out mat. With the warm "Big Dog" behind him, even the outdoor sunlight could filter through Pearl's eyelids, allowing the Artificial Human that were long separated from light, to feel warmth and peace.
He lazily yawned and was just waking up, when his stomach—which had only eaten two berries the previous day—let out a loud, hungry growl.
Although Artificial Humans aren't human, they, like all living beings, require food and water to survive.
However, unlike interstellar residents, Artificial Humans have no rights or status; they are merely regarded by profit-driven merchants and space pirates as luxury "goods" that can be circulated on the black market.
This is not permitted under the Star Alliance treaty.
But where there are people, there is darkness. No matter how much the Star Alliance's patrolling enforcers sweep away and suppress it, they still can't stop those rats hiding in the shadows.
Wealth tempts the human heart, and profit often overrides public order and morality.
As a "contraband" item under the Star Alliance treaty, Pearl's digestive system is infinitely close to that of a human, with an appetite similar to that of an eighteen or nineteen-year-old youth. But in reality, the amount he eats each time is very little.
The auction house treated "defective goods" poorly; resources only flowed to the "premium goods." Pearl received very little food—
The less he ate, the smaller his stomach became.
From initially being tormented by hunger and unable to sleep while clutching his stomach in the middle of the night, to gradually getting used to extremely small portions of food…
At some point, Pearl suddenly realized that he only needed to eat a tiny amount to feel full.
So, he was very easy to care for.
Now, the hungry growling in his stomach brought Pearl's sluggish mind back to the present.
Propping himself up on the Beast's body, he had just pressed the heel of his palm against his noticeably hungry belly when several sweet-smelling berries were shoved into his arms.
They were the leftover berries from last night, the ones that hadn't been crushed.
After serving as a pillow all night, the StarCloud Hound Beast let out a low growl in its throat, its flexible long tail curling around berries as it urged its stomach-growling cub to eat quickly.
Pearl touched the fruit and gently shook his head, his fingers fumbling to tap the Beast's damp nose.
He explained: "We m-must mind hy-hygiene. C-can't eat directly."
The Beast tilted its head, its eyes—now cleared of much filth—shimmering with unmistakable emotion.
After a night's rest, its emotions and thoughts seemed to have grown more agile.
The live comments vaguely noticed—
[This StarCloud Hound feels different from yesterday?]
[Its eyes have changed.]
[The more severely a Beast is affected by radiation, the darker its pupils become. But this one...]
The floating comments fell silent for a moment before reaching their conclusion.
[This Beast—its eyes have light?]
But how could that be?
Planetary radiation's effect on Beasts, like the Frenzy Syndrome of high-level Narga, is an irreversible malignant condition—
The latter is an "illness" that appeared after the disappearance of the Narga Empire's King and the Mother Insect. When high-level Narga frenzy can no longer be suppressed, they inevitably meet death through psychic collapse.
The Narga without their "Mother's" comfort are pitiful beings abandoned by the gods.
As for the former...
Planetary radiation curses Beasts with cannibalistic urges, driving them to hunt living creatures endlessly due to insatiable appetite. This crisis confronts the entire Star Alliance, and the struggle against Beasts and radiation has never ceased.
The more life and history the cosmic river carries, the more severe the radiation clinging to energy planets becomes. Beasts multiply endlessly—killable yet inexhaustible, they are an undefeatable "enemy." Even the Star Alliance cannot predict where the next sudden Beast tide will emerge.
And now, the phenomenon captured by Observation Sphere No. 8 is enough to agitate the high-ranking officials stationed in the Narga Empire.
This is a miracle.
As the protagonists of this "miracle," Pearl and the StarCloud Hound remain completely unaware. The little Artificial Human, unusually stubborn in certain matters, is diligently teaching this "Big Dog" about hygiene.
Though Pearl's knowledge is narrow and his common sense pitifully scarce, he's absolutely certain he's a clean Artificial Human.
Even during earlier days when he was ordered to take out trash, the cleanliness-loving little Artificial Human always kept himself neat and tidy. He might lack expensive, ornate clothing or jewelry for adornment, but simply standing there, he was treasure incarnate.
Currently, two shadows—one large, one small—crouch by the water source.
The trembling Pearl always appears unsteady in his movements due to blindness, forcing the "male mother" StarCloud Hound Beast to devote extra attention to prevent the frail cub from tumbling into the water and drowning.
It has no doubt that for this excessively weak cub, water itself is among the dangers.
But admittedly, the StarCloud Hound's concern is somewhat justified—
The Artificial Human crouching at the shore leaned forward, immersing his hands in the water.
He cupped his palms, trying to scoop more water for washing his face and rinsing his mouth, but his feet slipped, sending him plunging toward the lake.
The StarCloud Hound, focused entirely on the cub, felt its heart nearly stop.
Reacting swiftly, its long tail instantly wrapped around its body and caught Pearl by the waist, pulling back the soft, noodle-like cub who was dangling from its tail as if on a swing.
The cub didn’t get soaked, but his unruly white long hair dipped into the water and was fished out by the Beast’s Mycelium, wrung dry, and laid out on the shore to air.
This time, having understood the cub’s actions and to prevent another fall into the water, the StarCloud Hound gathered its Mycelium, weaving them into the shape of a small basin. It scooped up a “bowl” of water and held it in front of Pearl.
“Wow—”
The little Artificial Human, feeling the Mycelium basin with his hands, let out an awestruck gasp.
His pale blue eyes filled with admiration and astonishment as his slender, pale fingers traced every corner of the Mycelium basin, gentle and meticulous. Even the StarCloud Hound, now free from radiation’s influence, felt a strange sensation.
As if… every part of it was tingling.
—Deep within the planet’s underground caverns, the Mycelium coiled there also trembled slightly.
Feeling as though its body was about to burn up, the Beast snorted, shaking its head as if to cover up the reaction. With a low growl, it nudged the Mycelium basin closer into Pearl’s arms.
“Good… good doggie,” Pearl said, smiling as his eyes curved. “Thank you.”
After washing his hands, face, and rinsing his mouth, Pearl used his damp hands to smooth his dried, tangled long hair behind him.
But his hair was too long, and his fingers weren’t particularly nimble. He soon got lost in the mess of his hair, until the agile Mycelium stepped in, helping the cub who couldn’t even manage his own hair settle the trouble.
The white long hair was gathered by the Mycelium, tied with a long blade of grass, and left to hang down Pearl’s back. He turned and hugged the fluffy Beast, happily rubbing his head against its neck, clearly having already placed this Big Dog firmly within his circle of closeness.
What a strange cub.
The Beast tilted its head, letting the cub press against the side of its neck.
In its dark eyes, a faint glimmer shone, like a crack of light appearing in the abyss, helping it recover more emotions and reason, allowing it to cast off restraints and think.
Only after Pearl had snuggled and rubbed against his Big Dog to his heart’s content did the Beast, now promoted to “dad,” peel the clingy cub off itself—
Its tail served as Pearl’s guiding cane, while part of the Mycelium cleared away gravel and dead branches from the grass. The rest picked berries and began the task of feeding.
Raising a cub is an addictive thing.
Especially when you encounter a cute, quiet, and even clingy cub—this urge to care for them grows exponentially.
Perhaps at first, you only intended to make do with the oasis’s water and berries, keeping them as emergency rations. But when you repeatedly look at the well-behaved cub gazing at you with empty, innocent eyes, and only able to let out soft, chirping sounds, you suddenly develop other thoughts.
You start to feel that this water and these berries aren’t good enough for him.
He deserves better.
Even if he’s just a frail, pitiful cub who can’t possibly adapt to the laws of the jungle.
But you can provide a better life for him, can’t you?
The StarCloud Hound thought, yes.
It could.
It watched Pearl nibbling small bites of the berry, its gaze quiet and secretive, catching sight of the cub’s overly fragile teeth and the occasional glimpse of his tongue.
Too soft, too small, too fragile…
At this moment, both the StarCloud Hound and the symbiotic Mycelium began to ponder—
How could they make a young one grow bigger and stronger?
He should possess the ability to protect himself.
Undoubtedly, it needed to feed this young one with meat, but hunting was an extremely dangerous process for any youngling—especially on this planet teeming with Beasts.
Pearl, who was sitting under a tree eating berries, felt a furry section wrap around his waist. He reached out with his clean hand and stroked Big Dog's tail. Even though he couldn't see anything, he could still accurately locate the other's position.
Pearl: "What's wrong?"
The StarCloud Hound let out a low growl.
It told the young one to wait here for its return. It had already left its own scent and mycelium here—safe enough to protect the young one securely within the oasis.
It was going hunting.
But it forgot: artificial humans couldn’t understand the language of beasts.
A low, soft growl from Big Dog sounded in his ears. Pearl blinked in confusion, his still-dazed mind instantly catching the movement of the Beast moving away.
Pearl: “Wait—”
He spoke instinctively and reaching out to grasp the fluffy, long tail that was about to slip away from his waist.
Very, very gently.
If the tail hadn’t paused on its own, that grip wouldn’t have held it at all.
The Beast, which had already turned away, stopped in place as its deep gaze fixed on the little artificial human, as if waiting for his reaction.
Pearl’s lips moved slightly.
He wanted Big Dog to stay, but he seemed to have no reason to ask it to remain.
In one hand, Pearl held a fruit still marked with teeth impressions; with the other, he gently cupped a few strands of Big Dog’s fur. Though the berry juice in his mouth should have tasted sweet, for some reason, he only found it bitter.
He gave a careful, faint smile, loosened his fingers, and let the strands of fur slip from his palm, taking with them the Beast’s warmth.
The artificial human whispered, “Then… goodbye?”
The Beast gave a soft growl, acknowledging the young one’s farewell.
It would bring him the tenderest meat, the freshest fruits, the clearest water, and build him the warmest, safest nest.
It would raise him.
The Beast’s figure soon vanished behind the dunes beyond the oasis, its warmth and scent fading away. The little artificial human, left sitting in place, slowly curled his knees to his chest and buried his head against them.
But the hand tucked against his chest still clutched the berry tightly, treasuring it with care.
Outside the scene, the live chat inexplicably turned somber.
The viewers felt unsettled, once again pressing a hand to their chests over their inexplicable palpitations, savoring that strange emotion.
The Beast headed south, searching for prey suitable for the young one.
But unfortunately, less than ten minutes after it left, a loud noise approached from the northwest and growing closer—like the grating screech of metal against metal.
Pearl shuddered, instinctively looking up toward the source of the sound.
More anxious than him were the viewers, who could monitor the situation in real time—
[Is that Ega and Hui? I thought they wouldn’t come this way!]
[I’ve been watching Observation Sphere 8 this whole time—I didn’t notice these two killing gods had fought their way over here…]
[Dammit! Was there an error in the deployment? Why are two high-level Narga appearing in the Northern Sector at the same time?]
[Didn’t they say they’d stop when they got tired? Why are they fighting even more fiercely now?! They’re clearly trying to kill each other!]
[Two maniacs! Can anyone stop them?]
[It’s too late… they’ve completely lost control.]
—And the out-of-control maniacs were heading toward Pearl’s location.
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