Chapter 117: Chapter 117: The One and Only Her
Yusen’s silhouette appeared in the attic doorway. Yu Zhizhi hastily retracted her foot and peeked out from under the covers, her face flushing in the darkness.
The young man’s face was pale, but his cheeks bore the faint flush of recent pleasure. His ice-blue eyes stared coldly at Louis, who was squatting on the floor.
’He trespassed into my "territory" without permission.’
Scales gradually began to cover the Mermaid’s neck.
This was a precursor to a fight, a sign that a male, having been provoked, was preparing to battle for his territory and the rights to his mate.
A drop of fresh blood still clung to the corner of Louis’s mouth.
He smiled. "Miss, I’ll be right outside. Call me if you need anything."
Yu Zhizhi’s bright, limpid eyes peeked out. "Mhm~"
Louis stood up.
As he walked past Yusen, his dark eyes swept over the food in the Mermaid’s hands.
’He’d like to see just what delicacies this fish could possibly make for the little rabbit.’
’After all, the little rabbit loves my cooking the most.’
Once the door was shut, Louis let out a sudden, muffled grunt as blood spilled from the corner of his mouth. He coughed twice, low and deep, clapping a hand over his mouth. Blood seeped from between his fingers.
’...What a vicious poison.’
’If I hadn’t been here, the young female would already be dead.’
Louis was in a weakened state. Otherwise, this kind of toxin would have never been able to breach his defenses.
He braced himself with one hand on the staircase railing and sat down.
「Inside the attic.」
Yu Zhizhi sat up and explained softly, "I was just bitten by a snake. Louis... was helping me get the poison out."
’Though, his method of removing the poison was certainly easy to misinterpret.’
He’d startled her, too.
Yusen’s eyes darkened. He placed the tray on the bedside table.
’Louis...’
Being a male himself, Yusen knew what the other was thinking.
The way that man looked at the young female was never innocent.
But still—
The Mermaid sat on the edge of the bed. He gently lifted the quilt, revealing the young female’s snow-white foot.
’Right now, confirming her injury was the most important thing.’
His fingers gently brushed over the wound. "This is the bite of a Green Ringed Sea Snake..."
This was a highly venomous species. Given the location of Paradise in the Moon Rising Empire, a sea snake like this shouldn’t be here.
Which meant...
Yusen looked into the young female rabbit’s innocent eyes. "It was them again."
The same band of heretics as before.
This was their second assassination attempt.
It came only a day after the first one, which meant they were well-prepared.
A third attempt, then, was likely not far behind.
He pulled the blanket back over her.
Yusen’s voice softened considerably. "Eat while it’s hot."
Yu Zhizhi nodded.
She sat up against the headboard and picked up the porcelain plate. On it sat a freshly cooked omelet filled with chopped vegetables and carrots, all wrapped in cheese and topped with a layer of mayonnaise.
One bite was sheer bliss.
After eating half, Yu Zhizhi’s rabbit ears drooped, her little face a mask of worry.
"Who on earth wants to kill me? Did I offend someone without realizing it?"
Since coming to Paradise, she hadn’t had much contact with the outside world, let alone any conflicts. The only minor dispute was at the auction house in the Lost Tower.
But that was a while ago...
Many of the noble females from that time had returned to their own territories.
The closest were in the Divine City.
Yu Zhizhi looked at the Mermaid, her face clearly asking—
’Could they be trying to snatch Sensen?’
Yusen had been watching the young female the whole time. The moment he saw her expression, he knew exactly what was on her mind.
"You’re an S-Class female of the Empire," he said. "They wouldn’t go to all this trouble to assassinate you over a piece of merchandise."
On the Beast World Planet, murdering an S-Class female is a heinous crime!
Anyone caught would receive no mercy.
Entire families could even be implicated.
Unless...
Unless the mastermind behind it possessed absolute power.
The Mermaid knew who was pulling the strings.
But for now, he didn’t want to speak that name.
Yu Zhizhi continued eating the soft, fragrant omelet, her rabbit ears hanging low. ’Well, I’ll never guess,’ she thought.
Seeing the young female’s distressed expression, Yusen’s Adam’s apple bobbed. A strange feeling washed over him. He knew he was intentionally hiding something from her, and it felt wrong.
’They should be more honest with each other, shouldn’t they?’
"It’s... the Deep Sea Empire."
The Mermaid’s eyes grew heavy.
He had chosen to tell her after all.
Yu Zhizhi looked completely lost. She slowly swallowed the food in her mouth and mumbled softly, "But why?"
She had never been to the Deep Sea Empire.
Much less did she know any Beastmen from there.
’Oh, except for Yusen, of course.’
Yusen explained slowly, "If you die in Paradise, the Moon Rising Empire won’t be able to answer to the Valoran Empire."
It was a blatant attempt to sow discord.
If this young female were merely an S-Class female, the mastermind wouldn’t have gone to such lengths.
Therefore, her identity had to be extraordinary.
This ploy would only work if the young female was exceptionally important to the Valoran Empire.
A rift forming in the alliance between the two great Empires was precisely what the Deep Sea Empire hoped to see.
Therefore—
’It wasn’t a personal grudge. That person simply needed her dead for the good of their empire.’
Yu Zhizhi was beginning to understand.
’So it was a struggle between Empires...’
’And she was caught right in the middle of it...’
She shook her head repeatedly. "No, that can’t be. Even if I die, nothing will change."
Yu Zhizhi didn’t think she was that important.
’War is cruel. What does the death of a single S-Class female matter?’
Yusen watched her in silence.
’Is that so?’
If it were really as the young female said, the Valoran Empire wouldn’t have dispatched people specifically to retrieve her.
According to the laws of the Beast World Planet, S-Class females could choose their own living area and change it at any time.
Their status within an Empire didn’t restrict them.
Because every female with high Fertility was incredibly important.
But she was clearly unique to the Valoran Empire.
"The Valoran Empire has already dispatched a Delegation to Paradise to retrieve you." The Mermaid’s gaze was fixed on the little rabbit before him. "You should start making your plans—"
"—whether you choose to stay in the Moon Rising Empire, or return to the Valoran Empire."
This struggle between two great Empires over an S-Class female would likely become known across the entire All Beast Star.
And the Moon Rising Empire wouldn’t just let her go.
They already had so few S-Class females; with one suddenly appearing, they would naturally pull out all the stops to make her stay.
In the end, then, the choice would likely fall to the young female herself.
She would need to state her true feelings publicly.
Yu Zhizhi finished the food Yusen had made for her. She put down the porcelain plate and wiped the mayonnaise from her fingers with a wet wipe.
"It must be very far from the Valoran Imperial City to Paradise, right?"
Yusen nodded. "Very far."
"Along the way, the Delegation will face many dangers. Wars are breaking out everywhere. Then there are the uncontrolled mutants, and the Sad Dragon Cave in the region they call the Dark Zone."
"So, whoever leads them must be exceptionally strong."
"Otherwise, the Delegation might be completely wiped out before it even reaches the Moon Rising Empire."
Hearing Yusen’s words, Yu Zhizhi couldn’t help but wonder—
’Who could be leading them?’
