Chapter 87: Brother, I Want Him, I Want to Partner With Him

Chapter 87: Chapter 87: Brother, I Want Him, I Want to Partner With Him

After confirming that this brown sugar hadn’t come from the Holy Capital, Zerev and Moye left immediately, skipping lunch entirely.

Watching the two big spenders leave, Ophelia finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although she didn’t know why Zerev was so fixated on her brown sugar, she was certain the crisis had been averted.

Meanwhile, Moye and Zerev returned to Ten Thousand Beasts City.

"Young Master, we can now be certain that the little female’s sugar didn’t come from the Holy Capital," Moye said.

Zerev pondered. "Where do you think the mastermind could be hiding it?" He had thought they finally had a lead, only for it to end in another dead end. However, he was actually relieved to confirm it wasn’t Ophelia. He quite liked the little female; it would be a shame if she turned out to be their enemy.

"Young Master, how did the interrogation of that male named Saqi go?" Moye asked.

Zerev fell silent for a moment. "That idiot has never seen the person he traded with. He only knows that the sugar flows into Ten Thousand Beasts City."

"Why did it have to come to Ten Thousand Beasts City?" Moye grumbled, cursing his own bad luck. "Young Master, there are many trading markets near Ten Thousand Beasts City. Perhaps the sugar is being traded there. After all, few people here know about the Holy Capital. It’s normal for them not to realize that sugar is contraband. Should we take a walk around the nearby markets over the next couple of days?"

Zerev thought about it. "Alright. Prepare a set of animal skins and a mask for me."

Moye understood perfectly. His young master was a prominent figure in the Holy Capital; anyone with even the slightest connection to the city would recognize his face. If he didn’t conceal his identity, it would be as good as announcing to the mastermind that they were investigating them.

Night fell, and the sky over Ten Thousand Beasts City was dotted with twinkling stars.

Standing on the city wall, Zerev blew into a horn. A dragon’s roar quickly echoed in response. Moye stood quietly to the side, blending into the background, knowing full well that his young master was summoning his Beast Servant.

Under the moonlight, a massive Winged Dragon soon flew slowly toward them. As it neared the city gates, it flapped its wings and gradually transformed into a humanoid form. The male Beast Servant dropped to one knee and bowed his head reverently. "Young Master."

Zerev pulled a black Token from his chest and handed it over. "Take my Token back to the Holy Capital and fetch a set of linen clothes meant for a little female. Wait, grab some extra linen fabric as well. I need it by tomorrow night."

Moye was slightly taken aback. Though a Winged Dragon could travel a thousand miles a night, a round trip between Ten Thousand Beasts City and the Holy Capital would take exactly one day and one night of non-stop flying.

"Yes, Young Master," the Beast Servant replied in a hoarse, deep voice.

Large wings materialized from his back as he leaped off the city wall, transforming back into a dragon before shooting into the night sky and vanishing into the darkness.

"Are you running out of clothes, Young Master?" Moye couldn’t help but ask. "But why ask for something meant for a little—"

Zerev shot him a sidelong glance, a hint of warning in his eyes. "You talk too much."

Moye instantly snapped his mouth shut. Watching Zerev walk away, he grumbled under his breath. "Won’t even let me say it. Obviously, it’s for Ophelia." In this place, his young master didn’t know any other little females besides Ophelia and hadn’t spoken a single word to anyone else.

The next day at a trading market near Ten Thousand Beasts City, a disguised Moye and Zerev were strolling around.

The two acted as if they were unworldly bumpkins, buying anything that looked novel and paying exclusively with Crystal Stones. Even when some stall owners couldn’t provide change in Crystal Stones, they didn’t care and simply tipped them the rest. Because of this, word quickly spread through the market that two "rich fools" had arrived. Vendors eagerly approached them, showing off their most prized goods and introducing themselves.

This was exactly what the two men had intended. However, despite throwing around plenty of Crystal Stones, they hadn’t seen a single trace of sugar.

Annoyed, Zerev tapped the wooden mask on his face. Understanding the signal, Moye led him away.

Zerev and Moye’s lavish spending didn’t just thrill the stall owners; it also pleasantly surprised Miche, who was visiting the market.

She beckoned to the tall male beside her. "Galen, go follow those two and see which clan they’re from." She had never seen anyone from any clan throw money around like that.

Galen nodded and silently trailed after them.

"Young Master, we’ve visited three trading markets all morning, and we haven’t even seen a single grain of sugar..."

Zerev suddenly raised a hand to cut him off. Moye looked at him in confusion. Zerev shot a meaningful glance over his shoulder. Catching on, Moye’s sharp senses immediately picked up on someone tailing them. He started to turn around to catch the stalker, but Zerev pulled him back.

"Keep walking. Don’t look back," Zerev ordered.

Galen only stopped following when the two men entered Ten Thousand Beasts City. It wasn’t that he wanted to give up; it was just that entering the city required paying a toll of one Red Crystal Stone, which he simply didn’t have. Still, finding out that the two were from Ten Thousand Beasts City was a significant harvest in itself. After a final look at the city’s towering walls, Galen returned to the Snow Wolf Clan.

Seeing him return, Miche couldn’t wait to ask. "Galen, how did it go? Which clan are they from?"

"They’re not from any clan," Galen shook his head. "They live in Ten Thousand Beasts City."

"Ten Thousand Beasts City!" Miche’s eyes lit up.

Ten Thousand Beasts City was the ruling city of their entire region. Every entry required paying a Red Crystal Stone. To actually live there, one had to pay five Green Crystal Stones annually just to qualify for residency. Five Green Crystal Stones were equivalent to five thousand head of prey. The Snow Wolf Clan wouldn’t be able to save up five thousand prey even in five years. And that fee was required every single year.

A greedy glint flashed in Miche’s eyes. "Galen, I want him. I want to become his mate."

Just as the sun went down, the Winged Dragon Beast Servant flew back.

The dark circles under his eyes made it obvious he hadn’t stopped to rest once during the journey. "Young Master, the clothes and linen you requested." The Beast Servant placed a woven basket on the ground, then respectfully offered the black Token with both hands above his head.

Zerev took the Token and waved his hand. "You may step down. You don’t need to follow me tonight."

The Beast Servant’s eyelashes fluttered as his tense nerves finally relaxed. He could take a short break tonight. ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Shortly after, Zerev and Moye rushed over, arriving at the Fu Clan just before dinner was served.

Whenever she wasn’t busy over the past two days, Ophelia had been slowly teaching Tyler her cooking skills. Right now, Tyler was wielding a wooden spatula, following Ophelia’s instructions.

As Zerev approached, a spicy and sour aroma wafted through the air. Tonight’s dinner was hot and sour cabbage.

"For you," Zerev said.

Ophelia turned around and, by the light of the campfire, saw the linen clothing in his hands.

"This is linen!" she exclaimed. "Is this really for me?" Ophelia couldn’t quite believe it. After all, even Moye, the City Lord of Ten Thousand Beasts City, didn’t wear linen. Wouldn’t it be inappropriate for a little female from a small clan like her to wear it?

Seeing her hesitation, Zerev’s lips pressed into a tight line.

Moye hurriedly chimed in to persuade her, "Haven’t you always liked the linen clothes he wears? Just accept it."

"Thank you, Young Master Zerev." Ophelia washed her hands with clean water and dried them on a clean piece of animal skin before accepting the linen. She handled it with utmost care, as if receiving a sacred relic.