Chapter 46: Chapter 45: Different-Colored Eyes

Zhong Yi processed the tumultuous emotions flowing from the Soul-Controlling Flower as he listened to Wen Tao speak.

"Xiaoyi, Cold Day obtained this Soul Contracting Gu Mother in a special Secret Realm. Nine were found in total, and Ah Zhuo and I each received one."

"The Insect Eggs produced by the Soul Contracting Gu Mother can parasitize the Soul Bases of other Guardian Beast Masters. Once they’ve taken root, you can control the eggs through the Gu Mother to sever the connection between a Guardian Beast and its Master—or even destroy their Soul Base entirely."

"You can never truly know what’s in a person’s heart. It’s the most unpredictable thing in the world."

"The Soul Contracting Gu Mother is an excellent tool for keeping your subordinates in line and preventing betrayal."

"The Soul Contracting Gu Mother is unique. As a Soul Element Guardian Beast, it isn’t picky about a Guardian Beast Master’s Talent, though forming a Contract does consume a fair bit more Soul Energy."

"I chose to form a Contract with the Soul Contracting Gu Mother, but Ah Zhuo decided against it."

"I think it’s well worth it. All in all, my experience using it has been excellent."

Hearing this, Lin Zhuo frowned slightly, clearly disapproving of Wen Tao’s words.

"First of all, forming a Contract with a Soul Contracting Gu Mother means you have one less slot for another Guardian Beast. Secondly, the very act of giving a teammate one of its Insect Eggs is a clear sign of distrust."

"It’s bound to create a rift between you."

"There are pros and cons to forming a Contract with the Soul Contracting Gu Mother. Whether you do it or not, Xiaoyi, is a decision you have to weigh for yourself."

Zhong Yi mulled over Lin Zhuo’s and Wen Tao’s words. ’Their arguments perfectly reflected their differing personalities.’

’Wen Tao prefers absolute control over his subordinates, whereas Lin Zhuo places more importance on trust and the bonds between people.’

’But to Zhong Yi, the two ideas weren’t mutually exclusive. For instance, even if he formed a Contract with the Soul Contracting Gu Mother, he would never use its Insect Eggs on Zhong Ling or Zhong Chenghuai’s Soul Bases.’

’The bond he shared with Zhong Ling and Zhong Chenghuai was already far beyond the need for something like an Insect Egg to enforce or prove.’

’However, for subordinates drawn to him by his status as a Celestial Destiny Seeker or the promise of personal gain, the Soul Contracting Gu Mother’s Insect Eggs were indeed the best way to ensure loyalty.’

’Besides becoming stronger, Zhong Yi had come to the Guardian Beast World with the ambition of building his own faction.’

’Forging genuine bonds takes time and emotional investment. The truth was, even if he didn’t have this Soul Contracting Gu Mother, Zhong Yi would have sought out a similar Guardian Beast anyway.’

’The difference was, he wouldn’t need to expend his own Soul Energy for the Contract. He could use the Soul Taming Seed instead.’

After leaving Daytime Food Shop, Zhong Yi declined Lin Zhuo and Wen Tao’s offer to see him home. Instead, he hailed a Guardian Beast Vehicle and headed for the market on South Cross Street.

The prolonged slaughter of Horned Demons in the Horned Demon Secret Realm hadn’t left them with any psychological trauma, but it had still put both Zhong Yi and Zhong Ling on edge.

Zhong Yi planned to pick out a Sweet Dream Cat for each of them.

Afterwards, he would visit a certain shop on South Cross Street to meet someone he had wanted to see ever since he’d arrived in this world.

When he had first arrived in the Guardian Beast World, Zhong Yi hadn’t been qualified to meet this person. Even if he had, he wouldn’t have been able to accomplish his goal.

But now, he not only had the right to, but also a real chance of success.

"Young Master, if you’re going to form a Contract with that fat, strawberry-like bug, could I have one of its Insect Eggs?"

As Zhong Ling spoke, her eyes sparkled, fixed on Zhong Yi. They were filled with anticipation, but also something more.

Hearing this, Zhong Yi reached out and exasperatedly ruffled Zhong Ling’s hair.

"Xiaolingdang, what would you even do with one of the Soul Contracting Gu Mother’s Insect Eggs?

"These Insect Eggs are for controlling outsiders. Just let me save this one, alright?"

Hearing his words, Zhong Ling couldn’t help but stick out her tongue. A wave of happiness washed over her, mingled with a touch of anxiety.

Zhong Ling didn’t doubt Zhong Yi’s trust in her for a second. In fact, because of her status as a Servant, she already considered herself his property.

Without Zhong Yi, she would have been lost, struggling to survive the harshness of the Lower City District, never mind becoming a Guardian Beast Master like she was today.

’She didn’t want the Insect Egg to test Zhong Yi’s feelings for her; she just wanted a way to deepen their connection.’

’Zhong Yi was a Celestial Destiny Seeker, and that status alone widened the gap between them.’

’She cherished the feeling of fighting side-by-side with him, but she was terrified that one day, the gap between them would grow so vast she’d lose that chance forever.’

’Zhong Ling was only thirteen, after all. These were the bittersweet, tangled worries of a young girl’s heart.’

Soon, they arrived at the South Cross Street market. A Bizarre had appeared in the area a few days prior, and even with increased patrols from the Ghost Suppression Bureau, business had clearly taken a hit.

Even so, the market was still enormous. It would take the better part of a day just to walk from one end to the other.

Sweet Dream Cats were quite delicate. They had weak stomachs, couldn’t tolerate exposure to the elements, and had to be kept in individual cages. As a result, not many stalls at the market sold them.

Zhong Yi hadn’t been in the market for long when he heard a vendor shouting.

"Sweet Dream Cat clearance! Cats in the left cage, fifty thousand Federation Coins each! Cats in the right, eighty thousand! Pay first, pick first!"

"Don’t mind that they’ve got a few minor issues! A quick trip to the vet won’t cost much, and they’ll work just as well as the ones from the big-name shops!"

Zhong Yi turned and saw a vendor standing beside two large iron cages, shouting his sales pitch.

A small crowd had gathered around the two cages, inspecting the Sweet Dream Cats inside.

From a distance, Zhong Yi’s gaze passed through the crowd and met a pair of magnificent eyes inside one of the cages. The moment they were seen, the eyes flinched away timidly.

A look of surprise crossed Zhong Yi’s face.

It had heterochromia. Its left eye was the color of lake water, somewhere between blue and green.

Its right eye was a clear, pure yellow, like amber.

A pair of eyes that beautiful was simply stunning; it was hard to imagine them belonging to a Sweet Dream Cat.

And even if they did, a Sweet Dream Cat with such features shouldn’t have been carelessly tossed into an iron cage for sale.

This type of Household Beast, the Sweet Dream Cat, came in hundreds of varieties of appearance and coat color. ’It’s almost as if they’re a collection of every cat breed from my previous life,’ Zhong Yi thought.

This wide variety naturally led to distinctions in quality.

The prices for Sweet Dream Cats of different qualities varied wildly. The cheapest ones in the cage before him were going for fifty thousand Federation Coins, but a specimen with a prime pedigree and coat could fetch a seven-figure price at auction.

"Xiaolingdang, let’s go get a closer look."

"You should pick one out, too. We can take them home with us."

Hearing this, Zhong Ling thought about all the Butterfly Guardian Beasts she would have to raise in the future and quickly shook her head.

"Young Master, we live together. One Sweet Dream Cat is more than enough for both of us."

"If we raise two together, their Spiritual Force Fields will most likely interfere with each other. And it would be a pain if they started fighting over territory."

Only when he got closer did Zhong Yi see just how pathetic the little creature with the heterochromatic eyes—the one he’d locked gazes with through the cage and the crowd—truly looked.