36. Not a Sub-beastman

  Sure, there were many people coming and going from Gass planet, but those people rode in public spaceships or tourist spaceships, or in some corporations' cargo spaceships. The military naturally took the military spaceship, so Gass planet only had a single cargo spaceship at their disposal.

  In fact, this was already quite good. Some of the less remote planets were far more inhabited than Gass planet, but they all didn’t have any spaceships that belonged exclusively to their planet.

  A spaceship was not a mere aircraft; it was a very expensive one. Even if it was not operated, its annual maintenance would cost a lot of money.

  "How about taking the military spaceship, Your Imperial Highness?" Justin, who saw Edgar looking at the spaceship with a wooden expression, felt slightly unsure and cautiously asked.

  "No need. I’ll check this one first." Edgar said. He had lost his beast core because some people had plotted against him. It made him act more cautiously now. Military spaceships were numbered; if he really took one to leave this planet, he was liable to be found by those people. By comparison, this outmoded cargo spaceship was actually not so conspicuous.

  Speaking of spaceship, its construction cost was expensive. Although this old-fashioned spaceship was already quite rare now, but there were still people who used it. The one used by a gang of star pirates whom he had once flattened was basically this type of spaceship because this model was particularly sturdy and durable.

  Of course, in the end, whether the spaceship could be used or not, it still had to be checked thoroughly before it could be used.

  Edgar joined the army after he graduated. To this day, it had been more than ten years already. He could operate nearly all kinds of spaceships and also had a deep understanding of them. It was only natural that he wanted to check this cargo spaceship first. There’s no question about it.

  This spaceship was indeed very old, but it was well-maintained and could fully support long-distance interstellar travel. After inspecting it, Edgar said: "This one will do."

  Seeing Edgar not snubbing the spaceship, Justin sighed with relief and asked Edgar whether he wanted to bring many people with him.

  "In addition to the crew, I’ll also choose two hundred soldiers to go with me. Dr. Jones goes with me as well. Is that okay?" Edgar said.

  "No problem." Justin replied, patting his own chest. He truly didn't dare making a decision to allow Edgar to take the military spaceship, but to choose two hundred soldiers to escort the crown prince back to the capital star was no problem.

  "Many thanks. When I get to the capital star, I’ll definitely propose to develop Gass planet." Edgar said. So to speak, he was penniless now, and yet Justin still helped him with courtesy.

  Justin’s face turned red from happiness, and he became even more cordial. He knew that since Edgar had said so, Gass planet would definitely get developed.

  Even if the prime minister and the parliament did not agree, the Imperial family could effortlessly develop Gass planet by spending their own money!

  The number of people in the Imperial family had always been sparse, but every one of them was brave and good at fighting. The Imperial family had taken the first initiative to propose a constitutional monarchy, which in turn had allowed them to protect their entire properties. The wealth accumulated over ten thousand years had continuously earned them the title of the richest family in the Empire. Reportedly, just their private planets alone were more than a hundred . . . . Furthermore, included among these were a good deal of energy planets and inhabitable planets.

  When Justin looked at Edgar, it was practically like looking at a glittering, golden Big Buddha.

  In the afternoon, Justin was done preparing all the things Edgar wanted. The cargo spaceship could lift off and enter the outer space at any time.

  "We’ll set off immediately." Edgar said to Shu Shu.

  "We’ll leave so soon?" Shu Shu was a bit reluctant to leave. He also had a deep concern about the future.

  "The capital star is a hundred times more beautiful than this place, a melting pot of fine food from the entire Beastman Empire." Edgar watched Shu Shu expressionlessly.

  "Hurry up and go!" Shu Shu put the last bite of the snack that Justin's secretary had delivered for the second time into his mouth, completely unconcerned.

  Bringing Shu Shu onto the spaceship, the corner of Edgar's mouth hooked up slightly.

  The cargo spaceship had a large capacity, but the condition of the living area was not good as each and every one was only a small room. Of course, among those, the captain's bedroom was still quite spacious.

  Edgar gave the captain's bedroom to Shu Shu, while he himself stayed in the adjacent room.

  After seeing to their lodgings, Edgar inspected the other areas on the spaceship and found that . . . the huge cargo hold of the cargo spaceship was unexpectedly piled up with food and water.

  Taking everything into account, the people on their spaceship were less than three hundred; so much food and water were enough for them to eat for ten years. Even if this place was a bit far from the capital star, and even if the spaceship’s speed was slow, the journey would only take over a month at most.

  Edgar glanced at the warehouse and then turned towards Justin who was standing beside him.

  "Our Gass planet’s abundant food products have many varieties. I was only thinking of preparing a little of each for Your Imperial Highness, but in the end, I’ve carelessly prepared so much." Justin smiled embarrassedly.

  Edgar didn't ask anything again. After inspecting the spaceship, he decided to set off straight away.

  Justin left the spaceship before it lifted off. After the spaceship disappeared from his line of sight, he immediately turned towards his own secretary: "Why did you prepare so much food?"

  "Sir, there’s no harm in preparing more. I discovered that His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince is a hearty eater." The secretary said.

  "Is it true?" Justin was curious. He had eaten with Edgar before, but he hadn't seen Edgar eating that much, ah.

  "Of course! Sir, His Imperial Highness had me prepare snacks for the sub-beastman, and I prepared a lot of them. In the end, they’re all gone in a flash. Later, I delivered enough snacks for a sub-beastman to eat for a month, and to my surprise, one day’s effort was gone again!" The secretary continued: "I think it must have been His Imperial Highness who ate them."

  "So, there’s also such a thing." Justin was a little amazed.

  "I thought, since His Imperial Highness can eat, I definitely must prepare more food. Moreover, with so much food and water prepared, even if they have an accident . . ." They still could hold on for a little longer while waiting for a rescue.

  "How very thoughtful of you." Justin said. The spaceship was very old; if something really went wrong midway, those foods could give them a few years of time while they’re waiting for a rescue. Well done!

  Hadn’t there been something like this before? A cargo spaceship broke down in the interstellar space. The people aboard depended on the cargo to live for several years. When they were finally rescued, a beastman married couple had even given birth to two children . . . .

  Edgar didn’t know that Justin and his secretary were so thoughtful of them. He thought about Shu Shu who would love to see so much food, so he did not ask someone to take those foods away.

  Shu Shu indeed loved those foods. After Edgar and the spaceship operating crew determined the space route, he went to look for Shu Shu and did find him in the warehouse. At that time, Shu Shu was eating the snacks he had previously stored in his food pouches while checking the foods.

  "Edgar, there’s so much food! It’s enough for me to eat for a lifetime! Can I sleep here at night?" When Shu Shu saw Edgar, his eyes lit up.

  "No way." Edgar refused and saw the little sub-beastman’s ears droop, so he immediately said: "But you can move some food back to your room, and you also can move more later."

  "Edgar, you’re the best!" Shu Shu happily threw himself at Edgar and nuzzled him.

  "I’ll help you move them." Edgar said. He didn't mind the little sub-beastman, not even a little bit. So . . . more nuzzling, please!

  "No need. Edgar, you’re busy, right? Let Jeress and his men help me move the food." Shu Shu replied. When he got onto the spaceship, he saw Jeress and Jeca.

  "I’m not busy; they’re the busy ones." Edgar said. When he chose two hundred soldiers, he absolutely didn't want to choose Jeress. As a result, this guy was actually one of the strongest beastmen in Gass planet. Moreover, he could operate a mech and also had his own mech, which in itself was even better than most people in the capital star . . . . In the end, Edgar still took this man along.

  Anyway, he was confident that the little sub-beastman surely liked him more.

  "So they’re very busy, ah. No wonder they haven’t come to talk to me." Shu Shu said and then picked up a small box easily. "Let's do it ourselves then. Hurry up and move them!"

  Shu Shu piled up the captain's room with every kind of food. Under the bed and on both sides of the bed were all stuffed full. Perfectly contented, he then began to watch TV, and maybe learn the local language.

  What Shu Shu was watching were the videos of Edgar’s choice. Therefore, Shu Shu could learn the language of the Beastman Empire while they were on their way to the capital star. At least, Shu Shu would learn simple communication.

  After they arrived at the capital star, Edgar might not be able to accompany Shu Shu all the time. If Shu Shu did not learn to speak the language of the Beastman Empire, he would be very lonely.

  Shu Shu was engrossed in watching TV. Edgar took a quick look at Shu Shu and tried to cultivate beside him.

  After some time, Edgar found out that while he had been able to cultivate very smoothly on Gass planet, he actually could not do the same here.

  There seemed to be no spiritual power aboard the spaceship?

  Edgar thought about it and simply stopped cultivating. Rather, he began to look into how to use the spiritual power. Having experienced the lightning tribulation, he discovered that the role of spiritual power was far more than helping people to heal.

  But what other roles it had in the end, he didn't have any clues for now.

  He had awakened the bloodline and possessed the beast core once more, but his previous innate skills to control wind and water were gone. It meant that he had to find the right attack method as soon as possible.

  Otherwise . . . having a vigorous body that surpassed the body of a nine-star beastman but not having the corresponding strength was meaningless, and it’s also quite pathetic.

  The two men did their own things in one room until it was time for a meal, which they did together. At night, Edgar went back to his own room to sleep. Although they didn’t talk much, but Edgar felt that a strong feeling of comfort absolutely lingered between them.

  Edgar liked this kind of life very much, and he liked some of its episodes even more—the next day, he had just had lunch and was observing the concentration of spiritual power held on his hand when he was suddenly knocked over by Shu Shu, or, if truth be told, he conveniently fell backwards under Shu Shu’s single push.

  "Edgar!" Shu Shu sat on Edgar's body, face full of panic.

  "What's wrong?" Edgar asked with concern. He didn't have time to enjoy the glorious feeling of the little sub-beastman throwing himself at him.

  "No woman! There’s no woman here!" Shu Shu exclaimed. He had really suffered a fright. What did he see? He actually saw a man giving birth to a baby, or, to be more precise, a man giving birth to an egg!

  A baby was actually born from a man; how the heck could that happen?!

  At one time, Shu Shu had faintly felt that something was wrong, but because there were too many things he had to remember to eat, he didn’t think deeply about it. He thought that they were in the barracks and unlikely to see any women there. In the end, what did he finally see now? He saw that men could give birth to babies, and he also saw that those newborn babies could switch between beast form and human form.

  The people here were actually not the monsters he had always thought they were!

  The people in this place were so lucky! A newborn could transform into a human . . . .

  Shu Shu’s line of thought inadvertently dissipated, but he quickly gathered his scattered thoughts back: “Men can actually give birth to babies! You here are actually men who can give birth to babies!”
Shu Shu used the language of the earth. While he was speaking, he also went to see Edgar's stomach.

  Being inspected from head to toe by Shu Shu, Edgar was bewildered, but he slowly explained using the language of the Beastman Empire: "Sub-beastmen can give birth to babies, but beastmen can’t give birth."

  "You can't turn into a beast, so you’re a sub-beastman. I can turn into a beast, so I’m a beastman."

  "A beastman and a sub-beastman can form a family and give birth to a cute little baby."……

  Edgar replayed the video of "where babies come from" that Shu Shu had been watching. While it was playing, he gave Shu Shu an explanation.

  Shu Shu was completely lost and speechless.

  He was a sub-beastman? He can give birth to babies?

  It’s simply nonsense!

  He was obviously a daemon, ah. He could also switch between human form and animal form as long as he conquered his inner demons! If they really wanted to label him, he should be a beastman!

  Speaking of beastman and sub-beastman, these terms were quite familiar, ah . . . . He’d had an owner who loved to read male/male romance stories, which were called dānměi. Among them, it seemed like there was a genre called beastman lit?

  At that time, he had crawled to the front of his owner's computer and seen a little. He had even ridiculed it as unscientific. Now he himself actually encountered said genre . . . .

  "Shu Shu, I know that you’re not a person from this place, and you must’ve come from somewhere else. However, it’s a fact that you’re a sub-beastman." Edgar said. He did not know what Shu Shu meant when he said "woman", but with Shu Shu’s appearance, he was absolutely a sub-beastman.

  "I’m not a sub-beastman!" Shu Shu stated without the slightest hesitation: "I’m a beastman!"

  He was obviously a little sub-beastman, how could he become a beastman? Edgar couldn't help but laugh lightly. He completely didn't take Shu Shu's words seriously.

  In the capital star, there were really too many sub-beastmen who wanted to be beastmen. It was said that when playing games, two-thirds of the sub-beastman would select beastman avatars. Oftentimes, these two-thirds of sub-beastmen using beastman avatars could quickly have a good relationship and become in-game lovers with the remaining one-third of sub-beastman to the extent that it was very, very difficult for the beastmen if they wanted to look for an in-game sub-beastman lover.

  Of course, there were also some lucky beastmen who made friends on the Internet. After meeting face-to-face with said friend, they unexpectedly found out that the other party was actually a sub-beastman.

  "Why are you laughing? I’m really a beastman!" Shu Shu emphasized his statement.

  "Well, you’re a beastman." Edgar curbed the smile on his face while replying to Shu Shu. When his birth father was being deliberately provocative, his father would staunchly say “you’re right, you’re not deliberately provocative” and even cooperate with his birth father to do certain things . . . . He would learn from his father.

  "I was originally a beastman!" Shu Shu said. "I have a little problem with my body now, so I can't transform. In fact, I can also switch between human form and beast form. I’m a beastman just like you!" He certainly didn't want to be associated with sub-beastmen who could give birth to babies!

  Edgar nodded in "acknowledgement".

  Shu Shu was very pleased that Edgar was able to trust him. He immediately said: "When my body recovers and I can become a beastman, you’ll definitely be the first one to know."

  "Alright." Edgar gave a slight nod and totally didn’t take Shu Shu’s words seriously. Shu Shu, however, was already considering that he had to become a beastman as soon as possible to let Edgar see it with his own eyes.

  After Shu Shu found out once again that this place was completely different from the Earth, he became quite discontented. For now, he didn’t want to watch TV anymore and was just going to guide his disciple, Edgar: “Have you run into any problems while cultivating these days?”
“Yes, I don't know how to use spiritual power." Edgar answered.

  "You don't know how to use spiritual power? No problem, I’ll teach you!" Shu Shu said and then used the spiritual power in his body to materialize a very small spark: "You see, you can use it this way!" Before, the spiritual power in his body was almost nonexistent, so he could not do anything. But now that he had a little more of it, he could use it to produce a bit of magic.

  Seeing Edgar stare at him in amazement, Shu Shu extended a finger and wagged it, producing a burst of cool and refreshing wind: "Look, it can also be used like this!" These two magical tricks—one could warm him in the winter, and one could cool him in the summer—were the best use of spiritual power for Shu Shu!

  Seeing Shu Shu downplaying his ability to utilize two types of innate skills, Edgar was shocked. At the same time, he also didn’t forget to record the spiritual power fluctuations when Shu Shu used these two types of abilities.

  So, spiritual power could even be used this way? Edgar felt like he had discovered a new continent.

  Shu Shu, however, had stopped producing magic at this time. Coughing lightly, he said to Edgar, "That was how to use spiritual power. Did you see it clearly?"

  "I saw it clearly." Edgar replied.

  "You’re really smart! But even if you didn't see it clearly, I’ll only show you one time. I don’t feel like repeating it several times for people to see!" Shu Shu said. He was now lacking in spiritual power and had only enough to show Edgar one time. Otherwise, he was actually quite willing to show off.

  Humph! Just wait until he passed through the inner demons tribulation; he would be able to utilize all his spiritual power then. He would definitely give Edgar a proper show and let Edgar know how powerful he was!

  Shu Shu was just having such thoughts when he saw a big ball of flame suddenly appear on Edgar’s hand. The ball contained a powerful energy, giving him a feeling of extreme danger. He wished he could turn around and run away already.

  Shu Shu: ". . . ." This was not fair! This guy was not a mythical animal but a beastman, right? How was he so powerful, ah!

  Shu Shu looked at Edgar with grief and indignation. Then he saw Edgar briskly produced a wind blade that cut a deep gash on the wall.

  "I only used a little spiritual power; I didn't expect it to be so powerful . . ." Edgar found himself wrecking the room and looked at Shu Shu apologetically.

  "Aaaaargh!" Shu Shu pounced on Edgar and bit his arm. In the future, he would just use this man’s arm to grind his teeth!

  "Shu Shu, are you okay?" Suddenly hearing a sharp yell coming out of Shu Shu’s room, Jeress brought his men to kick open the door and rush in. As a result, he happened to see that cute sub-beastman pounce on His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince, grabbing the crown prince’s arm and biting it.

  Edgar turned his head and looked towards the door coldly.

  Jeress only felt that the temperature around him went down in a flash, and his legs could not help but go soft as well. He believed that if His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince’s looks could kill, he certainly would’ve died without an intact body.

  He actually disturbed the crown prince and the sub-beastman’s intimate play-fighting . . . .

  Slamming the door close, Jeress quickly brought his men to leave. After they reached a vacant area, they collectively breathed a sigh of relief.

  "The pressure coming from His Imperial Highness was so strong that I got weak." Someone said while patting his own chest. At this moment, he actually had the feeling of getting a new lease of life.

  "I don't know how many stars His Imperial Highness is now."

  "His Imperial Highness was an eight-star before. Now that he has awaken the bloodline, I guess he’s at least a nine-star?"

  "His Imperial High is indeed very strong!"

  Several men lamented Edgar's strength and recalled that scene just now.

  "That sub-beastman is really powerful."

  "He actually dared to do domestic violence to His Imperial Highness!"

  "You’re all so stupid, ah. What power does the sub-beastman have? That’s totally not a domestic violence. That’s called flirting, you know? I also want to have a sub-beastman bite me!"……

  Jeress stood on the side and did not speak. He was now rejoicing the fact that His Imperial Highness’ temperament was really good. His Imperial Highness unexpectedly didn’t beat him up!

  Edgar was actually quite eager to beat up Jeress, but a beating only hurt for two days, and it might even make the little sub-beastman unhappy. In this case, he had better restrain himself.

  Compared to beating up people, he was still hoping that the little sub-beastman would bite him for a little longer . . . .

  Being seen biting people by Jeress and his men, Shu Shu was a little embarrassed, but he soon recovered and even forgot the matter of him getting very jealous because Edgar’s innate skill was too good. Instead, he pulled at Edgar and said: "Edgar, you’re really amazing! Can you do anything else?" Asking so, he also spoke out about several types of magic.

  Edgar gave it a try and managed to produce a block of ice. He also managed to produce a thunderbolt glinting between his fingers.

  Shu Shu prostrated himself in admiration—truly worthy of being a mythical animal beastman, ah!

  Thinking this way, Shu Shu remembered another thing: "Hey, you haven't let me see what you look like after you passed through the heavenly tribulation. Let me see it now, ah!" He remembered looking at Edgar afterwards; he had been glittering and golden?

  "You’ll get scared." Edgar said.

  "I won't." Shu Shu replied. He now knew that Edgar was not a real snake. How could he still get scared?

  Well, OK, it was indeed possible that he would get scared . . . . Shu Shu thought about it and finally came up with an idea: "I’m afraid of you naturally because you’re too big. If you become smaller, maybe I won’t be afraid of you?"

  "Become smaller? How can I become smaller?" Edgar was a bit puzzled. He had never heard that beastmen could become smaller.

  "You think about becoming smaller, and then you circulate your spiritual power. You should be able to transform then." Shu Shu said. After having the daemon core, a daemon could become a human. Of course, they could also become smaller.

  Although Edgar was a beastman, but he used the daemon’s cultivation method. He should be able to do this little thing, right?

  What Shu Shu said was really too vague. Edgar only regarded it as Shu Shu making irresponsible remarks.

  How could the beast form become smaller at will?

  However, according to his family’s beautiful tradition, even if the sub-beastman was being unreasonable, you had to be accommodating. In order to make the sub-beastman happy, you had better seriously cooperate instead of not taking the sub-beastman seriously . . . .

  Edgar stood still and circulated his spiritual power. While thinking about changing into a prototype, he also thought about becoming smaller.

  He concentrated on those thoughts and then felt himself changing.

  Was he changing into a prototype? This feeling was exactly the same as that before. He didn't know whether the little sub-beastman got scared or not seeing him now . . . .

  Edgar opened his eyes and looked over. As a result, he saw a very, very big sub-beastman.

  ". . ." He really became smaller? Since he could become smaller, could he also become bigger then?

  Edgar did not come back to himself until he felt his back being touched by the little sub-beastman.

  Shu Shu very carefully touched the small, golden, four-legged snake on the floor. "Now that you’ve become small like this, I’m not afraid anymore! You definitely can’t swallow me in one bite, ha ha ha!"

  So the little sub-beastman had always been worried that he would eat him? What the heck did the sub-beastman think? Edgar was rather speechless. Following which, he wondered, since he had become so small now, would the little sub-beastman hold him?

  Shu Shu certainly wouldn’t hold a snake.

  Even if it had grown legs, just look at its long body, it was clearly a snake, ah . . . . He was getting goosebumps; naturally, he did not reach out and hold it and just said: "Look, you become smaller, don’t you? Like I’ve told you, spiritual power has many uses. In addition to becoming smaller, you also can become bigger. You can even use spiritual power to hide yourself. In short, you can do many, many things."

  You could really do many, many things with spiritual power.

  The outmoded cargo spaceship sailed slowly in the outer space. In the meanwhile, Edgar tested the spiritual power’s functions in the room every day. As expected, the test showed the many usages of spiritual power.

  With spiritual power enveloping his whole body, the scanning system on the spaceship could not scan him at all. There was no need to explain what this kind of attack method meant!

  After discovering this detail, the first thing Edgar thought of was the importance of this spiritual power in the war.

  If he made himself smaller and then stealthily infiltrated the enemy's back with the help of spiritual power . . . . Couldn’t he easily conquer the enemy by catching their leader first?

  Edgar got even more serious in studying the spiritual power.

  While Edgar studied the spiritual power, Shu Shu had been learning to speak the local language by watching TV and communicating with Jones. After only ten days of effort, he could already speak a lot of words. Jones even praised him for his intelligence on more than one occasion.

  Shu Shu was extremely proud of himself. Nevertheless, he was also a bit bored these days.

  When he first boarded the spaceship, he thought he would be able to see a beautiful starry sky from the inside of the spaceship. The result? This spaceship totally didn’t have any windows to look outside. Although there was a scanning system, but the scan result that appeared on the computer was simply a hideous mess, and it also contained all kinds of data that he couldn't understand at all.

  "The spaceship on TV is better and even offers a special spaceship tour just to let people watch the starry sky and the various different planets while conveniently having fun on the spaceship. Meanwhile, this spaceship doesn't even have any windows!" Shu Shu couldn't help but complain to Edgar.

  When this kind of cargo spaceship was built, the design was all about solidity. Moreover, the glass that could be used on the spaceship of this age was exceptionally expensive. Naturally, it was impossible for this spaceship to use it . . . . Edgar already tired of watching the starry sky and had never felt that not being able to do it was a problem. But now, seeing the little sub-beastman want to watch the starry sky, he inexplicably felt that he had let the little sub-beastman down.

  "When we arrive at the capital star, I’ll definitely bring you to see."

  "Okay." Shu Shu nodded, but he still felt quite bored. Recently, Edgar was busy with cultivating and could not accompany him. Shu Shu felt like he was missing something.

  Edgar saw the little sub-beastman looking dispirited and downcast and began to ponder which type of spaceship was the most suitable for watching the starry sky. Right at this moment, Jones hurriedly ran over: "Edgar, we saw a star pirate ship!"

  "Star pirate ship? What model number?" Edgar asked.

  "It should be a sentry series from a hundred years ago." Jones said. It was not easy for star pirates to get hold of a spaceship. Therefore, star pirate gangs usually only owned a few spaceships, which were often quite old to boot.

  Because of this, star pirates did not dare to rob those brand new spaceships and would generally look for a dilapidated spaceship like this one to rob . . . . What should they do now?

  "Is there a window on the sentry series?" Edgar’s mind stirred.

  Author’s note:

  Edgar, you must believe that the sub-beastman you fall for, he really can become a beastman.