Chapter 398: Tone it down
The moment the words left Nix’s mouth, he spotted Yuel and Rory walking back.
Yuel’s arm was draped comfortably around Rory’s waist as they walked in intimate sync. Rory’s cheeks bore a faint, rosy flush, looking like an apple kissed by the evening twilight.
Nix pressed his lips into a tight line. He was absolutely furious. Looking at Rory now, it was glaringly obvious that Yuel had just snuck a taste of the forbidden fruit.
"Mother!"
Terry, who had been sitting quietly in Lian’s arms, practically glowed the second he saw Rory. He immediately held out his chubby little arms and called out, "Mother, huggies!"
Hearing her cub call for her, Rory was just about to step forward to take him when Yuel reached out with his long arm. He cut right in front of her, scooping Terry out of Lian’s embrace and tucking the boy securely into his own.
Terry: "..."
He blinked his deep blue eyes at Yuel in confusion, his little lips pouting in dissatisfaction at being denied his mother’s embrace.
Yuel pinched his tiny cheek and explained in a gentle, soothing tone, "Your mother has been walking around all evening and she’s tired. Let Daddy hold you."
With that single sentence, Terry immediately quieted down. Fine. Since Mother is tired, I’ll let Daddy carry me.
Seeing that Rory hadn’t taken the cub, Nix was just about to step in and hold her hand, but Vincent, Aren, and Vangar swarmed in like a sudden gust of wind, surrounding Rory completely.
"Rory, you must be exhausted after walking around for so long. Let me carry you back," Vangar said, looking down at her with deep concern.
Lian leaned in a bit closer. Noticing the flush on Rory’s face, he pulled a chilled pouch of juice from his spatial storage, popped a straw into it, and handed it over.
"My female master, you haven’t had a single drop of water since we came out. You must be parched. Drink this first—it’s your favorite, apple flavor."
Over the past few days, Lian had badgered Jasper to learn everything he could about Rory’s preferences, which was how he found out she loved apple juice.
At first, Lian had no idea what an "apple" was until Jasper showed him one, realizing it was a type of exotic fruit. He figured it was just what they called that specific fruit back in Rory’s hometown.
"Thank you," Rory said, taking the juice from him. She really was thirsty. Even though she had eaten some of Yuel’s petals earlier, petals weren’t exactly thirst-quenching.
"If my female master would praise me instead of thanking me, I’d be much happier," Lian said, his gaze fixed on her, completely unbothered about hiding his ambition and affection.
"Could you tone it down a bit?" Aren snapped, unable to watch any longer. Couldn’t he see their mate didn’t even know how to respond to that? Couldn’t this guy be a little more subtle?
Aren physically elbowed Lian aside, guiding Rory to sit down on a nearby chair.
Slightly displaced, Lian narrowed his eyes, shooting a dangerous glare at Aren.
Tone it down? Not a chance. Rory was already actively trying to dodge his advances; if he toned it down now, how was he ever going to secure his place by her side?
Besides, once they reached the Central District, he had to make a trip to the Beast God Mountain, meaning he wouldn’t see Rory for a very long time. Who knew if some other beast would seize the opportunity to worm his way into her heart while he was gone?
Meanwhile, Nix realized he couldn’t squeeze his way through the wall of males surrounding Rory. Turning his head, his eyes landed on Yuel, who was still holding Terry.
"Yuel," Nix sidled over, whispering in a thoroughly sycophantic tone. "I just heard them say... this entire auction house belongs to you?"
"What do you want?" Yuel asked bluntly, shifting Terry in his arms. The moment Nix approached, Yuel knew exactly what he was angling for.
"So this underground auction house really is yours!" Nix shuffled even closer, playfully patting Terry’s little hand with a bright, flattering grin.
Eager to stay on Yuel’s good side, he cooed.
"During the auction earlier, I had my eye on a few rare, top-tier energy stones," Nix explained, his tone a mix of excitement and pleading. "But they all ended up getting snapped up by other bidders. Could you have someone check if there are any left in the storehouse?"
He quickly added, "I won’t take them for free, either! I’ll pay for them in star coins. I definitely won’t let you lose out."
Though they were all family and brothers under the same roof, clear accounts keep good friends—or in this case, co-husbands. He certainly couldn’t just freeload off Yuel’s inventory.
Yuel glanced at him, opened his optical computer, and shot off a quick message.
Moments later, a middle-aged male dressed in a sharp black uniform with a gold badge pinned to his chest appeared. He bowed respectfully before Yuel. "Lord Yuel."
Yuel nodded, gesturing toward Nix. "Take him to the storehouse. He needs to select some energy stones."
"Understood," the male replied. Turning to Nix, he made a polite gesturing motion. "This way, sir."
Nix froze. Select some? Had he heard right? Did Yuel just say he could just go in and pick them out?
"Wait a second," Nix said, looking at Yuel to confirm, his voice tinged with disbelief. "Yuel, you mean I can just pick out whatever I want, right? Any energy stone in the storehouse is fair game? As long as I like it, I can take it?"
Yuel nodded, letting out a soft, affirmative hum. "Whatever you lay your eyes on in the storehouse, you can take. However, you still have to pay the star coins. Just pay the cost price."
After all, he was running a business, not a charity. Those energy stones were either bought or mined, both of which required capital. Even if they were family, if someone was going to take them, the basic costs had to be covered.
"Deal, deal, deal! I will absolutely pay the star coins!" Nix nodded vigorously, feeling as if a massive stroke of good fortune had just dropped right into his lap.
To have free rein over an entire storehouse of energy stones—he was hit the jackpot this time. Some of those stones couldn’t be bought with money alone on the open market.
Overwhelmed with excitement, Nix looked at Yuel and almost couldn’t resist wrapping him in a massive hug.
"Yuel! You are seriously the best!" He stared at the vine beast with profound sincerity. "I knew it—you really are my best brother."
Best brother just like that? Yuel thought. Becoming his best brother is far too easy.
Yuel didn’t say anything, simply giving a subtle nod to the auction house manager standing nearby. Catching the hint immediately, the manager bowed to Nix. "Sir, right this way."
Once Nix had scurried off after the manager, Lian suddenly strolled over and tossed a raw gemstone over to Yuel.
"This is Terry’s. You weren’t back yet, so I kept it safe for him." Now that Yuel was back, it was only natural to hand it over to the biological father to keep track of.
Yuel looked down at the raw gemstone in his hand, then looked at Terry in confusion.
"Terry, what did you bid on this for?" The quality of the crystal was actually quite mediocre; the only redeeming quality was its pretty color.
Terry hugged the raw gemstone in Yuel’s hand, putting on a perfectly innocent expression. "Because Terry likes it, of course!"
He pointed at the small patch of deep blue peeking through the rough exterior, then pointed at his own eyes. "Daddy, don’t you think this color looks exactly like our eyes?"
"It really does," Yuel nodded, softening.
Terry chimed happily, "The moment Terry saw it, it felt just like looking into my own eyes. I love it so much!"
Seeing how delighted the cub was, Yuel smiled and stowed the gemstone away. Having never seen Earth and lacking Rory’s memories, no matter how intelligent Yuel was, he could never have guessed the little cub’s true intentions.