Chapter 8: Strange
“…”
Yan Mo spoke the words he had been holding back, waiting anxiously for Lan Ze’s response.
Lan Ze remained silent for a long while, and Yan Mo’s heart rose into his throat along with the silence.
Was his request too much? After all, he was just a guest here, and Lan Ze gained nothing from his stay. Perhaps Lan Ze had his own plans and didn’t want a nominal Male to impose too many restrictions on his life.
After all, the Zerg world was incredibly harsh toward Females.
“I… I swear, I won’t interfere with your life or your work, and I won’t demand your property…”
“Alright, I agree.”
“I really need a place to stay… I promise…” Yan Mo wanted to continue making promises to Lan Ze to buy himself some time, but when he heard Lan Ze’s words, he froze. A glimmer of irrepressible joy bloomed in his ink-colored eyes.
“Really? You’ve agreed to let me stay here?”
Lan Ze nodded.
“I have agreed, Lord.”
This was an unexpectedly positive outcome for him; of course Lan Ze would agree.
As for his earlier silence, it was simply due to shock. After all, Lan Ze had come to meet the Male today expecting to be severely whipped and then locked in the disciplinary room of the Male Protection Association.
He thought he would have to use such self-destructive methods to force the Male to proactively take over his guardianship. He never imagined he would emerge without a single injury and obtain a result beyond his wildest dreams.
The Male only wanted to live here and maintain the guardianship relationship without interfering in any of his affairs.
He wouldn’t whip him, toy with his dignity, forbid him from working at the military base, or restrict his freedom.
“Then we’ll be roommates from now on! To thank you for letting me stay, I’ll be responsible for the cooking, cleaning, and other chores in the future!”
Lan Ze was no longer surprised.
This strange Male Lord didn’t seem to realize his own nobility. He actually wanted to cook and clean for a Female. If the Male Protection Association found out, they would surely drag Lan Ze to the disciplinary room for several days.
“Very well. Then I shall trouble the Lord!”
In any case, the villa’s cleaning was handled by the smart butler, Xiao Yuan, so it wouldn’t tire the Male. As for cooking, looking at Yan Mo’s expression, he seemed to genuinely enjoy being in the kitchen.
Moreover, Yan Mo’s cooking was indeed delicious. Lan Ze could bet that even the best Sub-female student from the culinary academy couldn’t cook as well as Lord Yan Mo.
Saiensi walked into Lan Ze’s office, carefully observing the Female sitting behind the desk reviewing official documents.
His posture was as upright as ever, his expression aloof and intimidatingly noble.
Though his face appeared very pale, it was a healthy, translucent fairness rather than the weak, ghostly pallor that followed a whipping.
“You went to see that Male Lord? Tsk tsk, seeing how lively you are, it seems Lord Yan Mo is as gentle as the rumors say.”
Lan Ze looked up and glanced at Saiensi before returning his attention to the documents in his hand.
Saiensi walked over and sat down on his own accord, pulling a bottle of healing spray from his spatial button and tossing it in his hand.
“Looks like I prepared this healing spray for nothing. Ah well, I have to go on an inspection of Garbage Planet 1347 in a few days. Poor me, a lonely Female without a Male Master to dote on me—I’d better keep this medicine for myself!”
Lan Ze ignored Saiensi’s teasing, but his brow furrowed when he heard “Garbage Planet 1347.”
“Garbage Planet 1347? Why is there another inspection?”
Saiensi shrugged.
“Your future Male Master was discovered there. This matter has had a huge impact. The Star Net is putting pressure on the Male Protection Association, and the upper echelons of the Alliance are taking this very seriously. Some council members have even stated in parliament that this must be thoroughly investigated.”
Lan Ze raised an eyebrow. “What? Has another noble Male Lord gone missing?”
Saiensi shook his head. “Not that. Since the last Great Purge, even if some underground research facility had the idea, they wouldn’t dare act on it for now.”
“But with Lord Yan Mo’s situation coming to light, I’m afraid there will be another round of secret purges.”
Lan Ze remained noncommittal.
The insects at the Male Protection Association had gone mad. The census following the Great Purge had made the Zerg high-ranking officials nearly obsessive about the protection and preferential treatment of Males.
Currently, the Zerg’s preferential treatment of Males was at its absolute peak. No one knew when this “full moon” would face its next waning or backlash, but both Male and Female high-ranking officials were doing their best to avoid it.
On one hand, the decrease in the number of Males posed a crisis for Zerg reproduction; on the other hand, the whipping and abuse of Females gave birth to resentment buried in the shadows.
It seemed like an insoluble problem.
“By the way, it really was the grace of the Insect God. News just came from the Interstellar Inspection Department that an ‘Interstellar Rift’ recently appeared near Garbage Planet 1347. Those things are unpredictable. They say there were traces of activity during the few days Lord Yan Mo was found. Luckily, it didn’t swallow Garbage Planet 1347, otherwise, the Zerg would have lost another noble Lord.”
Saiensi lamented casually, then complained, “The Male Protection Association wants me to conduct a thorough inspection. They’re afraid there really is some secret trade of unregistered Males on Planet 1347.”
It was unknown if that Interstellar Rift would appear at Garbage Planet 1347 again. They had to investigate the area thoroughly while things were quiet.
Otherwise, if Garbage Planet 1347 were swallowed by an Interstellar Rift, the Star Net would erupt in chaos.
Lan Ze paused, put down his documents, and looked at Saiensi. “You’re leading the team? Do you need my help?”
Saiensi shook his head. “No need. These Interstellar Rifts don’t appear even once in a hundred years. The Male Protection Association is just worrying over nothing. Even if the next Interstellar Rift appears near Garbage Planet 1347, it’ll be hundreds of years from now.”
What Lan Ze was worried about wasn’t the Interstellar Rift.
“Is your mental power alright?”
“It’s fine. You did a sweep last time and didn’t find any underground research labs. Lord Yan Mo’s case should just be an accident. I’m just going through the motions this time; it won’t cost much mental power.”
As he spoke, Saiensi wagged his eyebrows at Lan Ze. “There isn’t much going on at the military base lately. Don’t always hang around here. Use some of that accumulated leave and spend more time with your future Male Master. Come on, tell me—now that you’ve met Lord Yan Mo, what do you think?”
Lan Ze ignored Saiensi’s gossiping eyes.
Thinking about the delicious meals made by the Male that he could eat every day when he returned home, the corners of his mouth hooked up unconsciously.
“Ahem!”
Saiensi teased theatrically, “Who was it that said ‘Saiensi, all Males are the same’? It seems Lord Yan Mo is indeed different.”
Lan Ze did not argue.
“He is indeed a strange Male.”
Saiensi asked curiously, “Strange? Strange in what way?”
“I ignored him for several days, yet I can sit here and talk to you in peace. Isn’t that strange enough?”
Furthermore, this Male Lord had proactively taken responsibility for cooking, and his food was better than that of many Females. That was even stranger—he really didn’t act like a Male.
Lan Ze thought that perhaps being born on a garbage planet had shaped Lord Yan Mo’s current gentle personality. He only hoped he wouldn’t be changed by the general environment of the Zerg race and would be able to keep his promise—not to whip him or interfere with his life and work, allowing him to remain as free as before.
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