Chapter 7: The Two Jealous Ones

Given that she had almost been fleeced just now, Liang He moved a little further away from the Azure Blue Falcon, which left him completely stunned. Thinking he had made a grave mistake, he buried his head dejectedly in the feathers on his chest.

"Pfft, are you sulking now?"

Seeing him like this, Liang He couldn't help but chuckle. Ultimately, she couldn't resist and reached out to pat his little head to comfort him.

"Alright, my two great heroes, do you want to go back and have dinner?"

Regardless, they were good boys who had taken down two fierce beasts, so they naturally deserved a reward.

"Awoo!"

"Skree!"

The tiger and the eagle answered in a race to be first, then glared fiercely at each other, clearly finding the other quite obnoxious.

If Liang He hadn't been watching, they probably would have started fighting in an instant.

"Sigh, we came in such a hurry that I forgot to turn on the flyer."

When the Azure Blue Falcon had sounded the alarm in the sky, the Ink-Gold King Tiger had immediately entered combat mode and rushed toward the direction of the beasts. Fearing she would miss out, Liang He could only follow on foot with her long legs.

Fortunately, she had good stamina and had released a tracker earlier to follow Cedric, allowing her to just barely catch the action while it was still hot.

"Skree!"

Landon suddenly nudged his head into the crook of Liang He's neck, nuzzling her affectionately like a spoiled pet, then curled his claws and lowered his massive body.

"Are you asking me to ride on your back?"

Having dealt with furry creatures for years, Liang He instantly understood the Azure Blue Falcon's intention. She glanced at Landon's broad back; it was certainly more than enough to accommodate her.

"Wait, is Lord Landon really letting Liang He ride on his back?"

"Holy crap, seriously? Even when the Commander is fully conscious, he has never let anyone ride on his back!"

"No way! No way! Liang He actually climbed onto Lord Landon's back!"

Hoan and his colleagues watched helplessly as Liang He treated their Commander like a mount—and a flying one at that.

As soon as Liang He successfully sat on the Azure Blue Falcon's back, his previously tucked wings suddenly flared open, flapping so hard they sent a mouthful of dust toward the Ink-Gold King Tiger.

Just as Cedric was about to howl and perhaps take a few bites out of some eagle feathers, he saw Landon lightly leap and take to the sky.

"I'm flying!"

Experiencing a flying mount for the first time, Liang He gripped the Azure Blue Falcon's feathers tightly. Feeling the biting chill of the wind at higher altitudes, she felt as if she were riding a magic carpet.

Seeing the tiny, cute human in his sight disappear, Cedric grew anxious and scratched the ground a few times with his claws before huffing and running in the direction Landon had flown.

"Awoo~ Awoo~"

Hearing Cedric's faint voice, Liang He remembered there was still a tiger waiting for her. She looked down toward the sound, but the thrill of the high altitude made her snap her gaze back up instantly.

"Cough, Cedric is so capable; he has four claws, so running shouldn't be a problem."

Feeling a bit guilty, Liang He instinctively wanted to smooth her messy hair, but realizing she was still flying, she chose to grip Landon's feathers even tighter instead.

"Skree!"

As an Azure Blue Falcon, Landon's familiarity with the terrain far surpassed Liang He's, but with a little direction, he successfully flew to the Seventh Service Area.

Landon dove into the service area's plaza, and his exciting yet steady landing allowed the tension in Liang He's heart to settle.

"Flying really is faster than running, huh? We got here in a flash."

Liang He patted Landon's wings again, a satisfied smile curling her lips. She decided to prepare something extra delicious for him tonight as a reward.

At this moment, the latecomer, Cedric, arrived at the Seventh Service Area, and the moment he appeared, he clashed with Landon.

"Great, they were comrades a moment ago, and now they're enemies."

"Beasts transformed from beastmen have a very strong territorial instinct; it's not surprising."

"Oh my, why is Liang He still picking out ingredients? Hurry up and break up the fight!"

Seeing the two giants about to tear each other's fur out, the staff in the control room grew anxious.

Hoan, however, perhaps knowing they were just playing around and wouldn't actually kill each other, kept his eyes fixed on Liang He as she selected ingredients.

Liang He processed the leftover wild rabbit from lunch and the pork specifically prepared by the service area for fierce beasts. She placed two large basins at the entrance, along with two fruit plates.

"Alright, stop fighting! Come over and eat!"

Hearing Liang He's call, Cedric and Landon both ceased their attacks. They glanced at the food basins on the ground, looked at each other, gave a fierce huff, and then went to their respective bowls.

After calling the two giants to eat, Liang He turned and picked up a piece of pork belly she had set aside, preparing to make braised pork over rice.

"The Commander and the Marshal are way too obedient to Liang He, aren't they?"

"What do you know? There's an old saying on Blue Star... 'If you aren't enthusiastic about eating, there's something wrong with your thinking!'"

"Whoa, you actually know about Blue Star civilization? Not bad!"

Perhaps because Liang He was so unique, she had piqued many people's interest in Blue Star, and some had actually gone to research it.

"What delicious thing is Liang He preparing now? Can you even eat pork?"

The interstellar community was not deeply involved in the culinary industry, especially regarding pork; they generally felt it had a strange, unpleasant smell.

In reality, it was because interstellar people didn't know how to process pork properly, but as a person from Blue Star, pork was a perfectly normal ingredient for Liang He, so there was nothing to worry about.

She blanched the pork belly with scallions, ginger, and cooking wine, then rinsed it clean. She poured it into a specially sourced iron pot to sauté until the fat rendered, then set it aside.

"There's quite a bit of lard; I can save some for noodles or stir-fried vegetables tomorrow."

Liang He found a ceramic jar and poured the excess lard into it. With only a tiny bit of oil left in the pot, she added rock sugar and stirred until it turned into a caramel color before adding the pork belly.

"Darn, some seasonings are back in the dormitory; I forgot to bring them."

Liang He sighed softly and could only do her best to replicate the flavor with the seasonings she had on hand. Finally, she poured in boiled water along with several spices and simmered it over low heat until the sauce thickened.

"Awoo~"

Having smelled the aroma from afar, Cedric had already finished a large basin of meat and was now squatting expectantly by Liang He's side.

Looking at Cedric, who had rested his large head gently on his paws with golden eyes full of curiosity and anticipation, Liang He tenderly stroked his fur, only to discover the wounds on his body.

"You're injured again?"

After a careful inspection, Liang He found that yesterday's wound had reopened. She sighed helplessly, shook her head, and got up to fetch the medical kit.

"Landon, you come here too. I need to check your wounds."

As a keeper, Liang He was very conscientious. She carefully helped both the tiger and the eagle treat their wounds. By the time she finished, the braised pork was also done.

"Oh no! I forgot to cook the rice!"

Liang He, who had intended to make braised pork over rice, ended up making a batch of noodles instead, feeding two strands to Landon as well.

As for Cedric? He wasn't fond of that stuff.

Fortunately, Liang He was a good cook; the braised pork tasted excellent, and the dinner was quite satisfying.

Having eaten her fill, Liang He lay on the large bed in the treatment room, gazing at the starry sky through the window. The window glass reflected the image of one human, one tiger, and one eagle squeezed onto the bed, prompting her to mutter a complaint.

"I think... the bed could be a bit bigger."

It wasn't that she was being fussy; the Ink-Gold King Tiger alone occupied two-thirds of the bed, while the Azure Blue Falcon could only pitifully rest his claws at the head of the bed, standing upright.

As for herself, although one-third was enough to sleep on, she either had to lie beneath the Azure Blue Falcon or watch him squat miserably at the head of the bed, making it impossible to sleep soundly.

"Forget it, I'll just sleep on the floor."

Liang He sighed deeply, dragged her pillow and quilt to the floor, and sprawled out there.

Seeing her not sleeping in the bed, the Ink-Gold King Tiger and the Azure Blue Falcon also left the bed. They didn't have any other motive—they just wanted to cling to Liang He while they slept!

"Purrr..."

Cradled in Liang He's arms, Cedric, having been conquered by her "cat-petting" technique, was letting out contented purrs. Landon watched with jealousy and imitated him, wrapping Liang He under his wings.

"It's so hot..."

Wrapped in double layers, even the quilt was redundant for Liang He.

"Ah! I can't take it!"

When the heat became unbearable, she suddenly sat up, threw the bedding back onto the bed, and returned to the embrace of the tiger and the eagle. Pressed against the cool floor, she finally managed to get a good night's sleep.

*A double bed won't do! I think a heated brick bed might be more suitable~*

(End of Chapter)