pter 129
Chapter 129
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In that instant, Kai felt like he was staring into a mirror. Seafarion had the same broad frame as him–their builds were almost identical. To be precise, he was just like his past self.
Thinking about how he had been resting in the hospital for half a month, neglecting his training, and possibly ruining his physique, Kai jolted up in shock.
He thought, “No way. I have to intensify my training starting tomorrow. No–tonight!‘
A sense of crisis surged within him as Kai looked at Seafarion with even more hostility.
Seafarion’s gaze wasn’t exactly friendly either. He sized up the leopard who had successfully won Nyx over, and a trace of unconcealed jealousy flickered in his light–colored eyes.
The tension became more obvious.
Nyx awkwardly explained to Seafarion, “Sorry, I was at the hospital with Kai for his recovery these past few weeks.”
The day of the attack, Seafarion had contacted her immediately. He had been checking in on her frequently since then and had wanted to visit.
But to ensure Kai could recover in peace, she had turned him down multiple times. She had also promised to treat him to a meal, but she hadn’t found the time to follow through.
“You don’t need to apologize. I understand,” Seafarion said softly, lowering his gaze.
Though he was jealous of Kai, he was also grateful to the leopard for protecting Nyx.
Ever since he learned about the attack, he had been restless. It wasn’t until today, when he saw with his own eyes that Nyx was unharmed, that he finally felt at ease.
Seafarion presented Nyx with a carefully prepared gift–and, out of courtesy, he didn’t leave Kai out either.
Kai went speechless. He didn’t want to accept it at all, but with Nyx watching, he had no choice but to take it for the sake of politeness.
“How’s your Loss of Control Index been lately?” Nyx asked Seafarion.
“Fairly stable,” Seafarion replied gently.
Nyx thought for a moment, and then said, “Since you’re already here, I’ll give you a Mental Soothing session.”
She waved him over and added, “No charge.”
Seafarion froze. He had been so stressed these past few days that he’d lost several scales. Not even the most expensive treatments had been able to restore them.
It looked awful. He really didn’t want Nyx to see it. But since she had offered to soothe him, he couldn’t bring himself to
refuse.
After hesitating for a long moment, Seafarion clenched his jaw, took a deep breath, and nervously revealed his fishtail.
He carefully used his cloak to cover the areas where scales were missing, not daring to let Nyx see them.
Nyx didn’t seem to notice the details, which put him to ease.
While performing the Mental Soothing, Nyx was polite enough to maintain some distance, making it difficult for her to see
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123) The 20 Fes
Chapter 129
whether his fishtail was missing scales.
Seafarion wasn’t sure if he should feel relieved or disappointed. Maybe both.
When he saw that damned leopard sticking to Nyx at all times–almost as if he had some kind of skin hunger, constantly nuzzling and kissing her hands, as if insatiable in his affection.
Males that clung like this tended to irritate females.
Yet, Nyx didn’t mind. She even scratched under the leopard’s chin skillfully, making him squint in pleasure.
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Seafarion couldn’t help but feel jealous. His hand, resting on his fishtail, clenched involuntarily–another scale came loose.
Ignoring the pain, he held the scale in his fingers, lowered his gaze, thought for a moment, and then let it go.
After bidding Seafarion farewell. Nyx suddenly noticed something shiny on the ground. As she walked closer, she realized it was a silver–white scale.
She bent down to pick it up, slightly surprised. She thought, ‘Is this Seafarion’s scale?‘
It was nothing like the ordinary fish scales she remembered. This one shimmered with an iridescent glow and had a luxurious texture–its beauty rivaled even the finest gemstones.
It was stunning, yet Nyx had no desire to admire it. Instead, she felt a sense of concern: It was normal for cats to shed fur, but it was another story for a fish to lose scales.
As far as she knew, fish only lost their scales when they were injured or unwell.
She took a photo of the scale and sent it to Seafarion.
Nyx [Are you feeling unwell lately?]
Receiving a message from Nyx, Seafarion immediately sat up straight.
Seafarion: [Thank you for your concern. I’m fine.]
Seafarion: [It’s just that I’ve been feeling anxious lately, which caused the scale loss.]
Nyx understood it was a psychological issue.
Someone like Seafarion, with his status and workload, carrying so much pressure, was bound to feel anxious from time to time. She should take good care of such a high–quality mate.
Nyx: [If you’re feeling anxious, my Mental Soothing should help you relax a bit.]
Nyx: [You’re so busy, so don’t waste time coming to see me. Starting tomorrow, I’ll visit you every day and give you Mental Soothing, how about that?]
Seafarion was taken aback by the unexpected kindness. He never thought that just one scale would make Nyx care for him so much–it was far beyond what he had imagined.
He tried to decline politely at first, and then repeatedly expressed his gratitude before finally, with some reservation, accepting Nyx’s offer and giving her his address.
Nyx carefully stored away the scale, planning to bring it with her when she visited Seafarion the next day.
Though a shed scale shouldn’t be of much use, it was simply too beautiful to throw away–it would be a shame.
Just as she finished storing the scale, her Intelligent Brain beeped again–it was a message from Xivar.
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08:39 Thu, 20 Feb
Chapter 129
Xivar: [The mech I designed for you is ready.]
Xivar: [When are you free to hang out? I’ll bring the mech to you.]
Xivar: [Never mind. Let’s not go out. I’ll come find you right now.]
The recent attack had left a deep scar on Xivar. She had been having nightmares ever since.
With less and less sleep, she had simply thrown herself into work, finishing Nyx’s mech as quickly as possible. If Nyx was ever attacked again, at least she’d have a better chance of escaping.
But when Nyx saw the mech Xivar designed, it was nothing like what she had imagined.
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The entire mech was matte black–designed to be inconspicuous. It was much smaller and lighter than Nyx expected, with a heavily streamlined weapon and defense system. The only thing maxed out was its speed.
“I had to simplify everything else because of energy limitations,” Xivar sighed, “I designed it for you to carry with you at all times, so I switched its energy core to a Prism Reactor.”
Most imperial mechs couldn’t be stored in a Space Button because their energy cores conflicted with the technology.
But by using a Prism Reactor, this mech could be stored in Nyx’s Space Button and carried around. However, Prism Reactors were not only rare and expensive, but they also had limited energy. That meant every unnecessary function had to be stripped away to ensure the mech could actually run.
“You have to use it wisely. It doesn’t have much battery life,” Xivar warned. “For practice, just use the simulation training pod. It’s almost the same as the real thing.”
Nyx nodded as she understood it.
This was an emergency escape option–nothing more.
The males inspected the mech carefully, exchanged glances, and were stunned at the thought that a female designed this. Every detail was meticulous. They couldn’t find a single flaw. Some of the design choices were even outright brilliant.
If this mech were put up for auction, it probably wouldn’t fetch a high price since it wasn’t suited for most people. But for Nyx, It was perfect.
And this was only Xivar’s first mech. Given time, she might actually become a renowned mech designer in the Empire. Nyx spun around in excitement, showering Xivar with endless praise, clapping for her over and over. Xivar couldn’t stop grinning, feeling both delighted and embarrassed.
“Here, Nyx.” Felix took out a box from his Space Button.
Before Nyx could even get a clear look, Xivar gasped in shock, “That many Prism Reactors!?”
Inside the box were seven Prism Reactors.
“I searched my father’s entire storage and only found one.” Xivar stared at Felix in disbelief.
This thing was hard to buy–she had been trying to buy more for ages but never managed to get any, yet Felix just casually
handed over seven.
“Well, in that case, we don’t have to worry as much,” Xivar finally regained her composure and told Nyx, “With this many Prism Reactors, your mech has enough energy to take you to another planet if needed.”
At this mech’s speed, enemies would be left in the dust.
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Chapter 129
Now that one major issue was resolved, Xivar finally felt relieved–but exhaustion crept into her expression.
Noticing the dark circles under Xivar’s eyes, Nyx asked with concern, “Have you been staying up late working on this?”
“Not staying up.” Xivar denied. “Just… insomnia.”
Every night, in the dead silence, she would wake up from nightmares. Even with her mate beside her, sleep remained elusive.
Nyx frowned, thinking for a moment before saying, “Wait in my room. I’ll go get some ingredients and make you some nourishing oatmeal.
Xivar’s eyes immediately lit up. She thought, “This is special treatment–just for me.’
Xivar rubbed her hands together eagerly, pacing back and forth in Nyx’s bedroom with anticipation.
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Her gaze landed on the desk, and she suddenly noticed something amiss. She dashed to the kitchen and asked, unwilling to accept it, “Why isn’t the perfume I gave you on your desk?”
Every other female’s gift was neatly displayed on Nyx’s desk–except hers.
Nyx’s expression turned subtle at the mention of the perfume. “Speaking of which, I forgot to ask–was the perfume you gave me meant for canine males or feline males?”
‘Canine, of course.” Xivar was certain.
She even pulled up the purchase record to show Nyx–she had never bought the catnip version.
Nyx was confused.
Back in the bedroom, she meticulously searched her desk again and finally found the canine male–exclusive perfume shoved into an almost invisible corner, which was Xivar’s gift.
However, Astraea’s catnip perfume was still safely stored in her Space Button. ‘So where did the broken bottle come from?” thought Nyx.
