It was not easy to find a life-bearing planet in the starry sky, and even more so to discover signs of intelligent life. However, Fang Yuan didn't encounter any intelligent beings, which left him feeling deeply regretful.
For some reason, he always felt that something significant had happened here, as it seemed a great battle must have taken place based on the ruins of completely weathered buildings in the forest. Many structures had clearly been violently destroyed.
What was most eerie was that this planet seemed to have an atmosphere somewhat similar to Earth's. Fang Yuan wasn't sure what it was exactly, but he felt a strange resemblance.
Though nothing was immediately apparent on the surface, Fang Yuan, based on his previous experience when his psychic powers had been suddenly weakened, sensed that this planet was definitely not ordinary. It probably had some kind of secret.
"Eh?"
Suddenly, Fang Yuan's psychic scan detected something under the dense forest. A group of snow-white creatures crawled out of tree holes. These creatures, covered in snow-white scales, had bodies like horses, dragon heads, and deer antlers, resembling a kind of mythical creature, a qilin. To his surprise, there were about a dozen of them—small ones the size of puppies, and large ones as big as horses.
At first, Fang Yuan truly thought they were the legendary qilins, but upon careful observation, he realized they were just ordinary animals with no supernatural powers.
"Well, these qilin-like creatures might be good for enriching the Steel Orb World," Fang Yuan mused.
He waved his hand and directly sent the group of white qilins into the Steel Orb World, leaving none behind. After all, they were without owners.
Moreover, this planet was full of poisonous insects, and these white qilins could only survive by hiding in tree holes or burrowing underground. It was likely they'd fare better in the Steel Orb World, where at least they had access to delicious meat.
After exploring the planet further without encountering any other creatures or intelligent beings, Fang Yuan decided to return to Earth. It had been nearly half a month, and he wondered if Xu Xiaomeng had stopped working yet.
On the surface of the planet, he engraved the space runes he'd developed to create a teleportation array. Then, his psychic energy surged in, activating the array, which resonated with a teleportation array on Earth, over a thousand light-years away.
Fortunately, Fang Yuan had the backing of another world; otherwise, it would have been nearly impossible for him to perform such a long-distance teleportation with his power alone.
Finally, after absorbing enough psychic energy, the array flashed, and Fang Yuan disappeared from the planet.
When he reappeared, he was already on Earth, over a thousand light-years away, in a room in Washington.
After walking out of the teleportation array, Fang Yuan glanced at the cage next to him, which was empty. However, based on the aura, it seemed a little Pegasus had been teleported out a few days ago.
Scanning with his mind, Fang Yuan was surprised to find that Xu Xiaomeng was still at work and hadn't stopped.
She was currently reading a large pile of documents, which seemed to be about game development and design. There were many concepts Fang Yuan didn't understand, such as 3D modeling, plane modeling, skeletal autonomy, etc.
Not knowing what those documents were about, Fang Yuan could tell they looked rather sophisticated.
Walking out of the bedroom, he opened the door connecting the pet shop to the living room. Half a month had passed, and Fang Yuan was back at his pet shop, which was more of a hobby for him.
Xu Xiaomeng, engrossed in her materials, suddenly noticed someone standing next to her. Instinctively, she stood up and smiled, "Are you here to buy a pet...?"
Her words halted abruptly as she stared wide-eyed, "Oh my God, am I dreaming? The boss is back?"
"Bang." Fang Yuan flicked her on the forehead. "What do you mean 'revived'? I didn't die."
Xu Xiaomeng quickly covered her forehead and laughed, "Boss, you've been gone for so long. If it weren't for the little Pegasi arriving on time, I would've thought you were missing!"
Fang Yuan sat on the sofa, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a dish of various exotic fruits, placing them on the desk. He picked one up and began eating.
Xu Xiaomeng stared in surprise, her curiosity piqued as she wondered how such a large plate of fruit had fit in his pocket.
"Eat it," Fang Yuan said. "I thought you would have quit."
Xu Xiaomeng didn't hesitate and took a fruit she didn't recognize, laughing as she said, "Boss, you still owe me some payment. How could I quit?"
"You'd give up your share?" Fang Yuan raised an eyebrow skeptically.
Xu Xiaomeng's face flushed, "I really didn't take anything. I only took my cut. You still owe me half a month's payment. If you don't believe me, check your card. I only let one customer pay in cash. The cash was enough for my share."
"Impressive," Fang Yuan muttered, "A million dollars just for your cut!"
This meant that Xu Xiaomeng had sold at least a hundred little Pegasi in half a month, and her share alone amounted to a million dollars.
Fang Yuan took out his phone to check his bank balance.
Seeing that Fang Yuan wasn't angry about her taking the payment, Xu Xiaomeng sighed in relief. She then took a small bite of the exotic fruit. Instantly, a strong fragrance filled her mouth, spreading throughout her body. Xu Xiaomeng felt her energy and vitality surge.
"Just a feeling, right?" she muttered, not thinking much of it. She could never guess that the fruit Fang Yuan casually picked was from the divine realm.
The fruit's energy was mild, not harming mortals, but it could greatly enhance the strength of cultivators. For ordinary people, it could help improve health and extend life.
"By the way, Boss," Xu Xiaomeng suddenly spoke, "Business at the shop has been declining. Sometimes we don't even sell a single pet in a week. Should we add some other types of pets?"
The shop only sold one type of pet, and it was ridiculously expensive. Who would buy a pet here, other than those really wealthy people with too much money?
"No need." Fang Yuan said lightly. "I didn't open this shop to make money. It's just for fun."
Xu Xiaomeng's face fell in disappointment. If more people came to buy pets, she'd get more commission. She couldn't help but feel a bit greedy.
However, she quickly comforted herself. A million dollars in half a month was impressive enough. She might not even make that much from developing games in the future.
Plus, working here was incredibly relaxed. There were few customers, and she could enjoy her free time, doing whatever she pleased.
Meanwhile, Fang Yuan checked his balance and sensed the remaining aura of little Pegasi that had been sold. After confirming the numbers matched, he nodded.
The girl was doing well, without any greedy tendencies.
"Do you want cash or a bank transfer?" Fang Yuan asked.
"Has the payment been made?" Xu Xiaomeng asked, excited. "Let's do a transfer. Here's my account."
She hurriedly pulled out her bank card, grinning widely. Half a month's payment amounted to $12,000, though it wasn't as much as her commission, it was still money.
Fang Yuan transferred the money with a blank expression when he suddenly sensed a familiar presence approaching. He instinctively looked up.
Not far from the pet shop, two women were walking hand in hand down the pedestrian street, chatting and laughing. One was a typical Chinese woman, while the other looked like a mixed-race person.
Suddenly, one of the women seemed to sense something, looked up, and their eyes met. She froze in place, "Fang Yuan..."
Fang Yuan was also surprised. He stood up and walked toward her. "Yuanyuan, long time no see."
Indeed, the woman was Wang Yuanyuan. After about two years, she had grown into a tall, graceful young woman, around eighteen or nineteen years old, radiating youthful energy.