"Mommy~"
"What's up? Oh… you haven't eaten yet, right? Just hang on a bit while I finish the laundry, alright?"
Qian Renxue quickened her pace with the laundry.
Lin Luo wasn't actually hungry; he just wanted to call her, offering a little encouragement.
You got this, Mama! Fighting!
As she scrubbed, Qian Renxue began murmuring again.
"Mommy didn't expect you'd actually call for your grandma today. Guess she won't ignore you anymore, and that makes me so happy."
"Thinking about it, Mommy doesn't seem as strong as you. It's been ages since I called my own mom."
"If I ever get the chance, I'd like to formally call her Mom one day too."
Qian Renxue grew silent for a moment. Then her voice returned, a little lighter.
"Keep it up, alright? Try to learn to say great-grandpa as soon as you can. He's tough, you know; he insists on seeing your spirit power before deciding to accept you."
"But… it'll be over five years before you can awaken your spirit…."
She sighed wistfully.
"Please, Heaven…let it be a Six-Winged Angel."
Lin Luo lay on the bed, bare-bottomed, thinking. Awakening his spirit was just three months away.
He opened his system interface, ready for another spin on the Spirit Lottery Wheel.
With four tags already collected—[Ultimate Flame], [Fortress-Like Defense], [Swordsmanship Master], and [Purification Power]—he was eager to add more.
Today, with no interruptions, he'd gathered plenty of steps for his progress and now qualified for three 90-spin draws.
With 243 single-use rewards, 24 limited-time rewards, and only 3 permanent rewards, he watched the rewards wheel spin on the panel.
But as he read the permanent rewards this time, he froze.
Only one of the permanent rewards was a spirit tag?
The other two were something else entirely!
[Permanent Reward: 3600 Growth Points (usable after weaning)]
[Permanent Reward: One Pet Egg]
[Permanent Reward: Spirit Tag]
The Martial Spirit Tag was [Ultimate Thunder]—another element.
But…so permanent rewards aren't just spirit tags?
His previous permanent rewards had all been spirit tags, and now he realized it was pure luck.
Given this, he'd have to stock up more points for future spins. Getting a spirit tag as a permanent reward was still a probability game.
And as for the other two rewards? One was a full year's worth of growth points. Pretty useful.
In case he couldn't complete the main growth task on time, which was to get enough milk during the nursing period, Lin Luo knew he'd miss his chance to quickly grow up to six years old. And Qian Renxue, the stingy one, was adamant about feeding him only three times a day—no more, no less.
As for this pet egg…
Just as he directed his focus to the pet egg, a flash of light filled his sight, and suddenly, an egg as big as his head appeared on the bed next to him!
What the heck? Wasn't it supposed to stay in storage?
[Notice: Biological rewards cannot be stored in the system space. Please keep it safe, Host.]
I'm a fucking baby! How am I supposed to keep such a big egg safe? Where the fuck am I even supposed to put it?
He sneaked a glance; Qian Renxue was still washing clothes. Taking advantage of the moment, Lin Luo hugged the egg and slid himself off the bed, landing silently on a thick fur rug that Qian Renxue had put there to cushion any accidental falls. Today, though, it served as his escape route.
After lowering the egg onto the ground, Lin Luo wriggled around, using his head to nudge the egg forward as he crawled along.
Where should I hide this thing?
Thanks to Qian Renxue's noble status, even this temporary accommodation was spacious and grand. The only drawback was that the room was a bit too open—there were limited hiding spots for such a big egg.
If Qian Renxue found it, she'd likely freak out, and knowing her… she'd probably end up thinking the egg was her own unexpected "child." Imagine that—my pet egg suddenly becomes my sibling.
Let's stay on track and hide this thing.
After scanning a few spots, Lin Luo settled on sliding it under the bed. Thick carpeting around the bed provided a bit of cover, making it decently hidden.
Once the egg was in place, he crawled back onto the bed and lay there innocently.
But what kind of creature is inside the egg?
[Hatching Countdown: One Week]
One week? Right when the academy holds the spirit master team selections? I'm going to be busy that day…
Wait, I asked what was inside the egg, not the hatch time!
[Hatching Countdown: One Week]
Fine, so it's a mystery until it hatches. Great.
But what if it turns out to be something totally ridiculous? How am I supposed to take care of it?
Naturally, the system stayed silent on this point, leaving him with more questions than answers. No doubt, the pet egg would add a valuable ally, but figuring out how to handle it was a real issue.
Just then, Qian Renxue finished her chores and came over, picking Lin Luo up with a smile.
"All cleaned up, little one! Are you starving?"
Lifting her shirt, she snuggled Lin Luo close.
Alright, time to eat, he thought.
At least feeding time isn't negotiable.
With a satisfied noise, he latched on. Qian Renxue hummed a tune, patting his little bottom as he fed.
Then, suddenly, an unexpected sound echoed in the room.
Gurgle gurgle—
"What was that noise?!"
Qian Renxue looked around, startled. Lin Luo almost choked mid-drink, barely stifling a snicker.
"Cough, cough!"
Lin Luo choked, a bit of milk trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"Did the sound scare you too, little one?" Qian Renxue asked, gently patting his back to soothe him.
She might not have recognized the noise, but Lin Luo certainly did. It was the sound of the egg under the bed shifting around, like it had rolled a bit on the floor.
Shit!, don't do this! It hasn't even hatched yet—is the thing inside already alive?
Qian Renxue, looking a bit startled, cautiously got down from the bed. Luckily, she'd been a bit distracted just now; otherwise, she'd have likely noticed the sound came from directly under the bed.
"Could there be a mouse in this room?"
"Yiya…" Lin Luo babbled.
"Don't worry, don't worry, Mommy's afraid of mice too. Worst case, we'll call Fifth Grandfather over to catch it…"
Qian Renxue continued to listen intently to the surroundings, alert for any sign of movement.
Fuck!, Lin Luo thought, his heart sinking. All he could do now was pray that the egg would stop moving. If it kept this up, he'd be in big trouble!