Tonight is the full moon, the date predicted by Raven 12345 for Lily's transformation. Kevin and his fellow tenants woke up early and began busily preparing.
No one knew exactly what to prepare. Lily herself was a wild child who had never met any of her kind. She only learned about werewolves from watching TV. Y'zaks's world didn't seem to have any such creatures. Kevin's knowledge of werewolves was limited to movies. As it turned out, the only person in the family who could be of any use was Vivian: the vampire mortal enemy of werewolves.
Vivian had flown out last night to search for herbs and other rare materials. She knew some ancient formulas used by werewolves in special rituals. Most werewolf ritual items are related to calming the mind and controlling emotions. This is because they are a race prone to violent outbursts. During various rituals (such as their coming-of-age rites), the only challenge they face is their mental state. Therefore, this race is well-versed in mental potions. Vivian has spent a long time interacting with them and has learned these secrets through various channels. To prevent Lily from losing control at a critical moment (mainly because she simply doesn't trust that raven 12345), she needs to spend a day preparing such a potion.
Lily, the person involved, has the easiest time. Kevin ordered her to rest at home, not even allowed to go out in the sun or play with the stray dogs on the street. She needs to be well-rested for tonight's evolution and maintain a relaxed state of mind. To help Lily relax throughout the day, Kevin even prepared half a pot of pork ribs for her. The werewolf girl is now gnawing on the bones and watching TV at home, completely absorbed in a state of idleness and waiting for death. Kevin believes this is the best state of mind. Kevin and Y'zaks, two outsiders with zero knowledge of werewolves, could only go shopping to prepare for tonight's "protracted battle."
Lily's evolution could take several hours, theoretically from moonrise to moonset, and she couldn't leave her alone during this process. Kevin, Vivian, and Y'zaks would have to be with her the entire time. Staring at a giant canine going crazy at the moon in the wilderness all night was no fun, so preparation was essential. Kevin had no idea what information he'd found online, but he'd compiled a list of essentials: a cheap, sturdy blanket, a warm, disposable tent, a camping lantern, plenty of rope, and a ton of snacks. When he first came out with this list yesterday, Vivian was shocked. The vampire girl initially thought Kevin was planning to deliver Lily outdoors, then thought he was going to elope with her. Finally, she realized he was preparing for wilderness survival...
Luckily, while the southern suburbs are small, they're well-equipped. The supermarkets here sell almost everything on the list, with the exception of tents, which aren't exactly what most people need in their daily lives. Kevin took Y'zaks out for a long time and quickly bought most of the items on the list—except, I emphasize, the tents.
Now, the two of them were coming out of the supermarket. Y'zaks was carrying a large travel bag in each hand, filled with his freshly bought items. After all, he could get these things reimbursed by Raven 12345 later, so Kevin hadn't hesitated at all. "Landlord, why are so many people always staring at us?" Y'zaks felt rather uneasy as they walked down the street. This great demon had likely not yet emerged from the shadows of his own world, having barely left the house for the past two days. This time, after just a short stroll with Kevin, he felt unwell all over. "And why did the cashier raise her hand when I entered the supermarket just now?"
Kevin, sweat dripping from his forehead, glanced at the 2.15-meter-tall great demon, his face menacing and his demeanor as if he'd been sifting through sand in Changping for ten years. He thought to himself, "They're not looking at us, they're looking at you. Just standing there on the street with that face is enough to get you administrative detention for fifteen days."
And the great demon's style was indeed too direct: just now, upon entering the supermarket, Y'zaks had slammed the list Kevin had handed him onto the cashier's counter without a word, then shouted loudly, loud enough for the entire store to hear, "Someone, bring out everything on this list!"
How could this be bad? The girl at the checkout counter burst into tears upon seeing Y'zaks's face. After shakily opening the cash drawer, she stood outside the counter with her hands raised. Kevin, sensing something was amiss, rushed out from behind a nearby shelf, only to see an old PLA soldier crouching on the ground, using a pile of cabbages as cover while dialing 110... Luckily, he'd gotten out early!
Of course, it was also fortunate that he'd bought so much that the supermarket owner hadn't the nerve to ask him for compensation for emotional distress...
Kevin reflected on the scene, shook his head, and sighed. He began to explain to Y'zaks the normal way of life in the human world. Before leaving, he'd simply explained the concept of a supermarket and the shopping process in this world, but he hadn't expected such a mess to arise from a single, unclear explanation. In reality, he knew Yzaks had good intentions, and the Great Demon was a kindhearted person... Devil, his shout just now was purely out of a desire to help. But this is an age where looks matter. Someone like Pan An, even showing off his flying kicks in the street, is considered unique and free-spirited, while someone like Yzaks, even helping a child, is easily surrounded by plainclothes police. This is the age of appearances.
Yzaks listened to Kevin's explanation with disdain: "It's meaningless. This is a meaningless judgment. In my world, the most admired heroes are rarely good enough to look at. Even humans and other races are like this. Even those mentally ill elves know that facial scars symbolize honor. Your aesthetic standards here are distorted. Justice and conscience should never be displayed on the face."
Kevin's eyes twitched as he listened to a Great Demon expounding on the issues of justice and conscience. The whole world felt strangely out of place. He knew Y'zaks was an outlier among demons, but he hadn't imagined he could be this outlier: even with all the psychopathic talk, when Y'zaks spoke of the words "justice" and "conscience," his face shone with a holy radiance. Kevin felt that this face hardly deserved fifteen days of administrative detention. "This is a social issue. Let's not worry about it," Kevin chuckled dryly and patted Y'zaks' arm. "You know the shopping process I explained to you, right? And supermarkets are different from small shops. And you should control your voice when you talk to people..."
"I know. There are shops in my world, too, and money is a good thing," Y'zaks shrugged. "Don't look at me as a demon, but I've also wandered through human society. The humans there are just as cunning as yours. They even mix rice water into the oil they sell to goblins. I don't know where they get the inspiration."
Kevin was curious about what kind of world Y'zaks came from. It sounded quite similar to the magical world he had visited, but he knew that many things in his hometown were sensitive to Y'zaks, so he didn't ask any further.
Just as the two of them crossed the last intersection, the sound of music from a distance made them stop.
Kevin looked in the direction of the sound and saw a young woman sitting in front of a shop on the other side of the intersection. The melodious music came from her guitar. Such street performers were common at intersections and bus stops throughout the city, but rare in smaller areas like the southern suburbs, so Kevin couldn't help but take a few more glances. She was a rather thin girl, wearing a baggy gray sweatshirt and jeans, giving her a slightly dusty look. Her complexion was dark, her features delicate, and her hair was tied in a simple yet polished ponytail. While she wasn't particularly beautiful, she possessed a quiet and endearing aura, especially when she pursed her lips.
In the few seconds Kevin was stunned, the guitarist's lips parted, and a portable speaker beamed her voice to the intersection.
"It sounds pretty..." Kevin muttered to himself, "but what language is this?"