Soren's expression remained neutral. "Next."
Levi immediately withdrew the stones, stacking them neatly on the cart before walking briskly to the next batch. This process repeated dozens of times. Each time, the stones were laid out, inspected by Weiss, and observed by the little beast. She would sniff, paw, and occasionally tap a stone, sometimes letting out a soft grunt. Yet every time Weiss shook his head, the little beast would flick her tail.
Finally, Levi removed the last batch of high-grade solid color stones. He glanced at Soren. "Sir… shall we try the middle- and low-grade stones?"
Perhaps their commander's expectations are too high. Perhaps the little beast isn't even compatible with high-grade stones.
Soren inclined his head slightly and said nothing.
Levi quickly understood. He replaced the high-grade stones with the middle-grade batch, carefully arranging each stone on the table.
Unlike the solid colors before, these stones were more varied. Some had two distinct colors, like molten rivers frozen in crystal; others were a swirling mixture of red, blue, and yellow veins.
The little beast's attention immediately shifted. Her ears perked up, tail flicking sharply, and she leaned forward, sniffing the stones, tapping them delicately with her claws, and nudging one with her nose. Her eyes sparkled with excitement and curiosity, but at the same time, a subtle frustration seemed to grow in her gaze.
Weiss, scanning the stones with the instruments, frowned deeply. His fingers hovered over the analyzer controls, then paused. "Sir… I'm sorry," he said slowly. "There are none suitable here either." The middle-grade stones, with all their color and variety, still failed to harmonize with the little beast's energy signature.
Levi secretly sighed as he watched the scene unfold. Judging from all prior tests, this little beast should, at best, be compatible with low-grade energy stones. That alone already implied her strength was extremely ordinary—so ordinary that it barely met the minimum threshold for most beastmen. With such weak foundations, remaining beside their commander was undeniably dangerous.
Their commander was not an ordinary beastman. His power, his Hysteria, his very presence was like a dormant calamity. Even with a high-grade energy stone suppressing his condition, the pressure he unconsciously released was enough to make ordinary beastmen feel uneasy, let alone a fragile little leopard like this one.
It was a pity.
A real pity.
This little beast was the first existence Levi had ever seen who could make their commander smile so naturally—who could make him tease, indulge, and even slow his steps. She softened the sharpness that had been carved into Soren through years of bloodshed and war. Yet reality was cruel. If she truly could only use low-grade energy stones, then sooner or later, she would have to be sent away. For her own safety, and for everyone else's.
Suppressing the complicated emotions in his chest, Levi activated the machine once more. With a low mechanical hum, all the remaining middle-grade stones were swept away and replaced by crates upon crates of low-grade energy stones.
Compared to the previous stones, these were far more abundant. There was no careful arrangement, no deliberate display. They were simply piled together in messy heaps, filling the table and surrounding carts. These were the most common energy stones in the mines—stones that were mined, roughly cut, and then distributed freely across the empire.
They were meant for ordinary beastmen.
No rarity.
No prestige.
No expectations.
Levi glanced at the little beast, already preparing himself for disappointment.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
'Damn! Damn! Damn it all!'
My heart screamed the moment my eyes landed on the pile of stones.
So many.
Too many.
My pupils practically dilated as I stared at the chaotic mountain of glittering colors. Compared to the neat, cold perfection of the previous stones, these were alive. Vibrant. Wild. Every single one of them was different, like fragments of a broken rainbow frozen into crystal.
'These stones are so pretty!'
My chest tightened with excitement, and my claws flexed uncontrollably. I wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. If this were my old world, if I still had my human body—
I would lock myself in here for days. No, weeks.
I could already imagine it. Carving. Refining. Polishing. Drawing perception lines through the core. Turning these rough stones into exquisite masterpieces. Each one could sell for a fortune once properly engraved. Even the "worst" of these stones had incredible texture—dense, responsive, eager to be shaped.
My eyes swept across the pile greedily. Most of them were mixed with three colors, some even four or five, layered in chaotic yet strangely harmonious patterns. Black bled into crimson. Gold veins shimmered through deep blue. Purple and silver twisted together like living lightning.
My paws itched. Literally itched.
'Damn it again! If only I could shift back into my human form!'
If I could, I would camp right here. Forget leaving. Forget everything else. I would carve until my hands bled and my perception burned out.
I couldn't hold myself back anymore.
Before anyone could react, I stretched out my paw and plunged it straight into the pile. Stones clinked softly as my claws brushed past them, until—
'There.'
My paw closed around a single stone. I pulled it free with reverence, my breath catching.
It was a low-grade stone—but an unusual one.
It was a beautiful mix of black, red, and gold. The black formed the base—deep and heavy. The red flowed like molten blood through the core, while thin gold veins shimmered faintly, as if alive.
The moment I touched it, an idea exploded in my mind. Lines. Curves. A form perfectly suited for a beast—no, for me.
'I don't care anymore.'
This one was mine.
Without hesitation, I hugged the stone tightly against my body, curling around it protectively, my tail wrapping around as if to shield it from the entire world. My ears flattened, and my eyes narrowed warily at Soren who was staring back at me.
'Don't touch it. Don't take it away.'
I clutched it greedily, fear and possessiveness surging through me at the same time. This wasn't just an energy stone. It felt… right. As if it had been waiting for me all along.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
Levi stiffened the instant the little beast moved. "W–Wait—"
His heart jumped into his throat when he saw her pull a stone out of the chaotic pile. For a fleeting second, hope surged uncontrollably within him. 'Did she find it? Did she actually find an energy stone that matched her?'
Then his gaze fell clearly on the stone in her paws, and that hope dimmed just as quickly.
It really was a low-grade energy stone.
Levi exhaled slowly, a trace of helplessness crossing his face. He had followed the commander for many years and had seen countless cases of beastmen choosing energy stones, but he had never—never—seen one this difficult.
Normally, the process was simple to the point of being almost crude. Beastmen only needed to find an energy stone whose color aligned with their beast form.
For example, their commander, a black dragon beastman, could use almost any stone that contained black as a base. After that, the only consideration was grade—how strong the beastman was, how violent their Hysteria, and how much suppression was needed.
Yet this little leopard…
She had rejected high-grade stones.
Rejected middle-grade stones.
And now, among the low-grade stones meant for ordinary citizens, she had chosen one purely by instinct.
The next moment, Weiss spoke, his tone professional and calm. "This stone isn't suitable for the little beast."
The scanner in his hand remained completely silent. No fluctuation. No response. Not even the faintest resonance.
Soren didn't say anything immediately. His eyes were fixed on the little beast instead.
She was still clutching the stone, her entire body language radiating unmistakable joy. Her ears were perked up, her tail flicking lightly behind her, and her crimson eyes sparkled in a way Soren had already seen once before—when she discovered the bird egg hidden in the pit on that desolate island.
Soren reached out and gently took the stone from her paws.
The little beast suddenly let out a low growl, her throat rumbling as she puffed up slightly, eyes narrowing in clear displeasure. She huffed, clearly offended, and even raised a paw as if ready to snatch it back.
"I'm just going to look at it," Soren said calmly.
The growling didn't stop, but it softened, turning into an irritated snort.
Soren examined the stone carefully.
It was warm to the touch, faintly so, as if it retained residual energy. The size fit perfectly into his palm. Black dominated the stone, deep and heavy, but threads of red wound through it like flowing magma, while thin streaks of gold shimmered faintly beneath the surface.
This wasn't an ordinary low-grade stone.
Given proper refinement and engraving, this stone had the potential to become a high-grade energy stone.
Soren's gaze slowly shifted back to the little beast.
She could no longer restrain herself. The moment she realized he wasn't returning the stone immediately, she padded closer, rising on her hind legs and pawing insistently at his hand. Her soft claws tapped against his fingers as she tried to pull the stone back, her tail swishing in agitation.
Soren chuckled softly and rubbed the top of her head with his free hand. "Yes, yes. This is for you."
The little beast froze for half a second, then her face lit up. She opened her mouth in a wide, toothy grin, revealing small, sharp teeth, her eyes curving happily as she looked up at him.
Soren's lips curved unconsciously.
He lifted the little beast into his arms again, holding her securely against his chest, and gestured lightly toward Levi. "Continue."
Levi and Weiss' movements gradually became stiff and mechanical as time passed.
Remove a stone.
Scan it.
Shake head.
Replace it.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Their expressions had long gone numb.
There were countless varieties of energy stones in this warehouse—stones cut from different veins, different depths, different eras of mining. Some had been here for years, some freshly unearthed. Logically speaking, it was impossible that none of them matched this little beast.
Yet reality slapped them in the face repeatedly.
Nothing resonated.
Not a single low-grade energy stone triggered even the faintest response from the scanner.
Levi's mind was in complete chaos.
'What kind of beastwoman is this? Who raised her? What sort of environment could produce something like this?'
A beastwoman who could understand human language but couldn't speak.
A leopard who rejected high-grade and middle-grade stones.
A body that showed signs of Hysteria but not the panic or instability that usually accompanied it.
It was as if all known rules simply… didn't apply to her.
Meanwhile, the subject of their confusion was utterly unconcerned.
The little beast was curled comfortably in their commander's arms, her small body pressed against his chest. One paw hugged the humble low-grade energy stone she had claimed as her treasure, while the other rested lazily against Soren's sleeve. Her eyes drooped, ears twitching occasionally as she let out a soft yawn, clearly bored by the endless testing.
She looked nothing like a beast in distress.
If anything, she looked… content.
Weiss glanced at her, then at the silent scanner in his hand, and felt a headache coming on.
They had spent an absurd amount of time in the warehouse.
Time that, by all logic, should have yielded results.
Yet they still hadn't found a single low-grade energy stone suitable for the little beast.
Soren's gaze swept once more over the shelves of stones, then settled on the leopard in his arms. She blinked sleepily at him, tightened her hold on the stone, and buried her face slightly into his clothes as if afraid it might be taken away again.
Something in Soren's eyes shifted.
He straightened and stood up.
"Let's go to the mine field."
The words fell calmly.
"…"
"…"
"…?"
For a moment, the warehouse fell into silence.
Levi and Weiss both froze, staring at Soren as if they had misheard him.