The Evolutionary Stage for an SSS-level Beastman lasted for three to five years after they reached adulthood. During this time, they would irregularly enter their Beast Form until the evolution of their Beast Spirit Body was complete. Therefore, in a sense, even the battle-hardened Cedriel and Lanton were actually only in their early twenties.
Initially, Lanton's father had thought his son genuinely wanted to pursue a girl and had planned to advise him to be sincere. He never expected to uncover an even more shocking truth.
"So... that Breeder named Liang He can actually approach a Beastman who has Beastified into a ferocious beast?"
"That is correct. I am currently compiling Lanton's records from the past few days, and I will send them to the parents' group chat shortly," Huo An replied. He had been preparing the relevant materials for a while, only delayed by the incident on the Star Network. Thus, he quickly forwarded the files to Lanton's exclusive parents' group, while also dropping a copy into Cedriel's parents' group for good measure.
[Lanton's Parents' Group]
[Huo An: @Everyone, [Photos] [Videos]]
[Huo An: Please be sure to cooperate with our confidentiality protocols. Thank you.]
[Lanton's Father: Received!]
Lanton's father was a retired Beastman. Since his talent wasn't as high as his son's, he had never experienced an Evolutionary Stage. It was precisely this lack of understanding that made him worry so much. When he learned that a Beastman in the Evolutionary Stage would become completely feral after turning into a beast—rejecting human proximity, refusing to be fed, and even resisting medical treatment—he had been fraught with anxiety. Only then did he agree to send the Beastified Lanton to the forest reserve on Sky Shining Star for centralized protection.
But now, it seemed he had made the absolute right decision!
"This is wonderful! Our son finally has someone he can rely on." Lanton's mother, an ordinary human, wept tears of joy, continuously wiping her eyes as she watched the video of Lanton being cared for so well by Liang He.
"This Breeder named Liang He will likely become the salvation for all SSS-level Beastmen. I suspect the Federation will summon us for a secret meeting very soon," Lanton's father said. His gaze was far more forward-looking than his wife's. He thought of his good friend's child, who also seemed to be nearing the Evolutionary Stage, a prospect that had been causing his friend endless grief.
Meanwhile, a seemingly carefree Liang He and her companions were happily playing volleyball.
"AWOO!"
Just as Liang He had predicted, Lanton's massive wings batted the ball with pinpoint accuracy every single time. It frustrated Cedriel so much that he had resorted to catching the ball with his mouth.
"PFFT! Cedriel, that's a foul, you know." Liang He chuckled, gently pinching the Mojin King Tiger's furry ears. She said it jokingly and didn't really mean to enforce it. After all, they were just two animals; how could they possibly understand the rules of the game?
"AWOO?"
With his ear pinched, Cedriel foolishly opened his jaws to drop the ball. He tilted his head, blinking his golden eyes innocently, and affectionately rubbed against Liang He's neck to curry favor.
Seeing this, Lanton—who was already unhappy about being on the same team as Xu Yi—immediately flew over from the opposite side and began pecking directly at the tiger's head with his beak.
"SKREE!"
"AWOO!"
"SKREE!"
The two Beast Beasts tumbled into a chaotic mess. Abandoning the volleyball game entirely, they decided that victory now meant plucking each other bald.
"Oh, stop it, you two!" Seeing that things were about to spiral out of control, Liang He had a sudden flash of inspiration and threw the volleyball far away. "Whoever brings the ball back first gets brushed by me tonight!"
Successfully distracted, the Mojin King Tiger and the Canglan Hunting Eagle instantly released their grip on each other and bolted after the volleyball. They didn't actually understand what Liang He had said, but because it was her, they were both more than willing to play along and make her happy.
"AWOO!"
"SKREE!"
The Canglan Hunting Eagle flew incredibly fast, but his beak simply couldn't get a grip on the volleyball. The Mojin King Tiger, arriving a step later, easily scooped it up by opening his massive jaws. This left the Canglan Hunting Eagle deeply displeased.
"SKREE~"
Leveraging his flight advantage, a very aggrieved Lanton flew back to Liang He's side. He rubbed his little head against her, softly cooing as if airing his grievances.
"Alright, alright, it's my fault. I shouldn't have used such a big ball. I apologize to Lanton, okay?"
Liang He reached out to pet Lanton's little head and smooth his feathers. Right at that moment, Cedriel trotted back. Seeing this scene, he immediately flew into a rage. Dropping the ball from his jaws, he started fighting with Lanton all over again.
Watching this absolute circus of soaring eagles and leaping tigers—what a dramatic scene—Liang He felt mentally exhausted. In the end, she had no choice but to pinch Cedriel's ear with one hand and grab Lanton's wing with the other, forcibly dragging the two beasts back to the service area.
"Haha, I'm dying of laughter! The Marshal and the Commander are too funny. It really takes someone like Liang He to keep them in line."
"Why do I suddenly feel like the Commander is acting like a Green Tea Eagle? The foolish Marshal is at such a disadvantage."
"Thank goodness the whole romantic pursuit thing was just a fake narrative. Otherwise, Cedriel would probably lose miserably. He stands no chance against the cunning Lord Lanton."
The staff had grown somewhat accustomed to these playful brawls over the past few days, yet they still found it fascinating and highly entertaining every single time. It certainly made their shifts far less boring.
Upon returning to the service area, Liang He checked their wounds once more. Fortunately, they had known their limits and hadn't struck too hard. After applying their medication, Liang He began preparing dinner.
Xu Yi had already left due to work commitments. Liang He carefully portioned out the food prepared by the service area for Cedriel and Lanton, chopped it up, and served it to them.
"Why is Liang He drugging their food right in front of Cedriel and Lanton?!"
Gasps echoed through the central control room. On the monitors, Liang He was seen casually sprinkling the medicine formulated by Xu Yi straight into their food bowls, right under the watchful eyes of the tiger and the eagle. For good measure, she even added some nutritional and fur-enhancing supplements.
"There's no way Cedriel and Lord Lanton will eat that, right? They already distrust humans and refuse to eat food fed to them by us."
"Liang He has gotten way too cocky. Who feeds them like this? Does she really think they're idiots?"
"It's over. The Marshal and the Commander will definitely refuse to eat anything from Liang He from now on. We're going right back to square one."
Compared to her colleagues' anxieties, Liang He was noticeably much calmer. In her eyes, animals were sharp as a tack; they knew exactly who treated them well and who meant them harm. Sometimes, the more you tried to hide things, the more sensitive beasts would suspect foul play and refuse to eat. It was far better to be completely transparent about it, just like she was. The results might even be better.
"AWOO?"
"SKREE?"
Just as Liang He had anticipated, neither Cedriel nor Lanton tried to stop her or walk away when they saw her sprinkling various powders into their meals. They merely watched her with curiosity.
"These are all good for you, so no being picky," Liang He said. After stirring the food bowls thoroughly, she pushed them toward Cedriel and Lanton.
They first leaned in to sniff the food, then looked up at the smiling, kind-hearted Liang He. Finally, they gingerly picked up a piece of meat and swallowed it. As ferocious beasts, they were exceptionally sensitive to signs of danger. But by that same token, they were equally capable of sensing what was beneficial for their bodies.
"AWOO!"
"SKREE!"
After confirming the food was non-toxic and beneficial, the eagle and the tiger began to eat with great enthusiasm, leaving the staff in the central control room absolutely dumbfounded.
"To be honest, I feel like even if Liang He actually poisoned them right to their faces, they would still think she was doing it for their own good."