Given that he had almost been plucked bald just now, Liang He distanced herself slightly from the Canglan Hunting Eagle. This made him freeze in shock. Thinking he had made a grave mistake, he aggrievedly buried his head in the feathers on his chest.
"Pfft, are you shutting yourself away?"
Seeing him like this, Liang He couldn't help but laugh. Unable to resist, she reached out and patted his little head to comfort him.
"Alright, my two great heroes. Do you want to head back and have dinner?"
Regardless, they were good boys who had just taken down two Fierce Beasts, so naturally, they deserved a reward.
"AWOO!"
"SCREECH!"
After the tiger and the eagle eagerly responded, they glared fiercely at each other, clearly finding the other an eyesore. If Liang He hadn't been watching, they probably would have started fighting in the blink of an eye.
"Sigh, I was in such a rush that I forgot to take the aircraft."
When the Canglan Hunting Eagle had sounded the alarm in the air, the Mojin King Tiger immediately entered combat mode and sprinted wildly toward the Fierce Beasts. Afraid of missing out, Liang He could only rely on her long legs to run after them. Fortunately, she had good stamina and had sent out a tracker ahead of time to follow Cedriel; otherwise, she wouldn't have managed to catch the action while it was still hot.
"SCREECH!"
Lanton suddenly wedged his head into the crook of Liang He's neck, affectionately rubbing against her like a spoiled child. Then, he bent his talons and lowered his massive body.
"Are you telling me to get on your back?"
Having dealt with fluffy animals all year round, Liang He instantly understood the Canglan Hunting Eagle's intention. She glanced at Lanton's broad back—it was definitely more than enough to seat her.
"Wait, is Mr. Lanton really letting Liang He sit on his back?"
"Holy crap, seriously? Even when he's lucid, the Commander has never let anyone ride on his back!"
"No way! No way! Liang He is actually climbing onto Mr. Lanton's back!"
Huo An and a group of colleagues watched helplessly as Liang He used their Commander as a mount—a flying mount, at that.
When Liang He successfully settled onto the Canglan Hunting Eagle's back, his previously folded wings suddenly spread open, flapping vigorously and throwing a mouthful of dirt right into the Mojin King Tiger's face. Just as Cedriel was about to howl a couple of times and take the opportunity to bite off a few eagle feathers, he saw Lanton lightly push off the ground and soar into the sky.
"I'm flying!"
Experiencing a flying mount for the first time, Liang He tightly gripped the Canglan Hunting Eagle's feathers. Feeling the biting wind at the higher altitude, she felt as if she were riding a magic carpet.
Seeing the petite and cute human disappear from his sight, Cedriel anxiously pawed at the ground twice before panting and running in the direction Lanton was flying.
"AWOO~ AWOO~"
Faintly hearing Cedriel's voice, Liang He finally remembered there was still a tiger waiting for her. She looked down in the direction of the sound, but the dizzying thrill of the high altitude made her instantly avert her gaze.
"Ahem. Cedriel is so formidable, and he has four paws. Running a bit shouldn't be a problem."
Feeling a bit guilty, Liang He subconsciously wanted to smooth her messy hair, but realizing she was still flying in midair, she opted to hold onto Lanton's feathers tighter.
"SCREECH!"
As a Canglan Hunting Eagle, Lanton was far more familiar with the terrain than Liang He. With just a little guidance, he successfully flew to the Seventh Service Area. He dove straight down into the service area's plaza. The thrilling yet stable landing allowed Liang He's suspended heart to settle safely as well.
"Flying really is faster than running, huh? We arrived in a flash."
Liang He patted Lanton's wing again and curled her lips in satisfaction, deciding to prepare some extra delicious food for him tonight as a reward.
At this time, Cedriel, who had fallen a step behind, finally arrived at the Seventh Service Area. The moment he appeared, he immediately started fighting with Lanton.
"Great, they were comrades just a moment ago, and now they're enemies."
"Fierce Beasts transformed from Beastmen have a very strong sense of territory. It's not surprising."
"Ah, why is Liang He still picking out ingredients over there? Hurry up and break up the fight!"
Seeing the two huge beasts about to tear each other's fur and feathers out, the staff in the central control room grew anxious.
Huo An, however, perhaps knowing they were just messing around and wouldn't actually fight to the death, focused his gaze instead on Liang He. She could be seen processing the leftover wild hare from lunch and the pork specifically prepared by the service area for the beasts. She brought out two large basins and placed them at the door, alongside a fruit platter for each of them.
"Alright, stop fighting! Hurry up and come eat!"
Hearing Liang He's call, Cedriel and Lanton both stopped their attacks. They glanced at the food basins on the ground, exchanged a look, and snorted fiercely at each other before walking over to their respective meals.
After calling the two big guys to eat quickly, Liang He turned around and picked up a piece of pork belly she had set aside earlier, preparing to make a braised pork rice bowl.
"Aren't the Commander and the Marshal listening to Liang He a bit too well?"
"What do you know? There's an old saying on Blue Star... 'If you're not proactive about eating, there's something wrong with your head!'"
"Oh, you actually know about Blue Star's civilization? Not bad!"
Perhaps because Liang He was too special, she had sparked a lot of interest in Blue Star, leading some people to actually go and research it.
"What delicious food is Liang He preparing now? Can pork even be eaten?"
The interstellar people had not delved deeply into the culinary industry. Pork, in particular, was always perceived to have a foul, unpleasant stench. In reality, this was because interstellar people didn't know how to process pork. However, for Liang He, a Blue Star person, pork was the most ordinary of ingredients, so naturally, she had nothing to worry about.
She blanched the pork belly in water with scallions, ginger, and cooking wine, scooped it out, and washed it clean. Then, she tossed it into an iron wok she had specifically found to stir-fry until the fat rendered out, before scooping it out and setting it aside.
"There's quite a bit of lard. I can save some for boiling noodles and stir-frying vegetables tomorrow."
Liang He found a ceramic jar and poured the excess lard into it, leaving only a little oil in the wok. She then added rock sugar, frying it until it caramelized before tossing the pork belly back in.
"Shoot, some of the seasonings are in the dorm. I forgot to grab them."
Liang He sighed softly, having no choice but to use the available seasonings to replicate the flavor as best as she could. Finally, she poured in boiling water, added a few spices, and let it simmer on low heat until the sauce reduced.
"AWOO~"
Cedriel, who had smelled the aroma from afar, had already finished his large basin of meat and squatted eagerly beside Liang He. Looking at Cedriel, who rested his large head gently on his paws with curiosity and anticipation in his golden eyes, Liang He gently stroked his fur and then noticed the injuries on his body.
"You still got hurt?"
Liang He inspected him carefully and discovered that his wounds from yesterday had reopened. She sighed helplessly, shook her head, and stood up to get the medical kit.
"Lanton, you come here too. I need to check your wounds."
As a Breeder, Liang He was very competent. She carefully helped the tiger and the eagle treat their wounds. By the time she finished, the braised pork was also done.
"Oh no! I forgot to cook the rice!"
Liang He, who had originally planned to make a braised pork rice bowl, ended up having to boil a handful of noodles instead, casually feeding a couple of strands to Lanton in the process. As for Cedriel? He wasn't fond of eating such things.
Fortunately, Liang He's cooking skills were solid. The braised pork tasted excellent, and she was very satisfied with her dinner.
Well-fed and fully hydrated, Liang He lay on the large bed in the treatment room, gazing up at the starry sky through the window. As the window glass reflected the image of one person, one tiger, and one eagle squeezed onto the bed, she silently complained.
"I think... the bed could be a bit bigger."
It really wasn't her being fussy. The Mojin King Tiger alone took up two-thirds of the bed, while the Canglan Hunting Eagle could only pathetically rest his talons on the headboard, perching entirely on top of it. As for herself, although one-third was enough to sleep on, she either had to lie directly beneath the Canglan Hunting Eagle or helplessly watch him squatting pitifully on the headboard. It was truly impossible to get a peaceful night's sleep.
"Forget it, I'll just sleep on the floor."
Liang He sighed deeply and dragged her pillows and blankets onto the floor, lying down on them without a care.
Seeing her opt out of the bed, the Mojin King Tiger and the Canglan Hunting Eagle also left it. For no other reason than wanting to stick closely to Liang He while sleeping!
"PURRRRRR."
Holding Liang He in his arms and thoroughly conquered by her petting techniques, Cedriel was enjoying himself so much that he let out a rumbling purr. Lanton watched with immense jealousy and mimicked his pose, wrapping Liang He under his wings.
"So hot..."
Wrapped in a double layer, Liang He found even her blanket to be redundant.
"Ah! I can't take it anymore!"
When it became so hot that she couldn't stand it any longer, she abruptly sat up, tossed all the bedding back onto the bed, and returned to the embrace of the tiger and the eagle. Pressed against the cold floor, she finally managed to get a good night's sleep.