An Junlie started to retort, but Ziye, fearing another stiffening of the atmosphere, subtly tugged at his sleeve, signaling him to stop. She smiled brightly, "Just rest assured and wait for news from that pervert." She pulled a coupon from her pocket and presented it to Red Hair with both hands. "I'm poor, so I don't have much to offer as a gift, only this. If you ever accidentally break one of your robots, you'll get a fifty percent discount on repairs within this year."

Red Hair pinched the corner of the coupon between two fingers, the corner of her mouth curling into a sneer. In the next second, she lunged, pressing her ample chest against Ziye's shoulder and rubbing vigorously. "As expected, you little brat are the best. Hurry up and grow, big sister can’t wait!"

Ziye broke free from her clutches and turned towards 110. "I'm going to check on the B-system repair effects."

Red Hair stomped her foot in frustration, and catching sight of An Junlie standing motionless out of the corner of her eye, her anger flared up again. She lifted her heavy-soled military boot and fiercely kicked him in the shin, grumbling, "Babies, prepare the meal."

Ziye stopped abruptly, chuckling. "No need to trouble yourself. We’ll be back soon, let’s eat when we return."

Red Hair glared at her. "You look down on me?"

Ziye hastily shook her head. "Not at all."

Red Hair insisted, "Then eat before you go."

Ziye dejectedly drooped her shoulders.

Although An Junlie didn't understand why Ziye was so determined to refuse, he knew following her lead was the right choice, so he backed her up. "She's not hungry yet, let's eat when we get back. Don't trouble yourself."

Red Hair shot back, "What about you? Are you hungry?"

To be honest, An Junlie was a bit hungry; the fight they just had had burned off everything he'd eaten that morning, but he held it in and shook his head. "Not yet."

Red Hair was furious. "Get out of here!"

Red Hair readily accepted the request. She and An Junlie boarded the airship, waved goodbye, and vanished without a trace.

Only after they descended the mountain and left Red Hair's sphere of influence did Ziye retrieve two food containers from the airship hangar. The hangar maintained a constant temperature, so the containers were just as warm as when she had placed them in.

The containers held the breakfast he had made that morning.

Ziye tossed one box to him and opened the other, devouring the contents ravenously. Both boxes held the same dishes, but Ziye's portion was half the size. After finishing, she wiped the corner of her mouth contentedly. "Your cooking is always the best. You have no idea, that woman Red Hair eats worse than I do. Most of her food is barely cooked—three-tenths done, she gnaws on it bloody... Once, she slaughtered a giant bird; when she cut it, the eyeball popped out and was still moving."

An Junlie quietly ate the contents of his box, treating the gruesome scene Ziye described as a mere seasoning to his meal.

—Since he learned about the pervert's rose-blooming process, his entire mental state seemed to have elevated by a significant margin; now, he could face even the most harrowing scenarios without batting an eye.

Ziye let out a loud burp and mumbled, "Let's go to Old Dog's place. I'm still not full; I can graze some more there."

—

Little Sprout happily wriggled out of Ziye's pocket, hopping across the airship. "Yay, we're finally going to Old Dog's place! So happy!"

The airship's protective shield hadn't lowered yet, or An Junlie truly feared the sprout might accidentally bounce out or be blown away by a gust of wind. After taking off their cold-weather gear, they set a direct course toward the planet's southwest, where Old Dog resided.

Old Dog lived quite far away. Along the route, the airship adjusted its speed to maximum, traversing at breakneck speed. They rarely saw any buildings or roads; it was truly desolate. The most they saw were plants, and the deeper they traveled, the darker the plants' colors became. The leaves near Ziye's home were still a light purple, but after two hours, the foliage had turned deep purple, punctuated by the occasional roar of a wild beast echoing from the depths of the jungle.

Thick fog permeated the forest.

The air was extremely humid, as if it had just rained. The sky was gloomy, and just as A110 issued a rain forecast, raindrops the size of beans began to fall with a pitter-patter.

They dared not fly at high altitudes in the rain, so they had to lower the airship and proceed at a low altitude, looking for spots with fewer trees. But this area was all virgin forest—where could they find a clearing?

Water streamed down the protective shield. Ziye sighed, "First snow, then rain—is anyone supposed to live like this?" This was largely why she disliked going out normally. One trip outside, and she wouldn't be back for half a day, and no one knew what situations they might encounter on the road.

The weather was volatile, a burst of clouds followed by a burst of rain. After about ten minutes, the clouds dispersed, and the sky cleared once more.

110 lowered the shield, and the fresh air immediately rushed in—the scent of leaves, the dampness of the earth, and the freshness of the rain. The airship navigated between the trees, which were covered everywhere with vines, making progress difficult. Fortunately, 110 was highly intelligent, always braking quickly when encountering obstacles. An Junlie suspected several times that the airship was about to crash into a large tree.

They crossed a small river, and Little Sprout jumped up excitedly. "Yay, level cleared!"

Old Dog’s home was just on the other side of the river.

It was a wooden structure, half on the water and half on the land, surrounded by lush trees tens of meters high. If one wasn't paying attention, they wouldn't even notice the building below.

An Junlie activated the airship's long-range sensory capture system and finally saw the legendary "Old Dog."

Honestly, Old Dog was not a flattering name, once again lowering the bar for naming conventions on Silver Rune Star. However, he hadn't expected the supposed Old Dog to be a formidable man in his thirties.

At that moment, Old Dog was washing a piece of animal hide by the river near his door. His skin was bronze, and he wore a simple, sleeveless gray top, his arm muscles bulging, radiating stored power. Behind him stood Dobermans, Golden Retrievers, Cane Corsos—a pack of "vicious dogs!" They lacked the adornment of beautiful, luxurious fur, allowing one to clearly see their broad frames, dense, solid musculature, and faintly visible canines—they looked exactly like a pack of wolves.

The airship's engine noise was minimal, probably only 40 decibels. Yet, the dogs easily detected them, all turning their heads to bark at the vessel.

Little Sprout's eyes glittered brightly. With a "whoosh," it shot out of the airship and darted into the pack of dogs. The dogs barked and jumped, trying to catch it, but it deliberately teased them, leaping exceptionally high before spinning around mockingly under their intense stares.

Old Dog heard the noise and turned back. He suddenly lunged out a hand and grabbed, and Little Sprout, unable to dodge in time, was caught in his palm. The tiny sprout on its head poked insistently at his palm.

Old Dog tossed Little Sprout into the air, turned, and flashed a set of pearly white teeth at Ziye, laughing heartily, "Dog-pup, you're here!"