A Chemist's Interstellar Saga

Chapter 98: Purity of Bloodline
Chapter 98: Purity of Bloodline

Arix had no clue how long she’d been running. When she finally spotted the city walls, she took a deep breath and slowed down.She found a tree to hide behind and peeked out at the city gate.

Two knights in full armor stood guard at the entrance, with a few soldiers managing the entrance fees. A line of therianthropes waited, each using an opticomputer to pay a credit point before entering.

Arix held back, watching the therians with interest. She remembered reading on an opticomputer that the purer a therian’s bloodline, the more human-like their transformation. Therians with less pure bloodlines kept more of their animal traits.

She spotted a child with animal ears and a fox tail waiting in line.

To Arix, the child was adorable, but the other therians seemed to view him with disdain. As the child’s turn came to enter, a burly therian kicked him aside and cut in line.

The other therians didn’t react. They were used to this and didn’t show any sympathy. The line-cutter had only a slight therian feature at the corner of his eye, showing his high bloodline purity. No one wanted to mess with him over a low-purity child.

In fact, many thought this was just the way things should be. To them, therians with low bloodline purity didn’t deserve to stand with the rest. The poorly dressed child seemed used to this treatment. He quietly got up and moved to the back of the line.

Arix frowned but didn’t jump in. She had the power to help, but how could she make sure the bully wouldn’t take it out on the child later? Sometimes, trying to help could make things worse.

If she got the chance later, she might teach that therian a lesson.

Arix despised bullies. She dealt with them whenever she could.

But right now, her main goal was to find an opticomputer and contact her parents in the Alliance, who were probably worried sick.

She looked down at her own fluffy white fur and small wings. If she went out like this, she’d be caught in no time.

”Sophia, can I retract these wings?” Arix asked in her mind.

”Just think about it,” Sophia replied calmly.

”Thanks, Sophia,” Arix said. She then thought, ’Retract, retract.’

A faint white light flashed, and her wings disappeared into her body.

Arix twisted her body left and right, making sure her wings were really gone. Then she let out a joyful howl.

Next, she spotted a nearby coal pile. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and rolled in it several times. The once cute little white tiger was now like a filthy, unrecognizable stray cat.

Happy with her new look, Arix relaxed and waited by the roadside, keeping an eye out for a chance to sneak into the city.

After a bit, an elderly therian pushing a two-wheeled cart full of vegetables slowly came by. Arix’s eyes lit up, and she quickly burrowed into the pile of vegetables, hiding quietly.

Luckily, the therian inspections here weren’t as strict as those in the Alliance. The old man paid the fee, the soldier at the gate glanced at the vegetables, and let him through.

Once inside, Arix breathed a sigh of relief. As they passed a dim alley, she quickly slipped out and hid in the shadows. Everything was going according to plan. Now, she needed to find an opticomputer to contact her parents and let them know she was safe.

New opticomputers had psychic power bindings, acting like password locks that were impossible to bypass. Older models, though, were much easier to hack. Arix had already figured out where to find one.

It didn’t take long for her to choose a target—a poor elderly therian who rarely used his opticomputer, usually leaving it on his bed. Arix waited by the window, and when the old man lay down to rest, she whispered an apology in her mind.

She then snuck into the room, grabbed the opticomputer in her mouth, and dashed to the basement.

Once she confirmed it was safe, she turned on the device and dialed her mother’s number. A video call request was sent.

Back at the Kering Family home...

Ever since they heard Arix might have died, the whole household had been drowning in sorrow.

The masters of the house were heartbroken, and even the butler and maids were visibly upset.

The death of a 15-year-old girl, even if she were a stranger, would make anyone sad. But this was their young lady, their sweet and unfortunate daughter. Everyone felt a deep sense of loss.

Fleur, after hearing about her daughter’s disappearance yet again, had locked herself in her bedroom, silently crying while holding Arix’s belongings.

”Arix...” Fleur whispered hoarsely.

”Ma’am, there is an incoming video call from an unknown opticomputer number. Would you like to accept it?”

The opticomputer on Fleur’s nightstand suddenly rang, its soft sound breaking the silence of the room.

Fleur glanced at the opticomputer. Assuming it was another marketing call, she ignored it, continuing to reminisce about her daughter.

”Ma’am, there is an incoming video call from an unknown opticomputer number. Would you like to accept it?”

The opticomputer kept ringing. Fleur frowned and finally picked it up, answering the call. As soon as the video connected, a small, pitch-black animal appeared on the screen. It looked like a stray cat.

Fleur’s gaze remained indifferent. Since her daughter disappeared, she felt detached from the world. Everything seemed dull and lifeless to her, unable to stir any interest.

However, when Arix saw her mother’s haggard appearance, she immediately panicked. She even forgot she had transformed into a therian and quickly let out a howl, ”Awwooo(Mom, are you okay)?”

Fleur seemed to get it, her body trembling all of a sudden. She stared at the stray cat in the video, her eyes wide with disbelief.

”Arix?” she called out, her voice a mix of exhausted sorrow and ecstatic joy.

Arix was just as shocked that Fleur could understand her.

But there was no time to dwell on it. She quickly reassured Fleur, ”Mom, don’t worry. I fell into a wormhole that took me to the Empire. But I’m safe now. Please, don’t worry.”

Fleur smiled in relief, but tears still fell. How could she not know if her daughter was truly safe? Arix wouldn’t be in this state if she was fine.

”Mom, why are you crying? I really am safe. Please, don’t cry,” Arix said, clumsily trying to wipe away Fleur’s tears on the virtual screen.

Of course, it didn’t work since it was just a screen. Yet, Arix’s attempt made Fleur laugh through her tears. ”I’m not crying; these are happy tears. My silly Arix.”

Seeing her mom laugh, Arix felt better. Then, she asked, ”Mom, how can you understand me? Are you a therian too?”

Arix wasn’t expecting much when she asked, but Fleur nodded, her face a mix of emotions. ”My parents were from the Empire’s Tiger Clan. Your grandfather was the clan’s strongest tigerman. They fell in love and had me. But one day, your grandmother got very sick and was near death. To save her, your grandfather joined the Moon Goddess Temple and became a priest. Priests belong to the Moon Goddess for life, so they can’t marry or love anyone again. If they do, both lovers are hunted by the temple. That’s why your grandparents were separated. Heartbroken, your grandmother took me to live in the Alliance, but she still passed away when I was eighteen.”

Hearing this, Arix fumed. ”Mom, can we destroy the Moon Goddess Temple? Banning love? So old-fashioned! Ridiculous!”

Fleur laughed softly, calming her down. ”Arix, your grandparents weren’t wrong, and neither was the Moon Goddess Temple. The temple just offered a choice, and your grandfather made his. There’s no right or wrong in that. Your grandmother got to live a few more years because of it. We shouldn’t destroy a place that helped us.”

”But the Moon Goddess Temple kept Grandpa and Grandma apart,” Arix argued, still upset.

Fleur spoke softly, trying to calm Arix down. ”But think about it. If the Moon Goddess Temple hadn’t saved Grandma, Grandpa couldn’t have been with her.”

”Alright, fine. If I had been there, they wouldn’t have had to part,” Arix muttered under her breath.

”Arix, let the past stay in the past. The best ending is when no one regrets their choices. Now, let’s focus on you. Stay where you are, and I’ll have my cousin Sunak come to pick you up,” Fleur instructed.

Although Arix had no idea who that was, she nodded obediently.

”Good girl,” Fleur said with a smile before ending the call.

Arix then sent videos to other family members. Sadly, none of them could understand what she was saying, not even Kellan.

Luckily, she could still type with her paws; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to assure them she was safe.