“How many are there?” Liu Feng closed the lid of the box and pushed it aside. Selling these ginseng roots would significantly ease his financial situation.
But more importantly, he still couldn’t stop thinking about that Iron Man suit. He was determined to buy two sets: one for his private vault, and one for his study.
“My Lord, there are 17 large roots, plus some smaller ones we dug up and brought back as well,” Sinke quickly replied.
“Excellent. Add 50% to this mission’s contribution score. Take two days off and go enjoy yourselves,” Liu Feng said, satisfied. Even the small ginseng had been brought back, perfect for planting in the backyard.
“Yes, sir!” Sinke’s eyes lit up with joy- an actual vacation.
“Do you remember the location? Is it far from West Sun City?” Liu Feng asked.
“Not far. A round trip only takes 2 days,” Sinke replied quickly. The reason they took 8 days was that 6 of them were spent searching for the area Niu Ben had mentioned.
“Are there more ginseng there?” Liu Feng asked the question that mattered most to him.
“Yes, a lot. The entire valley is full of it,” Sinke nodded repeatedly. What they brought back was just from a bit of casual digging.
“Yes, sir!” Sinke answered. With such a strict confidentiality order, Sinke would sleep with a cloth tied around his mouth for a while, just in case he blurted something out in his sleep. That kind of slip-up could cost him his head.
“Hmm? What’s that in your arms? It’s moving a lot.” Liu Feng finally noticed the squirming burlap sack Sinke was carrying.
“Uh…” Sinke didn’t know what to say. How should he explain?
“Open it. Let me see.” Liu Feng was intrigued. Whatever it was, it had even made the usually decisive Sinke stammer.
“Yes, sir.” Sinke carefully set the bag down and poured out what was inside.
“Huh?” Liu Feng’s eyes widened in astonishment as he stared at the creature sitting dazed on the floor, its shiny black eyes staring right back at him.
Black-and-white fur, a round face with dark eye patches, tiny paws rubbing sleepy eyes, fluffy black ears on top of its head, stubby limbs, a big but short tail, and an adorably plump, round body.
There was no mistaking it- it was a panda.
“It… it’s a panda???”
Mouth agape, Liu Feng rushed over in a few quick steps, squatted down, and poked the panda’s silly-looking head. The baby panda responded by opening its little mouth.
“Heh… you little goofball!” Liu Feng laughed and gave the panda’s round belly another poke.
The clumsy little panda looked to be about six months old. Just the age when its primary teeth were fully grown and could start eating bamboo shoots.
Everyone in the room was stunned. It was the first time they’d seen Liu Feng act so childlike. In their minds, he had always been the picture of noble grace and perfection. Their eyes softened. They liked this version of Liu Feng more. Someone who was too perfect could be intimidating.
“Where did it come from?” Liu Feng asked, still teasing the panda.
“We found it on our way back. Its mother had just been killed by a wolf pack. This little guy had climbed up a tree. We heard its cries and rescued it,” Sinke explained.
Yes, the panda was brought back by Sinke and his team as a potential pet for Liu Feng because it was so cute. And it was lucky that it was cute- otherwise, it might’ve ended up as dinner.
“Very good. I’ll keep this panda,” Liu Feng nodded with satisfaction.
“Yes, sir!” Sinke grinned. That was the best outcome. If Liu Feng had rejected it, the poor creature would’ve ended up in the kitchen- they had no time to raise pets.
Liu Feng stood up, a smile still on his lips. Seeing a panda in this otherworld brought a touch of comfort to his heart. On Earth, people would dream of having such a cuddly creature at home.
At his desk, he opened a drawer, pulled out a palm-sized chocolate bar wrapped in paper, and tossed it to Sinke with a light chuckle. “It’s edible!”
“Thank you, my lord!” Sinke caught it eagerly with both hands and quickly stashed it in his pocket. To receive a personal reward from their lord was something many would envy.
“Go enjoy your break.” Liu Feng waved him off.
“Yes, sir!” Sinke saluted and left the study with Niu Ben.
“Mina, go to the kitchen and bring back some carrots and bamboo shoots,” Liu Feng instructed.
“Okay!” Mina replied with a cheerful smile and walked off.
“Heh! If people knew I had a panda as a pet, they’d die of jealousy, wouldn’t they?” Liu Feng barely resisted the urge to take out his phone and post it on his social media.
He thought of those who constantly shared photos of their cats and dogs- who could match his coolness? If you’re going to have a pet, have a panda.
“Hey hey! Don’t chew on that!” Liu Feng had spaced out for a moment and came back to see the panda crawling toward the bookshelf, attempting to gnaw on the leg of it.
“Come here.” Liu Feng pried the panda off the shelf and placed it on the table. He hadn’t even let go when it clung to his arm.
“Little thing, come down.” He tried to pry it off again- but the next second, it clung right back.
Only then did Liu Feng recall the videos he’d seen back on Earth- pandas were amazing at clinging to stuff.
“Young master, the thing’s here.” Mina entered with a wooden basin.
Trailing behind her was Anri, who’d tried to help earlier but ended up doing the opposite- Nicole had sent her away.
“Eh? Such a small beast? Are we butchering it tonight? Looks like there’s not much meat on it,” Anri licked her lips as she stared at the panda, already thinking of dinner.
“…” Liu Feng rolled his eyes and snapped, “Eat it? Don’t even think about it. This is my pet.”
“Pet?” Anri blinked in disbelief. To her, and even Mina, wild beasts were just food. It was like a person seeing chicken- they only thought of it as food.
But their thinking made sense. They’d spent their lives hungry. Mina, especially, hunted wild animals regularly. Cute or not, the only thing that mattered was whether it was edible.
This was the norm in this world. If people raised animals at all, it was for warhorses- everything else was food.