Free Web NovelChapter 2: Chapter 2: They Are All Fluffy
[9:00 AM daily: Meals must be delivered to the prison block on time. Please strictly adhere to each Lord’s dietary requirements.]
This was the first item marked in red for emphasis in the document.
Shi Lan checked the time. It was still more than an hour until nine. She quickly washed up before hurrying to the kitchen.
Although Black Star was remote, its facilities were fully equipped. In the kitchen, robots were methodically busy at work. Shi Lan found some breakfast for herself, and then, before nine, she picked up the meal containers and headed for the prison.
According to the management manual left by the previous Prison Director, Shi Lan learned that although Black Star was called a Prison Star, the ones imprisoned inside were not all vicious criminals, but rather powerful individuals with high spiritual power who were on the verge of collapse.
Therefore, these people were respectfully addressed as ’Lords’.
The reason these Lords were imprisoned on a remote star was that when a powerful individual’s spiritual power truly collapsed, they could become highly destructive and lose all reason. That was why such prisons existed. The Empire generally had other ways to handle those with low spiritual power.
After understanding this, Shi Lan mentally upgraded the difficulty of this job by another level. No wonder the previous Prison Director had run off so quickly.
However, nothing had happened yet, and Black Star’s security level was also very high. She decided to use this place as a temporary stopover. Once she saved some money and avoided the original owner’s death as described in the book, she would find another path.
Along the way, Shi Lan skimmed through the key points in the first few pages of the document again before arriving at the prison’s detention block.
Many patrol robots stood outside the detention block. These robots had already registered Shi Lan’s employment information, so the main gate of the detention block opened as soon as she arrived.
At this moment, the beasts moving about inside heard the sound and suddenly looked toward the entrance.
The echo of footsteps, TAP TAP TAP, came from the detention block as Shi Lan took the heavy meal containers out of her Space Bag and walked inside.
Every space inside the prison was larger than Shi Lan had imagined, and the detention block was so large it felt a bit empty.
She walked for quite a while, passing through several security doors before reaching the innermost cells.
However, when she saw the cells, she almost thought her eyes were playing tricks on her.
She had thought the prison’s staff dormitories were already luxurious, but no one had told her that the cells in the detention block were even more extravagant. They were like exquisitely decorated high-end villas with two floors. The only thing that resembled a prison was the semi-transparent blue protective light screen in front, which kept them securely confined within their cells.
’The ones here are all top-tier experts with high spiritual power, so it’s normal for them to have this kind of treatment,’ Shi Lan comforted herself.
She took a deep breath, and following the nameplates on the cell doors, she delivered the corresponding meal containers one by one.
The name on cell one was He Hanshi. The name sounded a bit familiar, but for the moment, she couldn’t remember where she’d heard it. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
Shi Lan glanced inside. A White Lion was lying on the bed, and next to it was a butler robot.
Her gaze lingered on the White Lion for a moment. It was a magnificent creature, and even through its thick, fluffy white fur, she could tell its limbs were nimble and strong.
He was curled up lazily on the bed, his tail flicking idly back and forth.
As if sensing her gaze, the White Lion lifted its head slightly. Its deep blue eyes watched her from a distance as it opened its mouth and said, "Thank you for delivering the meal, Prison Director."
The White Lion’s voice was low, magnetic, and gentle. Shi Lan froze for a second, realizing that this was He Hanshi.
She suddenly remembered a rule from the novel: when a Beastman’s spiritual power collapse was severe, they would devolve into their primitive form.
’By that logic, He Hanshi’s spiritual power collapse must already be very severe.’
Her gaze lingered on the White Lion for a few more moments. ’That fluffy fur looks so nice to touch,’ she thought, but on the outside, she felt a little embarrassed. She placed the meal at the window before turning to head to the next cell.
The name on cell two was Mu Tangfeng. Shi Lan glanced inside and was instantly stunned by the sight.
Inside, a large bird about half a person’s height was preening its feathers in front of a mirror. Its plumage was mostly white, with a flame-like red patch in the center of its forehead. Extending from its rear were arm-length tail feathers that faded from orange to yellow.
The long tail feathers flowed like elegant silk ribbons, looking exceptionally exquisite and beautiful.
She recalled a nature documentary she had once watched and recognized the bird as a Bird of Paradise. But a real-life bird wouldn’t be this large; it was probably a mutation specific to the Beastmen of this world.
Mu Tangfeng could feel the captivated awe in the female’s eyes at the door. He couldn’t help but lift his head arrogantly, then press a button on the side. Instantly, the blue protective light screen turned from transparent to opaque, completely blocking the beautiful sight within. Only a cold sneer could be heard. "Uncultured female, watch where you’re looking."
Shi Lan’s mouth twitched. She sheepishly placed the corresponding meal at the window and turned to leave.
The name on the door of cell three was Ye Ming. The protective screen was semi-transparent, but it was pitch-black inside, with only the blue eyes of a robot visible.
"Is there no one in here?"
Shi Lan couldn’t help but mutter to herself. She leaned in curiously, pressing her face against the protective screen to peer inside. Just then, a pair of gleaming green, saucer-sized eyes appeared within.
"Aah!"
Shi Lan jumped in fright and hurriedly took two steps back. Then, she saw the pair of eyes move forward, and a Black Panther, all black with glowing green eyes, walked up to the protective screen. The blue light from the screen faintly illuminated its form.
The Black Panther was also massive. Although it wasn’t taller than Shi Lan, its eyes seemed to be looking down on her, radiating a lofty, cold authority as they regarded her with disdain.
Shi Lan rubbed the goosebumps on her arms. Her scalp tingling, she put down the meal and fled to the next cell.
"Haha, what a coward."
As soon as she approached, Shi Lan heard a mocking laugh from inside. She looked up, and the anger she’d felt instantly vanished.
’Oh my god, it’s a huge, adorable, fluffy Pallas’s cat!!’
As the Pallas’s cat spoke, its long whiskers trembled on either side of its face, and its laughter seemed to reveal the sharp canines in its mouth.
As if noticing her approach, it tried to continue its intimidation by hissing at her. It sat coiled on its snow-white chair, baring its teeth. "What are you looking at?"
It sounded ferocious on the surface, but in reality, it just looked soft, cute, and easy to tease.
Shi Lan felt like her heart was melting.
She glanced at the name—Jiang Xia. It had a youthful, teenage vibe, much like his voice. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
She looked again at the large, fluffy creature inside, and her hands started to itch. But seeing Jiang Xia still baring his teeth at her, she didn’t want to make a bad first impression on the fluffball. She regretfully put down the meal and didn’t linger.
Although the prison was very spacious, only five ’Lords’ were currently in residence.
She walked to the last cell, and her eyes lit up once more. Inside, a red Nine-tailed Fox was soaking in a hot spring.
A light mist filled the room, but Shi Lan could still clearly see the fox’s nine tails. They were partially submerged in the water, but their tips were all visible. Every single hair seemed to glow with a red light, looking magnificent, fluffy, and soft.
As if confirming her arrival, the Red Fox lazily rested its head on its paws. The outer corners of its narrow eyes tilted up slightly, and its red eyes looked toward the door, a smile playing on its lips. "The new Prison Director, I presume?"
"What’s your name?"
The Red Fox’s voice was like a fine, mellow wine—deep, elegant, and like a feather brushing past her ear.
Shi Lan suddenly understood the feeling of having one’s ears fall in love. She couldn’t help but rub her ears. Remembering that this Red Fox was actually a male, she felt it was inappropriate to keep staring at him soaking in the hot spring. She averted her eyes and said softly, "My name is Shi Lan."
"Shi Lan?" A low chuckle rumbled from the Red Fox’s throat. "What a beautiful name."
The sound made Shi Lan’s ears tingle even more. She kept her eyes glued to the nameplate on the door, not daring to let them wander.
Her mind was filled with the name on it: Yan Huoshui, Yan Huoshui.
’Oh, a true femme fatale,’ she thought with a sigh.
As she mused over this, she felt too embarrassed to stay any longer. She quickly put down the meal and said, "This is your breakfast, my Lord. I’ll be going now."
With that, she hastily departed.
As she walked back, she once again passed by the cells she had visited earlier. She hadn’t noticed it on her way in, but on the way back, she felt several pairs of eyes fixed on her, each one scrutinizing and probing, making her scalp tingle for no reason.
’Thinking back on it now, it seems only the White Lion in the first cell was gentle. The others don’t seem like an easy bunch to handle.’
The one in the second cell seemed to have the worst temper; on her way back, its protective screen was still opaque. She walked past it quickly. Her gaze inadvertently met that of the White Lion in the first cell, who was elegantly holding a utensil with its paw to eat. Shocked, she still managed a friendly smile at him.
The White Lion blinked its glass-like blue eyes and nodded back at her.
