Chapter 416 - 415: Guard Commander

The young knight smiled. "Thank you."

’If possible, I’d really like to stay here a while longer.’

Yu Zhizhi said softly, "Get some rest for now. It must have been a long journey."

She called for Ai Xi to show Jialou to a guest room.

The little golden tiger cub lay obediently on Yu Zhizhi’s chest, its chubby paws resting on her shoulder as it gently nuzzled its cheek against her. Yu Zhizhi found it was a bit heavier than she expected. She slowly stroked its neck and found a place to sit down.

The Little Octopus suggested, "Why don’t we hire that knight, Jialou, from the Knight Alliance? Our territory happens to be in need of a Guard Commander."

Yu Zhizhi thought about it. The Little Octopus’s suggestion was a good one, but...

"I have to ask Jialou what he thinks first and see if he’s willing to stay."

The little tiger cub’s stomach rumbled.

Yu Zhizhi looked down at it. ’The little one seems to be hungry.’

The Little Octopus scurried out expertly and prepared a bottle of milk.

The little tiger cub still held a grudge for the octopus’s "rude" behavior earlier. Seeing the Little Octopus approach, its tiger eyes widened. It looked like it would pounce and attack if Yu Zhizhi weren’t there!

The Little Octopus couldn’t be bothered to argue with it.

It simply wrapped a tentacle around the milk bottle and shoved it into the little tiger cub’s mouth. "Here, eat."

With food in its mouth, the little tiger cub instantly became docile.

It drank the milk with loud slurps, its whiskers getting stained with milk.

Yu Zhizhi held it. The newborn tiger cub was incredibly cute. It kept looking at her even while eating, as if afraid she would disappear.

After it finished, it let out a milky burp.

Yu Zhizhi wiped the corners of its mouth clean with a moist towelette.

The little tiger cub was getting sleepy.

It curled up in Yu Zhizhi’s arms and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Yu Zhizhi placed the little tiger cub in its cradle.

She quietly left the room and went with the Little Octopus to water the territory’s Divine Tree sapling.

The Divine Tree seemed to have grown much taller overnight.

From a small sapling, it now reached Yu Zhizhi’s waist.

She thought about the faint, almost imperceptible aura she had sensed from the Divine Tree’s sprout yesterday. Today, as she lightly touched a green leaf with night falling, that aura seemed to be growing more distinct.

The Little Octopus was piling up soil around it, afraid the strong evening wind might knock the Divine Tree over.

"Have you noticed anything?" Yu Zhizhi asked.

The Little Octopus looked around, bewildered. "What?"

’Apparently not...’

"There’s a faint aura that’s always lingering over the territory. I can’t be sure what it is, but from what I can sense, ’it’ has no hostile intent."

The Little Octopus touched the Divine Tree with a tentacle and realized it couldn’t sense anything at all.

’Is it because I’m not the Lord?’

The Little Octopus shook its head. "I can’t perceive it. But you should be able to see it more clearly once the Divine Tree gets a little bigger."

Yu Zhizhi looked at the Divine Tree’s faintly glowing leaves, hoping that what she was sensing from the sapling wasn’t going to be trouble.

The Little Octopus was right.

The territory needed a Guard Commander.

When she returned, the little tiger cub was still asleep, so Yu Zhizhi carried it back to her own room.

It groggily opened its eyes midway, then quickly fell back asleep.

「The next day.」

Yu Zhizhi found the young knight sunbathing outside the castle. She stated her purpose directly: "Our territory needs a Guard Commander. Would you be willing to take the position?"

Jialou had just finished a three-month mission and was enjoying a rare moment of leisure. He was chewing on a piece of straw and froze for a moment. ’Is this Lady Lord inviting me?’

’A territory...’

He had almost forgotten what it felt like to live in a territory.

After years of high-intensity missions, Jialou was already feeling weary. He said, "I am willing. This mission just ended. I’ll have to ask the Lord of Tianxing to send a hiring request to the Knight Alliance."

Yu Zhizhi hadn’t expected him to agree so quickly. She immediately smiled and nodded. "I’ll go right now!"

She contacted the Knight Alliance. Following the application process, it was quickly approved, given that it was for a territory and the matter with the Wild Dogs.

The official employment document was generated.

Receiving the red employment document, Jialou’s mood suddenly lightened.

’...It’ll be nice to rest for a while.’

’When I feel like returning to the Knight Alliance someday, I can just resign my post with the Lady Lord.’

However, this territory was much better than he had imagined.

Before coming, he’d thought it would be a desolate place, given how new it was.

’It seems the Lady Lord is truly dedicated.’

The young knight gave a slight bow. "I will serve the territory with all my heart. Please rest assured, Lord."

With Jialou joining, Yu Zhizhi felt even more at ease.

She returned to her room.

The little tiger cub was already awake and chewing on a pillow. Hearing footsteps, its tiger eyes immediately lit up. "Awooo~"

It cried out and leaped directly into Yu Zhizhi’s arms.

Perhaps because it was just a newborn, the little tiger cub was exceptionally clingy. It needed to see Yu Zhizhi at all times. Whenever she was gone, the cub would become very irritable, either chewing on pillows or gnawing on table legs.

Moreover, it had become territorial.

It wouldn’t allow anyone other than Yu Zhizhi to approach this room.

Yu Zhizhi picked it up, placed it on her lap, and stuck the milk bottle in its mouth. The little tiger began to eat.

"Xiao Xing, when Ai Xi and the Little Octopus come by, don’t you go scaring them, okay?" Yu Zhizhi patted the little tiger cub’s head.

She had given the little tiger cub a simple nickname: Xiao Xing.

Because he was a brilliant gold, like the brightest star in the night sky.

The little tiger cub’s eyes went wide. It sucked on its bottle while looking innocently at Yu Zhizhi. ’I wasn’t scaring anyone! I was just protecting Mother!’

As if she knew what it was thinking, Yu Zhizhi said softly, "They’re all very good to me. They don’t want to hurt me."

’Fine~’

The little tiger cub let out a soft cry.

’Whatever Mother says, goes.’

Having the little tiger cub around brought Yu Zhizhi a lot of joy. She didn’t know what kind of training other newborn cubs needed, so while waiting for the people from the Moon Ascending Royal Family to arrive, she took him to play in every corner of the territory.

Although the little tiger cub still clashed with the Little Octopus, it was always very well-behaved as long as Yu Zhizhi was present.

This continued until the Moonrise Mission arrived, their ship docking at the territory’s shore.

Jialou had detected an approaching presence from the distant sea long before. He saw the flag of the Moon Rising Empire and understood that the Moon Ascending Royal Family must be here to retrieve the little tiger cub.

An elderly councilman was the first to disembark, followed by the Moon Rising Empire’s Seventh Prince, Cang Jie.

Yu Zhizhi was on the shore to welcome them.

Cang Jie approached slowly and offered a greeting. "Ms. Zhi Zhi."

"Prince Cang Jie."

Yu Zhizhi returned the courtesy with a slight bow.

She couldn’t help but look at the large ship docked by the shore. ’Are the councilman and Cang Jie the only ones who came this time?’

’Prince Canglan...’

’Did he not come?’

Cang Jie noticed the Rabbit Clan Lady’s expression and smiled. "My elder brother is weary from the journey and has not yet awoken."

He then moved a little closer. "Ms. Zhi Zhi could go and invite him personally, you know."