Chapter 173 Helpless Childhood, Recalling the First Time…

like.

Something seems off.

"Nothing's right!"

Paimon exclaimed in surprise after watching the cat-eared child haphazardly nibble on breakfast and wash up.

"Is Little May locked up? She must be! Those older brothers and sisters don't seem to like her very much... Is this the House of Hearths?"

"Where are his parents? Is it only his older brother who takes care of him?"

"It seems like my brother has to work? Then this shouldn't be an orphanage..."

Whispers arose from the audience; their interest had been fully piqued.

"Come on, that's a lynx! Who wouldn't be curious about its past?"

What exactly made this chivalrous hero? And what caused him to fall so quickly?

Some are curious, while others are worried.

"...There are too many differences."

Tina looked at the child in the image with worry, comparing him to the wise king in her memory.

"Even though people will inevitably lose some of their childhood traits as they grow up, isn't it a bit too much to lose?"

The cold and tyrannical king, the timid and cowardly wise king, and the little kitten in front of me kicking its legs and standing on its tail, doing a handstand on the bedside table...

"Is it really the same person?" Kavi scratched his head in a bit of a daze. "The sense of incongruity is as strong as that of the enthusiastic and cheerful young Elheisen!"

Although Sumeru Fang was the initiator of the plan, he was not actually aware of all the details of the plan. The only one who had a complete view of Mainkun's life was Narcida, a branch of the World Tree.

"Everyone, I will now fast forward the video for a while."

Why?

Navelette seemed a little reluctant, her vertical pupils fixed quietly on little Maine's face.

"We should be more careful when collecting evidence."

A voice came from beside the defendant's dock, "Let her hurry up, Navelette."

"The Duke?"

"Because you wouldn't want to see a child spend a day alone in the house, would you?"

"!?"

Navelette's pupils constricted.

“The object is a child, which already constitutes the crime of neglect.”

"I'm also very sorry about that."

Leosley sighed softly, reminiscing about those distant times.

What was I working so hard to earn money when I was a teenager?

To move out? To buy him toys? Or simply to feed him a decent lunch? ...Sigh, I can't remember, it was all for nothing.

"What are you apologizing for? This isn't your responsibility!"

The unfamiliar low growl startled Leosley from his reverie. He looked down and saw the white-haired Water Dragon pursing his lips, frowning as he looked up at him, his face showing a rare expression.

“It is already difficult for a teenager to raise an infant. The ones who should be judged morally and legally are clearly the cold-hearted adults. You deserve the highest praise.”

"Naviette?"

When the Water Dragon King saw Leosley staring at him with wide eyes, he straightened his back slightly, his imposing manner weakening, and regained his elegant and dignified demeanor.

"Ahem... Ms. Nasita, please proceed with the next scene."

Wow, they have a really good relationship.

Nasita smiled and reached out her hand. Her memory accelerated, and cat-eared children began to flash rapidly in various parts of the room, lively and restless.

"Aww!"

In a few swift movements, she climbed to the top of the cabinet, and with her arms outstretched and her big tail swung, she pounced onto the bed like a flying squirrel, landing on her own pillow.

"take off--"

Thump! A loud noise came from beneath the child and echoed in the small room.

"Got you!" He hugged the pillow and bit it a few times. "Again, one more time!"

With its ears perked up and its little paws gripping the wooden board, Gu Yong leaped upwards, repeatedly playing the game of pouncing on its 'prey' from above, thoroughly enjoying itself.

"It's the hunting instinct in our blood."

The great demon Yae no Miko commented.

"This is not very suitable for human society."

"Quiet! Can't you just behave?"

Sure enough, the door was knocked on again, this time by an unfamiliar, young voice.

"Mom and Dad have important guests to entertain today. If you dare to disturb them, I'll break your legs!"

"You don't have the key, you can't get in."

Xiao Mei hadn't had enough fun with Kuhn and didn't want to stop.

"Then I'll break your brother's legs. I'll do it when he comes back tonight!"

"no!"

The kitten, who had been indifferent at first, suddenly became agitated, shouting, "You big bad guy, you're a big bad guy!"

"You're noisy, troublesome, disobedient, and stupid. You're a million times worse than me," the boy outside the door retorted. "What's the point of your existence? Huh? Useless trash, just die! You're utterly useless and only cause trouble!"

The child, tongue-tied and unable to argue with his older brother who was a full twelve years his senior, roared in anger, "You won't let me out, and you complain I'm useless! What's going on? How am I supposed to sew the quilt with the needle and thread in the box? I hate you! You're the stupid one! I hate you, I hate you so much—"

"Hey, hey, hey, stop it! Didn't I tell you to be quiet?!" Hearing the child's outburst, the boy outside the door panicked instantly.

"Shut up! People are coming soon, damn it! Mainkuhn, be quiet, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have messed with you on purpose..."

He started by coaxing her reluctantly, then suddenly cried out in alarm, "Mom, Mom!"

Snap!

He was met with a crisp slap.

"!?"

Mainkun immediately shut its mouth, lowered its tail to the ground, and pressed its ears down slightly, adopting a wary posture.

"A money-losing product."

A young woman's voice floated down a sentence, then quickly turned into a fawning one:

"Guest, I'm sorry you had to see this. You know, when there are many children, some noise is inevitable."

"Haha, I understand you, great mother, you don't get annoyed by your child's noise."

The response was leisurely and seemed to come from a middle-aged man.

“Oh, you are such a considerate gentleman. My child is so lucky to be with you.”

The woman smiled gracefully.

"Now, let's pick who the lucky one is... As for you, get out of here, you ugly freak, you have no place here."

"Mom..." the boy sobbed in anguish.

"No, no rush, madam."

The footsteps didn't leave the doorway, which made Mainkuen a little uneasy.

What made him even more uneasy was that he heard the doorknob being pressed lightly repeatedly.

Logically speaking, only "Dad," "Mom," and "Brother" have the right to open this door at home, but now a stranger has touched it.

"Madam, what treasure have you hidden here? I can hear a child's voice."

"Oh, sir, your hearing is excellent!" the woman tried to stop him. "But we're not ready to make a move on this treasure yet..."

Are you rejecting me?

"..."

"Honestly, your goods are not as appealing as I imagined; they are simply too mediocre."

"..."

With a clanging of keys, the door was opened anyway.

"!!!elder brother…"

Startled, it puffed up its tail and arched its back.

In his trepidation, he saw a face that was a mixture of joy, surprise, admiration, and greed.

"Mainkuhn, Mainkuhn is a little scared, just a little... Wow!"

"Oh God! Oh God! A blessing from the gods!"

The man in the well-tailored suit took a few quick steps, knelt on one knee, and with trembling hands reached out, suddenly scooped up the bewildered child lying on the floor.

"My goodness! It's so small! So convenient, you can pick it up and use it with one hand! How big is it, madam!"

Little Mei, with her tail between her legs, was tossed around between the man's hands.

"Ouch..."

"Six years and one month old... Wait, sir, we haven't raised this child yet!"

"Fifty million! Really six years old? My God, he seems even younger than my five-year-old niece! He's the one, Madam, he's the one!"

The tucked tail was forcibly lifted up, and the tightly clenched paws were pried open for his admiration. The way he examined the child was not like examining a child, but more like picking out a fat puppy at a pet store.

"No, sir, this won't do..." The pet shop owner hesitated.

"Seventy million, he's worth that price!"

"What is happening? What is happening?!"

The opera house erupted in an uproar.

Even a fool would realize something's wrong by now.

"Weren't we supposed to see the lynx's first crime? Where was the crime?"

"All we can see is that he is being criminalized and about to be murdered!"

"Police!"

Navelette had already stood up without anyone noticing, cold sweat trickling down his white hair.

"Investigate this person, investigate."

"vomit."

Funina covered her mouth and gagged, her face turning pale. "...Scum...What divine gift...I just want divine punishment now."

"well."

Zhongli, sitting in the front row, let out a long sigh.

"At such a young age."

"Elheisen, was this also within your expectations??"

"No, it's not evil."

"Hahahaha! These filthy humans have truly opened my eyes once again!"

"Brother En..."

Amidst the gasps of disbelief and shock, the images of memory continued to replay.

"It's not about the money..."

"One hundred million! One hundred million! Madam, I can assure you, even if you raise him to adulthood and train him properly, at the tender age of fourteen or fifteen, you still won't get such a high price!"

The woman's heart was moved, and she relented.

"Well, stubborn sir, alas, it's really not about the money. There's something strange about this kid, and we haven't found a solution yet, so we can only isolate him for now."

"I don't know what you're talking about. In my opinion, he's almost perfect." A bewildered Xiao Mei held her mouth up to the light after it was pinched open.

"Gentle, obedient, peculiar, charming, it's just that her teeth don't look very sharp, but it's not a problem."

"Okay, okay."

The woman saw his determination and stopped trying to stop him.

"Since you insist on taking him away, then I'll give you some advice."

"When you need to force him, you must, absolutely must, make sure the gun is nearby. Of course, if possible, it's best not to use force. Try to coax him more and maintain a friendly relationship with him. He's usually very obedient."

“My family doesn’t have the habit of coaxing children; all we have are whips and candy.”

"That's terrible, sir. I suggest you take another person with you, like his brother, for added security..."

"Brother? Are you blood relatives? What do you look like?"

He perked up, but lost interest the moment he saw the picture.

"I'm getting a bit old. I hope they're not bundling unsellable stock with other products for me to sell?"

"Don't you dare say my brother is old!"

Xiao Mei, who hadn't understood anything before, suddenly understood the sentence and kicked him in the arm.

"He's much younger than you! You'll definitely die before him!"

The blow was insignificant and didn't bother the man; his eyes merely darkened for a moment.

"This baby's mouth needs some discipline."

"Try to comfort him a bit and keep him calm..."

"Okay, okay."

He opened his mouth perfunctorily and pinched Little May's waist.

"Come play at your uncle's house later. Don't be scared. Your brother will come to pick you up and take you home to sleep after you've played enough. Be a good boy/girl!"

"...Never mind, we don't accept returns. Goodbye, sir. Don't forget to pay first."

Where are you taking me? Where are you taking me?

Xiao Mei was terrified when she was forcibly carried out of the room. She began to wriggle and struggle in the adults' arms, and her cries attracted a group of boys and girls.

"Mainkuhn? How did you get released?"

"Sister! Sister!"

He started pleading for help, "I hate him, I don't want to play with him!"

"What's going on..." The girl hesitated, unsure whether to stop them.

The man's only explanation was, "I am a childless marquis, and I am going to adopt him."

Her hesitant gaze instantly turned to annoyance, and the girl glared fiercely at her youngest brother.

"What good luck, tsk."

...

"elder brother!!!!"

"Stop playing! Stop playing! Leosley!!"

Leosley was jolted awake by a violent shaking.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself tightly holding the sleeping Mainkun in his hand, while the Water Dragon King was holding his arm tightly to prevent him from strangling him to death by using too much force.

"I... haha, how should I put it, it felt like my consciousness disappeared for a moment? Haha."

He wanted to laugh, but for some reason his voice was terribly hoarse, as if he had just swallowed three pounds of bitter water.

"That's strange, it might be due to lack of sleep..."

"Stop talking!"

A barely audible sob escaped Lyosley's lips, and he felt a sudden darkness before his eyes and caught a faint whiff of moisture.

It was Villette, who knelt on Mainkuen’s chair, holding Leosley’s head tightly, his fingers running through his hair, gently stroking it.

"Stop talking, Leosley, I know, I understand..."

Are you crying? That's so unlike you, Judge...

"Then, Your Grace, are you alright?"

Sumeru? Liyue? Why is everyone looking at me? Oh, I remember now, that picture that shows what I looked like as a child. It seems I haven't changed much over the years.

The last time I was surrounded by such a large number of eyes was when I was a child at the opera house, during the trial for matricide and patricide.

“Mr. Leosley, it’s all in the past, and besides, you were just a child who needed protection back then…”

"Alright, traveler, there's no need to treat me like a child. It was just a momentary lapse in judgment."

After nuzzling against Villette's chest one last time, Leosley voluntarily broke free from the rare embrace.

"Mainkuhn, Mainkuhn."

The brother, freed from comfort, adjusted his posture, resting Mainkuen's head on his shoulder and stroking his fur gently, as if trying to soothe the pain he had missed.

“You weren’t angry with me at all, even though I was absent when you needed me the most. That’s great, Mainkuhn.”

"For this love, I will stand by your side forever, until death do us part."