Fantasy Family Simulator (FFS)

"Chirp~" (Alright)

Firebird reluctantly turned its head and once again took to the sky, heading towards the manor.

From above, the vast autumn landscape was laid out in full view. Rhett stroked his chin, recalling the recent episode, and muttered to himself, "It seems… in the past, I sacrificed quite a bit to get Bai Ge to cooperate with the act.

Unwittingly, Bai Ge has managed to offend all the magical beasts around it, now being targeted by Firebird and Moge, becoming the enemy of all the young ones. This can't go on!

When I tame the White-Eyed Mouse and Ice Mouse pups, I might need a different actor.

Otherwise, who knows if one day Bai Ge might wander into the Dark-Patterned Eagle Range and never come out again…"

As he pondered, Rhett absentmindedly stroked Firebird's soft feathers. Firebird, not burdened with such thoughts, simply chirped contentedly.

"Father, we're at the Alchemy Tower! Let me down quickly; I want to find Mina!" Tylers said excitedly.

"No need to rush me!" Rhett replied helplessly.

Soon, Firebird descended close to the ground. Tylers jumped off, tidied up his slightly messy clothes, and waved to the departing Rhett.

"Goodbye, Father!"

"Goodbye, Tylers!"

As the fiery figure grew more distant, Tylers seemed to remember something and suddenly shouted, "Oh, and Father, don't forget about my Coiling Dragon!"

His loud voice echoed into the sky, but there was no response, only the fading silhouette…

Rhett, his back to the scene, absorbed the words, thinking to himself, "Coiling Dragon, huh? I should move it up on my schedule. The sooner it's finished, the sooner I can rest easy…"

Returning to the manor, Rhett saw the butler, Sveta, hurrying out of the castle, her steps quick but always maintaining her grace on the cobblestone path.

As she approached, Sveta greeted him, "Welcome home, Master. I offer you my most sincere regards."

Rhett smiled in return.

"Heh, it's always comforting to be greeted by my reliable assistant as soon as I return.

Sveta, has anything happened in the territory during my month-long absence?"

Sveta pondered for a moment before nodding.

"Yes, there are two matters I need to report to you."

"What are they? Please go ahead."

"First, the ranger couple, Flano and Laurine, have had their child.

Second, Alchemist Henk visited me a few days ago. He mentioned that when you returned, it would be best if you could find time to see him. He has something he wishes to discuss with you."

"Hmph, being all mysterious now," Rhett pretended to think it over, then smiled again. "I see. Thank you for your hard work these past few days."

"It's no trouble, Master. It's all part of my duties," Sveta responded quickly.

Rhett then pondered aloud, "Please inform Maru to prepare some refreshments and bring them to the hall on the fifth floor. I'll be up shortly."

Sveta nodded, "I'll take care of it, Master."

Without pausing to rest after his journey, Rhett gave a few more instructions and then left the manor again, heading to the nearby training ground.

At that moment, Makov was guiding Younika in her magic training.

The little girl, with her twin ponytails, was earnestly practicing Water Ball on a large rock in the distance. Noticing Rhett's arrival, Younika stole a quick glance at him before refocusing on her target, too nervous to look again.

Makov, however, was surprised to see Rhett at the training ground's entrance.

"Hey, Rhett! You're finally back. Where have you been this past month?"

"Hmm, I took a trip to the White Mouse Range and brought back something good for you," Rhett said with a mysterious smile.

"Something good?" Makov raised an eyebrow, curious about what could be considered good by Rhett.

Rhett gestured for him to follow.

"Come with me. This isn't the right place to reveal it, but I guarantee you'll be surprised."

"You said it. If I'm not surprised, you'll have to buy me drinks tonight," Makov, intrigued, followed Rhett with growing interest.

They walked a little over a kilometer and finally stopped beneath an ancient tree in an open area.

Rhett took out a specially crafted stone box and opened it, revealing a dark mist of concentrated shadow elements.

Though it could obscure an ordinary person's view, it didn't hinder Makov. His eyes immediately widened as he sensed the presence of three tiny White-Eyed Mouse pups, a look of disbelief flashing across his face!

As the mist dissipated, three tiny mice, covered in a thin layer of white fur, huddled together, squeaking frantically. The sudden light caused the pups to panic.

Luckily, Rhett quickly grabbed one of the pups and tossed it to Makov before covering the other two with shadow elements once more. The pup, tossed into the air, squeaked in fear, its limbs flailing about.

Suddenly, its wild descent ended as strong hands caught it securely. The pup stared in surprise at the unfamiliar 'big face,' its squeaking halted as curiosity took over.

Makov blinked, locking eyes with the little creature for a moment before turning to Rhett.

"Good grief, you're so rough! This little one looks like it's only a week old. How can you just toss it like that?"

"Do you like it?" Rhett asked with a smile.

"It… is pretty cute." Makov hesitated for a moment before responding firmly, "But it doesn't belong to me. If you intend to give it to me, I won't accept it."

"Hey, man, what are you thinking? There's no way I'm giving it to you!" Rhett pretended to be shocked.

"Then why did you hand it to me? Shouldn't you wrap it back up in shadow elements…" Makov, slightly disappointed, replied calmly.

"Tsk tsk, this isn't a gift. Think of it as a small reward for standing by my side on the battlefield." Rhett waved it off casually.

Faced with this excuse, Makov found himself at a loss for words, staring at Rhett in silence. Having known him for years, Rhett could tell what Makov was thinking. He sighed, a little impatient, and said,

"Enough with the formalities. I have three of these pups and don't know who to give them to. If you don't take one, I don't have anyone more deserving. What am I supposed to do, release them into the wild?"

"That would be a waste!" Makov couldn't help but protest.

Rhett smiled with satisfaction.

After a moment of silence, Makov relented.

"Alright, I'll take the White-Eyed Mouse pup. But let's cancel the condition I mentioned before—about you paying for all the drinks from now on…"

"Hmm, I vaguely remember that. Now that you mention it, it seems I wasn't planning on paying anyway. Looks like I'm losing out on this deal…" Rhett rubbed his chin, feigning realization.

Makov's mouth twitched as he cursed,

"Damn it! If something like that happens again, don't come to me. I won't agree to it!"

Rhett shrugged, ignoring Makov's grumbling as he turned and left.