Above the Sea of Clouds

Above the sea of clouds.

"Meow! Woof! Grrrrl!"

Five Little Shashas lay on their backs, floating belly-up in the sea of clouds.

Crackle!

Occasional streaks of electricity flickered across their skin.

Their eyes stared blankly into the distance.

No reason—just pure, mindless zoning out.

In their sharky little brains, they couldn’t seem to think of any way to pass the time.

No, wait—actually, it was weird.

Weren’t they supposed to live in the ocean? How were they floating in the sky now?

More importantly, why were all their little friends so scared of them?

Little Shasha felt lonely.

Their mistress hadn’t come to visit them in a long time.

Just as they were thinking this—

"Huh? Qin Luo?! What happened to Little Shasha?! And why are they electric now?"

Hearing the familiar voice, all five of Little Shasha’s heads snapped up, their eyes instantly lighting up.

"Meow!"

"Roar!"

"Woof!"

"Grrrl!"

They wriggled excitedly, trying to flip over to greet their mistress—only for their five heads to bonk into each other.

Their bodies spun midair before landing with a plop, belly-up again.

"Pfft!"

Su Muwan couldn’t help but laugh, poking Little Shasha’s belly. "Did you guys overdo the flipping?"

All five heads simultaneously made a pitiful face, letting out a low "Grrrrl."

They weren’t smart—they just knew they hadn’t seen their mistress in forever.

Su Muwan laughed even harder, gently rubbing their bellies.

Little Shasha immediately closed their eyes in bliss, all five heads purring in unison like they were getting the best massage ever.

"Miss Su, are you Crayon Muwan now?" Qin Luo teased from the side. "If you’re gonna keep pets, at least visit them once in a while. They’re practically dying of boredom."

"You—!"

Su Muwan shot Qin Luo a glare but quickly turned back to Little Shasha, huffing. "Hmph! As if some measly Qin Luo gets to lecture me! Of course I’ve been taking care of them!"

She crouched down, cupping one of Little Shasha’s heads in her hands and gently squishing its cheeks. "Little Shasha, did you miss me?"

The head being squished immediately nuzzled into her palm, while the other four scrambled to get in on the action.

Su Muwan giggled, dodging them playfully. "Okay, okay! No fighting—there’s enough for everyone!"

Qin Luo watched from the side, an amused smile tugging at his lips.

He walked over, patting Little Shasha’s dorsal fin. "Alright, fess up. Where’d you get this upgrade?"

All five heads turned to blink at Qin Luo.

Then, in perfect sync, they abandoned Su Muwan and started circling Qin Luo like she didn’t even exist.

"Hey! That’s some fast betrayal!" Su Muwan groaned. "I’m your actual owner, you know?!"

Little Shasha glanced at her—then kept orbiting Qin Luo.

For some reason, Qin Luo smelled really good to them.

One of the heads even tried to nuzzle against his hand.

Between that and everything else, Su Muwan was so mad she clenched her fists and gave two solid thunks to the nearest shark head.

"Owwww…"

Little Shasha whimpered, all five heads drooping as they shivered in fear.

Qin Luo’s eye twitched at the sight of Su Muwan’s iron fists.

Damn…

Those things would leave bruises on anyone else…

Good thing he’d maxed out his defense stats.

Qin Luo made a mental note—once his "Lackey System" finished updating, he was dumping everything into defense.

Su Muwan grabbed one of Little Shasha’s heads and shook it lightly. "Who said you could get ideas, huh?"

"Qin Luo’s hands are mine to touch. Got it?"

Little Shasha: "O(╥﹏╥)O Woof… Grrrl… Meow…"

Seeing their pitiful state, the ever-merciful Su Muwan softened. She patted their heads reassuringly. "Alright, alright, don’t sulk. I’ll have Qin Luo take you guys out to play sometime."

"You can make friends in the sea of clouds in other sacred domains."

Qin Luo: "? Excuse me?"

Little Shasha: "(^▽^) !!"

After letting Little Shasha scamper off, Su Muwan turned to Qin Luo, blinking. "By the way, Qin Luo, why are we here again?"

She glanced at the sea of clouds filled with spirit beasts, licking her lips. "Wait… are these things edible?"

!!!

Every spirit beast in the vicinity shuddered.

Wait, what?!

They’d evolved to look less appetizing, hadn’t they?!

How was this living nightmare still thinking about eating them?!

They weren’t like Little Shasha—some weird, brainless spirit beasts.

They had intelligence. They understood her words.

Could she not say things that gave them existential dread?!

Besides, shouldn’t she be feeding them instead?!

More spirit beasts meant a stronger sacred domain’s fortune!

When the real fights came, they could help out!

Hey, nice guy standing next to her—say something for the poor beasts, would you?!

Qin Luo shook his head. "No, Miss Su. They are edible, but we’re not at that point yet."

"We’re here to find a certain… tool beast today."

Every spirit beast’s heart dropped.

"Not at that point yet"?! What does that mean?!

The next second—

The sea of clouds suddenly parted, revealing a path leading deep into its heart.

Qin Luo and Su Muwan both looked over.

All noise from the spirit beasts instantly died.

"Ruler of the Netherfrost Domain."

A deep, authoritative woman’s voice echoed from the end of the path.

"You shattered the Blazing Flame Domain, disrupted the Eastern Glory Heaven, and now trespass into the forbidden sea of clouds… What is your purpose?"

The colossal being within the clouds had sensed Qin Luo and Su Muwan’s arrival long ago.

But she’d deliberately stayed hidden—until Qin Luo’s words registered.

Tool beast?

Her?

How dare he.

This was the first time—no, second—someone had called her that.

If she weren’t bound to protect this place for a thousand years, she’d have annihilated this sacred domain a million times over for that insult alone.

Su Muwan, meanwhile, was not having it.

"This is my turf. Since when is it forbidden?" She rolled her eyes, scoffing. "Who even are you? Do I need your permission to take a stroll?"

The moment she spoke—

Crack.

A fissure split the depths of the clouds, revealing a pair of icy-blue vertical pupils—each larger than a mountain range.

The pupils reflected the two figures standing before them.

Every spirit beast instantly prostrated themselves. Even Little Shasha’s five heads stacked together like a terrified totem pole.

"I oversee the flow of fortune in the Eastern Glory Heaven. That I grace this domain with my presence is already an honor."

The pupils narrowed slightly, voice frosty.

"The last person who dared to disrespect this sovereign—"

Before the words could fully leave its mouth—

Su Muwan snorted coldly: "Enough with the nonsense. This territory belongs to me, which means you’re now my pet."

"Come crawling out and greet your master!"

The colossal creature hidden deep within the sea of clouds was about to rebuke Su Muwan for her audacity.

But the next second—

Whoosh!

It found itself involuntarily parting the mist and lunging forward.

With a thud, it dropped to all fours at Su Muwan’s feet, bowing its head obediently. "Master."

The moment the word escaped its lips—

The creature’s pupils trembled in shock: Huh?

Qin Luo blinked in disbelief.

His gaze shifted to Su Muwan, who was tilting her chin up slightly.

Wait—

Could it be...

That adopting a villain’s tone actually gets things done surprisingly efficiently?