A golden droplet capable of helping a lowly creature cultivate into human form—Tu Manli, a cultivator and a high-ranking YCG official, even if she had never witnessed such a thing herself, naturally understood that this was the kind divine artifact that would make anyone’s mouth water. For all she knew, it might have come from some ancient true immortal.
If news of this ever leaked, a little demon like Ye Yang would never be able to protect it. Not only would he lose the droplet—he’d be lucky to keep his own life.
If it weren’t for the fact that she herself had little hope of further advancement and had never been driven by such ambitions, Tu Manli would have found it hard not to covet it herself. Fortunately, only she and Ye Yang knew about it, and the droplet had already been fully absorbed by him. Tu Manli had carefully examined him and confirmed that unless Ye Yang deliberately revealed it, no one else would be able to detect it.
After Tu Manli left, Ye Yang’s heart was still racing, his emotions unsettled.
Everything was so different from what he had imagined.
Ye Yang’s understanding of humans came entirely from the fragmented glimpses in his inherited memories. But overall, in his perception, human attitudes toward non-humans were extreme. Humans either regarded non-humans as deities to be worshipped and prayed to, or they labeled them all as demons and monsters to be hunted and exterminated.
That was why he had reacted so strongly when he discovered Tu Manli was human. He had just told her he was a demon—spilled all his secrets—and then she told him she was human…
In light of this, Ye Yang reflected deeply. He must never again assume someone’s identity based on preconceived notions. When communicating with others, he had to be cautious—cautious above all.
Moreover, over the past few days, Ye Yang had also realized that the knowledge about human society he had gained from his inherited memories was long outdated. The clothing, architecture, and living environments in his memories were vastly different from the present day.
He had to break this habit. The inheritance from the golden droplet had certainly helped him greatly, but he couldn’t rely on it blindly or take it for granted. If he wanted to live a normal life in this world, he would have to observe more and learn more.
As a newcomer who had always lived alone, this little sea bunny still had so much to learn about interacting with both humans and non-humans.
·
After calming down a bit, Ye Yang finally opened the pile of things he had collected from the registration office.
The items included a full set of daily necessities—bedding, several changes of clothes, toiletries. These were provided for demons unfamiliar with modern society. Whether or not a demon needed to sleep or wash, at least during their time at the YCG, they were required to learn how to use these things.
Of course, none of this was free. Once Ye Yang was capable of earning money, he would have to pay it all back—whether in human currency or demon currency.
There was also a YCG handbook.
During registration, the experienced Director Bai had directly implanted modern Huaxia language and characters into Ye Yang’s mind. Though he still didn’t know how to use them very well, with the help of the knowledge in his head, Ye Yang could painstakingly read the handbook—it just took him several times longer.
The handbook clearly outlined the duties and regulations of the YCG, covering everything about non-human society and all aspects of non-human activity in human society.
So the YCG’s scope of management was this broad? And the organization was jointly managed by humans and non-humans—no wonder they treated little demons like him so well and even provided educational opportunities.
But the handbook also mentioned that severe penalties would be imposed on those who endangered human or non-human safety, deliberately disrupted the relationship between humans and non-humans, or intentionally exposed non-human identities to ordinary humans. The strictest punishment could cause a non-human to be completely annihilated—no chance for reincarnation, not even the possibility of being reborn.
Ye Yang’s entire body trembled as he read this. A lingering fear crept into his heart, and he felt especially grateful to Tu Manli. If she hadn’t found him and brought him to headquarters, he would have certainly caused trouble on his own.
And if that had happened, forget finding his benefactor—he would be lucky if he could even keep his own little life.
After flipping through the various regulations several more times, Ye Yang suddenly wondered: How did the YCG ensure that all non-humans were under their supervision?
Turning to the next page, he found the answer immediately.
The YCG had a Bai Ze—a mythical creature that knew everything about the world. They also had a Di Ting, who could hear everyone’s thoughts. And there was even a mysterious, powerful being who could detect any violation of the rules by anyone registered with the YCG—human or non-human. The detection used the blood taken during registration along with a trace of spiritual intent from the mind.
At this point, the last bit of wishful thinking in Ye Yang’s heart completely vanished. He silently warned himself that he must never break the rules.
Finally, the handbook also included the curriculum he would be studying. It covered mandatory human education, mandatory non-human education, general spellcraft courses, general transformation courses, and so much more. Ye Yang’s eyes lit up as he read through them. Surely, among all these, there would be the tracking spell he wanted!
He carefully read the handbook page by page, not stopping until the sky had turned completely dark. Only then did he close the book and let out a deep breath.
Then, he finally had time to take a look at his dormitory.
Because demons mostly cultivate alone, have wildly different habits, and even different communities of the same species might harbor blood feuds, most demons can’t live in group dorms. The YCG, being wealthy and generous, simply provides single dorms for everyone.
Ye Yang’s room was a small single dorm. The door faced north. On the west side was a lofted bed with a desk underneath. On the east side stood two cabinets that could hold quite a bit. There was also a window facing south. The room had no air conditioning or electric fan—most demons had no need for them, and if they did, they could apply for one.
Considering he was an aquatic being, the dorm assigned to him, though small, had an unusually large bathroom—even featuring a big bathtub, far exceeding the standard for an ordinary single dorm. But that didn’t mean much to Ye Yang. His true form was only a few centimeters long—a sink would be plenty big enough for him to soak in.
Moreover, perhaps due to the magical droplet, Ye Yang didn’t suffer from dehydration like other aquatic beings. It hadn’t been obvious in the ocean, but ever since boarding the ship, he hadn’t soaked in water at all. He only felt a bit thirstier than usual—nothing uncomfortable.
The bathroom also had a washing machine. It looked very old, as if it hadn’t been used in a long time. Next to it on the floor tiles sat a brand-new bottle of laundry detergent.
After figuring out what the machine was for, Ye Yang suddenly realized that the ill-fitting clothes he had been wearing ever since coming ashore were already covered in dust and other unsightly stains. They were long overdue for a wash!
After studying how to use it, Ye Yang put the changed clothes into the washing machine, carefully added laundry detergent, hesitantly selected a few options, and finally started the machine with great caution. He had braced himself somewhat, but he still jumped at the sudden noise the washing machine made.
Naked, eyes wide, he stared at the machine as it ran. After a while, his eyes suddenly lit up—he realized why this washing machine looked so old and unused!
Although he didn’t know how himself, he was aware that there were many spells that could easily clean clothes. His inherited memories contained many detailed tutorials, but they all taught advanced spells that he couldn’t learn yet. Basic spells like these, however, were absent.
Suddenly, Ye Yang felt filled with anticipation for the days ahead. Tomorrow, he would start school. Surely they would teach these basic spells first, right? Perhaps soon, with just a wave of his hand, he could make dirty clothes clean again and return scattered items to their proper places!
Truly, coming to the YCG was the right decision!
After washing his clothes and taking a shower, Ye Yang slipped into comfortable pajamas and crawled into bed. He let out a contented sigh. He had thought he wouldn’t sleep another wink tonight. But less than half a minute after lying down in the warm, cozy blanket, he was fast asleep.
For a sea bunny who had always lived in the vast, boundless ocean, this dormitory was a bit small. But for Ye Yang, newly arrived in the human world, it was just right—small, giving him a sense of security.
·
The next day, filled with both nervousness and anticipation, Ye Yang officially began his compulsory courses at the YCG headquarters.
Tu Manli arrived early in the morning and took Ye Yang to the classroom he needed to go to.
The YCG headquarters was enormous. And it wasn’t laid out on a single plane—it was a collection of multiple different spaces connected by spells. These spaces were actually located in different parts of Huaxia. The two farthest areas were even at the southernmost and northernmost ends of the country.
For example, the newcomer area where Ye Yang was staying—to prevent potential danger—was actually located at the center of a volcano. If not for spells maintaining a comfortable temperature, the extreme heat would have melted everything.
Because of these interconnected spaces, sometimes you might just walk up a flight of stairs only to find yourself hundreds of meters in the air.
The handbook did contain a map, but even with a map, the complexity of the YCG headquarters was beyond what a newly arrived little demon could figure out.
Especially since Ye Yang was practically “illiterate.”
Along the way, Ye Yang didn’t dare relax for a moment. He followed closely behind Tu Manli, crossed a different garden than the one from yesterday, took a teleportation array, and finally reached the classroom ten minutes later. Tu Manli had work to do, so as soon as she dropped him off, she left.
Ye Yang looked at the ordinary sliding door in front of him, tried to steady his racing heart, and carefully pulled it open.
Before he even stepped into the classroom, Ye Yang was hit by the overwhelming wave of mixed auras.
He had lived deep in the ocean for a long time. The only demon he had met at the YCG so far was Director Bai, who kept his demonic aura completely concealed. This was the first time Ye Yang had encountered so many different types and strengths of demonic auras all at once.
The mixed auras slammed into him like a punch to the face, rushing straight to his head and making him dizzy.
He stood there dazed for a good while before he dared to step into the classroom.
But the scene inside was even more astonishing.
This spacious so-called “classroom” didn’t have a single person in it. Instead, there were all kinds of animals. And rather than a classroom, the place looked more like a small indoor zoo.
Behind the door seemed to be an entirely different world. There was grass, there were trees, and there were several deep pools. Scattered among them were animals both large and small, their gazes all fixed on Ye Yang in unison—making the timid little sea bunny afraid to take another step forward.
Ye Yang stood there blankly, swallowing involuntarily. This didn’t seem quite the same as what Director Tu had described…
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