A secluded villa in the Imperial Beast Academy.
Lu Fei sat by a tea table and began preparing tea.
Sitting opposite him was Chu Huainan. The old man's posture was upright, but perhaps due to his age, he appeared somewhat gaunt. However, clad in a Tang suit, he exuded an aura of venerable old age.
Lu Fei poured the freshly boiled water over the entire teapot and then over all the teacups. Next, he used a wooden scoop to take out the tea leaves, placed them into the teapot, and poured hot water to rinse them.
After completing these steps, he let the tea steep for a few minutes before pouring the tea into the cups, filling them about seventy percent full.
Each step was performed with practiced skill, observed by Chu Huainan.
"I didn't expect young friend Lu Fei to be a connoisseur of tea?" Chu Huainan said with a faint smile.
Drinking tea might be a common affair, but appreciating tea was an elegant pursuit. Typically, only high-ranking officials and wealthy individuals would set up tea sets in their homes or offices to entertain guests. Ordinary people simply drank tea to quench their thirst.
Lu Fei raised both hands and offered a cup of tea to Chu Huainan, smiling. "You flatter me, Elder. I learned this out of necessity at the orphanage. Back then, when the director entertained guests, I had to serve by their side."
Lu Fei spoke the truth, but his mind conjured an image of a balding old man – his mentor before his transmigration. Whenever they discussed academics, the professor would drag him along for tea, all day long. The steps taken to and from the restroom alone numbered in the thousands...
To cater to the old professor's preferences, Lu Fei had even obtained a tea master certification!
Chu Huainan nodded slightly. After the beast taming competition, he had already asked Lin Yuansheng to retrieve Lu Fei's personal file, thus gaining a more in-depth understanding of Lu Fei's background. Although the young man had saved his life, with his experience, he always sought to thoroughly understand matters first.
Chu Huainan lifted his teacup and took a few sips.
A moment of sweetness lingered on his tongue, making him want more.
"The tea is excellent, and the person who brewed it is also professional!" Chu Huainan said with a sigh, setting down his teacup.
*It's stating the obvious, I spent four years studying, and a whole year just brewing tea...* Lu Fei thought to himself, while offering a slight smile outwardly.
Chu Huainan looked up and out the window, exhaling deeply.
He said seriously, "To get back to the point, I only told you half of what I intended to say this afternoon. Upon further reflection, I should explain things to you more clearly."
Hearing this, Lu Fei straightened his posture, striving to maintain a relaxed demeanor. Regardless of what the elder said, he would remain calm at all times.
Lu Fei seized the opportunity and said with a smile, "Even if you didn't mention it, Elder, I was about to ask you. I'm very curious about the origin of the stunned snake."
Lu Fei knew that with Chu Huainan's experience, he would surely have noticed the unusual nature of the stunned snake. The more he deliberately avoided discussing it, the more it would invite the elder's probing. Therefore, it was better to bring up the topic directly, which would make him appear more open.
Chu Huainan pondered for a moment before finally speaking.
His tone was neither heavy nor light, as if he were recounting a very ordinary event.
But the answer he gave was incredibly shocking!
"Perhaps it comes from the Star Domain."
Lu Fei's body stiffened abruptly.
His already unsettled heart began to pound wildly, as if it might leap out of his chest at any moment!
He leaned forward involuntarily.
He recalled the repeated words of Aidus before its demise; it had consistently emphasized one place, and that place was...
"The Star Domain!"
It had also implored him, if he ever had the chance, to send the stunned snake back to the Star Domain! Therefore, the stunned snake must indeed originate from this place called the Star Domain!
Lu Fei had considered that, with Chu Huainan's experience, he might offer a vague answer. However, he hadn't expected the elder to guess so accurately!
"Young friend Lu Fei?"
Chu Huainan called out softly a few times, and Lu Fei finally snapped back to attention.
He had managed to suppress his emotions with considerable rationality, but he had still lost focus for a moment.
Lu Fei chuckled softly, picked up his teacup, and took a few sips to conceal his inner excitement.
"Just by looking at the stunned snake, you guessed it's from the Star Domain? That's impossible, unless you have other information, Elder." Lu Fei placed his right hand to his lips, feigning deep thought, and asked with manufactured confusion, "Elder, where is this Star Domain? I've never heard of it."
Chu Huainan sighed and slowly said, "Actually, no one in the world knows the exact location of the Star Domain."
"Hmm? Are you planning to hold something back, Elder?" Lu Fei's brow furrowed even deeper.
"However," Chu Huainan changed his tone, pointed towards the sky, and said thoughtfully, "it's generally located up there."
"Where?"
Lu Fei was taken aback.
The Star Domain is in outer space?... Lu Fei felt numb. So, if he wanted to go home, he first had to build a spaceship?
Both fell silent.
Lu Fei looked dejected, thinking that his hope of returning to his original world seemed even more remote...
Chu Huainan, on the other hand, was contemplating whether he should tell the young man some things. He wasn't deliberately withholding the exact location of the Star Domain; it was just that, to this day, even the most brilliant scientists could only ascertain its general location, not its precise coordinates.
Chu Huainan tapped his fingers on the table. After a moment, he placed both hands on the tabletop, exhaled, as if having made a decision. "Never mind. Some things are classified, but I believe you should know."
Lu Fei's eyes lit up, and he looked up with anticipation.
Chu Huainan slowly said, "All of this began over thirty years ago, with a meteor impact event."
"That year, a celestial meteor fell into a village, destroying it overnight. No villagers survived. This incident drew the high attention of the world government, which quickly cordoned off the site. Simultaneously, no further news about this meteor impact event was ever released to the outside world!"
Lu Fei's expression became serious, and he mused inwardly, *If it were merely a meteor destroying a village, the world government would have no reason to suppress the news. There must be some more significant secret behind this incident.*
Lu Fei boldly speculated, connecting the meteor impact with the discovery of the Star Domain.
"Could it be..." Lu Fei's face changed.
"Elder, did the meteor perhaps contain other life forms?" Lu Fei proposed his conjecture.
Chu Huainan was startled.
Then, he gave Lu Fei a thumbs-up and chuckled, "How did you know?"
*There's no other possibility...* Lu Fei smiled and said, "Just guessing."
Chu Huainan praised Lu Fei a few more times and continued, "You guessed correctly. The special department found five unhatched eggs in the meteor crater. Later, they took these five eggs back and, through special means, successfully hatched three unknown creatures! The appearance of those unknown creatures bore a close resemblance to the early forms of contract beasts."
Lu Fei nodded inwardly but felt something was amiss. Even so, humans couldn't have learned about the Star Domain. He had Chicken Brother as a translator to get information about the Star Domain from Aidus, but they couldn't communicate with other creatures.
Lu Fei asked curiously, "Elder, since humans can't communicate with other creatures, how did they know they came from a place called the Star Domain?"
Chu Huainan did not directly answer his question, but instead asked, "You must know that the contract scroll was developed by a specialized research institution of the world government."
Lu Fei nodded.
Chu Huainan continued, "This department developed a device that could translate the language of contract beasts. Although it wasn't fully mature, it still managed to decipher the words 'Star Domain' through this translation!"
*There's such an invention...* Lu Fei was taken aback.
This meant these unknown creatures might indeed be from the Star Domain, and perhaps even related to the stunned snake?
In the future, if he had the chance to meet them, perhaps through the stunned snake's connections, they might show some leniency, and he could learn some information about the Star Domain!
Lu Fei's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked,
"Elder, are these three unknown creatures still in the laboratory?"
Chu Huainan's expression turned grim, and he shook his head.
Lu Fei's expression changed. "They died?"
Chu Huainan still shook his head, but his expression turned somewhat displeased. "They were stolen."
"Stolen?"