New law of Beast Taming

"Stella, come and sit down with us. You are awake early as well and it does not look like you had any breakfast. So, you should eat something before you do anything else."

Amane dragged Stella to the table and finished heating the remainder of the bland breakfast she had been eating. She did not want to be the only one to suffer while eating such things.

She placed the mixture of ingredients in front of Stella and watched her gag on the food.

'Ah, I knew that Stella still had a rather refined taste when it came to food. She will not waste anything but she would also not enjoy it. Serves her right for not checking up on my cook.'

So, Amane might have had a tiny (huge) bit of a personal agenda when she had made Stella sit down and eat her food. But in her defense, she had been waiting for the food as well.

Stella very subtly took out a napkin and tried to throw her food out of her mouth. But the aftertaste still lingered inside her mouth.
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"Officer Stella, about our trip today. Did you get permission to head into the Valley of Criticus? You promised me that you would try to get it this time. Did you manage to keep your promise?"

Amane could read the reluctance in Stella's eyes to answer Professor Cardin. It seemed like Stella was not a big fan of this man as well. But she was trying her best to tolerate him.

"I did get the permission to take you there as long as you get everything you want to bring back checked by our officers. We do not want any incident to happen from this outing."

Stella reminded the professor but he had likely stopped listening after he had gotten permission to head out.

"I need to start preparing. My things need to be sterilized and then there is my equipment that I need to prepare. I don't think I have enough containers to keep my samples and…"

Professor Cardin seemed to be lost in his world as he went out of the dining room. He did not notice the look of disgust that Stella gave him. Nor did he notice how Stella clenched her hands to keep Professor Cardin away from his previous research.

But then she noticed how Yoko was paying attention to her and Stella calmed her expression down.

"I am sorry for sticking you with such a person. I would have preferred you to have a guest house all to yourself but the higher-ups thought it would be too dangerous. Professor Cardin was the calmest prisoner, so we decided to risk it. But now I can see that it was not the right choice."

Amane was amused when Stella tried to explain her reasons to Amane. She seemed worried that Amane would hate her or something.

But all her worries were put to rest when Amane just laughed at her worries and shook her head in amusement.

"There is no need for you to be worried about me, Stella. I know that none of it is your fault. I do not mind spending time with the dwarf professor and I must admit that he is rather amusing at times. I am sure I will have a good time here."

Moreover, Amane was sure that she would be able to wiggle out something about Sakura's condition.

Professor Cardin had hinted at his knowledge more than once during this whole time. And now Amane was getting curious as well.

"I know that you can take care of yourself, Yoko. But for some reason, I am still worried about you. And Professor Cardin is not the most stable person out there."

Stella sounded worried but resigned at the same time. She knew that there was nothing she could do about these things.

Before she could say anything else, the door opened and Professor Cardin decided to step out. He was decked out in his gear from head to toe and his bag looked three times bigger than the professor was.

"Let's head out now. I am ready to gather all the ingredients I can. I am in the middle of an experiment and this is the golden time for me to include new materials in the mix."

The dwarf looked funny when he walked. Amane doubted that the professor would be able to carry this bag back home.

And Stella must have the same thought because she decided to take the bag off the dwarf's back and hold it in her hands.

"I think I should be the one to carry this bag for the time being. Otherwise, I am afraid that we will never be able to return home."

Stella's words sounded like an almost jab to Amane. But the professor seemed unaware of being mocked. Either that, or he did not care about how he was seen by others.

"Fine, suit yourself. If you keep my samples safe and sound, I do not care who carried my luggage."

The professor looked satisfied to have someone carry his things. And that was how the three of them went off toward the Valley of Criticus.

...

Valley of Criticus sounded like an intimidating place to anyone who looked at it. But contrary to its fame as a dangerous place where you were expected to meet danger, it was beautiful to look at.

The lush green forest opened into a small opening surrounded by cliffs and other natural disasters. But Amane was concerned about the lack of beasts in this place.

Usually, such mystical places were filled to the brim with beasts. They were attracted to the energy of such places and made their home in the depths of such places. So, what made Valley of Criticus? So unique that no beast was willing to set food in here?

"Ah, this is heaven. Look at this plant. Oh, and this one as well! And this one! They are all in such perfect condition as well. This is truly the best."

Professor Cardin seemed to be having the time of his life. His excitement shined in his eyes and he walked all around the place to try and get his hands on whatever he could.

"The professor is far too excited to be here. Yoko, are you sure you are alright coming here? Usually, we ask both partners where they want to go and then decide, but since you came to the house so abruptly, we were not able to ask you…"

Stella looked worried to hear Amane's response. She bit her lower lip in agitation and waited for Yoko to say anything regarding how she felt.

"Hmm, I do not mind coming here. I needed to visit the Valley of Criticus once in my life anyway, so this works out. This place is beautiful."

'And dangers as well. All the magical pressure with no beast in sight is rather concerning. This only happens if there is a bigger power at play in the group. But I cannot see any of the other beasts or feel their presence.'

Maybe that was the origin of this bad feeling Amane was feeling from this place. Her heart skipped a beat when she walked into the sunlit valley in front of her.

Professor Cardin was busy farming all the herbs he could and Amane decided to join him. She had only touched one of the herbs when she felt something bubbling beneath the surface of the Valley of Criticus.

It felt as if something huge was heading her way and Amane's body tensed up. The current was building closer and closer to her.

'Our enemies are here. They are here to tear us apart and I need to protect my children.'

These thoughts, these impulses, they were all something that did not belong to Amane. Even if *Amane* was the one feeling these things now, she could tell that she was not the original recipient of these feelings.

"Yoko, are you alright? If you are feeling sick, then I can cut this outing short and we can head back home."

The sudden sight touch on Amane's shoulder was what snapped her out of her thought process. She looked back at Stella's worried expression and felt her heart calm down.

The ground that had been shaking up until now looked calm as well and it did not seem as if anyone else had noticed the ground shaking.

'Was it only me? Was I the only one who felt the ground shake and break? Or was it a hallucination as well? Something to confuse my senses so that I will try and loom for the truth?'

Amane had a feeling that her instincts were trying to tell her something. This feeling inside her was not normal and was likely connected to the power Rabelais Amane possessed.

...

"Father, everything is going as planned. We have awakened Rabelais and her power. Soon, things would be as you want them to be once more."

Chen looked up at the throne room, waiting for the entity to reply to him. But the goddess that sat on her throne did not react. She was in the stare of eternal rest and gathering her power. She had disconnected from this world a long time ago.

But Chen was not disheartened. This farewell was only temporary.

"Father, Mother is starting to remember. Soon, she will come back to us. You just need to wait a little longer and you will have what you desire back in your arms."

This time, the goddess moved and that was all Chen needed to know that he had chosen the right path.