Chapter 51: Home Comforts and Peculiar Preparations

“There truly is no place like home for peace of mind.”

A familiar scent greeted Liu Xingluo as she stepped through the door, prompting a sigh of contentment.

While the journey home had offered a few unexpected turns, like the numerous stares she garnered upon alighting at the community entrance, Liu Xingluo felt a distinct pang of embarrassment. After all, she harbored no desire to be observed by so many strangers in her current feminine form, prompting her to hasten her steps and sprint directly home.

It truly was a vexing predicament. Reverting from her transformed state would inflict such an immense physical toll on her original body that she would instantly collapse. Thus, she was compelled to maintain her current form, staying conscious while simultaneously recuperating her stamina. She longed for her original body to possess the same vigor; not only would she avoid having to move about as a girl, but she might even be able to flaunt her ample stamina and capture the hearts of maidens. For, as everyone knew, women appreciated a man of endurance, didn’t they?

Nevertheless, having returned, she decided it was best to quickly sort out her personal belongings. The official deployment order could arrive at any moment, so she needed to make haste with her packing.

“It seems… there’s not much to pack, after all.”

Normally, for any significant journey, Liu Xingluo would meticulously pack several changes of clothes. Yet, in her present predicament, forced to remain in her feminine guise, her old clothes would undoubtedly prove useless. Her impending destination was surely a place in dire need of Superhumans, signifying constant skirmishes against Evolved Beasts. The more she engaged in combat, the more stamina she would deplete, thereby necessitating the continuation of her transformed state to preserve her consciousness—a truly vicious, self-perpetuating cycle.

“Lain, could you please come out for a moment?”

Since her old clothes were unusable, she would have to bring some feminine attire instead. Conveniently, Lain had already prepared a considerable selection for her, so she would simply choose a few pieces from among them.

“I am here, Your Royal Highness. For what purpose do you summon me?”

Hearing Liu Xingluo’s summons, Lain materialized from the shadows, awaiting further instructions.

“Bring out all the clothes you’ve prepared for me. I need to make a careful selection.”

“As you command.”

As Lain meticulously produced each garment from the shadows, Liu Xingluo began to inspect them one by one.

To her surprise, Lain’s sartorial taste proved rather discerning, with many outfits catching Liu Xingluo’s eye. Beyond the practical garments suitable for daily wear, he had also amassed an assortment of attire utterly impractical, if not outright scandalous, for public appearance—at least, Liu Xingluo would never dare to don them outside. Maid uniforms, bunny girl outfits, and qipaos were among them. Most absurdly, he had even produced a wedding gown.

“Alright, alright, that’s enough, Lain. These are plenty; there’s barely any room left on the bed.”

As the garments rapidly accumulated into a small mountain upon the bed, Lain, seemingly oblivious, continued to relentlessly add more. Liu Xingluo, observing his unchecked enthusiasm, felt compelled to intervene and curb his spree.

“As you command. I wonder if, among the myriad styles I have prepared, any have found favor with Your Royal Highness.”

Lain, obediently, immediately ceased his actions, watching Liu Xingluo as she sifted through the mountain of clothes.

“Yes, quite a few, actually. But Lain, where did you acquire all these clothes?”

She surmised they couldn’t possibly have originated from the imperial palace, given that their cultural styles bore no resemblance to the medieval period. While maid uniforms might have existed centuries ago, the bunny girl ensemble was unmistakably a modern creation, let alone the other garments that clearly echoed contemporary fashion.

“Naturally, I procured them from other locations. Having observed that Your Royal Highness appeared to have a fondness for garments from the human world, I specifically arranged for these.”

“Procured… You didn’t just take them without their owners’ consent, did you?”

Upon hearing Lain’s choice of the word “procured,” Liu Xingluo immediately surmised that he had, in all likelihood, simply taken the clothes without permission. Given his lack of human currency and his innate ability to traverse shadows, she found it hard to imagine any other explanation.

“No, at first, I did consider communicating with them. However, they were unwilling to let me take these clothes, every single one of them. Therefore, I simply ceased wasting my breath conversing with those foolish humans and took them directly.”

Even now, as he reflected on those past conversations, Lain remained baffled as to why those humans had refused to part with their garments. He had explicitly explained that the clothes were destined for Her Royal Highness, and that to have their attire graced by her presence would be an unparalleled honor, a source of immense pride. Yet, they had remained obstinate.

But those obtuse humans seemed utterly deaf to his words, stubbornly refusing to surrender the clothes. It was then that Lain understood: there was simply no reasoning with such creatures, incapable as they were of perceiving the Princess’s inherent grandeur. They were no different from base animals, and it was hardly surprising that the great gods had abandoned them.

“Just as I thought… Lain, listen carefully. If you wish to live properly in human society, you need something called ‘currency.’ This is it.”

Concerned that Lain might inadvertently stir up significant trouble in her absence, Liu Xingluo resolved to instruct him, on the spot, on the intricacies of survival within human society.

To her pleasant surprise, Lain proved an exceptionally quick study, comprehending the fundamental workings of human society in a mere five minutes.

However, despite understanding the mechanics of human society, he still held onto his own convictions.

“I see. Such a cumbersome system, is it? How truly troublesome. Both Your Royal Highness and those foolish humans must utilize this currency to obtain what they need, even though Your Royal Highness has no need to personally participate in this system at all.”

“Well, it certainly is a complex system.”

She had heard that an entire academic discipline, “Economics,” had been established in universities, solely dedicated to the study of currency. However, as Liu Xingluo had not pursued economics in college, she remained largely unfamiliar with the intricacies of such a field.

“All right, this should be enough. Lain, you may leave now. I’d like to try on a few of these outfits.”

“As you command.”

After Lain had withdrawn, Liu Xingluo carefully selected several particularly distinctive outfits she had set aside. The very first garment she intended to try on was a piece highly popular among certain gentlemen of questionable taste… the bunny girl costume.

Deep down, Liu Xingluo was still a man, and thus, it was entirely natural to harbor a desire to see a girl adorned in a bunny girl outfit. Given that she was safely within her own home, she mused, why not slip into the costume now and observe the charm her beautiful form would exude?