Interstellar Beastworld: Raising A Cub With My Mummy System!-Chapter 20: FIFTY MILLION YUAN TO BUY ONESIES?!

"Growing a person inside me thing." She corrected herself. "Same difference."

The corner of his mouth twitched.

They landed on a platform near the entrance of a massive building, all glass and steel and bustling with people.

Lin Yue stared as they walked inside.

"This is a mall.." she said. "An alien mall. Amazing."

[YES. WITH ALIEN STORES AND ALIEN BABY THINGS. THIS IS HAPPENING.]

"First.." Uriel said, guiding her toward a counter with official insignia, "you need identification. You cannot have an account without one."

A clerk looked up as they approached, then straightened sharply when she recognized Uriel.

"Your Majesty. How may I assist?"

"She needs a Citizen ID."

The clerk nodded and turned to Lin Yue. "I will need to scan you. It will only take a moment."

A handheld device passed over her face, her hands, her wrist. The clerk studied the readings, then typed rapidly into a terminal.

"Name?"

"Lin Yue."

"Planet of origin?"

"Earth."

The clerk paused. "Earth is not in our registry. She is not from the Khyrnos System?"

"She is a guest." Uriel said flatly. "Issue the ID."

The clerk did not ask further questions. Within minutes, a small card was printed and a data file created.

"You are now registered in the planetary system." the clerk said. "You will need a way to access your account. There is a medical clinic on level three that can install an implant, or you can use a wrist-comm."

Lin Yue looked at Uriel. "Which one should I get?"

"The implant is more convenient. You cannot lose it or forget it."

"Implant it is."

When they got to the clinic, they received a warm reception, after all who would want to offend the Prince.

The technician handed her a small device. "This is a basic wrist-comm. It connects to your implant and displays your balance, transaction history, and other information. You can wear it or not, but it makes checking your funds easier."

Lin Yue strapped it on.

The screen lit up, showing her name and a balance of zero.

Uriel stepped forward. "I need her account information to transfer funds."

The technician nodded and tapped a terminal. "Her account number is linked to her implant. If Your Majesty waves your wrist-comm near hers, the transfer can be completed."

Uriel held out his wrist.

Lin Yue did the same.

The two devices chimed softly.

[ALERT. 500,000 KHYRN HAS BEEN DEPOSITED INTO YOUR ACCOUNT.]

Lin Yue blinked at her wrist-comm screen. The zero had been replaced by a number she barely understood.

"Five hundred thousand?" She looked up at Uriel. "What is a Khyrn?"

[THE LOCAL CURRENCY. YOU NOW HAVE 500,000 OF THEM.]

"How much is that?" She looked between Uriel and the technician. "I do not know how your money works here."

Uriel tilted his head. "It is enough."

The technician, clearly uncomfortable being in the middle of this, busied himself with his terminal.

[TRANSLATING. 500,000 KHYRN IS APPROXIMATELY 50 MILLION EARTH YUAN.]

Lin Yue’s mouth fell open. "Fifty million yuan?!" she was so shocked she said it aloud.

Uriel raised an eyebrow. "Is that a problem?"

"I just found out I have fifty million yuan to spend on diapers and onesies." She shook her head slowly. "How do I even check how much I have left after I buy things?"

The technician cleared his throat. "Your wrist-comm displays your balance. Every transaction updates automatically. You can also speak the command ’balance’ and it will show you."

Lin Yue looked at her wrist. "Balance."

The screen lit up: 500,000 KHYRN.

"Okay." She took a deep breath. "Okay. I can do this."

"Buy whatever you need." Uriel said. "Buy extra. Buy things you do not know you need."

She stared at her wrist, at the tiny mark where the implant had been inserted.

Somewhere under her skin and accessible through this small device was fifty million yuan.

"I am going to buy so many tiny hats." she whispered.

The baby store was a wonderland of soft fabrics and impossibly small things. Lin Yue grabbed a floating basket and pulled out her list.

"Okay. Eight things. Let’s do this."

Item one: Three clean soft cloths.

She found them in the first aisle, stacks of folded fabric in various colors and textures. She picked up one, then another, then a third, all in soft whites and creams.

"These feel nice." she said, rubbing the fabric between her fingers.

Uriel touched one and nodded approvingly. "The material is high quality. It will be gentle on the baby’s skin. You made a good choice."

She blinked at the unexpected compliment. "Thank you?"

He gestured to the basket. "Put them in. We have more to find."

She placed them in the basket and tapped her wrist-comm, marking the first item complete.

Item two: One warm blanket.

The blanket section was overwhelming. So many colors, so many materials. Lin Yue stood staring until Uriel reached past her and pulled down a thick, cream-colored blanket with a soft fur trim.

"This one," he said. "It is warm without being too heavy, and the fur trim will remind the baby of home. Beastfolk infants are comforted by textures that feel like fur."

Lin Yue ran her fingers over the blanket. "It is beautiful."

"It will keep our child warm during the cold months. That is what matters most."

She added it to the basket and tapped her wrist-comm.

Item three: Two high-energy nutrient bars.

These were near the back of the store, in a section marked for medical supplies. The bars were wrapped in silver packaging with bold lettering. Lin Yue grabbed two and examined them.

[ENERGY BARS. DESIGNED FOR LABORING MOTHERS. HIGH PROTEIN. HIGH CALORIES. GOOD CHOICE.]

Uriel read the packaging over her shoulder. "These are the same ones our soldiers use during long missions. They are effective. You will need the energy."

She placed them in the basket and tapped her wrist-comm.

Item four: One hydration pack.

Next to the bars was a display of hydration packs, flexible containers with built-in straws. Lin Yue picked one up and turned it over in her hands.

"I just squeeze the water out?"

The shopkeeper appeared beside them. "Yes, ma’am. It is designed for use during labor when lying down. You do not have to sit up to drink."

Uriel nodded. "That is practical. During labor, conserving energy is important. You should not waste it on sitting up every time you need water."

She added it to the basket and tapped her wrist-comm.

Item five: One sterilized cutting tool.