"I see. Looks like I’m some kind of anomaly."

Leon said after a few minutes of silence, as if coming to terms with the absurdity.

Observing his expression, Thyra smiled faintly and shook her head.

"You don’t need to feel strange. Are you scared of being an anomaly?"

His lips twitched, "Actually, I read a novel where the protagonist was ’fated’, and he always got into disturbing situations that always threaten his life. There was even a time when he got enslaved because of it."

"Ah? That’s quite awful," Thyra chuckled, her shoulders loosening. "But in the end, it’s still a novel. This is reality, and I believe such an unlucky charm wouldn’t exist. Even if it did, the Star Stream is fair so there’ll be immense benefits."

Still, all Leon felt was apprehension. "Benefits or not, I don’t want any. I just want to find my sister, help you get a body, and live a peaceful life, threatened by no one."

Pausing, he turned to Thyra. "How do I even help you with that?"

She blinked, then smiled seductively. "About that... it’ll involve something called Dual Cultivation~"

"Huh?" Leon’s brain short-circuited. "D-Dual cultivation?"

Nodding with a faint smile, she explained, "Mn. Currently, I’m in my soul form, which you can call a ghost form. However, to have an actual body, I’ll need you to transfer your yang essence to my soul, which I will use to mold my body back. And we have to do it until my entire body is complete~"

She paused, her lips curving in a teasing grin as she leaned closer.

"And in case you don’t know... the process could last several days. So you should ensure you have good stamina, okay? Don’t disappoint big sister."

Leon’s expression darkened, and he took a step back, his fingers twitching.

"You sly vixen. There’s no way that is true."

Straightening, Thyra folded her arms, making her mounds more prominent as they naturally attracted Leon’s gaze. As for whether the action was intentional or not, only Thyra knew this.

"Oh, why do you say so?" She asked.

Closing his eyes to calm himself, Leon answered, "The terms you used definitely aren’t universal. Even if English is a general language in the entire universe, there will still be some differences."

Thyra’s smile stiffened, and she realized she had been caught.

Eyes closed, Leon continued. "Yang is a Chinese word unique to a culture on this planet. So, that means you must have gotten it from a novel on my phone. Isn’t that right?"

At this point, a smirk appeared on his lips, and he opened his eyes confidently.

Covering her lips, Thyra laughed softly.

"Ah~ Little Leon has become so smart. Even big sister can’t fool you anymore."

Leon rolled his eyes. "When did I even agree to be your little brother? You’re simply Thyra."

"Oh? I’m much older than you are, Little Leon," She countered. "I’m definitely old enough to be your ancestor."

Unwilling to back down, he scowled. "My ancestor? Then, don’t you feel ashamed? Trying to seduce your descendant."

"Nope. Not in the slightest," She answered, a cute smile on her face. "I’m perfectly fine with it. After all, age is just a number. Isn’t that something you earthlings say a lot?"

In the end, Leon had to admit defeat. This lady was just too shameless.

Clicking his tongue, he turned away from her and called out, "Richard, you can come in now."

Thyra blinked, realizing he was trying to avoid her. Pouting, she glared at him but didn’t say anything.

Soon, Richard entered with his two tamed beasts, and at Leon’s approval, they pounced on the mutated snake’s corpse. It was larger and stronger than the mutated rat, so it would definitely give them more benefits.

"Are we taking this with us?" Richard asked, pointing at the mutated rat on the ground.

Leon nodded, thinking, ’Mutated beast meat is really incredible. I think we should be able to get some bonus from eating this. After all, it’s Tier One while none of us is Tier One yet. Still, that mutated snake would have been better if not th—’

Suddenly, he stiffened, and his eyes widened. ’T-Thyra?’

The thought almost escaped his lips, but he restrained himself.

A pair of slender arms wrapped around his waist, and he felt an incredibly soft body press against his back.

"Little Leon, don’t resist. You haven’t forgotten that you promised me a hug, right?"

Hearing her calm voice with a subtle hint of teasing, Leon felt like crying in indignation. He never agreed to anything. She was simply being too shameless.

However, just like she said, he couldn’t resist. Else, he’d risk looking ridiculous before Richard.

’Dammit. Why did she choose now, of all times?’

He cursed in his heart, since Richard was looking at him.

"Boss, are you okay?"

Leon nodded stiffly, ignoring the sensations being transferred to his brain from his back. For a moment, he felt grateful that the Phantom Assault Armor was firm enough to hide any embarrassing bulge or else the situation might have turned strange.

Imagine seeing your boss having a boner while looking at a mutated rat corpse. Leon paled in horror. ’By the gods...’

Despite his grievances, he had to admit that the hug was strangely comforting. After all, it had been a while since he had hugged anyone. And it was obvious that Thyra wasn’t trying to do anything naughty, as she simply hugged him and did nothing more.

’No, I’m hugging a ghost. Besides, she can’t be considered human, right? She’s a half-shadow-demon, half-succubus. What a complicated lineage.’

The hug continued for a few minutes until Thyra released him and spoke with a sincere smile.

"Thank you."

Leon was surprised, and glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. Why was she thanking him?

As if hearing his unasked question, she answered, "You’re the only being capable of letting me feel the warmth of the living. So, I must say thank you."

Leon’s lips parted in a silent ’oh’, then he nodded. Turning back to the tamed beasts, he realized they had almost finished consuming the snake’s corpse.

’What the hell? Do they have black holes for stomachs?’

Regardless of his surprise, the two beasts soon consumed the entire corpse.

"They’re both Level 25 now!" Richard said excitedly. "And look! It appears Little West is about to evolve."