chapter 17: The First Class Mortal Trash

The wind whipped past my face as Mystic soared over the Academy skyline, her massive body gliding smoothly through thick tufts of condensed cloud. From above, the world looked cleaner—less tangled in petty brats and jealous stares.

They'd finally calmed down after the earlier incident. Even if it wasn't right, I wasn't going to bring it up now. But I knew we'd have to fix Maxius' temper. I made a mental note.

Lufei stirred in her harness beside me, blinking peacefully through the translucent nano-fiber mesh. Maxius dozed lightly across my shoulders, his talons gripping the reinforced smart-fabric of my coat in a steady rhythm.

I tapped my Oni9x phone, pulling up the Federation-issued digital voucher. It flickered to life—projected holographically in soft blue light.

25,000 Federation Coins.

Not bad for someone tagged as a Six-Star freak.

The Materials Department Center appeared ahead—an expansive stone-and-steel complex wedged between the East Library Wing and the logistics docks. Massive cargo beasts hovered near the entrance, each one loading or unloading crates marked with elemental seals glowing softly with qi-infused glyphs. Some carried beast-safe provisions encoded with tamper-proof charms.

Mystic angled downward and spiraled in like a coiled gust. We landed gently on the hover-pad. I slid off her back, stepping onto the cloud stairs, which evaporated behind me the moment I touched them.

"Wait here," I said, patting her flank.

She let out a soft, echoing hum—low-frequency vibrations syncing with the ambient mana field—as she curled her tail protectively around the pad.

Maxius leapt off my shoulder, flying up to perch on a high support beam rigged with anti-grav stabilizers. Lufei hopped down, trotting beside me with a grunt.

The lobby doors hissed open, sealed with an arcane forcefield.

Inside, the place buzzed with energy—rows of enchanted carts zipped along glowing tracks. Shopkeepers in charmed uniforms floated inventory tags from shelves into shimmering display orbs.

I navigated the aisles like I'd been born to it. I scanned rows of repair materials embedded with self-healing nanites, beast food synthesized with bio-qi enhancers, filament kits for qi antenna tuning, and weatherproofing tools layered with ether shielding.

"Can I help you find something, young master?" a clerk asked politely, clearly unsure if I was a student or someone with actual clearance.

"Looking for self-healing insulation bands, solar fog nets, and bone-strengthening beast food packs," I said without stopping.

The clerk blinked. "Oh. Right this way."

A few minutes later, my cart was loaded with:

• Three crates of mixed beast feed (Maxius prefers dried snake jerky, bio-enriched with kinetic energy; Lufei goes for sweetroot and quartz-leaf nanonutrients)

• A portable multi-element water filter with embedded quantum purification

• Anti-qi distortion lining fabric (for curtains—if the house even had windows left)

• A minor defensive warding stone keyed to hostile spiritual fluctuations and shielded with arcane runes

• Patch kits for shattered dome infrastructure using adaptive molecular resin

• And—because I could—an adjustable temperature mat for Mystic, layered with elemental absorption fibers in case she ever wanted to nap inside

"Federation ID for purchase?" the clerk asked.

I tapped my ring, syncing the quantum payment token. Transaction approved.

17,200 coins remaining.

Not bad. Not great.

I loaded the supplies into Mystic's cloud cradle—her tail coiled to create a secure hold—and climbed onto her back.

"Coordinates loaded," I muttered, showing her the map Ka Sanni had sent me, overlaid with geo-magical markers and live BeastTracker data.

With a low exhale of wind laced with lightning qi, we took off again—this time heading west, toward the outer edge of the safe zone.

⸻

The city thinned as we flew.

Floating walkways and teleport gates faded behind us, replaced by older, overgrown roads and scattered homesteads. Beast stables gave way to watchtowers and domed shelters half-swallowed by forest vines.

Eventually, we passed the boundary tower—its pulse beacon glowing dim in the twilight.

Mystic slowed her flight.

Down below, I saw it.

My house.

Or what was left of it.

The three-room dome structure sat half-sunken in the dirt, its curved left side caved inward like something massive had body-slammed it. Vines clung to the edge, and a huge gouge ran from roof to steps.

I dismounted on a patch of cloud. My boots crunched gravel and nano-repair dust.

Lufei sniffed the air. Maxius perched on a jagged entry beam, eyes narrowed like a sentry.

Mystic hovered above, gently lowering the crates near the ruined porch.

I stepped forward.

The wind fell quiet.

Inside, the air smelled like scorched ozone and cracked earth qi. Ka Sanni said a rogue beast had wandered in from a rupture gate—Federation patrols drove it back, but the damage was done.

This place had been declared uninhabitable.

Until she bought it for me.

I dropped my bag inside the largest chamber. The ceiling held. One glass wall was cracked but intact. I ran my fingers along the scorched stone framework.

Burnt. But not broken.

"Maxius," I called. "Perimeter sweep."

He launched silently, feathers flickering with ghostlight.

"Lufei, check the back soil. Look for soulroot or poison weeds."

She nodded and bounded off.

"Mystic," I said. "Can you lower cloud mist into the cracks? Stabilize pressure in the rear chamber?"

She hummed low, tendrils of cloud mist trailing down, charged with micro-purification.

I stood alone for a moment, arms crossed.

This wasn't a handout.

It wasn't a gift.

It was a battlefield.

And it was mine.

I grabbed a pry tool from one of the crates and went to work. The smart-alloy edge buzzed as I pulled stones from the collapsed wall, one by one.

My hands burned. I didn't stop.

Maxius returned an hour later.

"No threats in radius. Minimal spiritual activity. Few mouse-class beasts in the trees."

"Manageable," I said.

Lufei trotted up with root samples in her mouth. I crouched.

"Viable," I murmured. "One-star spirit moss still alive under the outer layer. This land isn't dead."

I glanced at the slope where glow-berry bushes ran wild.

"We can sell the harvest," I told them. "Money goes toward food, gear, training. Whatever you pick is yours to spend."

Lufei's ears perked. Maxius tilted his head. Mystic's mist curled into a glowing coin symbol.

Maxius spoke first. "So… do we get actual money? Or one of those scan tags humans use?"

I blinked.

He'd noticed that?

I stared—surprised, not because he was dumb, but because I'd assumed they didn't care about human economics.

I cursed my own laziness.

They're not just beasts. They're my team.

I turned and activated my Oni9x.

Search: "Soul beasts buying stuff?"

⸻

[Netsphere Post 1 – ✦ Forum: BeastBonded Life ✦]

Title: HELP. My Beast Bought a Hover Cart Full of Beef Hearts

User: ScreamingVet987

DO NOT give your beast free shop access. I walked in for a med patch and came out with 3,000 coins worth of raw meat and auto-lotion. The bison mooed at me like I was the problem.

⸻

[Netsphere Post 2 – ✦ Forum: Beasts Behaving Badly ✦]

Title: My Winged Pig Made Me Bankrupt

User: DebtByFlight

Snortles, my Mini-Wind Pig, bought 42 crates of premium feed. From my glove tag. While I was in the bath.

⸻

[Netsphere Post 3 – ✦ Federation Beastmaster Law ✦]

Title: Should Soul Beasts Have Spending Limits?

User: SocioPhilosophy314

If they're sentient, why don't we treat them like minors? My bonded fox bought a 900-coin spa package.

⸻

[Netsphere Post 4 – ✦ Forum: Practical Bonding ✦]

Title: YES, They Can Pay—With a Tag

User: Verified Federation Vendor

There's a program. Class B+ IQ beasts can register for a Limited-Permission Beast Tag. Default limit: 200 coins/day. Master adjustable.

⸻

I stared at the screen, mildly horrified.

"Well," I said slowly, "you can get a tag. But don't come crying to me if Mystic buys a hammock."

Lufei sniffed. "Discipline is the trainer's job."

Maxius perked up. "I'll take a tag. 300-coin limit. Should cover a wind-glider and snacks."

I turned on him. "You're not getting a glider until you stop dive-bombing squirrels."

"I call it precision training."

"You flattened our neighbor's scarecrow."

"It was an unauthorized sentinel."

I groaned. "I'll look into it. Maybe. I'll check with the Federation registration center."

Maxius: "So that's a yes."

Me: "That's a maybe."

Lufei stepped forward. "Where do we begin?"

I pointed toward the east patch. "Clear it. Sort anything ripe. I'll sell it through the local app. You get credit based on what you picked."

Mystic rumbled, mist curling into a shimmering coin symbol flickering with lightning.

I muttered as I activated the price-checker.

"Beast budgeting. What could possibly go wrong?"

I looked at my hands.

Dirtied. Bruised. Real.

Then I looked up at the battered ceiling.

And smiled.

This will do.