Chapter 382 - 344: Can’t I Call You Big Sis?
Chapter 382: Chapter 344: Can’t I Call You Big Sis?
Gu Ning’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the tall, beautiful woman before her.
At that moment, she felt like a lost, straying beast cub who had finally been found by a powerful mother beast.
Meira’s presence, her personality, the help she’d offered, and the words she’d just spoken—it all made Gu Ning feel an irresistible urge to trust and defer to her.
Menela asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Gu Ning blinked. ’Is it too late to call you Mom?’
Menela raised an eyebrow. "Thinking of calling me Mom?"
Caught, Gu Ning gave a light cough and wrote half-jokingly, "I want to cling to someone powerful."
Meira smiled. "You can call me Mom, and you can cling to me for support. But for anything else, you’ll have to figure it out yourself. I won’t do it for you."
She sighed and patted her daughter’s cheek. "After all, your mom is just an ordinary little squad captain in the Fifth Military District. There’s only so much I can do."
Hearing the slightly dejected tone in her voice, Gu Ning quickly wrote, "That’s already amazing!"
Menela said, "You think a mere squad captain is amazing?"
Gu Ning wrote, "Of course it is! Alex is a captain, Philinos is a captain, and so are Vine and Leo..."
At this, she gave an embarrassed smile and added, "You probably don’t know them."
Menela leaned back against the sofa, draping an arm behind Gu Ning. "Comparing me to those young pups? I’m a hundred years old."
"No, no," Gu Ning quickly wrote. She was trying to express that the position of captain was already impressive, and besides, even without a title, Meira didn’t seem like any ordinary Beast Clan member.
Back when Windsor rescued her and Leo high up in the air, she had single-handedly killed a King Seed. Her power was beyond description. Every time Gu Ning saw Windsor, she felt a profound sense of security.
Windsor was so powerful, and Meira was her...
Wait.
Gu Ning’s expression froze as she finally remembered to ask about Meira and Windsor’s relationship. She wrote on the paper: "Captain Meira, what is your relationship with Teacher Windsor?"
Meira took the note and glanced at it. "Why do you call her Teacher Windsor too? Oh well, go ahead." ’After all, she did take on Philinos, so it’s not wrong for her to follow suit.’
"Windsor is my mother," Meira said.
Gu Ning exclaimed in surprise, "Mother?"
Meira smiled faintly. "I thought you already knew."
Gu Ning couldn’t help but study Meira more closely. No wonder she’d felt that Meira and Windsor were a bit alike. They didn’t look that similar physically, but their auras were.
"Here." Meira handed Gu Ning a golden card.
Gu Ning took it, asking curiously, "What’s this?"
Marshal Mei said, "A welcome gift."
Gu Ning looked at the large table against the wall, still piled high with the food Meira had brought for her. She had thought that was the gift.
Gu Ning curiously turned the card over in her hands. It was gilded and had a nice texture. On the front was a design of a round, chubby little bird dozing on a branch.
Menela said, "I don’t know which clan you belong to, so I had the design made based on my own. Do you like it?"
Gu Ning looked at her. "I love it. Your species... is a bird?"
Menela explained, "The Bird Clan is a general classification. To be more specific, my Beast Clan gene is that of an eagle."
An eagle! Gu Ning’s eyes shone even brighter as she looked at her.
Seeing her little daughter’s sparkling eyes fixed on her, Menela asked, "Want to call me Mom?"
Gu Ning opened her mouth, but looking at the face before her, which didn’t seem that much older than her own, she still couldn’t bring herself to say it.
’Couldn’t I just call her ’big sister’?’
She scratched her cheek, a little embarrassed. Glancing at the chubby little bird on the card in her hand, she changed the subject, pointing at it and asking Meira, "Is this also... an eagle?"
Marshal Mei replied, "An eaglet."
Gu Ning said, "...Oh, I see."
Marshal Mei observed her well-behaved demeanor and thought, ’Windsor’s description was spot on. She’s small, like a fledgling just out of the nest, a little battered and listless from the storm. It makes you feel an unstoppable urge to cherish and protect her.’
"Do you know what this is for?" Marshal Mei reached out and tapped the golden card in her hand.
Gu Ning shook her head.
Marshal Mei explained, "It’s a special permit for Military Department journalists. With this, you can go to any major district you want without going through tedious checkpoint inspections. Just show it, and you’ll be cleared. I’ve also transmitted a virtual version to your personal terminal. If you forget the physical card, just use the virtual one."
After a moment, she added, "Some areas may have access or time restrictions. Before you use it, remember to log into the Military Department’s public website to check for relevant announcements, or call the appropriate department to inquire. Any department related to the military will do. For most areas, this will get you through without issue. It should be a little helpful for your work."
Hearing this, Gu Ning’s entire demeanor brightened. ’A little helpful? This is a huge help!’
But... "Captain Meira, how did you know about my work?"
’Did Alex and the others tell her? She hadn’t told Windsor about it.’
Marshal Mei said, "You’re my daughter. It’s only natural I’d ask about your situation."
’In that case,’ Gu Ning thought, ’it must have been Alex and the others who told Meira.’
She felt completely at ease now. Cradling the special permit like a treasure, she looked at Meira with sparkling eyes. "Captain Meira, can I... bring people with me?"
"Bring people?"
"Mhm, an assistant. My assistant."
Marshal Mei said, "You can. It’s best not to bring more than two assistants. And if you do bring people, remember to submit an application to your direct superior for their signature in advance."
Gu Ning nodded eagerly, like a chick pecking at grain. She hesitated for a moment, pen in hand, before writing on the paper: "Are you really just a little squad captain?"
’This special permit is clearly no ordinary thing. Even Andrew couldn’t get a pass like this, or they wouldn’t have had to go through so many tedious inspections on their journey.’
A smile played on Marshal Mei’s lips. "I am. However, my position is just a tiny bit higher than those young ones you hang around with. After all, your mom’s age speaks for itself; I’ve managed to build up some seniority in the Military Department. Also, you’re not getting this permit for free. I helped you apply to become an official employee. You are now an official journalist for the Military Department, with a quota of assignments to complete each month."
Marshal Mei’s smile vanished, replaced by her usual cold and stern expression. She patted Gu Ning’s shoulder. "Work hard. Although you now have an official identity in the Beast Alliance, no one can fake your birth records or your entry in the gene pool. Genetics are the Beast Alliance’s inviolable bottom line. Whether or not you can secure a firm foothold here is all up to you."
Gu Ning took a deep breath, suppressing the turbulent emotions in her heart. She stood up and bowed deeply to Marshal Mei. "Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. Thank you so much."
Marshal Mei’s fingers twitched. ’This would probably be a good time to hug my little daughter. Ah Mo said that when raising a beast cub, one should be gentle and not overly strict. But Ah Ning isn’t a cub anymore.’
Seeing the little one bowing so deeply, she gently patted the back of her head. "It’s what a mother should do. I just updated your personal information for you. You can take a look later to familiarize yourself with your new identity. But, as I said before, your ultimate identity can only be decided by you."