Old Cat went silent for a bit, then went on to say, "Humans are a branch off the crystallizer tree. Because human blood is not pure, and the sanctuaries forced them to grow up fast, their genes aren't very stable. The future is very uncertain for them, lacking the stability of pure blood."
Old Cat paused and said, "The few elders that you met on the road made Stay Up Late offers of tribe membership because they wanted a king. It wouldn't happen overnight, of course. It would take a lot of work. And they would also have to help you refine the deified feather. Even to a big faction like Beast Area, it would be asking a lot of them. So, it's fairly easy to see why they would choose Stay Up Late. They'd favor a guaranteed success, as there is a lot more risk choosing you due to your instability. That sums up why they didn't dare to invest in you."
"If humans are that bad, then give me back Littleflower," Han Sen said.
Old Cat laughed and said, "That's different. You are the first generation, and we aren't certain how far your development can go. Littleflower is different because he's a second-gen. He's rich with potential and his genes are stable. He was born like this. Some of that might have been because of you, but you are first-gen, and if you want his results, you'll have to work for them yourself."
Han Sen was too lazy to talk much more, so all he did was look coldly at Old Cat.
"But don't worry. If you do well enough, you can still become rich." Old Cat rolled his eyes and went on to say, "But if you want a big faction like Beast Area to spend on you, that's asking the impossible. Big factions like that tend to avoid risks and liabilities. It's not too different from those investors of yours, back in the Alliance. They will sometimes invest with high risks, but they invest little and expect high returns. You can't put all your eggs in one basket. Investing in you is asking too much of them. No one can ask them to make bets and risks on something so uncertain."
"I heard you the first time. There's no need to repeat yourself." Han Sen rolled his eyes.
Old Cat laughed and said, "So, I do have a suggestion to make. You can go to the Wanjie Treasury with the feather."
"Wanjie Treasury?" Han Sen frowned, not sure what that place might be. He had never heard of it before.
Old Cat explained, "It's like Holy Heaven or the Beast Area xenogeneic space. The race that claimed that place, however, is called Thousand Treasures. It is a powerful race, and it has a very high rank in the geno hall. They love to collect treasures, and they are famous businessmen and collectors. They are very honorable about it all, too. If you take the feather to the Wanjie Treasury, you can sell it for whatever you want. There's no chance of losing out there."
"But I do suggest that you don't sell it for money. Use it to find membership within Wanjie Treasury," Old Cat said.
"And what would I be joining there for?" Han Sen felt bad. People were begging Stay Up Late to join, and Han Sen would have to give up his feather for membership to one.
Han Sen didn't want to join the ranks of another race, though. Even if he did, he didn't want to get in with them through material trades.
Old Cat quickly said, "Keep in mind that joining them doesn't mean you become one of their race. It doesn't mean you'll completely give up your deified feather, either."
"Thousand Treasures adore treasure. They have a special rule. If one from another race has an item that they really want, and if the person wishes to, they can go to the Wanjie Treasury and become a member. It doesn't mean you become one of the Thousand Treasures. If you want an example from the Alliance, think of it as a clubhouse. You can have some protection and authority, and you get to keep the feather. There's no need to worry about others potentially taking it away. You'd be safe with them."
"Thousand Treasures is that generous? They protect me and the feather for nothing?" Han Sen asked Old Cat skeptically.
"Of course, there's no free lunch. When you store your feather there, you become a member. When you take it out of their storage, you lose membership privileges. The treasure you store there will be watched by the Thousand Treasures. But don't worry, they are solid and reliable. You can reclaim your stuff whenever. And they wouldn't conduct research on anything of yours without explicit permission," Old Cat said.
Seeing Han Sen remain silent, he continued and said, "The Feathers were just beaten by a lower-race. Their power has been lessened. A planet like Planet Kate, that was previously enslaved by the Feathers, might find itself in a bit of a mess. So, I advise that you leave and attend to what you need to do. There is a way to contact the Beast Area and the Wanjie Treasury. And if you do contact them, they are bound to come and pick you up."
"Think about it, kid. The Beast Area is good. It is better to join them and level up through them than to do everything by yourself," Old Cat said to Stay Up Late.
After that, Old Cat disappeared. Han Sen called out to him, but he was already gone.
Han Sen was very excited to take the video back to the sanctuary, and when he went back, he showed Littleflower to Ji Yanran and his mother. They felt much safer, learning Littleflower was somewhat safe. There was no need for them to worry.
But they only felt a little bit better. They wouldn't feel completely safe until Littleflower was back with them.
After Han Sen returned to the abandoned room, he spoke to Stay Up Late about what they should do next
Although Old Cat often had dubious intentions, in this case, he was right. Planet Kate would descend into chaos, and it was best that they form a game plan.
After a while, Stay Up Late told Han Sen, "I want to go to the Wanjie Treasury."
Han Sen thought that it was a good idea, as it at least comforted him to know that no one would fight for the treasure there. The treasure could only be accessed by the person who put it in. That sounded pretty great.
Han Sen wasn't planning on going there, though. The offer sounded good, coming from Old Cat's mouth, but perhaps a little bit of chaos would be good for him. He was planning on staying on Planet Kate.
Han Sen was surprised Stay Up Late had decided not to join up with Beast Area. But Stay Up Late didn't say why he had made the decision he had, and Han Sen wasn't going to ask.
Next, they used the number Old Cat gave them to call the Wanjie Treasury. After the call, someone flew an aircraft over to pick up Stay Up Late.
Because Han Sen and Stay Up Late each possessed a deified feather, everyone knew. Thousand Treasures knew, too. All they did was look at the feather on the return to the Wanjie Treasury.
Before leaving, Stay Up Late told Han Sen he would resume his search for Littleflower. If he learned anything new, he'd give Han Sen a shout.
Han Sen was touched that Stay Up Late was that nice to Littleflower.
But it was something that Stay Up Late considered to be his duty. He thought he had failed before, and that finding Littleflower now should be his ultimate goal.