Her gaze swept over the crowd, and her tone was calm: "Liu Yi and her pets have just finished their registration procedures at the Beast Tamer Association and need to rest. Interviews are allowed, but please maintain order, do not crowd, do not speak loudly, and do not use flashbulbs."
She paused: "The pets are still young and easily startled."
The reporters exchanged glances, then one person took the lead and turned off the flash on their camera, followed by a second and a third.
In less than half a minute, all the flashbulbs in the plaza were off, and the voices quieted, turning from clamor to whispers. Some even turned to their colleagues behind them and gestured for silence.
Wei Xiuyu nodded and turned back into the hall.
Liu Yi, carrying Jinyao, with Ziyue by her feet and Chiying floating beside her, walked out the main door.
The sun was fierce, making Jinyao squint its eyes, but it quickly adjusted.
It poked its head out from Liu Yi's arms and scanned the dense crowd in the plaza.
The reporters fell silent for a moment, then—
A low, hushed gasp of admiration rose.
"Oh my goodness... it really is golden..."
"Look at its mane, it fades from golden to fiery red, that color..."
"The tail tip also has a golden-red gradient, it's beautiful."
"It's so small... feels like it just hatched recently?"
"Shh, keep your voice down, don't scare it."
Jinyao tilted its head, its eyes fixed on the people.
It saw the microphones held in the air, the cameras hoisted on shoulders, and the sparkling light in their eyes—it wasn't malice, but something it didn't quite understand yet.
"Yanyan?" It turned to Liu Yi, calling out with a hint of confusion in its voice.
Why are they looking at me like that?
Liu Yi looked down at Jinyao and said softly, "Because you're very special."
Jinyao blinked.
Liu Yi looked up, facing the reporters.
Seeing her look over, the reporters immediately raised their microphones, but no one pushed forward, no one asked loudly. They just quietly held their microphones in the air, waiting for her to speak.
Liu Yi's gaze swept over the crowd, and she asked, "One at a time. Do you want to take pictures of Jinyao first?"
The reporters were stunned for a moment, then someone raised a hand, her voice a little cautious: "May we? No flash, just a few shots."
Jinyao looked at the reporters, tilting its head.
"Yanyan?"
It let out a soft cry.
The reporter who raised her hand immediately pulled it back, as quickly as if she'd been burned.
Her colleague next to her glared, whispering, "I told you not to scare it!"
"I didn't—" the reporter explained, feeling wronged, "I was just, just nervous."
Jinyao looked at the reporter's retracted hand, then at Liu Yi.
"Yanyan?"
What's wrong with her?
Liu Yi's lips curved slightly upward: "She's afraid of startling you."
"Yanyan."
It called out, stretching its neck toward the reporter.
The reporter's eyes widened, and she remained motionless.
Jinyao waited for a moment, received no response, then retracted its neck and turned to Liu Yi.
"Yanyan?"
Why isn't she moving?
"She's frozen," Liu Yi said softly, then looked up at the reporter, "You can take pictures, it's not scared."
The reporter snapped out of it, cautiously raised her camera, aimed at Jinyao, and without flash, only the soft "click" of the shutter could be heard.
Jinyao heard the sound, turned to face the camera, its eyes particularly bright in the sunlight.
"Click, click, click—"
The shutter sounds gradually increased, but still no one pushed forward, no one spoke loudly.
The reporters spontaneously formed a semicircle, maintaining a respectful distance from Liu Yi.
Jinyao was captivated by the shutter sounds, looking left and right from Liu Yi's arms, its eyes full of curiosity.
Its tail swayed gently behind it, the golden-red gradient on its tip sparkling in the sunlight.
"It's so well-behaved... it's really not scared..."
"A Radiance Shift individual with such a good temperament is truly rare."
"Contestant Liu Yi, can it be petted? Or is it shy?"
It was a female reporter who asked this question. Jinyao understood. It lifted its head from Liu Yi's arms, looked at the reporter, then actively stretched its head toward her.
The female reporter's eyes lit up, but she didn't reach out, only softly asking, "May I?"
Liu Yi looked down at Jinyao: "Is it okay?"
"Yanyan!"
The female reporter cautiously extended her hand, her fingertips touching Jinyao's head, the golden fur sliding between her fingers.
Her eyes curved into crescents, and she whispered, "So soft..."
The surrounding reporters quickly pressed their shutters, documenting the scene.
During the subsequent interview, questions came one after another, but each was asked in a low voice.
"Contestant Liu Yi, where was Jinyao hatched? Was it in Longwu?"
"In Longwu," Liu Yi replied.
"Was it this color when it hatched, or did it change gradually later?"
"It was golden when it hatched," Liu Yi said. "Its fur color hasn't changed since birth."
"Is Jinyao's Fighting secondary attribute innate?"
"It's innate." Liu Yi looked down at Jinyao in her arms. "It could use Fighting-type skills the day after it hatched."
The reporters gasped in astonishment again.
"It could use skills the day after it hatched? And a Fighting-type skill?"
"Aren't Blazing Lions pure Fire-type? How can it have a Fighting attribute?"
"So this one really is a Radiance Shift, even its attributes have increased..."
"Contestant Liu Yi!" a male reporter raised his hand. "How old is Jinyao now? Can you disclose it?"
Liu Yi thought for a moment: "About half a month since hatching."
The plaza fell silent again for a moment.
The reporters were quiet for a bit, then someone softly said, "Then it's truly well-behaved. It's not agitated even with so many people; its temperament is just too good."
Jinyao understood this and its tail wagged even higher.
The interview continued for another ten minutes, with reporters asking about Jinyao's daily routine, training plan, and goals for the second stage.
Liu Yi answered each question concisely but completely.
Finally, Wei Xiuyu walked over from the side: "That's enough. Jinyao is still young and needs more rest."
Although the reporters were still eager for more, they didn't press, putting away their voice recorders and cameras.
"Contestant Liu Yi, good luck in the second stage!"
"Jinyao, grow up healthy! We look forward to your performance in the arena!"
"We'll be following you closely!"
The crowd gradually dispersed, clearing a path for Liu Yi.
Liu Yi led her three pets across the plaza and walked towards the hotel.
After walking some distance, Jinyao poked its head out from her arms and looked back at the group of reporters still watching them from where they stood.
Rate on N.U.
