A Guide to - 42

Unedited chapter


42. He’s Actually the Crown Prince
 

"Julian, it's you again." Catching sight of the sub-beastman who came in from the door, Frank's expression was a bit ugly. Gritting his teeth, he said: "How does me being poor concern you?"

"You being poor doesn’t concern me. Could it be that you can’t let people speak about it because you’re indeed poor?" The incoming sub-beastman, Julian, was a very good-looking sub-beastman with a delicate, pointed face, big eyes, and a small and exquisite nose. His appearance was classified as the most popular among beastmen, but the way he was looking at Frank now, which was full of malice, made him look quite unpleasant. "Poor boy, a man like you shouldn’t appear in the Imperial College at all. Becoming your schoolmate is simply losing face."

"You . . ." Frank glared at Julian. He knew Julian couldn't bear to see him, but he didn't expect that Julian would speak to him like this in public.
 
"Don't tell me that I spoke wrongly, poor boy who can’t even afford the clothes here." Julian said again. Then, unexpectedly, he glanced at Edgar and sneered, saying: "Oh, that’s right, you now have an intimate relationship with a beastman who can buy up all the clothes here. Congratulations, ah." As a beastman, taking a sub-beastman to this kind of place to buy clothes was nothing much. It was truly ridiculous of that beastman to still assume an air of “I’m very rich”. Anyway, Frank could only be together with such a beastman.

"Julian, stop talking nonsense! This beastman has nothing to do with me!" Frank took a quick look at Shu Shu and promptly clarified—he certainly didn't want to be misunderstood by Shu Shu.
 
"So you’re related to this sub-beastman who looks like he came from a backwater planet? Is he your poor relative?" Julian turned towards Shu Shu.
 
Shu Shu didn't expect that the fire of war suddenly approached and burned himself and Edgar. He rolled up his sleeves and exclaimed angrily: "You’re poor! Your whole family’s poor!"
 
Julian originally didn’t take notice of Shu Shu. Catching a glimpse of Shu Shu with very ugly sportswear on his body and a large bucket of ten credit popcorn in his hand, Julian said with a sneer: "I’m poor? I clearly have more money than you!"
 
Shu Shu indeed had no money, not even a cent, and he immediately felt a bit self-conscious. Edgar frowned. As a beastman, he shouldn’t rudely interrupted the altercation between sub-beastmen, but he also shouldn’t just look on unfeelingly while his own sub-beastman was suffering losses.
 
However, relying on himself to give the sub-beastman before his eyes a beating was out of the question . . . . Edgar frowned again and turned to his communication device.
 
A moment ago, he had sent a message to Calvin, asking Calvin what’s to be done when the sub-beastman he took out to buy clothes met someone who looked down on him. Calvin already gave him a reply now: "Smash them with money! Make people who look down on your man see how much money you really have! Take your sub-beastman to buy, buy, and buy!"

How this was going to work specifically? Edgar still hadn't figured out the way when a beastman’s deep and low voice suddenly came through from the outside, "Julian, are you here?" In the wake of the voice, a tall, handsome beastman walked in from the outside.
 
"I saw Frank, so I came over to say hello." Seeing the beastman, Julian's whole person became gentle, and a sweet smile hung on his face. He stepped forward to hold the beastman's hand and then said: "Let's go. Didn't you say that you’re going to take me to wander around the Imperial Plaza?"
 
The beastman gave Frank a quick look and a nod and then left while holding on to Julian. After walking a few steps, Julian turned his head. It seemed like he did that just to glance provocatively at Frank.
 
"Who is he, ah?!" Shu Shu frowned.
 
"He’s my schoolmate." Frank was a little embarrassed: "I'm sorry for involving you two."

"Never mind. I still have to thank you for helping me pick clothes." Shu Shu said, after which he found out that Edgar had already paid the bill. "Hey, why did you pay?"
 
"You like them, so just buy." Edgar also paid the bill for the two sets of clothes that Frank wanted to buy. Then he pulled Shu Shu along: "Walk. Let’s go to the Imperial Plaza.”

“The Imperial Plaza that the guy mentioned just now? Where’s this place?” Shu Shu asked, puzzled.
 
"I originally planned to take you there." Edgar said.
 
"Wait a minute, you two! I’ll give you the money." Frank was holding his own communication device at this moment, wanting to transfer the money to Edgar.
 
"No need." Edgar said. At first, he wanted to leave quickly, but he suddenly thought of something. Brows wrinkled, he looked briefly at Frank. "You go too. Help him pick clothes." He really knew nothing about clothes, and in addition, it was also good for Shu Shu to have a few sub-beastman friends.
 
Apparently this Frank was truly a student of the Imperial College.
 
"Eh?" Frank stared blankly and perplexedly at Edgar. "You aren’t really going to the Imperial Plaza, right? Only people with membership cards can go in there. I don’t have a membership card, so I can’t go in." For security reasons, not everyone could go into the Imperial Plaza as they wished. They had to have a membership certificate, and that membership certificate not only verified their identity but also their assets.

The Imperial Plaza not only sold a variety of luxury goods but also dealt in interstellar spaceships and other bulky merchandise.
 
"I have a membership card." Edgar said.
 
Edgar didn't look like he was telling a lie, which made Frank feel at a loss. "Then you . . ." Why did you take the sub-beastman here? Only by going to the Imperial Plaza could you make a good impression on the sub-beastman.
 
Of course it was because Shu Shu wanted to come in. Anyway, there was no need to tell the other sub-beastman this.
 
"Imperial Plaza . . . Imperial . . . . You . . ." Shu Shu gave some thought to it and suddenly remembered that Edgar was the crown prince. In that case, the Imperial Plaza . . . .
 
"The property right of the Imperial Plaza was given to the crown prince by the emperor as a coming of age present ten years ago." Edgar said. He had not yet taken over the estate of the Imperial family, but the Imperial Plaza was in his hands, and he was able to get a big rent every year . . . . That’s where his savings came from.
 
So that Imperial Plaza thingy was Edgar’s? Why didn't Edgar say so earlier? You should go to your own family to do your shopping, ah!
 
Shu Shu didn't know anything about the Imperial Plaza, so he straightaway said, "Let's go to the Imperial Plaza then. Hurry up!"
 
Standing on the side, Frank was mystified. Who the heck were these two people? This reaction was really wrong!
 
There were a lot of small-sized city flying cars in the business district. Using the communication device to call one of them, it would stop in front of you and take you to any place in the city . . . . At the shop doorway, Edgar immediately found a car coming.
 
"It's black! Someone’s driving!" Frank looked at the flying car in shock. This kind of flying car was usually white and drove automatically, and the price was quite cheap. But if you were willing to spend more money, you could also find flying cars with other colors. For example, red, blue, green, and purple.
 
But among the so many flying cars, the ones you saw least was the black ones.
 
Black flying cars had dedicated drivers to drive them, and most people simply couldn't call them!
 
This beastman . . . . He actually had the ability to call a black flying car!
 
Although Frank was a commoner, but he was admitted to the Imperial College and mixed with a group of wealthy and respectable sub-beastmen. Even if he didn't have much money in his hands, he still had a little knowledge and experience. When he saw the black flying car, he knew that Edgar's identity was definitely not ordinary.
 
Frank was quite amazed; on the contrary, Shu Shu didn't feel amazed . . . . He simply didn't know that flying cars were also divided by grade. Moreover, he didn't know that having a driver was a symbol of privilege. You had to know that on the earth, all taxis had drivers.
 
"Get in." Edgar said, bringing Shu Shu and taking the lead to get in.
 
Frank gritted his teeth and got in. He was an ambitious person, and he hoped that in the future, he would be able to go far and have his own career. Now that he met two people whose identities were unknown but definitely not ordinary, of course he would choose to make friends with them.
 
The black flying car flew very fast in the sky, so that people below who saw it did not have enough time to take a picture. It then stopped directly on the platform of the fifth floor of the Imperial Plaza.
 
"The fifth floor specializes in selling all kinds of sub-beastman apparel, and the sixth floor specializes in selling all kinds of accessories. You can go and see." Edgar said, walking in.
 
The Imperial Plaza was very, very tall, and the floor area was also very, very big. There were many shops on the fifth floor, and these shops were bustling with many people who were buying clothes.
 
Although it was quite difficult to become a member of the Imperial Plaza, but the Beastman Empire had countless planets, and there were countless people on those planets. Therefore, the Imperial Plaza was not lacking customers at all, so much so that people were always coming and going.
 
It was the first time Frank came to a place like this, and he felt a little dazzled as he saw the finely made clothes around him.
 
It would be nice if he could be a frequent visitor to this kind of place . . . . Frank suddenly had such a thought in his mind, but he quickly put an end to it.
 
Since he had no money, he should not wish too much. If he had time, he was better off reflecting on how to improve himself and make his child have a chance to come to this kind of place.
 
"You help Shu Shu choose a few clothes." Edgar said to Frank.
 
"No problem!" Frank nodded and took Shu Shu into a nearby shop.
 
The price of a piece of clothing here could equal the price of more than ten sets of clothing sold outside through and through. Shu Shu looked at the marked price and was stupefied. Frank also felt his hands tremble a little. Studying in the Imperial College, his monthly living expenses were only five or six thousand. He had to find a part-time job to have an extra income to be able to spend money like today. But here . . . the cost of a piece of clothing was enough for his living expenses for several months!
 
At that time, when he was with that person, that person was also reluctant to buy him such clothes, ah . . . .
 
The clothes in the Imperial Plaza were actually so expensive . . . . Shu Shu almost turned tail, but he at once recalled that this place was apparently Edgar’s.
 
Shu Shu abruptly turned towards Frank: "Is the Imperial family very rich?"
 
"Of course, they’re the richest people in the Empire. Why do you ask this?" Frank was a bit puzzled.
 
"Will they feel that buying clothes in this place is expensive?" Shu Shu asked again. He was a man who was happy to partake but not prepared to do any work. In the future, he would depend on his disciple for many things, but he still needed to behave appropriately when spending money.

"Impossible! They’ll not feel it’s expensive even if they buy up all the clothes in this place." Frank said. Although the clothes here were expensive, but they were truly nothing compared to a spaceship, and the Imperial family . . . . They were the people who owned the largest civilian spaceship shipyard in the whole Empire! The money they earned by selling off a spaceship was estimatedly enough for them to wear a new outfit every day. "Moreover, this plaza is also the Imperial family’s!"
 
Shu Shu listened to Frank’s explanation and immediately felt relieved. He started to browse the clothes happily.

Frank’s looks were definitely not the delicate type; his facial lines were a bit rugged, but he was still quite good-looking and classy. Shu Shu though . . . Shu Shu had a round face, and his looks were classified as the cute type.
 
When buying clothes, one naturally should highlight one’s own strong points . . . . Frank started to choose the style that suited Shu Shu and quickly picked a cute coat.
 
After Shu Shu put it on, he looked even younger . . . .
 
"For him . . . choose more mature clothes." Edgar couldn't help but speak. Shu Shu looking so young was an inconvenience for him . . . . He might have to wait for at least two or three more years to marry Shu Shu.
 
Frank glanced at Edgar and sympathized with him a little. Since the sub-beastman was still too young, the beastman had to wait!
 
Frank turned back and continued to choose clothes. Right at this moment, Julian, the sub-beastman they had met back then, unexpectedly walked in with his beastman.
 
"You . . . . Frank, how can you be here?" Julian stared at Frank incredulously. After he had come across Frank, he rode the flying car to get here without any delay. They hadn't even had time to go around properly. How could Frank already be in the middle of trying on clothes?
 
No, what he should ask was . . . how could Frank come in here? This was not right!
 
"You can come, why can't I come?" Frank turned towards Julian and tried to look down his nose at him.
 
"Did you all just recklessly come in?" Julian frowned and turned towards Shu Shu: "Do you have a membership card here?"

"No." Shu Shu shook his head. He didn't even have an ID card now, let alone a membership card.
 
"Shop assistant! They came in illegally, and they all don't have the membership card here!" Julian raised his voice.
 
The store here had robots to help customers choose clothes, but there were also real person shop assistants. Hearing Julian’s words, the real person shop assistant immediately said: “Mister, the Imperial Plaza’s guards are very strict. If you don’t have a membership card, you absolutely can’t go in. I think you must be mistaken."

“They all admitted that they don’t have membership cards! "Julian said.
 
"There are some ways to get in without a membership card." The shop assistant said again.
 
"Do you think that these three people, who were almost unable to pay in the Core specialty store outside, have the ability to use special means to come in?" Julian said. Even the beastman at his side frowned and turned towards Frank: "Frank, I know you want to compare with Julian in everything, but you also can't break in like this. It's very dangerous."

When Frank heard the beastman's words, his face changed. Then he replied with a sneer, "When did I compare with Julian persistently? Obviously, it’s Julian who has always entangled me in. As the other man who has stolen another person’s boyfriend, he has a guilty conscience and is afraid that his boyfriend will run back to the ex. Could it be that he wants to keep suppressing me because he’s overly suspicious of me all the time?"
 
There seemed to be quite a melodrama between these three people! Shu Shu’s eyes instantly opened wide; his gaze curiously moved back and forth between Julian and that beastman . . . . Could it be that these two men were the scum male and the mistress?
 
"Frank! You not only broke in illegally but also tried to use lies to shift the subject!" That beastman said, and a thread of guilty conscience flashed in his eyes when he saw how Frank looked.
 
"What I said is not a lie; it’s a fact. I previously didn’t see that you’re a man who is never satisfied with what you have. If everyone had minded their own business from the beginning, then it wouldn’t have mattered. In the end, you two still aim at me everywhere. And now you even have the nerve to frame me!" Frank said loudly.
 
There was already a crowd around them at this moment. These people listened to Frank’s words and their gaze toward Julian and the beastman at his side became strange.

"Frank, you’re talking nonsense. Obviously, it’s you who are pestering him, and you still blame me for it!" Shame flashed across Julian's face.
 
"I’m pestering him? Then, why do you still take him with you when you come to me to show off? Shouldn't you take him far away?" Frank said.
 
Julian stared at Frank with hatred but then abruptly smiled: "Frank, your mouth is vicious. I’ve no more words to argue with you, but I’ve already called the security guards. Do you think it’s all right for you to come in recklessly? You obviously don’t have a membership card, yet you still come to the Imperial Plaza and hinder us. Don't you think about the consequences?"
 
Hearing this speech, Frank’s expression changed, but he quickly calmed down.
 
Right at this moment, some voices were heard from not far away. The Imperial Plaza’s security staff was coming at a fast speed, and walking in front was a man whom everyone was very familiar with.
 
In the capital star, there were a good deal of sought-after sub-beastmen and beastmen. This one before their eyes was one of the latter—the only son of the Duke of Mund, Calvin.
 
Calvin was high-born and also excellent himself. In many sub-beastmen’s hearts, he was second only to the Crown Prince.
 
"I heard that some people have sneaked into the Imperial Plaza? What about them?" Calvin walked over with a smile.
 
"Senior Calvin, it’s them!" Julian immediately said.
 
When Calvin heard the word "senior", he at once knew that the talking sub-beastman had to be a student of the Imperial College. He truly did not like others use this identity to worm their way into being friends with him, but this one was a pretty sub-beastman after all.
 
Smiling at Julian, Calvin turned towards the three people pointed out by him.
 
The smile on Calvin’s face that made people feel like being cleansed by the spring breeze abruptly disappeared. Looking at Edgar, his expression froze. Only after a while did he return to normal. “Edgar?”
 
“Calvin.” Facing the other party, Edgar nodded.
 
Edgar? Wasn’t this the crown prince’s name? Julian and those onlookers looked over.
 
"What’s going on here? Have you been reported because you don't have a membership card?" Calvin felt a little dumbfounded.
 
"Yes." Edgar replied.
 
Hearing Edgar and Calvin’s conversation, Julian’s expression instantly changed, and he also realized that he most probably had done something stupid. In fact, before engaging in an exchange, he should’ve realized that he absolutely couldn’t offend any person in the Imperial Plaza, even if the other person wore tattered clothes. But Frank . . . was a thorn in his heart, so he really couldn’t help it.
 
And now, this thorn not only did not get plucked, but it seemed to be scratching him as well!
 
"The Imperial Plaza is yours, and you actually still get reported!" Calvin started to laugh, and his words made the surrounding people convinced. This beastman who looked like the crown prince was indeed the crown prince.
 
In this way, they actually sympathized with Julian, but at the same time, they also felt that Julian was rather laughable. This sub-beastman kept saying that the other sub-beastman was coming to hinder him and pester his beastman too. While in reality, that sub-beastman had come with the crown prince all along!
 
"Edgar, is this the sub-beastman you’re accompanying to buy clothes?" Calvin curiously turned his sight towards Frank who stood beside Edgar. He knew that Edgar should be pursuing that sub-beastman. But now that the matter was not yet set, he would not say more.
 
"Not him." Edgar immediately stated: "He’s the one I found to help Shu Shu choose clothes."
 
Saying so, Edgar pulled Shu Shu close. "This is Shu Shu, a relative of my mother who’s just come from another planet."
 
Seeing Edgar actually hold Shu Shu's hand, Calvin’s eyes went round from shock but quickly returned to normal: "No wonder Uncle Ian also came here and has been looking for you to boot."
 
"Take us to him." Edgar said and then pointed at Frank: " Send him back.”
 
Calvin left with Edgar and Shu Shu, while the security guard came to Frank and politely sent Frank back.
 
Frank glanced at Julian with a complex expression and then walked away; both his hands couldn’t stop shaking from being excited.
 
He knew that the identity of Shu Shu and that beastman were not ordinary, and previously, he got a little idea of exploiting them. Julian had stolen his boyfriend and still tried to find trouble for him everywhere. He wanted to borrow these two men’s identities to give Julian a lesson, or else, he would not have opened his wounds in public and aired everything Julian had done . . . . However, he did not expect that said beastman was actually the crown prince.
 
The crown prince could definitely see his cheap trick, so he was sent away like this, but he did not regret it.
 
He really had had enough of getting insulted by Julian all the time!
 
Julian had looked very embarrassed just now . . . . Covering his mouth, Frank laughed silently.
 
Shu Shu went with Edgar to see Ian and then was taken along by Ian to buy clothes.
 
Shu Shu had thought that he was already a big spender, but after following Ian who started to buy clothes, he realized that he was actually a total miser . . . .
 
First, Ian bought him dozens of clothes at a time, and this was after he tried his best to put a stop to it. After that, Ian bought him a mountain of jewelries and wristwatches!
 
One wristwatch actually cost a million credits. This was highway robbery, right? One million, ah! It was enough to build a hamster cultivation base!
 
Shu Shu stared at the wristwatch on his hand with a solemn expression. Should he put this wristwatch in his food pouch? If he put this wristwatch in his food pouch, later, he could sell it and continue to live comfortably even if Edgar did not keep him anymore . . . .
 
When Shu Shu was pondering this matter, the news of the empress receiving a sub-beastman relative of his from a remote planet had already spread widely in the capital star’s upper circle.
 
The crown prince had always shown that he did not care about sub-beastmen or marriage. Maybe the reason the empress received this relative was because he wanted to marry off his relative to the crown prince?
 
The first thing people thought of was this possibility, but after they had seen the sub-beastman’s photo, they vetoed it.
 
This sub-beastman looked underage, and moreover . . . the crown prince initially didn’t take him to the Imperial Plaza but took him to an inexpensive brand name shop to buy clothes instead . . . . It might be assumed that the crown prince didn’t like him at all.
 
Shu Shu was not aware of other people's guesses. During the following days, Edgar always accompanied him, and he had been feeling great.
 
But tonight, Edgar told him one thing: "I must go to the military department tomorrow."

"You’re going to start working tomorrow?" Shu Shu asked.
 
"Yes."

"Oh. Then I’ll wait at home for you to come back." Shu Shu said.
 
Shu Shu’s words made Edgar’s heart beat faster, and he felt like he was a married beastman who had a sub-beastman waiting for him . . . . Anyway, he soon calmed down and asked Shu Shu: “You . . . do you want to go to school?
 
“Go to school?" Shu Shu stared blankly. He had just learned the spoken language and was still not very skilled in the written one. Could he go to school like this?
 
"Yes, that’s right, go to school. I think you better go to school to learn some subjects." Edgar said.
 
"But I don't understand anything . . ."
 
"It doesn't matter."
 
Shu Shu was still very interested in going to school, so he immediately agreed. "Alright then, I’m going to school! Where can I go? Shall I go to kindergarten?" He was still unable to make sense of the teaching materials for elementary school . . . .
 
"No, you go to the Imperial College." Edgar said.
 
Shu Shu had already looked up the Imperial College on the Internet. He knew that it was the best school in the Beastman Empire. Countless beastmen and sub-beastmen wanted to enter this school, but only a minority of them could be admitted. For a moment, he was speechless with shock: "What did you say? I can go to the Imperial College?"
 
"Yes." Edgar nodded.
 
"Hahaha, I didn't expect that I can go to the Imperial College too!" Shu Shu was extremely happy. The day when he could study in school and become a top student finally came! Once he graduated from the Imperial College and got a diploma, would he be able to reach the pinnacle of life, find a good job, and marry a Ms. Perfect?
 
Looking at Shu Shu's appearance, Edgar swallowed back the words he was going to say next. He didn't tell Shu Shu that there was actually a bridal class in the Imperial College.
 
The Imperial College in ancient times accepted both beastmen and sub-beastmen. The beastmen could learn all kinds of subjects, but the sub-beastmen could only learn flower arranging, painting, cooking, and the like. After going through a reform, all these things changed to some extent. The sub-beastmen were now allowed to learn all kinds of subjects and go to class together with the beastmen.
 
But the bridal class that only taught flower arranging and cooking still existed.

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