Chapter 42 1/2

Jiang Li furrowed his brows slightly. Was Cen Lang incapable of walking in a straight line? He stood still, restraining his own steps. He had had enough today; he couldn’t keep turning around like a little dog attracted by a meat bone.

Cen Lang regretfully found that Jiang Li was not taking the bait. He seemed determined to walk in the direction of the matchmaking pavilion. Cen Lang couldn’t release pheromones to attract him elsewhere.

His social status plummeted.

Cen Lang hurriedly approached and said seriously, “Let’s find a quiet place; I have something to tell you.”

Jiang Li, not very interested, asked, “What’s the matter?”

Cen Lang replied, “The old demon king asked me to dig some lichens.” What he dug was his, not handed over to the old demon king.

Jiang Li changed his tone. “Where do you want to talk?”

Cen Lang pointed in the opposite direction of the matchmaking pavilion and said, “Look towards the lake.”

There were other people walking by the lake. Cen Lang restrained his pheromones and said with reservation, “Dug three pounds.”

Lichens are small and light; three pounds could cover several categories.

In fact, including what was dug on land, there were a total of ten pounds. Wherever they went, nothing grew. He kept seven pounds for later and gave away one pound at a time.

Cen Lang said, “Stored in the Cen lab, you can go see it anytime.”

Jiang Li’s eyes lit up. He really wanted to go to the lab and missed the lab’s environment. Even if he didn’t do anything, just looking would be good.

But he had already graduated and didn’t want to trouble the old demon king. In the late stages of pregnancy, entering the lab would make others uneasy. Jiang Li had to wait patiently until after giving birth to apply for the qualification at the Pheromone Research Institute.

If it were Cen Lang’s lab, could he…

Jiang Li was stunned. Why did he start thinking he could do whatever he wanted? Clearly, he wanted to set clear boundaries.

Cen Lang tried to bring Jiang Li back to the central area, reclaiming his territory: “My grandfather spent a lot of money building a pheromone-related lab to treat my storm syndrome. The equipment is no less than Tianchen’s. Since you cured my storm syndrome, the lab is useless. If you don’t use it, many devices will deteriorate.”

Jiang Li, a lover of labs, showed a pained expression. “Is that so?”

Cen Lang asked, “Do you want to visit?”

Jiang Li hesitated. “Yes.”

Cen Lang said, “I happen to be going back to do something; I’ll give you a ride and then take you back.”

Jiang Li replied, “I can come back on my own.”

Cen Lang didn’t confirm or deny, saying, “Departure tomorrow, okay?”

Jiang Li agreed, “Sure.”

Cen Lang consulted a doctor. Pregnant Omegas needed Alpha pheromones every morning. He looked forward to Jiang Li coming to sniff surreptitiously.

More importantly, he directly asked Jiang Li why he pretended to be a beta. Jiang Li wouldn’t admit it, and there was no rule that said an Omega like Jiang Li had to be with an Alpha.

Cen Lang learned a lesson from the defense day. He couldn’t rush to question Jiang Li without evidence. If the other party didn’t admit it, what could he do? Selling his misery was more effective. If he sold it twice, Jiang Li would accept the roles of caregiver and father for the child.

But how could the strongest Alpha in the galaxy sell misery every day? Eventually, courtship relied on strength.

As they walked back, Jiang Li passed the guest room and turned a blind eye to Cen Lang’s bedding inside. He was used to reading at the desk in the master bedroom, sitting for hours, and often forgetting to move.

Cen Lang knocked on the door to remind him every half hour. Finally, he moved a chair and sat next to him, supervising. With a profound expression, he picked up a journal and said, “Hmm? New discoveries in the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway again?”

What was this? Jiang Li had never heard of it.

Cen Lang approached it with a professional attitude towards military deployments, attempting to resonate with Dr. Xiao Jiang’s soul.

Jiang Li responded casually.

Cen Lang turned two pages, looking as if he were writing a military report. He painstakingly pressed the journal to the bottom of the pile. Then he found one he could understand: “Anthropology.”

Cen Lang remembered the flyer for the anthropology debate, and with a slight smile, he found something he could understand.

The paper supported the O-system social viewpoint, citing a group of archaeologists who discovered a set of rock paintings buried in the desert. After restoration, they determined it was a record of ancient life scenes.

The paper included a set of color illustrations. In ancient times, there was reproductive worship, so certain parts were drawn more prominently to distinguish between male and female.

The rock painting describes the courtship and mating scene between AOs. Three Alphas were attracted by an Omega, but all failed in courtship, dejectedly leaving… until the fourth Alpha arrived and approached the Omega.

[The first three Alphas left with erectile dysfunction.]

Scholars believe that at that time, some Omegas had pheromones that could attack the majority of Alphas. [Only Alphas capable of resisting the attack had the right to mate.]

Cen Lang raised an eyebrow and turned back to the key points. Due to erosion over millions of years, the rock paintings were unclear, and many outlines were filled in by scholars. The proof of Alpha erectile dysfunction was that the crucial part became less noticeable when they left, but it could also be explained as weathering.

Interstellar anthropology truly deserves its reputation as the profession of telling stories through pictures.