Seeing Ewan standing there dazed and unresponsive like a stone statue, the man opposite him began to grow impatient. He took two steps forward, his massive shadow looming over and completely engulfing the boy's small frame, his deep voice now laced with unconcealed worry:
"Hey, kid, are you alright?"
The voice was like a bucket of ice water splashed onto his face, snapping Ewan out of his internal panic. He shook his head vigorously, his survival instincts kicking in and causing his mouth to work faster than his brain: "I... I'm fine..."
But then, remembering the question about his background, Ewan found himself in a tight spot. Who would believe the truth? And if he lied, how could he fabricate a story that was seamless and convincing? He was currently completely blind to the workings of this world; one slip of the tongue and his cover would be blown instantly.
Well then, the "tragic victim" ploy was the best strategy.
Ewan lowered his eyes, his eyelashes trembling delicately, and his voice became choked with grievance: "I... My parents have both passed away. Living on the major planets was too expensive, I couldn't afford the rent, so I intended to return to the rim planets of The Empire to rely on some relatives. Who would have thought..." He took a deep breath, forcing a look of utter sorrow onto his face: "On the way, I received news that they didn't want to harbor a burden like me anymore. I was so desperate that..."
He left the sentence hanging, allowing the other man's imagination to fill in the blanks.
As expected, Ewan's artful hesitation caused a disastrous misunderstanding in the man's mind. In his eyes right now, the boy before him was a fragile flower crushed by the cruel currents of life, with no one to rely on, rejected by his own kin to the point of contemplating suicide by jumping into the sea.
He looked at the boy's thin, emaciated frame and couldn't help but let out a long, heavy sigh.
He was too young. Looking at that fresh, baby-faced appearance, he had probably just turned twenty. When he fished the boy out of the sea, he had smelled a faint scent of Pheromones, knowing immediately that this was an Omega. In this era, a solitary Omega wandering outside found life incredibly difficult; it was no wonder he had thought of ending it all.
"What is your name?" He asked, his tone having softened by several degrees.
"Huh... Uh..." Ewan stammered. If he gave his real name as Yu, it sounded too curt, like a pet's name. But if he claimed to be Basil Vance, it would be like announcing, "Here I am, come catch me." What if that family was currently putting out a bounty on him?
The central processor in Ewan's head ran at full capacity. Three seconds later, he raised his head, his gaze steady and determined: "I am Ewan."
"Ewan?"
"Yes, Ewan." He nodded firmly. Goodbye, unlucky name Yu; from now on, he would use the ID "Ewan" to restart his life on this cosmic version of the Earth server.
The man murmured the name to himself for a moment and then fell silent. He seemed to be weighing something in his mind, then abruptly made a suggestion, his voice slightly awkward for fear of being too abrupt: "Do you... want to stay here?" Seeing Ewan's eyes widen in surprise, he hurriedly added: "This is Lunaris Vale. It occupies the entire southern region and the southwest coast of Planet Anvia. If you truly have nowhere left to go, I can take you to the village chief to register for temporary residence."
He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the simple house: "Actually, this place can be considered a spontaneous refugee camp. The villagers are all people with special circumstances who drifted here to make a living. However, I must tell you in advance, this entire village, and even this entire Planet Anvia, is extremely backward. Life here is hard, lacking in many ways, and certainly not as luxurious as it is on Planet Capitalis."
Yu... no, he must be called Ewan now. Ewan listened and was dumbfounded. In the age of space travel, there was still such a casual concept as a "refugee camp"?
"Is that really okay?" Ewan asked cautiously, then patted his own body: "But... when I, um, jumped into the sea, I didn't bring my Personal Terminal or any identification papers. Right now, I am a stateless nobody..."
"Don't worry about that." The man waved his hand, his tone strangely nonchalant. "Rest assured, in this backwater, those high-tech gadgets are just useless bricks anyway. There is no Internet here."
What? No Internet?
Ewan felt as if he had been struck by lightning. Without the Internet, how did people even survive?
The man didn't notice the constipated look on Ewan's face and continued: "If you save up enough money in the future and want to leave, you can go to the Central Town. There is a connection network there; you can remake your ID card and buy a cheap, second-hand Personal Terminal to use."
As he spoke, his eyes swept over Ewan's body once more, full of assessment and... skepticism. Ewan swore he just caught the man's brainwaves: Looking at this weak and frail appearance, it's doubtful he'll even survive the winter, let alone earn money to leave.
Hey now, who are you looking down on?
Don't think just because you're big that I'm afraid of you! Just you wait, I will show you what "overcoming poverty" looks like!
Although he was screaming internally, on the surface, Ewan still flashed a standard industrial smile: "Alright, then please trouble you to take me to see the village chief."
He enthusiastically intended to stand up abruptly to prove he was strong, but alas, this weak Omega body did not cooperate in the slightest. Before blood could even pump to his brain, Ewan swayed dizzily, seeing stars exploding in his vision, and flopped back down onto the bed like a sack of rice.
Seeing this scene, the man shook his head in resignation: "Forget it, just lie down and rest to regain your strength. There is a small path on the side of the house leading to the bathroom. Later, when you feel better, go there and wash up... Wait for me a moment, I'll go over to Ms. Lauren's house next door to ask to buy two sets of old clothes for you."
At this moment, Ewan finally had the time to scrutinize the clothing of both individuals.
He realized there was a distinct difference between his clothes and the man's. How to put it? The clothes on his body were quite similar to the modern era of his old world, just a t-shirt and trousers, but the material seemed high-end, soft, and smooth.
In contrast, although the man's clothes were not too different in style, they looked very rough. They appeared somewhat like the hemp fabric outfits he had encountered in the ancient era.
Ewan mentally kicked that thought out of his head. Surely it was just a special material that made them look rough and stiff. This was the Interstellar Federation world, after all; surely there wasn't a region so poor that they had to wear clothes woven from hemp?
"Rest a bit and then go take a bath. I saw your body was covered in blood. I don't know if you have any other injuries besides the scratches on your limbs. After all, I... cough, it wasn't convenient for me to check thoroughly..." The man coughed dryly, his eyes averting: "Later, I'll stop by the doctor's to buy some ointment. You can apply it yourself."
After saying that, he turned and walked quickly out the door as if fleeing.
Ewan hurriedly called after him: "Wait, what is your name? I still don't know your name."
The man's footsteps paused. He didn't turn his head, only throwing back a steady, deep sentence:
"Asher Ryder. I am an Alpha."
The door closed.
Ewan was stunned. Oh, his name is Asher Ryder. An Alpha.
Wait... so what if he's an Alpha? Is being an Alpha such a big deal? Why did he have to emphasize it?
Three seconds later, Ewan's brain finally finished downloading the data.
Ah... He is an Alpha, and I am an Omega. Men and women shouldn't touch... wait, no, Alpha and Omega gender segregation... No wonder he said it was "inconvenient to check the body."
Ewan went stiff, his face twisting into a grimace.
Damn it, the settings of this world are so annoying!
Damn you, you rude little brat! Why the hell did you summon me here?!