Her name was Nian Yan, and she had mysteriously transmigrated into an interstellar beastman world where females were worshipped and males were treated like dirt.
The gender ratio here was a staggering one to seventy-nine. Because of this, a single female could have one official husband and an unlimited number of side husbands. These men would be fiercely loyal, willing to lay down their lives to protect their wife.
After all, no matter how powerful a male beastman was, he absolutely needed the spiritual soothing of a female. Without it, he would completely lose his mind and turn into a feral, rampaging beast. Nian Yan figured that since she was just a normal human and not a real beastman female, she probably didn't have any of this spiritual power, so she assumed she wouldn't be very popular around here.
But she was wrong. The second she received her smart bracelet from the Female Protection Association, the number of marriage proposals on her screen started skyrocketing.
"Since you don't have a partner right now, your profile is open to proposals by default," the staff gently explained, "and it gets broadcast to all the eligible bachelors out there."
Now, the Empire wouldn't force a female into marriage, but for their own safety, unmarried females were required to have at least three guardians.
Back on Earth, Nian Yan had been severely traumatized by her family forcing her into blind dates. Marriage was the absolute last thing on her mind right now. So she just picked the first two men she laid eyes on, Major General Leon and Doctor Lu Zan, to be her official guardians.
Ever since they found her, these two had treated her with such incredible care and tenderness that letting them become her new family seemed like the absolute best choice she could make. And the feeling was entirely mutual. Not only was Nian Yan undeniably gorgeous and sweet, she actually treated them with genuine respect. The females in this world were so high and mighty that they practically treated men like disposable slaves.
Females always ate first, while the men had to stand around and wait on them hand and foot. But Nian Yan didn't just sit down and eat with them. She even insisted on cooking for them. That was completely unheard of in this universe. So what had started as fond affection from her two guardians quickly blossomed into a desperate, burning desire to stay by her side forever.
Right now, they had just arrived at Leon's private villa. The Empire's youngest major general blushed furiously as he led Nian Yan into the sunniest, most beautiful bedroom in the house. As for himself, he took the room right next door, secretly daydreaming that if his sweet wife ever allowed him to spend the night, his life would be absolutely perfect.
The moment he got back to his room, Leon received a video call from his uncle, the Grand Marshal of the Empire, who flatly refused to let him become Nian Yan's partner. His reason? During his last medical exam, Leon's mutation instability level had already hit seventy-four. The second that number hit eighty, he would completely lose control and violently shift into his mindless, feral beast form.
But no matter how hard Leon begged and pleaded, he couldn't shake his uncle's ironclad resolve to find him a top-tier, A-class female partner instead. The call ended in a bitter argument.
A dark, suffocating wave of anxiety and frustration started tearing through Leon's mind. His instability levels began to dangerously spike. And the exact moment it hit eighty, the man violently shifted into a massive male lion, shattering the window as he leapt out.
He plunged straight down from the second floor. By the time Lu Zan rushed in, he was already a second too late. He immediately dispatched a massive squad of officers to hunt him down.
Meanwhile, Nian Yan had already fallen fast asleep, completely undisturbed by the chaotic riot outside. That was until the dead of night, when through her hazy sleep she suddenly felt something. Something big and furry, nuzzling right against her cheek.
She groggily opened her eyes, only to lock eyes with a pair of glowing, feral pupils piercing through the darkness. Her heart practically stopped right then and there. A massive male lion had its head resting right on her chest, just watching her quietly.
They locked eyes for a long time. Eventually, she realized the lion didn't seem to have any intention of attacking her.
Mustering up her courage, she slipped out of bed to go look for Leon and Lu Zan, but neither of them was around. Then it hit her. A sudden thought popped into her head. She reached out and waved a hand in front of the lion's face.
"Are you a beastman? Can you understand me?"
But the lion just stared intently at her hand and let out an excited, low rumble from its throat.
Startled, Nian Yan snatched her hand back immediately. "It really is just an animal, not a beastman."
She went and grabbed a chunk of fresh meat, hoping that keeping it fed would keep her from becoming its next meal. But to her surprise, the lion didn't even glance at the meat. Instead, it just started licking her hand over and over.
Seeing this, Nian Yan got a bit bolder. She actually reached out and stroked the lion's belly. And when the massive beast not only let her pet it but even started purring like a giant cat, Nian Yan got totally hooked. Eventually, the girl and the lion just curled up together in a big pile and dozed right back to sleep.
When morning came and she finally woke up, the lion was nowhere to be seen. She honestly thought she had dreamed the whole thing.
Later, Lu Zan told her that Leon had left early for a mission back at the base. She didn't think much of it. While she was eating, Lu Zan suddenly mentioned that he had an emergency mission and had to leave, too.
"Oh, an emergency. It's okay. You go on ahead."
That left Nian Yan all alone in the house.
She went back to her breakfast when suddenly there was a crash. A huge noise came from Leon's room. Seconds later, a very familiar furry head poked into the dining room. There was no doubt about it. It was the exact same lion from last night, so it really hadn't been a dream after all.
It had been too dark last night to see clearly. But now she could see strange dark mist clinging to the lion's body, swirling around it like creeping shadows. She reached out to touch it, but her fingers went right through.
Nian Yan had a bad feeling that this dark mist was hurting the lion, so she focused all her attention on trying to make it go away. Suddenly, a patch of the dark mist just vanished right before her eyes.
But at the exact same moment, a wave of intense exhaustion washed over her. It wasn't a physical tiredness. It was mental.
Her mind immediately jumped to what she'd heard about female beastmen.
Wait. Do I have spiritual power, too?
She looked over at the lion. Its eyes were half closed, and it was letting out a deep, contented purr.