Description Why Did You Summon Me？

      Imagine being forced to live, after death, as incorporeal bodies trapped in a vast space of nothingness for thousands of years, with nothing to do but exchanging past memories with other cohabitants (read: weirdos). Everybody wanted out, but there was no way to leave the Void...

     Until one day, a young man was finally summoned, as a powerful but reluctant mentor, by a bubbly and motivated but completely...

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     201 This is the Perfect Place for a Vacation!

      Everywhere within their field of view was encompassed by the sunny, blue sky. It was as if they were standing on the summit of a tall mountain. White clouds surrounded them so closely that they might be able to pluck one just by reaching out their hand.

     After boarding multiple transmission formations from the Mage Tower, the girls' cries of awe and wonder showed that they had not expected the sudden, stark change of scenery.

     "Have we… have we finally reached Heaven?" Laeticia asked Baiyi in a dumbfounded tone as she looked around.

     'Excuse me, but can you be less morbid than that?'

     "This… This is one of those cities-in-the-clouds, right?" Tisdale, who was more knowledgeable than the others, said. "I read somewhere that many powerful sorcerers are capable of constructing their own city in the clouds…"

     Baiyi shook his head sideways, then replied casually, "Nope. We're now in the realm of Gouve."

     "Huh?!""Eh?!"

     The girls exclaimed in unison. They had not expected that—after only going through multiple transmissions—they would arrive at a different realm altogether

     "C'mon, don't be too surprised. We did pass through a lot of transmission formations, didn't we?" Baiyi smiled at their bewilderment. "I just thought that since we sought a good getaway, we might as well as travel to somewhere far."

     "Ooh, but this is… so much farther than I'd ever thought of…" Little Mia stuck out her tongue in anticipation and a little nervousness. This was her first time leaving the realm of Isythre.

     "Oh, you won't regret this trip," Baiyi replied reassuringly, leading the girls down a slithering, mountainous path leading down the slope. Owning to how close they were to the clouds atop of the mountain, the girls thought it would take a pretty long time to reach the foot of the mountain; however, after passing through a puff of clouds, they found themselves bracing the sight of a town.

     Unlike the bustling towns that someone would normally have in mind, this town was quiet. Even the huts with shop fronts were closed. It was as if the whole place had been deserted for years.

     "Do settlements like these also exist atop mountains?" Laeticia asked out of curiosity. "Though this one looks so empty…"

     Baiyi did not reply. Instead, he led them through the ghost town until they reached the edge of a cliff. He then waved the girls over. "Hey, check this out!"

     "Eeehhh! That's dangerous! Right?" Little Mia asked, but her feet had shuffled close to Baiyi's out of her curiosity. The Soul Armature then wrapped his arms around the girl's tiny waist and tipped her forward a little so that she could see clearly.

     Little Mia froze. She realized that she was not at top of a mountain; instead, she had been standing in the sky! The land beneath her was actually a small floating island which was hovering in the sky!

     And close to their island were many more identical floating islands, scattering across the fabric-like blue sky like stars.

     This marvelous revelation triggered another cry of exclamation from the other girls who had managed to muster enough courage to inch close to the edge. The fact that they were standing on top of a land hovering on air also compelled them to huddle close to Baiyi unconsciously.

     'And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why this is the perfect place for vacations.'

     "Gouve is actually a far larger realm than Isythre, but there isn't a complete continent here. The only thing that defines the realm as a whole is the large ocean way down below—and these little islands that float on air perpetually for some unknown reasons. Now, the island that we're on is one of the higher ones, but there are still some more islands floating at an altitude far higher than ours. Like that one, behind the clouds," Baiyi explained, pointing at the sky.

     Academics were still debating about the origin of Gouve's unique geographical conditions, but due to how ancient the realm was as a whole—more ancient than the human civilization—no scholar could come up a really convincing theory. One scholarly conjecture stated that Gouve used to have a large continent similar to Isythre, but a major catalytic event occurred that caused the land to fracture into what it currently was.

     So what could be that catalytic event? Many believed it was a cataclysmic world war.

     However, could a war fracture an entire continent into smaller slabs of land and produce some kind of energy that caused the slabs to float forever? Baiyi couldn't picture a war of that magnitude. He himself might be able to cause such a damage if he tried, but even his attack could not leave behind forces that would cause the slabs of land to hover in the air for eons.

     Oh, well. It didn't matter why and how it happened; Gouve was a strange place, regardless. Over here, more humans and other living beings would gather on islands that were slightly larger than others, and these inhabitants transported themselves by taming and riding flying beasts. In possession of these animals versed in flight, the inhabitants managed to connect each island with one another, and together, they constructed their own dazzling civilization.

     "No wonder this realm was famed for its dragon riders," Tisdale commented quietly after Baiyi's briefing.

     "A place like this a haven for all kinds of wildlife. They dominate the floating islands, safe from the predatory eyes and harassment from humans. Life's good!" Baiyi added, half-jokingly. The truth, however, was that building an infrastructure of any kind in this realm was more difficult than trying to plant a potato in Siberia. Nevertheless, the realm, as a whole, enjoyed a level of tranquility that Isythre would be envious of. There were no demonic attacks, and only a few wars occurred between mankind here. A few large nations situated on large islands had existed for thousands of years; they had always maintained peace with each other.

     Since the realm was vast and traveling around it was tough, coupled with the fact that the environment was harsh, staying alive became a blessing and a priority. No one had the luxury to disrupt the lives of others here. Hence, despite being the largest of all three realms, Gouve had the smallest population and was the most peaceful.

     It really was the most perfect place for a vacation.

     "Now that you mentioned it! Aren't we at a really high altitude? Why don't I feel cold? Not only that, I don't even feel a draft! This place really is amazing!" Little Mia announced suddenly. The girls wanted to look their best for their outing, without knowing that they were going on a long trip, so they had chosen to wear short summer wears. Their skirts were above knees, and their legs reflecting the warm sunlight made Baiyi a little dazed.

     Baiyi unexpectedly agreed with her notion.

     "What's amazing isn't the place, though. It's magic," He replied calmly, extending his right hand to tap on the air, removing the magic that he had secretly placed on the girls' bodies.

     Then, he waved around the air a bit. Immediately, the girls felt the surrounding temperature drop so low that they almost jerked from the chill. Yelping, they felt as if they had been lowered into a cellar. A gust of chilly gale swept by, mercilessly lifting up their skirts…

     Pfft. Mia still hasn't outgrown her teddy bear one? …and Tisdale shouldn't wear something this mature. Laeticia was the most demure, as she was wearing a long skirt, but no one could say the same for Attie...

     Baiyi redid his thermal spell on the girls, then very swiftly pinched each of Attie's cheeks as he nagged. "Haven't I told you to dress properly? Haven't I told you to dress properly?!"

     "Uhhhhhh….!" Attie's whimper had come dangerously close to an actual sob. 'Didn't I dress properly on the outside already? In c-conclusion, this most definitely is the perfect place for a vacation…'

     "Got your lesson, girls?" Baiyi released his grip and asked with a trace of sarcasm. "Why don't you girl wear even less, huh?"

     "Owww, it was so cold!" Little Mia was still shaking from that tiny demonstration of the actual temperature, so she huddled close to Baiyi, grinding her cheeks against his body to steal some warmth. That was surprisingly comfortable.

     "Before magic was common, no one could actually live up here, at such an altitude, you know. The strong wind and the overtly low air pressure are both fatal to humans, so the few islands that were actually habitable were those that lay close to the ocean," Baiyi explained. "Back then, you couldn't even build anything concrete on the islands, so people had to live in caves—like mice in a house. After the popularization of magic, humans gained a little more advantage. And they built a large area wind-shielding barrier so that those islands at higher altitudes can be more habitable."

     "No wonder that town had been deserted," Laeticia said, hugging herself to shake off the chill she felt just now.

     "Deserted? Oh, not really," Baiyi said, leading the girls back to the town.

     He pushed open the door of a boutique shop.

     There was no counter and no shopkeeper, but there was a spiral staircase that led downwards. The girls could barely contain their curiosity as they followed the Soul Armature downstairs.

     Down there was a very different story.

     The real town was down here! Everywhere they looked had been lit by strong, bright lamps which were powered by magic, rendering the whole place as bright as day. The air was packed with people and lively chatters, finally displaying the true vigor of a Gouvian town.

     Another marked observation one could make, though, was the way the people here were dressed: none of them wore as little clothing as the girls had. Instead, they were garbed in thick winter garments as if they were planning to wait out the winter in a cave. Even their conversation was marked visually with white wisps of fog escaping their mouth every time they spoke.

     "This particular island had been inhabited for a long time. As for the transmission portal erected by the Sorcerer Association, it was above the ground. Although they had also erected some wind-shielding barriers above ground, the underground catacombs had already been developed by humans prior to the erection of the barriers above ground. Folks here just preferred the old way of living underground," Baiyi explained. "Of course, for the benefits of us outsiders, the locals still built some decorative huts up there to lead us here."

     He pointed at a boutique shop located close to the entrance of the cave and led the girls there.

     As soon as they entered, the shopkeeper was inches from their nose in elation, "Oh! Visitors from afar! Welcome, welcome, welcome! Oh, such beautiful girls. Aren't you freezing to the bone, wearing something like that? Don't worry, I have just about the finest wears for all of you that will complement your beauty!"

     When Baiyi finally paid for their new clothing, the girl exited the shop looking like a ball of yarn. They were adorable, but at the same time, their new look made the Soul Armature cracked a smile of amusement.I can almost see a title card of the word The realm of Gouve in the bottom left of the screen—have I been watching too many movies?Yea, in the same vein as to why horror movies are great for dates. Ya know?I knew this was familiar! Wait, of course. So many video games…If you accidentally jump down into the air, you probably lose a life!

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     202 A Big Guy with Courage

      After making their purchases at the boutique shop, Baiyi led the four "furballs" to a local carriage service. It took a few turns and zips through even more caves for the group to find the carriage service that the boutique shop owner recommended.

     Of course, the carriage services here never used beasts that were common in Isythre, like horses. Here, the means of transport that substituted horses were flying beasts called 'skycruising rays'. These skycruising rays looked virtually similar to the stingrays of the deep ocean, but it was larger in size. An adult skycruising ray was as big as a living room, perfectly adapted to accommodate a dozen adults on its spacious back.

     This peculiar beast, which was native only to Gouve, was not only omnivorous but also incredibly docile. Although their speed was on the slower end of the spectrum, their merit rested on their reliability. For all these reasons, skycruising rays ended up being one of the very first animals to be tamed by the humans here; they also became the main mode of transportation.

     This particular skycruising carriage service was located within a wide, tall cave. Atop the ceiling of the cave was a dozen gigantic skycruising rays, perching for a rest, and below them, some stable boys were feeding the younger skycruising rays with powdered, dried seaweed. They sat on the back of the younger skycruising rays and threw the powder into the air. The rays then opened their mouth wide to suck in their feed, purring with contentment.

     Even the knowledgeable Baiyi was new to this unique feeding method. As a middle-aged man with a goatee walked towards Baiyi, the latter withdrew his gaze from the feeding scene and turned around.

     "Hello, customer! You have great judgment. My skycruising rays are the fastest and the most reliable!" The middle-aged man beamed proudly. The skycruising rays there were also beaming, and they made booming "ooohh" sounds to echo their support for the man's claim. At the very least, these beasts were truly in sync with their masters.

     Nevertheless, the man's claim seemed like a fib. Skycruising rays weren't exactly renowned for their speed, after all. For destinations that would take a common bird mere minutes to reach, it would take a skycruising ray an hour to get there; this was due to its slow-paced but relaxing speed. That was why despite its enormous size, the skycruising rays were actually at the bottom of the food chain. They didn't possess any predatory parts such as claws or fangs, neither were they capable of harnessing mana as a self-defense measure.

     This made the rays the most perfect of preys; it will take only one lucky animal to hunt an entire school of them. A meek beast like this was better off allying themselves with the humans for survival; this accounted for their eagerness to be tamed.

     After a little price negotiation, Baiyi rented a skycruising ray to take the girls to the floating island that was closest to the ocean. With a whistle from the owner, one of the rays perched above slowly flew downwards—like a paper which was lightly touching down from a fall—before Baiyi.

     "This here is our strongest ray. I call her 'Hammerhead'!" The man patted the beast's back. A hollow sound echoed from within; the ray seemed hollow on the inside.

     'Uh, for an animal that can't even fight a goose, the name it was given is an embarrassment for the entire Sphyrnidae family…'

     "Ay? It has the same name as my Sharkie!" Mia exclaimed as she approached the creature in wonder. She mustered some courage, then reached her hand out to touch its smooth scale.

     It felt cold and tender. Mia found herself enjoying the sensation. "Wow! So smooth… So comfy."

     "This little girl is a natural at understanding animals! You see, for a skycruising ray, the smoother its skin is, the healthier it is!" the man replied gleefully. Perhaps the girl's cuteness had rubbed off on him, prompting him to talk like an enthusiastic encyclopedia.

     In fact, curiously, the skycruising ray seemed to understand what they were talking about; as soon as it heard Mia's compliment, the ray eagerly leaned closer to her and gently rubbed against her body. For such a massive beast, it was as gentle as a house pet.

     "Sharkie is so adorable!" Mia hopped onto the ray's back in mirth.

     Boosted by Mia's gleeful antics, the other girls approached the ray as well, surrounding it as their curiosity spiked. Attie even managed to take some dried seaweed powder from one of the stable boys to feed it.

     The wide smiles on their faces were all Baiyi needed to make his decision. He quickly handed over his money, even though this particular shop cost more than the others. After all, as long as the kids were happy, all that money couldn't be called a waste.

     The family climbed up to its back.

     The skycruising ray spread its wing-like fins, swayed its two rope-like tails and started flying—in a manner that made it seem like it was swimming—out of the cave, downwards to the direction of the ocean.

     The descent was very slow, but it was marvelous enough for the girls. Clutching on its wide back, the girls passed through cotton candy-like clouds slowly, until a wide blue ocean spread out before their eyes.

     "This is so beautiful…" Mia exclaimed out of awe as she watched the ocean.

     "So this is an ocean…" Attie said. She was lying on her stomach, carefully clinging to the beast. "I always believed the plains to be the most expansive pieces of nature, but now…" she added, albeit uncontrollably.

     It wasn't just the ocean that had attracted everyone's attention. They could see other floating islands on their way, and for reasons unknown, each island had its own unique ecology. Some islands were full of hills and thick woods; some islands were potted by lakes and parted by streams; some islands were vast plains that seemed more like savannahs, and some island were covered by seas of blooming flowers.

     Every island was its own little world. These different, distinct worlds all combined to create the exotic beauty of Gouve.

     "Being able to come here makes me so happy," Laeticia exclaimed contentedly. "It's so beautiful here, I don't even feel like going home."

     'Seemingly beautiful, you mean,' Baiyi thought to himself. He may have emphasized how perfect this realm was for vacations a couple of time, but the fact that there weren't many tourists like them—who also traveled over to Gouve through the transmission portholes—was not lost on him.

     Dangers that few could imagine lay deep within this beautiful realm.

     For example, the skycruising ray suddenly shuddered after flying steadily for a while, almost as though it suddenly felt cold, or worse—afraid.

     "What's wrong, Sharkie?" the sensitive Mia asked when she noticed the ray's anxiety. She bent down to stroke its back, trying to pacify it; thus, she did not see the black dot cruising through the sky in the distance.

     The black dot was still too far away for the human eye to make out what it was, but if it could scare the ray, it was probably one of its worst nightmares.

     "A dragon," Baiyi said calmly as he stared at the black dot.

     He was a bit puzzled, though. This part of the sky was supposed to be safe—because it was part of society's territory—with dragon knights patrolling at all times. Other beasts wouldn't have dared to get close to the dragon knights' dragons, and a wild dragon shouldn't be in here, either.

     Could the black dot just be a dragon knight on patrol? Was the big ray, which Baiyi was riding atop of, shuddering just because it was easily frightened... causing it to tremble as soon as it saw any kind of dragon?Well, it's not in caps here because this beast is apparently very ubiquitous in Gouve!Sphyrnidae is the scientific name for the hammerhead shark family!

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     203 Dragon Knights: Fun Facts

      Baiyi knew that people felt they could easily ascertain the disparity between dragons and humans. This fact was because the power levels of different individuals always seemed very obvious at first glance. For example, the Third Walker could be easily identified from its abilities to control thunder and lightning, and its ability to command the attention and loyalty of lower beings. However, there were some weaker dragons that were incapable of triumphing over a goat in battle; in this scenario, the goat of the Alpine Barbarians. If that was the case, then the power level of those mixed-blood dragon beasts, such as the lindworms, was better left to the imagination.

     The reason why none of the Void Walkers would boast about slaying a dragon was because of how weak most dragons were. They could only boast if they managed to slay a dragon with the caliber of the Third Walker.

     The dragon that Baiyi and the girls were staring at was, obviously, what the other dragonkind would describe as "an idiot"—else it wouldn't have dared to intrude on a territory guarded by dragon knights. This strength of this idiotic dragon was at the level of common beasts—with no affinity for mana manipulation to boot. All this dragon, and most of its kind, could do was overpower other creatures with their natural strength and size, which was a physical feature common amongst dragonkind.

     This was the reason why this dragon would take on a skycruising ray, even though skycruising rays don't taste as good as normal stingrays in the ocean.

     Nevertheless, no matter how hard one tried to downplay this idiot, it was still a dragon. The fear of dragons had long since been deeply encoded into the genetic memory of skycruising rays, so the mere sight of an approaching dragon was enough to get the "Hammerhead Shark"—the ride Baiyi and his girls were currently riding—to consider pumping out all the air stored in its empty body so that it could sink into the ocean; this was its natural flight response to a predator.

     That was the only defense mechanism that a wild skycruising ray had against predators. The only reason why this ray had not done that yet was because of its many years of domestication. This ray had been trained to never abandon its human riders.

     At that moment, despite the black dot drawing closer and closer, the proudly-trained skycruising ray still put its riders ahead of its own fear, doing its best to bring them as far away from danger as possible.

     Of course, the ray's body still trembled as if it was being jolted by a taser. Mia laid down on her belly and cooed, "W-w-why a-a-a-re y-y-ou sh-sh-shaking s-s-so m-m-much, Sh-Sh-Sh-Sharkie?" Even her question came out jittery due of the ray's shivering.

     "M-maybe, it's b-b-b-because of th-th-that?" Laeticia pointed at a black dot—no, the figure had become a black silhouette at that point—cruising towards them at high speed. At that point, anyone could easily make out the features of the approaching beast; it really was a dragon.

     "Wh-what is-s-s tha--aaargh! Whyyyyy…Thatsh…. realleh….hurtsh!" Attie was just about to ask a question when the ray's shudder made her bit her tongue. Tears were rolling down her cheeks from the pain.

     Only the ever-knowledgeable Tisdale knew exactly what they were facing. She huddled closer to Baiyi and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, making evident the fright that she felt.

     "Sir, is that a dragon?" she cooed meekly. "Is it gonna hurt us?"

     'A smart lady like you already knows that I'm right beside you, right? So, why would you ask something like that? Do you honestly think your master can't finish off such a lizard?' Baiyi thought to himself. 'Jeez, you just wanted to ingratiate, didn't you?'

     However, he still patted the girl's back to assure her.

     'Must I really deal with that thing?' Baiyi eyed the girls' expressions and noticed unnatural red flushes blooming on their face.

     It seemed like it couldn't be helped. He lifted his finger reluctantly and started condensing his mana.

     However, at that same moment, from the stratosphere, two shadows flashed past, ripping through the clouds like arrows.

     Upon seeing the incoming shadows, Sharkie, their skycruising ray, stopped trembling. It gave a cry of relief and joy as the shadows came to as stop right in front of the dragon.

     The dragon knights had arrived.

     Two enormous dragons surrounded the intruder. Then, they began flying circles around it. As Baiyi watched, the intruding dragon was enveloped by an invisible net, and just as quickly as it was captured, it was dragged away from the territory by the knights, like a pig being dragged off to a slaughterhouse.

     'Solved a threat even without going to battle?' Baiyi's felt his respect for the Dragon Knights grow after seeing their technique. Unlike Baiyi, the girls, however, understood less of the situation. Their face was blank as they watched the threat get taken care of in a manner of seconds.

     Baiyi got the girl to gather around him, and he began to tell them the backstory of these marvelous Dragon Knights.

     When the common folk talked about dragon knights, they usually referred to the Brotherhood of Fire Wyverns. Although the former title of this particular band of knights was a little too hammy, they were no pushovers. The Brotherhood of Fire Wyverns were the most ancient and the greatest army of dragon knights in the entire realm, and every Gouvian kingdom had their own dragon knights. Whenever dragon knights were ranked by the fables of their exploits, everyone would agree that first place would go to Rodrithelia Empire's Brotherhood of Fire Wyverns.

     Dragon knights were few and far between. If a power had a thousand dragon knights at their beck and call, the power would be considered shocking. This was because that individual would need to undergo long years of training in order to train an individual capable of holding the dragon knight title. Additionally, the individual's dragon would need to undergo the same grueling amount of training. This way, both rider and mount would reach the apex of their fighting ability. Forming a dragon knight army was far harder, more expensive and required a longer time than what was needed to form mere griffin riders, dragonhawk riders, bat riders, chaos riders, or even omniknights. A dragon rider was definitely not something that any random Daoist from a wuxia novel would be capable of becoming.

     Every seasoned dragon knight was a force to be reckoned with. When they banded together, they formed a power that could even change landscapes.

     Other realms never picked on Gouve precisely because they were afraid of the dragon knights' wrath.

     According to the Thane—the 20th Voidwalker—the dragon knights of Gouve and the Divine Warriors of the Alpine plains were the two strongest armies he had ever met. They were the creme of human fighting forces. Yes, to the Thane, they were even stronger than other famous elites like the Rohserlian Sorcerers, the Moloch War Druids, and the Replica Army created by the Association of Blacksmiths, who were trained with the goal of achieving the same level discipline and leadership skills as the dragon knights.

     "My own awesome army, the Black Inquisitors, were the creme of the elites, but even they paled in comparison to the dragon knights… I always wonder: if I had recruited these dragon knights under my wing, what could have possibly stopped me from ruling the entire realm?" the Thane had once asked Baiyi.

     'Right. Your cheap knockoff of the Church's brand. They had the gears, the resources, the training, and the discipline; however, your subordinates didn't have none of these guys' stamina!' Baiyi had concluded inwardly back then, treating the Thane's words as a joke.

     The girls were amazed at the stories. They had eager expressions on their faces. It was as if they were hoping to meet the knights face-to-face. Laeticia, however, wondered out loud, "How can they be compared to the Church's Paladins? I always believed that the Church's Paladins were the most powerful people in the world…"

     'Excuse me, dear Laeticia, but the most powerful person in the world would be Yours Truly,' Baiyi thought.

     Laeticia's expression was filled with admiration, and one look at her was enough to dissuade Baiyi from bursting her bubble, hard, so Baiyi opted for a smoother reply. "The Paladins are formidable, but they don't have a dragon…"

     Honestly, the Church's Paladins—also known as the Guardians of The Holy City—never even made it to the Thane's list, but they probably had the most fashionable armor, which may explain their popularity with girls.

     "I see. So, if the paladins rode on dragons, they would be even more unstoppable! Right?" Laeticia replied innocently.

     What are dragons to you? My Little Ponies? Baiyi was speechless. He decided to indulge himself in the girls' newfound interest, so he said, "Well, if we get the chance, we can visit the dragon knights, too."

     After that incident, the skycruising ray resumed its slow flight towards their destination.

     In the beginning the girl was spirited enough to chatter and enjoy the scenery, but as more time passed, lethargy started hitting them and not long after, the girls fell asleep atop the ray.

     Baiyi moved the girls closer to his side. As he watched their peaceful expression, he somehow felt calmer.

     It was late in the afternoon when the skycruising ray finally reached their destination. It was a planetary-sized floating island situated close to sea level, where the famous Rodrithelia Empire was situated.

     The girls woke up by themselves as soon as the ray docked. Apparently, being close to sea level meant that the Rodrithelian climate was hotter than a typical summer day. When they had just reached the island, the girls were still in their winter garment!

     No one had the time to marvel at the fact that every island actually had a different climate. The girls hurried into the changing room provided by the carriage service. A while later, they re-emerged in their previous summer outfit of short, cute skirts.

     "Wow, anytime we come to this realm, we would have to prepare different set of clothes!" Mia stuck out her tongue as she pushed her dishevelled black hair to the back of her neck. She even fanned herself with her hand.

     "That's why people agree that it is challenging to stay in this realm, " Baiyi replied, leading the girls on their tour of the capital city.

     The island was almost as big as a continent. The capital city was just as large as the major cities back in Isythre, undercutting any tourist's knowledge that they were, in fact, on an island. Even the architecture in this city was similar to those found in Isythre, so the girls felt almost as if they were back home.

     A close inspection revealed the fact that the city was young, however. The buildings looked even newer than those in Arfin city.

     "This wasn't where the Capital City used to be, actually. It used to be on another island," Baiyi explained in a low voice.

     "But why? The altitude here is lower, and the climate is warmer. Why didn't they start their empire from here?" Tisdale asked in curiosity.

     "It's exactly because it's low in altitude. Back then, this island wasn't safe…" Baiyi replied back in a low voice.

     As if to prove his words, the mana above the city suddenly began vibrating.

     It was so intense, even the two girls who did not practice magic, Attie and Laeticia, noticed the vibration. Instinctively, they looked up…

     Water. Or more specifically, a tsunami. A tsunami towered above the island's sky; its shadow robbed the city of daylight as it rushed over, threatening to envelope the whole island. The city, which until a second ago had been lit by beautiful sunshine, instantly darkened.

     The sudden shift to an apocalyptic setting easily set off the girls' instinct to scream, but Baiyi calmly held their shoulders.

     The tsunami hammered down, but it hit an invisible dome above the city, releasing a low but loud growl, akin to the heartbeat of a leviathan. Whitewater thrashed and enveloped the city, making it seem as if the entire island had submerged into the ocean bed.

     Then just as quickly as it came, the wave was gone. The sky and the warm sunlight were visible once again, as if nothing had happened.

     "Th-th-! The-the-the!" Poor Mia could not get over what she had just witnessed. She could not finish her sentence and could tighten her grip on Baiyi's elbow, pointing at the sky above the city in horror.

     Baiyi smiled. "Now you know why it was previously uninhabitable, yes?TL REFRESHER!: 1. Remember back in Book 1, where Baiyi was still going around posing as some vagabond and fighting in the arena to earn some quick bucks? He had used the Third Walker's draconic aura to command the loyalty of the hyenas. 2. Also in the same arc, Baiyi (and us!) met the a lindworm, controlled by a summoner. A lindworm is native wild beast to Gouve.Omniknights: some sort of class in DoTA 2. Yea.Throwback to Book 1, where Baiyi had fun with the Divine Warriors, who kept displaying 'different' beauty standards.Oh yea. They will. And I'm saying that without reading ahead of all of you!

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     204 This Trip Was Totally Worth I

      As Baiyi had stated before, Gouve was a place to experience, but it was not a place to stay.

     It was dangerous to stay in Gouve. This was not because of the appearance of wild animals or enemy tribes—which are all problems that can be solved with a certain degree of Fist Diplomacy—It was because of the danger that the natural disasters there posed; one could not solve natural disasters with their fists, after all. Natural threats were always more mysterious and complicated than threats that had identifiable causes.

     The floating islands at the lowest altitudes always had to brace themselves for tsunamis and tropical storms, while the islands way above had to brace themselves for polar winds and skin-biting winters—such a beautiful realm... not! These were the struggles that the inhabitants of Gouve had to go through all the time.

     According to social science experts, places like this city would not be able to play host to a civilization, but the people here had firm hearts; they bonded, they stayed put, and they endured it all. With magic and their own hands, the pioneers built their own dazzling civilization in this schizophrenic realm.

     That was the reason why Baiyi's chose to travel to this location. He wanted the girls to enjoy the scenery but understand the hardships of this place. Additionally, he wanted to show them the drive that human had for endurance, and their continued optimism despite all odds.

     "An immeasurable amount of time and hard work was used to build this city, you see. They had to build the city while bracing for sudden tidal wave, like the one from before. That required them to exert more than just patience and mettle," Baiyi explained, taking the opportunity of the girls' current shock to start a parable. "They were only able to complete their city after getting some help from the Isythre's sorcerers. It was the sorcerers that erected a more sturdy barrier against the waves. I can't imagine how many times the tidal waves rendered their efforts into ruins before the sorcerers came to help. This city here is the amalgamation of many blacksmiths and workers throughout the centuries."

     "Why were they so adamant on building a city on a land this close to the sea? Couldn't they just have built it on the islands which are more higher up?" Attie asked.

     "No one would like to stay in a cave forever," Baiyi answered briefly. "Besides, just because you're high up doesn't mean you're safe from other kinds of natural disasters. When storms and lightning roll, you would find yourself warming up more to tidal waves, instead. There's also the fact that they didn't want resources to go to waste. This is the largest island in the realm, after all. Naturally, people would not want it to remain deserted."

     "Oh, I just realized that our realm is so much safer. We gotta protect her even better," Mia muttered under her breath.

     If the kids were able to learn more values from this trip, Baiyi would consider it a job well done, even if it had cost him quite a fortune to come here.

     He took the girls sightseeing around the capital city, and he bought many souvenirs and local cuisines. When they found a hotel that looked pretty welcoming, they decided to lodge there.

     The girls had a seafood buffet for dinner. Afterward, they retired to their separate rooms, leaving Baiyi alone to map out plans for the next few days.

     'A visit to the dragon knights would be good… Then, an exploration of a beautiful island? Sounds like a pretty solid plan geared for great experiences!'

     As he was planned, a loud roar and a resounding crash boomed above the city barrier; it was similar to the racket made earlier on when the enormous wave hit the city's protective barrier. But this time, in the silence of the night, the racket sounded even more jarring and frightening.

     Not long after, Little Mia, who was dressed in her sleeping gown and held her hammerhead shark plushie in her arm, crept into the Soul Armature's room.

     "Mm…" Mia nodded feeling embarrassed; she hugged the plushie even harder and blushed. It was fortunate that the dark night masked her face, making it harder to notice her expression.

     "Come over here," Baiyi waved her over to a spot on the bed, just beside where he sat on the bed.

     Mia ran into his embrace like a cat and snuggled against him. "Does this feel better?" Baiyi gently rubbed her forehead with his face armor and ruffled her head lightly.

     "Everything is better when Mr. Hope is around," Mia nodded and closed her eyes. Baiyi always emanated a warm sense of security to her…

     Ever since the duo began living in Tisdale's mansion, Baiyi hadn't been watching the girl to sleep. This sudden gesture brought back memories—enough to make a happy smile grace Mia's face.

     Before Mia could doze off, however—Tisdale, who was dressed in an unintentionally suggestive black silky nightgown, also came to Baiyi's room.

     "You, too?" Baiyi stifled his laughter.

     Tisdale nodded in embarrassment.

     "Alright," Baiyi sighed, beckoning the girl over to sleep next to Mia. He rubbed his face armor on her forehead as well.

     Mia opened her eyes when he did that, and when her gaze met Tisdale's, they both smiled.

     "Alright, go to sleep now. We have a big day ahead of us," Baiyi said as he covered the girls with two blankets.

     He pulled a chair next to the bed, sat on it, and without trying to hide it, he began watching the supple, lean bodies of his daugh--er, students as they fell asleep.

     After they had finally fallen asleep, he used his psychic power to locate Attie and Laeticia. He was pleased to note that both were already asleep. One of them was sleeping more deeply than the other, but both of them had easily ignored the thunderous roar of the last tidal wave…

     Conclusion? This trip was totally worth it.

     When both girls woke up the next morning, the first thing they did was greet Baiyi a sheepish "good morning".

     Then, as part of their greeting, they proceeded to rub their cheeks against Baiyi's chest armor. Whatever bashfulness that they had before was gone after that, seeing as they began to change right in front of him, without any reservations. They even made comments about each other's bodies in the presence of the Soul Armature.

     Baiyi raced out of the room in a hurry, and met face-to-face with a blurry-faced, eyes-rubbing Attie, who also greeted him with a 'good morning'. To his surprise, she stood on tiptoes and also rubbed her face on his chest armor.

     'Who started this trend? Is Laeticia gonna pick it up next?' Baiyi touched the spot where the three beauties had rubbed their cheeks against and his thoughts wandered.

     After packing quickly, Baiyi and the girls were once again touring the streets of the Rodrithelian capital city. Biayi was looking for another carriage service that was recommended by the hotel receptionist, and this time, he had no plans to use the ever-so-slow skycruising rays.

     When the girls saw their means of transportation for the day, they cried out in unison, "Is this... a griffin?"

     They were right. The day's ride would be atop the unique creature known as the griffin. It had head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion. Two distinctly different beasts, the lion and the eagle—One had command over the sky and other controlled the lands—merged together into a majestic beast with its own disposition. Its lean body and snowy white feathers easily and instantly won over the four girls' hearts.

     It was not as if there were no griffins in Isythre, but they were only a few which are bred for the wealthy aristocrats who loved the beast's perfect blend of grace and power. However, only the griffins in Gouve had been tamed well enough to be used as mounts. perhaps due to being different breeds, The griffins in Isythre were proud and was not known to submit this much to humans. It could perhaps be because they were of a different breed than the griffins in Gouve.

     It's not cheap to ride on a griffin, but Baiyi had gotten himself some pretty deep pockets. Plus, the owner's compliment, "Your daughters are so beautiful, sir!" had really hacked open his paying hand.

     How so? Well, an average griffin would have no trouble handling the girls' dandy weight, so two adult griffins would have sufficed for the group, but Baiyi was so pleased that he rented five griffins straight away so that everyone would get to ride on their own griffin.

     The Soul Armature and the girls soared into the sky atop their mounts.

     "What a generous man. He must be a very generous father as well." The owner fidgeted with the gold coins in his hand and uttered a heartfelt comment about the Soul Armature.

     One of the differences between the griffins and the skycrusing rays was in flight speed; the griffins were extremely fast. Even with Baiyi's precautionary wind-shielding barrier, the girls still felt very anxious atop their mounts. They gripped the griffin's back tightly throughout the journey, only opening their eyes for short intervals to observe the scenery that seemed like blurs because of their speed.

     It didn't take long before they reached the headquarter of the Brotherhood of Fire Wyverns. After the girls bade goodbye to their griffins, they turned their attentions to the unique floating island.

     The entire island was like an enormous castle. The outermost border was guarded by sturdy castle walls, and one could see the towering mountains blanketed by clouds in the distance. It was easy to mistake the island for a fort built in the middle of tall mountains.

     Baiyi led the girls to the entrance. On top of a gigantic door, which was a few hundred feet tall, hung an emblem of a fire-breathing dragon—the emblem of the Brotherhood.

     "Sightseeing tourists?" A fully-armored guard approached the group. The same fire-breathing dragon emblem was on his brigandine.

     He did not seem to find the presence of tourists surprising. In fact, it seemed like he was used to it.

     "Yes. Taking the kids for a spin," The Soul Armature replied, handing him a bag of gold coins.

     The guard examined the bag, and after a quick count, he nodded in satisfaction. "Gosh, if only there were more of you generous kinds visiting us!"

     It was as though the compliment was a line to trigger his transformation because right after he had said that, the guard turned into an enthusiastic tour-guide, bringing his customers in through the door and into the castle. Judging from how practiced his introduction and actions were, one could guess he had been doing this part-time job for a while.

     One of the main differences between a dragon knights' camp and other military camps was that the dragon knights actively encouraged the public to visit them. If one could afford the tour, they would be in for a warm and enthusiastic treatment.

     The real reason behind this, however, was less savory; the dragon knights always had the need for more monetary resources.

     As it turned out, taking care of a dragon was leaps and bounds more difficult than having a doggo as a pet. Even the smallest costs for their maintenance could veer into the millions. Thus, it would be unsurprising if a kingdom filed for bankruptcy because they tried to maintain dragon knights.

     To make matter worse, Gouve was not even a financial or resource powerhouse. The costs that they incurred in their bid to own dragon knights were painfully expensive.

     That was why tourists were welcome. In fact, if they were wealthy enough, one could even employ the knights as mercenaries…

     "My esteemed visitors! May I say a few words before we start out tour?" The guard-turned-tour guide started briefing them about the rules along the way. They had restricted areas that no one was allowed to venture into; they forbade loud noises; they forbade tourists from making some odd huffing sounds to the dragons; they forbade tourists from trying to feed the dragons, etc.

     There were about a dozen rules to follow. Some of them were made to protect the military secrets of the dragon knights, while some were enacted to ensure visitors' safety.

     When Baiyi and the girls finally reached the depths of castle, they were treated to a large, wide, grassy plain.

     "Welcome… To the Brotherhood of Fire Wyverns!" The tour guide declared theatrically.I don't know about this! I do remember that most ancient civilizations start from a river… Plus, maybe the existence of magic had given them a bit more chance than us muggles, eh?Guys, we only have one Earth too! Let's take care of her!Probably to deprive the Gentlemen in his head the pleasure!

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     205 Sightseeing

      "I never knew that this place would be like this!" Attie exclaimed. "Somehow, it feels like home...

     The tour guide blew into his whistle. Moments later, a giant, lizard-like ground dragon clambered before the party. This ten-meter long, gigantic creature crouched tamely before the tour guide. On its flat, wide back, there were a few seats attached to it…

     Everyone clambered on board. Like a tour bus, the dragon slowly crawled towards the meadows, beginning the journey.

     "It's... not cold at all here?" Mia noted in surprise. She had a short dress on today, and her two cute legs dangled from the seat, swaying to the rhythm of the dragon's footsteps. This floating island had a very high altitude, but it did not feel cold at all.

     "Haha, that's because we picked a good spot..." the guard, who was substituting as a tour guide, started to give an introduction of the environment to the girls in a grandiose manner. Good location, underground volcanoes, safe from winds from neighboring floating islands – this floating island felt just like normal land.

     Baiyi listened on in silence and never once did he attempt to interrupt the tour guide's explanation. In reality, he already felt that this floating island—and a few others—was encompassed by some sort of large barrier. The abnormally comfortable climate might be the result of this, and not because of some volcano as iterated by the tour guide.

     Attie, who had once been a king, was bored out of her wits, for she had already grown used to seeing such vast plains. "This place may look very vast, but can it really fit a few thousand dragons?" She asked suddenly.

     The tour guide laughed awkwardly before he explained, "Ah, my beautiful lady, actually it was not as rumored from the outside... we may have a thousand riders in the association, but we do not have so many dragons. Furthermore, most of the dragons do not live here. They can be found on the neighboring floating islands."

     Whenever a dragon knight prepares for battle, they do not venture out by themselves act. The dragon knight would bring along a small troop of three to five comrades along atop the dragon's back. The extra manpower would then serve either as normal fighters, assistants, or flight controllers.

     Therefore, each dragon that took off into battle did not convey only one rider; it conveyed an entire platoon for the battle in the air.

     Eventually, the girls sort of understood the point. They had assumed that the 'hundred-strong' or 'thousand-strong' claims that they heard about the dragon knight's club meant that the knights lead thousands of dragons to war.

     From the boundary of the vast plains, the party headed in the direction of the mountains. Instead of these so-called dragons, spotted many little animals along the way. This made the girls feel a little disappointed.

     "They don't seem to have many left," the Explorer suddenly stated within the Void. "Remember what I said about the opening of the Realm? The dragon knight club experienced severe losses in that event. That year, when I came over, I still saw a few knights undergoing their training..."

     Baiyi remembered the Explorer's story well enough. During the event where the realm cracked open, the dragon knights had encountered the king of the land—the phantom behemoth itself. Both parties clashed, and it was rumored that the dragon knights lost hundreds of riders. The collateral damage almost led to the extinction of the club. It was not an easy feat for the club to remain in the present day after experiencing such disastrous losses.

     After while later, the group seemed to reach the bottom of a mountain. After a short work forward, they were greeted by a sight of gunfire; a massive army camp sat right at the mountain base. This must be the place where the knights were stationed to undergo their training.

     As the ground dragon crawled near the entrance of the army base, the tour guide waved towards his other comrades at the gates. "We have guests today!"

     "Damn! You're so lucky! Bumping into more tourists again!" The soldiers exclaimed in envy.

     "Wo-aah! Such beautiful girls." A soldier exclaimed, upon noticing the girls atop the dragon's back. He declared in admiration, "They do not pale in comparison to the mistress's beauty..."

     "Alright, alright, stop scaring our guests," the tour guide reached into the sack that Baiyi had passed him earlier to extract a gold coin. He pushed it into the palm of one soldier. "Go entertain yourselves with some drinks..." He then led Baiyi and the rest into the camp successfully.

     "This level of defense—isn't this a little too...thin?" Thane expressed his dissatisfaction within the Void. "Anyone could infiltrate this easily!"

     "Don't belittle their abilities. If they were brave enough to allow visitors here, then they shouldn't be afraid of infiltration attempts. There is a reason why they have managed to exist for a thousand years." Baiyi explained.

     "Well, you're not wrong..." Thane mumbled and kept silent.

     Although the scene before everyone's eyes seemed relaxed and under control, Baiyi could discern that it was a facade of calm implemented to hide the internal turmoil. In fact, with only a quick glance, Baiyi knew that the tour guide had brought them to a place with nothing on importance. A few kids were practicing on the field, and a small hoard of ground dragons circled slowly within a wooden pen; these places had no real value! In contrary, a number of soldiers could be found patrolling the area along the valley deeper within the army base. Now that surely was a restricted area, without question.

     One could only see the most basic of things at this place, but the real deal was nowhere to be seen. Thus, the closest thing to a dragon that the group saw after circling the camp was a few catcalls and wolf-whistles…

     The tour guide decided to bring the party to register for a tour at the historical museum of the dragon rider's club. Baiyi could not contain himself, so he called out, "Ah... about that. We wish to see something more... exciting."

     "Dragons? Alright, alright, I get you..." The tour guide responded. He changed their route, suddenly, and brought them up into a watchtower. This tower was much taller than the standard watchtower, allowing a much wider field of vision. The peaks of the mountains afar could be seen surrounded by a wisp of mist and within the mist was the faint outline of dragons flapping their gigantic wings.

     "This is the best viewing deck in the plains," The tour guide explained, clearly enjoying himself. He pointed at a faraway peak. "That is a dragon's den. Some dragons have an affinity towards humans, but the ones that live there are wild dragons awaiting their riders. After passing the examination, the riders would travel there to pick a dragon, and when they do, they would accompany the dragons for life."

     "Actually, do dragons develop feelings towards humans?" Mia asked with full curiosity. "I saw somewhere in a book that they rather see humans as food..."

     "Haha, this beautiful lady here, you must be from the realm of Isythre, yes? Only the books from there would make those kinds of observations. However, in reality, the dragons are intelligent and strong creatures. They are known for being loyal friends and companions..." The tour guide trailed on.

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     206 I Came Here Just To Relax, Guys!

      The girls accepted the tour guide's explanation easily, with a satisfied expression. They continued watching in glee and tried to count how many dragons there were.

     However, Baiyi was less impressed. "That's it? We can't even get closer? 'This is too far away. I can't even tell the colors of their hide, so how the hell will I be able count them?'

     'I'm not gonna have my money wasted like this!'

     "As you know, sir, dragons are dangerous creatures. If we get close to them just like that… well, it would endanger all of you," The tour guide shrugged. "If you must watch them up close, we should wait till the dragon knights return here from their patrols…"

     "Hold on. There isn't a single dragon knight at home right now?"

     The tour guide's expression changed immediately at the realization of his mistake. He covered his mouth and shook his head, showing the intention to drop the topic.

     'Interesting.' It's common to have dragon knights go on patrols or even sent to battle, but what would be so serious that the entire army had to leave their fort?

     'More importantly, everything we have seen so far gives the impression that Gouve is as peaceful as it's always known to be—without the tension of wars, so what else would have required the presence of all of the dragon knights?'

     Baiyi eyed the tour guide's expression again and decided to let the topic slide, simply because the tour guide looked more embarrassed—possibly because he had accidentally betrayed some secrets—than outright nervous. 'It was probably nothing too severe. Plus, why should I care about someone else's private matter?'

     The Soul Armature was disappointed that the girls would not be able to interact with a real-life dragon up close, neither would they get the chance to feed them. The girls did not seem to share his sentiment, though; they looked very satisfied.

     Baiyi was still deep in thought when rhythmic footsteps resounded from the tower. A few moments later, a beautiful belle wearing a long, sky blue gown befitting an aristocrat walked towards the group, holding a tray in her hands.

     "My lady! Why are you here?" The tour guide exclaimed, and he quickly bowed in respect. From the looks of it, this beautiful woman with golden hair and azure eyes was someone with a pretty high status.

     "I heard that there were visitors, so I decided to share the cookies I was making," the noble lady replied, with an aristocratic smile evident on her face.

     Her every action were textbook examples of regal bearing. She looked as if she had come to life from a portrait painted by a most skilled artist.

     "Whoa… she's so pretty," Mia couldn't stop herself from exclaiming.

     "You're just as beautiful, my dear," the noble lady replied warmly. She brought the tray close to the Mia, showing cookies adorned with animal motifs made with more precision than anyone would have expected. "Would you like to try them?"

     Mia was eager enough to quickly grab a cookies that had a bear motif. Other girls quickly obliged her warm offer, enjoying the treats as they compliment the noble lady.

     Baiyi was more reserved, however. In fact, since the noble lady appeared, he did not even join in the rapt discussion going on within the Void, neither did he try to talk to her.

     He just kept staring at the lady.

     Since Baiyi did not attempt to hide his gaze, the noble lady quickly noticed him. She did not seem bothered by his awkward gawking. Instead, she gave a him a polite little smile and asked, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

     "Not really…" Baiyi withdrew his gaze and glanced at the cookies. He added, "I was just thinking that perhaps this trip can no longer be considered disappointing… now that we get to see someone like you."

     The tour guide's expression fell, and his previously mirthful eagerness vanished almost instantly. He cautiously moved a few steps closer towards the noble lady.

     The girls were puzzled at Baiyi's remark, too. "What do you mean, Mr.Hope? We are not disappointed! This is a beautiful place; we saw dragons, and we got these delicious cookies..."

     The noble lady was not surprised, neither did she feel offended, at Baiyi's remark—even if the remark seemed like a catcall. She remained composed, and her smile did not falter. With a sincere tone, she sighed, "You are very clever, sir."

     "What are you two talking about?" Mia looked at the two, feeling puzzled.

     "Didn't you girls want to see dragons? There's one here." Baiyi gave a curt nod at the noble lady.

     "Huh?!"

     "Wh-wha--?"

     "But how--?"

     The girls couldn't help but cry in amazement. They had no idea that this beautiful and noble lady, who had given them these delicious cookies—was, in fact, a dragon!

     This schism between expectation versus reality is too large, c'mon!

     The noble lady was not flustered about her identity being exposed. She smiled and explained, "I heard what you said to the tour guide, and I agree. We should do everything in our power to satisfy our visitors' request. That's why I came here… I just didn't expect anyone to discern my true identity this quickly! So many before you had failed to do so."

     "I… am Aya," The noble lady formally introduced herself.

     'This name… is a bait to unleash my lambasting tirade…' Baiyi eyed her a few more times, checking off every item on his "list": no cowlick on her head, breasts are as full as the mountains, satisfactory cooking skills. 'Not someone else I had in mind.'

     After his mental scrutiny, Baiyi finally said, "I'm Hope."

     A flash of surprise crossed to Aya's otherwise composed face. "I cannot believe this. It's—you! Please, do come in for a chat."

     "Gosh, information sure spread fast nowadays," Baiyi muttered.

     Aya flashed him a demure smile, but she did not reply him.

     Moments later, Baiyi was led by the noble lady to a special room for visitors in one of the military camps. Along the way, Baiyi noticed that many stop and bow respectfully when Aya passed by as if she was their Lieutenant.

     On their way to the room, Baiyi took the chance to explain the reason behind the bows to the four very confused girls. Aya was an elder dragon, imbued with the ability to manipulate mana, and because of this, she could take the form of a human.

     Elder dragons were different from other lowly dragons for a number of reasons: they possessed keen wisdom as the wisest of all creatures, and they possessed powers most creatures have no access to. To rule over other dragons was, therefore, their birthright. They were truly the proud representative of the dragonkins.

     As aforementioned, elder dragons possessed the ability to utilize mana, so they were privy to many unique, special magic spells. One of the spells granted them a human form.

     This was the reason why many Voidwalkers had experience interacting with the elder dragons/ The most notable experience was the Soul Armature Practitioner's intimate relationship with a belle of the elder dragon tribe.

     Not only was Aya an elder dragon, but she also appeared to be so fully accustomed to her human form, that Baiyi almost couldn't tell. That very mild sense of otherworldliness, however, betrayed her secret.

     Now that she had admitted to her true identity, Baiyi no longer had any question as to how the dragon knights managed to tame the ever majestic beasts, which were famed for their hubris. They had done it with the aid of the elder dragons.

     If an elder dragon was helping, then all the trouble that one would usually face when attempting to domesticate a dragon would become non-existent. i

     Maybe the ancestors of these dragon knights had saved an elder dragon, and in gratitude, the dragon turned into an adorable maid who then formed a deep, close bond with them?

     As soon as the group entered the special room for visitors, they were about to start up a conversation when a young girl in a red dress, spotting a golden horsetail braid, burst in and hopped into Aya's embrace.

     "Mom—" the girl cooed in the sickly sweet voice that a typical loli would possess. "I did all of my homework…"

     'Hold it. Does she have a child? Yet, everyone still calls her 'Miss'? Was this child born from relations with a human? Was there no reproduction barrier… even physical ones?' Baiyi's mind was thrown into a chaos at that revelation.

     He even began to wonder if the Soul Armature had a child with his romantic partner…

     However, Aya was oblivious to Baiyi's thoughts. She gently smoothed the child's head as the latter turned her attention to the visitors, and her eyes widened in anticipation.

     "She's my daughter, Mordred. Would it be alright if your girls become her playmates for a while?"

     "Uh, alright…" Baiyi was surprisingly reluctant to answer. The child's name sounded like bad news to him for some reason.

     Mia and the girls were not too worried, which was evident by how quickly they warmed up to their equally adorable playmate. The kids left, leaving only the two adults in the room.

     "Ma'am, I..." Baiyi had barely begun talking when Aya shook her head disapprovingly.

     He paused, and corrected himself. "Miss."

     'She already has a child, yet she still goes by the title 'miss'? Was the child conceived out of wedlock? This… this is quite slutty!' Baiyi thought to himself, and he considered waking the Third Walker so that he could lecture this imprudent dragon.

     "She's adopted," Aya explained briefly. "She just feels so close to me that she calls me 'mother'. Whenever she takes the form of a human, she chooses to look almost like me."

     'Oh, that's the reason, huh? Hmm… An unmarried woman having to take care of a child alone… must be pretty challenging, right?' Baiyi thought, before shaking his head sideways.

     'She's a dragon! You can't apply human standards to the affairs of dragons.'

     "I'm more curious about why you live as a human," Baiyi stated plainly. He couldn't find an answer to this from the Voidwalkers' memories, especially the Third Walker's, who never took any form other than his proud, majestic dragon form.

     "It's a very good way to live, don't you agree?" Aya replied calmly. "It's convenient; it costs fewer food resources, and it allowed me to blend in with the knights."

     Baiyi decided not to pursue the topic. "I did not expect a powerful elder dragon to reside with the dragon knights. Your rider must be very powerful!"

     "Oh, no." Aya shook her head. "I don't have a partner. I'm only here just to lend some help aids."

     "Oh, I see." Baiyi's mind raced with thoughts. 'That's an elder dragon for you. They wouldn't possibly let a human ride them.'

     'And I meant it both literally and euphemistically. Yep.'

     "You've asked me two questions, so I shall return the favor," Aya started. "Why are you here, Master Hope? Shouldn't you be back in Isythre, meeting your new worshipers?"

     Not only was she very informed, but also her information was very accurate, too. Of course, as she was someone of esteemed ranks, that wasn't surprising.

     "This realm is beautiful, so I brought the kids over for some sightseeing," Baiyi admitted. "As we toured, we witnessed a little incident, so I told them about the knights, and they got so interested that taking them here seemed like a great idea."

     Surprisingly, a look of relief and gratitude dawned on Aya's face.

     "You truly are as formidable as the Church says you are—The Mighty Hero Who Saved the World. You can even detect the smallest signs of instability," she replied, with genuine admiration evident from her words. "You came here to offer your help, yes? Truly grateful... Master Hope, we are truly indebted to you. Please, forgive us for every inconvenience and trouble. I am sure you can already tell… we require urgent aid…"

     The noble lady took a deep bow, oblivious of how deep her collar was as she did.

     Baiyi was very confused.

     'Do dragons follow a different logic than humans or what? This dragon-woman just created a fable out from thin air? Mighty hero? Who saved the world? The Church really put on their best game in making bombastic titles, huh?'

     'And what was with this idea of 'instability'? I didn't even detect a single shit! How did our conversation derail from a relatable context—'the challenges of a single parent who has a kid to raise'—to me taking up a summer job as a 'hero'? Weren't we just talking about our private lives?'

     'C-can't we just chat about the funny things of forming families and other wholesome topics?'

     However, Aya wasn't wrong in her assumption. She was facing some trouble at the moment, but suddenly, that famous man who had helped saved all the realms, whom the Church had relentless talked about, had come to her. Naturally, she automatically took it as a sign that the man had come to help her, instead of believing in Baiyi's version of things.

     "Okay, just… Tell me what's going on."

     'Can't be helped. She had been so civil and cordial. The least one could do is listen.'

     "For the past few days, the beasts have grown more… excited—" Aya began.

     "Are you sure it wasn't because of, well, that season? It's gonna be autumn soon, right? The time of harvest…."

     "Not that," Aya blushed a little. "Even if it's the mating period, these creatures still clearly know where not to breach, yet our safe zones had been intruded far too many times to be classified as mere coincidences. It started with the common beasts, then the magical beasts, and now, the dragons themselves had joined in. To maintain peace, the knights now have to go on patrol every day, at every second…"

     "No wonder they had appeared so quickly back then," Baiyi vocalized his thoughts.

     The most common form of transportation had to be the skycruising ray. That thin piece of meat pie had multiple ways to die if it ever met a predator. This meant that the people who used the rays to transport themselves could only depend on the dragon knights' timely rescue if they ever meet with danger.

     That was the reason why all the dragon knights had to leave the fortress. However, the safety zones were too vast. Unfortunately, there weren't many knights in the first place already, so they had to patrol every cranny of the area, night and day, without much help.

     Yes, this truly was a very strenuous activity.Yes, cowlick! Also known by the otakus as ahoge, or literally, 'idiot hair'! Usually used to indicate either a stupid one, a carefree one, a joyful one, or even a mischievous one. My citation for this? Gut instinct forged from anime experiences! Hahahhahahah!Disclaimer—this TL does not at all share Baiyi's sentiment on this issue.And a new side quest has been added into your request!

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     207 This Species is Bonkers in the Head

      The entire situation did raise a lot of red flags.

     For starters, there were many reasons why an animal would go berserk, but would it forget the fear hardwired into its gene, which was handed down from generations to generations? That's almost no chance of that ever happening.

     The 'safe zones' that the dragon knights had marked weren't always patrolled 24/7. The real reason why these territories were respected was mainly because the wild animals could sense draconian aura enveloping the safe zones, and the natural tendency of animals to steer away from other beasts' territory.

     No matter how illogical an animal becomes when it goes crazy, it still wouldn't be foolish enough to trespass a territory enveloped by a heavy draconian aura—until now.

     Additionally, the common beasts weren't the only ones trespassing; even the wild dragons had joined in on the madness. These dragons may not be as beautiful and intelligent as the elder dragon noble lady—Aya, here, but their robust physique had given them extra mental resistance to most common mental manipulation, too. They had never been the type of beasts to be enchanted by this particular kind of magic.

     Their actions couldn't be passed off as the beats fleeing from predators because dragons were the apex predators. They were at the top of the food chain.

     "Alright, this is suspicious. I'll need some time to think about it," Baiyi muttered. Of course, to him, by "thinking", he meant "starting a new thread in the Void forum with the Voidwalkers".

     Aya was prudent enough to know better than interfering. Still, she quietly prepared a cup of red tea and presented it to him in her hands as she waited patiently.

     The entire scene looked oddly warm though, and it was as if they were a family.

     "What do you guys think?" Baiyi started, calling out loudly into the Void.

     "This is fishy!"

     'Well, thank you for such an insight, Captain Obvious.'

     "The stronger the beast, the less likely it is to be affected by mind-bewitching spells. It's common for normal beasts to turn mad through these means. However, now that even dragons are susceptible, it's safe to remove the possibility of humans being involved. In fact, I doubt that even the demigod-level Lich would be able to pull that stunt off, right?" The Soul Armature Practitioner responded.

     The man used to be an accomplished summoner, so his conjectures on the subject of wild beasts had its authority.

     "Oh please. The dragons may not fear Deimos* and other fear-mongering techniques of mine, but they still fear my true power!" The Lich replied indignantly; nevertheless, his retort was still in line with what the Soul Armature Practitioner had said.

     "Dude, are you even on topic? This is about madness, not fear. The animals have gone berserk," Baiyi replied, unimpressed.

     "Why can't they be related? Only a greater fear could override genetic fear!" The Lich retorted in confidence.

     'Uh, he's not wrong.'

     In reality, Baiyi turned his attention to Aya. "Tell me, did those beasts and dragons display any form of ultra-aggressiveness when they ventured into the safe zones?"

     "Huh?" Aya was stunned, obviously confused at his question, yet she managed to answer, "Um, they appeared to have completely lost their mind and retaliated violently to our attempts at capturing them. That's ultra-aggressiveness, right?"

     "No, that's beside the point. What I was asking is if the intruders had displayed ultra-aggressive behaviors even before you guys attempted to capture them? For example, actively attacking skycruising rays or other common beasts that happened to pass by them?"

     "Um…" Aya trailed off. She had no straight answer for Baiyi's direct question because she—or any other dragon knight for that matter—never thought to look for differences in the methods that the beasts used to intrude. The Safe zones were similar to restricted areas guarded by the military; it didn't matter why one trespassed. To the guards, once anyone made a move that breached security, they would either capture the intruders or gun them down—no due process required.

     However, now that Baiyi had highlighted that important question, Aya tried her hardest to oblige. She blinked her large azure eyes as she tried to think, and finally, slowly said, "It's fuzzy. There are many kinds of common beasts flying through the safe zones, and these mad beasts all had very different appetites. Some of them loved griffins; some of them preferred skycruising rays, and some even loved human flesh. After breaching our zone, these mad beasts either go for the domesticated creatures, or they fly around aimlessly. I—I can't tell what their actual intention is."

     "Is that so? Hmm, the situation has just gotten more complicated…" Baiyi remarked, then turned his attention inward again.

     "Hey! Why don't we ask someone who had lived with wild beasts for a long time?" The Soul Armature suggested helpfully.

     "Good idea." Baiyi poked the Caveman, requesting his input.

     "Errr.. Very honestly? All I know is how good they taste. As for other knowledge? Um, do you know that if you kill their cubs, they go berserk?" The Caveman replied plainly.

     'So, why did I think a gastronomer would make a good zoologist?'

     Baiyi let the man off the thread and turned to the Walker codenamed Monster.

     "Woof!"

     "?"

     "Woof woof woof!"

     "???"

     'Ah, for fuck's sake. Trying to ask for advice from a slobbering dog-worm-monster is really stupid. Next!'

     Baiyi poked the ever-knowledgeable Scholar.

     "D-don't you dare jab at an a-area this… critical!" The Scholar was less than enthusiastic. "I have no interest in zoology, which means that I have nothing to offer. As evidence, when I was alive, I never even owned a common household feline as my pet."

     'Oh, that's not surprising, considering how you almost couldn't even feed yourself regularly.'

     Baiyi looked around the Void and realized that none of them seemed to have any actual knowledge about animals.

     The Astrologer surprised him, though. He gave Baiyi a solid suggestion: "How about you ask this beautiful dragon noble lady? She would know more about the dragonkins than any of us! Mmmmmm, I'm compelled to say 'this really is a lovely dragon'. I mean, she's of a different species, but mm, my careless tongue has been summoned to lick—"

     'Okay, if the additional bullshit wasn't there, that would have actually been a solid suggestion.' After silencing the pervert, Baiyi returned to reality and asked, "Excuse my imprudence. I assure you I mean no offense, but is there anything that would scare or upset your kind?"

     "Scare? Upset?" The question was weird and awkward, but Aya still gave it some thought and answered, "There really isn't anything that could do such a thing to us. Not at all. We are the proud lords of the sky; we don't harbor such weak sentiments."

     "...but, I'm afraid that I myself may be a bit different," Aya added sheepishly, and her head hung low like an embarrassed girl's. "Maybe I've spent too much time with the humans, and some of their emotions had rubbed on me. I'm always afraid that someone on my team would get hurt, or that Mordred would turn rebellious… Upset? Well, if anyone dared lay a finger on my daughter, I supposed I will be very upset."

     She was very sincere in her words, especially when she talked about any harm befalling her daughter. A strong killing intent emanated from her when she made that point, making the room feel even more chilly.

     'Wow. That's some bond between mother and daughter, huh? Isn't she adopted?' Baiyi decided to dispel the awkward atmosphere now that he had upset her without meaning too.

     So he half-jokingly said, "Well, then I guess the best follow-up question would be, is there anything you like in particular?"

     "Hmm? Are you… hitting on me?" Aya was stunned by the puzzling off-topic question, but she recovered pretty quickly, sticking her pink tongue out like a schoolgirl. "Oh, and here I thought a gentleman like Master Hope would be smoother than that!" She replied in jest.

     'Wait—what? The nervous circuits in the brains of you dragons are wired different, aren't they? I was just trying to make us chill! And don't call me a gentleman! I no longer think it means anything good anymore!'

     "You flirted and now you are rebuking her?" Someone in the Void spoke anonymously.

     There was no way anyone could get any useful information from the dragon-lady. She may look human and talk like one, too, but deep in her bones, she still had that draconian pride.

     'No other way.' Baiyi had to wake the Third Walker up for this particular matter. He poked the Walker with his consciousness as he cried, "Wake up! I need your help!"

     "ZZZZzzzz…"

     "Oi, wake up! I'm not asking you to join a game or anything! It's important!" Baiyi amplified his strength.

     "ZZZZZzzzzz…"

     "Er, breakfast's ready!"

     "ZZZZzzzz…"

     ".… Holy shit! Is that your wife cheating with your perfect neighbor, Chad?"

     Suddenly, the Void was subject to an enormous vibration that every Walker felt. A leviathan had awakened. An ancient, elder dragon opened its eyes slowly. The atmosphere suddenly seemed to weigh a ton, plummeting, suffocating...

     Then, a voice that seemed to pierce through space and time boomed, "Wherefore doth thee waketh me, Brother?"

     Its weird tone, which painted the picture of a foreigner trying to speak a new language, resounded in the Void.

     Somehow, everyone was embarrassed.

     Baiyi had to bite his tongue to stop himself from lambasting the third walker's chosen manner of speech. He shared clips of the present to it, explaining his predicament.

     "Such a babling matt'r! Thee can solveth it yourself. Th're wast nay needeth to waketh me!" ["Such a small matter! You can solve it yourself. There was no need to wake me!"]

     'What the fuck?!'

     "Hey there now. You haven't been conscious for a very long time, and a lot had happened. Isn't it good to let you know about them?" Baiyi tried reasoning patiently.

     "Thou art both'ring me with a bawbling matt'r. I am only int'rest'd in bigg'r matt'r, Brother. Fare thee well." [you are bothering me with a small matter. I am only interested in bigger matter, friend. Good bye.]

     The Third Walker gave a disinterested reply, and its eyelids began to close, which also finally made Baiyi lose all of his patience. He took hold of his power and retracted, exposing the Third Walker's consciousness to the true Void.

     "Ow! ow! Holp me, kind Brother!" [Ow! Ow! Help me, kind friend!] The walker cried out in anguish.

     "So you're helping or not?" Baiyi retorted coldly.

     "Okay, okay, okay! I won't sleep anymore, no sleeping!" The Dragon King caved.

     The real reason why Baiyi kept insisting that dragons were bonkers in the head was mainly because the Third Walker didn't leave much of a good impression on him. After their memory exchange, Baiyi noticed that the oversized lizard had chose to focus on the wrong part of his memory.

     This dragon wanted to cultivate itself to become a Daoist deity.

     Perhaps, it was all the wuxia or stories that Baiyi had read—for whatever reason, that made this person become obsessed with the spiritual-mystical-tantric things, and the awesome superhuman powers in these books. It really wanted to have those, too.

     Hence, it turned to cultivation to pass its unending time in the Void, but unlike real cultivation practices, the lizard opted to cultivate itself—by sleeping.

     Fact: This dragon, will never succeed.Oi, is Baiyi thinking of getting another single mother to help out? And then started falling in love? Then turned out the single mother had another suitor? Find out in the non-existent spin-off, "Two's a Company"!For the bulk of the world, yes, Baiyi, it still has a good connotation.Oh yea. I don't know why this dragon had to make my life harder with that sort of antique speaks. It speaks like that right from the original Chinese text. So, I supposed I will have to make some notes on every sentence it speaks, and you can read them if you didn't get it. Hee hee!Okay, okay, okay! I wo--wait a minute! Did this f*cking dragon just switch back to normal people speak?!?! What the f*ck? That was….. That was all just to act cool!

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     208 Baiyi Has Come

      If one would stack the powers the Third Walker possessed up like a lego tower, it would reach all the way to the ceiling. Nevertheless, a mighty being like it was still obsessed with 'self-cultivation' mainly because it wanted to obtain a set of all-new, all-different powers. It knew that the stuff in those novels were fictional, but it just absolutely adored the spiritual systems described in books. To the Third Walker, it was inspiring because of its novelty.

     There was another minor reason behind its aspirations, of course. Well.. it was jealous of the dragons in those novels.

     Those dragons enjoyed higher positions and were even more powerful than the Third Walker ever was—at least, as depicted in the books anyway. Additionally, in the fantasy book, dragons were imperial symbols—the sacred beasts worshiped for a few millennia by about ten billion people. The Third Walker could act mighty all it wanted, but it would always be treated as a dangerous monster by the humans here. It didn't want that!

     Regardless of the reasons, Baiyi knew for sure that this lizard was not gonna succeed in its bid to become a Daoist deity. One would have to work their butts off without a wink of sleep in order to turn into one, while all the Third Walker did—whenever there wasn't much to do—was sleep!

     Still… The Third Walker could still be considered an expert in the subject of dragonkins. After all, it was once a Divine Dragon. This was not an actual dragon species, but a rank or a position akin to the leader of the dragons, or the dragon king, or the dragons' protector.

     A Divine Dragon commanded loyalty from all dragonkins. If that wasn't impressive enough, the Third Walker was of the Silver Naga subspecies— high-class elder dragons that could bend lightning and thunder as they willed.

     "So, O Most Respected Dragon King, what do you think?" Baiyi probed in jest.

     "Brother, I request for a change in the manner of address. I know my preferred title would be a 'funny' name that is given only to the least skilled of all henchmen—who wouldn't even be able to outwit a monkey, or perhaps given to a member of a Chinese mafia gang—but..." The Third Walker noted in a sharp tone, as it attempted to change the Fifth Walker's nickname for it, "Please call me names like Proud Dragon of Heavens, True Dragon Lord of the Truth, or something similar. I love names with twangs like these."

     Baiyi was about to give Mr. True Dragon Lord of the Truth another lesson by barring its consciousness in the Void again.

     It relented. "Fine, fine! Let's move on! Er, the topic of the day! Yes, topic of the day."

     What used to be the Divine Dragon had become a household lizard. This fate was an inevitable one whenever someone depended on another this heavily. Just as they say — a dragon that has accidentally waded into shallow water, is bound to be played by the land-dwellers.

     "To be frank, my guess is not different with you humans," It said. "I don't think anyone could bewitch a dragon's mind, even if they were of the lower class. As a whole, our kind has an outstanding resistance to magic of that kind. That's why I agree with what that bag of stinky bones said; these dragons must have been motivated by fear."

     The Third Walker had not hidden its scorn towards the Lich, yet "that bag of stinky bones" did not dare retort, so it could only mumble something under his breath in rage.

     'Well, what can the Lich do when he is weaker than the commenter?'

     "Well, what could possibly terrify you all to this extent? I always thought your kind to be the very definition of fearlessness," Baiyi asked.

     "Between life and death lie much to be feared—no no no stop don't do that, Brother, I wasn't trying to act like any character! I was being serious!" The Third Walker said. "It might have been dangerous to go into a restricted zone, but at least they still had the hope of survival afterward, right? Unlike being outside? This is the only reason why they dared to breach in, acting as if they were crazy! Isn't this simple enough to be figured out? I don't believe for one that you people didn't think of this!"

     "Are you messing with me?! Even a cottontail rabbit wouldn't leap into a burning furnace just because a wolf is chasing it relentlessly! The rabbit would still run around the furnace!" Baiyi retorted in displease.

     "You know what this means? It means that there is no safer place than the furnace itself," The Third Walker uttered the dreaded words.

     It was a plausible and simple conjecture, but the situation would have to be too ominous to get to that point, so no one would have jumped to such a conclusion immediately.

     "That's not possible! If there is an impending Armageddon capable of destroying the entire realm, there will be signs! The wise and powerful ones in this realm, or even me, would have seen the signs already!" Baiyi's reply belied his disbelief.

     "This would mean that the upcoming apocalyptic event lies outside the senses of humans, and the animals could only pick it up due to their acute senses of nature," The Third Walker concluded sternly.

     "An Armageddon, huh…" Baiyi fell silent at the prospect. He turned his head to Aya in reality and asked, "Is… Is there gonna be an important festival coming right up?"

     "Well, we were going to celebrate Harvest Day. There will be a lot of celebrations, but with what was going on right now, security has become a grievous issue," Aya replied gravely.

     "Oh… I'm sorry," Baiyi started apologizing.

     "Hmm? Why apologize?"

     "Nothing," Baiyi shook his head, finishing his own sentence in his mind. The Voidwalkers really aren't meant to relax with festivals…

     "More peculiarly, why did you think of coming to Gouve for a vacation?"

     The Archmage, who had been silent for a while, suddenly spoke.

     "Was it because the perilous environment here made it easier to connect with the children?"

     "What? No! You don't think of me as someone this devious now, do you?" Baiyi rose to explain himself. "The children themselves wanted to play, and I just thought it was a good idea of a getaway to come over here! It's serene, and it's beautiful. It's normal to choose a location based on its marvelous nature, right?"

     "That's what alerted me, my child," The Archmage's tone was solemn. "How did you even start building on the impression that Gouve is anywhere near perfect for a vacation? You did not even know such a realm existed. More importantly, next to you, none of us had considered this place a vacation destination. Most people would regard Gouve as a place too fickle in climates and seasons, and a place filled with threats of powerful wildlife and natural disasters. It's great for an adventure, yes, but not for a family vacation."

     Baiyi froze.

     Just as the Archmage had said, Baiyi was different from the other Voidwalkers in that he did not originate from this dimension. He was, essentially, a dimensional traveler. His knowledge of Gouve was not his own; it was a collection of the impressions and past experiences of the other Voidwalkers gained from their memory exchanges.

     When Baiyi exchanged his memory with the others, he re-lived their lives through and gained their perspectives and judgment. Even after he removed all of those memories from his head—in fear that they would cause him to lose his identity—he still could not rid himself of certain thoughts and instincts completely. Case in point: his first impression of a certain object or event had always been made based on the instincts he gained from the other Voidwalkers, because Baiyi himself had never interacted with such a thing in his own life.

     The first impressions that a person makes easily highlight their values, forming a base for the opinions of the world around him, and that was why Baiyi's basic view of the world was similar to the Archmage's because the First Walker had been the first to offer his memory to Baiyi. His mental modes were even more akin to a Rohlserlian sorcerer's than any of the others, while his general behavior was more lawful and neutral purely because most of the Voidwalkers were lawful and neutral.

     If the Void had been filled with the evil types like the Lich and the Devil, Baiyi might have become a different kind of person altogether.

     This made Baiyi's idea of Gouve being a good vacation spot particularly alarming because no one in the Void shared those sentiments. There were many more realms that could boast of sceneries just as beautiful yet far less dangerous.

     "So someone had planted the suggestion in my mind without me even noticing, is that it?" Baiyi concluded steely.

     Subliminal messaging was quite similar to a common hypnosis, but it was not as miraculous as those performed on Earth. It had specific techniques to execute—something the Charlatan had been very good at. Unlike mind control or other kinds of psychic attacks, subliminal messaging was covert and hard to notice, yet at the same time, it was usually too weak to be of much use. Most of the time it was just to leave little impressions or opinion that the victim would not have formed otherwise; most aristocrats only use this technique to get some girls.

     Yes, a technique like this would be way too incompetent. Anyone who has a slightly better psychic resistance would break the technique with ease, let alone someone with as much caliber as the Fifth Walker.

     "That's preposterous! With your indomitable will and ungodly reservoir of psychic energy, who would still be able to do that to you? Some kind of god?" The Charlatan, who was the Voidwalker with the most expertise in such techniques in the Void, exclaimed incredulously.

     "Maybe it was some kind of god," Baiyi muttered quietly.

     "You mean…. The War God?" the Archmage chimed in. "That… is possible, yes. Your consciousness has met with his, so he could have planted that idea in your head at that time. Plus, as a god, he does have the necessary strength and ability to do so… While you had always been confident of your own capability, so you would never entertain the possibility of someone invading your mind. This created an opening."

     "Hmph, that must be it. No wonder he has been relaxing the terms and conditions for using his stupid sword; he had already taken me as his pawn. Let me guess, it had been planned out ever since I've gotten Attie, huh?" Baiyi's tone was chilly. "You think that I should become your pawn just because I took in a maid and that poor excuse of a sword? What a pleasure doing business with you, War God."

     In a flash, the Fifth Walker had scanned through every inch of his memory to see if he had done anything else that was unintentional. Luckily, it seemed that the subliminal message only painted a very good impression of Gouve.

     "Looks like he just wanted me to go to Gouve. Is it because of this unknown apocalyptic event?" Baiyi resumed his train of thoughts. "Maybe something important is at stake in this event…"

     "If that's the case, you can't withdraw yourself out from the game field, mate," the Thane chimed in to finish the thought.

     "You're not half-wrong. I'm now very interested in seeing just what the fuck exactly would prompt Mr. War God to play such a risky game."

     Baiyi turned his attention back to the reality again, thinking of getting more information from Aya.

     But to his surprise, the dragon-lady had backed into a corner and had both hands covering her chest defensively. Her expression was one of intense alertness while her gaze, which was fixed on him, was complicated.

     'What the hell are you doing? Why are you protecting your breasts? Are you trying to fend off the advance of a pervert? …Why would I be interested in a dragon's mammary glands?' Baiyi thought as he said out loud, "What's wrong?"

     "Y-y-you… w-w-were terrifying…" Aya gulped as she whispered. "I t-thought you wanted to e-e-eat me…"

     'E-e-eat? Of all the words you could use, you used that one word that may bring up some M-rated implication?'

     Baiyi put up his hands apologetically. "Sorry about that. I was just pondering on some dire situations, and I guess I accidentally reacted to that."

     When he finally noticed the War God's cheap manipulation, he was enraged. As a result, the Fifth Walker accidentally released his true aura, and the ever-sensitive elder dragon had detected it easily.

     Ergo, it terrified her enough to back in a corner.... Those are more like rejected ninjutsu technique names in Naruto, dude.For those who had never seen this before, this is per the Alignment type in Dungeons & Dragons! If not mistaken, I remember that Lawful Neutral was the most common alignment… Huh, I always thought Baiyi was a True Neutral. Apparently he's the type to cross red lights sometimes, but would still finish his homework on time!

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     209 A Different Attitude Towards The Descendants

      Honestly speaking, to be frightened by the intimidating aura from the Fifth Walker was nothing to be ashamed of. Baiyi wanted to tender more apologies, but before he could speak, the Third Walker could be heard grumbling within the Void, "Such a weakling! Disgraceful, indeed!"

     "These species always attempt to imitate humans, and they eventually pick up all the nasty habits of those mortals!" The Third Walker scoffed in disgust at the many attempts of mighty, high-class dragonkins that chose to transform into humans in order to blend into the society of men. He was a firm opposer of such antics indeed.

     "Want me to chide her for you?" Baiyi offered.

     "Ugh, just let it be..." The Third Voidwalker answered after a moment's consideration. "This is the way of life chosen by her... I should respect her decision. Give her my blessing, will you?"

     'Pfft, no reprimands... but a blessing instead?' Perhaps the Third Walker was only verbally stern; he was still very fond of his descendants. Or maybe, he just thought that this little dragon-lady was adorable and cute, so he could not bear to chide her. Although her existing appearance was just an illusion, it still required pretty good genetics to become such a good-looking human girl. Baiyi believed that if Aya went back to her dragon form, she would be a good-looking dragon too.

     "Sorry to scare you, " Baiyi said.

     "N-no...no worries..." Aya replied, embarrassed. A moment ago she had been bragging about how there was no being in the world whose existence could induce fear within the hearts of the dragonkin, and now she looked like a frightened little bird herself, instead. That was pretty embarrassing…

     'However, when one thought of it, what was she so afraid earlier? Sir Hope... Sir Hope who usually seemed amiable and charismatic? What was his true nature underneath that mask?'

     Aya could hardly control the curiosity she has developed about Baiyi. This curious mindset—be it dragon's or human's—was a very dangerous one.

     "To express my sincerest apologies..." Baiyi started. He chanted an obscure phrase in dragon-verse, and in a few seconds, Aya felt something permeate her body?

     Fright was the first emotion she registered, for she thought that Baiyi had made his first attack, but she quickly realized that there was no evil intent from whatever he had cast upon her. Instead, it felt uniquely heartfelt, like having an elder stroke the back your head. It was a warm, fuzzy and pleasant feeling indeed.

     The blessing of the Venerable Dragon had no physical effect. Just like what Aya felt moments ago, the feeling felt like a caress upon the head. That feeling was the blessing in its purest form, it was not a problem from Baiyi's casting.

     The Venerable Dragon only gave his blessing exclusively to those he favored. Dragonkind who were bestowed with such blessing would have the aura of the Venerable Dragon—an acknowledgment that they were endowed with his love. It was like being presented with a badge of honor, or a certificate of approval; it was a sign of glory.

     From what Baiyi knew, the Third Walker had only given his blessing approximately ten or so times in the span of his long life. This was an extremely rare scenario, for there were very little who managed to get into his good books. Those who decided to live as humans were never his favorites. However, there was a slight difference in his mindset nowadays. Baiyi never bothered to inquire more, but he could guess that it stemmed from its change of perspective towards mankind as a whole.

     What kind of existence was this Venerable Dragon? He was the most respected and most esteemed leader of the dragonkin, so it was only natural that he possessed a certain level of pride. Every being was equivalent to ants in his eyes. He would not falter even in the presence of gods, even more so for humankind. To him, humans were merely fish in water, and those humans who possessed some power were just mudskippers that skipped a little higher—bringing them up was a waste of breath.

     Only when he lost his physical body, his oh-so-strong physique—the very pride and joy of his existence—did he understand the god's authority... and it was only after he entered the Void—and began to have a deeper understanding of humankind—that he began to shift his perspective.

     Especially after looking into Baiyi's memories where he learned how mankind had brought development to the world, only did the Venerable Dragon lowered his skyrocketing arrogance. He showed more understanding towards the humankind. These beings might be puny and insignificant, but they still had a lot in them - he could comprehend why would some tribes team up with mankind.

     He even picked up the study of god. He was very impressed and jealous of the world's respect towards the image of the dragon clan, although their powers were not as strong as his.

     Seeing a change of heart from the Third Walker, Baiyi felt a little more relieved and pleased at the same time.

     Aya, on the other hand, was still unsure about what exactly Baiyi did to her. She already took up a human form not long after she was born and had since lived as one for the past decades. She has neither seen the Venerable Dragon, neither had she received any blessing from him; she has never even encountered a dragonkin who had been bestowed with his blessings. Hence, she could not comprehend what Baiyi did to her at all. She only knew that there was no malicious intent from his actions.

     'Now this couldn't be... a declaration of love, could it? Really now... it's only the first time we've met…' Aya was nursing weird ideas in her head. She might be almost ninety, but to the dragonkin, she was barely older than little Mia…

     As the dragon-lady pondered on the best way to clear up her confusion, strains of girly laughter could be heard from outside the living room, followed by Mordred, who barged into the room with an excited expression. Her little round face had a wide smile, with two adorable canines peeping just below the lip, and her excitement seemed to stem from playing earlier. She was covered in mud and bits of grass, looking just like a mud monkey.

     Mia and the rest tailed behind her. They all looked no different—dirty and grimy, but they all had faces brimming with joy.

     What in the world were these little rascals playing? Wrestling? In the mud? They're all so filthy! Baiyi bemoaned.

     "Mama!" Mordred rushed towards Aya, stretching out both arms for a full-frontal embrace, only stopping short when she realized how dirty she was. She thought of wiping her little hands on her red dress but decided against it, before hiding her hands behind her back in embarrassment.

     'This child... she's much more thoughtful than I expected!'

     Aya smiled lightly as she kneeled in front of Mordred, caressing her head gently and asked, "Did you have fun?"

     'What? There was no intention of teaching her a lesson?'

     "Yep yep!" Mordred nodded obediently.

     It was a completely opposite scenario at Baiyi's side. He graciously took the opportunity to pull Mia's little cheek, while the three other girls stood in line with their necks contracted as deeply into their bodies as possible, awaiting Baiyi's punishment in fear.

     "Haven't you noticed how old you already are? Yet, you still went to wrestle?" As Baiyi finished bullying Mia, his claws fell upon Tisdale's cheek. "The younger ones are more forgivable, but the two of you, too? Can't you just act a little more ladylike? Or be a little reserved, huh?"

     After some brief questioning, it was revealed that Mordred summoned a ground dragon earlier, bringing her new friends out for a tour of the plains. At the start, Mia and Tisdale were still quite reserved and resisted the temptation to play, but after intense persuasion from Mordred and Laeticia, they began to play as well. In the end, the four girls tussled, wrestled, and rolled around the plains without a single care in the world, so they eventually ended up covered with grime and dirt.

     Additionally, their skirts were already so short, so they would have put on quite a show during all that tussling around for whichever onlooker was out there…

     "Mama..." Mordred called for her mom when she saw her new friends get bullied by their caretaker. She was tempted to hold Aya's arm, but her own was so filthy; thus, her arm retracted as fast as it had initially reached for Aya.

     'It's okay if I'm a little dirty, but I can't let mama be filthy.'

     "What's wrong?" Aya inquired gently.

     "Sir Hope, can you stop punishing my friends?" Mordred pleaded, taking extra effort to defend the girls. "Please, mama! It was I who lead them out..."

     "Ah, this..." Aya felt momentarily conflicted. How could she interfere with the affair of others, judging how they educate their children! Not to mention, Baiyi's performance earlier was better than hers, and his position was ultimately higher-ranked than hers.

     However, when she saw the hopeful, pleading gaze in her daughter's emerald green eyes, the young mother mustered up all her courage and strode towards Baiyi. In a stern tone, she said, "Sir Hope, it was my child who brought them out to play, but if you could you just stop..."

     Baiyi glanced back at her, loosening his grip on Laeticia's face conveniently. He helped sooth the burn by giving her cheek a little rub, and replied, "Don't worry, I am not punishing them. However, a little discipline could help when it's necessary."

     Pinching their faces could hardly be considered punishment. At most, it left an impression on them, something to make them think first of the consequences of whatever actions they take in the future.

     "You're only taking the chance to touch their faces. We all know that..." someone in the Void alleged.

     "When he's done pinching their faces, I wonder if he's going to pinch somewhere else... some part more sensitive maybe..." another Voidwalker snickered.

     "And we never know if there'll be more unconventional forms of punishment... like *beep beep*...*beep beep beep*"

     Baiyi was just about to investigate the person spouting such lewd remarks, but they quickly kept quiet afterward, leaving no clues of their identity.

     "Well, please lend us your bathroom at least, so that they can have a good shower," Baiyi could only ask.

     Hence, Mordred brought the girls to an exceptionally extravagant, lavishly-furnished bathroom the size of a swimming pool. As chaperones, Baiyi and Aya tagged along behind them. After watching the girls enter the bathroom, Baiyi reminded them with a shout from the outside, "Remember to toss out your dirty clothes!"

     The moment his voice rang out, a few dresses along with undergarments were tossed out of the bathroom. Aya began to call for a servant, but Baiyi stopped her with a sigh. He used water-based magic to bundle up the items and assumed the function of a washing machine.

     "Oh? Using magic for such a domestic purpose?" Aya was genuinely surprised. "I didn't know Sir Hope had this… affectionate side to him?"

     "Piece of cake," Baiyi replied simply. He did not wish to discuss domestic matters with this dragon-lady. It was obvious that she was still a child in his eyes. Seeing the way she pampered Mordred... she would never become an excellent mother! That child of hers would certainly take advantage of the rebellious phase, treating her father—oh no, in this case, mother—in a more unruly manner!

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     210 What Has He Done To You?

      Baiyi was a firm advocate for proper child education, and he confidently believed that he was pretty experienced in this field; in fact, he was a veteran. If one were to ask him where this confidence came from... 'could you not tell that Mia and the girls are more well-behaved and more beautiful than ever and that their potential grows consistently, day-by-day?!'

     Hence, this little dragon-lady... could not compete with him when it came to child education! Baiyi was very proud of himself. He seemed unaware that there was a problem with washing his daughters' undergarments.

     Baiyi's washer spell was very effective. Water-based magic, which was rarely ever talked about, was exceptionally useful in this area. The clothes were completely dry even before the girls were done with their bath; it was even neatly folded. He handed the pile of clothes to Aya and made a request, "Sorry to bother you, but please take these to them."

     Aya lowered her gaze and noticed some leftover traces of fire-based enchantment on the garments. In a tone that contained no humor, she laughingly asked, "Sir Hope, you seem to be very well-trained in this?"

     'Who do you think I am? Do you know how hard is it to breed these little rascals?' Although he had assistance from Attie, his cute Kitty-cat maid required quite some care as well, so how could he afford not to acquire experience in these domestic matters? Baiyi bemoaned internally.

     Although his thoughts were not expressed aloud, Aya, a parent herself, understood his woes. She spoke up, albeit gently, "To care for them is a tough enough job for you, and you still need to find time to save the realm. Perhaps Sir Hope requires a partner for the job?"

     'Looks like she had mistaken the hierarchy between saving the world and domestic affairs… but, for that thing about being partners, did a single-mother like you reflect on yourself before asking that question?' Baiyi contemplated. He did not utter a word and gave his chest a few hard knocks. Two loud bangs reverberated through the air.

     He was hinting that he was a Soul Armature.

     "Ah, there's also this… although there have been cases of marriages occurring between Soul Armatures and humans, most humans wouldn't accept it, right? The dragonkin is no different," Aya said, with a hint of pity. For some reasons, her heart was filled with empathy, as though they were in the same boat. She now saw Baiyi in a different light.

     'Why are you looking at me with such a pitiful gaze?' Baiyi was not amused. 'You think I'm unwanted? Don't you know how many beauties out there in the Void were begging for me to call them my wife?' However, it was certain that this fellow would not be an ideal candidate as a stepmom. She ridiculously regarded little Mia as a rival. Mia could end up being fed to death—no extra effort was needed.

     'But how's that a problem? She's really, really good-looking! That record-breaking beauty was enough to make a lot of men leave their wives!'

     'But, all in all, elves were not ideal partners, if their beauty and loyalty were put aside. Warriors, however, were the most ideal. They did not pale in beauty, and through various games, they had proven that they had a paternal side to them, but it was a pity that this fairy-like perfection-of-a-woman did not seem interested in me at all, with all that mumbling to vouch for that…' Baiyi pondered. Perhaps because of this dragon-lady, a single-mom... he actually began putting some serious thought into something that he had hardly ever given any consideration. Marriage. Family. Children.

     At that moment, however, a shriek erupted from the bathroom. It was Attie's.

     "Stop it… Mordred! Stop licking me! I'm not a piece of chocolate! Uuuu—"

     "I already said that I was born with it... sto-op! I'm very sensitive there—argh!"

     'What in the world are these kids up to? Were they bullying Attie again? Come to think of it, was Attie that vulnerable? Where is the might she wielded as the king she once was?'

     "Please forgive me. My child is being naughty again. Let me go have a look," Aya said, feeling embarrassed. She entered the bathroom with the clean clothes that Baiyi had laundered.

     "Sister Aya, your complexion is very good! It's almost similar to a human's!"

     "Of course, my mama is the most beautiful woman in the world!"

     "Hehe. Mia, your skin is very smooth, too! It seems that Sir Hope had taken care of you very well... eh? Those parts? Oh, don't you worry my dear. It'll get bigger when you hit puberty... look, Mordred's is almost the same size as yours!"

     'So this means that that unreliable dragon-lady has joined them in their shower! And what… they were discussing... puberty?! What the hell. Why can't these little rascals discuss this on their own and in private!'

     "They could discuss it with me..." The Warrior interrupted.

     'And what would you be discussing about? You're not their mom.' Baiyi did not pay much attention to the Warrior's comment.

     After some time, the few girls finally emerged from the bathroom. They were all great beauties with their own unique characters. Their charming and gorgeous faces had been colored crimson from submerging in hot water. Their wet hair was slicked back against the back of their skulls, and their fair skin, which was as delicate as a deshelled egg, looked extremely enticing.

     A mother and daughter pair, and another pair of sisters... this after-shower scene was perfection.

     Upon noticing Baiyi, Aya was suddenly hit with a moment of embarrassment. She could not believe that she had abandoned an important guest to take a bath…

     To break the awkward silence, Aya quickly thought of something to say. "Ahh, I was wondering... would you please stay the night? I'll get the servants to prepare the rooms. Also, when the leaders return, we could have a more in-depth discussion about that question from earlier."

     Baiyi did not reject the offer and nodded in agreement. If there was a need to investigate this weird phenomenon, it would not hurt to get extra hands and more clues. Working with the Brotherhood of Fire Wyverns was not a bad idea at all.

     Mordred was elated at the prospect of getting to spend more time with her new friends, but she seemed to sense something and quickly scurried into her mother's lap. She crinkled her nose, getting a whiff of something in the air. She brought her lips to Aya's ear and whispered, "Mama, you have a very nice scent on you..."

     "Eh?" Aya hesitated for a moment. "Perhaps it was the newly added flower-scented lotion in the bathtub?"

     "Mmm..." Mordred shook her head vigorously and said in a softer tone. "It's not the scent of flowers—it's the scent of dad..."

     "How is that possible?" Aya asked peculiarly, as her expression changed. Mordred was an abandoned orphan, and she could not accurately understand the concept of a father, so how could she suddenly say something like that?

     Baiyi did not hear what were the mother and daughter were talking about, but it seemed like something personal and private. He had no intention on eavesdropping, so he lead the girls further away from them, giving them a private moment.

     "Although I've never seen dad, I've seen other dads! I believe it would be the same feeling, right?" Mordred blinked her large eyes, spouting statements that Aya did not understand.

     Even though she could not comprehend what Mordred was saying, a trace of sadness was still visible on Aya's face.

     Mordred was barely thirty years old this year, but she was still an infant amongst her kind. However, due to her consistent exposure to humankind, she knew a lot more than her dragonkin-peers.

     The dragon knight clan did practice familial concepts, and those kids used to be her playmates; thus, she must have picked up the concept of a father from them. Whenever little Mordred saw other children jumping into their fathers' embrace, or when they were placed atop their fathers' shoulders, what did she think about in that little heart of hers?

     It was a pity that she was Dragon-kind, making the speed at which she matured relatively slower, in both physical and mental development. The human kids matured at a much faster rate, and they would often separate after a few years. They would still return to see her, but those human kids were no longer the playmates she once remembered.

     Perhaps this fun and understanding dragon child had been lonely for a long time, and that was why she acted so welcoming towards Mia and the rest? Maybe she wanted the girls' company for a little longer, and that was why she blurted out a bunch of nonsense as a reason to stay.

     "You stayed with Sir Hope for a bit just then, didn't you, Mama? Is this his scent? Why would your body have his scent? Did you guys kiss? Did he press you against the bed and..."

     Aya's face flushed into the deepest shade of red possible. No matter how much she loved Mordred, she lashed out instantly, pulling her daughter's cheek in embarrassment, imitating the two-way pulling that little Mia was disciplined with earlier. She chided Modred with a mixture of embarrassment and rage, "You stupid child. Just what do you think you're talking about!"

     "Ughh... it's painful..." Mordred whined like a hurt animal, causing Aya to loosen her grip in heartbreak.

     "Don't you ever think about such nonsense again! There is nothing between Mama and Sir Hope!" Aya rubbed her hand against Mordred's cheek to sooth the burn and lectured her patiently.

     "But Mama! Your face... it's so red! Uuggh—sorry Mama! It's my fault, stop pinching me!"

     Baiyi wandered around for half a day before Aya reappeared with Mordred and invited Baiyi and the girls for lunch. Mordred did not seem as cheerful as she was earlier, and instead, her face twitched involuntarily, and she wore had on an unnatural expression; she did not even dare to look straight at Baiyi.

     'What's gotten into this dragon-lady? Wasn't she just joking around just now?' Baiyi watched curiously.

     Suddenly, Mordred approached him and held his fingers. She crinkled her nose, then scurried away looking disappointed.

     'What is wrong with this pair?' Baiyi's curiosity increased.

     Mordred scurried back to Aya's side. She stuck her nose against her mother's body and gave sniffed deeply. Seconds after that, she cocked her tiny head to the side, as though she found that something wrong. Her mama's warm scent was completely different from Sir Hope's scent.

     'What's going on? Mama has never gone out for a meal with anyone before…' Little Mordred simply did not get it.

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     211 What Does He See In Me?

      Aya went into the kitchen to prepare lunch, with the ever-so-helpful Mordred offering her assistance.

     Meanwhile, Baiyi and his family had retired to the living room. He had reclined on a long couch, and Little Mia—who was tired from her games and relaxed from her bath—lay snuggled beside him, resting her head on his thigh, and her two slender legs dangled of the side of the couch. Meeting a new friend, Mia was in high spirit, her legs swinging in glee.

     Attie's exhaustion was more evident. She had fallen into a deep sleep, curled up like a cat at Baiyi's other side.

     Tisdale was reclined on a nearby couch, and in her hand was a book that chronicled the courageous tales of dragon knights. She was fully immersed in it, reading it out loud, and Laeticia, who was nearby, laid down on her belly, listening to Tisdale. Ever so often, she would stop Tisdale in her tracks to ask what certain words meant. Being a villager, she was illiterate.

     Baiyi was playing a silly, childish game with Mia. He was trying to poke the girl's cheeks with his fingers, and the child playfully attempted to block the finger attacks with her palms, chuckling as she also rolled from side to side, trying to avoid the pokes that she couldn't block.

     They were having so much fun. Suddenly, the sounds of footsteps and discussions echoed from outside.

     The door was pushed open, and in came a middle-aged man and an elder. They appeared to be the owners of this residence.

     The first things that entered their sights was a stranger and some girls who seemed to be having their family time in his living room.

     The situation was very awkward. Little Mia quickly sat up bashfully, remembering to pull her dress down as it had rolled up from her silly game. Baiyi had to yank a very groggy Attie up before he turned to face the duo.

     A look of alarm crossed the middle-aged man's face, but he recollected himself quickly and announced loudly, "Gosh, I did not expect visitors at all. I should have knocked!"

     "Haha, very true. We haven't had many visitors for ages," the elder beside him added with a mirthless chuckle.

     The girls moved to another side of the room, while the house-owners sat before Baiyi.

     The middle-aged man was very candid. "So, you're a friend of Aya's?"

     Baiyi nodded. "Yea. I'm Hope."

     "Hope?" The duo looked at each other and quickly asked in unison, "That Hope from Isythre?"

     "I can assure you that the legends have been exaggerated quite a bit, but yea, that's me."

     Suddenly, their faces lit up with joy, and they finally realized why Aya had invited the man to their house. The middle-aged man hurriedly replied, "My pleasure and fortune to meet you, Master Hope! If I had known that you were coming, I would have been even more respectful…"

     "Um, I'm fine just like this," Baiyi could only reply awkwardly.

     The three quickly engaged in small talk, but Baiyi found time to carefully examine the two men. The middle-aged man wore a military-green army uniform adorned with all kinds of uncommon embellishments. He was, as Baiyi guessed, a man occupying a high position, while the mana emanating from him belied his status as a Legendary-level fighter, or possibly even a Holy-level fighter. However, the man was constantly suppressing his mana from letting that fact out. He appeared to be around 40 years old, but it had always been hard to estimate a dragon's age based on their human form.

     Judging from his appearance, the man should at least be a commander, or even the general himself.

     Meanwhile, the elder, whose hair and beard were snowy white, looked ethereal and mysterious. Yet, his aura had informed Baiyi that he was a similar dragon as Aya.

     A dragon could live far longer than humans could, but their lives were still finite. Besides, those who had stayed in human form for a long time would have their actual age reflected in their looks. In other words, this particular elder was probably very old.

     It became obvious that this elder and Aya were the keys to the dragon knights' dragon-taming operations.

     "My name is Kandor. I am the general of this battalion," the man introduced himself, before pointing at the elder beside him. "This is my uncle, Yosef."

     "Nice to meet you," Baiyi greeted. 'This elder dragon looks like he would be 1000 years old at least, and you looked like about 200 tops! This age gap between uncle and nephew is a bit too large, don't you think?'

     Just as he was lambasting the pair, Aya frantically pushed open the kitchen door and cried, "Father! Big Brother! You've returned?"

     She briskly pranced to the living room. Then, after she shot a glance at Baiyi, blushes blossomed on her fair cheeks, and she sat next to the Soul Armature.

     'Why the hell did you blush? And of all the places to sit, why take the seat beside mine?'

     "Master Hope was here for a vacation, and that was when he saw a wild berserk dragon attacking a skycruising ray. He decided to investigate the incident and came to us, so I had him come over here," Aya explained.

     General Kandor was listening intently, but the elder was surprisingly absent-minded as if he was lost in thoughts.

     "Father? Are you alright?" Aya's asked in a tone filled with concern as she noticed the old man's absent-mindedness and drawing herself closer to him.

     Suddenly, elder Yosef's beady eyelids snapped open, and his eyes lit up with an illumination that seemed to originate within his pupils as some past memories flashed through his mind. He gripped on Aya's shoulders firmly, and his bright eyes gazed into hers. Unexpectedly, to even more surprises, one of his knees buckled to the floor.

     'Does he have Parkinson's disease?' Baiyi was alarmed at the surreal development. Aya and Kandor, too, were horrified.

     "F-father! Are you alright?!"

     "Uncle! Are you feeling ill?"

     The old man did not respond, neither did he budge when the two tried their hardest to yank him back up to his feet. He knelt stubbornly on the floor, and his chest heaved in sync with his overflowing emotions. Underneath his eyes were long, unbroken line of murky tears. He was weeping—like a child.

     It took a while for the elder to recollect himself. When he finally realized his own state, he quickly wiped away his tears and tidied his clothes, before slumping back onto the couch.

     The first thing he did was to apologize to Baiyi. "I'm sorry, Master Hope, for what has just transpired. However, may I request a private hearing…"

     "I understand. Please, excuse me," The Fifth Walker wasted no time in heeding the implied request. He took his leave from the living room, closing the door tightly as he left.

     After he had left, Yosef turned his eyes to Aya, an expression of somberness. "Aya, please tell me, have you interacted with any sort of individual… or even met with a mysterious yet puissant force?"

     Ever since the crisis started, the dragon knights had not gotten a moment's rest, including General Kandor, the retired former High Counselor, Yosef, and other higher-ups. They had to obtain information from outside sources, conduct investigation on alleged sightings, and request aid from other forces and organizations. In fact, they had just returned from attending a top-secret meeting. They had only returned to groom themselves and rest before another private meeting with the Rodrithelian royals.

     The current High Counselor, Aya, was deemed too young to join in, so she was assigned the role of taking care of camp affairs. Thus, ever since the Crisis, Aya and Yosef hadn't been able to meet each other.

     "No. If you're talking about pretty unique individuals—well, Master Hope would be the only one I've met today. Before him, the only people I met with were the people from the Empire's logistics unit, as well as a royal vassal who came to discuss the security issues of the upcoming Harvest Festival."

     When he heard her reply, the elder's expression became even more unreadable. Kandor stepped forward out of concern and asked, "Uncle, what's… What's going on?"

     The elderly dragon lowered his breath.

     "Aya… Aya's body… Emanates the scent of Lord Divine Dragon's blessing."

     "What?!"

     "Impossible!"

     The younger dragons were in a daze.

     They knew what the title "Divine Dragon" entailed. They also knew that the current Divine Dragon had inherited the prejudice that the previous Divine Dragon held towards those elder dragons who took a liking to human forms.

     To be specific, all dragons close to the Divine Dragon despised these kinds of elder dragons. This was a toxic legacy left behind by the Third Walker.

     Yosef may not have received a Divine Dragon's blessing, but he had met a blessed Crystal Dragon back when he was young. The dragon had looked at Yosef with as much scorn as a man would grace an insignificant ant. The Crystal Dragon didn't speak to him, neither did it spare him a second glance; it just spread its wings, which was lustered with the blessing, and took off into the sky.

     Yosef could never forget that scent again. Only a little probe into halls of his memory was required for that scene to replay, vividly.

     "How is that possible?! Lord Divine Dragon would never have blessed me! It only blesses his favored ones." Aya replied frantically, as her heart fluttered at the sudden attention.

     "I'm more concerned with how the Lord Divine Dragon met you. To it, you'll probably not be worth than weed…" Yosef added in confusion.

     They did not even consider the possibility of Baiyi being connected to the Divine Dragon. Although the Church had spread the legend of the hero who defeated the Abyss Lord and saved the entire Isythre from hell to the dragons, this hero couldn't possibly hold a candle to the Divine Dragon. Baiyi can't possibly be at the same level as it, neither could he be related to it.

     They also had no idea how the blessing process worked, either. Could it be done by simply extending a finger and pointing at the target? With the Divine Dragon's power, that was possible, but why would he do that to Aya?

     They weren't wrong that Baiyi couldn't hold a candle to the former Divine Dragon, because he would choose to drop candle so that he could his both hands to bully it. If they were referring to the current Divine Dragon, then Baiyi would agree. It would be much more difficult to defeat than the Abyss Lord. Maybe if he put in a bit more effort…

     "Could this Crisis have something to do with Lord Divine Dragon?" Aya started throwing everything she had to the wall to see what sticks. "Maybe Lord Divine Dragon wanted us to solve this crisis well, so…"

     It was a preposterous thought. They were outcasts among the dragons, without even the slightest inkling of where the Divine Dragon lived, neither did they know that such a crisis would be considered trivial to the prideful Divine Dragon.

     "M-maybe. It sounds sensible enough," Yosef nodded and uttered forcefully. He couldn't come up with a better explanation himself. "B-But Aya, you are not the strongest dragon in our tribe. So why chose you?"

     "M-maybe it was pleased with some of my qualities?" Aya voiced the only thought she had out loud.

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     212 She“s Still At That Imaginative Age

      "Maybe it was pleased with some of my qualities?"

     Old Yosef pondered about that, then he hesitantly asked, "Aya, what do you reckon is this quality that Lord Divine Dragon would care this about?"

     "Um… I am pretty good at some spells?"Aya tried.

     He shook his head sideways.

     "I… I'm good at teaching humans about taming dragons?"

     More sideways head shaking.

     "I'm very gentle? I'm good at making meals and baking cookies…" Aya faltered, shaking her head before her father did. These qualities could not even be counted as anything among the dragonkins.

     "I look pretty cute?" Aya gave her last shot. As a young woman, she also had the tendency to be easily pleased with her looks, both her human form and her original draconic form.

     However, her father still shook his head sideways.

     To humans, Aya was a perfect beauty, when she was in her human form. Her draconic form was graceful and majestic, but these opinions were based on the standards of humans.

     Dragons have their own arbitrary set of beauty standards.

     First, they placed much importance on their bloodline. Aya and Yosef were both White Dragons, which was a subspecies that also contained a vaster variety of families, ranging from high-status to low-status. However, it was common to have hybrids of higher-class and lower-class dragons. A lot of them were not pure-blooded elder dragons; hence, the status of the entire subspecies was lowered just because dragons as a whole were overly fond of the dangerously-outdated eugenics.

     To dragons, size also mattered. White Dragons were on the smaller end of the size spectrum, meaning they were not much use for hand-to-hand confrontation. Most of them used magic as their offensive power, which unfortunately gave the impression that they were as fragile as glass.

     The last metric used by dragons to access themselves was their natural affinities. For instance, the regal Silver Naga commanded lightning and thunder. The noble Crystal Dragons possessed a physique that would always be at the peak of all dragonkins. The Golden Nagas were known for their resistance to magic. The Jade Nagas bent the elements of fire and storms to their will. Compared to all of these marvelous, nature-commanding powers, what good was there in only having the talent to cast spells? The White Dragons were not the only ones who could perform magic; the other elder dragons could do those just fine.

     To lay it bare, humans may think White Dragons were majestic and noble creatures, but to other dragons, they were mediocre at best.

     That was why it would take a miracle for a little White Dragon-girl like Aya to be chosen by the Divine Dragon. She was Cinderella without her glass slippers, who even lived with the filthy humans, something the Divine Dragon loathed the most.

     Nevertheless, who could ever understand what a higher-up was thinking? Regardless of whatever plans it had for Aya, the Divine Dragon had chosen her, nevertheless. No one could guess the thoughts that ran through the mind of those more powerful than themselves. Therefore, after a fruitless discussion, Aya could only accept that she had indeed been chosen by the most elite of all.

     'Was it because of my beauty? Is Lord Divine Dragon asking for my hand this way? But… What will become of Mordred? Will it accept her? If it wants me to abandon Mordred, what…what should I do?'

     Mind-boggling thoughts characteristic of a young lady crossed her mind, slowly taking shape and coalescing into a vivid scene: a stranger forced her into a very short skirt that bared her supple thighs. He rode her from her back, and a hand forcefully covered her mouth, forcing her to lift her neck and watch Mordred weep in a distance. He snickered in her ear, bullying her and forcing anguished sobs from her throat…

     This vision was so hellish that Aya couldn't help but snap out of it.

     "No! Never! Even if Lord Divine Dragon abhors it, I would still never desert Mordred!" Aya spoke her decision out loud.

     "Huh? What was that?" Yosef, who was ruffling the dragon-lady's hair, asked in a tone of confusion.

     "N-N-Nothing!" Aya cried out, wanting to give herself a kick. 'Why did you say that out loud?!'

     "Alright, let's not talk about Lord Divine Dragon and its bizarre preferences. We'll never understand the mind of those elites, anyway. Tell me about Master Hope instead," Yosef said, drawing her back to the present issue.

     Aya told them about their meeting and the conversation that happened after. Of course, she left out the parts about the bath and Mordred's prank.

     "So, he's going to join us to combat this Crisis? That's good news to us. Someone who could actually fight off the Abyss Lord has offered his aid. I say brilliant job, Aya." General Kandor nodded in approval. The dragon knights had been looking everywhere for help. Their lack of numbers was really becoming a problem.

     "On a side note though… Why are there four girls with him? And all of them are so young and beautiful," Yosef added. "I heard that he is a Soul Armature, so one of them must be his Summoner. That leaves him with three extra girls. Who are they to them? Are they his wives?... Aren't they too young? ….Does this awesome fighter really have ephebophilia?"

     He turned his eyes to Aya. His daughter was young, so she may actually be a target for someone who had an appetite for young wives.

     "Um, why is Father looking at me like this?" Aya found her father's gaze unsettling. Her face flushed red, maybe because she remembered the words Mordred had said.

     "Nothing, dear. Just be good with Master Hope," The elder dragon retracted his glance and replied casually.

     "Hey, following that train of thought, could the Divine Dragon's blessing be related to Master Hope?" General Kandor jumped in suddenly.

     The elder dragon and the lady both shook their heads and cried in unison, "No way!"

     "I didn't sense any dragonkin scent from him, and his energy undulations suggests that he is a truly a human, just as advertised by the Church. He is a formidable sorcerer, who seemed to have used some methods to conceal his true undulations, making him seem weaker than he really is... You know, like an Elite-level fighter," Aya explained.

     Yosef continued, "Humans do not understand us dragons that much, especially elder dragons; we are the most mysterious to them. Only the most knowledgeable human scholars would ever understand the words 'Divine Dragon', but even they thought that the words were the name of a species of dragon, not a title."

     After all that was said, Aya's family and Baiyi's family came together for their meal. It was a very festive meal, but as usual, Baiyi had no faculty for eating.

     Meanwhile, Aya, Mordred, and the elder each ate enough food for five humans, but to everyone's surprise, they still managed to remain graceful and elegant after they had swallowed all that food.

     Baiyi was a bit cautious of Mordred. A girl like her was supposed to eat like a typical pre-teen: head hung low, gaze averted, and only focusing on her food. However, she was far from that. She patiently carved the poultry into bite-sized chunks and shared them with Little Mia, who sat beside her, as if she was afraid that the girl wasn't eating enough.

     'What a mature girl! So how would she end up becoming a traitor?'

     "Oy! Why do you keep insisting that she's gonna go rogue? Because of a goddamned name?" The Third Walker asked in displeasure. "She's a good girl who just coincidentally happens to bear the name of a fictional character you know! Must you then think that they are the same person? One is fictional and another is real, come on!"

     'But they look so similar too…'

     "What similar? She doesn't have that cowlick, and she has fuller breasts!" The Third Walker retorted.

     'Oh, cut it out. Why do you care about this pair of mother and daughter? You blessed them suddenly, and now you're defending them out of love? I thought you hated dragons who frolicked with humans!'

     "Well, when a dragon has lived long enough, their values tend to change," The Third Walker replied solemnly. "Of course, I am also really fond of Mordred. I just think she's really friendly, you know? Am I getting old?"

     'Huh. She isn't your descendant, is she?'

     "Oh please! I have been in the Void for 5000 years and look how young she is!" The Third Walker gave a strong rebuttal. "I just think that I used to be unfair to these dragons who just happen to think differently. So what I'm doing now is just to atone for my past misjudgment. Don't make it sound as if I have some ulterior motive, okay?"

     The lunch was over in silence. No one talked while eating, and the hosts were just focused on their meals. They had great appetites, so if they didn't finish their meal quick enough, that would be considered imprudent to the humans.

     In the evening, General Kandor left for the meeting. Yosef stayed behind to talk with Baiyi, while the girls were directed by Mordred to nap into the third floor of the Command Unit Building. Yes, the building actually served as the command tower for the dragonic knights, which also doubled up as the higher-ups' residential area.

     Baiyi picked up a cup of red tea. He used mana to turn the tea into a small version of Little Mia, then changed the small tea figure to Tisdale. Immediately afterward, the tea figure split into four, and each figure took the appearance of one the girls, and the figures danced atop the cup.

     This little parlor trick attracted Aya's attention. The dragon watched the cup in his hand without blinking, and even Yosef started to believe that the legends from the Church were true.

     After he had shared his theory, which he and the Voidwalkers had come up with earlier, with the dragons, Baiyi asked, "That is what I think is going on. Have you dragons ever faced something similar before?"

     They shook their heads sideways. When Aya heard that the realm may be destroyed, her face paled.

     "An Armageddon… Is it that bad?" She said, incredulous.

     "Just a conjecture, really." Came the calm answer. Baiyi himself didn't believe that to be the truth, either.

     However, it had been the opinion of the Third Walker, and as one of the strongest beings who had ever looked over the world, his opinion held great bearing. Seriously, can someone monitor the sort of fictions this woman read? This sounds like a very bad Twilight fanfiction--wait a minuteEphebophilia would be when someone exhibits preferences for mid-to-late adolescent sexual partners

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     213 Are You Thinking about Riding Me?

      A normal person would have viewed a suggestion of an impending Armageddon with skepticism. That was how Baiyi perceived the suggestion when he first heard it, and that was happening right there to the two dragonkin. 'The world as we know it... Is heading to its end? And yet I'd felt nothing?'

     After a detailed discussion analyzing the animals' behaviors, especially the wild dragons', the two High Counselors of the dragon knights had to admit to the plausibility of such an otherwise-outlandish claim.

     "To tell you the truth, I still have a hard time believing this," Aya said, and her gaze turned apologetic when it rested on Baiyi. "If those dragons had sensed it, then why haven't I? I mean, even if I was one of the sluggish types, the other dragons here would have sensed it, too."

     "That's because you all are inside the safe zones," Baiyi shrugged. "I think that these barrier-guarded territories are probably what the berserk beasts have come to regard as their safe zones because, for some reason, these barriers shield them from the source of their terror."

     "But all we planted to mark these safe zones are wind-shielding barriers and thermal barriers. Sure, ours are much larger and wider, but zones similar as ours are still abundant throughout Gouve. Are you suggesting that these animals invaded these no-fly zones just so they can be protected by these barriers?" Yosef added.

     "More or less, yea. Stopping them is a correct move, though. These barriers usually contain highly-populated cities. A wild animal in a place like that is gonna make for a very messy outcome," Baiyi replied. "I have a hunch that this Crisis has something to do with temperature or destructive winds. These are the elements that people within the barriers would not have felt."

     "That makes a lot of sense," Yosef nodded in agreement. "We have conducted multiple investigations outside the safe zones, but we never knew what variable or element to be on a lookout for. You might have just cracked the case! I'll depart on another investigation tomorrow."

     "Father!" A cry of alarm escaped from Aya, worrying about her father's age and safety. "You shouldn't. You're wearing yourself down with this. Let me take your place," She volunteered, turning to face Baiyi.

     "Would you be my company, Master Hope?" She blurted.

     'Company how? You want me to ride on you? Quite a bold lady-dragon. I mean, yea, she meant the literal meaning of riding and not the innuendo, but still… Letting a stranger on your back can't be considered be a safe practice!'

     Baiyi didn't voice his thoughts, but Aya may have reached the same conclusion all the same. Her cheeks flushed again, and she started frantically and abruptly waving her hands as she blurted, "I-I-I mean, I… It's just a very normal investigation; please d-d-don't think of it as something else!"

     'Um… I didn't. Your reaction, on the other hand, is making me "think of something else",' Baiyi thought. However, to be objective, it isn't too bad to be the Fifth Walker's mount, you know. Your "Lord Divine Dragon" hadn't mind, so a normal lady-dragon such as you should be honored! Plus, that shocking blessing from earlier, I was the one who delivered them to you per his will!

     Discounting Aya's "inspiring" reaction, the deal was settled. Yosef had been busy for a long time, so having a good company for the beautiful Aya while she went out to investigate was a pacifying idea. It let the elderly rest without any worries.

     Evening came at the same time the exhausted dragon knights they returned from their respective duties. The camp did not the celebratory atmosphere that usually signaled a hero's homecoming, and instead, they quietly washed up and went to sleep.

     A report was still delivered to General Kandor.

     "What? Someone was injured?"

     Aya was hugging Mordred in her embrace. The child had been playing the whole day; she only stopped when she became exhausted. Her head was buried in her mother's bosom, and her eyes drooped, making it evident that she could fall asleep anytime soon, yet, after hearing that someone was injured, the wave of drowsiness was up, and she sat up with concern plastered on her face.

     "It was a wild one… went mad when it was halted. Fortunately, the rider and the mount only suffered light injuries, so don't worry too much," General Kandor replied.

     "Are they… getting worse? Is it just as Master Hope had said. As the end draws closer to us all, their fear will only continue to intensify, and they." Aya murmured as her own fear bubbled, and her finger stroked Mordred's head for subconscious comfort.

     "I hope he was wrong," came the General's sigh.

     It was barely dawn when Aya came knocking on Baiyi's door.

     After hearing his voice of approval, she entered and was treated to the sight of Baiyi enjoying another kind of family time with his little potted plants. Since that there was no one back at home in Isythre to take care of them, Baiyi decided to bring the plants along.

     The mysterious seeds were planted in his animal-themed money boxes, and Baiyi was always excited to see what plants they would turn out to be. Under his care, some of the seeds had started to sprout.

     After lining up the boxes neatly by the windowsill, the Soul Armature turned to face her. "You're up early."

     "Mordred is the one who is always up early. She woke me," Aya replied gently.

     "Alright, let's go."

     "... Without Miss Mia?" Aya asked in surprise. She had been told, during yesterday's conversation, that Mia was the man's Soul Armature Practitioner. Normally, he would have to be at close range with the girl at all times. This was especially so if the Soul Armature was of his level because more the more powerful the Soul Armature was, the greater the limitation would be on the range that was possible between the Soul Armature Practitioner and the Soul Armature.

     "See?" Baiyi took out a Soul Booster from his armor and shook it before Aya.

     "Oh! What a handsome thing. I have never seen a Soul Booster before this…"

     This gem was a gift from the noble Duke's daughter, Vidomina, but it was really just for show, useful for stifling unnecessary probes such as the one Aya had asked. Ever since the fight with Thaas, Baiyi realized that there was no distance limitation between him and Mia; he was not even hindered after crossing realms. Baiyi understood that unlike other Soul Armatures, he enjoyed a very large degree of flexibility and freedom.

     The duo went to the Command Unit. Baiyi was expecting Aya to transform to see if her dragon form was cute, but it turned out she had never intended to do that, at all. She whistled loudly, and from the horizon, a mighty White Dragon came to them.

     A mighty male White Dragon.

     "This is Launcelot—the strongest of our tribe," Aya ran her fingers along the dragon's scale gently as she introduced it.

     'Okay, back up. What the hell is with the naming convention for dragons? Is the rule somewhere along the line of "When possible, rip them off from the Arthurian Legends!"? Come on, where is Morgan le Fay? Where is Gawain?'

     However, the dragon gave Baiyi a nasty side-eye before hissing a few words in Dovahzul.

     "Um..." Aya, who was supposed to be the translator, had an awkward expression on her face. "He said… 'What a pleasure to meet you.'"

     "Pah, come on! He said 'Where the hell did you find this loser?', didn't he?" Baiyi was equally as unimpressed. "I understand Dovahzul, guys."

     Aya was even more embarrassed, but the dragon raised its head even more haughtily as if challenging Baiyi's to react since the Soul Armature knew exactly what it had said.

     'Oh, that's it! The class is in session,' Baiyi thought as a sly grin etched on his face.

     He mustered parts of his aura and cast them out to the dragon.

     Suddenly, the entire camp was alarmed.

     "W-wh-what was that devastating shriek?!?!"

     "That… That sounds like… old Launcelot?"

     "Go to hell with that! We all know that Launcelot is that one haughty ass great dragon who would only look at others with his flaring nostrils. How the hell that dragon whimper like a puppy being kicked?"

     "I don't care what it was. I just think we really should go and check it out!"

     Even Little Mia was roused by that sudden shriek, and she climbed up from her bed groggily, placing the hammerhead shark plushie next to her and looked out of the window in curiosity.

     The soldiers rushed to the scene. Their faces were brimming with disbelief when they found out the source of the shriek; it really was the Proud Launcelot who had cried out like that. It no longer had any traces of the haughtiness it normally displayed.

     Instead, the humbled Launcelot was curled into a fetal position like a puppy that had been bullied. Its head faced downwards, and whimpers for help involuntarily escaped from the guttural part of its throat.

     Beads of sweat dripped down Aya's head as she tried to comfort the gigantic puppy.

     "Looks like he's not feeling too well," Baiyi commented with a coy grin, retracting his aura.

     Launcelot felt the pressure disperse and immediately raised his head. It regarded Baiyi with a look of terror, and it immediately unfurled its wings and fled.

     "H-hey! Y-you!" Aya stomped her feet in frustration. Just when she was about to go after the feeling dragon, Baiyi held her shoulder, stopping her.

     "Alright. We should get going. Right, Miss Aya?"

     "But our mount—" Aya could feel herself burning in shame. It was hard enough for her to find the courage to share a mount with a stranger like Baiyi, and now, that mount had fled. What was she going to do now? Turn into her original form for Baiyi to ride on her?

     "Oh, right. Nevermind that, we'll just fly on our own." Baiyi cast his levitation spell on both himself and Aya, then created a harness out of mana that bound onto her hourglass-like waist.

     "Let's go!" He bid a quick greeting to Little Mia, who was still by the window, and she waved at him goodbye. With little concentration, Baiyi flew at such a high speed, he seemed like an arrow ripping through the sky as he headed to an arbitrary direction.

     "Whoooaaaaaaaa--!" Aya's scream echoed back at the camp from afar.

     "I don't really get what's going on, but is… Is Miss being kidnapped?"

     "Kidnapped? Have you ever seen someone being kidnapped without a single struggle against her captor? Oh no, I tell you, this is an elopement we are witnessing!"

     "That grey fella is an important visitor of General Kandor, right? Or is that just a cover-up to get close to Miss Aya?"

     Chatters like these were rare among the ever-disciplined dragon knights, but this morning had been quite different from the usual. It took General Kandor some time to explain to the crowd to break up the confusion.

     By then, Baiyi had already dragged the little dragon-lady far, far off.Ooh, anyone remember her?Yes! It's the dragon's language.

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     214 Are You Here Just to be Adorable?

      "Whooaaaaa----please! Please! Ssssstop! Master H-H-op--"Aya screamed at the top of her lungs in mid-air.

     Baiyi agreed that the entire scene was starting to look suggestive, so he gave in to her protest and stopped. As soon as he stopped, there something crashed into his back with a gentle impact. It was her soft, amorous body which inertia had propelled her forward.

     "Ouch! Oww, that hurts…" Aya frantically climbed down from his back. Both her hands were gripping her chest as she moaned softly in anguish.

     "Hey, aren't you a dragon? That flight speed shouldn't be too much to you, right?" Baiyi murmured. He really wasn't that fast in flight—at least, compared to a dragon's full-speed.

     There was an abundance of creatures in the universe that could naturally reach Mach-1. Meanwhile, two highly-skilled sorcerers in aerial battles can reach supersonic speeds, aka even faster than two military aircraft.

     "To be honest… I very rarely turn back into my original form, because it's… um, very bothersome…" Aya explained herself bashfully, and her face once again reddened. She suddenly realized that the number of times she had blushed after she met Baiyi was more than she had done all through the previous year.

     "Ha. You really do consider yourself human already!" Baiyi chuckled lightly. When the duo began flying again, Baiyi made sure that it was at a slower speed that Aya would be comfortable with.

     They headed to an unpopulated floating island. It was not too high in altitude, boasting breathtaking scenery like lush green woods and a quiet stream coursing between two hills.

     The island was no longer within the protection of the barrier of the Safe Zones. That was why it was barren. Without protection from the dragon knights, not even the greediest explorers would set foot on it.

     That isolation worked for the Fifth Walker tremendously. He loved the peace that came with it and strode along the calm woods with the dragon-lady.

     Aya wore her conservative long dress befitting of an aristocrat. As she traveled through the woods, she gently lifted the hem of her dress, barring a pair of deer-skin boots and her fair ankles.

     Baiyi was taciturn throughout the journey, so Aya maintained the silence, unwilling to break it.

     A ridiculous thought took root in her mind. 'This feels like I'm his mistress, meeting him secretly…'

     She shook her head hard, ridding herself of the intruding thoughts.

     "Oww!" She let out a cry of pain as she knocked herself face-first into Baiyi's back, just as the Soul Armature stopped dead in his tracks.

     'Damn. That pathetic reflexes of yours are starting to sully the legend of dragons! Or are you just one of those female dragons whose entire career revolves around pumping out children at home?' Baiyi couldn't stop himself from complaining. He pointed to a flat clearing between the trees, dismissing Aya's anxious apology. A quiet, snake-like creek had winded through the clearing. It was a perfect spot to stop.

     Baiyi went ahead and began removing bits of rubble using magic until there was nothing left but the grass and the earth.

     He crouched and started drawing a magical formation.

     "Hmm? Formation? Not runes, Master Hope?" Aya watched, intrigued.

     "It's for the accuracy. A thermal formation would be able to detect the slightest temperature change in the atmosphere; hence its prolific use in magus labs. On the other hand, thermal runes can't accomplish the level of accuracy needed for our work," Baiyi explained as mana emanated from his fingers. In a matter of minutes, the formation was completed.

     Next, he created another formation beside the last one. This one was created to monitor the strength of the wind in the area. Usually, this special formation was created by sorcerers who wished to perform difficult wind spells. This formation could detect the strength of the wind, allowing the sorcerers to borrow some strength from nature.

     Both two formations were sorcerers' substitute for scientific instruments. Any time there was a change or a fluctuation in either the temperature or air pressure, the formations would detect and monitor them swiftly.

     "We will each monitor one of them to look for changes, and then collect the data gathered by the end of the day," Baiyi laid out his plan briefly. After that, he simply eyed a spot nearby, sat down there and concentrated on the thermal formation.

     "Oh, um," Aya murmured. She took out a silky kerchief from her pocket and spread it on the ground. After tidying up her dress a little, she sat down next to Baiyi.

     She watched the formation for a while until rings started forming around the pupils of her emerald green eyes.

     She shook her head hard and wrapped her legs around her arms. Her reddened face descended to her knees until her face was almost buried between them, saved for two teary eyes.

     Her voice was so timid and quiet, "Master Hope..? I'm… sorry…"

     "Don't know how to read them?" He replied without turning his head.

     "Mm-hmm…" Came an even quieter reply. She didn't even dare to look up to in fear of seeing his expression, even though he was only a Soul Armature. This was why Baiyi's expression was basically hidden.

     'So what's the point of coming with me? You can't help with anything; you're not gonna let me ride on you, and you can't even act as a vehicle. Is your purpose just to add that extra "cute" factor?' Baiyi sighed.

     "Gee, don't be harsh on the kid." The Third Walker was quick to defend his adorable junior, "How about I take over her role and watch the change on that other formation?"

     Kid? 90 years old kid? …okay. I admit that to a dragon, a 90-year-old is still considered a kid. Probably not even considered older than Little Mia, yet she had already taken up the mantle of motherhood! Baiyi replied, stealing a glance at Aya.

     Seeing that the Soul Armature had turned to look at her, Aya felt her tears well in her eyes as indignation overwhelmed her. "I… I wanted to come with you b-b-because I thought there might be a chance for me to h-h-help..."

     Her voice started to falter. She didn't even convince herself with her own explanation.

     Suddenly, the volume of her voice rose again as she voiced a thought out loud. "Right! I'm a dragon, too! I should be able to detect whatever is scaring the wild beasts!"

     "Oh, so did you detect anything?" Baiyi asked.

     "Um, no. Not yet." Her head sank again.

     "Is that so?" Baiyi extended his psychic energy outward, and soon enough, he sensed a creature flying at top speed, heading towards the Safe Zone. This implied that they were indeed in a wild territory affected by the mysterious, maddening, undulations.

     "Maybe your human form is hindering you. Why not revert to your true form?" Baiyi suggested.

     "But… But the transformation spell that I'm using is a specialized, static sort… If I want to turn back into a dragon, I.. I would need special formations and tools…" Aya was already close to tears by this point.

     'So did you just join me so that you score a date?' Baiyi was speechless. He thought it was better not to say anything more and returned his attention to the formations. As for this mascot of cuteness beside him, she could do whatever she wanted. Data collection would take at least half a day to give any significant findings.

     The aforementioned mascot of cuteness noticed Baiyi's renewed attempt to concentrate, so she decided not to interrupt him. After spending some time engaging in odd thoughts, she quietly stood up, determined to find something to do.

     First, from her storage pouch, she produced a tea set, her homemade cookies, and finger food. She ate like a squirrel, holding a cookie with both her hands and eating it in small bites.

     She had woken up really early that morning, so she wasn't able to have breakfast.

     Next, after being enticed by the crystal clear water from the creek, she went to sit by the water and kicked off her boots. Her fair-skinned feet, like a pair of jade fishes, splashed in the water playfully.

     That evening, she ran into the woods for her own adventure, and when she returned, there was a squirrel in her hand; but judging from the squirrel's messy fur, vegetative state, glassy eyes, and Aya's poor reflexes, it was easy to guess that she had cheated by capturing the squirrel using her own draconic aura.

     'You used your draconic aura to catch a rodent? Why don't use it to scare off those mad beasts instead? …Damn, just another girl whose talent lies in being cute.' Baiyi couldn't help but worry about Mordred's education. Her mom was obviously a little girl at heart!

     Noticing that Baiyi's gaze had veered from the formations, Aya took the chance to inquire about the progress. "Master Hope, did you find anything?"

     "No." He shook his head sideways. "All stats are normal, and there are no sudden fluctuations or anything. Could these really not be the problem? Maybe we should get some climate statistics for a longitudinal comparison…*"

     He trailed off. Even if they had climate records, their measurements would no doubt be in large units, not in the accurate units that he needed.

     "We could ask my father to request for the data from the Empire. I bet they keep tabs on those," She said, sitting next to him again.

     She watched the sun setting in the west. After pulling a few strands of her hair back, she said, "The day's about to end, huh?"

     "Hold on. What did you say?" Baiyi froze and cried out suddenly.

     "Huh?" Aya jumped at his reaction, hugging the squirrel even tighter. "I said… The day's about to end."

     "Of course.." The Soul Armature turned to look at the thermal formation. He recalled his memories and focused on the data he had collected, and suddenly, he lifted his finger. After a quick chant, he released a fire wall spell that surrounded the two.

     The thermal formation reacted violently to the spiking temperature.

     "Master Hope?! Are we being ambushed!?" Aya leaned closer to him unconsciously, startled by the sudden appearance of the wall.

     "Don't worry, I was just checking if the formation had any problem, or if it was being hijacked." Baiyi snapped his finger, and the fire was extinguished. "But it looks like it has been functioning normally after all."

     "I think I found the source of the problem," he muttered. "But let's talk about it after we got home."

     He cast the levitation spell on both himself and Aya.

     The horizon was illuminated by the red glow of the setting sun, and the echoes of a girl's frantic screams signaled the end of another day.I lowkey think you just use formations and spells for every damn thing anyway, man. It didn't really matter if runes could work!I call dibs on the source being something that only comes when it's dark!

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     215 The Laws - A Perilous Fire Pit Indeed

      Baiyi had really found a mysterious lead from the deductions of this idiotic but cute dragon-lady, and even if it was accidental, or even on purpose, she still deserved some credit. "Thank you, Aya. It was a good idea to bring you out here. after all."

     "The wind... the wind is too strong! I can't hear you..." Aya shouted behind him.

     'Let's just wait till we get back…'

     Baiyi clung tightly onto Aya as they approached the skies over the Wyvern brotherhood. At that moment, Mordred—who was in the midst of bugging Mia and Attie for a game of hide-and-seek due to boredom—seemed to sense their arrival. She raced to the gates as fast as her little legs could carry her—just in time to see Baiyi and Aya touching down.

     "Mama!" Modred happily rushed into Aya's embrace, and Aya licked her cheek affectionately. She reached for her own chest and brought out the squirrel she had caught during the short trip, handing it over to her daughter.

     "How cute!" Modred happily raised the squirrel high up in the air, using the tip of her nose to rub against the squirrel's bushy tail.

     'These two people really are still children…' Baiyi thought in private, secretly mourning for the poor squirrel who fell into the dragon's pit.

     Yosef the Elder and Wyvern Leader, Kandor, were already back. They rushed out of the house as soon as they heard the commotion outside, and their gazes bored into Baiyi with a certain urgency.

     "Let us talk in private." Baiyi nodded towards the two men, hinting that he had a lead.

     After entering a meeting room equipped with soundproofing formations, Baiyi recreated the temperature-regulating formation he had used earlier today. He introduced the functions of the spell and increased its sensitivity. The formation could even monitor the heart rates and temperature differences in the bodies of the surrounding people.

     "For this whole day, there was only a slight fluctuation in temperature. There were no significant changes." Baiyi only gave a simple statement from his observation. "I believe that you realize what the problem is, now?"

     The three people in the room only stared back at him and shook their heads in confusion…

     "Of course, I had expected that many would not have noticed this, especially in Gouve—an area constantly enveloped by a regulating formation. Those with a lower sense of awareness wouldn't have noticed this elementary issue, including myself..." Baiyi explained, kneading his knuckles against each other. "If the day had gone by normally, it would've have had large differences in temperature during certain times of the day! Morning, afternoon, and night... the atmospheric temperature couldn't have been the same the entire day. Even if the temperature does not change much, it wouldn't have remained the same to the point where there were no discrepancies at all!"

     Everyone was stunned for a second and was hit by a moment of realization simultaneously. The three wore grave expressions; the climate of Gouve... had lost its fluctuations?

     If this abnormal change happened in the realm of Isythre, everybody could have noticed it. However, due to Gouve's unique natural environment, the humans here have had to live within a barrier that had a set temperature. It was kind of similar to the people who had always stayed in an air-conditioned room back on Earth, so they wouldn't be able to know if there was any change in the temperature outside.

     The humans might have not noticed the temperature change, but the creatures could. Instinct told them that this situation was abnormal, causing them to descend into turmoil, madly fighting to retreat into the safe zones where no climatic differences could be felt.

     As a Soul Armature, Baiyi's reaction to temperature changes was slower than the rest. He was observing the temperature-regulating charm to see if it displayed a drastic change in temperature, but it did not register such changes. Hence, he completely neglected the fact that if it was a normal environment, the temperature would still fluctuate, even if it was only by a bit. When Aya mentioned that particular statement casually, only then was he hit with the sudden realization.

     This discovery was an exceptional and serious case because it might have involved the manipulation of certain Laws.

     Temperature fluctuations were highly dependent on the rhythm of the sun. It was a fact understood even by children. This was the law of nature—the law of existence. Hence, now that a phenomenon as unexplainable as this had occurred without any external influences, the Laws were the first thing that Baiyi thought of. Something must have changed.

     The Laws could be described as a large, uncharted territory in the world. This concept encompasses natural occurrences that happen routinely like the rise and fall of the sun, coming and going of the four seasons, and death and the study of humanology – The occurrences were routine and can be seen, but they remained unfathomable concepts, until now.

     There were many different Laws, and each governed different aspects of the universe. There were no physics or mathematics concepts available to help the humans reach a scientific explanation, so natural Laws remained unfathomable in this world.

     To give it a simple example, the Sun could be observed by many realms, yet it was not considered a star, like how the people back on Earth defined it. Instead, its existence was given a very special, divine meaning. The same applied to the moon and the galaxies; they were actually nothing like what the naked eyes could make of them when seen from afar.

     Hence, when the Astrologer discovered the secrets of the galaxy, his discovery was immediately labeled blasphemous. His work was deemed as support for the pagans and was promptly prosecuted. To completely get rid of his soul, he was exiled into the Void.

     He had been lucky to bump into Baiyi, for nobody would have believed that the galaxy was, in fact, only a fake. After being hit by the realization that his life's work on astrology and galaxies was actually purely fictitious, he gave up on his rationality and willingly lowered himself into becoming a gentleman of the Void—which was inevitable, frankly.

     Through people like the Scholar, the Astrologer, the Apprentice, and others who had sacrificed their lives for their masterpiece, a clearer unifying theory had been outlined: The Laws are the fundamental building blocks of this universe, and every being and creature of this universe could be considered a manifestation of any of these Laws. If one were to look at this with the concept through the approach of physicalism, then they can easily equate the Laws of this Universe to the fundamental axioms in Physics on Earth.

     However, this was not Earth, and the Laws weren't static—they were subject to change. It was not that there was a lack of objective theory to explain a phenomenon in this universe, neither was it because there were just some phenomena that existed despite its presence posing a direct contradiction to the Laws*. The biggest reason why Laws could be amended was because this world had a group of people who wield the power to rewrite them.

     These people are collectively called the Higher Power… the Gods.

     Completing capable of changing the Laws… what a frightening a concept! If one had such an ability, perhaps with just a snap of their fingers, the entire existences in the world could be completely erased; not in a way of erasing life or crushing souls, but to erase existence from its fundamentals. Even the concept of gods could cease to exist. This was a power that could not be denied even by strength, friendship, aura... even entanglement.

     But there was some good news in this; the existence of gods was also defined by the Laws. The gods did not wield unlimited control over Laws, and it was because of this fact that beings such as the Voidwalkers had lived on till today.

     All in all, Baiyi was still instilled with a sense of fear when it came to the gods. The fact that they could control the Laws had already surpassed the maximum potential of his abilities, and he did not know how much control these mysterious presence held over them. Ever since he escaped, he had always attempted to be involved in events that might bring him a little closer to these rules of nature.

     This current situation itself could be seen as a golden opportunity, but it was an extremely risky one. The Laws were supervised by the gods like it was their backyard, and those who were ever involved in them—or came close to discovering them—faced merciless punishments in the end. The gods could even make up new Laws to protect the existing ones, like the event that transpired when the Archmage fell from his climb to the truth and was exiled into the Void, eventually. Perhaps that god made this judgment out of fear that the Archmage would learn to manipulate the Laws, or maybe the ban itself was a result of another pre-existing Law.

     After a moment of quiet pondering—and some exchange of opinions with the other Voidwalkers—Baiyi faced the three Wyvern members who were still discussing the weird occurrence between themselves. In an ambiguous yet cryptic manner, Baiyi told them about the Laws.

     Their expressions turned ashen when they realized the severity of the persisting problem. They might not possess a knowledge of the Laws as deep as Voidwalkers did, but they knew that it was the fundamentals of their world, at the very least. It was even iterated many times in the verses within the Holy Scripture, rousing fear and respect amongst humankind. It was even considered blasphemy to disagree.

     In the eyes of the Church—beside those who could be easily observed or those who were too basic and too shallow to even pay attention to—any attempts to explore or manipulate the Laws was considered sacrilege. Even having a private discussion on this matter was all it took to be labeled as a blasphemous activity; hence, the three dragons donned expressions of discomfort and unease.

     At this moment, both the Wyvern Elder, who had lived up to a thousand years and possessed undefeatable experiences, and the Clan Leader, who had faced a thousand situations, looked as nervous as school children, with helpless expressions etched deeply on their faces. If the Laws were really involved in the occurrence of this abnormality, they had no idea what could be done.

     "Report to the Church?" Kandor gave a suggestion.

     "Are you sure that they have the power to resolve this problem?" Yosef shook his head solemnly. "Even if they do, they wouldn't bother."

     The Church was currently undergoing internal investigations and purges. Although it was happening at the Church in Isythre, the churches situated within Gouve were also caught in this chaos. Hardly anyone had the time to deal with such a sensitive issue.

     "The real problem now is that we don't know for sure if this abnormal situation will continue to worsen," Baiyi reminded from a corner. This was not a warning stemming from paranoia. The anomaly might be limited to mild temperature changes now, but what if worsened to the stage wherein humans are unable to breathe, later on?

     "Well then, Sir Hope. I don't know that you are this familiar with the Laws," Yosef mentioned suddenly.

     Baiyi did not reply. He only stared hard at him coldly, allowing his body to emit an intimidating aura on purpose. Even a random passerby would be able to tell that his accumulated hostility was at the verge of bursting.

     "I apologize. I am clearly being uncourteous during this critical moment," Yosef quickly apologized. Only then did Baiyi retracted his aura, and everything went back to its usual calm.

     'That question from that old fool was such a dangerous slip of the tongue!' It was equivalent to asking Baiyi, "did you break any of the Church's rules?" To him, who had the image of a hero in the eyes of the Church, it was only normal to show an adverse reaction when his character was doubted in such a manner.

     Although he reacted in that manner, his beliefs were quite the contrary. This dangerous, impossible fire pit was precarious indeed, but he was still determined to obtain something of value out of it.Have a migraine yet? Don't you glaze over your eyes through this! I worked hard translating, y'all hear? Now, for your information: Physicalism is a philosophy which basically means that the world is only comprised of things that do exist in this world, physically. And by physically I don't mean that it must have a mass and occupies spaces—I meant that it has to be proven to be existing, like forces in Physics. In other words, physicalists do not believe in souls, heaven, hell… and gods. You'll see why the "god" part is important right… at… the next paragraph!An example of a phenomenon in this universe that contradicts the law is the existence of the Voidwalkers. No one should be able to live in the Void...

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     216 Details

      Following the logic of most people, majority of them believed that if Baiyi intended to go against the Church's orders, then he should not have even mention the involvement of the Laws in the first place by covering up the anomaly. However, Baiyi had his own considerations regarding this issue.

     Perhaps the involvement of the Laws would not even be considered by a naive girl like Aya, or the experienced leaders of the Brotherhood Kandor and Yosef, but such detail like a temperature change would eventually be discovered by someone, and they would have reached the same conclusion as Baiyi after some time. The people were not dumb, or lack in such knowledge – they were just not as aware towards their surroundings as Baiyi.

     So Sir Hope, that was blown up to the skies by the Church, might just not notice such a detail? And would not have thought about the laws? It was impossible. Unless Baiyi does not plan on getting himself involved with this ever again, he should not hide the truth if he decided to participate, for that would rouse even more suspicion. Hence, to seem less suspicious, he should just reveal the truth and then declare his own thoughts regarding the matter. Even if old Yosef did not ask him such a sudden question earlier, he would still use other methods to declare his fear and respect towards the Laws.

     Furthermore, this insight he had provided had more or less a direction, but the details of the matter itself…

     After the epiphanic moment, Baiyi attempted to relieve the situation by speaking in a more relaxed tone, "Actually, this was just a prediction on the worst case scenario – I was just bringing it up so that you could prepare yourself for what's to come. In all seriousness, I don't think that this anomaly was as bad as we thought, and it doesn't necessarily involve the Laws. We only noticed the reason behind the abnormal behavior of the creatures – we might be too quick to judge."

     What Baiyi said had certainly sooth the nevourness within the members of the Brotherhood. His statement was reasonable though – even if there was no change in the temperature, it would not have been a problem with the Laws. Gouve would not be wiped out just like that from a little manipulation of the laws, right? It was not wrong to say that more investigation was required at this stage. It was only human nature – to think of the worst possible outcome, and yet balance it out with a positive direction.

     Baiyi was determined to believe that the laws definitely play a role in the occurrence of this anomaly, for this was an invite - or a challenge - from the War God himself. As the first god who came into contact with him, he certainly knew the ways to entice Baiyi. By removing all the unnecessary factors in the game, allowing only the highest at stake, it would be worthwhile even if the outcome had nothing to do with the Laws. How could it have came from the hands of the War God himself if it was any less extravagant?

     "Well then, does Sir Hope have any suggestions on what to do next?" A critical clue during their first ever mission – no doubt this had earned Baiyi a few bonus points in the hearts of the Brotherhood. Even elder Wywern leader seeked his opinion in a humble manner.

     "Let's just go with the worst case scenario, and mitigate accordingly, shall we? Notify the king, so that we'll be given more manpower to investigate this situation. Make adequate preparations for what's to come... notify the Church as well." Baiyi mentioned a few neutral suggestions.

     "There wouldn't be a shortage of manpower, I believe. If the problem persists into a more disastrous situation, the whole of Gouve would be called to participate, including other associations," said Kandor. He let out a sigh filled with a mixture of emotions. "Let's just hope that we have only been thinking too much."

     "I'll be doing some investigation on my own as well. I would like to know about other findings too, if possible," said Baiyi.

     "Of course, this wouldn't be a problem at all," the Leader agreed without further hesitation.

     Everything is settled, then. For his next step, Baiyi could utilize Gouve's connections and network to gather more necessary information without pressure. With the help of the Voidwalkers, he believed that he would discover the truth in a much shorter time than common folk, leaving misleading crumbs to cover up his real agenda simultaneously.

     The next day, using the reason that it was in fact Aya who inspired the discovery yesterday, he took initiative to request for her to join him to go on a day trip. It was part of his strategy to avoid further suspicions on him as an outsider, and to gain the Brotherhood's trust.

     Aya initially thought she would spend the rest of the day at home, expecting that she would not be of any help anyway. When presented with Baiyi's invitation however, she was whipped away instantly, willingly... as though as she had no control over her own body. She had gotten use to flying at this speed today, and no longer produce very questionable screams in the process.

     On ground, the other knights sent them off with an envious glares. "It felt like the missus was going on a date," mumbled someone.

     "Does she... fancy Sir Hope? She has never left to somewhere with a stranger before..."

     "Then... what would happen to her? Will she be accepted by Sir Hope?"

     "I think he would! I mean, he brought along a few kids with him – he was being such a father figure to the cutest one."

     "The cutest one? You mean, the girl with the blond hair and dark skin? The kitten-like one?"

     "How so! I'm talking about the one with the pigtails..."

     Aya was not aware that she was being talked about by a bunch of gossipy men. She waited for Baiyi to reduce the speed as she recalled her father's message, trying hard to find a common topic to start a conversation with Baiyi. In reality, the times where she spent with Baiyi alone were often passed with silence.

     Last night, after Baiyi took his leave, she was whisked aside by her father. Old Yosef had advised her to monitor Baiyi's actions, and to be on better terms with him. Although Aya did not quite get what her father meant by those words, she knew it was of absolute importance that she carried out her duty, and hence, she played along.

     Perhaps she was just very inexperienced in flirting with men as stoic as Baiyi, finding the right topic to start the conversation was a little awkward…

     "Ah... Sir Hope, you're pretty strong, aren't you?" asked Aya, timidly.

     Baiyi glanced back and gave her a look. What's with all this small talk, was I very weak? What's with the gossipy tone like she's got some great scoop?

     "Actually... you scared Lancelot away yesterday, didn't you?" Aya persisted with another question. "He was one of our strongest members. Come to think of it, I've never seen him so afraid – I could even feel the fear in his heart."

     "If you think so," replied Baiyi flatly. "I just didn't want others to come along today, anyway. And I don't want to ride on any other dragon," he added.

     "Eh..? Ehhh...?!" Aya's face flushed into a deep shade of crimson. This sentence... it means... he only wanted to go out with her alone, and only wanted to ride on her? Is-is this... a secret confession?! Now, now, we hadn't known each other for long yet... the dragon-mom's head was filled with an influx of creative thoughts. She seeked to entice, but she was being enticed as they spoke.

     Baiyi did not bother to feed into her wildest fantasies. He conveniently found a floating island to descend, and weaved two enchantments once more. One of them was the temperature-regulating charm as observed by Aya yesterday, and another – Baiyi explained – a charm to monitor abnomal magical activity.

     This second enchantment was a new concoction produced over the night by a band of magicians and some high-ability magic users. Its abilities was not simply to monitor magical activities, but it was used to monitor spatial vibrations.

     After a whole night's worth of discussion, the Voidwalkers had arrived at a conclusion, which was fully supported especially by those who had additional knowledge in this. This anomaly was not caused by a change in the laws – it was rather, a manipulation of the laws.

     The Laws were quite constant in nature– the War God had no reason to allow Baiyi to reach them so quickly.

     However, the possibility that the Laws could be manipulated was highly probable. For example, gravity was a law that dictates water would flow from high ground to lower ground, but a sorcerer powerful enough would be able to reverse that flow temporarily. This was a form of law manipulation, but only on the surface. It was a temporary effect that would still cause some reaction.

     To have created a almost undetectable, mysterious effect such as the anomaly recently, there was a possibility that a new set of laws had been added into this world. This set of new laws were not effective enough to completely offset the existing ones in Gouve, but it was enough to create unexplainable phenomenons. Only those who were sufficiently well-versed in these laws would be able to notice these discrepancies.

     This was the conclusion arrived by the apprentices. The War God has set a high bar for them – commoners will not be able to spoil the game.

     All this, however, was just a deduction built on the subtle hint given by the War God. If the War God was just purely toying with Baiyi, or all these were just hallucinations due to Baiyi's numerous memories, this would be an unending game indeed.

     Baiyi's duty was only to use this as the foundation for more progress. He had considered that the powers of the War God was somewhat related to space, and hence he chose to space-monitoring enchantment. He lied to the little dragon-mom – it was not like she understood anyway.

     However, today was an unproductive day. After wandering for half a day, and exploring different sky islands, there was no reaction at all from the charms casted earlier – either the charms were not as effective, or they guessed the wrong direction. With no further direction, Baiyi returned to the base of the Brotherhood with the dragon-mom.

     It was old Yosef and Kandor who brought good news instead. The king had declared this anomaly as a high-priority issue, and had started to mobilize some of his men to investigate the situation based on Baiyi's insight while more were being recruited at the same time; the sorcerer's association also expressed their interest in this matter. Like the king, they also mobilized their action plan, but with better efficiency.

     On the contrary, it was the Church who had the slowest response of all towards this matter. As predicted by old Yosef, they were too occupied with the purge and could not be bothered. They never objected to anything or showed any support. They only further notified Isythre's committee, whose only request was that the Church's management had to be notified prior to every investigation, and that a member of the Church must be present during every information sharing session.

     To Baiyi, this nonchalant attitude of theirs was not a big issue at all.

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     217 No One Gets Spared for Their Mistakes

      The greatest research team in the history of men had been assembled.

     Bearing the name "the Pan-Gouvian Realm Investigation and Research" (PGRIR for short), this research team was headed by the mighty Empire of Rodrithelia and the Brotherhood of Fire Wyverns, and promptly joined by other Gouvian nations and organizations, with a singular, overarching goal of investigating the strange occurrences in the environment. Its members included top experts of different lines of services and fields: sorcerers, clerics, scholars, beast tamers, and even the Fighter's Association had supplied their men as a security detail for the researchers.

     Baiyi's position within the team was that of a highly-respected Consultant. He had no actual power within the team, but from that vacuum came the freedom of action.

     The Church had not sent anyone to monitor his activities, while the dragon knights trusted him implicitly. Of course, none of that should surprise anyone. Attempt to monitor Baiyi? That would be an act of distrust to a respectable, reputable master; the hero who had saved all of Isythre, and the trusted companion of The Apostle Saint Noel… the Church would be stupid enough to do that!

     An epic investigation had begun. One by one, subteams were sent to various corners of the Gouvian realm, with the same purpose of collecting data for temperature, air pressure, humidity, and other conspicuous environmental variables, aka Baiyi's hypothesis. After noticing that, just as Baiyi had said, there was no difference in the temperature, so they put in even more effort to find any semblance of a confounding variable.

     They came to the conclusion was that this thermal anomaly was the same in all parts of Gouve.

     However, that was the extent of their conclusive finding. The origin and the reason behind the Anomaly still remained a mystery. Various theories flew, but none of them managed to extend beyond speculations.

     The investigation was essentially fruitless, but some of the teams had recovered a few unexplored mineral mines in faraway floating islands, and that could be considered as an unexpected gain.

     Not much progress was seen from Baiyi's side, either. The Law had always been ineffable, and even the Voidwalkers were not really in the know. Sometimes, they even fought among themselves in the guise of intellectual debates, but no concrete solution ever came of it; some started suspecting the War God for pulling an elaborate prank.

     Baiyi didn't share this sentiment. The War God wouldn't be too idle as to pull such a lame practical joke, and even if it was true, Baiyi could retaliate by screwing Attie good. For the time being, the Fifth Walker was still very far from frustration.

     He still brought the dragon-belle, Aya, with him when he went investigating; a habit that had not gone unnoticed by the dragon knights for about a week and more. They were acting like a pair of lovebirds so much, rumors had started flying that Baiyi had married the girl and become part of the family. Others wondered if a Soul Armature and Dragon could even produce a baby together…

     Baiyi never cared about the rumors, but Aya was obviously disturbed by them. In the beginning, she had frequently clarified their situation, but the habit was discontinued later for some reason.

     To be honest, a mysterious, powerful, mature, and valiant man like Baiyi was naturally attractive to a young woman like Aya. They may not have much to talk about when they were outside, but the Fifth Walker's encyclopedic knowledge and his eloquence, combined with his habit of teasing and implying, had managed to cause him to have a minor crush on the dragon-lady.

     However, it was still a minor crush. That was why Aya was very troubled by the rumors.

     Aya was not the only one who was fed up. Baiyi was just as annoyed at the futility of his effort.

     Yet, someone was still happy about it—why, it's the girls!

     Baiyi had always been a very stern father, whose rules included 'thou shall not wear skirts that are too short; thou shall not wear skimpy clothes; thou shall not eat too much junk food, and thou shall always do this bulk of homework'. On the other hand, Aya was not as relaxed as most thought she was; she always applied strict aristocratic standards on Mordred. Conclusion? The girls were not always having much fun…

     Now that the two adults had been going out all the time, they left their kids alone. They even left a lot of money for the kids in case the kids needed it, and that was when the mice played hard during the whole week.

     The girls enjoyed themselves so much they almost forgot their own names. Every part of Rodrithelia had seen their chattering faces and footsteps; every dish and place worthy enough to be special entries in an airline magazine had been visited, and the number of clothes they bought for themselves was mind-boggling! Even their storage pouches—items that utilize dimensions for storage purpose—couldn't store them all. The resident straight-laced among the girls, Laeticia, had already been thoroughly corrupted.

     And one day, the girls went even further ahead and moved from frivolous spending and mindless frolicking. Baiyi had returned home earlier than scheduled, and when he realized the girls were absent, he had summoned the maids.

     And that was when a young dragon landed on the Command Unit's courtyard. Then the Soul Armature saw the kids, who all had dirtied faces, helping Little Mia down from the back of the dragon slowly.

     Baiyi had to see it to believe it! The girls were as dirty as monkeys that had fallen into a puddle of mud, but Little Mia even had blue-black spots on her elbow and legs—as well as a bloody cut on her left thigh! Her face was pale, and her legs could barely support her weight, so she could only be upright with the help of Tisdale and Laeticia. Even the tears in her eyes were fresh!

     Watching Mia in that dire state had really enraged the man. His legs strode almost without control towards Mia, fueled by his anger; Then, his arm was raised high—the overture of a hard wallop.

     Little Mia's eyes were squeezed shut. Her neck contracted, and not a peep came out from her mouth as she waited for the punishment.

     The arm fell back limply. He couldn't do it.

     "M-mister H-Hope…" Mia's eyes were teary again, and she quietly cried out to her surrogate father. She looked so pitiful.

     The Soul Armature sighed. He knelt on one leg before her face and started checking her wounds. It was fortunate that the wounds were only skin-deep, and none of them too grievous. He gently wiped away the girl's tears, then produced a healing potion for the girl.

     The two older girls in the group stood at a side, as silent as a cat that knew it had gotten into trouble. They hung their heads as they waited for Baiyi's judgment.

     Baiyi turned to a hurried Aya, "Please, take them to the showers, first." Then, after a pause, he added, "Do you have a feather duster? I would like to borrow it…"

     Sounds of young girls sobbing echoed through the Command Unit in that evening. The maids who passed by all had their eyes glued to the tightly-closed door of Baiyi's room, and their minds wondered if the ever so reserved Master Hope had finally let loose his demons…

     Well, the full incident had very much been revealed: the girls enjoyed themselves without adult supervision. The girls got bored. The girls decided to go out adventuring. Dragon-girl abused her status and summoned a young dragon as a mount. The girls went to a deserted floating island with a barren mountain. Mia slipped. Mia rolled down the hill over a large distance. Mia ended up in her current state.

     The story ended, and the punishment began: Baiyi raised the feather duster high and spanked the girls on their butts.

     The two older girls were due for five spanks, while the younger ones were due for three. Meanwhile, the leader of this rebellious band was locked in Aya's room where large sobs could be heard; she was probably not having it easy, either.

     "Oww! Oww! I'm sorry! Owww… I'm never doing it anymore, sir!" Tisdale was the first. Her tears were almost rolling out…

     Baiyi didn't wanna hit that hard at first. When Tisdale had laid with her torso on his thigh, he noticed that the girl was wearing a very, very short skirt that had breached his rule way too much. Then, when the first three spankings came, Baiyi noticed that the girl didn't give much of a response except her head was hung low.

     Did he go too light on her? No, he saw that the shape of the skirt was quite… peculiar. Tisdale's figure was definitely not like this. Baiyi paused, then his hand went into the skirt and with a yank.

     Tisdale screamed as a bath towel came tumbling out from under her skirt.

     Oh, you have really done it this time, young lady. Cushioning your butt knowing that you're about to be spanked?!

     The rest of the two spankings were fueled with parental fury and immediately, Tisdale gave out the appropriate response.

     After he was done, he let go of the girl and tossed the towel aside. Then he looked up steely at the remaining three.

     Their faces were red and from underneath their skirts, they also pulled out a towel.

     "Whose idea was this?" Baiyi asked coldly.

     No one answered as the girls silently and simultaneously decided to protect each other. It still didn't take much time to figure it out, though, as the face of the devil herself became redder and redder until she confessed it.

     "And you learned this from?" Baiyi asked again, cold as steel.

     "F-f-friends… From… The C-C-Church…" Laeticia replied in a voice so small, only a mosquito could hear her. She didn't wait for any command as she obediently leaned on his thigh, waiting for her punishment.

     Another piercing scream rang from the room.

     "Ooh… Mr. Hope…. Hit… So… hard…" Laeticia rubbed on her bottom as she wept in sorrow.

     Attie was better at withstanding pain, and she didn't cry out.

     Little Mia was the last. Her wound was already healing fast after ingesting that potion. She still teared up after her three hits, though. It's just that after her punishment, she hugged Baiyi tightly and rubbed her face on his brigandine as she sobbed, "Mr. Hope, it was a-a-all my fault! It was all m-m-my bad! Please don't be a-angry anym-m-more!"

     Well, that really soothed some of the Soul Armature's anger. He summoned the girls to his side and gave each of them a healing potion.

     "Play as you like, girls. I don't forbid that. You can even spend your money however you like—but haven't I told you?! Never. Ever. Play in places that are dangerous! I told all of you to take care of your own safety, many times over! Did any of you even listen?!" Here came the obligatory parental nag after a physical punishment.

     The girls were released only when dinner was ready. As they arrived at the dining hall, they met a very tearful Mordred who eyes were still red.

     "I'm so, so, sorry, Mia…" She said in shame.

     "It's okay…" Mia grabbed Modred's hand gently, drew her lips close to Modred's ears and whispered, "We were also spanked by Mr. Hope…"

     Mordred felt a lump forming at her throat, but she didn't say anything.

     When she was eating, one could see a very thick cushion pad underneath her bottom.

     'Whoa. Looks like the dragon-lady had been even harsher than I was!' Baiyi could only think that in his mind.Effectively, he's their wild card, is it? Ooh, I don't know if I used the term wild card correctly. But I really like this word. Wild card. Wiiiiilllddd caaarrrd.(This TL winced at own flashback.)The youngest one is always so confident that they could pull this 'being sweet' thing off, huh? And for some ungodly reasons, they are almost always right!

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     218 All Manner of Preparations are Complete

      Rebellious kids always ended up grounded. Ergo, the girls were grounded on the next day. To make the decision even clearer, Baiyi confiscated their allowance, along with Tisdale's own "private funds".

     He also delayed his own expedition just so he could rent a conference room from the General and restart his long-forgotten lesson on Elementary Formations!

     "Hmph! Mr. Hope is mean! Why do we still have to have classes during vacations? I'm never liking you again!" Little Mia mumbled under her breath.

     Baiyi ignored her complaint, using the feather duster as his pointer on the chalkboard and said, "Mia, please answer this question."

     The girl stood up, went to the chalkboard and scribbled for a good dozen minutes— and she still got it completely wrong.

     The Soul Armature corrected her workings, showed her the correct answer, then coldly remarked, "Didn't I teach you the solution multiple times before we left? This is a key foundation! Tell me, do you want to get a wallop in your palm, or do you want to stand in a corner?"

     Little Mia replied coyly, "How about we braid my hair and call it a day?" She stuffed her twin tails into Baiyi's hand.

     She was sentenced to stand in a corner for ten minutes.

     While Mia and Tisdale were taking their magic lessons, Attie and Laeticia—both with different affinities—didn't get to escape class, either. Each of them was presented with a copy of The Complete History of Isythre and made to read it in a corner because Baiyi believed that "those who know history are less likely to repeat them".

     "These… letters are so…. difficult," Laeticia murmured quietly in Attie's ears, causing an itch. "They look quite different from what Tisdale taught me…"

     Attie cocked her head to her side and glanced at Laeticia's book. She hesitated and finally said, "Laeticia, your book is upside down."

     "Oh."

     Her face reddened as she swiftly turned the book upright, but at least, she was finally able to read the passage slowly but surely.

     It had passed midday—and close to lunchtime—when Baiyi concluded the class. He handed out a few papers to the girls and said, "This is your homework for today. I'll check them when I return home tonight. If you don't finish them, or if there were too many mistakes… well."

     He waved his feather duster, and colors were drained from the girls' faces.

     During lunch, the girls reunited with Mordred. Her actions and behaviors were jarringly unnatural and mechanical, which was very different from how she acted normally. One could guess that she may have just finished some aristocratic ethics class.

     "Huh…" All the girls were dispirited throughout lunch, their chins resting on the table. Maybe they were reflecting on their previous day's antics.

     When the meal was over, and Baiyi once again whisked Aya away on a trip, Mordred visibly heaved a huge sigh of relief. However, when she turned to face her friends, she found them all wallowing in their unmotivated state.

     "Mia, what's wrong?" She shook Mia's shoulders in concern.

     "These handouts are so tough, and I don't know how to do them…" Mia showed her the paper Baiyi had given to them. She looked at Tisdale and asked, "What do you think, Big Sister Dale?"

     Disheartened, Tisdale appeared just as upset as Mia was. "Not good either. Sir's homework for today is so much harder than usual. I think I'm gonna get another spanking…"

     She rubbed her bottom as she trailed off traumatically.

     "Is it about magic?" Mordred scanned their papers. She then rapped on her flat chest confidently, "Never fear, I'll help you!"

     When dinner time came, Baiyi returned with Aya. He patiently waited for the girl to finish their meals, then had them submitted their work. As he read, the girls stood in a line before him as if they had all committed a crime and was waiting for their time.

     It's no wonder they made such a guilty formation. After reading Mia and Tisdale's answer, he almost wanted to rip the papers into confetti. 'These two had completely forgotten everything I'd ever taught them after just a few days of games!'

     In anger, his hand gripped the cheek of each girl, and he yanked mercilessly.

     "Ah-oowww!" cried the girls as tears welled up.

     He looked at Laeticia's paper—and indeed, it was her paper, for there were hardly words on them, and the lines that had actually been written on contained writings that resembled small and wiggly like worms.

     Obviously, the answers were all wrong. "Mr. Hope, I'm sorry," She said, her hand automatically extended towards him for a beating.

     "Huh. Never mind. You don't have the necessary foundation." he shook his hand in dismissal and grabbed Attie's paper.

     'Not bad at all.' The answers were almost correct in every part, and that was why Baiyi furiously crumpled the paper into a ball and tossed it at a side, and his voice thundered afterward, "Who wrote the answers for you?!"

     "M-Mr. Lecturer guy from the m-museum—"Attie was frightened out of her wits at Baiyi's display of rage, so she stammered out the truth.

     "Hahaha. Meaning, you didn't learn anything, except how to get someone else to do your homework for you, hmph?" Baiyi snapped, grabbing Attie like a mother cat, placed her on his thigh and again spanked her with the feather duster five times.

     Attie didn't manage to swallow the pain this time. She immediately burst into tears.

     When Aya heard Attie's cry, she came over to find out what had happened. After learning of what transpired, Aya quickly went upstairs and into her room, and not very long after, Mordred's teary howl rang out from that same room.

     Mia and Tisdale comforted Attie, but in their own minds, they were happy for their fortune. The sorcerer who Mordred had summoned using her prestige as the High Counsel's daughter couldn't answer questions about formations, so they had to do it on own in the end. In another reality, it may have been them whose butts were "unraveled".

     Only Laeticia had been honest with her homework. She wouldn't cheat because she couldn't bear crossing her faith, so although she was the only one who submitted an almost empty paper, she was also the only one who didn't get punished in any way.

     So after a few days wherein the feather duster reigned supreme, the girls finally settled down and improved. They even managed to recall their past knowledge, so they didn't really waste away throughout their holiday.

     It had been a week. The girls were back to being docile, but the progress of the investigation seemed to have reached a bottleneck. Half a month worth of massive investigation had turned up fruitless, except for the confirmation that only the temperature had experienced some anomaly, leaving other aspects of nature to be largely stable.

     In fact, even the wild beasts appeared to be accustomed to the change in environment, and their activities had slowly ceased.

     Their conclusion was that although no one had any idea what caused the anomaly, its effect on the realm appeared to be largely controlled, with minimal consequence to those who lived within the thermal barriers. They concluded that the problem was probably never too serious to begin with.

     The experts and elites were feeling quite awkward, however. The Armageddon scare turning out to be nothing was all good and well, but they had made a big fuss about it when they recruited everyone into their team, as well as delaying the much-anticipated Harvest Festival celebration. This had stirred up a major unrest among the consensus, and with this anticlimax… well, it just felt bad.

     A lukewarm conclusion for such an epic buildup was partially due to Special Consultant Baiyi's suggestion. He was the one who first suggested that it could be an Armageddon, yet he was also the one who, in later meetings, who suggested that it probably wasn't as bad as it seemed, to the point of admitting that he may have been wrong in his judgment to hype up a small matter. For what it was worth, the people began to slowly settle down again.

     Not a lot of people criticized Baiyi. Maybe some would mumble about him being a tad bit paranoid, or being too hung up on small details, but these little talks didn't do much to tarnish his name. It was always better to be cautious about something strange.

     All in all, Baiyi felt that all preparations had been completed. He had gained a position due to this anomaly, and he had acted confident and dependent throughout the Crisis. Even if anything were to occur later, he wouldn't think anyone would relate it to him.

     At the same time, using the data collected from the research, he had significant reason to eliminate the possibility of finding the source of the anomaly through normal means. The final prize—was truly difficult to get a hold of.

     He tried using the War God's Sword, but it yielded no results. In the end, all he was left with was one final method—and if that didn't work, he would have to admit it was all a practical joke from the War God and return without any gain.

     …Well, not exactly without gains. For one, he had obtained something in the semblance of genuine companionship from the dragon-lady Aya.

     The youthful dragon had been taking care of her appearance every day as she groomed herself into a dazzling presence. Every day she would wait outside the makeshift classroom demurely, like a devoted wife waiting for her husband.

     But that was all there was. Close friends. Neither wanted to do more. Baiyi didn't, and Aya didn't seem to want to either; they were both single parents with kids. Their statuses were different, and their species very even farther apart. How would a relationship escalate from pure friendship?

     'That's all there is to it,' Baiyi thought.

     And as if to prove that, he stopped taking her out for the rest of the week. The research team had disbanded, the focus shifted to the preparations for the Harvest Festival, so it no longer mattered if Baiyi kept conducting his own expeditions.

     He had used "on site learning" as his excuse to take turns bringing the girls to go out. Meanwhile, Aya was busy with her own duties and affairs as the High Council.

     They both needed the space.

     Too bad that sometimes Baiyi still found Aya standing by the entrance of the Command Unit, awaiting his return. This habit caused the rumors not to disperse completely, which slightly disappointed the Soul Armature.

     Today was Attie's turn to go on a trip with him. The other girls were free again, but they were all conditioned to be obedient enough to only frolic in the dragon knights' plain.

     Just as they were tired enough after playing and were about to go home, Mordred, who sat on the back of a lindworm, leaning her back on Mia's, her hand wrapping around her own knees, and her head slumped slightly sideways as he suddenly asked Mia,

     "Hey, Mia. Do you think we'll be sisters?"…Er, one of them seems to be very disproportionate compared to the other.Lucky him! In our world people would start lambasting him or even make memes about this! In fact, I don't know which country's netizens would be most excited to lambast this--China would jump in joy, I would guess, but that's only because I'm not too familiar with how the rest of the world treat things like these… My own country would certainly be very subversive and passive-aggressive, methinks!

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     219 What About Me?

      "Mia, are we gonna be sisters?"

     Mia was startled at the question that had come seemingly out of nowhere. She turned towards Mordred and tackle the latter into an embrace and rubbed her cheeks against Mordred's.

     "Why would Mor-Mor ask something like this? Are we not sisters already?"

     Mordred may be close to 30 years old in human age, but to a dragon, she was considered even younger than Mia was. Plus, she had the smallest frame of all of the girls, so they usually called her Mor-Mor out of affection.

     Mordred purred out in satisfaction, and her eyes squinted into a line from Mia's rubbing. She continued, "Tomorrow is the Harvest Festival, and there's a legend about it, you know? On its night, those who couple up during the Flame Night would be blessed by the gods to live happily ever after…"

     Mia did not expect the conversation to steer into the domain of relationships. Her flushed face belied the fact that she was not very experienced at it, either. "Where did you even hear that from, Mor-Mor?" She whispered.

     "Mom told me about it! She also said if she ever found a boy she likes, she would confess to him during the Harvest Festival!" Mordred recalled what Aya had told her before.

     "Oh, um… Big Sister Aya would actually say things like these to you?" Mia muttered. Her Mr. Hope would never do that. The only thing she could expect from him when it came to love would be the petrifying stares he gifted all the guys who made the mistake of meeting her.

     "Well, what does the Harvest Festival have to do with us being sisters, Mor-Mor?" Mia followed up.

     "In the two days, I've seen my mom wearing really beautiful, fancy dresses!" Mordred whispered excitedly as if she found her mother's biggest secret. "They were all really amazing, including! Including the jewels she put on! She only wears them on really important occasions. I just thought… I just thought that they must be for Harvest Festival!"

     Mia was silent as she waited.

     "The thing is, Mom never attends any of Harvest Festival nightly celebrations, because she said she had never found anyone to go with… I've always attended it with Grandpa, but now I think... I think Mom wants to go out with Mr. Hope!" Mordred finished.

     "Huh?! With… Mr.Hope?" Mia cried out incredulously.

     "Yea! Ever since you guys came here, they have been together, right? Always going out together, then returning together, and everyone says, they're gonna get married! And Mr. Hope is gonna be my dad, and..." Mordred started, "They are always together; you know, side-by-side? Maybe they've already kissed! Will I have a new baby sister? But Mr.Hope looks so serious; I'm kinda scared of him… Are you alright, Mia?"

     She had been talking on her own rapidly that she didn't even realize that Mia was frozen like a statue.

     Mordred shook her companion's shoulders and pinched her cheeks, trying to break her out of her trance.

     "O-oh, uh, i-I-it was nothing… Just… In a daze." Mia made a face that hopefully passed off as a smile — if not a little awkward — then lowered her gaze as her mind replayed the words Mordred had said:

     They are going to get married.

     Her heart felt it had been pounded by a sledgehammer, and her entire body was frozen at that moment. In her head, all that was left was a tiny whisper:

     But what about me?

     At that moment Baiyi had no inkling that two girls were talking about him. He was bringing Attie away with him for his most critical, and also his last, trial. Yes, bringing the other girls out a few days before was all a cover-up for what was truly important.

     "Hmm, the world seemed busy today. Is it because of the Harvest Festival?" Baiyi brought along Attie and they flew, watching many skycruising rays and griffins pass by them with cargos strapped to their backs. Everyone was beaming in happiness and anticipation.

     'I better leave soon.' Baiyi didn't share their sentiments; in fact, he somehow felt threatened.

     Subconsciously, he increased the flight speed until they reached another deserted island.

     He handed the War God's Sword over to his Kitty-cat Maid.

     Attie looked visibly aghast. Her head tilted to a side, with a questioning gaze.

     "Go on, see if you can sense anything," Baiyi prompted.

     "Um?" Attie scratched her head and took gripped the sword. She looked to her left and right. She raised her head side-way as if she was listening, then shook her head.

     "Not like that!" Baiyi ruffled her hair, amused. "Do it the way you did when you found me. Oh, yes! This sword can create a sensing range, right?"

     "Ohhh." Attie nodded. She placed the hilt on her palm, and the hilt stood on it upright without any support. Then, like a growing mushroom, its tip suddenly burst open and fanned out into an umbrella. Then, the umbrella-like structure started spinning on its own with an unmistakable rhythm of beeps.

     'What? Is that… a radar?' Baiyi watched the umbrella-looking War God's Sword, perplexed.

     "That direction… There's something weird over there." Attie pointed to the northeast — a place even farther than the safe zone.

     'That's it!' Baiyi's was inwardly overjoyed, and in his eagerness, which didn't let him patiently cast a levitation spell, he scooped Attie up by her lean waist and darted in that direction.

     "Aah!" Attie cried out at the sudden bodily contact, but she seemed to have gotten used to it. With her one hand still holding onto the sword, her free hand wrapped around his waist, and she buried her head into Baiyi's chest as her cheeks firmly pressed against his brigandine.

     Her eyes were slightly closed, and an expression of contentment rose.

     With Attie's guidance, Baiyi quickly reached a space with nothing close by. Everywhere he looked was just white space, without even a single island in sight.

     Yet, with Attie's further guidance, Baiyi finally found a very small anomaly with his naked eye.

     "So this is…?" Baiyi cast a levitation spell on Attie, then he proceeded to examine the small twisted space. The area of this anomaly was about the size of a bottle cap, and its distortion very minute. If Baiyi hadn't been standing close to it, he might have missed out this great find.

     That was not all. The area was emitting an unmistakable micro-vibration which Baiyi had trouble recognizing. This meant that no one, including the other Voidwalkers, had ever sensed it before.

     He released a little of his psychic energy to see if it could make contact with the area.

     But just as it approached the anomaly, it passed directly through it, as if the area did not exist and it was just air.

     "I knew it. I can't sense you this way," Baiyi muttered. He lifted his finger and released a little mana, aiming it at the anomaly.

     Again, it was to no avail.

     "Surely this is the Law: Omnipresent, yet non-existent. Observable, verifiable, yet intangible," The Scholar's voice rang in the Void, "Or rather, a much more intellectually-honest description is that this is a fragment of the Law, which has not yet been specialized."

     The Law was a concept — a sort of understanding, and by that definition, it remained a theory that may or may not exist. The only way to tell for sure that the Laws existed was to see witness its manifestation or experience its effects, or else it would be completely unobservable.

     The thing before them — was visible, no doubt about it. However, nothing seemed to be able to touch it. That was why the Scholar made that remark.

     "I knew that the War God wasn't just some bored old man. This is it — his ultimate prize for me. But, how do I…?"

     His eyes lit up as a thought crossed his mind.

     He turned to Attie. "Give me the War God's Sword."

     The always-so-obedient Attie shook her head. She grabbed the hilt by her two hands and hid it behind her.

     "H-hey, what's wrong?" Baiyi asked. She wasn't going rogue; she was just throwing a tantrum.

     "Nuh-uh." Came the quiet mumble. "You were so mean to me and then you spanked me."

     She turned her face to a side and pouted, as if she was waiting to be pacified.

     'She is throwing a tantrum! Now she's even coquettish…' Maybe it was because Attie rarely acted this way that made Baiyi find her quite adorable. He couldn't even get mad.

     He playfully pulled the girl to his side and patted her head. "Come on, we all know Attie is the loveliest. May I have your sword, please? It's very important now."

     Attie's head bumped on his patting palm as if pushing him away, still holding onto the sword stubbornly. She replied in a low voice, "Unless you promise to never, ever, ever bully me…O-Or spank me..."

     "But what if you don't listen to what I say?"

     "No way! I will listen to you!" Attie raised her head in confidence.

     "Alright, alright.. If you keep being this lovely and listen, then I'll never punish you or bully you again. How's that sound?" Baiyi said gently.

     Attie's face flushed and added, "A-a-and! Unless you promise me to… To… T-to not restrict the sort of clothes I wear…"

     "Uh… F-fine." This particular promise was much harder to agree.

     "And... One. More. Thing!" Attie took the sword from her back and hugged it before her chest, yet she was still clutching at the hilt.

     She was going for the last part of her deal. "I want… I want rub-rub. L-like how Mia and the rest…"

     "Oh my, you mischievous little girl, that's quite a lot you're asking for," Baiyi said with jest. He hugged the girl and with his face armor and rubbed his cheek on hers until it started turning red. Then, he tapped his face armor lightly on her forehead, like a kiss. "Is this good enough?"

     "Mmm!" Attie gave one of the happiest smiles she had ever had.

     From that moment on, Attie had completely turned into Baiyi's little Kitty-Cat Maid.

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     220 Good Things Rarely Come Without A Price

      With the War God's Sword in hand, Baiyi held the hilt and drew it closer and closer to the anomaly in the air, until the two came into contact.

     The anomaly disappeared, but the air around it was still.

     And at the bottom of the hilt, a brand-new carving — which looked oddly like a rune of some sort — surfaced.

     "Is this… a sigil?" Baiyi's eyes traced the pattern carefully, then he blurted out.

     Sigils — runes that were formed naturally, which stored mana or some form of basic magical properties. One could say that sigils were the origin of human's first step into sorcery because it was when humans sensed the vibrations emitted from sigils and mimicked their drawings into the very first sets of formations that men had learned to perform magic. Only after millennia of improvement and progress had formations be simplified into runes again.

     Sigils were not uncommon in nature — a storm, a flood, a volcanic eruption, and even a bolt of lightning could create a new sigil. Primitive humans had thought that sigils were gifts from gods, so they had called them "The Divine Letters". After the advance of Magecraft, however, this theory was discarded. Now, the academic consensus was that sigils were left behind by the impact of natural mana after a natural phenomenon.

     Baiyi and the Voidwalkers also believed that to be the truth. However, something new had been added to their understanding today.

     "Are sigils just special manifestations of Laws?" Baiyi asked in the Void as he looked around in alert. After making sure that the surrounding would not crumble, blow up, or deteriorate turned into a scene from the apocalypse, Baiyi heaved a sigh of relief and took Attie up into the air to fly home.

     "I beg to differ slightly, as your description evinced too little of the truth, Sir Hope," The Scholar corrected. "To be precise, only this particular sigil in your hand exhibits properties which are completely similar to that of Laws. Other types or forms of sigils are as unremarkable as they are common."

     "I agree with Sir Scholar here," The youngest Voidwalker, the Apprentice, added. "Everything is a sort of expression of Laws. If we are to figure this one from here, I would guess that this sigil is a partially-expressed Law fragment. Taking the War God's peculiar actions, I would say that he is trying to use this fragment to tell us something."

     "This thing," Baiyi asked, "If it's fully expressed — what do you suppose it is?"

     "Purely inconceivable. From the stretch of my mundane, uninspired imagination — perhaps a wisp of air? Perhaps another sigil? Perhaps the catalyst for the eradication of all lives?" The Scholar replied half-jokingly.

     "Ah, Laws. The origin of the universe. Are we getting closer to being able to make contact with it? Do you know what I find incredibly crucial in all this? The Third Magic. Let's rediscover the Third Magic, and once again rediscover the Holy Grail War*! Or maybe we should look for someone who possesses eyes that can see inherent mortality in the form of lines, and mmmmffff mfff —"

     The Archmage was muted for ten minutes.

     "Do you always have to insert characters from other fictions even when we're having a serious discussion?" Baiyi remarked flatly at his teacher's sudden contribution. It had muddied the solemness of the discussion!

     "Man, he didn't even give any leeway to his own master. What a cruel, heartless bastard we're dealing with," the Paladin muttered.

     Baiyi ignored his comment and continued the discussion with the Voidwalkers. Back in reality, he sent off Attie back to the Commander Unit, and with an excuse that he had a serious meditation to make on an issue, he locked himself up in a room for the discussion.

     Following the Scholar's suggestion, he decided to reach out to this sigil with his own consciousness to see what lies within it.

     That action carried a hefty risk: first, this was something no one had any concrete knowledge of. If the use of psychic energy to make contact with a mysterious object like this is akin to touching it with one's hand, then using one's own consciousness to probe it is akin to sticking their face right at it. Despite that, there really was no other way to make any sense of it, so Baiyi decided to take the risk.

     He segregated a small part of his consciousness, and with utmost care, the Fifth Walker extended that small piece of consciousness towards the sigil at the bottom of the hilt.

     He was visibly nervous. If it posed any sort of harm — maybe a spell that erases a person's mind, or a kind of mind corruption — what he was doing would be leaving a gigantic opening for it to infect him; or at least, infect this small part of him that he had decided to use as a probe. To say it like a Taoist would: his spirit would be in jeopardy.

     Fortunately, the worst did not happen. Just as that part of consciousness reached the sigil, disjointed images flashed within his mind, and a voice not belonging to any Voidwalker or himself boomed, "Congratulations!"

     Then seconds later, "Be careful!"

     And then it all ended. The process only took a second.

     It was like a very swift hallucination.

     Baiyi heaved a sigh of relief and retracted his consciousness quickly, then immediately scrutinized his memories. This time, he took the extra effort to compare his beliefs, values, and thoughts with other Voidwalkers to make sure that he was no longer being subliminal messaged, or anything similar.

     When it became apparent that it did not happen, he relaxed a little and slowly recalled the images that had flashed in his head in order to pass them on to the Voidwalkers.

     "Looked pretty meaningless to me," Baiyi remarked. "There was a mountain, the sky, a plain, a land of fire and heat — what are they all supposed to mean? Locations of other similar sigils?"

     "I don't think the War God would pull such an unflattering prank," the Archmage, whose punishment had ended, joined in the conversation in a more serious tone, "Places like these could be found in millions and millions of realms. How would you ever be able to locate all of them?"

     "You mean, he was hinting at something?"

     "I call for a reshuffling of priorities. The images are irrelevant at this point in time, but do you recall his regards and warning?" The Scholar interjected. "It does not take much to infer that his 'congratulations' was on your success of possessing the fragment, but what level of caution is assigned to 'be careful'? What is the subject of his warning?"

     "I have no idea," Baiyi admitted. His body moved in real time, crossing the room slowly to his windows until his gaze was fixed on the setting sun.

     He continued, "But anything that made him think that I should be careful of — coupled the fact that he had used such a method to warn me — must be pretty dangerous."

     "Other gods?" The Archmage spoke the words lingering in Baiyi's mouth. "That makes sense, but only barely. The War God is also one of them, so why would he chose to warn you — an enemy of the gods?"

     "Hard to tell, I'm only an enemy to that particular god," Baiyi raised his chin haughtily at the setting sun. "Meanwhile, this War God seems mighty alright. He didn't even react much when I'd snatched his little servant girl."

     "Oh, you are now sure that you snatched the girl, instead of him letting you do it? Look at that! He even managed to choose a girl that you like!" The Lich suddenly cut in slyly.

     "Hmm? Well, that makes sense. Attie may be quite cute, but she's not really my type of girl, you know," Baiyi said as he looked down on the War God's Sword in his hand.

     Again, risking part of his mind, he extended his consciousness into the hilt.

     Suddenly, the always-so-unresponsive hilt sprouted a blade of red and blue, each taking one half. The size and shape did not change, so it looked like a dual-colored popsicle.

     "Whoaaa! You can use the blade now?!" From the Void came the cries of surprises.

     "Uh-huh. And it looks like it's gotten even more powerful." Baiyi pointed at the multi-colored blade. "There's another color now. I'll bet it's the power of the Law fragment."

     "So what did you see in that fragment? Felt anything?" The Archmage asked.

     "It seemed to be a shrapnel from the Law of Space. A small unit of an entire block of the Law — like a unit of glucose in a block of sugar," Baiyi replied. "Take care to note that I don't have any evidence to back up my claim. I just thought it that way — or rather, it made me think that way."

     "Then it truly is a Law fragment. A Law is a concept, and a concept informs us of itself," the Scholar commented. "Such a complex simplicity!"

     "But it's so small. All it did was to add this new color to the sword. I haven't even found any other use for it. It's just so small… so insignificant," Baiyi said.

     "Oh no, my apprentice, you're incorrect," the Archmage replied. "Being able to make contact with it, to understand it, and to have an inkling of how it exists — that is the greatest significance. I think that's what the War God is trying to tell you."

     "Very wisely spoken. Most of our endeavors had revolved around the subject of Laws — even at the cost of eternal damnation for our souls, in a prison of unyielding darkness. Yet, it is you who can study it in more detail, Sir Hope. Your reward is very much enlightening," the Scholar added, with a little hint of jealousy.

     "Really? Well, okay, I'll give you that. But for all that good he has offered me — this fragment and this brand-new weapon — what does he want? Previously, I believed that I would have to fight him or his servant, but now it seems like it was all just one big, generous gift," Baiyi replied.

     "There isn't any free lunch, is there? I had reaped so many benefits from him. It almost felt like I'm using a credit card. So what's the price? What will the price be?" Baiyi asked more directly.

     The War God's warning seemed to echo again in his mind. At that moment, he felt like his hand was being scalded by the War God's Sword.

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     221 Going With the Flow

      The War God's sudden generosity caused the Voidwalkers to be a little on the edge. Baiyi was still faring pretty well though. Although it was a risk to gain this advantage, he was not afraid of failing. Additionally, he was just not about to be someone's soft punching bag to be toyed around with. No matter what the War God had in store for him, he would decline immediately if he does not like it; even if it had been a bomb hidden within a piece of candy, Baiyi was determined to eat up all the candy and return the bomb.

     The Void was nothing to be scared about. With double the amount of power he possessed now, even if the War God himself made an appearance, he would not gain any benefits out of it — yes, Baiyi was that reassured. Furthermore, his body was still located at the forbidden fringes of the Void, untouchable by the gods, further boosting his level of confidence.

     However, in the midst of leisure banter between the Voidwalkers, fervently discussing the War God's intentions, the Oracle — who was usually as quiet as a corpse — shared four pieces of memories with him out of the blue. It was one more than what was given previously. Baiyi stopped short and opened the first piece. It only contained one simple sentence:

     "Just go with the flow."

     'What a psycho?' What's with this random message at a time like this? Baiyi grumbled. He was very annoyed with this cryptic way of communication and could not help but feel irritated.

     It was not surprising that the second piece of memory said:

     "You're the psycho!"

     'This whole over-the-Void way of bickering is kinda bizarre…' Baiyi mulled, as he opened the third memory.

     "If you thought that was bizarre, then just believe in me! I'll lead you all in the right direction!"

     'Hmph, once he talks, he just wouldn't stop, eh? Isn't this pretentious bastard afraid of being struck by lightning?' Baiyi thought as he opened the last memory.

     "Lighting will not strike me."

     Baiyi was completely at a lost for words. Although this was the second time it happened, this whole predicting-what-one-is-going-to-say way of communication was getting a little spooky, so he decided to consult the other Voidwalkers on this matter.

     The Second Walker, also known as the Swordsman, was usually a man of few words, but he still spoke in support of the Oracle. "If he advised you to just go with your heart, it wouldn't hurt you to just do whatever he says, would it? He wouldn't harm you. Wasn't that little village girl sufficient evidence?"

     "The Fourth Walker? To be honest, I always thought he was the most mysterious one amongst us," recalled the Third Walker. "When I first met him in the Void, I could barely feel any energy left in him, but yet he defeated all odds and managed to live on. His mind was even more composed than the three of us like he already expected to encounter you… come to think of it, it's pretty incredible."

     "I know that his abilities are fairly exceptional, which was also precisely what I was annoyed that — if he is so capable, then why doesn't he show himself and take one for the team? What's with all the hiding?" Baiyi was still irritated about the Fourth Walker's attitude.

     "Predictions wouldn't work as effectively without a pinch of ambiguity, no?" explained the Sorcerer, defending the Fourth Walker. "He asked you to go with the flow, instead of constantly being on your guard; maybe the situation wasn't as complicated and disastrous as we thought. Well, putting it in another way... the everchanging future is still within your capabilities. Honestly speaking, it does sound a little bit more assuring that way."

     Having an Oracle like the Fourth Walker to do the War God's bidding, Baiyi could let it go for the moment. With that, the trip to Gouve drew its curtains. Baiyi began to ponder on the right method to part ways with the Brotherhood as he prepared to leave, for the harvest festival was to take place the next day.

     As he opened the door, he saw Aya standing just before it. She looked extremely frustrated, and her brows furrowed deeply as her thin lips pressed into a tight line. Both her arms were folded in front of her chest, as though she was weighing out her options before making a big decision.

     "What's wrong? Is something going on?" asked Baiyi.

     "— OH...! Since when were you here?" gasped Aya, shocked at his sudden appearance. She was so absorbed with her thoughts, she did not even notice Baiyi's presence.

     "Ah... uhm... I..." Aya stared longingly at Baiyi. She might be someone's mother, yet at the moment, she looked like a little girl, wearing an expression full of hope. "Mister Hope, I was wondering... would you care to attend the harvest festival with me tomorrow?"

     This invitation used up all of her courage. As soon as the words left her lips, she did not dare to look into Baiyi's eyes. She bowed her head low instead, not wanting Baiyi to notice how quickly her cheeks had gotten red. She stared at the tip of her toes, which were shyly peeking from the bottom of her skirt, as she awaited Baiyi's answer.

     'Haven't you noticed how this little girl had begun to address him as Mister Hope, rather than Sir Hope?' Baiyi mentally shook his head, with the idea of rejection churning within his heart. However, at that exact moment, Mia and the rest of the girls entered the room, talking about the harvest festival with much enthusiasm. They seemed like they were truly looking forward to it and were completely unaware that Baiyi was already prepared to leave Gouve.

     Baiyi hesitated for a moment, and finally agreed, "Alright, I got it."

     A girl's expectations must always be reciprocated. Furthermore, he had already resolved the anomaly. Gouve was a calm realm once more, and there was no sign of the cult's minions wreaking havoc. The harvest festival should be able to carry on without any accidents — what could go wrong, right?

     "That's great." Aya lifted her head once more with a sweet smile, and her face glowed with radiance. She scurried away quickly like a happy little bird.

     "Why was she so happy? It was just a celebration, right?" Seeing how elated Aya was, Baiyi wondered peculiarly. Clearly, he was not aware of the romantic legend behind the harvest festival, or Aya's romantic intent behind her invitation.

     And with that, the harvest festival began. Although it was postponed for a few days later than its original date, this did not stop the people of Gouve from celebrating in full swing. By dawn, a variety of creatures were released like flocks of pigeons into the skies from the neighboring sky islands, hovering at different heights in the fresh morning air. They were all flying towards the same destination — the sky island in which the Citadel was situated in. Almost all of Gouve's population had already left their houses to attend the grand celebration, including the young men of the Brotherhood who were not on duty. Dressed handsomely, they all gathered in a carriage of a knight who was on duty and headed straight for the Citadel.

     The higher ranks of the Brotherhood of Fire Wyverns were also quick to participate in this festive event. Both Yosef and Kandor were both required to attend the royal dinner. Hence, Aya brought Mordred and the rest of the girls to hitch a ride on Lancelot — the gigantic dragon who had shared a fated encounter with Baiyi not too long ago. Upon seeing Baiyi, it bowed its head in fear, being a good, well-behaved form of commute.

     The girls did not seem all too surprised when they were on the dragon's back. It seemed like they had gotten their fair share of rides secretly when Baiyi was not around... with an extraordinary girl like Mordred, getting to ride a dragon was not too hard of an opportunity to enjoy.

     The most noticeable of all was Aya. Her long, golden mane was swept into an elaborate hairdo, and she had deviated out of her usual style of luxurious, modest garbs. Instead, she wore a plain black slip dress — an off-shoulder design paired with a deep V at the front — making her fair skin even more contrasting against the dark fabric; the hem of her skirt was impossibly short, complemented with a pair of black silk stockings snugly hugging against her thighs, the shy of her skin an intimate territory between them. She was a such a sight to savour — and one to remember.

     Aya did not look like a young mother today. In fact, she looked like an adventurous maiden bravely seeking for her own happiness.

     "D-do I… look good?" asked Aya nervously. She was wearing black silk gloves which extended up to her elbows; her arms dangled before her chest as she waited for Baiyi's reply.

     Before Baiyi had a chance to reply, Mordred interrupted. "Mama is so good-looking today! This is the first time I've seen Mama dressed up so beautifully!"

     "Yes! Sister Aya looks so young; she doesn't even look like Mordred's mother. They looked more like sisters now!" said Tisdale helpfully.

     "You look beautiful," admitted Baiyi.

     "Then that's great!" Aya smiled in satisfaction. "I don't always wear such short dresses because they're too bold for my taste, honestly speaking..." She lowered her gaze as she pulled against the hem of the dress, giving herself a moment for the blush on her face to subside.

     "But... seeing that Mia and the girls are always wearing them, I just thought that perhaps... you might like it too?"

     'Hmph, so now I'm a 'you' instead of 'Sir Hope', huh?' Deep down, Baiyi felt like laughing. Personally, he still preferred modest, long skirts…

     Baiyi and the rest of his party were greeted with a vibrant, bustling scene as they entered the Citadel. Shoulders rubbed against shoulders in the streets, giving Baiyi a festive vibe like that on Earth. Above their heads, skycruiser rays were descending like pieces of falling paper, each carrying a happy family upon them.

     Gouve had more land than people – the population of the Rohserlian kingdom was pretty low, barely passing the hundred million mark. Only during festive seasons did the country seemed more populous and vibrant, as all had gathered at the Citadel's sky island.

     Baiyi and the girls strolled along the streets and explored the city during the day. Accompanied by a troupe of young maidens — each exuding their own standards of ground-breaking beauty — it was only natural that their little party received a lot of attention and many wishful looks.

     Baiyi did not join in the girls' shopping and squandering. He spent most of the time silently accompanying them, appreciating the beautiful scenery before him. All this time, Aya stood by him obediently like a loyal little wife.

     Overhearing comments from a few passer-bys wasn't something that could be helped…

     "What a blessed and beautiful family. The daughters are so attractive. Enviable indeed."

     "The missus is also very young, and so good-looking! But why is the mister wearing such heavy armor on this occasion?"

     "Perhaps it's some kind of weird obsession? But wait — that lady in the black dress... she's a missus already?!"

     "But of course — didn't you notice her hairdo? That style had always been used by affluent ladies with children..."

     Such were the gossips that trailed behind them wherever they went. Baiyi, naturally, chose to ignore them; Aya, who was walking alongside him, thought that she would be annoyed or disgruntled at such gossips, but her reaction was only that of calmness. Turning her back against Baiyi, she hid her smile, amused.

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     222 Unrequited Love

      By nightfall, the Brotherhood of Fire Wyverns had already made arrangements for Baiyi and his party to settle down at a grand mansion for dignitaries, which an ongoing party was in full swing. Aya, looking like a total bombshell, was naturally the center of attention. She could barely find the chance to excuse herself; the little rascals, under Mordred's lead, immediately went to explore the incredible spread of food in this extravagant feast. Baiyi, who was clad in an unassuming suit of armor, was cast aside as though he was a ward to someone important; he was not at all associated with the pensive, prestigious Sir Hope.

     He felt contented, in a relaxing manner. Alone, he slipped away from the crowd and settled by the corridor outside the ballroom. It was situated on the third floor and had an ample height for a wide field of vision, promising a clear view of the skies. Baiyi was in a good mood. As he looked down at the bustling street filled with bobbing heads, he took out his little plants from within his armor and watered them on the spot.

     Soon, the most important part of the harvest festival — the fireworks show — commenced. It was organized by the royal sorcerer's association; their combat abilities were unknown, but at least their performance was very impressive. Merely the opening ceremony was enough to arouse cheers of awe from the entire city.

     Hence, the ball was put on hold momentarily, as dignitaries made their way to the corridor gracefully with their glasses of wine. They leaned against the white marble balcony, resuming their interrupted conversations as they enjoyed the fireworks.

     "Sir Hope!" Mia's voice suddenly appeared behind Baiyi. As he glanced back, the little girl was rushing towards him with a slight smile on her lips.

     Mia was wearing a light-sensitive, color-changing dress that he had given her a while ago. Under the light of the fireworks, her dress was transformed into a magical, holographic spectacle. Mia looked so enchanting, and so ethereal — like an elfling from the night sky itself.

     "Mmm... my Mia is even prettier than the fireworks." Baiyi nodded in satisfaction. He waved at her, beckoning her to come over. She did and stood next to him, with her head against his hip as she enjoyed the fireworks in the air with him.

     "How beautiful..." said Mia in awe.

     "It is... Rarely have we had the chance to properly enjoy certain festivities; this is indeed one of the rare occasions we had to go to," said Baiyi. Seeing that Mia was relaxed, he extended his arm and slung it around her slender shoulders.

     Mia did not flinch from his touch; in fact, she leaned deeper against him, diverting the focus of her attention from the fireworks to Baiyi. Recalling the legend behind the harvest festival, she balled her hands into fists and mustered up her courage.

     "Sir Hope, I like you," she confessed, finally.

     "I know, I know," replied Baiyi nonchalantly, as he nodded and caressed her head. "I like you too, Mia."

     Although she had gotten a response from Baiyi, it was clearly not the answer that Mia had in mind; it was simply not the kind of like she was looking for! She lowered her head slightly, and her cheeks tinted red from her confession, as a low whine escaped her lips.

     Thank heavens — during that awkward moment, Mordred appeared out of nowhere. She grabbed Mia's wrist and said enthusiastically, "Mia, Mia! Come here quickly — this position has a better view of the fireworks!"

     "Eh? Eh? W-wait..." Mia wanted to refuse initially, but Mordred was much stronger than her. She was forcefully dragged away by Mordred, so Baiyi was unaccompanied momentarily.

     As if on cue, Aya, dressed bewitchingly young for the night, appeared by Baiyi's side.

     "Mister Hope," Aya acknowledge Baiyi with a smile and a gentle nod. Her face was enveloped with a sheer layer of crimson — probably from the wine — making her look extra alluring. At that moment, she was cloaked by the million colors of the sky; she was truly a sight to behold

     "Oh? Did you manage to excuse yourself? You seemed very popular, the last I saw..." said Baiyi half-jokingly, as he took time to savor the sight of her beauty.

     "Just my father's friends, all of them," replied Aya. To Baiyi's surprised, she stuck her tongue out like a little girl. "It took me quite some effort to escape to somewhere quiet."

     "Ah, this must be the price of beauty..." said Baiyi, looking up into the night sky once more to enjoy the extravagant fireworks performance. To him, the chance to celebrate a festival did not come often enough. It was unknown when will he be able to experience it again in the future.

     As Baiyi diverted his gaze to focus once more on the fireworks, Aya took this opportunity to make her move. Her gloved hand balled into a rounded fist before her chest — like she had come to a decision and was determined to do something — and she walked a few steps towards Baiyi.

     Intentionally or not, the distance between the two of them was much shorter now, but Aya was not satisfied just yet. She made an even bolder move by circling her hand around Baiyi's wrist.

     Baiyi tilted his head slightly and saw Aya's enchantingly beautiful face closing in the distance between them — her emerald green eyes filled with desire, staring into his.

     This distance was... too close. Baiyi could even smell the faint scent of sweetness from her body. He felt momentarily awkward and protested gruffly, "About that... I..."

     But it was Aya who spoke first, interrupting his sentence.

     "Mister Hope, can I be Mia's mother?"

     As soon as she finished, she averted her gaze from his, abashed to witness the impossible expression on Baiyi's face.

     "How can this be possible?" said Baiyi in a serious manner, as he pulled his arm away from Aya's grip. "Little Mia is a very important student of mine; no one can take her away from me!"

     In just a quick few seconds, tears gushed out from Aya's eyes, like water from a broken dam. The sides of her lips trembled slightly as she took two steps back. "Idiot! You big idiot!" she choked. She turned her back and left the scene, leaving Baiyi only with her beautiful silhouette and a trail of tears. The water droplets merged with the light from the colorful sky, bursting into a kaleidoscope of vibrant colors.

     "Did you have to do that?" demanded the Assassin in the Void. "Look at her! She looks so hurt."

     "I was thinking that this would make her feel better, but... she still cried eventually," said Baiyi helplessly.

     "You did the right thing. She was not suitable for you," said the Warrior, who gave the second reply unexpectedly, as she was not one with many words. Her response justified Baiyi's actions.

     "Sigh... I was hoping I'd be able to spend a good time with these few beautiful ladies today, but here am I alone, watching the fireworks by myself." Baiyi reflected curiously and raised his head once more towards the sky.

     "I'm still here," the Warrior murmured softly. No matter how hard Baiyi tried to ask her what she meant by that, there was not a single reply from her again.

     'Such a queer fellow indeed…' Baiyi pondered internally. In no time, he reorganized his emotions and continued to enjoy the amazing spectacle in the sky. The fireworks display had coincidentally entered the climax of its performance, and the night sky was so bright, it was as though it was lit on fire.

     "This performance is extraordinary!" exclaimed Baiyi in awe. "Look at those meteors, they looked incredibly real, wow! And they actually crashed onto the sky island? This explosion effect is so realistic, I wonder how they managed to pull this off?!"

     "Eh? Wait a second..." Baiyi further scrutinized the incredibly intense commotion. "Isn't this a little too realistic...?"

     A huge crack could be heard across the sky the moment his voice faltered. The noise was so loud, it was as though the realm itself had cracked apart; following that, pieces of ignited meteorites appeared across the dark horizon, crashing on to the land and the sea mercilessly.

     "C-could this be... the realm collapsing?" the Bard in the Void shouted in panic.

     The Void burst into pandemonium.

     "Calm down, it's only a technical glitch!" commanded Baiyi in the Void. "How can the realm collapse without prior warning?"

     "Warning? What would you call the thing you're looking at, then?" said the Third Walker coldly. "This clearly isn't the collapse of a realm; how did meteorites even exist in a world like ours?"

     Considered one of the more experienced Walkers in the Void, the Third Walker was much more composed than the Bard.

     "This couldn't be my fault, right?" asked Baiyi.

     "And you could still think about these now? Think of a way to help!" the Paladin exclaimed in frustration and panic.

     As his words left his lips, Baiyi felt emptiness beneath his feet, as though someone had taken away the ground beneath them. He started plunging downwards, enveloped with shrill screams and turmoil around him.

     "The islands! They're falling!" realized Baiyi as he analyzed the commotion before his eyes. Looking at the sky, he realized that the islands that were originally floating amidst the sky were plunging one by one to the ground quickly; the highest islands were falling at such a high speed, the friction had caused them to ignite with fire. That was the so-called meteorite observed by Baiyi earlier.

     "Seems like the Voidwalker was not fated for a simple celebration, after all!" Baiyi smiled ruefully. He quickly cast a levitation spell and started to hover in the air, searching for the girls and the mother-and-daughter who were panicking within the crowds and bringing them to safety by his side.

     Before the traumatized girls could start asking questions, a huge noise was heard, sounding as if a large object had fallen into the water. It was followed by another that sounded like the roar of a thunder from all directions.

     As the girls looked on in horror, a wave even taller than the altitude they were hovering at headed towards their direction, encompassing the surrounding darkness like a massive black wall.

     Undoubtedly, the huge wave could not be stopped even by the waterproofing enchantment surrounding the realm.

     The girls let out a fearful scream so filled with terror, they almost disrupted Baiyi's chants.

     At that moment, the Saint Quartz Staff was already in Baiyi's palm. He had begun the chants calmly the moment the waves appeared; three azure rays emerged from his chest, his feet and the tip of his head simultaneously.

     "May the essence of the element be captured. May the mystery be revealed; bestow it to me, the three touches of frost; freeze — with an endless shudder!"

     This was an ice-based forbidden curse — a curse with an instant freezing effect.

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     223 So, the Apocalypse Happened. Are You Free Enough To Save the Day?

      As soon as Baiyi's chant ended, the tidal waves that had been surging towards the city began to shatter like crumbling walls.

     Outside the city, petals of white frosts soared up towards the sky from the sea, tracing the outline of the tidal waves until most of the waves turned into icy pillars. The capital city looked as though it was covered in brambles made of ice crystals.

     The speed at which the waves were getting frozen did not match the speed with which the waves rushed towards the city. The top of the waves, which was saved by its slower, lower halves, which were getting frozen, managed to stay liquid and struck on the water resisting barrier surrounding the city.

     Fortunately, from the sound of the impact, one could tell that they, too, had lost much of their momentum.

     "Hmph. We're lucky there was still some distance between these waves and the island, or else…" Baiyi did not even have to finish his own monologue.

     Laeticia's presence as the second Elect had greatly increased his power output — else he would not be able to perform ice magic on such a massive scale or release it in such a timely fashion. Had his speed been slower by even a fraction — and the waves had reached the city sky or even the waterproof barrier undeterred — freezing the water would have changed no one's fate.

     His voice had barely faded when the frozen waves succumbed to gravity and started crumbling down into a gigantic avalanche — towards the island he was on.

     "Hmph. Looks like I gotta try harder," Baiyi chided himself in a low voice.

     He descended to the crust of the island and crouched down so that his hands touched the earth.

     He started feeding the island his mana.

     When island that had the capital city began to fall, the empire's own band of protectors were just as alert as the Fifth Walker had been, and they had all, without haste, engaged with the sudden crisis. They all knew the price that would be paid if the island sank deep into the ocean.

     The Principal Sorcerer of the empire threw himself into the rescue of his beloved city.

     Every orifice on his head was bleeding out of tension, and his mana circuit began to crack from the pressure. He persevered, dismissing the signs that made evident his body's suffering. At that moment, a huge burst of mana erupted out of the man, and it was able to lift the island a bit; It had managed to slow down the frightening fall — in the nick of time.

     He died on the spot.

     However, at the cost of his life, he bought time. Thus, the other sorcerers had the time to organize, and most importantly, repeat his action. In the dark, glowing runes of levitation spells blinked like fireflies trying to save their home.

     The strength of a levitation spell was never intended to support the astronomical size of the capital city island. However, the speed at which the island fell had reduced by a little, and a little time had been bought. As the massive combination of levitation spells fired up at once, the cumulative forces of mana allowed the combined formations to work; however, it was a struggle.

     The speed of the fall had reached a safer level. When the floating island had almost reached the sea level, it shuddered to a stop — but it did not crack and shatter.

     It was at that moment that Baiyi finished his Forbidden Spell, freezing the tidal waves that were on course for the city. In retrospect, that was a pretty amazing team-up, right?

     However, misfortune still had plans for the city, and at that moment — it was the avalanche.

     "Fuck. You gotta fly higher…" Baiyi muttered in a low breath.

     He had already injected in his best output into the combined formation. Without the time to use his Specialized Encasement Spell to form a durable body — as well as himself being wary of using the other two deadlier powers — his sorcerer armor was starting to fall apart as it had approached its limit.

     Sounds of metals cracking rang out all around his body.

     "Mr. Hope!"

     A cry of anguish shredded through the the air behind him.

     He did not need to turn his head. With a loud thud, Aya landed next to him in a readied stance. She poured her mana into the formation just as she had seen the man do.

     Baiyi stole a glance at her. Trails of tears were still visible under her reddened eyes; even then, the sorrow of being rejected had not left her. The complicated bun that she had spent her effort in making had already unraveled into a single horsetail. Her hair flowed like a ribbon in the gale brought by the avalanche.

     For some reasons — Baiyi thought she was even more beautiful now than ever.

     "Whoa, I did not expect them to really craft this formation!" Baiyi said casually.

     This planetary formation was Baiyi's idea back at their very first meeting when an Armageddon was being expected. Back then, everyone feared for the worst that nature could offer, so many contingency plans had been made. As Baiyi suggested the possibility of the island losing its levitation, the formation to give it a manual lift was suggested as a solution.

     No one expected the power of the formation to be perfectly capable of lifting the island — unlike the Sorcerer Associations' very own formations that they had used for their own cities hovering within the clouds — but the setup was much less complicated, much more convenient, and faster. When the worst hit, and there was not enough time, humans could even serve as the battery, displacing mana crystals.

     After Baiyi made the suggestion back then — he did not really put any more thought into it. He had not expected the situation to ever be dire enough to need it. Plus, after everyone believed that Baiyi's suspicions were all just cases of paranoia, most of the contingency plans were abandoned.

     Baiyi himself had forgotten about the formation. He would not have guessed that an idea aimed to ingratiate on public opinion would be so essential right now.

     From the looks of it, the ruling class of the Empire must have realized the danger of a floating island losing its levitation, so this particular plan was singled out and put in place as a nominal contingency plan. It was fortunate that they had prepared something like that and had conducted a drill on it quite recently.

     Without that, there would not have been any organized help, and a lot would have died.

     "If I knew that this was gonna happen, I would have designed it better," Baiyi said, feeling quite guilty.

     "Clang!" Came the metallic sound of something fallen to the ground. Baiyi saw that his left arm had come off from the pressure of a sudden output.

     "Nooooo!" Aya howled in agony when she saw what happened.

     "What 'nooo'?" Baiyi retorted in annoyance. "I'm a goddamned Soul Armature!"

     A Soul Armature could always have their limbs stitched back up again…

     Realizing that, Aya stopped screaming. She eventually turned back to her task, concentrating on outputting mana to the formation.

     Meanwhile, as the city was trembling, cacophony struck out across every corner. The buildings and towers that marked the urban landscape were suddenly, forcefully broken off from their base by gusts of relentless combat chi.

     What used to be buildings had been reduced to rubble and tumbled off into the ocean below. The city looked like it had been slapped by a giant, as the buildings had collapsed completely.

     The physical fighters found their callings in this battle. They knew that the island needed to retain a certain level of height, so they helped in the only ungraceful way they knew to reduce the collective weight the island had to withstand.

     The truth was — their air had only been minimal. It had only managed to help the island move slightly higher.

     It was enough to decide if the entire island lived or died.

     What they had to deal with was the avalanche that was rushing down from the frozen tidal frame. The icy surface of the frozen tidal waves had long since cracked under the force, and the debris sank to the bottom of the sea. Meanwhile, as the island regained its upward force, the frozen waves — which were now more like icebergs — were crumbling on their own below the island. The top of the taller mountains crashed down into the city, eliciting screams of horror from its populace.

     "Phew, should be over… for now." Baiyi let out a sigh of relief.

     When they chose an island as the location for their new capital city, one of their main concerns was the superstition that no habitable locations should exist above the king's home, so when they were seeking for a location to build the capital city, they had deliberately chosen an island that had no islands floating above it; and at moment, however, this superstition had saved the island from being hit by other falling islands.

     Baiyi picked up his left arm and stood up again. He reattached the arm back to his joint, freezing close the seams. It could still be used — sort of.

     He checked all over his body for any other new damage, repairing them all with quick ice magic fixes. In a matter of seconds, he looked like someone who had just emerged from the bottom of the avalanche.

     Beside him, Aya also stood up from her crouching position.

     She had intended to use this opportunity — of people surviving what they did not expect to — to run into Baiyi's embrace, but just as she was approaching him, she saw that the man had been glued with pieces of ice cubes.

     Her little wish fluttered away, and she stood there, gawking at him.

     The girls, who had just been released from Baiyi's levitation spell, descended from the sky — and none of them had looked very good, either. After all, as Baiyi's last spell lowered the temperature around the island quickly, followed closely by the avalanche, the air became too cold for the girls. Without Baiyi's thermal spells, they were pale, and their arms hugged their bodies as they curled into a fetal position.

     Only Aya and Mordred were in better states. Dragons could tolerate the cold much better than humans could.

     "Ha! Look at all the good those short skirts had done for all of you. I wonder if you girls learned anything important about them?" Baiyi remarked a bit sarcastically. He encased the girls in his thermal barriers after that.

     The warmth was welcoming, and soon, colors returned to their faces.

     "Bring me to your father and the rest," Baiyi turned to Aya and said.

     She nodded, leading them in the direction of the palace.

     On their way back, they were forced to watch the desolation of caused by the chaos. Everywhere they looked, they saw devastated houses, collapsed buildings and debris, and people running around aimlessly, disoriented and lost.

     Some were diving deep into the rubbles, and their hands scooped and scrapped, digging into the pile of rubble as if whatever was buried inside mattered to them. Some were kneeling, as they blankly watched other islands higher in the sky at the sky tear through the air and crumble into the sea.

     It was the Apocalypse. Or at least, it looked like one — no one could tell the difference.

     Laeticia had, in multiple times, attempted to throw herself at the suffering people. However, Baiyi crassly stopped her each time.

     Outside the palace, the royal square was in a snafu. Aristocrats were still garbed in their opulent outfit for the party; the commoners were drowning fear and desperation; the soldiers were gripping their weapons hard; the sorcerers were still spewing mana into the earth, and some men crisscrossed the square carrying supplies and supplies of mana crystals within their wagons.

     Every element was thrown into a singular scene. Every note, every sound, every scream, cry, and curse — garishly scarred the air to form a suffocating cacophony.

     Not a single trait of civilization seemed to have lingered at that moment: it was a mess, chaotic, and a naked dissection on the violence and terror that the city had been thrown into.

     Baiyi led the girls and waved the royal guards away, striding towards the palace.

     His travel was unopposed. Perhaps they were intimidated by his cobbled-by-ice-cubes appearance…Dragons are not poikilothermic — now confirmed! Or would they be hibernating…?

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     224 The Silver Lining Amidst the Thunderstorm

      Unlike the chaos outside, the palace itself was quiet — quieter than usual, even.

     Right from the corridor, Baiyi could hear a few whispers emanating from the banquet hall, but the noise was so much more controlled than what was going on outside.

     Even the emcee, who was standing by the side of the banquet door, was calm. At that moment, he turned into the hall and declared loudly, "The Special Advisor, Master Hope, and his family, has arrived!"

     Let's ignore the fact that he somehow managed to include Aya into "Master Hope's family". The man was responsible to a fault. His head was bandaged unskillfully, and blood still oozed from the wound that had been covered, yet the man was still ardent about his duty.

     Hearing the emcee's announcement, the crowd shifted their attention to the Master and saw Baiyi and his avalanche-inspired outfit.

     "Master Hope has arrived!" someone in the hall called out in joy, acting as if he had just seen their savior. He was probably one of those who knew that the gigantic levitation formation was Baiyi's idea.

     "Hey, Master Hope? Are you alright? Were you caught in the avalanche?" Some of them were more concerned with his appearance.

     "Master Hope! Was that Ice-styled Forbidden Technique your doing? I humbly thank you for your beautiful rescue, as without you..." some were even babbling unimportant drivels.

     Baiyi had no time for them. He walked straight towards a middle-aged, chubby man in the most extravagant outfit, who was also the most central to the entire banquet — the King of Rodrithelia, Rowan Rodrithelia the 233rd*.

     The King was looking at his direction expectantly as well.

     The two had met in a few research meetings. They had good impressions of each other, as the King did not have the annoying habit of micromanagement.

     "Master Hope." King Rowan nodded slightly. His gesture was humble. "Most fortunate that we had constructed the Levitation Formation as you suggested. Thanks to it, we survived."

     "How much longer will it take?" Baiyi dismissed all forms of normal courtesies and went straight to the point.

     "Um, that… Well, our Prime Coordinator, the Principal Sorcerer, Master Juan…" King Rowan hesitated.

     "Ah, how's Master Juan?" Baiyi asked hurriedly.

     He and Master Juan had interacted with each other before. The sorcerer was a very, very aged elderly who had been the vassal for all eight kings. He even possessed the power of a Holy-level fighter!

     Aside from his slight tendency to be stubborn, and his old-fashioned ways of looking at things, the man was pretty much on good terms with Baiyi.

     "Master Juan, ah… He… sacrificed himself to save all of us," someone spoke for the King.

     "I'm sorry. This truly is a loss." Baiyi shook his head pitifully.

     When he had felt that sudden jolt of mana vibration back then, he had guessed who that was. It seemed that the worn-out flesh of the great sorcerer had long exceeded its capacity in sustaining such an unbridled surge of mana. Thus, what if one was a

     Holy-level fighter? The body would still be a victim of age and time.

     If the great sorcerer had used his mana in a conventional way, he would still be alive, and his strength as the creme of all fighters in Gouve would have been pivotal in the aftermath of the crisis. Nevertheless, he had chosen to sacrifice himself in a very desperate moment. If it wasn't for his sacrifice, the others would not have that extra time to set up what was needed to save the city, and the ending may have been different.

     "We'll never forget the action of Master Juan, but if we wish to make sure that his sacrifice was not in vain, we must act now. Master Hope! We sincerely request for your assistance," King Rowan said. He ignored the chilliness emanating from the Soul Armarture's body and held onto his arm, with a pleading look in his eyes.

     At that very moment, a young lad in a servant's uniform dashed into the banquet hall. He panted heavily as he strode towards the King's side and whispered in his ear.

     "With the number of mana crystals that we have in our reservoir — as well as those contributed by the organizations in our society and business associations — we estimate that we can keep the island afloat for about ten hours or so," the King spoke to Baiyi in a low voice. It seemed that the young lad had been sent to gather reports on their remaining time. "Even if we called in all sorcerers to provide that additional mana, we could still only hold it off for two more hours caps."

     "We've got only half a day, huh…" Baiyi rapped his ice-encased hands together lightly. He continued, "How about that trans-realm transporter portal that I mentioned? Is it completed?"

     If the Armageddon ever comes, that one existing transporter portal would not be enough to save as many lives as possible. That was why Baiyi had suggested building new, additional portals for emergency purposes. The problem was that building one portal itself was a costly project, so only the existing portal — the one made by The Association of Sorcerers, which was also the very same one Baiyi had crossed — had to be made due with. Hence, he wasn't sure if the idea was even taken seriously.

     The messenger helped answer the question, "We were building one close to the capital city, Sir, but it wasn't completed. Now that it has suffered some damage, we've ordered every man we have to help repair it…"

     This really was bad news!

     A pan-realm transportal portal was no common formation spell. It was more complicated, requiring even more materials, and it consisted of just one formation. A portal was actually a series of connected formations arranged in a specific manner.

     To make matter worse, the method of constructing a portal was still the antiquated way that had been passed down since the time of the Ancient Rohserlian Empire. No one had ever simplified it into runes yet. In other words, constructing it would need someone who was handy with the actual formations.

     And those sort of sorcerers would be very difficult to find. Let alone finding one with enough skill to build a portal — preferably one that would be able to instantly transport a hundred million people to another realm altogether — in a short amount of time.

     It sounded like an impossible mission. However, to a Voidwalker, there was still hope.

     "You're familiar with this particular formation, yes?" Baiyi asked the Scholar inside the Void. In reality, he turned to Little Mia and said, "Pass me Sharkie."

     Little Mia was bemused, but she obediently took out her hammerhead shark plushie and held it out to him.

     Baiyi did not wait for the Scholar to come up with a loquacious answer. He shoved the woman's consciousness into the plushie crassly.

     "Please, surely you are less odious than this?!" The Scholar's last word was her protest at his action, but she did not say she couldn't do it.

     "Follow it — and help out with the repair. The knowledge you obtained from your Elementary Formation class now finally has a chance to shine," the Soul Armature said to his students. He grabbed the plushie, who was fanning itself with its fin, and shoved it to Little Mia's embrace.

     "Go, take them to the portal quickly!" Baiyi turned to the messenger.

     The lad looked at Little Mia and Tisdale doubtfully. Sure, they were pretty, but their eyes belied how young they were. One of them even carried a plushie with her; something only little girls would do. 'Can these people really help in fixing the uber-complicated portal?'

     "Y-your Highness…?" The lad waited for the King's approval hesitantly. Even Little Mia did not seem to agree, "Mr. Hope, how can we possibly... "

     "It's going to be alright. Sharkie will teach you. Just listen and do as she says," Baiyi replied, rapping at the plushie with his frozen-into-rod-like hands.

     "I…" The King was just as perplexed at the command. To have ordered two little girls to be responsible for the construction of the life-saving pan-realm transporter portal was weird enough, and now Master Hope was saying that a furry stuffed animal could save the world?

     The Fifth Walker had no time to explain at length. He could only use his spherical snowball of a hand to grip the King's shoulder, before he said, "Please, believe in me."

     He turned to the lad and added, "Go. Now!"

     The King nodded his head in approval — albeit hesitantly.

     That was how Little Mia and her merry band began their own adventure of saving the world…

     The reason why Baiyi did not personally handle was because he knew he was still needed elsewhere. After watching Little Mia and the band lave, he asked, "How about the floating islands at higher altitudes? Can they possibly fall down on us somehow? Is it possible to solve this?"

     "We, dragon knights, will take care of this," General Kandor, who had been listening nearby, spoke, "As you have known, there are no large islands above this one. Fragments of other islands may come hurtling towards us, but we will be able to knock them away."

     Baiyi nodded. He wanted to flash the general a thumbs-up, but his hands had now been frozen into two white gigantic spheres — like a certain earless robot cat, so he raised his hand instead.

     "I hope no one is still on those islands." Baiyi sighed.

     "The silver lining in all of this is that almost person of our nation gathered in the Capital City because of the Harvest Festival — even those who stay far from here. Those islands are most likely empty," a vassal who took care of social affairs answered.

     A man who looked like a sorcerer also joined in the conversation, "Your attention, please. I have contacted our headquarter regarding the portal. They're going to help us build it from the other side, too. Our Emperor has gotten wind of your nation's plight. The Empire has begun her preparations for the refugees."

     The speed of their response had been very satisfactory. It seemed that after Baiyi's unsettling prediction, their preparations for the Armageddon, while discarded, were still effective enough to help them right at this moment.

     This made Baiyi feel quite happy.

     "It was truly our luck to have you with us! You warned us about this. If you hadn't…" King Rowan said, pain evident in his voice. "It's just too bad that we didn't believe it to the end. Had we continued our preparations…"

     "Your Highness, this wasn't something we could predict," Baiyi tried to comfort him. To have this level of control despite this unprecedented disaster was already good enough.

     All they could do now was to protect this island until the portal was built. Then the entire populace of this kingdom could finally be sent to Isythre.

     "How about the other nations…?" Baiyi asked.

     The King could only answer, "All we have now, for them, is our prayers."Oh, excuse you, side-character! I'll have you know that I bring my dolls around, and treat them as humans! Or better than some humans, too. Y'all don't know!From where I come from, Doraemon was the shit when I was in nursery school!... And Pokemon too.

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     225 Heed Me

      "Is that so... I hope they found their way, too," Baiyi could only say that in reply, with his own form of lamentation. Although the empire had shared the necessary knowledge and news to other kingdoms and nations, Baiyi had no way of confirming if they too, had made any preparations after they were notified.

     Baiyi understood that being able to salvage what was currently left of this country was good enough already.

     As for the other nations — just as King Rowan had said, all this country could do was pray for them.

     As soon as the general direction was decided, the discussions quickly moved on to other issues. Who should be prioritized to use the portal first? How should the Rodrithelian rulers and other upper classes mingle with the rulers and governors in Isythre? How much of the nation's funds can still be taken? There were issues for the politicians, which had no bearings for Baiyi, so he took the chance to leave with Laeticia and Attie.

     "Laeticia, go and help those who would need you," Baiyi said to the kind girl who had been itching to do just that, even without his order. "Please take care of yourself though. Travel together with those from the Church. In this moment of chaos, anything can happen."

     He lowered his gaze and scanned Attie's reddened eyes. His Kitty Cat Maid had been shell-shocked from what had happened, and she did not seem to have fully recovered.

     "Protect Laeticia for me," he said and handed the War God's Sword over to her.

     "B-b-but what about you, Master?" Attie replied in concern.

     "Oh, you need not worry about me. Go." He nodded at the two girls.

     Aya, who had been walking by his side in silence throughout the whole journey, finally found a chance to talk after the two girls left.

     She drew closer to him. An expression of pain was evident on her face as her gaze rested on his body. "You alright… Master Hope?"

     'Huh. Going back to the formalities, huh?' Baiyi thought. He replied casually, "I'm fine. You?"

     He turned to look at the dragon-lady, but his eyes couldn't help but linger on the long, lean legs extending from under her short skirt. The black silky socks had been torn in a few places during the chaos, and her snowy, supple skin had barren. Combined with her pitiable countenance, her entire state seemed to be very suggestive…

     "I'm fine," Aya replied candidly. Then, as her eyes caught Baiyi's gaze, she sheepishly covered her thighs, flushed red, and muttered, "D-don't you look there!"

     The situation quickly dropped into a state of awkwardness. Baiyi turned his gaze away just as Mordred popped up between the two. When she appeared, Modred proceeded to grip her mom's elbow excitedly. She pointed at the flying silhouettes in the sky and said, "Mom! Mom! I wanna help Grandpa!"

     "No! It's too dangerous!" Aya didn't even take a second to react.

     "I'm not afraid! Have you seen me do Draconic breath! Super coooool!" Mordred replied loudly, unperturbed, barring her two cute fangs.

     Hmph. Not afraid — and eager to help? This kid is not too bad! Baiyi thought to himself.

     Helping Aya, he turned to the child and said, "Mordred is such a strong, heroic, good girl! But a good girl always listens to her mother, right?"

     He reached out his hand in a bid to pat on Mordred's head, but only when his outstretched arm entered his field of view did he notice that his hand was still a chunk of ice.

     The girl didn't shy away from it, though. She hugged the clump and rubbed it with her cheeks. Finally, with the tone of a young, affectionate child, she said, "Papa's hand is so cool… So soft…"

     Baiyi felt like his heart was about to melt right there and then.

     Aya, however, reddened at her words. She savagely yanked the girl behind her back as she apologized profusely, "I'm so sorry, Master Hope. S-she's still young; she knows nothing. Please don't take her words into heart."

     "It's cool. It's cool. Um, kids say the darndest things, right?" Baiyi replied quickly.

     He needed to change the focus, so he looked up into the sky.

     As he watched the action up there more closely, he concluded that the dragon knights needed some help.

     Dragons were not nocturnal animals. In fact, their lifestyle could be quite systematic. A trained dragon may be able to fight at night over a certain period of time, but everything that had occurred till now was way out of what they could tolerate.

     The knights were doing the best to steer their mounts, but the dragons were not listening. They rebelled and seemed to be contemplating throwing off their riders and combat units so that they could escape on their own.

     They were afraid.

     And their fear had already started jeopardizing the dragon knights' missions to destroy all falling debris. Without support from their mounts, the dragon knights missed out a few, and these huge chunks of debris broke through their perimeter. The hazards plummeted towards the Capital, and they would have hit someone if not for the second line of defense, which consisted of the more knights, successfully destroying them.

     However, this could not go on for much longer. Gouve was filled with all sorts of islands, and each island had a distinct size and density. This meant that the speed of their descent was also different. The islands that were filled with complicated cave structures were the most dangerous among them; because of their hollow structure, they easily broke off into hundreds of fragments during their fall.

     And when these fragments changed their course because of air current or collision, they may head towards the Capital — and fragments were currently heading towards them way at that moment.

     The particular crisis that the dragon knights were engaged in was far from over. In fact, it was going to continue for an even longer time. Due to the current chaos, they were not able to fully perform their roles.

     The elderly dragon, Yosef — who had turned back into his dragon form — was carrying General Kandor on his back. He screamed hoarsely, trying to calm his men, but the dragons' restlessness had gone out of control.

     This defense line was breaking up, completely!

     To make matter worse, many other flying beasts had taken to the sky as well. Completely overwhelmed by primal fear, they had lost every sense of self, effectively going berserk. They attacked anything and everything on sight, threatening the dragon knights and robbing away what little control they had left.

     "Tsk! And you dragons always boast of being afraid of nothing. This won't do at all!" Baiyi mumbled under his breath. "Alright. I know I'm gonna be adding a pile onto my plate, but hey… I'm supposed to be a force of good and compassion, right?"

     He turned to look at Aya and her daughter. He whispered, "Take care of yourselves."

     With that, he took off, soaring into the sky using a Levitation Spell, passing through the defense lines and reached an altitude even higher than that of the struggling Dragon Knights.

     Then he freely released a large wave of an unknown mien to all sides. From his throat, a majestic roar of a dragon erupted out.

     As soon as the roar pierced through the air, the dragons and the other beasts halted immediately — almost hurting their own wings, and as if they had seen the immaculate divine that demanded their unwavering respect and attention, they calmed down.

     Even the mother-daughter pair, who had been staying on the ground this whole time, couldn't fight their instinct and kneeled on one knee, lowering their prideful heads.

     These actions had bypassed any rational or conscious control. The body acted involuntarily because this level of respect had been directly written into their ancestral memory — their inherited memory.

     "This… This is Lord Divine Dragon's…!" Aya muttered softly.

     "This is Papa's smell!" Mordred kneeled beside her mother and said cheerfully.

     Baiyi used that majestic, yet ancient voice to speak a type of Dovahzul that Aya had never heard before.

     However, she just knew. She just knew what the words meant; what the command within it was. It felt like the words had bypassed her normal language-processing faculty just to reach her mind so that the message remained unadulterated:

     "My people. Listen to the voice that compels you! Submit, subject yourself to me and heed me!"

     The dragons bowed their haughty heads. The beasts remained still, feeling as much reverence as they possibly could.

     The situation was immediately under control.

     Under Baiyi's command, the dragon knights returned under control, and now, the dragons were even more passionate and eager at their tasks, surprising even their long-time companions at their sudden surge of excellence. In turn, this motivated the companions who rode hard, right into the falling chunks of debris.

     They were not alone in their battle; the wild beasts had also allied themselves with the dragon knights.

     Elderly dragon Yosef, whose fins had started to turn ashen grey, wept as he poured every ounce of his soul into the Draconic Breath that he fired at the falling piles of rock debris. When he finally had the chance to take a breather, he discarded the opportunity and shouted in a shaky voice at the tops of his lungs, "The Divine Dragon had not forgotten us! He had not forsaken us!"

     The kneeling Aya finally mustered enough courage to gaze up at the sky, looking up at that chunk of ice hovering in the middle of the night sky.

     The mystery of the Divine Dragon's blessing — the mystery that had puzzled her; the mystery that she had forgotten after a while — slowly unraveled in her mind.

     It was him. It was from his silhouette that demanded her to revere and bow to…

     Accompanying that realization was another realization even more personal. Aya now understood why he had to reject her. The difference between them was more than the physical distance between them at that very moment.

     The flame in her heart had been completely extinguished.

     Aya was a demure girl. She could not bring herself to stick to the man if he so vehemently rejected her. The pain of that rejection had already robbed her of whatever mettle she had.

     But Mordred thought differently. The daughter seemed to have sensed her mother's feelings, so she quietly, but surely, shook her shoulders, cheering childishly, "Don't lose heart, Mom! Don't give up!"

     Aya turned to look at Mordred. Her smile was bitter and silent.

     "Mom already has Papa's smell, right?"

     Aya's heart skipped a beat at Mordred's word.

     She was stunned. 'Yes, he had blessed her. He had blessed her — why?'

     'Could it be…? That he had already…?'

     She looked up again, staring at the source of the majestic voice that had ignited the night sky; the voice that had ignited the tiny ember in her ashen heart until a flame rekindled.

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     226 The Kind of Ideas Some People would Harbor

      After Baiyi's timely performance, the situation had quickly regained control. Before anyone else could cast a glance his way, he quietly returned to the ground. He didn't go back to Aya, but instead, he went to the location sent by the Hammerhead Shark Plushie — the location of the transporter portal.

     Everything was going more smoothly than he had expected here. He had no idea how the Hammerhead Shark Plushie — which had The Scholar in it — managed to command every sorcerer to work according to her plans. He could see her zipping across the site, drawing out images and images of plans using mana. The sorcerers, for their part, studied the plans and worked them out.

     Some of the plans were difficult because they required knowledge in formations. These were then assigned to Mia and Tisdale as a part of their responsibilities. When Baiyi arrived, both girls were laying on the floor with their belly. Their faces strained in concentration as if they were taking the hardest test ever. They didn't even notice the Soul Armature's arrival.

     'Oh please, at least remember how short your skirt is!' It was fortunate that every sorcerer was too preoccupied to enjoy the scenery within their slightly opened skirts.

     "How's the situation? Is it a tough one to crack?" Baiyi asked in the Void.

     The Scholar released her grip on the part of consciousness imbued in the plushie — which caused it to hang in midair, limply — and answered, "Objectivity compels me to conclude that it is satisfactory. The variables for my assessment are as follows: previous completion — propitious. Materials — meet current requirements but alas, our manpower is woefully inadequate. Those who carry not the knowledge of formations are of minimal purpose, ergo much had been delegated to Little Mia. Acceleration of the project demands more capable men."

     Baiyi processed the report, then he turned his head to a sorcerer who was just looking up at him doubtfully, "The previous project engineers and workers of this formation — where are they?"

     "Some have returned to the headquarter, while some went missing," a sorcerer who had a Sorcerer Association Badge pinned onto his garb replied without raising his gaze from his task. His forehead was already drenched with his own sweat. It seemed that even basic work required a lot from him.

     "Don't worry, keep it up. I'll go around and look for more help." With the Scholar directing their progress, Baiyi believed that the construction itself would be alright. However, for the efficiency… It would require a huge boost. There were only around 12 hours left. The sooner the portal was completed, the better the chance of sending everyone to safety.

     "Quickly!" The Scholar replied.

     She was about to return to controlling the hammerhead shark plushie when a steely demand rang from the Void, "If we downsize the number of people that the portal could take, say — a dozen people, it would get done very quickly, right?"

     "Lich, I demand clarification," The Scholar was quick in her response.

     "I meant, first, we can finish a portal that allows a dozen people to retreat to Isythre."

     "Are… Are you proposing that we… we desert hundred millions of innocents?" Anger started bubbling in the Scholar's voice.

     "Obviously! That's the only intelligent move," The Lich replied slyly. "Look at the speed used to do all this! How many would be able to use it to escape once in the end? Will the process of building this actually remain safe and stable? Will there suddenly be changes? Oh, I really doubt that you don't know that, at this very moment, anything can happen to turn the table on us! Deserting these pathetic people is the only safe option!"

     "Apologies, but proposal sorely declined! " The Scholar shot down the Lich's idea within a second. "I will never stoop to such an opprobrious level!"

     "Hmph! You stupid hypocrite! We have waited for fucking millennia for this one, precious chance to escape, and you would rather bury that hope altogether with these people? Who do you think you are?! You're just a stuffed animal!" The Lich retorted in anger.

     "How dare you scorn me, you rebarbative, sorry excuse of a bag of noxious bones! Who do you think I am? You dare think me incapable? I shall educate you right in your face!"

     Baiyi had known the Scholar for a long time, but he had never heard her speak in such a furious, icy-cold tone. He had always thought of the woman as a perpetual, homebound virgin otaku to the point that he had almost forgotten who she really was — The Great Unbending Sage, Noire-Jane, a demigod-level powerhouse who Baiyi earnestly trusted!

     She would not cower in fear of the demigod-level Lich, even if she wasn't very good at actual combat.

     Hence, just as the Lich was about to make a threat, Baiyi interrupted him.

     "That's enough. Didn't I say it before? I can't stand seeing innocents suffer. You can just treat me as a disgusting hypocrite. After all, aren't I supposed to be a force of good and compassion?"

     A statement that undeniably lent its support to the Scholar's side.

     The Lich was just about to throw in even more complains, but Baiyi had had enough. He declared loudly, "Look, we all pursued powers and we got them in the end. We got them now, and yet at this critical time when we want to do something according to our own will, we have to cave to reality? Then what do these powers even bring me?"

     The Lich no longer had anything to say. The most important Walker in the Void had spoken, so he had no way to object it. There were very few evil forces in the Void, so it was obvious that most would support Baiyi's decision to save the world.

     Baiyi rushed to the King's place. As he arrived, he saw that the monarch was being surrounded by the aristocrats and politicians, still engrossed in their trivial issues.

     Baiyi swallowed his urge to insult their sense of priorities and shoved them to a side. He hurried on to relay to the king the need to summon sorcerers for the construction of the portals.

     "There are people on it already," King Rowan replied.

     "Not enough." Baiyi shook his head. "I need Your Highness to use that thing you had used before to give a speech for the entire day. With it, we can summon every sorcerer and everyone else who has knowledge of the formations in this city."

     Back then, during Flame Night, the King used an odd tool to give an opening speech during so that everyone in every corner of the city could hear him, and whatever that tool was, it was still what Baiyi need.

     The King pondered, and just as he was about to nod, a vassal beside him jumped in frantically, "No! Your Highness! You cannot do that!"

     He turned to Baiyi, furiously bellowed, "Are you mad?! If you ever mentioned the portal to the public, the people would lose their mind! They will rush to the palace and create even more chaos!"

     His intention was simple: before they could make sure that these aristocrats, nobles, and politicians' families could really escape this, they absolutely cannot let the public know there was still such a chance to live.

     It would be problematic, so they wanted the news to remain classified.

     Baiyi could see through that elementary desire easily, but he didn't want to use his mouth to answer him.

     Before anyone could react, Baiyi had lifted his ice-clad fist and smacked it right in the middle of his face.

     The man flew so far backward, like a kite that just had its line severed.

     "Master Hope! Y-you…!" King Rowan's face shown anger in his uncivilized manner. He just punched my vassal right in front of me!

     The King only managed to keep his composure because of his upbringing and his cling to civility,

     "Look, about those trivial things between you nobles? I'm not interested," Baiyi said to the King and the aristocrats who were gritting their teeth. "Well, without my help, you will never get the portal done, right? I think you know what that means — so, please, let us be rational and calm."

     "You're threatening us!" Someone from the crowd screamed.

     "Mmhmm, of course I'm threatening you. I can always just make a transporter portal for a dozen people to escape and flee, so why am I still here, wasting my time with you people? I guess it's because I'm feeling pretty fine, so I thought I should probably save more lives, you know?" Baiyi's voice dipped into a dangerously threatening tone. "However, if I suddenly my mood tanks, I might not feel like saving some of these lives anymore."

     Upon hearing that Baiyi could actually create his own portal, the crowd quieted down. No one dared make another sound, nevermind a rebuttal..

     At the time of unrest, a more savage approach usually worked better.

     Baiyi looked around him, satisfied with their submissiveness, then he clapped on the King's shoulder without a care about their difference in status and said, "Your Highness, can I believe that you are a benevolent ruler who loves his people?"

     The Fifth Walker left under the furious gazes and dirty looks thrown to him from the nobles. Ironically, the first time he had walked out of the palace, the very same people here had looked at him with utmost respect and gratitude.

     "Your Highness, what should we do? Must we be subjected to that rogue's threat? Do you need…" A politician said, drawing a horizontal line on his own neck using his index finger. "Two of the people who are repairing the portal now are his students. They are both just ignorant little girls and they'll be easy to be led away."

     The King shook his head helplessly. He replied in a low voice, "Don't seek any more trouble at this time."

     The politician was persistent. "Are you afraid of his power, Your Highness?"

     He moved closer and whispered into the King's ears.

     "At this time, you still retain such forces?" the King was aghast.

     "Certainly! They are our last card to protect our family and property. With an approval from you, Your Highness, I will order them to finish off that savage. I have already investigated his power. he's only a master-level fighter."

     The King still shook his head sideways in an act of rationality. "No. Direct your men to aid the dragon knights. Then, command your personal army to the palace to help maintain order when the incoming refugees surge in."

     He took out a magical tool that looked like a conch shell from his inner pocket. It was the very same tool he had used to speak to the entire city. It was a priceless item.

     "Your Highness! Please reconsider. If you let them know, and the window of time for escape isn't enough —" a few people from the crowd began to shout frantically. It seemed that even with Baiyi's threat, these people still refused to give up their despicable politicking.

     "Let's believe in Master Hope, shall we? Don't even try to use insignificant tricks and ploys to fool him," The King replied.

     He sighed. "Looks like the Church wasn't lying… about him being a hero."This is so ironic, considering that the Void is where common people banish those they deemed "evil" to! Do bad guys have less willpower? ..That's quite at odds with what I learnt from mah comic books and movies…Um. If you do something to Mia and Tisdale, you're, well, unleashing a personal Armageddon onto yourself, guys. Though it would free some space for the portal!

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     227 How Is This Fair?

      Using the connection that he shared with the War God's Sword, Baiyi found Laeticia and Attie in no time. The two had been following his orders; they had joined the clerics and the riders to help out those in need. Just as Baiyi himself was about to descend, a herd of griffin riders came from a certain direction.

     They sped through the air and rejoined the dragon riders. At that same time, many private soldiers, who were owned by aristocrats and nobles, rushed out from the high-end living areas, heading towards the palace.

     "Heh! Looks like there's still someone smart in there," Baiyi muttered to himself. It didn't matter if the members of parliament or the nobles were stupid — the primary ruler himself, the King, should not be doing anything that could get himself into trouble!

     Baiyi landed next to Laeticia and used his finger to poke her cheeks. "Where's the bishop?"

     "Hmm? Mr. Hope?" Laeticia looked at him, and then she pointed at a body covered with a white linen.

     "...was hit by a huge piece of falling rock…" Her voice sounded sorrowful.

     "So who's the leader of the Church's teams? A Saintess? A Paladin?"

     "I don't know," Laeticia replied helplessly. "We're all moving on our own…"

     "Pfft!" Baiyi tried to a pout. 'How can the Church be so ineffective at this critical moment? Did all of the higher-ups run away on their own?'

     It took a while for the implications to cross Baiyi's mind, though. During the Harvest Festival, the Church's higher-ups had probably gathered on a smaller floating island, which had been specially set aside for them, next to the Capital City's floating island. They had been preparing for a large mass…

     When the disaster struck, none of them had survived.

     However, this was not the time to lament their demise. It was the time for leadership. They needed someone who would maintain order; if not, the news of the death of the Church's higher-ups would create a massive disarray that may result in unwanted consequences.

     Baiyi dragged Laeticia away from the side of an injured commoner; his two ice-chunked hands gripped her shoulders. He fixed his gaze on hers and said, emphatically, "This is it; this is the time for a saintess, you, to carry the flag. Did you bring your armor with you?"

     Laeticia nodded. That kinky costume from the Church was a prized possession that she never once left without taking.

     Baiyi took her to an empty hut. He closed the door and turned his back to her. "Change into your armor quickly, and then listen to what I say."

     "Um, okay." Although Laeticia still had no idea what he was planning, she agreed that her saintess armor would be more suited for the occasion than a short skirt would.

     Very soon, Baiyi heard sounds of clothes being taken off. 'Is she not worried that I might just turn around right now to see her'

     "These things… Can you really depend on me to do these things on my own?" Laeticia said nervously as she pulled her black stocking up to her thighs.

     "Don't worry. You'll be fine' you're Saint Noel's apprentice, after all!" Baiyi assured her.

     By the time Laeticia was all suited up, Baiyi had finished laying out his plan to the girl. At that same moment, the King was ready for his role in the mission; he had just finished drafting his speech.

     Using the conch shell tool, the King made an announcement to the public, stating that the empire needed someone with knowledge of formations to help and that there was a trans-realm transporting portal being built.

     The inhabitants of the city roared in excitement. A ray of hope when all seemed forsaken; it ignited the madness within the public.

     At that moment, a beam of light broke through the night sky. A beautiful maiden was hovering in midair, and a pair of beautiful wings were spread out behind her. Her voice was jaunty and angelic, which soothed the restless hearts of the people. Under the help of magic, her voice traveled into everyone's ears.

     "... Everyone, calm yourselves. There is no need for haste. Let us remain in order as we head to the palace for protection. Have faith — for each and every one of you will be saved," Laeticia said as she hovered in midair.

     The combination of her angelic beauty, angelic wings, and angelic voice was even more effective than the commands of a king. The restlessness was soon pacified, and the city became much calmer.

     "Alright, that's it; the next thing to do —" Baiyi said, instructing Laeticia through a temporary, and small-scale Audio Transfer Spell.

     "Alright, that's it; the next thing to do…" Laeticia said, repeating what Baiyi had said in a loud voice.

     "No, clumsy girl! This wasn't for them! It was for you! Don't repeat what I'm about to say now!" Baiyi stomped his feet frantically.

     Truthfully, all the words that Laeticia had uttered had been told to her by Baiyi, who had to teach in a syllable-by-syllable basis; or else, with the girl's level of knowledge and vocabulary, she would have screwed it up…

     "Oh, oh! So sorry, Mr. Hope! I'm just so clumsy…" Laeticia replied crossly, with a low voice, across the spell.

     "Alright, that's about it. You remember what you have to say after this, right?" Baiyi asked. "I'll pass the role of maintaining order to you. I've got things to do."

     "Huh?! Bu—but this… This sort of thing… I…" Laeticia was unsettled. She was still objecting to his idea when he sent her off into the sky. 'How can I, a saintess candidate, even fulfill such a feat?'

     To all that, Baiyi chose to reply with an encouraging declaration: "Laeticia, I choose you!"

     "It's fine. You're doing really great; do you know that? Just do as I said, and you'll be alright!" Baiyi praised the little village girl. "Look at you! You're a real saintess now. Come on, wave that flag!"

     Laeticia had a flag with her. This was a flag that Baiyi made with a random stick and part of a white bedsheet.

     "You can do it! Remember to never leave the Boosting Territory — that way you will not faint from fatigue. I'll come over and take you with me later!"

     Baiyi went ahead to continue on his plan, leaving Laeticia behind to hover in midair as she raised the bedsheet flag to guide the refugees into retreating orderly.

     "You used my theurgical technique to make a light show? Bravo! Bravo!" The Cleric exclaimed from the Void. He wasn't displeased; he was genuinely impressed.

     "Well, at this moment, all the people need is a flag and a direction. All theurgy needs to provide is the correct visual effects."

     Baiyi followed his link with the War God's Sword to locate his Kitty Cat Maid. After patting her head, he said to her, "Hand the sword over to me and go look for Aya or her companions. I think they are guiding the refugees to the palace."

     "Right!" Attie nodded obediently and passed the sword to him. Before she left, she turned around and said, with concern, "Master! Please be careful."

     'This girl who has a cat-like countenance is getting more and more docile.' Baiyi felt warmed by her progress. He turned his back to her, and with a quick wave from his icy-chunk of an arm, he once again took off into the air, heading towards the night sky.

     In his grip, the War God's Sword turned back into its umbrella shape, just like how it did in Attie's grip. After a light investigation, Baiyi successfully discovered locations that had reactions of a few more Law Fragments.

     Holding the sword in his hand, he teleported to an empty white space.

     A single piece of Law Fragment was before him. He pulled the sword back and jabbed at the fragment with a quick extension of his arm.

     The sword did not absorb this law, making Baiyi furrow his brow.

     He hesitated. Then, knowing the risk, he wrapped a part of his consciousness with psychic energy and pushed it towards the fragment.

     Baiyi understood the perils perfectly, but he had to do it. If he did not read this particular Law, he wouldn't be able to estimate the status of other similar Laws, and that would be problematic in the very near future.

     His consciousness made contact with the Law fragment, and a torrent of chaos, delirium, and disorder perforated into his mind savagely. A will as resolute as his still shook mildly at the revelation. In fact, he even started to experience a migraine — something he hadn't had for a long time.

     The process was fast. A second later, peace ensued, and the fragment vanished into nothingness right at that moment as well.

     "Ah… so is this — the true sensation of one who reads the Law?" Baiyi shook his head hard to wake himself from the aftermath of the images.

     He recalled the images in order to examine them better. After a while, under the Voidwalkers' concerned gaze, he declared, "That was a Corrupted Law. It has been completely dismantled into primeval chaos. It's useless already."

     That wasn't the only information he had realized. After his contact with the Corrupted Law, he also understood the origin of the Armageddon.

     That Corrupted Law was probably the Law that was lifting the floating islands. It had broken down a long, long time ago, losing its original function. The exact time that happened was unknown to Baiyi, but he could see that it had happened.

     The reason why the islands had not fallen until today, was because another Law had been added into this realm at the very last moment, like a safeguard that had delayed the onset of the Armageddon.

     But that was never meant to last long. Just as the safeguard itself was starting to break down, Baiyi had entered the game. After he touched that lone, functioning Law Fragment, the disaster began.

     The Fifth Walker could easily guess that the very Law Fragment that he had come into contact with was the safeguard the War God had added in.

     Even that safeguard was already at a pitifully pathetic size when he had arrived, if Baiyi had not touched it, it would still break down eventually.

     If everything was orchestrated by the War God alone, Baiyi had to acknowledge the god's intellect and power, or even give him a round of applause after giving him a "like". The War God had helped him, given him his weapon and a Kitty Cat Maid, let him experience the Law first hand, given him a chance to learn a way to read the Law, and in the end, rounded it all up into a package — as a thank-you reward for Baiyi's effort to save these lives.

     How is this even a fair trade?

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     228 Success

      The War God really did have the qualities of a War God.

     Even the timing of the catastrophe was planned; it had been scheduled for the Harvest Festival when everyone would pretty much be gathered at a single place. It was only when the meek and the weak gathered together with those who had the capabilities, or resources, to fend for themselves that their chances for survival improve drastically.

     The War God even struck true to Baiyi's character. He knew that the Fifth Walker would definitely not just watch the innocent suffer without doing anything about it.

     The War God didn't even shirk his diligence when it came to the details. The Kitty Cat Maid that had been chosen for Baiyi was cute and docile, which was exactly the sort that Baiyi loved. The small Law Fragment which Baiyi had been led to read was almost empty, so Baiyi was able to grasp the concept of the Law, gain experience from reading it, without knowing too much of the secrets that hid within it.

     Baiyi suspected that even if he could see through the War God's plans, he would still play the game willingly, exactly as the god planned. He couldn't possibly give up the lucrative rewards, neither could he give up the chance to save the people.

     This was a conspiracy, but it was not a conspiracy against anyone; it was a conspiracy to save lives. The War God was truly a God for the Good, who did not consider the lives which were beneath his maggots and ants for him to play around with. In a universe where gods did not require belief to exist, this was invigoratingly welcome.

     However, why was such a force for good working together with a heretic like Baiyi?

     'I get a feeling that this will be a part of another plan of his…'

     This wasn't the time to ponder on this question, however. Baiyi needed to act fast. He found another two Law Fragments which had appeared during the disaster, and then he discovered that their contents were no different from the first Corrupted Law Fragment that he had read. The only thing he gained was a worsening migraine. It seemed that the War God had ceased giving him chances to meet more Laws.

     No new gains, but no new losses, either. He did not find any more sources of danger. This should be counted as good news, then?

     Baiyi teleported himself back to the sky above the Capital City using the War God's Sword.

     Most of the rocks hurtling down from high above had completed their descent. The people on the ground, with Laeticia's guidance, managed to form tidy lines and trudge forward to the palace. At the palace, a lot of the nobles' own mercenaries and royal guards were helping to maintain order. Those who came earlier were sorted into lines first, and those found injured were singled out for theurgical treatment.

     Baiyi watched, realizing that his forceful confrontation had helped. While many family members of those nobles, with the advantage of knowing about the portal first, got to stand in the very first few lines, there were also many at the back, too. Even the posh carriages that they had arrived were parked outside, in an empty space, so that they would not obstruct the path. These noble families certainly did not dare cut through the line.

     If Baiyi had not been aggressive in his approach, he was sure that the situation would have been very different. The carriages ridden by the rich would definitely form long lines, and they would hog the limited time, bringing their own people and property so that they may be transported; it was after this would they give the common people a chance for survival. That would be the only reason why these nobels were seriously against his idea of telling the public this piece of vital news.

     Not on the Fifth Walker's watch, though! He was not going to let his rescue efforts go to waste because of some rich kid's money.

     Of course, down there, there were a few rich families — who had arrived with all kinds of coin, jewelry, and expensive, fancy items — shouting complaints and curses at him. Most of their criticism was levied against him forcing them to wait with the "lowly, uncivilized commoners". Some women who resembled harpies were crying loudly, howling that they would definitely teach Baiyi a good lesson so that he pays for their losses…

     Nah. Baiyi had zero interest in engaging with these troglodytes. Instead, he headed towards the transporter portal.

     There were now more people working on the construction — which was as a result of the King's announcement earlier. The Hammerhead Shark Plushie — which had the Scholar in it — was in a frenzy as she crisscrossed the site, having no time to spare for her friend, Baiyi, who had just arrived.

     Not that Baiyi needed her to pay him any attention. They both knew what the other was thinking. Little Mia looked up from her work, flashed Baiyi a grin, and then turned back to her task.

     Judging from the current state of the formation, their efficiency seemed to have improved a lot. Everything else was going well, so Baiyi was then able to join in the repair. With the addition of the Fifth Walker in the mix, the efficiency would improve even more.

     Just as he was about to start working out the knots that Mia and Tisdale were not skillful enough to tackle, King Rowan arrived from the banquet hall.

     Seeing Baiyi, he came forward on his own. His face held a combination of gratitude and reverence. "Master Hope was just as they had said! Even your students are outstanding!"

     King Rowan's speech and actions were natural, making it seem as if what happened in the palace earlier had not occurred at all.

     The Fifth Walker crouched at the side of the transporter formation, cracking the ice chunk on his right arm open to expose a wriggling gauntlet.

     After disposing of the ice chunk, one of Baiyi's unfrozen fingers emitted a burst of mana, and he started working on the formation. Baiyi did not even lift his head when he replied the King, "You flatter me, Your Highness."

     The manner by which he had brushed off the King of the Rodrithelian Empire stirred the vassals behind him. They were just about to say something about his action when the King put up his hand.

     He continued, "We thank you for your effort. Our nation would forever be indebted to you and your student."

     At first, the King was displeased with Baiyi's action.

     However, when that beautiful angel had descended, King Rowan was informed that the helpful angel was none other than the mousy village girl who as always by Baiyi's side; that alone had curbed any disrespect which King Rowan may have had towards the man. At the same time, a furry plushie was working hard on the repair on the life-saving machine, and it seemed to be in charge. Furthermore, Baiyi's two adorable, childlike students were working hard, making themselves the central force in the repair.

     King Rowan's sentiment was understandably complex.

     'This grey, nondescript Master Hope is nothing short of a messiah. Even his students…! Perhaps this was the only kind of character who could save Isythre from the hands of the Lord of the Abyss,' King Rowan thought.

     Of course, the King may have thought differently if he had known Baiyi's real identity: the enemy of many…

     "I cannot iterate how grateful we are for your help. The entire empire owes you a big favor. If we ever escape this, we will —" The King was still babbling when Baiyi, who was now feeling frustrated, raised the ice chunk he had for a left hand. "Save it for next time, please. I need to concentrate."

     The King did not seem to be offended by Baiyi's attitude. He politely excused himself and led his vassals to leave the site, while starting to strategize how to recruit Baiyi to his side for the rest of his reign. After all, after migrating to Isythre, King Rowan would surely need someone as capable as Baiyi.

     'Give him my daughter's, or my niece's, hand in marriage? But he's a Soul Armature. I have no idea what he thinks about marriage. Oh! Maybe one of my sons could marry one of his students? Oh, yes. This is a good one! The students may not come from a noble family, but the eldest two are beaus, while the youngest one was just so adorable. My son would not complain about it!'

     The King had begun to formulate a plan in his mind, not knowing that if he did put his plan into motion, his kingdom would be suffering wrath far worse than their current situation…

     Three hours had passed. The core part of the formation had been completed. All that was left was to complete some of the connecting parts.

     Little Mia and Tisdale finally had the chance to take a breather. Both girls were so tired, their faces had paled, and their clothes and dresses were drenched in sweat.

     A few observant servants had carried a large couch. Baiyi lovingly wrapped his arms around both girls as they sat on the couch, and he said, "You two did great! In fact, you two did really great! I'm just so proud of you, my outstanding students; you've saved hundreds of millions of lives!"

     "Oh, my head is soooooo groggy… S-Sharkie? Sharkie where are you?" Little Mia, who was still engrossed in her work mood, cried out for her plushie. She looked dazed, completely oblivious to her own achievement.

     The older of the two, Tisdale, was similar. She pushed Baiyi away from her and said with a hint of dismay, "Sir, your body is so chilly! That was so cold!"

     The situation immediately turned awkward. Forget about his commanding presence and his authority over even the royals — at that moment, he was just a commoner and a very conservative father. He quickly let go of the girls and let them rest comfortably on the couch.

     Fearing that they might catch a cold, Baiyi grabbed some comforters from the storage pouch and covered the girls with them.

     Afterward, he dashed outside, taking Laeticia, who was still hovering in the chilly air, and Attie, who was busying herself with the rescue effort outside the palace. He brought the two girls back to the site, too.

     It was at that moment that the last part of the transporter portal was finished.

     The adorable hammerhead shark nodded at the sorcerers — who were all drenched in sweat — and then flew into Mia's embrace.

     Then the Scholar's consciousness left the plushie.

     "I dare everyone to assess my achievement! Was it not completed within the stipulated time?" The Scholar exclaimed in pride, and cheers and applause erupted in the Void.

     "Bah. I didn't expect those humans to listen to a mere toy. Besides, who knew that the Fifth Walker would be so good at this saving-the-world business, with everything all planned out…" The Lich muttered unhappily at his own misjudgment. If the work was handed to someone else, perhaps it would be different; in that case, even if the transporter portal was completed, the people would succumb to their primal desire to survive and erupted into chaos.

     The Lich had not expected the team-up between Baiyi and the Scholar to be so effective.

     "Our success is undeniable. There is no height the Voidwalkers cannot reach!" The Scholar exclaimed again in joy and pride.

     "Alright, alright. Let's talk about something else. We're gonna start the transporter. Is the fuel enough?" Baiyi cut in.

     "Affirmative. I had scrutinized the numbers," the Scholar replied confidently.

     "Great! Let us begin!" Baiyi cried, and King Rowan, who had hurried to the site upon receiving news of the portal's completion, nodded.Hmm. Odd. I feel a little bit heart-warmed…

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     229 Thank You

      Thus, the largest exodus ever recorded in mankind's history began.

     The King blew his conch shell horn again, and a thick, black, mass of people marched, from different directions, into the royal garden where the transporter portal was located.

     If the people were only able to travel on land, then a hundred million people would not be able to escape together, making the scene resemble the one which the Lich had predicted. It would not matter how fast the Scholar worked; 12 hours alone would still not be enough to save everyone.

     However, Gouve had the sky.

     At the King's command, the sky suddenly darkened as a blanket of skycruising rays hovered above the formation. Each ray had at least a dozen passengers on its back, and they fell into orderly line columns according to their individual heights, leaving the air above the transporter became completely packed with skycruising rays.

     Due to the Gouvian ecosystem, a skycruising ray was very prolific in every household in the society. Almost everyone owned a ray of their own, which they rode to join the Harvest Festival. Even if the rays were terrified, they would not flee too far from their masters. Hence, when the disaster struck, the beasts took to hovering in the sky above the capital city.

     Baiyi had noticed the rays earlier. This tied into his plan to use the airspace to travel. Land travel would not be enough to save everyone, so there had to be a way to place some of them in the sky.

     That was another one of Laeticia's missions. When she had calmed the public down, she had helped them find their rays.

     The transporter portal was designed specifically for emergency purposes. Its width was the size of two basketball courts, and after activation, the transporter portal formed a gigantic cube with a height so tall, it went way into the sky. Anything that was caught within the cube would be included into its massive trans-realm transportation spell. Hence, using the air above the transporter was reasonable because everyone would be able to fit in.

     The skycruising rays were not the only beasts for humans to ride on. The dragon knights and griffin riders could only carry some extra passengers on their back, but their most important purpose, at that very moment, was to fasten lassos over the rays that were too slow so that they could drag them into the transporter formation territory.

     The sorcerers and mages who were on the ground also helped by releasing wind magic, drawing the wind to propel the rays in the direction of the dragon knights and griffin riders. The physical fighters, who were not able to help as much as they had hoped, mimicked the dragon knights' actions. They lassoed the rays and sprinted, dragging them quickly, improving the efficiency of their escape.

     These were all Baiyi's plans. He had made sure that every part of the plan was accounted for, and at this moment, all they had to do was watch it work. This was the reason why the Lich had to begrudgingly admit defeat. The King had also lost every reason to doubt or disrespect Baiyi's capabilities.

     With a foolproof plan like this, how could this mass evacuation not be successful?

     "Okay, this plan is crazy!" The King blurted out, upon watching one of the strongest commanders of his royal guards drag five rays towards the transporter formation, making the guard's face and neck redden from the effort.

     "What about the authorities in Isythre…?" The King furrowed his brow as his mind wandered.

     The last time they contacted Isythre to request for help, their ally had not expected the number of people coming in to be this massive. Ten million refugees would have been acceptable, but when they heard that the number of refugees to be saved could reach hundreds of millions, Isythre was thrown into a daze.

     The Sorcerer Association had hastily dispatched three almost-hermit-like Holy-level sorcerers to move the Isytherian side of the transporter portal to the Great Gobi Desert, which was located in the west of the Southern Land. Meanwhile, the military and the Church of Isythre rushed to the receiving portal, without rest. Even the Emperor of Walthart had not slept a wink; he summoned all of his trusted advisors, politicians, and vassals for an emergency conference for their impending refugee influx.

     "They're saved, of course. But, what about us?" King Rowan muttered as he stared at the commoners on top of the rays, watching their faces beam with joy. Then, he turned his gaze to down to his vassals, and seconds later, he took off his own crown and examined it intently.

     He had a feeling that he will soon not be king anymore.

     The King's melancholy did little to hinder the migration. Excluding a few unplanned mishaps, most of the process was very smooth, to the point that they were ahead of their schedule. After the very last batch of refugees were safely sent off, there was still an hour left before the total collapse of the capital city island. The feat was already very outstanding.

     "Alright. Let's go."

     The Soul Armature took the girls with him and walked towards the transportation portal.

     Rays of light tore through the collapsing sky. Little Mia, who was still in a daze, looked up and watched the Gouvian sunrise from the horizon. It was so dazzling. It was the last time she could ever see a sunrise in Gouve.

     Baiyi was not the last to leave, however.

     Behind them, a few men — who all belonged to the noble families — were still grabbing every valuable and treasure they possessed. They even snatched up possessions that had been left by those who had already escaped!

     The treasure boxes were too taxing to bring along, but these people just could not let them go.

     Of course, Baiyi did not give a damn about the misers of the world. If they wanted to die with their money, that would suit him just fine.

     "Ho ho ho! The location has been changed to the Great Gobi already? Gosh, gotta praise that speed, man!" Baiyi exclaimed quite cheerfully after exiting the transporter portal.

     However, the situation was out of control. The refugees were running riot everywhere; screams and cries reverberated across the desert, and countless skycrusing rays filled the Southern Land's sky, completely blocking out the sun. It was worse than before they had left Gouve.

     The pitiful Walthart soldiers, who were garbed in their military armors, were already nursing migraines from trying to keep things under control.

     'Nah. I don't care.' These after-credit issues were not Baiyi's to handle anyway. He led the girls through the chaos, determined to give them a good night's rest. The poor children had stayed up all night! Whatever needed to be discussed could be done after a good rest.

     He whistled, and a griffin zipped down, flapping its powerful wings. The girls who felt so tired that they almost fall asleep while standing were lifted up onto the griffin.

     They fell asleep as soon as they got to sit on something.

     Just as Baiyi was about to climb aboard the griffin, he heard a very soft cry behind him:

     "Master Hope?"

     He turned. Aya was standing bashfully before him; her face was bathed in a sort of girlish sheepishness. However, her eyes were different; they were brimming with determination. It was as if she had made up her mind about something.

     "Ha! Looks like everyone's in one piece, after all. Not bad, huh?" Baiyi replied, grinning slyly as he waved his ice-chunk of a left arm in greeting.

     Aya took a large, courageous step forward towards the Soul Armature. "Thank you, Master Hope. Thank you for saving us all."

     She gently placed a hand on her chest and the other behind her back. Her watery eyes gazed deep into Baiyi's…

     He felt her fiery passion, and it was starting to embarrass him a little again. "Oh! Er, glad to help. Yea, glad to help."'Didn't you switch back to formalities already? …What's with this now?'

     "Mr. Hope, I know you're probably worn out, but I… There are some things in my chest that I must let out." Aya tilted her head downwards slightly, attempting to slow down the speed at which her face was reddening.

     Then just as quickly, she raised her head. Her eyes contained emotions so strong, anyone could tell exactly what they were. "May I express my feelings?"

     What could the Fifth Walker do at this point? He only nodded.

     "Mr. Hope, I really like you."

     Aya looked up at him and brought her palms together before her chest. Her face held an earnest expression and was fresh with candor.

     Chaos continued to ensue around them, yet as the sun rose and shone, brightening up a side of their faces, the stiff confession was suddenly filled with a hazy air of affection.

     "Aya… you know, don't you? I —" Baiyi was just starting to explain himself when the girl gently placed her hand on his mask, cutting his sentence off.

     "I know." She couldn't hold back her tears anymore.

     "I know you can't feel the same for me, but it's alright," she added, softly, allowing herself to be pushed forward by the sudden momentum of courage, and she pressed herself into his embrace until her forehead was resting on his chest plate.

     "I like you, and that's all that matters."

     Baiyi sighed. What else could he say?

     "If you could, would you hug me? Jus—just think of this as a request from a despicable flirt who has no knowledge of boundaries…" Aya said very quietly after she summoned another bit of courage.

     Baiyi nodded and hugged her gently.

     Her ears were still teary, but her lips curled into a contented smile. She closed her eyes tight and placed her hands on his chest.

     Wearing a pair of black heels, she stood on her tiptoes and planted a gentle kiss on his mask.

     "Thank you, Mr. Hope."

     The girl turned and ran, leaving a trail of tears behind her, until she became a silhouette in the distance.

     Baiyi wanted to stop her from leaving, but he was equally lost on how to do that. When he had extended his hand to grab her, all he saw was a long chunk of ice, which her tears had dripped on.

     The Voidwalkers understood that he was having a complicated moment and supported him with their silence; each feeling sad for the dragon girl on their own.

     Only one voice, like a whisper, remained in Baiyi's ears. It was the oft-taciturn Warrior.

     "Did she smell good?"

     "Mm."

     "Was she soft?"

     "Mm."

     "...Hmph!"

     "Hey now! It's nothing… like what you are thinking! I can explain!" Baiyi tried to clarify, but the Warrior went quiet. He tried to poke her with his consciousness, but she slapped the poke away instead.

     'What can I even do?' Baiyi had no idea.

     After a while, the Warrior spoke again.

     "What is it that you like about her? Soft and cute? Docile?"

     "No, nothing like that —"

     "Is it the golden-blond hair? Is it the horsetail? Is it the black half-transparent long dress?"

     "Don't fixate on the details! And… as I said, it's nothing like what you're thinking!"

     "Hmph!"

     This time, the Warrior stayed quiet.

     'The mind of this sprite-like lady is truly unfathomable…'So they are all gonna be beamed up!Gosh. This… This sounded so familiar. I wonder…? Will the aftermath be a mirror of our world…?]

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     230 The Old Geezer Cheats Again!

      Just like that, under Baiyi's care, the girls headed to the closest city atop the back of a slow griffin, whose owner was unknown. On their way, they met some of the patrolling mages, who halted them and questioned them. They let pass them through when they learned of Baiyi's title.

     After an unimportant but eventful journey, Baiyi brought the sleeping girls out of the Mage Tower in Arfin city, then returned to the Aegis Mansion with a hired carriage.

     The place was clean because they had hired someone to clean the house before they left.

     The girl themselves could not care less about hygiene, though. They were so tired that they skipped bathtime and went to their own rooms. After a slip and a fall, they fell asleep — literally.

     It could not be helped; Baiyi had to sit at the side of their bed with a warm towel and scrub off the dirt from their face, hands, and legs. He spent more time on their face because he was poking their cheeks and playing around with their faces. When he was done, he covered them with their blanket.

     Then he went to the yard, and from his stomach, he took out his potted plants and placed them back in their own place.

     After all of these important chores, he crossed the mansion and went to his lab, where dust had mercilessly accumulated because he had banned every servant from going there.

     He melted the ice chunks on his body, then he washed the lab.

     However, as soon as he melted the ice, the parts of his body that it was holding together immediately clanged down onto the floor like a metallic shower. He had to clean the lab while picking up his own mask, gauntlets, tassets, and such that had fallen onto the floor.

     The scene did look a bit like something straight out from a horror movie.

     In the end, the almost-all-parts-missing Fifth Walker had to sit on a chair and repair his body. He placed the scattered metals back into place as though they were puzzle pieces — but somehow, for whatever reason, it seemed like there were far more bolts and nails than he had expected, and he had no idea where they had fallen off from. It was awkward just to place all of them there.

     Of course, in his storage pouch there was another set of armor — the obsidian one, and honestly, the worth of that set was much more valuable than the set of mithril armor that Baiyi had been wearing. For example, it was so much sturdier.

     The thing was that Baiyi had very little interest in changing into a body made of that material. He was so placid about it that he had procrastinated fixing it for a long period of time, and it was still not completed.

     He was certain that he would always be a sorcerer, so obsidian — with their stellar magic-absorbing property—would affect his spell or magic. He really had no desire to put that on, so he began to consider just selling off the set.

     'Uh, I remember that it is hard to sell it, too. Let's just keep it for any Walker I release in the future.'

     "Alright, alright! Quit being such a bore, Sir Hope! We just saved 100s of millions of people! It is our time to kick back and have fun, right? Come on, let's celebrate!" the Blacksmith said. "Time for another MMORPG, right?"

     'Well, he's not wrong. Time to relax a little.'

     Baiyi reclined on the chair, placing his legs on top of the lab table — assuming the universal pose attributed to "relax". In the Void, he had started building the world where their next game was gonna be hosted in…

     Since that they had just gone through an exciting and nerve-edging real life exodus, most of the Voidwalkers were looking to recreate that sense of tension and unrest over one's own life, so they decided on a battle royale game. More specifically, Baiyi created a game similar to Playerunknown's Battlegrounds; the Voidwalkers were tossed out of a plane and into an empty ghost city. To survive, they had to collect all sorts of weapons, bullets, and supplements in order to fight other Walkers.

     To restrict the participants choice of movement and survival strategies, Baiyi even created an endemic lethal gas attack that spread every once in a while, so there were less safe zones in the game, forcing the Walkers to fight each other even more frequently.

     About 20 or so Walkers had joined in the game — except those who were sleeping and those who never had any interest in playing, almost everyone had joined in. It seemed that everyone was really enjoying themselves.

     Of course, as the game was designed to be a sandbox, the number of players were too few for the game to be more exciting. So Baiyi had created some NPC to join in the fray as well.

     The game had not gone on for long when the system sent out a notification that the Archmage had been crushed to death under a truck driven by an NPC. Behold, the first to be kicked out of the game!

     This is one embarrassing teacher I have here.

     After a while, Baiyi saw that the Caveman had a gigantic saber in his arm as he courageously leaped onto the Scholar, who in turn was holding a shotgun. This battle should have had a foregone conclusion, but after a few seconds — the Scholar had died.

     'Hey Scholar, were you holding a fire poker that just happened to look like a gun?'

     Later on, a few more Voidwalkers were eliminated. Some Voidwalkers were like the Caveman; they had no liking towards guns and similar machinery, and from this group, some were just, well, idiots who had no idea how guns work.

     For instance, the Shadow and the Cleric, who both eventually met each other. These two Church-based Walkers immediately prepped to launch into a gunfight to the death; however, neither had any ammo in their guns, so after they had pointed their guns at each other's chest and pulled the trigger, firing off literally nothing, the Paladin, who wore the most durable bulletproof vest and helmet, zipped into the scene, riding on a heavy motorbike, and —

     He killed two birds with one vehicle.

     "Ahahaha! My awesome presence has me reminiscing my old, glorious days!" Biker Paladin bellowed as he visualized the bulletproof vest and the helmet as his old armor set, and the bike as his old faithful horse. He was jubilant as he plowed through the plains with his bike, remembering his good old days.

     Then his bike suddenly hit a bump, flew into the air and flipped 360 degrees, causing the Paladin to fall off from the bike — to his death.

     The winners of the game were, without a doubt, the NPCs. The Voidwalkers were terrible in their performance. Only a few of them performed slightly better: the Blacksmith and the Engineer, who both already had interests and knowledge in human inventions, and the Assassin herself, who had an advantage because of her skill in ambush and hiding. At least these three had actually managed to defeat a few NPCs before dying, unlike the others who had all been massacred.

     Faced with their pathetic report card, the Voidwalkers refused the result, stating that they were just testing the water. They were gonna show their true power in the second round!

     And still, the first to get booted off in the next round was the person who the world had recognized as the Most Powerful Emperor in History, Sir "Sage-Emperor of the Magi"; he did not die because of a car crash this time, but something even less dignifying…

     As the Archmage was searching for items, he did not notice the Hitman who had approached him. The Hitman had no weapon to kill his prey with, so he… well — he hit his target with his bare fist, many, many times.

     All the Archmage did at that time was ask, "Hey! Is my character bleeding or something? Am I being attacked?"

     Then, he died. He became the first and only person that the Hitman had killed in an attempt that almost resembled an actual assassination rather than direct confrontation.

     To be killed by the Hitman who had never even succeeded in killing anyone covertly was one of the least dignifying things anyone could think of.

     After finally completing his first ever kill without anyone realizing it was him, the Hitman laughed hard into the sky, "I did it, Ma! Did you see? Hahahahhahah!"

     Fueled by the fact that the one he had just killed was none other than the Sage-Emperor of the Magi, he procured a lot of weapons and hid in one of the tall bushes, waiting for his second prey.

     Very soon, the Soul Armature Practitioner, who wore a stuffed backpack and had an auto rifle in hand, appeared in proximity.

     He suddenly fired off a barrage of bullets into the bushes in front of him and ran away. As he fled, the Soul Armature Practitioner was muttering to himself, "Why the hell did I even do that? I just… I just felt like someone was hiding in the bushes…?"

     With a dozen bullets lodged in his body, the Hitman died bitterly with regrets.

     Aside from little mishaps like these, the Voidwalkers did show much more promise this time around. At least, they now knew how to avoid and retaliate against the low-level AIs of NPCs. Even the book smart-and-not-street smart representative, the Scholar, managed to retaliate against an NPC for a while.

     Very soon, it was obvious that a few Walkers were meant to play games like these—such as the Blacksmith and the Assassin. In the end, the Assassin beat the Engineer with a very slight margin.

     The Archmage was restless as he watched. He poked Baiyi secretly and whispered, "My beloved student! Are you really contented with seeing your beloved master get destroyed like this?"

     'Who would have thought you're such a noob?' Baiyi thought.

     "I'm just bad at single combats, okay! Why, as you know, back when I—"

     'I know I know, okay? Gods, let's just continue,' Baiyi replied in his mind helplessly.

     He did understand that the Archmage was never used to fighting alone. He had never had a Mano A Mano with anyone in his life. The Archmage had always been surrounded by all kinds of powerhouses, so if anything went south, the Archmage and his powerhouse allies would just gang-banged the shit out of the opponents.

     Baiyi didn't consider that a problem or anything; it was just something that would be more advantageous in real life. Why would anyone even consider a one-on-one duel of honor or whatever? Plus, he was an emperor. What kind of people would want to fight the emperor?

     With that, Baiyi decided to help his teacher. He secretly rigged the NPCs' actions so that they would secretly protect the Archmage, and allow him to obtain as much resources as possible. Hence, with the help of the NPCs, the Archmage was finally faring much better in the game…

     'What else can I do? He's my teacher.'

     And then the Archmage and the NPCs met the Warrior.

     'Now what am I gonna do — ?!' Baiyi was thrown into a dilemma. 'Who do I help?'

     All it took was that one second of hesitation, wherein the NPCs stood idle, for the Warrior to fire off one lone, far-ranged shot at the Archmage. Boom, headshot, Archmage died, and she left.

     'Dude? Can you play this game in a stealthier way? Must you prance about on the streets?'

     Then, the Archmage, who was fresh out of the game — again, bitterly complained to Baiyi, "No! This woman is a no!"

     'What no?! I was even helping you in secret, yet you still sucked. Now it's someone else's fault because they're good?'

     "You! Are! My! Heir to the throne! But this woman—she's too wicked; she's too sly, and she cannot be the empress!"

     'W-what empress? Is this old geezer finally having dementia or something? His sentences don't even make sense! First, what heir? You don't even your country anymore!'

     'And also, how was the Warrior wicked and sly? You're not being fair here, old man!'

     Baiyi was obviously messed up by the Archmage's rant, which made him remember the Warrior's previous exchange with him. With these thoughts in his head, he did not even pay attention to the winner of the third round.Speeding, or because of race? Drunk driving? Hahaha.…. see the section 'TL musings'.

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     231 Give Up That Unrealistic Dream Of Yours

      The girls were only able to get up lazily from their beds late that night. Without a care for how inappropriately they were dressed, the girls picked up some underwear and headed to the bathroom in giggles, completely ignoring Baiyi, who had just come out from the laboratory when he heard the noise.

     Moments later, more bursts of girlish giggles could be heard from the bathroom. The ongoing conversation could be faintly heard:

     "Speaking of which, when I was sleeping, I felt someone poking my face..."

     "Me too, it felt like someone was rubbing my leg... was it just an illusion? Maybe we were too exhausted, so our minds played tricks on us..."

     Baiyi immediately left the house to get dinner for the girls…

     When he returned, the girls were done with their bath. Their faces had been stained red by the steam from their bath, and they lazily slung themselves over the sofa in the living hall. Fresh out of the shower, the blush had stretched across their bare, fair skin; it had been brought to the surface of their skin by the heated water from earlier. Feeling very comfortable at home, without many clothes on, this alluring spectacle was boldly displayed before Baiyi.

     "Cough, cough... someone from the restaurant will be delivering dinner in a while; perhaps, you should put on more clothes..." said Baiyi awkwardly as he swiftly pulled his gaze away from Mia's body. He had no idea what was wrong with the little rascal; she had wrapped her entire body around Attie. With their limbs intertwined, Mia was rubbing against her face against Attie's. The two girls — the scent and charm of ebony and ivory — were entangled and intertwined in such a way that the scene was too... indecent to look at.

     Thank heavens that only Baiyi alone was allowed to savor this side — or sight… of them. Upon hearing that someone would be coming over, they quickly scurried upstairs to put on proper clothing. A while later, a marvelous spread was served on the dining table in the hall.

     Baiyi sat next to Mia as the girls happily dug into the feast, and he helped to cut up the lamb chop — which was an absolute favorite of the girls — into smaller pieces and placed a piece into everyone's plate. As he busied himself, he took the opportunity to give an overall compliment. "Everyone performed very well this time! You have all worked hard; I am incredibly proud of you."

     "Although Master said we saved the lives of a hundred million people, but... why don't I feel...anything?I only remembered that I was just following Sharky's guidance, focusing on weaving the spell..." Tisdale confessed in a humble manner.

     "I also think that... I didn't do much," echoed Mia. 'Why does it feel like... there was nothing deserving of this praise?'

     "It's impossible for one person to pull off such a feat, so everyone's effort is significant. This victory belongs to everyone — so, of course, the glory belongs to everyone, as well!" Baiyi said positively towards the Mia and Tisdale.

     "Is that so? The fact that I helped everyone... that's something worth being happy about, I suppose, especially being able to do so with Sir Hope!" cried Mia happily.

     'Such a well-behaved girl!' Listening to Mia's joyful ramblings, Baiyi warmly caressed her head, causing Tisdale who was standing beside her to put on hopeful expression as well. Hence, Baiyi stood between them and caressed their heads at the same time –

     smiles of satisfaction and joy broke out on their faces simultaneously.

     Sometimes all it took was one or two compliments or a heart-warming action for one to experience the little pleasures in life. Thus, the banquet which held after a week in celebration of the realm's victory paled in comparison to this warm family dinner.

     Baiyi and his family had no choice but to attend the banquet, not because it was a special invite not from mere aristocrats, but because the invite had come from Rowan himself, so they had to show some form of courtesy by showing up. The girls seemed very worked up over the event — except Attie — because they had never had the opportunity to attend a royal affair like this.

     However, their nervousness did not stop them from dressing magnificently. They were easily the center of attention during the banquet.

     King Rowan was the first person Baiyi encountered during the banquet. Technically speaking, he should be addressed as 'Prince Rowan' instead... The fact that the Walthart Emperor had acknowledged him as a prince of a different surname, it was not hard to guess what kind of political deals were going on behind the scenes. A hundred million lives in exchange for a title of prince; it seemed a little feudal, but this deal was a bloody loss no matter how it was perceived.

     In this world, the population was a highly important capital. In a society void of professions — and one where magic was not used in production — manpower was a highly sought-after resource. Furthermore, this band of refugees were not just humans that merely reproduce and collapse, most of them consisted of sturdy, young men. Hence, excluding the ones recruited into the infantry, the remaining refugees were eyed hungrily by every single aristocrat as extremely prized possessions.

     If it was not for negotiation successfully bargained between the Emperor and the kingdom, the refugees could have been treated as slaves instantly, loaded up the carts like cattle and be readied to be auctioned. Instead, they were given proper identification as recognized citizens of the land.

     Meeting Rowan for the second time, the scene got a little awkward. To be honest, a prince-titled, marquis-ranked noble like him was nothing compared to Baiyi — a hero who had saved the world twice. Baiyi might be a commoner without any flashy titles and ranks, but he was someone admired and respected by the dignitaries. Hence, during this encounter, Prince Rowan initiated the pleasantries as a form of respect.

     "No matter what it was, you still protected your people, Your Highness. That was an unexpected tragedy, it was no one's fault." Baiyi was totally uninterested in power. He did not put on the arrogance of a savior; instead, he offered his condolences and patted the Prince Rowan's shoulder in an amicable manner

     Baiyi's congeniality stemmed unrealistic ideas in the Prince's heart. After exchanging more pleasantries, he steered the topic of discussion towards the direction of marriage.

     "Over there — that's my youngest son, Jerincho Rowan." With a glass of wine in hand, Prince Rowan pointed towards a handsome boy who was in the middle of entertaining other dignitaries. "He is quite outstanding... being able to blend in the circle of nobles so quickly," said the Prince, with a hint of cockiness.

     'What's this trash up to? He wouldn't mean to have me take that lad under my wing, would it? No offense, boys are not welcomed... no, not even lads dressed as girls!' Baiyi mulled as he listened on.

     Prince Rowan babbled on and on, and his gaze never ceased to linger on Baiyi's girls from time to time. Furthermore, he emphasized greatly on how his 'Prince' title was hereditary; how it might not render unlimited power like Gouve's, but it was still considered the most influential amongst the aristocrats. He went on to hint not-so-subtly that he still held significant influence over the Brotherhood of Fire Wyverns, and last but not least, he mentioned how his loyal guards had managed to salvage most of the treasure during the evacuation, obviously flaunting his wealth.

     At the end of the end — finally — he proposed the idea of marriage. "Just think about it, Sir Hope, we should allow the youngsters from both sides to mingle around more, eh? This would definitely bring us both..."

     After Prince Rowan revealed his true intentions, Baiyi was no longer interested in listening further. Placing both his palms on each side of the Prince's shoulders, Baiyi stared directly into his eyes as he made his message loud and clear, uttering each word intelligibly.

     "Listen up, give up this unrealistic dream of yours — do NOT come and disrupt my students, or else, be prepared to witness an apocalypse even worse than the last..."

     After delivering his message, he turned on his heels and left the scene with the girls.

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     232 Not Really A Position For Me

      "Father? Father!"

     The youngest son, the pride of Prince Rowan, shook his father's shoulders hard.

     The newly-titled Prince finally roused from his fear-induced trance and trembled. He used to palm to rub his forehead, then he stared at the palm. The skin was soaked in glistening cold sweat.

     "Father, what happened?" The young prince asked.

     The Prince shook his head. The terror was still lingering within his heart. He thought he had seen everything under the sun, including an Armageddon, so he was logically immune to every sort of mortal terror — but that was not the case at all.

     When Baiyi had made his rejection clear, Prince Rowan felt like an ant facing an ancient, towering mountain.

     He gulped even more wine, letting it slush and whirl within his belly in order to ease himself. As his color returned to his face, he fell into a deep contemplation, 'Just who is Master Hope? Why does he emit a mien far more lethal than death?'

     "F-father! What really happened? I saw you talking to Master Hope merrily, and suddenly, I found you like this. Are you feeling unwell?"

     "Rest your head; I'm well," The Prince tapped the back of his son's hand, feigning his composure.

     "So, how did the talk go? About my marriage," The young prince asked.

     As one of the best the royal family, Young Prince Jerincho Rowan had invested extensive and long thoughts into the matter of his own marriage. He never chose his partner on any basis that was not about benefits. He believed that in order to have a strong standing among the Walthart ruling court, his father would use him through some sort of political marriage, or even have him marry into the wife's family.

     When he had heard that his partner was to be one of Master Hope's students, he was relieved. In fact, he was a little excited.

     The young prince Jerincho knew that he ever had a connection with a powerhouse like Master Hope, the other nobles and politicians would then mean nothing. A connection like this would add merits directly to the family base power, acting as a key factor to the family's ability to stand out from others. This would be more dependable than mere political marriage.

     Plus, look at the students under Master Hope's tutelage! They were all beauties in their own rights, and each of them brought a special brand of countenance with them. If he could, he would not mind starting a harem with all four of them!

     However, if the Young Prince Jerincho was compelled to only choose one, he would choose the maiden who could sprout wings behind her back; she must be deeply connected with the Church, so if he could get her, he would be on good terms with the Church. If it was not for his father's specific warning not to act recklessly, he would have stuck out his tongue and done everything he could to court her!

     Too bad, reality had shown that the Young Prince had been dreaming too much. There was no longer a talk. Since Prince Rowan and Baiyi both understood their own positions, none of them decided to pursue the matter any more than they already had.

     Prince Rowan had already decided that even if he could not make a close friend, he would not make a new enemy, either. Thus, he looked at the young Prince Jerincho and commanded, "Never ever talk to those girls, understand? Don't even look at them longer than you are allowed!"

     "F-father…?" The Young Prince looked at his father in confusion. He had no idea why the man had done a great 180 on this issue.

     Then it hit him; he said it out loud, "So… So that Hope rejected us? A civilian like him rejected an offer of marriage from a Prince?"

     "If it was just a clean rejection it would have been much better," Prince Rowan smiled mirthlessly. Baiyi had not just rejected him — he had threatened Prince Rowan! Of course, not that it was something he could not do; after all, the same man threatened the entire country right in front of him and his vassals. Therefore, threatening a Prince alone would have been easy for him.

     "Just remember: never treat him as another mere civilian. You must remember! Or else, I fear something worse than death may await you," Prince Rowan gave a foreboding warning to his son.

     This royal family seemed to have placed Baiyi on a pedestal, but the sentiment was hardly returned. Baiyi could not even care less about an emperor, so what's a prince to him? He never had seen the values in authorities like these.

     Most of the Voidwalkers seemed to approve of the Prince, though.

     "Hey, that guy's pretty good! I mean, look at him — he did not wet his pants when faced with your true mien, so I gotta commend his bravery," the Thane commented. "Looks like he has seen some shits before."

     "Hee hee. I count him lucky that Hope's in a good mood today, or a royal head would have rolled for daring to plan a political marriage with Baiyi's girls," the Shadow added teasingly.

     "Hey, that's what a king does," Baiyi replied matter-of-factly. "Besides, I'm very good at deals…"

     Just as the Fifth Walker was engaged in some quarrel with the other Walkers, the crier had started announcing the arrival of Emperor Walthart the Third.

     The entire room fell silent, and all eyes were strained respectfully towards the young man striding in.

     This was also the first time Baiyi had seen the Emperor. He did not expect the Emperor to be this young. Upon hearing his name, especially "the Third" attached to the title, Baiyi realized that this young empire had already outlived two emperors.

     The average life expectancy of this universe was lower than Earth's, but for those who are powerful — or those aided by powerful fighters — they could easily survive and reach one to two hundred years. The Walthart empire had only been established for about two centuries, yet this Emperor was already the third one. That was even more frequent than the change of chief in a normal noble family!

     According to formal history and other apocryphal, Walthart the First died not long after he was crowned the emperor, with the injuries and diseased sustained during his long years of conquest being cited as the cause of his death. Meanwhile, the Second was not a fighter on his own, as his hobbies were poems and arts. He died young by indulging in too many vices, and so the throne was passed to this man seen today.

     Fortunately, many of the vassals who had helped establish the empire, except for Vidomina's father The Duke of Wright, was still alive and kicking — some were even capable of exchanging meaningful glances with a few of the noble ladies in the banquet today — so the empire was still strong.

     Additionally, with the recent rise in the population due to the migrants, including the trades and talents the migrants brought along with them, any analyst would predict a new wave of propitious growth for the nation.

     Hence, the young emperor was in an exceptionally great mood at this moment. He didn't even care that his presence had stiffened some of the liveliness of the banquet because when one is happy and they knew it, they could do whatever they wanted.

     He even took it as his role to thank everyone who had participated in the refugees' rescue effort, making it seem as if he was already their ruler, and there was nothing inappropriate in his speech.

     "Alright, now where's the hero who saved a realm yet again? Show yourself, Master Hope!" The emperor heartily bellowed as he stood in the middle of the banquet.

     Baiyi thought the man was quite the imbecile. However, he responded out of courtesy anyway, leading his students to move from their corner towards the center stage.

     The crowd roared in amazement. They were shocked at the shabby armor he was wearing and awed at how beautiful his students were.

     "Nice to meet you, Mr. Hope!" The emperor took a glass from his servant and raised it high. "To our great hero!"

     Other nobles imitated him, and everyone drained their glasses in one gulp. At the emperor's lead, the banquet erupted into thunderous applause.

     Three of the girls were visibly uncomfortable with the occasion. They were flustered and anxious, but Attie was calmer. She stood by Baiyi's side in silence, gently rubbing her side on him.

     After the applause died, the Emperor again took over the spotlight by lavishing praises on Baiyi, crowning him with so many titles, names and extolments, including: "very great man—very talented man; you're so talented, it's hard for one to believe" and such.

     The Archmage could not resist dropping a remark about his fellow emperor's orating skill. With a serious tone, the Archmage said out loud, "Gosh, he can really make stories sound more charming, huh? I don't even think he is talking about you anymore!"

     There was a hint of jealousy in his comment, of course. When he was emperor, the Archmage was not really known for his speeches and gab.

     After the barrage of overexaggerated extolments, Baiyi felt his neck cracking under the weight of so many titles. Then, he heard the Emperor say, "So, Master Hope, what do you hope to achieve next? I'm very sure everyone here would love to know, too."

     The room fell into silence upon his question. They looked alerted, even Prince Rowan, as they waited for his response.

     Baiyi shrugged. "Nothing much. Teaching and spending time with the kids, I guess."

     The Emperor thought he had heard Baiyi wrong. That answer had left the Emperor stunned. Furrowing his eyebrow, he analyzed Baiyi's reply, checking to see if that would bring any hidden implications to light. After a while, admitting there really was none, the young Emperor smiled in embarrassment and replied, "I have once heard that Master Hope was a man with little desire for fame and fortune. Today, I see the rumors are true."

     "Yet, Master Hope," The Emperor said after a pause. "For a man with a power like yours, do you not think that you should serve larger causes? I respect your wishes, but Arfin city is quickly proving herself to be too small a stage for your greatness. So, tell me, what do you think about being the vice principal of the Royal Academy?"

     The Emperor had ceased being flowery with his words and cut straight to the chase. As the word "Royal Academy" was uttered, the crowd exploded into a cry of awe.

     It was obvious what this Academy was; Its students were either from the royal main and branch families or the very elite of all nobles. Being the vice principal would mean being the mentor for these future rulers of the empire—a connection even stronger than mere political marriages.

     The emperor's intention was clear: he wanted to introduce Baiyi straight into the heart of the ruling class. A position like this was akin to the position of a duke — plus the countless benefits one could reap. Perhaps, even Prince Rowan himself would rather have that position.

     Baiyi did not expect such a gift. He could bet that no one else in the room could offer something so remotely formidable. He initially thought he would just be gifted materially, and perhaps be bestowed with some title.

     His heart was moved a little.

     Using the position as a vice principal, he could easily charm the students in the academy with his charm and wits, turning them into his personal fan club. Furthermore, when these mindless fans grew up to become governors of the country, he could control them until he got close to the nucleus of the empire. And in the end, with all of the resources in his hand, he could finally free the Walkers out from the Void!

     He really felt like giving it a shot.

     However, it was just a passing thought. This idealistic path would never be as smooth when applied in reality. There were too many uncertainties, too many variables to account for, and if he made a slip, he would lose everything. The time and effort that would be spent was not worth the reward.

     Plus, he might have to make decisions that would go against his will and belief — hell, accepting the offer would already be against his character.

     Thus, after much thought, he shook his head sideways — to the shock of the attendants.

     "Much gratitude for your offer, Your Highness, but I'm content with my current life."

     The Emperor's face fell. He had not expected a no at all. "Master Hope, do you even comprehend the meaning of that position?"

     "I can assure you that I do, Your Highness." Baiyi nodded. "However, I truly do not have the slightest interest in such matters. I hope Your Highness would understand that as everyone else has convictions that they cannot abandon, I have mine — and that's taking care of these kids."

     He wrapped his arms around Mia and Tisdale's shoulders as if he was showing off his ownership of these four girls.

     The Emperor furrowed his brows as if lost in thought. The other nobles were just as curious as they discussed quietly among themselves on Baiyi's choice.

     After a long while, the Emperor nodded. "Alright. I respect your decision. Master Hope truly is Saint Noel's true friend. The two of you have no desire for material and fame."

     'Fuck no! Who's this "true friend" of that gentleman? !— Not me! How the hell did my stupid fib spread all over the universe?!'

     At this moment, almost everyone present felt pity for Baiyi's loss because he gave up such a prestigious position, except for a few pairs of eyes that were shining brightly at this revelation. The Church's people were beaming with admiration at Baiyi's character—just as the noble Saint Noel was imagined to be.

     'He truly is the Apostle's kindred spirit. They even have the same personality!'

     If Baiyi had read their minds, he would have jumped up and strangled them till the words died at their throats, probably. He would always deny having anything similar to that gentleman!

     The Emperor cut off the gradually increasing noise stemming from the nobles' discussion. "It is understandable for Master Hope to reject my offer of position, but I sincerely hope that you would not do the same for my next gift, for it would give me a very difficult standing, you see…"Er, Ye Facebooke?

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     233 Exquisite Taste in Women

      After the Emperor had said those words, he snapped his finger, and a soft "hoy!" echoed from the crowd. Close to the entrance, people moved to a side, opening a path for a staff of servants carrying a long box draped in canvas.

     The procession stopped in front of Baiyi, and the box was unloaded. The Emperor said nothing; he only mirthfully gestured at it.

     Baiyi lifted the canvas, and somehow, triggered a mechanism in the box. The box's four sides fell one by one, revealing its content.

     It was a set of silver-grey armor. Its craftsmanship was a paragon of aesthetic; graceful carvings were etched on its dazzling surface. A pair of small wings were carved on the shoulder plates, and even the gauntlets were not exempted from the dexterity of its maker as every finger boasted its own elegant marking.

     These carvings were not only there to serve as decorations. They served a practical purpose because they followed a certain type of magical circuit, with certain crucial parts blank so that the user could make their own adjustment and calibration to personalize it with any specific magical enchantment.

     If one carefully stared at the silvery-grey metal for long enough, they would notice a bright glow emanating out from the armor — for it was imbued with mana. If Baiyi was to highlight a flaw in this armor, it would be the mask. First, the mask was chiseled to look like a human's — or more specifically, a noble's — face; then the helm was quite edgy with its two long antlers stuck on either side, making it seem as if one could ram someone to death when wearing this. These parts combined with the tiny wings made the armor looked…. animesque.

     Of course, these were such small bones to pick! Baiyi would not be stupid enough to let these little details disparage the value of this beauty. He stepped closer, and after a close examination, he said, "Augustril?"

     Augustril was a special alchemical material, invented by one incredible pious alchemist on one incredibly pious day, out of a divine accident. The alchemist wanted to experiment on mixing all kinds of normal alchemical materials and those found in the church — holy water, holy ashes, votive candlewax, etc. — in a quest to create the most sacred of all materials. He realized that mithril had the best compatibility with these materials, and after combining them, the original magical property within mithril became greatly enhanced.

     Feeling overjoyed, the man christened this composite material "Augustril", a name that annotates to the "sacred silver"— and then earned some earthly moolah from this.

     The formula had since been reviewed and perfected throughout centuries, to the point that it no longer had its original holiness or religious undertone. The original Church materials used in the combination had since been replaced by better materials, and when they were combined with highly-concentrated mithril, an even more exceptional Augustril was created. The reason why the name stuck despite the absence of the "holiness" was out of respect for its originator.

     Hence, the Augustril armor before Baiyi's eyes was the best armor for sorcerers. It was second only to the weapons and armors of fables and legends. If Obsidian armors were the best for physical fighters, then one could say that this very one is the most perfect for all sorcerers.

     "Do you like it?" The Emperor popped up beside Baiyi. The Emperor believed, from Baiyi's attitude, that although Baiyi had no attachment to high-ranking positions or ruling power, he may still have a normal person's material leaning. This had greatly relieved the Emperor's stress, frankly, because the hardest gift to get is the to gift to a man with absolutely no desires.

     "Truly magnificent," Baiyi replied earnestly.

     "She's called 'The Sanctus'. She was made by the master of the dwarves in Marle, combined with our Isythrian alchemy—making it a product of the geniuses of two realms. A priceless item from my collection," the Emperor explained.

     Baiyi had no reason to doubt him. Augustril may not be very expensive inherently, but crafting with the materials it contained required extreme skills. Besides, Augustril production was scarce because its production was completely monopolized by the empire. The common man or even the common noble would not be able to get it even if they had the money. It was hard to estimate its value.

     Owning a set of armor made out of Augustril may not showcase one's financial capabilities, but it could easily lend its wearer prestige that could only be revealed to the trained eyes. That was the true value of the armor.

     Of course, frankly, compared to the position of vice principal of the Royal Academy, the armor was still a little less valuable.

     Baiyi had no care for those sorts of things. He just thought the Sanctus as an incredible boon for his role as a sorcerer. Prestige and names? He could gain those from other avenues.

     "Now, she's yours." The Emperor clapped on his shoulder. "I know it's so insignificant, compared to the achievements you had made — and the lives you saved — when you'd saved two realms, but this is my sincere gift to show my gratitude — and, perhaps, a token of our mutual affection…"

     'Why does this sound a little gay?'

     Baiyi hurriedly thanked the Emperor. A gift like this was just the sort he would gladly accept.

     A few royal sorcerers were summoned, and with Little Mia's cooperation, Baiyi managed to change into his new armor.

     It was just as perfect as it looked. The Sanctus was even adjusted to the needs and characteristics of a Soul Armature, with additional parts being added into the internal structure. The flexibility of every ball and every joint was impeccable, and Baiyi did not even have to make any adjustments of his own.

     Interestingly, the mask was made out of leathery silver. With the right magic imbued into it, the features of the face could actually change according to his expression!

     The biggest show on the banquet was thus concluded. The Emperor then lavished the group with so much money and jewelry that even the girls had their own. The amount gifted to them was enormous. It was possible that the gifts were to compensate for the fact that they could not be bestowed with titles like duchess and ladies. In this empire, women could not be knighted as their titles are inherited, so the women who made contributions would usually have their family members bestowed with a title, or they could choose to be compensated materialistically.

     It was a good thing the Emperor had not offered his sons' hands to the girls. He may have heard something about how badly that would go with Baiyi, and so he acted more wisely than Prince Rowan.

     Afterward, the banquet went into the most boring and torturous part: chitchats among the aristocrats. These fat cows surrounded Baiyi and his students, greeting them or trying their hardest to come up with small talks. Some of them were even Dukes in their own rights, who all sought to hire Baiyi as their children's personal mentor, or their family advisor—but none was accepted.

     He forced himself to brave the flood of nobles and gently let down their plans for him, while simultaneously watching those young nobles and their actions towards the four girls like a hawk. The Fifth Walker felt like he may have found one battle he had no firm chance of winning.

     And it worsened.

     A little girl, who looked even younger than Mia, donned a red dress and had her golden hair plaited. Her face brimmed with excitement and joy as she suddenly popped up from the crowd and hugged his thigh, crying, "Papa!"

     It echoed through the hall, and everyone went quiet.

     Baiyi was just as taken aback. He thought that some aristocrat might have plotted against him by sending a random kid to do this in front of the Emperor, but when he looked down — it was none other than Mordred.

     "Papa, you look even more handsome-er!" Mordred grinned widely, baring her cute two fangs.

     'So, anyone who's named Mordred would always be daddy-adhesive? You're latching yourself onto me because Aya's your mom instead of dad, right? I mean, look at me! I'd even changed my looks, so why the hell do I still look like your actual father?'

     The crowd gave a collective sigh of shock. Little Mia, who remembered their conversation back then in the dragon knights' plain, was frantic. She hugged Baiyi tightly from the side and glared at Mordred vigilantly, without a shred of the sisterly closeness they used to exhibit — as if they were both fighting for something.

     'Is she fighting for daddy, or fighting or something else entirely…?'

     Just as everyone was starting to discuss the implications — such as the idea that maybe someone had invented magic for Soul Armatures to "plant seeds everywhere, and then abandon the wild flowers they had created; or, that someone had pulled out a dirty prank to insult the great hero—a very scarlet-faced Aya popped out from the crowd and yanked Mordred back behind her.

     She looked at Baiyi with a pitiful expression, as if she was about to burst into tears right there and then.

     "Mr. Hope I'm s-s-so, so sorry! Th-this kid refused to l-l-listen to me…" She stammered. She was so ashamed and frenetic that it was even more painful to see. She was even wearing that same, eventful black dress…

     She had been invited to the banquet as well, it seemed. Perhaps she chose this dress again because Baiyi had stared at her longer than usual when she had put it on back then?

     After the confession, the dragon-lady was so ashamed after she calmed down from her 'hormonal tide', she wished she could just run into a wall and die from of the concussion. Yet, she just had to see him again — a silhouette in the distance at the banquet.

     She could not bring herself to greet him, even if Mordred obviously wanted that. She had held the girl tautly into place.

     Until, she accidentally let go, and the kid went and did the unthinkable.

     "I'm sorry, everyone. My child is young; she knows not what she says. I'm so sorry if she offended everyone," Aya apologized profusely to everyone in the hall, even dragging Mordred along and knelt before the Emperor.

     "Bwahahahha! Oh, I've heard that kids love Master Hope, but I never knew that it was to this extent! Miss Aya, please rise. That was just a misunderstanding, wasn't it?" the Emperor replied heartily, helping the poor girl's case by standing on her side.

     With the Emperor's words, the crowd was relieved. A few, however, could read into Aya's expression towards Baiyi, so they gave a very knowing glance instead.

     When most of them discovered that Aya was a dragon, they were even more amazed. Master Hope, who seemed celibate, actually had such an exquisite taste in women…Whoaaaa! It's a Spider-Man mask! With the eyes actually enlarging or squinting at will!

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     234 234. I Knew This Elder…

      After the insolent brat Mordred threw a tantrum of that magnitude, Aya spent the remaining time in the banquet, hot-faced with embarrassment, next to Baiyi. To the rest of the people, this dragon lady still seemed pretty happy-go-lucky, although she had handled the previous situation quite poorly.

     Aya actually thought of initiating a conversation with Baiyi, but the hesitation in her heart kept her back, and the few brave steps she took came to a stop almost immediately. It was Mordred who made her wish came true; by utilizing the opportunity provided by their crowded environment, Aya and Mordred were able to inch them closer to Baiyi, to the point where they look like his lady companions.

     Mordred had a delighted look on her face as she happily embraced Mia. "Mia, we haven't met in a long time. I've missed you so much..." she whispered into Mia's ear.

     Faced with Mordred's fondness, Mia could no longer maintain her anger and she caressed Mordred's face softly in return. "I missed you too..."

     The little girls were so easy-going towards each other that it looked like they were related by blood. This made Baiyi feel even worse and conflicted. For some reason, Baiyi always thought he felt an intense gaze boring into him, causing him some discomfort... Furthermore, not forgetting the fact that he had to deal with these troublesome aristocrats, Baiyi was truly exhausted from this little adventure; it was so tiring to see this through till the end. He could barely wait any longer to teleport back to Aspen City.

     Baiyi turned around after placing the extremely tired girls into the carriage, and he saw Aya gazing at him from the back, holding Mordred's hand in hers. Like a couple who had been together for a long time but had not spoken to each other for an equally long interval, he pondered for a while, finding barely anything to say, before he turned around once again.

     Earlier, he had received news that the Brotherhood of the Fire Wyverns had been officially incorporated by Prince Rowan. They had even set up a base just at the perimeter of a medium-sized city located very close to the Eol Mountains. With the mountain range just directly behind them, they were located very close to the Dragon summit. It was a base for training the new recruits and trying our new combat strategies. The kingdom would possess an extremely powerful army in no time. Judging by the rank given to her within the Brotherhood, Aya would certainly be able to live a good life.

     "How have you been after all this time? How did you find your new place?" asked Baiyi.

     "It's alright..." Aya smiled in lightly in response.

     "Just thinking and missing you a lot..." added Mordred at one corner, triggering a pinch on her cheek by an enraged Aya, who then shooed her into the carriage.

     When she returned, Aya felt a little more embarrassed. With both hands behind her back, she tried her best to explain. "Sir Hope, please do not misunderstand... I did not teach her such things! Somehow, she believed that you're her father due to that pleasant scent you have on you..."

     "Oh?" Baiyi was stunned. 'What kind of scent do I have? The scent of lubricant? That should not be it... why would Mordred find that scent pleasant? Unless she was a lock piece, but obviously she wasn't one. A scent that would entice a dragon... perhaps it might be some sort of aura emitted by the summoning of dragons during the Armageddon?'

     He roused the Third Walker who was not asleep yet. "Your daughter?" asked Baiyi.

     "Now where did that come from! Look how old she is! How old am I! Can't you put two and two together to figure that out?" retorted the Third Walker.

     "Well, it's hard to tell, knowing that you had countless offspring out of wedlock," accused Baiyi.

     Most of the Voidwalkers were quite private about their personal affairs. Like the Scholar, many were single for life; the Soul Armature Practitioner, Bard, and the Third Walker were exceptions, and among the three of them, the Third Walker led the most notorious, indecent lifestyle. He had acted as though he took the role of a breeding stallion. Oh no, the correct term should be — a breeding dragon.

     "Well, it's not like you're not aware that I was quite the Casanova back in those days, but really, she's just too young to be my daughter. Perhaps, she might be a descendant from god-knows whichever bloodline of mine?

     This just made the situation worse. If those years of sexual philandering was to be accounted into this discussion, it would just be equivalent to counting the many branches of a huge tree; the results would be futile, for it would be impossible to obtain an accurate number.

     "You could start by asking what breed of dragon she is, perhaps?" The Third Walker suggested.

     Baiyi inquired, and Aya pondered for a moment before saying, "She is of the white dragon breed, I think? However, she's a little different, though. Maybe, she's a mix-breed? But she doesn't have any special abilities..."

     This issue just got even more muddled. To put the outcomes from cross-breeding simply, it was possible for the offspring to inherit both the parents' abilities, or inherit the ability of just one parent; or they could turn out to be useless, low-tiered crossbreeds with no abilities at all. According to the Third Walker's knowledge on the dragonkin, the higher-tiered dragons were the result of mixed-breeding between common dragons. They were the offspring with high-quality genetics after many years of intensive cross reproduction.

     At least, offspring could not be produced between man and dragon, or even between man and goat; at least this law of reproduction still existed, or else the world would be filled with confusing, cross-bred creatures

     This law of reproduction still existed, or else the world would have been plagued by a genetic calamity.

     Well, the mystery behind Mordred's life simply could not be investigated further. Honestly, there was no real priority or significance behind the issue that begged to be resolved. Possessing or not possessing the Divine Dragon's blood did not make much of a difference, however, for there was only one vacancy for that.

     "Well, no matter what it is, she's a descendant of mine; the only one I've seen so far. Take care of her for me, would you?" the Third Walker added, nonetheless.

     'She is already under the care of an excellent mother, so why should I worry about this? Hell knows if I'll end up looking after the mother, too! Speaking of which, did you ever think of looking after your descendants, when you were busy spreading your seed all those years ago?'

     "Aye, back in those days, I was young and carefree. I could hardly control my darkest desires, and all these were mistakes of my youth. Now that I am at such an old age, there is so much I regret," said the Third Walker, in an increasingly soft volume as he sank into the depths of his distant memories, never to bring up the nonsensical commitment — taking care of his descendants — again.

     In the present world, Aya captured this golden opportunity to bring up her million dollar question — her true agenda which had fueled her decision to come over tonight.

     "Sir Hope, w-who... are you, really?"

     Aya was actually quite afraid to ask this question, but she and her father were too curious for the truth. That night, the fact that Baiyi, an outsider, had commanded the dragons might have gone unnoticed by the other Dragon Knights, but they had witnessed the scene entirely. It was a question that surfaced quite a while ago, but it was never presented to Baiyi because they did not dare to, considering his identity and position in the current situation.

     To the Dragonkind, questioning the Divine Dragon was equivalent to humans interrogating their king; most people would not dare to do such a thing. In the beginning, Aya thought Baiyi was the Divine Dragon himself, but after conducting some research during a visit to Isythre — which possessed the most advanced soul armature technology — only then did she find out that Dragonkind could not exist as Soul Armatures. This was the confirmation she needed before voicing her curiosities.

     The fact that this dragon-lady had dared to inquire about this was truly out of Baiyi's expectations. He hesitated for a moment, considering whether to respond aggressively in the hopes that she abandon the thought, but he would feel bad if he bullied the poor girl who he had already rejected. After some consideration, he began to speak:

     "To put it short, I've been to many places, and I've seen many things in the world, including mysterious beings and presences. However, there was one such being that left such an impressionable memory on me." Baiyi spouted out blatant lies as he rambled, complemented with an incredibly convincing expression of pondering etched on his faceplate. He spoke of how he met the Divine Dragon on a fated journey, and how they had exchanged drinks and ideas till dusk broke. Before he left, the Divine One had even taught him a few things.

     "Y-you... encountered the Divine Dragon?!" Aya was beyond shocked at this point, after listening to the fantasies created by Baiyi. She never doubted an inch on its authenticity, so she was only completely blown away.

     "Was he the legendary Divine Dragon? I don't know for sure. I only thought he was an incredibly strong and wise elder. Come to think of it, it was quite an honor," feigned Baiyi, feeding Aya with more lies.

     "But, why would the Divine Dragon teach you Dragonverse, and the method of summoning dragons?" asked Aya curiously. She did not quite understand most of it.

     Baiyi used it in a moment of panic. He was not even well prepared when he cast the spell. Now, he had been caught in an awkward situation where his actions were hard to explain. "I must say, I dare not doubt the views of such a magnificent being; he might have his own reasons..."

     Aya tilted her head in an angle, wearing an expression like she was thinking very hard, but she came to no conclusion in the end. Just like what Baiyi had mentioned, and perhaps stemming from fear and respect, she did not dare to doubt the views of the Divine One himself, too. There were many holes in Baiyi's story, but she chose to believe them due to her feelings for him.

     "You are amazing indeed, Sir Hope! You knew the Saints, and even the Divine Dragon! Your past life must be pretty exciting, huh?" Aya asked within her next breath.

     "I was just loitering around. Just happened to meet a lot of people with the right stroke of luck," said Baiyi dismissively.

     Actually, he felt a little wary whenever his past was brought up by others, out of curiosity, in most cases. "If you're so impressive, then you must be pretty famous in the past, huh? Then why haven't I heard of you?" These impossible-to-answer questions were never-ending. Baiyi could fool them by saying it was a misrecord of history, but this trick could only be used effectively two to three times at most, and he could not evade these questions forever.

     He had considered this when he rejected the glamorous offer from the Royal Academy. How could they not look into his background if he were to apply for the important departmental roles? Thank heavens, now that he had a stable position, all he needed to do was to remain low-key to avoids these types of people, who loved to entertain themselves by asking these personal questions.

     At this point, they were quite done with catching up, so both Baiyi and Aya bid their goodbyes and prepared to return home. As they separated from each other, Aya, who was standing by the carriage, turned around for the last time, and her gaze lingered on Baiyi's silhouette for a bit, before she called out softly, "Ah, Sir Hope, you look so handsome and good-looking right now..."

     "Thank you," Baiyi replied without turning around. 'Does she possess a fetish for the antlers on the helmet?'

     "Umm, about that... I am very glad that we got to catch up today, honestly. If there is a chance in near future, can we still meet each other? Mordred has also taken quite a liking to you..."

     Baiyi still did not turn around, but he could picture the hopeful expression on Aya's face. He only nodded in reply.

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     235 Baiyi’s Professional Accomplishmen

      As soon as they got home, the little ones rushed to their beds impatiently and fell asleep almost instantly, while Baiyi returned to his laboratory alone to conduct a quick inventory count on the rewards given by the Emperor. Earlier, he had distributed some of the jewelry among the girls, so most of the leftover rewards were magical ingredients. The gold coins, however, was packed into a huge sack because he knew that if the little rascals got their hands on it, they would simply spend it on short skirts or cheap shoes, neither of which they would wear more than twice. How wasteful was that?

     For the next few days, after rejecting countless offers and invitations from dignitaries around the world, Baiyi finally reverted to the calm routine he once had. One fine morning, as he was carefully watering the plants with a cat-shaped moneybox, he lamented to himself, "The flowers have blossomed, and the seedlings have already sprouted, but why hasn't the Academy reopened? The girls can't spend their time playing forever."

     He was home alone today. The girls had left the house even before the sun is up. Although he had given them a limited amount of pocket money, he could not control Tisdale's finances. Her alchemy workshop was bustling with business as always, and a day's earnings were enough to guarantee a few days of entertainment for the girls.

     "I hope they don't forget their evening lessons," said Baiyi, resuming his monologue. He placed the animal-shaped moneybox down, facing it towards the sun's direction, and returned to his laboratory to touch up his newly acquired armor. Although the workmanship on this set of armor was impeccable, they were still not up to his standards of inspection. Take the set of antlers for example; he had them fixed to the helmet with a retractable mechanism, and by imitating the anatomy of certain demons, he added on two energy-focusing enhancement spells to it.

     With that, he could now retract the antlers with ease, so he would not have to destroy the arch of the doors whenever he passed through them; during combat, he could protrude them equally as fast in order to improve his sensory abilities.

     This design concept was quite logical and reasonable, but why did he get the feeling like he resembled a cricket in it...

     Regarding the rest of the upgrade, the chest plate was enhanced with a mana boost; the finger joints were solidified with everyday magic, and some shield enhancement plagiarised from Godsfall were secured onto his back. It would be hidden from sight by the hood weaved personally by Mia and the girls. Whenever it was required, the spell could be activated by a flip of the hood and proceed into the special formation. Whenever he is in this state, all hell would break loose.

     He could transform with just a lift of his hood; how much more convenient could it get?! However, it was a pity that the area on the backplate was limited in space, for it could have accommodated additional runes. This defense shield in place would be slightly tighter, but it should be sufficient for emergencies, but in a full-on combat, it would still come across as a little constricting.

     With that, most of the magical ingredients bestowed by the Emperor were spent on Baiyi's new body, while the hammerhead plushie was blessed with whatever remained; the enhancement on its belly was created by a rare material called the Tears of Blood. Nobody knew how this element came to be, and there was only a speculation that they were the culmination of bloody tears shed by an incredibly strong ancient demonic beast. The material stowed a large quantity of mana and would liquify upon encounters with heat. It was the perfect ingredient for inscribing scrolls and carving enchantments.

     This little toy could not be bought off a common market. It may only be seen at an auction of rarities. It was crimson, and its transparent body possessed an impossible clarity. The most excellent-grade red ruby could not even compare to its beauty. This made it one of the rarest jewels in the world, and it was often bought off a sky-high price by noble ladies to be worn as accessories.

     The Emperor has kindly gifted two of them to Baiyi. He already used half of it on himself and placed some in the belly of the hammerhead shark. The remaining one would be stored for future emergencies.

     Besides the Tears of Blood, the hammerhead plushie was also stuffed with the heart of the Tribal God after it underwent a little alchemic process, replacing its original mana core. The heart, originating from the Tribal God himself, was already a high capacity mana core and now that it had been further enhanced with the Tears of Blood, the hammerhead plushie could now use Aurora's Mercy without any downtime, and without any worries that the demons might pose a risk anymore; and the Voidwalkers who possessed it could do as they wished.

     According to Baiyi's predictions, if the Voidwalker that gets placed into the plushie was an experienced warrior, this little puppet would basically possess Legendary-level combat abilities — especially if it is paired with experience, the right techniques, and a desirable environment.

     Hence, this little hammerhead shark plushie was not only expensive but powerful!

     As expected, the cajolery and sweet flatteries of certain Voidwalkers were instantly silenced by Baiyi.

     Today, the modifications on this new body of his would arrive at the last step. Baiyi raised his hand to lift the facepiece off his head and started to inspect the features on them.

     Strictly speaking, the carving of a human's face on that facepiece of his was quite realistic and handsomely done, but Baiyi was still unsatisfied, claiming that it did not resemble his actual appearance at all. He was convinced that more modifications were required.

     "It's time to show off some of my professional accomplishments," Baiyi took the faceplate and boasted within the Void. "Those years, in a variety of games we played, the characters that I kneaded and created were often the ones other players chose to adopt or follow. Today, you shall witness these skills."

     As he spoke, he placed his palm across the faceplate, using magic to smoothen the irregularities of the carved features into a flat plane before working on his own carving design wholeheartedly.

     This process took quite a long while, and it was indeed a process that required a lot of detail and precision. He only grudgingly concluded his work when he heard the noise of Mia and the girls returning. Baiyi installed the faceplate back onto the set and glanced at the time. 'How dare these rascals return half an hour later than their arranged curfew?!' He was a little mad, and he strode out of the basement in loud stomps and stood before the girls.

     "Why did you come back so late!" roared Baiyi.

     The girls knew very well that they were in trouble, bowing their heads in shame. Knowing that she was well-pampered by Baiyi, Mia dared to utter a slight apology.

     "Uuu… we're so sorry, Sir Hope. The opera ended later than expected," she apologized and lifted her head slightly to peek at Baiyi's expression.

     She should not have looked. Now that she had, she could not help but roar with laughter.

     "What are you laughing at!" asked Baiyi, enraged.

     The rest of the girls, enticed by Mia's laughter, also directed their gaze towards Baiyi, and they all ended up bursting into laughter as well.

     Because Baiyi's face looked exactly like this: ￣へ￣

     Mmm... that did not just mean that his face resembled that, it was exactly like that.

     Carving a realistic image of a person's face in the present world was on a completely different level. It took Baiyi almost half a day just to figure this out. He was torn between giving his faceplate a devilish expression or having it adopt a wilder, more exotic style. However, when the girls came back, he panicked instantly and was afraid to startle them, so he settled for a -_- expression.

     Although it was a little… simple, it still had no problem conveying basic expressions! Moreover, it would not scare away anyone! It would just make them roll on the floor, laughing uncontrollably…

     As the girls laughed to the point where their backs could not be straightened, Baiyi could only retain a (Ў￣皿￣) expression as he took out the Aya's feather duster from the sack — the only souvenir from Gouve.

     In the end, however, the original lecture and punishment were soon forgotten. With the situation ending up this way, what else could Baiyi say? However, the homework that the girls ended up getting was double the usual.

     "Mm… this situation cannot continue any longer. I will have to pay the Academy a visit tomorrow." As Baiyi supervised their revision, deep in thought with a (-`?-) expression, he planned out the itinerary for tomorrow.

     The next day, he wrapped his face with a piece of black cloth, looking like a pirate from the great seas — or, depending on one's interpretation, a rapist — and strode into the Academy.

     It has been a month since that event transpired. The weather was turning cooler, and dried leaves were falling to the ground continuously, but there was no sign of school reopening anytime soon. The previously destroyed areas remained as they were; the classrooms were still a heap of rubble, and there were hazard fences placed everywhere to prevent entry.

     Unless... this prestigious, long-standing academy had already been declared dilapidated officially? This unconscious thought that Baiyi brewed in his mind made the Apprentice jump into conclusions.

     "Perhaps you should consult the city council," said the Apprentice in an incredibly sorrowful tone within the Void.

     "That, I shall do," nodded Baiyi. He headed in the direction of the city center and coincidentally bumped into Mister Sorry and Mister Owl halfway, who were bringing their Soul Armatures for a quick stroll. He went to greet them and introduced himself.

     After a round of simple pleasantries, the small party slipped into the nearest streetside coffeehouse. The two colleagues of Baiyi were very interested in Baiyi's tales, but he was one step ahead of them. "What happened to the Academy? Why hasn't the restoration process commenced?"

     "I am sorry, but this seemed to be the instructions from the church themselves. They concluded that this piece of land was entirely contaminated by the demons and deemed it unsafe. It can only be fit for use again after a complete, full-scale cleanup," replied Mr. Sorry.

     "And I am sure you are aware that the Church has much on their hands right now," added Mister Owl. "Hence, there is no confirmed date for the reconstruction of the Academy, and the current substitute for the principal, Deputy Principal Kim, is trying his best to source for new land. As of the current situation, I'm afraid the lessons will still stay discontinued, but now they allow existing students to switch schools freely if they want. They are allowed to apply to any academy, except the Royal Academy."

     "This is truly a tragedy," lamented Baiyi in a dejected manner.

     The Celestial Fortress Academy might not be Southland's best academy, but it was the oldest in history. It was also the best academy for the common folk, and many of the nobles were willing to enroll their children here. In conclusion, it was quite an outstanding academy.

     What a pity. To encounter such a catastrophe… was a tragic event indeed.

     At least Baiyi was an outstanding tutor himself, so the kids never had to worry about lacking an education.

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     236 This is the Real Beginning of a New Semester

      For the rest of their time, Baiyi graced his coworkers with the story of the fascinating adventure that he had just had.

     They sat in a cafeteria, and each of them had a cup of coffee in hand even though neither of them could actually drink it.

     It started out as a way to avoid the coffee going to waste, but later it became a great story-telling technique as Baiyi made the coffee soar out of the mug and morph it into different characters and objects of his story. He told the story in a theatrical method, while the characters made from coffee animated the words he said to reenact the story.

     Baiyi told two riveting stories. The coworkers were fully immersed in them.

     The two younger Soul Armature Practitioners' faces were colored in a shade of admiration, and their shining eyes made evident the hurl of determination bubbling inside of them. They wished they were the characters of the story! When the tales ended, they were visibly glum, wishing they were Little Mia or the other girls!

     Perhaps, sometime in the future, they would get their chances, too. If they trained hard enough, they would be ready for their own adventures, whenever it happens.

     It really is great to be young!

     The time was almost up. Baiyi politely declined his coworkers' invitation for lunch as he had to get back home to give lessons to his own little fledglings. Before he left, he asked his friends about their plans for the future.

     Mr. Sorry was originally a formidable physical fighter, which complemented his summoner, who walked also the path of a physical fighter. As his family was not capable enough, the boy would be tutored by his Soul Armature for the time being. Meanwhile, Mr. Owl's girl was going to enroll in an elite school for girls.

     "Master Hope, I'm gonna tell my new friends all about you, and they will be soooo jealous!" Cynthia, the summoner for Mr. Owl, was already a fangirl, and she looked up at Baiyi with eyes filled with admiration. That made her own horny Soul Armature instinctively guarded.

     Baiyi nodded gently, his face displaying a (￣▽￣) expression.

     However, just as quickly, Cynthia added, "But, why must you cover your face with a scarf? Your new body is really cool, and you're ruining it with your weird fashion..."

     'No! We do not talk about this issue! (Ў￣皿￣)'

     In short, the majestic Sanctus had been ruined quite thoroughly. The scarf made him look like a Western bandit, even when it was placed together with the elegance of the silver-gray armor. The small wings were still there, but his edgy antlers had been taken away, making his helm look like a pumpkin…

     All of that, combined with his expressive mask, had effectively made Baiyi into some sort of mobile tourist attraction.

     In conclusion, a beautiful work of art had been ruined.

     When Baiyi returned home, he saw the girls sitting at the table, waiting for him, even though the meals had already been served. No one had dared to take their first bite before he came home, so he waved to signal an okay, and then he crossed over to their side and checked their homework.

     After a while, Baiyi set the homework down and started, "So, I went over to the Academy today. I bring good news and bad news. Which one do you want first?"

     "Uh… How about the bad one first?" Tisdale set down her fork and knife and watched the other girls quizzically. Their facial expressions revealed their agreement.

     "Okay, the bad news is — the academic semester is suspended indefinitely. No one knows when will it be restarted," Baiyi said with a hint of lamentation and grief.

     But the girls' eyes gleamed brightly. 'What bad news? This is the best news!'

     "Oh, oh! Mr. Hope, then what is the good news? What's the good news?!"Little Mia cried out in uncontrolled glee. If this was considered bad news, then the good news would be even more invigorating!

     The other girls obviously thought the same as they cast expectant gazes at Baiyi, waiting for their big surprise.

     "Well, the good news is that since that we can't go to Academy for class, from now on, all of you will be taking classes with me! Oh yes, it's a full day curriculum." Baiyi deliberately enunciated his sentence slowly to respond to the girls' excitement.,

     "What — ??????!!!!" The girls howled in unison. This was most decidedly not a good news!

     "What's the matter? You'll be experiencing my signature holistic learning technique; is that not one of the best news this week?" Baiyi replied flatly.

     "Uh," Mia mumbled something under her breath as she hung her head in disappointment. She grumbled quietly because she was scared of the repercussions.

     Objectively, Baiyi was not a bad teacher at all. His class lasted only 45 minutes each, and he never used a monotone voice throughout the lessons. In fact, he would even use some pretty progressive techniques in his lessons.

     For example, if he was talking about the difference between a phoenix and a firebird, Baiyi would create realistic, three-dimensional pictures of the two beasts so that he could contrast their differences easily. This way, the class would be more memorable.

     If the girls were having formation lessons, and Baiyi wanted Mia and Tisdale to memorize them, he would use cute animals to help the students remember; meanwhile, to get the students to easily memorize the purposes of each magic, he would also create a scenario or even a short tale so that the students could remember them easily.

     In short, Baiyi really poured his heart out whenever he taught classes. He really was not one to be complained about.

     Half of the real reason why the girls did not favor Baiyi's classes was due to his curriculum. His lessons were always difficult and more complex than what girls their age should learn normally. For example, after talking about the difference between a phoenix and a firebird, Baiyi would ask one of them to answer his questions. Let's say the unlucky student this time was Tisdale, he would ask her to state the uses of the feathers and blood of both birds in creating formations, the specific purposes of their formation, and the changes that would occur after mixing their blood and feathers together; these sort of higher-thinking questions.

     The other half of the reason why the girls did not favor Baiyi's classes lay in the fact that he was terribly strict, and he also had a penchant to give a lot of homework. If they made some errors in their answers, they would get punished for it, even if they completed the homework. The lightest sentence was a hard pinch on the cheeks; the heavier sentence was a spank on the butt with a feather duster, and the worst offenders get sentenced to stand in a corner with the little pot plants atop their heads. There was a time that the girls had snuck out to play while Baiyi was busy carving runes on his chest plate. The next day, they could only hand in their empty workbook, which caused the Soul Armature to fly into a rage. He sentenced them all to stand in corners for the entire afternoon, and he spanked the leader of the pack, poor Tisdale, so hard that her butt was swollen.

     At that time, as Tisdale was crying, while standing in a corner, with the little animal tin-can potted-plant atop her head, all she could grumble was, "I hate Sir the most!"

     But of course, she wouldn't dare break the can. They all knew that the cans weighed more than the elephant in their teacher's heart, so if anything happened to them, the girls would be turned into his dinner.

     Baiyi could only shake his head at a side at the time. 'Great, now my students hate me. Did adolescence arrive so soon?'

     But he reasoned that even if he would be hated by the kids, he would rather maintain his high standards and strict requirement. After all, it was all for their own good.

     It was good that Mia had come to comfort her, and Baiyi himself had patted the girl later, causing the eldest of the girls let the grudge go. However, the next day, Mia's homework was filled with red crisscrosses, and Tisdale did not expect herself to return the favor so soon….

     That was about it. The girls could understand that Baiyi was a good teacher, and he was doing this for their future, but they were still young. It was that age that most would like to just kick back and play. Previously, their classes with Baiyi lasted only half a day, so it was not too bad; but now, with the Academy being closed, their whole day would be spent with the Soul Armature, and honestly — the girls did not think they could survive it.

     "Aww, come on," Baiyi watched Little Mia's immediate become dispirited, and he poked her on her waist. The girl cried out and finally showed a little alertness.

     "Don't overstate my terror, guys! Back then, we only have half a day, so I had to squeeze in more for the classes and homework, you know? I just wanted to build a solid foundation for all of you before you got back to the Academy."

     Baiyi reached for Mia's horsetail braid, but she was not in the mood. She swung her head hard, leaving him no chance to play with it.

     "But now? We don't have to worry about the Academy's speed, right? So, I don't have to rush anymore, too. The content will be lighter, the homework will be lesser, and we will have more of those outdoor trips and adventures for practical experiences! You know, like last time."

     The first part of the sentence seemed pretty promising, but the last line really darkened the girls' mood. 'Like last time?! Last time, we had to race against time to escape the Apocalypse, and we almost couldn't make it? Like "last time"?'

     Little Mia was so shocked that she didn't get the chance to react, and Baiyi finally caught her braid.

     Of course, the Soul Armature noticed his own mistake. "No, I didn't mean the conclusion of our last trip. I meant the process of our last trip! You know? We went on a vacation, and we learned while at it?... Er, maybe this time I'll check the calendar so that we don't visit a place while it's having a festival again, yea?"

     And with that, a decision was reached. Naturally, whenever Baiyi made a suggestion, a decision would be reached. His words were the only words that mattered in the house.

     He divided the curriculum into Core and Generic subjects. Geography, History, Social Sciences and such would be Generic subjects, which all four would be studying together. Meanwhile, for Mia and Tisdale, their Core subjects would e magic. On the other hand, Attie and Laeticia would be having physical fight training — with their backyard turned into a mini arena.

     Not all girls would have to study the entire day as they had feared, though, because there was only one teacher. The schedule was set in this way: generic classes were conducted before noon, and the afternoon onwards would be the core classes for either the mages or the fighters. While one was having a class, the other group got to learn on their own, or do their homework. The next day, the other group would be having classes and vice versa.

     Laeticia had slightly more things in her plate, though. Every night she had to attend classes on Scripture studies, faith, and theology. Of course, these classes had not been made by Baiyi himself — he was just acting as the proxy for the Cleric, by repeating every word the Cleric said to her.

     "For your next class, it would be much appreciated if you put on some sexy black pantyhose."

     "The skirt can be a little shorter."

     "You should really try some midriff-baring outfits!"

     Baiyi would never say the Cleric's boner-inspired comments.

     Just like that, Little Mia and her friends embarked on a new and fulfilling semester — at home.I really have to admit, this really is cute. Baiyi's stats — > MOE: +2So… Socrates' method?/winces/ Bad memories!Oh man. This is seriously the overture for a lot of rocky, rebellious mishaps, man. 'For their own good', they always say, as they shut off their ears from hearing what the kids wanted to say. Brrr…All those bad memories!

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     237 Don’t Go Against the Curren

      The new semester had entered another month.

     The girls seemed to have gotten used to their new routine as their aversion towards it had become blunt. Slowly, they turned back to the little obedient girls again.

     November arrived and saw the climate start to embrace colder winds. Winter was coming.

     Before the present day, a number of small but significant things happened. For example, the man who had sent Laeticia to his doorstep last time, the Paladin Grand Cross, Sir Grunewald, came to visit the Soul Armature again. Apparently, he came to check on Laeticia's progress, but the visit had also served as an opportunity to fill Baiyi in on news regarding the Godsfall cult.

     It turned out that the Godsfall cult had suffered incredible damage from their tireless efforts; millions of cultists had been captured; their properties and funds seized, and many of the cult's higher-ups had committed suicide in order to escape sentences. This was a clear indication of the cult collapsing already, and the Church believed that, over time, the entire organization could be uprooted from Isythre once and for all!

     These were commendable tidings!

     "Master Hope, December 5th would mark the holiest of all holy days in the year. Would you be willing to grace the Holy City by conducting a mass?" The Grand Paladin Cross asked before he left the household.

     "Hahaha! Er, we'll see about that! Ha! See you." Baiyi could only delay his reply this way.

     December 5th — also known as the Day of Grace. It was as important as the Chinese's New Year, or the West's Christmas Holiday. It was one of the most important days of the year, and Baiyi really did not have the heart to ruin another festival again.

     He planned to find a realm and hide there with the girls.

     However, the girls had been looking forward to this festival since the month before. He could not find any reason to pour a bucket of cold water over their anticipation, so he considered leaving on his own when that day arrives.

     'Spending an important festival alone sounds seriously sad, though.'

     Today was their rest day, so there was no class for the girls, who had already seized the chance to frolic around and play. Only Attie was left at home to keep Baiyi's company.

     The Kitty Cat Maid did look like a cat as she curled next to the Soul Armature on the couch, fast asleep.

     At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

     "Hmmm?" Attie was roused pretty quickly, and after she had rubbed her eyes, with "pat-pat-pat" sounds, she sprinted to the door.

     When she returned, there was a new guy with her — a bald man whose head seemed to reflect light.

     "He said he's a friend of yours." Attie pointed at the bald man.

     Baiyi turned his head to face him, and —'Oh my god, who is this Shiny Head here? When have I ever met a guy who looked like he had lost his hair because he chose to forfeit sleep for a long time in order to grind for a rare item in a game?'

     "Apologies for the unplanned visit," Baldy said as he extended his left hand, displaying three fingers, which he then placed before his own chest.

     The salutation looked very familiar. Baiyi glanced at Baldy's long robe. It was a common, plain white robe, but with a quick sweep using his psychic energy, Baiyi could make out the invisible shape of an eye on his chest.

     The man was from the Door of Conundrum.

     'Back it up. Why are a bunch of nerds looking for me?' Baiyi was puzzled. He remembered he had donned one of their great sage's uniform back then, so technically, he was a part of this oversized nerd's book club.

     He had no choice but to mimic Baldy's action, raising three fingers before his chest as a gesture of an eye.

     After having Attie make some tea, Baiyi politely gestured at the man to sit down.

     Baldy was very discreet in his behavior. He bowed before the Soul Armature first, then from his inner pocket, he produced an envelope and handed it to him.

     "Great Sage Hope, I am Kris, the representative of the Door of Conundrum in Arfin city. The reason for my visit is to pass you the decision made by the Master Sages."

     Master Sages were obviously the highest-ranking, decision-making members of the Doors of Conundrum; only the biggest nerds could possibly become one of them. Sometimes, when they got bored of reading, these nerds would start a meeting that ended with a dozen new commands for the rest of the members to follow. Other times, the governance of this organization was divided among the Lodge, the Arbiters, the Executioners, and other such divisions within the order.

     Unfortunately, it was the rarity of a direct order from the Master Sages that made their commands irrefutable. Baiyi could only relent and open the envelope.

     There were only two plain white papers.

     'Gods, these nerds just love doing unnecessary tricks on craps that no one cares about,' Baiyi thought as he jabbed the paper with his psychic energy using a special rhythm and frequency.

     Just like that, the words appeared on the papers. This was a special communication technique among the members of the Doors of Conundrum. Their letters were always encrypted so that outsiders would not be able to pry.

     How did Baiyi even know their secret? Simple — the encryption method was invented by a certain lifeless nerd who also ended up in the Void.

     Baldy accepted the hot tea from Attie and patiently waited for the Soul Armature to finish. When he noticed that Baiyi had finished reading the letter, he added, "I've actually sent a few of our letters to you for the past few days, but never did I receive a reply from you. That is why I am here today."

     "Cough! Uh, I probably missed those?"

     Baiyi never read his mails. In the beginning, it was because he rarely had mails. If he had, it was the account sheets from the alchemical refinery or some stupid boys' bold love letters. Lately, there was also an increase in the number of invitations he received from the aristocrats, which he never bothered with. He passed these letters to Laeticia, thinking that it would probably help the semi-literate village girl in learning new words and sentence structures.

     A more thorough recall did allow Baiyi to remember that Laeticia once mentioned finding a few blank letters among the stack of letters that Baiyi handed to her. Back then, Baiyi thought it was just someone's lame prank, so he ordered the girl to burn the blank letters to ashes, and pour them into his animal tin can potted plants.

     'Huh. If the nerds realized what I did to their super-secret-letters, what would they do?'

     Baiyi looked up again and studied the eye symbol on Baldy's chest. Five brows.

     That was all Baiyi needed to discern Baldy's identity and standing in the order. "Great Sage Kris, I have some questions about these orders from the Master Sages…"

     "Please, do tell."

     "Why me? I'm just a Soul Armature now, right? I'm no longer a part of the Doors of Conundrum. These things — well, they are more suitable for the other Great Sages, right?" Baiyi said as he ran his fingers along the paper, and the letters disappeared.

     "Great Sage Hope, your wisdom will not vanish just because of your current form, " Baldy flattered, and then he went on to nag the Soul Armature...

     Even after Baldy had gone, Baiyi still could not come up with a good excuse to knock it off, so all he could do was to sit in the living room, lightly tapping his gauntlet as he pondered his next move.

     After a while, Little Mia and her friends returned home with new winter attires.

     Mia was the first to notice Soul Armature troubled disposition, so she dashed to his side and hugged his neck from behind the couch. She placed her face close to his, rubbed on it gently, and then she asked, "Mr. Hope, what's the matter?"

     "Nothing," Baiyi replied, his hand reaching out to pinch her cheek. "It's just that, well, you guys might need to expect new company…"

     To summarize the purpose of the visit: every Great Sage in the Door of Conundrum had a few rights and obligations to fulfill. Baiyi had made use of the right to introduce before; however, never had he carried out his obligations as "one" of the Great Sages.

     The obligations were such that one either publish an impressive academic treatise, show the fruits of their experiments and investigations, or mentor a few brilliant students from the Door of Conundrum.

     They never once suspected that Baiyi could be a fake — purely because he had the Seal of the Great Sage with him. The Door of Conundrum was not very keen in extensive identity-checks, so as long as one displayed their Seal, the Door of Conundrum would automatically treat them as a member, even if the person could be a fake. Of course, that also meant that Baiyi would have to fulfill a few of the obligations that a Great Sage was expected to do.

     If he refused, discord would ensue.

     Baiyi was not very popular back then, so although they had accepted his identity within the order — and accepted Vidomina because of his introduction — they never actually followed up on this bootleg sage.

     However, Baiyi had been all over the news lately. The Church kept using him as their unofficial mascot, and the Door of Conundrum remembered that they had gotten him first. Although they could not find any of his information from their own records, that was still fine by them; after all, it was not likely that a famous man like Baiyi would have an unsavory past that the order would have to be wary about.

     As long as Baiyi still fulfilled his obligations, it would not matter that he never returned to the order. After all, he was a big hero, so his schedule must be packed. The Door of Conundrum understood his problem, so they would cave in a little and send the assigned student to his place instead.

     "...and that's all folks," Baiyi ended his story with a helpless -_- expression. He had no idea that his greed for Vidomina's Saint Quartz staff would end bringing him a heap of unwanted problems now. 'Karma's a bitch, no doubt.'

     Baiyi, of course, had considered outrightly rejecting or even ignoring the chores. The Door of Conundrum was an academic association — a glorified book club for nerds who could not fight. What could they do to him? However, if the order spread the news that he was a fake sage who harbored harmful conspiracy, or something close to his, Baiyi's reputations would be in ruined—or worse, he would start getting stalked and monitored.

     "May I propose that you graciously accept what is stipulated in the Order? A shift of perspective shows that you would thus gain a valuable new identity. You may then use the Door of Conundrum as a deterrence for an investigation against you," the Scholar said in the Void. She, an actual Great Sage, was the one who had asked him to take on the role of being a Great Sage.

     "I'm not worried about that! I'm just not sure of who they assigned to me! It's fine if it's a male, but if I'm not mistaken, you people even have some seventy or eight years old senior citizens as 'students', right? I am so not into the idea of having these sort of students!" Baiyi voiced out his main concern in the Void.

     "As I'd said, Sir Hope, a shift in perspective would greatly benefit you. These 'senior citizens' are very independent in their studious pursuit! All you have to is to grant them a topic or a book and give them a direction as vague as 'Investigate this', and they would be on their own. Is that not the convenience all teachers dream of?" the Scholar replied.

     'Hey! When you put it that way…'Oh come on, you're not even alone at any given time. Just go and create another goddamned game in the Void and BOOM, December 6th will arrive after a chapter!Illuminati much?

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     238 Something Is Wrong With This Scene

      The next day, the new students arrived!

     The entire family woke up earlier than usual, and the girls seemed really excited at the prospect of having new classmates. Attie and Laeticia had prepared a variety of desserts for their new friends, while Mia and Tisdale put on the new clothes that they had bought the day before, with their eager faces as the extra adornment.

     Although it was pretty nice to have classes right there at home, the small number of students made for a pretty unexciting ambiance. They missed the hustle and bustle of the Academy, after all, so a few more students would be most welcomed.

     Baiyi himself did not have an aversion to that, either. 'It is good to have more people in the class,' he thought, seeing as the increased number of students would enable him to create a more competitive environment that could promote self-improvement and self-discovery. Plus, he could use these students as a means to expand his social network as well…

     Baiyi made a few contingency plans since he was uncertain about the kind of students he was about to get, so he was now much calmer than he was the day before. First, if the student turned out to be a male — putting the stereotypical idea that studious boys are often introverted and shy — Baiyi would let the boy try a few lady's clothes until he developed a liking towards the boys, and at that time, the boy could walk the path of gender liberation.

     If the new students turned out to be senior citizens — well, that would be even simpler. Baiyi would simply select a topic from the Voidwalkers' Bored Topic Reservoir, and that students would be tasked to make researches on it until their time in the world was up.

     The best case scenario would, of course, be female students. Then, Mia and the girls would have new friends, and they could all take care of each other. If the female students were slightly older and had a dependable, conservative, and highly-efficacious attitude, coupled with a set of healthy values, that would be a blessing!

     Baiyi could not help but eye Mia and Tisdale at this point. As the weather grew colder, the girls had started wearing more clothes, but their skirts were still way too short for his liking. Even with black long johns, he was still worried that they would get a cold — besides, 'haven't they always favored white? When did they turn to black ones?'

     Little Mia noticed that Baiyi was immersed in his thoughts and thought that the Soul Armature was worried about her. She ran up to the side, took off her white leather shoes and knelt on the couch, trudging forward with her Long John covered knees until she reached Baiyi. She shook his shoulders and cooed in concern, "Don't worry about us, Mr. Hope! We are gonna be such friends with the new students!"

     Then, in a bid to pacify him, she automatically grabbed his hand and stuffed her horsetail braid into it. She acted like a daughter being coquettish to her dad.

     Tisdale, who was watching, followed Mia's example and sat on the other side of her teacher. Her specially-made golden horsetail was stuffed into Baiyi's free hand as she added, "Sir, I'm sure the people at the Door of Conundrum are sending their very best to you!'

     'Ohhhh… .My two daugh — er, students are so understanding and good!' Baiyi exclaimed internally as he felt his heart grow warm. His mask immediately donned a (≧?≦) expression.

     It took a while for Baiyi to come back to his senses — hold on, that was definitely not the source of his concern! When Baiyi turned to look at Mia, he realized that the girl was already lying down comfortably on the couch, with her cute thighs resting naturally on his thighs. The texture of her black long john was alluring and inviting, to say the least, but the girl did not have a single sense awareness of how inappropriate this was, as she played with her hammerhead shark.

     From Baiyi's angle though. He could see everything underneath her skirt...

     Just as Baiyi was about to start a lecture, he heard a few knocks on the door. He helplessly shook his head, pushed the girl's legs off him and said, "I'll get the door."

     With his fabric mask back on, he opened the door… and froze.

     There was a really large dog right outside the door.

     The dog was incredibly muscular. Even while sitting, the dog was still taller than Little Mia. Its body was snowy white and fluffy, and its pointy ears were perked up, twitching from side to side. Its eyes were narrowed into a line as it studied the Soul Armature.

     However, that was not all there was outside Baiyi's door. Atop the dog's head was a grey owl. Its big watery eyes scanned the Soul Armature intently.

     The big dog's pointy snout sniffed the air for a while as if to confirm something, and suddenly, it streaked towards Baiyi. Baiyi kicked at just the right time, and with a loud bang, the door shut, bashing the charging dog in the nose.

     'Who would be walking a dog at this hour? And not even leash it up properly?'

     However, he did not get to the living room before he heard very faint sounds of discussions outside. Maybe it was the dog's owner lecturing the dog?

     As if to prove Baiyi wrong, the door was knocked hard on again.

     Baiyi yanked the door open in frustration. 'Oh goody, now we also have three humanlike figures standing close to those animals from before — hold on, two of them looked familiar?'

     Was that not his new buddy, Great Sage Baldy, and Little Miss Deep Pocket, Vidomina?

     "Master Hope, we meet again! Oh, right, I should call you my Mentor now." Little Miss Deep Pocket, who donned the standard white robe that all members of The Door of Conundrum usually wore, smiled gently at Baiyi and curtsied elegantly.

     The other beings also lowered their heads, bowing.

     "Haha! Great Sage Hope, these are the five students the headquarter has assigned to you. What do you think?" Baldy said as he gestured at the "humanoids" and "non-humanoids".

     Baiyi pointed at them. "Th-these four things — are my students?!"

     "Oh no, no, no. Five," Baldy corrected him, and he pointed at something that looked quite short, yet it was wearing a plus-sized witch's pointy head.

     "Are those two people? Oh no, I meant — two separate things?!"

     "Here, over here." Baldy pointed at the arms of the person-underneath-the-hat. And behold, sitting nicely on the arm of the person underneath the hat was a potted flower.

     It was not just any potted flower — it was a sunflower, which did not look anything like how sunflowers normally looked like. An obvious clue would be the fact that this sunflower had a human face — which was smiling at Baiyi at that very moment. 'What is this? A background character from an anime?!'

     Seeing that someone had finally noticed it, the sunflower smiled even more cheerfully, wiggling its body in pride. Even its leaves were waving and dancing — as if it was showing off.

     Baiyi said nothing. He looked at Baldy.

     "What do you think? Excellent choices, right?" The Great Sage beamed proudly and happily rubbed the dog's head.

     Baiyi stepped forward, grabbed him by his collar, and snapped, "Is this a joke from those higher-ups?"

     A fiery-scarlet formation surfaced behind Baiyi as he growled, emitting dangerous waves of mana vibrations that froze all five beings, causing them to shudder.

     "Hmm, impressive. This spell conjures flame poles, yes? Very fitting for the Great Sage who has saved the world multiple times. You can even cast this spell without chanting! Such admirable powers!" Baldy seemed to be too blissfully oblivious of his own peril as he reviewed Baiyi's threat. 'Gosh, he is a nerd.'

     "It's called 'Doujou Temple Bell — One-Hundred Eight Fire Dragon Halberds'!" Baiyi snapped again and lifted Baldy's collar even higher.

     "What a mouthful of a name," Baldy exclaimed in regret. "Please, calm down; I can explain. According to normal rules, the mentor chooses their own students, but you never replied to any of our messages. We had no idea what kind of students you would be interested in cultivating… Although, of course, there are rumors that you have some preferences for young and adorable females, we do not believe that a Great Sage like you would be so superficial —"

     "Why did you guys not just believe that rumor — wait, no, I'm not that kind of person, either; but, still! …you shouldn't give me these… things, and call it a day!" Baiyi replied, unconvinced.

     At his words and his obvious displeasure, the new students took a few steps back. The big dog and the owl hung their heads; the sunflower covered its face with its leaf, and Little Miss Deep Pocket and the Unknown Being underneath the witch's hat shuddered, feeling aggrieved.

     "Please, they are truly excellent students. Here is proof."

     Baldy slowly produced a form from his pocket and handed it to him. "The headquarter organized a poll for 'The Most Well-Liked Students' and, excluding Miss Vidomina, these students all occupied top four positions. They were sent here because they were the most likable students, you see. It was to make sure that no one would sully your reputation. Shouldn't you accept such a thought?"

     The formation behind Baiyi dissipated, making everyone present sigh in relief. He took the form doubtfully and stared at it.

     It really was the result of a popularity poll. The winner was Zakum, whose race was… a kitsune? It was female. At the spot where the students' talents were listed, Zakum's talents were listed as "martial arts, magic, alchemy, adventuring"...

     "Z-Zakum?" Baiyi shouted the name as an experiment.

     The snowy white dog raised its claw and flashed him a bright smile.

     'Which d-bag gave you this name? Were you born from the lava caves? Oh wait, the bigger problem is — are you sure you're a kitsune and not a doggo?'

     Just as Baiyi was harping on its doggo appearance, he saw a very big, long, bushy tail, which beautifully complemented its snowy white fur, protruding from the dog's buttock. 'Awesome! Now all of the rich women would want your fur as their scarf!'

     Meanwhile, the first runner-up was Nota Siniorius; female fairy; her listed talents were: "martial arts, magic (Ancient Rohlserlian formations), aerial battle, domestic works…"

     "Um... Miss... Siniorius?" Baiyi called out again.

     "Y-yes," the short humanoid with the witch hat answered sheepishly. She seemed quite afraid, but in the end, she managed to muster enough courage and lifted the brim of her hat a little. Underneath it was a face as chiseled and aesthetic as a work of art.That's so progressive,  I'm not even sure this is Baiyi…Oh yes. Zakum — like that one in Maple Story.Yes. Her full name would be Chtolly Nota Siniorius, who is immensely popular in China. Oh, she's from the very creatively-named 'Shuumatsu nani shitemasu ka? Isogashii desu ka? Sukutte moratte ii desu ka?' (When the world ends what are you doing? Are you free? Can you help us?)

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     239 We Can Get Along, Right?

      Things really had gone surreal.

     Baiyi had no idea how to react anymore, so he helplessly returned the form back to Baldy and shrugged, "I really had no idea that HQ accepted students like these."

     "Oh, it's nothing, Great Sage Hope," Baldy replied flatly. "'No child left behind', that's the motto, right?"

     "Er, but these…?" Baiyi hesitated. How could he phrase the statement in a way that it would not hurt their feelings?

     "Great Sage Hope, please understand. These students of different species are even more valuable than humans. To achieve what others could achieve, they have had to work even harder. This dedication alone makes them truly exceptional students. Our poll even substantiates this! Besides that, teaching them has been quite a pleasurable experience, and many back at headquarters have lamented their departure…"

     'Oh, yea? Then, explain to me why you people didn't just make them stay there? Why send them over to a random vagabond to "teach"?'

     As though Baldy had ready Baiyi's thoughts, he proceeded to explain, "There is another reason for sending them over, you see… At the end of the day, they are not humans. We cannot make them stay in the library or mage towers forever; that's against their nature — a cruelty that we cannot bring ourselves to do…"

     'Fine, fine. This at least makes a modicum of sense.'

     Baiyi turned the idea over and over in his head, and then he turned his head to face them.

     The new students were looking at him with really pitiful eyes. It made him realize that for all the ire he seemed to harbor towards them, these creatures still looked up to him.

     Baiyi felt his stance soften, and after much hesitating, he said, "Alright. I suppose I understand where you're coming from. However, I also have my own students, and I'm not sure how they would take this—"

     "Oh, look at that big beautiful doggo!" a familiar cry rang out.

     Little Mia had heard Baiyi quarreling with someone outside, so she had come out to see what the fuss was all about. Naturally, on arrival, she was easily distracted by the beautiful fox, and she immediately leaped toward it.

     "Doggo is so cute!" she huffed, and she boldly ruffled the kitsune's soft fluffy fur. In return, the kitsune turned to Baiyi, feeling helpless, and gave him a smile of resignation, as though it was sighing.

     The expression was so human-like that it struck a chord in the Soul Armature. 'Perhaps it is a pretty good idea to have them as students. Baldy may be onto something here. Plus, creatures that understand mankind, and are willing to learn the ways of man, are more valuable than human geniuses…'

     Baiyi finally made his decision, and when he looked back, he saw Baldy lightly nodding his head, as though he had deduced Baiyi's decision.

     'Alright, last question." Baiyi turned to the only normal human of the bunch — Little Miss Deep Pocket, Vidomina.

     'Or, maybe she is not human, after all. Look at her! She's neither tall nor too old, yet that body has gotta be the most voluptuous that I have ever seen; that white robe can't even conceal her assets! …Is that even something a normal human should have?'

     "Ah, Ms. Vidomina volunteered to be your student," Baldy explained. "I think you two have met before, right? You will like her a lot."

     "Mentor!" Vidomina said as she stepped forward. "I'm forever indebted to you for your deed, so when I heard that you were looking for students, I was the first to enroll."

     She continued with a few more standard politician-style speeches, and then after that, she produced a small box from her robe. As she handed it to Baiyi, she added, "Please accept this little token of my thanks."

     Baiyi opened the box, and his eyes widened in disbelief. The box was full of papers with various official stamps. A closer inspection revealed the papers to be a land contract — the land that his mansion was built on!

     Although Tisdale's place was not in one of the higher-end areas, it was in one of the areas closest to the Celestial Fortress Academy; hence, there were a few dozen families living here. Most of them were middle class or lower aristocrats. However, being able to gift the land contract of the entire street as "a little token of thanks" was just too generous.

     No wonder the neighbors had been moving out of their house so happily these past few days!

     'Bloody 1%… You think you can do everything just because you're a billionaire?'

     Vidomina wore an expression that implied 'Oh yes, I can totally do everything because I'm a billionaire.'

     "Alright, let us all just get inside." Baiyi opened the door and invited the new students in. As Little Mia passed by, Baiyi pinched her ear and said, "Never pull its ears again, you hear me? It was trying so hard to hold back its tears!"

     After a while, after everyone had settled down in the living room, Attie hurriedly carried a tray full of tea sets from the kitchen for her new guests.

     However, as soon as Attie caught sight of the visitors, she was given a big fright, and the tray fell from her hands.

     Suddenly, the sunflower moved its body and released a bolt of mana that stopped the tray in mid-fall, with its tea sets still in place. The owl that had been perching on top of the kitsune spread its wings, flew to the tray and grasped the teapot with its talons. It proceeded to skillfully pour tea in every cup. Finally, the great big fox swung its tail, sending the teacups flying into the hands of everyone there. Baiyi first, Baldy next, then everyone else, and itself last. Its front legs gently held the delicate cup, and its tongue silently lapped its tea. An expression of contentment surfaced in its face.

     'These fellas are pros! Baiyi could only secretly nod in admiration.'

     "I told ya, they are really exceptional students." Baldy blew the steam off his tea and beamed.

     Thus, it was decided. Baldy handed over the information on the new students and left, and the day continued with Baiyi's lessons.

     Just like in every normal class, Baiyi started with a classic self-introduction. Of course, due to some of his students being special cases, he could only sift through their information and help them introduce themselves.

     "Okay, lemme see… So you're… Sunny?" Baiyi asked the sunflower. After watching the sunflower wriggle in glee, he continued reading out the information, "Race: soul-eater plant. Talents: druid magic, apothecary, herbology, illusions…"

     'Why do you look like a sunflower in the first place?' Baiyi wondered as he set down Sunny's information and took up the owl's.

     "Your name is Potter? Why even name you Potter? Why not Johannson?" Baiyi commented. "Your race is listed as — hmm, interesting. You're a Shadownyx Owl, very rare indeed. I may need your feathers for some experiment — not now! Not now, later! …Talents: martial arts/magic, aerial battle, adventuring, and magical items study…"

     After introducing two of the four non-humans newcomers, it got to the turn of the only, and arguably, normal human — Vidomina. She leaped up from the couch so confidently, and just as swiftly, the jiggle physics on her chest bobbled.

     The jiggles were noticed by Little Mia and Tisdale, and after jolting themselves from their silent moment of astonishment, they both hung their heads in shame.

     "I'm Vidomina. I presume Mia remembers me? I'm a human, and my talent lies in curses and hexes. Unfortunately, I'm not as much of a polymath as my seniors here," she said in a bold tone. Then, she patted her own chest, making a deep booming sound, and added, "My words carry incredible weight in this city, so if you've got any problem you need settling — you know who to call!!"

     Copying her gesture out of curiosity, Attie beat her own chest, but all she heard was the sound of a hollow space.

     'Vidomina, you are not gonna be able to make friends easily this way…'

     Last but not least was the great big fox and the fairy who had hidden her entire head underneath her great witch hat.

     The kitsune purred, making some unfamiliar animal sounds, and turned to the fairy. It proceeded to stroke the fairy's back gently with its long bushy tail — as if to comfort her.

     "It…Its name.. is… Zakum…" The fairy mumbled really softly as she translated the kitsune's words, but the girls had to really lean in close to hear her — and even then, they did not really hear her clearly.

     "I-I-I…I'm Nota Siniorius… Just c-c-call me N-N-Nota…." the fairy continued with her chronically mosquito-like voice. She seemed very afraid of strangers, seeing as she did not even raise her head as she spoke.

     The kitsune suddenly swiped its tail, shoving the witch hat away from her head.

     A stream of light, aqua-colored hair blossomed at once, flowing down gently on a breathtakingly beautiful face that could only have been crafted by nature.

     "Ahhh!" Nota cried out in embarrassment, and she hurriedly looked for the hat, but the sly fox had already placed it somewhere that she could not see. Meanwhile, everyone's were was directed right at her.

     Her face turned red almost in a second—and her eyes followed suit. She looked very pitiful, but also quite adorable.

     'Oh come on, you're too feeble-minded. Your chronic shyness is a mine for bullies! …Besides, wasn't one of your talents 'aerial battles'? How do you work with that? By killing them with cuteness?' Baiyi thought, feeling a little unimpressed.

     Just as the fairy was about to burst into tears, the two girls who had with natural 'healing' properties came to her rescue. Mia and Tisdale each grabbed one of her porcelain-like hands and rubbed them softly, trying to calm down the timid girl.

     "Don't worry, you'll be fine. We are classmates now, and we are gonna be friends. Friends don't hurt each other, right?"

     "You're so pretty, Nota! I'm Mia; I want to be friends with you!"

     Their smiles were probably the best relief anyone could ask for, and just like that, Nota's tears halted, and a bright grin blossomed on her face.

     Baiyi watched with optimism. 'Looks like my students are gonna be fine, after all.'Aww man, I lowkey wished his name was Flowey. Perhaps the author is not very big on Undertale, haha!Man, it's like every woman would look like this when around Baiyi. Imma call this the Baiyi Pitifier Mien!

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     240 The New Students Were Not Simple At All

      As today was the first day of school for the newly admitted students, Baiyi did not conduct any proper lessons; instead, he replaced it with an overview of the previous classes that had already been conducted. He then prompted the students to consider what they would like to learn, and he asked Tisdale, the appointed class head, to gather everybody's opinion. Baiyi could only choose to only teach certain subjects, for his time was limited.

     Having made that arrangement, Baiyi gave the students some time to themselves while he prepared to ponder some student-related matters. However, as he prepared to leave, he suddenly heard a melodious hum coming from the corner where the potted sunflower was.

     "Senior Sunny... said... it wants to bask in some sunnnn..." murmured Nota faintly, softly translating to Baiyi. As a fairy of nature, she understood the languages of animals and plants, and she could even communicate with them directly. Their kind was naturally blessed with these abilities, unlike humans who could only do something similar if they happened to be a decent druid.

     'But wait a moment... did t-this potted sunflower asked to bask in the sun?!' Baiyi pondered for a bit, and then he decided that there was nothing really wrong about it. He turned around, thinking to move the sunflower to the courtyard.

     However, before he could do that, the Fox lifted itself from the ground, grabbed the sunflower pot by its mouth, and rushed towards the courtyard with it.

     "Hey! Tha—"

     Before Baiyi could finish his sentence, the fox was already back from the yard in an incredibly dextrous manner.

     "Will it be alright?" asked Baiyi, feeling a little concerned because the sunflower gave him a very good first impression.

     "I-it's alright..." explained Nota the fairy. "Prefect Sunny is not such a weak plantling..."

     "Ah… what will happen now?" pondered Baiyi for a moment, and then he concentrated some psychic energy to observe the courtyard. He was stunned for a while, before turning around in order to scan the fox and the owl. When it was Nota's turn to be scanned, the girl emitted a slight squeal.

     "Oh...so that was the reason..." nodded Baiyi, as if he understood something immediately. He then announced to everyone present in the scene, "There are not many rules in my place. I shall explain those shortly. However, there is one important rule that I must absolutely declare now, so pay attention; no one should touch the flowers and seedlings that I planted in the animal-moneybox! Are you listening clearly? No one should disturb them!"

     He spoke in such a loud volume, that the sunflower, who had just bent over to look at the newly-germinated sprouts in the kitty-money box, instantly straightened its stem, afraid to go near it.

     After announcing this important rule, Baiyi returned to his room. In the Void, he asked, "So, how do you guys see this development?"

     "Very good, very good... a bunch of interesting students indeed." Baiyi's Master, the Archmage, was the first to reply. 'He still has something positive to say about this… mess?!'

     "They're quite outstanding, and they possess good fundamentals, so it doesn't require much effort to teach." Originating from the Door of Conundrum as well, the Scholar spoke well on behalf of his descendants. "That little missy from the noble family is an exception of course; she will require more effort and attention."

     "Their basics are good, no doubt." nodded Baiyi in agreement. He had previously witnessed the symbol of the Door embedded on his new students. It was a little different from the one on Baldy, whose symbol had an open Eye. However, the symbol worn by the new students all had closed Eyes, which represented 'Thinking and Imagining'— a stage they were still mastering.

     Most of them, except Vidomina, already had four lashes on their symbols. The closed Eye would open when the fifth lash appears, indicating that they had successfully become proper Sages.

     Baldy did not lie to Baiyi, after all. He might not have declared the whole truth, but at least, what he had said was legitimate. These students were qualified enough to be deemed potential Sages, and they actually did not require that much intensive teaching from Baiyi, even though they had been placed under his care. On the contrary, they might even have to assist Baiyi in tutoring his original four apprentices.

     These four potential Sages, possessing four lashes on their Eye symbols, were even qualified enough to be professors in a common academy. This was because they originated from the Door of Conundrum — the portal holding a world's worth of knowledge.

     "What you said is not wrong, but if you wish to teach, there's still a lot more to teach them!" said the Scholar in the Void. "Your rank is considered that of a Master Sage, which is a completely different level; they would require a lifetime of learning in order to reach where you are!"

     "In my opinion, the fact that the Door of Conundrum assigned these students to you was an acknowledgment of their respect for you," interrupted the Soul Armature Practitioner. "When I was young, I did consider joining the Door of Conundrum, but I didn't manage to pass the test. They were an extremely proud organization indeed."

     Actually, with the portfolio of abilities and deeds that the Soul Armature Practitioner possessed, it was quite possible for him to be a Master Sage. However, the Door of Conundrum was an academic community full of pride and wisdom, and unless one took the initiative to apply, the Door of Conundrum would not lower their egos to beg for anyone's participation.

     "They might verbally say they look up to me with respect, but the newcomers and I are still freaks of the society. What they did was grouping us freaks into a heap," said Baiyi ruefully. "Anyways, that's fine. At least, I don't have to deal with identity issues with this bunch."

     Baiyi was considered a nuisance in the eyes of evil influences such as Godsfall. If Baiyi was not at the top of their wanted list, he would at least be amongst the top ten. Considering the fact that these bunch of loonies could even infiltrate the Judiciary Court, it was quite possible to think that they might have their numbers in the loosely-managed Door of Conundrum as well. Hence, if the Door had indeed assigned him some normal beings, Baiyi had to apply caution by spending some time to validate their identities.

     However, for the duke's daughter, two animals, a potted plant, and a fairy — they would not need such screenings because they would never join Godsfall! Similarly, no cultist would bother to indoctrinate them, either.

     "That potted plant over there... I believe it is good with illusions? Quite some skills there I see. If it wasn't for Honourable Hope's scrutinizing stare, it could've gotten away with it," said the Charlatan, whose presence was almost negligible on normal days, as he praised illusionary tricks on Sunny the sunflower's body. As a master practitioner of illusions, this was an honorable compliment indeed.

     "Flora, such as soul-eating plants, were naturally blessed with illusionary abilities. They commonly use illusions to disguise themselves into harmless plants to hunt for prey. Honestly speaking, it's quite a rare event to see this rare creature here evolve to this point in order to assimilate human knowledge. It must've accumulated thousands of years just to muster such consciousness and ability from their most primitive form," explained the Explorer.

     Born with the imitational skills, or natural illusionary abilities, this creature called the soul-eating plant was usually planted on forbidden grounds as booby traps. The Explorer seemed very familiar with them; perhaps he had encountered them quite frequently in his life before.

     That's right. Sunny the sunflower's original form was not this pretty illusion of a harmless, animated-looking flower. Rather, it was like Medusa's hair in the myth or tentacles from the erotic romance works. Its nimble branches originally looked like little rattling snakes with sharp, terrifying fangs.

     Just to make it clear, this creature did not have any sort of special fetish towards young, beautiful girls; young girls were merely fresh meat in its eyes. Something to consume and not to toy with, so do get your mind out of the gutter.

     Besides Sunny the sunflower, the kitsune and the owl also had traces of disguise. Baiyi noticed hints of shrinking enchantment on the former; beneath its thick, luscious coat, runes were inscribed inconspicuously. This meant that its original size was much bigger than the animal that was before him, so it was definitely not just the size of an abnormally big dog.

     This was not surprising. The Kitsune was naturally not the strongest animal in the ecosystem — unlike wolves, tigers or leopards — yet it is still constantly faced with threats like bloodlusting hunters and mink-loving ladies. Living as a Kitsune was stressful indeed. Hence, it was hardly a preferred choice for shapeshifting. Most kitsune magical beasts were rarely seen. Thus, for this Kitsune to be able to evolve into such a stage was quite impressive indeed.

     As for Potter the Owl, it was the quickest to reveal himself. Before, Potter stood on the Kitsune's head, but later on, it flew to a corner and hung upside down, observing the chatter below with narrowed eyes as it listened intently. Although its appearance was still that of a fat, roundish owl, how would a normal owl hang itself upside down?

     According to academic records, Shadownyx Owls did not even possess a physical form. From the account of witnesses, they were like fog in darkness; their entire being was shrouded in a constant mass of black mist. As for their original form... it did not resemble the appearance of an owl, most definitely.

     But...seeing Potter did such an incredibly convincing imitation of an owl — without any giveaways on its appearance or any traces of magical effects — it must be a creature that was naturally born with such shapeshifting abilities. Due to its a realistic transformation, a lot of people might have seen the Shadownyx Owls, but they were not aware that it was really the owls, because that mass of black fog surrounding the owls was their true form.

     Baiyi suspected that their original form was not even that of birds. This assumption was only made because the Shadownyx Owls had adopted their fowl-sounding name.

     It was the Nota the fairy who did not possess any traces of disguise; she was just as she looked. To put it in other words, a beauty like her who did not apply any assist magic, upgrades, or software was no different from Mia and the rest — a bunch of naturally beautiful maidens.

     Nota's personality was a little too soft and weak. Baiyi could not help but to worry that she would get bullied because of this. Now that she had joined the team, the lowest tier in the ecological food chain of this household would no longer be Attie, perhaps?

     Last but not least, there was Vidomina. Everybody was hoping that she would have some sort of illusionary or shapeshifting effects on her, but it was a pity that she was entirely natural; even her clothes were normal. At a glance, she was the real thing, without a trace of imitation...

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     241 There Are Some Things That Even I Don’t Know Abou

      It was almost lunchtime when the Voidwalkers finished discussing the newly enrolled students. When Baiyi went downstairs and passed by the kitchen, he was surprised at the lack of commotion in there. 'Where in the world is Attie? As a Kitty-cat maid, has she been eaten by that kitsune?'

     Only when Baiyi reached the hall did he found his dark-skinned little maidservant laying on top of the kitsune, along with Mia, savoring the feel of its furry, snow-white coat. The kitsune was also exceptionally fond of them, using its tail to caress them gently, causing the both of them to burst out in cute giggles from time to time.

     "Aren't you girls hungry?" asked Baiyi flatly. He then waved at the owl, who was hanging upside down at a corner of the room, and said, "There is a restaurant down south. Can you please go there and order some food? Mm, just mention the Aegis mansion, and they'll know what to do..."