A while later, when the video call finally came to an end, Blade fell silent as the image of Lucian effortlessly pulling Baiheng and Jingliu into his embrace lingered vividly in his mind, one woman tucked comfortably against each side as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
For a long moment, he couldn't even begin to describe what he was feeling.
The two women had once been his comrades, companions who had fought shoulder to shoulder with him through countless life-and-death battles. Together, they had witnessed triumph and despair, only to watch everything they had cherished gradually crumble apart until they eventually became enemies standing on opposite sides.
Now, after everything that had happened over the centuries, they had somehow been reunited once again.
The only difference was that they were now apparently both married women.
Why did seeing them like that make him genuinely happy for them, yet at the very same time leave an indescribable sadness lingering deep within his heart?
Meanwhile, standing nearby, Elio had already pieced together the general situation from the conversation he had just witnessed.
To begin with, the NPCs themselves had already gone completely off script.
If even Jingliu and Baiheng had fallen for Lucian, then what in this world was still impossible?
At this rate, Lucian might have even brought the former Arbiter-General back to life.
People like them weren't insignificant variables that could simply be ignored. Every single one of them possessed enough influence to drastically alter the direction of the script and derail the future Elio had foreseen.
"I knew it... I just knew this would happen..."
Elio buried his face in one hand and groaned in frustration.
"A Lord Ravager is working as a maid! Two members of the High-Cloud Quintet have both ended up in Lucian's harem!"
"Now, both the Stellaron disaster caused by Phantylia and Jingliu's Aeon-slaying plan had changed..."
Unable to hold it in any longer, Elio finally vented his frustrations openly in front of everyone.
Fortunately, he had instructed Silver Wolf to ask Lucian about everything beforehand. Otherwise, he would have been completely kept in the dark and ended up getting played all over again without even realizing it, just like before.
"So, you're saying the key figures in the Luofu script have already become part of Lucian's harem? Meaning the script died before it even began?"
Kafka didn't appear particularly shocked by the revelation.
Instead, she wore an expression that somehow managed to be both unexpected and perfectly reasonable at the same time, as though the absurdity had somehow become completely believable simply because it involved Lucian.
"So how are we supposed to make Stelle into an honored guest of the Xianzhou Alliance now?"
Silver Wolf asked with a flat expression, though there was a hint of genuine curiosity in her voice.
"Lucian already said earlier that Stelle acknowledging him as her godfather was the greatest fortune," Firefly casually answered from the side. "He should have plenty of influence within the Xianzhou, right? Since the daughter's status rises with her father, hasn't the script's objective already been achieved?"
After hearing that explanation, everyone paused for a brief moment before slowly nodding in agreement.
It actually made perfect sense.
Needless to say, the script hadn't failed before it even started. Instead, it had already succeeded before it even had the chance to begin.
Once again, it was all thanks to Lucian.
"Since there's nothing left for us to do on the Luofu, I'm going there. I want to see Baiheng."
Blade wasn't asking for permission.
He was simply informing everyone of the decision he had already made.
No one would be allowed to stop him on this matter.
Fortunately, none of them had any intention of doing so.
"Mm, that's fine," Elio replied with a small nod. "Go take a look at the Luofu's current situation and gather some intelligence while you're there. It'll also give me some time to prepare for whatever comes next."
"I'll go with you," Kafka added without hesitation. "Your mara could flare up at any time, Bladie..."
Blade's mara had always been suppressed through Kafka's Spirit Whisper, so whenever he traveled too far away from her, she had to accompany him to ensure it didn't spiral out of control.
By this point, their relationship had gradually become less like partners carrying out missions together and more like an older sister constantly looking after her younger brother suffering from a terminal illness.
"I'm going too! I'm going too! I wanna unlock the achievement of seeing a Lord Ravager working as a maid."
Silver Wolf immediately raised her hand with a wide grin, her excitement completely unconcealed.
"In that case, I'll stay behind and watch the house."
Firefly spoke without objection, calmly accepting the arrangement.
===
Meanwhile, Lucian had only just ended his video call with the Stellaron Hunters.
Before he could properly enjoy more than a few peaceful minutes of Phantylia's massage and the comforting warmth of Jingliu and Baiheng resting against him, however, another incoming video call request suddenly appeared.
Being famous was surprisingly exhausting.
To his surprise, though, the caller ID displayed a familiar name: Feixiao.
Lucian immediately accepted the call.
"Hey, dear. Didn't you go hunt Abominations today?"
Feixiao's heroic yet slightly concerned face appeared on the screen. Judging from the quiet surroundings behind her, she seemed to be sitting alone inside an office, likely having found a rare moment of peace between her official duties.
"...I'm not interrupting your break, am I?"
As soon as her eyes landed on Lucian comfortably holding two women in his arms while Phantylia knelt beside him, gently massaging his legs, the tone of Feixiao's voice subtly shifted.
"Nah, not at all. Chatting with you is how I relax."
Lucian answered without the slightest trace of embarrassment, his expression remaining as upright and dignified as ever.
Of course, the image would have been far more convincing if he hadn't been embracing two women while another beautiful woman was attentively serving him at the same time.
Feixiao simply smiled, wisely deciding not to comment any further about the women surrounding him.
"It's about your official appointment as Arbiter-General. The Marshal discussed it with the rest of us, and we'd still like to formally invite you to inherit the Cangcheng's Spiritus, become one of the Xianzhou Alliance's Arbiter-Generals, and have everything officially recorded in the Alliance's history."
"Nope, I refuse..." Lucian answered without the slightest hesitation. "I'm not accepting the position yet."
"I figured... because of your identity as an Emanator of Abundance."
Feixiao replied calmly, showing no surprise whatsoever.
"Not anymore." Lucian casually shrugged. "I just don't want someone else's hand-me-down anymore. I want Lan to personally give me a brand-new one."
Back when he had possessed very little strength, simply receiving a Spiritus would have been more than enough for him. At that time, he wouldn't have cared in the slightest whether it had already been passed down through countless generations.
But things were different now.
Lucian genuinely didn't want a secondhand Spiritus anymore.
Every Arbiter-General's Spiritus had been inherited from its predecessor, its form originally established by the very first Arbiter-General before being passed down from one generation to the next.
What Lucian wanted wasn't an inherited Spiritus carrying someone else's legacy.
He wanted a Spiritus created exclusively for him—a Spiritus personally shaped according to his own will rather than one that borrowed the legacy and authority of another.
"...Ahaha, that really does sound like you."
Feixiao let out a helpless laugh, though there was also a trace of admiration in her eyes.
Countless people throughout the Xianzhou dreamed of obtaining a Spiritus. Even if it had already been passed down through twelve generations, countless people would still fight desperately for the chance to inherit it.
Yet Lucian was actually rejecting it simply because he wanted one fresh from the source.
But then again, only a Spiritus personally bestowed upon him by the Aeon of the Hunt could truly match his status as a fourfold Emanator.
Still...
Would such an opportunity really exist?
Would the Great Lan truly grant Lucian's wish?
"Very well." Feixiao nodded lightly. "I'll report your answer to the Marshal exactly as you said it."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"Also... the Alliance's upper leadership has been discussing arranging a political marriage with you."
Hearing that, Lucian immediately smiled with amusement.
"A political marriage? How exactly? Aren't you and Yueyu already my wives?"
A faint blush gradually spread across Feixiao's cheeks.
"Yueyu and I... chose that ourselves. But what they're proposing is for you to marry several more noblewomen from the Xianzhou—ideally one from every Xianzhou ship."
"With both the status of an Arbiter-General and family ties through marriage, you'd naturally develop a much stronger sense of belonging to the Alliance, and no one would need to worry about where your loyalties truly lie."
"The biggest concern is that... you might suddenly switch sides one day and tear the Alliance apart from within."
"After all, being an Emanator of Destruction isn't exactly a reassuring identity. To the Alliance, it's one of our greatest enemies, just like an Emanator of Abundance."
"And somehow... you alone possess both."
Lucian's identity as an Emanator of Destruction could at least be explained.
After all, he had captured Phantylia alive, replaced her position among the Lord Ravagers, and effectively crippled one of the Antimatter Legion's greatest military assets. From the Alliance's perspective, that was practically a public service.
However, his identity as an Emanator of Abundance remained far more politically sensitive.
It was honestly an almost unbelievable situation.
Lucian alone possessed the identities of the Xianzhou Alliance's two greatest enemies. Despite carrying those identities, he had married several women from the Xianzhou, earned the respect of the Alliance's highest-ranking officials, and now the Alliance itself was actively trying to strengthen its relationship with him through even more political marriages.
Looking throughout the Alliance's entire history, no one except Lucian had ever accomplished something this outrageous.
Even Lan's ascension hadn't been that unbelievable.
"Feixiao is right," Baiheng chimed in with a warm smile as she nodded in agreement. "A political marriage isn't necessarily a bad thing."
Truthfully, she had been worrying that there simply weren't enough helpers.
Now, the Xianzhou Alliance was practically volunteering to send reinforcements to them.
Even after Himeko had joined them, they still couldn't make Lucian surrender. Instead, they were always the ones who ended up losing consciousness first.
If quality couldn't win, then perhaps quantity could.
Baiheng certainly didn't mind that arrangement.
Jingliu, however, clearly did.
To her, the idea of suddenly welcoming a group of unfamiliar women into their home left her visibly dissatisfied.
"Honestly, the political marriage itself is fine..." Jingliu calmly crossed her arms, her tone steady and composed. "But I'll personally choose them first. Not just anyone is qualified to share my man."
For an instant, the imposing dignity and natural authority of the first wife radiated from her without the slightest effort.
Even Phantylia could only stare blankly in surprise.
'Master really is incredible.'
'He even conquered the Yaoqing's Arbiter-General... and he did it while carrying the identity of an Emanator of Abundance.'
'What a waste... If I'd known sooner, I would've surrendered immediately. Becoming one of his wives would've been infinitely better than ending up as his maid...'
At this moment, the more Phantylia dwelled on the thought, the more regret filled her heart.
If only she had learned about Lucian earlier.
If only she had obtained an Abundance body sooner and used that opportunity to grow closer to him.
Perhaps then she wouldn't be kneeling here as his servant.
Perhaps she might have become the first wife instead.
As she gently massaged Lucian's legs with practiced movements, Phantylia's imagination continued to run wild. The more vividly she pictured that impossible future, the more overwhelming her regret became.
In the end, after thinking it through from every angle, she arrived at a single conclusion.
It was all Nanook's fault.
"All right, all right." Lucian chuckled before leaning forward and affectionately kissing Jingliu on the lips. "If it really comes down to a political marriage, you'll personally approve every candidate first."
His answer instantly brightened Jingliu's mood as the faint dissatisfaction lingering in her eyes disappeared almost immediately, replaced by a subtle smile of satisfaction.
Watching the scene unfold through the screen, Feixiao's eyes froze for the briefest moment.
Even so, the smile on her face never disappeared.
"Yueyu and I already talked about it."
"You... were never someone the two of us could keep to ourselves."
"If these political marriages truly benefit you and reduce unnecessary trouble... then I suppose we can accept them."
Feixiao hesitated briefly before lowering her voice slightly.
"But... there are some things I'd rather tell you face to face."
Seeing how desperately Feixiao was trying to appear understanding despite so obviously caring, Lucian couldn't help but laugh.
"Haha, all right. We'll talk in person. I'll head over soon. Just send me your location."
After ending the call, Lucian turned toward Jingliu and Baiheng with a teasing smile on his face.
"Well, as you both saw, your little sis Feixiao is jealous. I should go spend some time with her."
"Mm..." Jingliu smiled faintly. "I suppose it's about time you went and tormented them too."
"That's right!" Baiheng nodded enthusiastically. "Let Invincible, Worry-Free, and Regret-Free finally experience what defeat feels like for once."
"Heh, you two make it sound like your husband is some kinda terrifying beast." Lucian laughed before reaching out and gently pinching both women's soft cheeks. "I'm heading out. I'll be back later."
He then shifted his gaze toward Phantylia.
"Phantylia, stay home and be a good maid. If you do a good job, I can give you a divine fruit from the Ambrosial Arbor."
As soon as Phantylia heard the words 'divine fruit from the Ambrosial Arbor,' her eyes immediately lit up with unconcealed excitement.
"Rest assured, Master. I will take excellent care of all the mistresses."
===
[A bonus chapter for reaching 400 Power Stones]
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