Inside the Suibian Temple.
The fire from the stove reflected Pan Yinhu's busy figure.
Fine beads of sweat broke out on the panda's nose, his spatula flying in his hand as the aroma surged out and swept through the entire courtyard.
The amount of food for tonight's banquet was a bit large.
The Demon God's attendants, Sakura and Himeko.
H.S.O.S.6's Hoshimi Miyabi, Tsukishiro Yanagi, Soukaku, and Asaba Harumasa.
The disciples of Suibian Temple, as well as Hongdou from Yum Cha Sin, and the siblings Rin and Akira.
Just the two "Gluttonous War Gods," Senior Sister Fufu and Soukaku, were enough to make his head spin.
Pan Yinhu wiped his face, wanting to take a breather, only to find that the steamer was empty again.
Seeing this, Hongdou let out a soft laugh and called over the chefs from Yum Cha Sin to take over for Pan Yinhu.
With the sisters Yixuan and Yijiang, who held the Phoenix Legacy in the Outer Rim, and Hoshimi Miyabi, who held the Nine-Tailed Fox Legacy in H.S.O.S.6.
Yum Cha Sin, which had already reached a cooperation with Yunkui Summit, could see its popularity exploding just around the corner.
Inside the house, cups were clinked and plates were filled as everyone ate and drank heartily.
Ye Shiyuan pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting a hint of helplessness: "Master, the Mayor and those people from the Financial Alliance are still squatting outside the temple... are we really going to ignore them?"
"Why bother with them?"
Yixuan gave a light snort.
Ever since she found out that the TOPS Financial Alliance might have been involved in the Old Capital incident, she had wanted nothing more than to slaughter those bastards.
"They are the ones coming to beg me, not the other way around."
Ryuga leaned lazily against the back of his chair, took a sip of bamboo wine, and suddenly gave a mischievous smile.
"Forget it, Hongdou, go and give each of them a portion of shrimp dumplings and a cup of milk tea."
"By the way, put as much tea as possible in the milk tea."
Put in so much tea that those guys won't be able to sleep tonight, hmph.
"Ah? Put in more tea? Alright."
Hongdou was stunned for a moment, then covered her mouth and couldn't help but chuckle.
They weren't going to be able to sleep tonight anyway, and with more tea, they'd be even more awake.
A moment later, outside Suibian Temple.
The Mayor held the warm milk tea, looking at the solitary steamer of shrimp dumplings in front of him, his face turning various shades of blue and white.
Beside him, the giants of the TOPS Financial Alliance were also looking ashen-faced, the chopsticks in their hands almost snapping.
Lingering at the tips of their noses was the thick aroma wafting from the courtyard, making them feel depressed to death.
The laughter and joy from inside the courtyard were even more like needles pricking their hearts.
"Miyabi-boss! Let me see your tails!"
Soukaku held a plate of steaming buns, her mouth stuffed full, yet she didn't forget to circle around Hoshimi Miyabi, her eyes shining brightly.
"Soukaku."
Tsukishiro Yanagi couldn't stand it anymore and grabbed her back.
"I'm just curious!"
Soukaku muttered, then shrank her neck under Yanagi's gaze.
"Miyabi, I've prepared several sets of clothes for you—skirts, long pants, everything. They're made of nanofiber material, just like Himeko's clothes, so you won't have to worry about tail issues in the future."
Ryuga spoke slowly.
"Th-thank you."
Hoshimi Miyabi murmured in a low voice.
"Miyabi, how do you feel your strength is progressing now?"
Arisugawa asked with concern.
"Currently, I can only manifest one fox tail, but my power already far exceeds the Void Hunter level. If all nine tails appear, even I cannot estimate it."
Hoshimi Miyabi slowly looked up, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes.
Ryuga had given her a grand gift.
The table fell silent for a moment.
"Mother-in-law, are you satisfied with this betrothal gift?"
Ryuga suddenly leaned close to Arisugawa's ear and whispered in a low voice with a smile.
The warm breath brushed against her earlobe, making Arisugawa's whole body stiffen. Her earlobes instantly turned beet red, and she subconsciously shook her head.
"Ah? This isn't enough?"
Ryuga was stunned.
"No! I mean, it's enough! It's already enough!"
Arisugawa nodded with a red face.
How could this be just "enough"?
This was far beyond enough.
Even if they threw in the entire Hoshimi family, it wouldn't be enough.
If Miyabi and Ryuga had descendants and the nine-tailed bloodline was passed down, the Hoshimi family would flourish forever.
Realizing her loss of composure, she quickly picked up her teacup to hide it.
Everyone burst into laughter, and the atmosphere became even more lively.
"..."
Only Hoshimi Miyabi was full of embarrassment. She was sitting right next to her mother, so she naturally heard the words "betrothal gift."
She lowered her small face, her ears drooping down.
It was time to pay the "remuneration."
...
After three rounds of drinks, the moon reached the middle of the sky.
Only then did Ryuga slowly walk out.
Mayor Mayflower and several high-level executives from the TOPS Financial Alliance quickly stood up.
"I will only say three things."
"First: TOPS will withdraw from the management of the Outer Rim, and no one is allowed to touch the Yunkui Summit sect. Whoever framed Yijiang back then shall be imprisoned or dismissed accordingly."
"Second: All the property of the Qiao family's ancestral home will be handled by Yunkui Summit itself."
"Third: Whoever touches my people, dies. H.S.O.S.6 will be completely independent from today onwards, but the support they deserve must not be lacking."
"Fourth: Three Gates Corp. will unconditionally rebuild the entire Outer Rim—housing, medical care, education, employment... all aspects of people's livelihoods."
"Don't think I don't know what you've done."
"I will have Yijiang keep an eye on it until she is satisfied."
"I have finished speaking."
"Who agrees, and who opposes?"
Ryuga coldly surveyed the scene.
Before the fall of the Old Capital, Three Gates Corp. had supported the rebels and secretly weakened the original defense forces of Eridu.
Therefore, the TOPS Financial Alliance could not escape responsibility for the Old Capital incident.
It was only because he didn't have time; otherwise, he would have uprooted them all.
The atmosphere instantly froze.
"I... agree."
Mayor Mayflower's forehead was covered in fine sweat as he raised his hand to express his stance.
As long as his power and position weren't touched, and his roots weren't overturned, there was no problem.
Since the Mayor had bowed his head, how could the others dare to hesitate?
"Agree!"
"Agree!"
One voice after another followed, fearing that a moment's delay would bring disaster.
Finally, the chairman of Three Gates Corp., his face ashen and his lips trembling, squeezed out the words: "I... I also agree."
...
Inside the wallpapered room.
Hoshimi Miyabi walked in with her head lowered, her cheeks flushed with a faint rosy hue.
"Um, I'm here to get the clothes."
Ryuga directly placed several sets of clothes in her arms: "Here you go."
However, Hoshimi Miyabi was hesitating, her gaze wandering, her feet seemingly nailed to the floor.
"Is there something else?"
Ryuga tilted his head.
"I... I'm here to pay the remuneration."
Hoshimi Miyabi bit her lip and mustered the courage to speak.
"Remuneration?"
Ryuga was completely confused.
"You... you saved my mother, the remuneration promised, and... and didn't you mention it yourself?"
As she spoke, Hoshimi Miyabi's face was already completely red.
Then, as if she had made a certain decision, she suddenly stood on her tiptoes, closed her eyes, and quickly gave Ryuga a peck on the cheek.
The jelly-like sensation, carrying the unique warm fragrance of a young girl, made Ryuga's heart skip a beat.
"Just this?"
Ryuga was stunned.
The remuneration was just a kiss?
He understood now; it must be Master Yixuan ruining his reputation.
No wonder Hoshimi Miyabi's gaze was a bit off when they first met.
Damn, this "loving the master and betraying the disciple" must be done thoroughly.
"I... I just don't know what to do next."
Hoshimi Miyabi lowered her head, her voice as thin as a mosquito's buzz.
The next steps?
The young girl didn't know.
Ryuga almost choked on his own saliva.
"Follow me."
Seeing Ryuga hook his finger at her, Hoshimi Miyabi hesitated for a moment but still obediently walked forward, her eyes full of confusion: "What are we doing?"
As soon as she reached the bedside, Ryuga reached out and put his arm around her waist.
The next second, the two were sitting on the bed, and Ryuga sat on her lap.
"???"
Hoshimi Miyabi instantly froze, her cheeks so hot they could almost fry an egg.
She felt completely uncomfortable and always felt like something was wrong.
After a good while, she realized what was strange.
"Isn't it reversed?"
She didn't understand the affairs between men and women, but it wasn't like she hadn't seen it in the park.
Which couple didn't have the girl sitting in the boy's lap, hugging his neck and acting spoiled?
How come it was reversed for her?
"Don't worry about those things."
Ryuga let out a soft laugh, lowered his head to sniff the clear fragrance in the girl's hair, and said with a smile: "If you don't understand, I'll teach you."
"Okay."
Hoshimi Miyabi gave a soft response.
Then, she realized her earlobe was being bitten.
In that instant, it was as if a fine current spread from her earlobe to her entire body. Her whole body trembled, and goosebumps suddenly rose.
A tingling, strange sensation welled up in her heart.
She instinctively wanted to struggle. "This is what we're doing next. Relax your body, don't be nervous, just leave everything to me."
"Oh."
"Then, I'm coming."
Ryuga smiled and leaned down.
Quiet and burning.
...
The next day.
As soon as Ryuga woke up, he saw Hoshimi Miyabi recording something in a small notebook.
He took a peek and was almost speechless.
"Last night's 'No Crying Out' cultivation failed. Keep up the good work, Miyabi, you will definitely succeed."
"?"
Ryuga had a head full of question marks. So, the scene of her biting her teeth hard at the beginning was for this kind of "cultivation"?
He thought she was just nervous.
Indeed.
Hoshimi Miyabi would specifically spend time on cultivation, but sometimes the cultivation items were quite strange.
For example, "Insisting on not going to the debriefing meeting," "Stepping with the right foot first before entering a door," "Speaking no more than five words," "Only walking on the white lines of a crosswalk," "Staring contest with a fierce beast (a cat)," and so on.
And this time it was "No Crying Out" cultivation?
"Miss Miyabi's cultivation life... is truly colorful."
Looking at Hoshimi Miyabi's serious recording, Ryuga let out a soft sigh and couldn't help but touch her pair of fluffy big ears.
Her cultivations were actually her way of remembering her mother.
"Yes, this cultivation failed, but I will definitely succeed."
Hoshimi Miyabi looked up with her small face and said quite seriously.
"Uh, good luck."
But, dear Miss Miyabi, you didn't even last for a single second in this cultivation.
Ryuga got up and rubbed his waist.
He had to say, Miss Miyabi gave him a very unique feeling.
During the process, she would even weirdly enter a state of "spacing out," as if she had lost consciousness, which gave him a fright.
It gave him a "faint human-machine feeling" enjoyment.
Human-machine feeling.
Repeater Miyabi.
...
"Lord Demon God, goodbye!"
The disciples of Suibian Temple waved their hands reluctantly.
"Lord Demon God, when you go to Teyvat, you must take old Pan with you!"
Pan Yinhu grinned, shaking the wine flask in his hand. "I'm still brewing bamboo wine for you."
"Don't worry."
Ryuga patted Pan Yinhu's shoulder and looked at the elegant figure in plain clothes.
"Sister, Yixuan might go to my place in a few days. For now, you guys empty out the Qiao family's ancestral home first, and then keep a close eye on Three Gates Corp."
Elysia had called them many times; Eden's concert was about to begin.
With his sister looking after things here, Yixuan could also go and relax.
Yijiang nodded: "I understand."
By the way, you called her "Sister" so naturally?
"Auntie should join Suibian Temple."
Ryuga turned to look at Arisugawa.
Arisugawa responded softly: "I understand."
Saying that, Ryuga looked at Hoshimi Miyabi again: "If anything happens, just contact Yixuan. Currently, only she can reach me."
"Okay."
Miss Miyabi nodded gently.
After settling everything, Ryuga returned to Omphalos.
...
Everything was normal in Omphalos, no problems.
Cerydra, together with Hysilens, had officially set out to crusade against the Black Tide, hunt Titans, and seize the Embers.
They had already defeated the Black Tide several times and defeated Nikador twice in a row, but his immortal body couldn't be killed, so they couldn't seize the Embers.
However, it wasn't without any gain; they had just obtained the Embers of the Earth Titan, Georia.
The entire ground of Omphalos had cracked.
What made Ryuga not know whether to laugh or cry was that the dragon World-Ender took the Earth Titan's Embers and stabilized the gradually collapsing earth.
Sapphire was still studying at the Tree of Enlightenment.
Aglaea was still maintaining the stability of Okhema.
While Castorice and Polyxia took turns guarding the Underworld; currently, it was the younger sister in the Holy City.
With "Protean Jak'Sho" and the "Universal Pass," Lygus couldn't detect her at all.
A few days later, in the group chat.
[Customer Service Miss Pink Elf]: "Hey hey~, Ryuryu, I've already arrived in Australia. Are you guys coming or not? I finally managed to get tickets for Eden's tour."
[Desert Reaper]: "Of course, those going press 1."
[1] "1."
Anyway, whether she was in Fontaine or not didn't make much difference; Neuvillette was enough to handle daily affairs.
Her occasional disappearance wouldn't cause any trouble.
[2] "+1."
[3] "1."
[4] "1."
[Istaroth]: "So pitiful, I can't go. You guys should start a live stream then. By the way, Jingliu's reaction is quite unexpected."
: "It's good to relax once in a while."
Actually, she wanted to find Ryuga to discuss the "Baiheng Resurrection Plan."
Coincidentally, Eden's tour was a perfect opportunity.
The wind brushed past the edge of the high tower, blowing her snow-white long hair.
Ryuga's heart skipped a beat: Would Skirk and Jingliu start fighting?
Both of them loved to spar with others.
"Desert Reaper" requests to enter your world. Do you agree?
"Agree."
In an instant, a stone archway emerged from the void, and with a burst of blinding white light, Ryuga was instantly swallowed.
"Hi, Ryuryu, did you miss me?"
This time, Elysia got ahead.
As he entered, Elysia was standing right in front of him, her hands behind her back, her upper body leaning forward slightly, almost pressed against him.
Her exquisite and flawless face blinked at him mischievously.
"I didn't get to say my line this time."
Elysia let out a soft laugh, then stood on her tiptoes, put her arms around Ryuga's neck, and pressed her red lips down.
At this time, Jingliu, Skirk, Yixuan, and Furina slowly walked out from the white light of the stone archway.
Elysia quickly let go of the embrace, her cheeks slightly red, but she still smiled mischievously.
"Oh my, Master Yixuan is so beautiful."
Elysia covered her mouth and sighed, full of amazement.
At this moment, Yixuan was wearing the "Ink-Shadow Trace" outfit modified by Ryuga. The revealing designs had been modified, and the short skirt was lengthened to above the knee.
It retained its agility while adding a bit of dignity.
Her white hair fell like a waterfall, cold and mysterious like a lonely shadow under the moon.
"Nice to meet you, Elysia."
Yixuan gave a slight smile.
"Yes, yes, nice to meet you. Jingliu, Skirk, oh my~, you really look so much alike."
Elysia covered her small mouth in surprise.
It was also the first time Ryuga saw Jingliu and Skirk standing side by side.
"To be honest."
"If you two swapped clothes, Jing Yuan and Childe probably wouldn't be able to tell who is who."
Ryuga shrugged. Skirk: Childe?
"Ryuga, which outfit do you think looks better on me?"
"We're going to see Eden in a bit."
Elysia suddenly turned around and quickly took out several sets of gorgeous clothes.
"Elysia looks best no matter what she wears."
Ryuga gave a thumbs up without hesitation, his eyes sincere.
He silently added in his heart: She looks even better when she's not wearing anything.
"Oh, Ryuryu, your mouth is so sweet. But I think so too, so I'll stick with this one."
Elysia's eyes curved into crescents as she smiled, her fingertip lightly poking Ryuga's chest.
Knock knock.
The sound of knocking on the door rang out.
"Coming~"
Elysia gave a playful response and skipped forward to push open the door.
Outside the door stood an elegant beauty in a long dress.
The beauty's lips curled up slightly, gentle and exquisite.
"Eden, my dear Eden~"
To be continued…
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