We'll Be a Family

The sorcerers exchanged dumbfounded glances. Threatening a sorcery spirit—was that even a thing? "Sorcery spirit relational studies does mention that sorcery spirits possess a degree of intelligence..." Sonia said hesitatingly. "But withholding its authority until threatened is really just..." "Begging for a beating," Yaxiu concluded. No sooner said than done. Yaxiu summoned the Soul Summoning sorcery spirit, and Diya's Water-Born Line, Sonia's Evil Light Slash, and Yaxiu's Rage Sword immediately locked onto it, wrapping around it. Although their contract prevented them from actually destroying the Soul Summoning sorcery spirit, the fury embedded in Rage Sword and the murderous intent pouring from Evil Light Slash converged upon the three-colored crystal without holding anything back. Moments later, they saw countless tiny black silhouettes scurrying frantically inside the crystal, as though a miniature kingdom were housed within. Soon, a stream of information flowed into Yaxiu's mind: "Mysterious Authority: You don a mysterious veil, and none may know your true identity. Thus, you may assume any role, gender, or status, and your very existence is rationalized." "Troop Specialty · Mystery: Any units armed with your troop types will be perceived as neutral units by all creatures within the Void Realm, and will only be regarded as hostile upon entering their alert radius." After Yaxiu shared the new specialty with the others, they immediately realized something: it wasn't just the Secret Incarnation. Back then, the Avatar of the Stars had concealed its true authority from them as well, exposing only its enhancement effects on the Star Prayerers! Looking back now, why had the Empress Commander been able to wipe out the Star Commander when both commanded equal-tier legions? Why hadn't the Star Commander been able to escape when outmatched? It had undoubtedly been due to the camouflage of this Mysterious Authority, which allowed the Empress's legion to launch a surprise attack from point-blank range, crippling most of the Star Commander's retainers in an instant and leaving him powerless to resist! To be fair, the Mysterious Authority was genuinely impressive, but to them, it was somewhat negligible. Given their current strength, the entire Time Continent wouldn't have enough to keep them occupied unless they ran into a Heroic Spirit Legion—why would they need to disguise themselves as neutral units? However, upon inquiring about the Seven-Colored Tail, they discovered that the Mysterious Authority would soon come in handy. The last time they inquired about the Golden Fish, Yaxiu and Sonia had wracked their brains using yes-or-no questions to pinpoint where in the sea it was, only to find out it was floating in the sky—an utterly absurd revelation. While not entirely useless, it was like asking an exam proctor whether you could bring a scientific calculator to a literature test: completely beside the point. Therefore, they opted for a simpler, more direct approach this time, having Diya ask outright: "What can we do next that will help us find the Seven-Colored Tail?" The Void Realm answered: "Obtain a complete map of the Time Continent." Any other sorcerer would have looked thoroughly bewildered, likely not even knowing that the Time Continent had a map. But Yaxiu and his companions knew precisely how to acquire one: kill the Heroic Spirit Commanders in each region and loot their Commander Maps! "Why would the Seven-Colored Tail be related to a complete map?" Sonia asked, utterly baffled. "Could it be that the Seven-Colored Tail only shows up on a map?" "Could it have something to do with the capital cities?" Diya guessed. "Maybe the capitals of the six nations form a shape like a tail, and then we can find the edge of that tail?" "Don't forget, this was a reward for the Witch answering a single question. The Void Realm certainly didn't give the whole truth," Yaxiu reminded them. "Acquiring a complete map is merely helpful, not necessarily the decisive factor... Still, no matter what, it gives us a direction." "Right now, though, the Heroic Spirit Legions have begun pulling back to defensive positions, so we can't find them in the wild," Sonia said. "Are we supposed to charge straight into the capital regions?" "Exactly." "Huh?" Sonia immediately caught onto Yaxiu's train of thought. "You want to use the Mysterious Authority to disguise yourself and infiltrate the capital region? But if we get close to a Heroic Spirit Legion, we'll still be detected. Once a battle breaks out, the capital will definitely mobilize an army to surround and crush us..." As she spoke, her voice grew quieter and quieter, and Diya caught on as well. "You want to recreate the Battle of the Oasis Capital?" "Precisely," Yaxiu said. "As long as I lead the Secret Incarnation into other capital territories to claim territory, the Spider Tower Legion will almost certainly arrive right behind us. Then we can take advantage of the chaos and scavenge the battlefield." "Even if we fail, we'll only waste the soul power of a few troop units. Worst comes to worst, we wander around for a bit and leave. But if we succeed..." The cult leader smiled faintly. "I've wanted to feed you Commander's Handbooks for a long time. Those are vastly better than Experience Orbs." ... Leaving the Void Realm and returning to reality, Yaxiu sat up in bed and shook his head. He opened his Book of Gospel to check the time; it was past four in the morning. The upper bunk was producing strange, unsettling noises, like bare bones gnawing against each other. Still, opening his eyes and finding no cockroaches was enough to make Yaxiu eternally grateful to Harvey; he couldn't ask for more. Igola was not in the opposite bunk, and the faint sound of running water drifted from the bathroom outside. Yaxiu suddenly felt like taking a bath as well, making a mental note to tell Igola not to drain the tub to save the trouble. In the upper bunk opposite his, Banjie leaned against the wall, writing something in a notebook. Noticing Yaxiu's gaze, the young butler offered a polite smile and nodded in greeting. Yaxiu quietly slipped out of bed to fetch a glass of water, running into little Lisi as soon as he opened the door. "Can't sleep?" "Mm." After a moment's thought, Yaxiu brewed two cups of hot tea for himself and Lisi, and the two walked out onto the balcony. Outside, a cat was wailing, and a few goblins down at the intersection had gotten drunk and were making a ruckus again. A cool breeze drifted through the gaps between the tightly packed handshake tenements. Nights in Feidengla were far from quiet—borderline noisy, in fact—yet compared to the foggy nights of Fanmula or the dazzling festivities of Mengfeila, Yaxiu found himself preferring a night like this. "Have you been happy these past few days?" Yaxiu suddenly asked. "Lisi" paused slightly, then nodded vigorously. "Very happy!" "I'm very happy too," Yaxiu said. "Even though the room is a bit small, it's so much more comfortable than Fanmula and Mengfeila. Every day I watch you study, watch my substitute work, bask in the sun, and watch video plays. It would be wonderful if we could spend the rest of the Weaving Ceremony like this..." He set his teacup down on the balcony railing and crouched to look at "Lisi." "Next, we have to go to Nabistin to assassinate the princess. You must be worried sick, right? Frightened enough that you couldn't sleep and had to come find me." "Lisi" blinked, set her teacup down, and walked over to grasp Yaxiu's hand. "Mm." "Don't worry. Annan is a smart woman; she won't make a move without absolute certainty. We won't be in much danger... And even if there is danger, you and I still have our contract. I'll definitely protect you." Yaxiu paused, his tone turning somewhat hesitant. "Actually, there's something I've been meaning to ask you..." *Does he know?* *Did I slip up somewhere?* *Or did Igola deduce something?* "Lisi" trembled, but she forced down her dread and asked, "What is it?" Yaxiu held her by the arms and looked at her intently. "After the Weaving Ceremony ends, would you still be willing to live with me?" "Lisi" stared blankly at him, her large eyes quickly welling with tears that wobbled precariously on the rims. Her lips were pressed tightly together and her face was flushed crimson. Seeing this, Yaxiu couldn't help but chuckle. "Why do you look like I'm bullying you?" "You *are* bullying me," "Lisi" sniffled, throwing her arms around his neck. "That's totally unfair..." "What are you talking about?" Yaxiu stroked her head gently. "Then I'll take that as a yes. Once the Weaving Ceremony is over, we'll be a family." Suddenly remembering something, "Lisi" wiped away her tears and said, "You have to watch out for Aunt Bogin!" Yaxiu's expression instantly turned bizarre. "...Oh? Why?" "He's studying the Domination faction now, so he'll definitely look for a chance to dominate you!" "Lisi" said in all seriousness. "If you get dominated by him, he might turn you into a submissive female beast that can only go into heat—" "Thank you for your concern regarding my line of work, Miss Lisi. An excellent suggestion; I'll be sure to try it if given the chance." Towel drying his hair, Igola walked past through the living room, casting a frigid sidelong glance at this ostensible father-daughter pair. "Lisi" was struck dumb. So was Yaxiu. "Hey, you can't be serious, right?! Say something! You're freaking me out!"