Just Enough for a Table of Mahjong

Falcon City, the square before the castle. The gallows from earlier had already been taken down. A broad lift slowly descended from the airship, its shadow in the setting sun slicing down like a great sword from the heavens, splitting the Royal Avenue between the castle and the river levee in two. Standing in the square, King Menggote bowed his head slightly. "Falcon City awaits your arrival, esteemed Administrator..." The nobles gathered behind King Menggote all bowed their heads as well. Watching the humble posture of these high officials and dignitaries, the representatives of the Citizens' Autonomous Committee standing nearby felt fidgety and awkward, unsure of how to react. Tautte, however, had some discernment. Knowing full well where his newfound power came from, he quickly mimicked their motion and bowed his head slightly to show his respect to the Alliance. Chu Guang did not care much for these cumbersome formalities, though he was reasonably satisfied with the humble demeanor of his defeated foes. Unlike that fellow Griffin. A sore loser. Even when cornered beyond all hope, Griffin still insisted on taking his subordinates to play one last reckless gamble. Before stepping off the airship, Chu Guang had already ordered the Skeleton Corps to have Brother Mole lead the armored units in pursuit. There was no need to engage in combat, however. They only needed to shadow them just beyond weapon range. No matter where those troops retreated, no further supplies would reach their hands. Whether bullets, artillery shells, fuel, or even food and fresh water, all deliveries would be completely cut off. Meanwhile, the Goblin Corps would conduct continuous reconnaissance on the Legion's movements. The moment they detected any attempt to requisition supplies from survivor settlements or villages along their route, they would immediately coordinate with the ground units to drive them off. If the Legion stopped, the Skeleton Corps would encircle them. The upcoming ceasefire negotiations would be critical. Chu Guang needed to shut this fifty-thousand-strong army inside a cage and cut off its food and water. That would break their spirits far more effectively than capturing them outright. As for the defense of Fort Bist and the task of guarding nearly a hundred thousand prisoners of war, that duty fell to a millennium unit under the Alliance's Second Corps. "You are Menggote? King of the Falcon Kingdom?" "Yes... my Lord." Having never spoken the word "Lord" in his entire life, Menggote's voice sounded somewhat sluggish, clearly unaccustomed to it. Previously, Klaas, Griffin, and even the arrogant MacLaren had merely treated him as an equal, or at best stood half a notch above him. Yet now that he was a captive, he had nothing left to say. The concubines in his harem did not matter; at his advanced age, his vigor was long gone anyway. He only hoped this Alliance Administrator would spare his family... Noticing the royal family members gathered behind the king, Chu Guang swept his eyes over them and could not help marveling inwardly at how prolific these oasis dwellers were. Over a dozen children—the eldest in their thirties, the youngest only five or six years old. With the king personally taking the lead in having massive families, it was no wonder survivor settlements in these deserts routinely boasted populations in the hundreds of thousands or even millions. River Valley Province was a completely different story. Even if he combed through all of Qingquan City, he could never scrounge up so many people. Back then, the Bone Chewer Rebellion that swept through the entire province had only mobilized a handful of ten-thousand-man corps. Hiding behind the downcast Menggote, a little girl peeked timidly at Chu Guang, her watery eyes filled with terror. People had been executed here at noon. She had sneaked a peek from the window at the time and was utterly terrified by the scene outside. If not for her royal father's strict command, she would never have stepped out of her room. Not wishing to frighten a child, Chu Guang offered what he considered a friendly smile and spoke in a gentle tone. "Don't be afraid. We aren't Wielanders. We're here to end this foolish war." Yet to Chu Guang's surprise, the moment he looked at her, the little girl grew even more frightened and hid entirely behind her royal father. Menggote's expression froze. The color drained from his heavily wrinkled face, and he closed his eyes in agony. He lowered his head even further. Among the crowd, Count Cromwell wore a look of shock, his eyes darting slightly. Gritting his teeth, he leaned over and whispered a few hurried instructions to a servant beside him. He was not the only one; several other nobles nearby had clearly jumped to their own conclusions as well. Unaware of their hushed whispers and bewildered by the child's reaction, Chu Guang's eyebrow twitched. *Damn it!* *Is my smile really that terrifying?* The little brats in Qingquan City usually liked him well enough. Whenever he got surplus candy and chocolate from prize draws that could not be sold, he would hand them out to the children around the outpost, or occasionally send them over to the school. Losing interest in playing gentle, Chu Guang turned his gaze to the old king. "Before coming here, I heard many tales about the oasis, every one praising its fertility and prosperity." "Yet when I stood on the bridge of my ship and looked down upon this place, this settlement was ugly enough to disappoint me." Menggote showed no reaction. An insult of this caliber was nothing to him. Behind him, however, several royal family members—especially the young men—wore expressions of shame or indignant defiance. Chu Guang continued. "Your streets are crammed with barricades and bunkers, and every face is marked by malnutrition... You were born into the most fertile land, blessed with the heritage of the Prosperity Era, and never had to face the threat of mutants or slime molds. Toss some seeds on the ground, and with barely any tending, you can reap bountiful fields of grain." "Yet blessed with all this, you ran the most fertile soil on this planet into such a miserable state. You have disgraced the very deity you preach about." A young royal glared at him with venomous hatred. Though he kept his mouth shut and carefully masked his spite, he inwardly cursed, *If not for you bastards...* If they had won the war... Things would never have turned out like this! His father, however, was far wiser than him. King Menggote kept his head bowed and said with deep humility, "This was never our intention... It was the Legion. Those Wielanders deceived us, blinded our eyes, and sowed the seeds of hatred across this land." He understood that the Alliance Administrator was not the sort of person who would make a special trip just to throw insults in his face. Harsh and mocking though the words sounded, they actually offered him an excuse to absolve himself. That was to shift the blame for the entire war squarely onto the Legion before all his subjects. And that was his only way to survive. Chu Guang gave the man an intrigued second look. It seemed this Menggote was no fool after all. "I accept your explanation. You were indeed misled and coerced by the Wielanders, so for now, I have no intention of purging you." Here Chu Guang paused, his tone shifting. "However, that does not mean you bear no responsibility." "As punishment, we will disband your military and strip you of your weapons until you have been reformed into a normal nation." "I expect your full cooperation." Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Tautte of the Autonomous Committee felt a surge of quiet excitement, the nobles exchanged glances, and the common citizens outside the square looked at one another, uncertain what any of this meant. Hearing the harsh verdict, King Menggote let out a soft inward sigh and nodded. "As you command." Though he had lost much, he and his family had survived. All things considered, such an outcome was not entirely terrible... ... Although Chu Guang had humbled the King of the Falcon Kingdom during the reception ceremony, he and his subordinates were still treated to a warm welcome by the king and the nobility at that evening's welcoming banquet. Inside the castle banquet hall. Egged on by the others, Perception-type Ye Shi was the first to pick up his fork, jabbing a steak of unrecognizable meat on the table. After chewing with his eyes closed for a moment, he rolled his eyes. "It's not poisoned... Ptui! What the hell is this? It tastes awful!" The culinary standards in these desert kingdoms seemed uniformly abysmal. Sitting on such vast, fertile black soil, it was a sheer waste of good resources! "You wouldn't understand. In Sunset Province, roast sand worm meat is a top-tier delicacy reserved only for the bravest warriors," Lao Bai teased with a grin, though he made no move to pick up his own fork. Brother Scrambled Eggs, who was a professional chef in real life, took a tiny nibble, set his fork down, and shook his head. "...Even Elaina would turn her nose up at this." The Burning Corps were not the only ones who had snagged tickets to the banquet; several members of the Silver Corps who had hitched a ride on the airship had also sneaked in. A few players with restless mouths began whispering about the gossip they had overheard while snooping around the castle earlier. "Hey, why haven't we seen the Administrator?" "He's busy with official business, obviously. At the royal banquet in the Lion Kingdom, he barely stayed a few minutes before leaving too." Silver Dad's eyes shifted, and he lowered his voice with a conspiratorial air. "Speaking of which... I saw the Administrator blow his top just now." Catching the secretive gleam in his eye, Silver Hand and Silver Sword immediately perked up and leaned in eagerly. "What happened?" "Spill!" "Ahem." Silver Dad cleared his throat with great theatricality. "...I heard those nobles shoved a dozen female relatives into his quarters." At this, Silver Hand's eyes popped wide. "Holy crap! Can he even handle that many?" Silver Sword wore a look of envy. He said nothing, but the desire was written all over his face. Damn it all. That dog of a game designer would rather shower perks on NPCs than on players—where was the justice in that? At least let him have a look... Guessing what his buddy was thinking, Silver Dad rolled his eyes at him. "What are you imagining? Is our Administrator that kind of guy? He booted every single one of them right out the door... Why else do you think I said he blew his top?" Silver Sword and Silver Hand were both stunned. Especially the former. After hesitating for a good while, he muttered softly, "Could it be... he's got some kind of medical issue down there?" Silver Dad chuckled. "Hardly. He's an all-around stat beast well past Level 30, so physical issues aren't likely... The main problem was that those nobles crossed the line." Silver Sword blinked. "What do you mean, crossed the line?" Silver Hand was equally puzzled. "Were they hideous? Or did they toss dudes in there too?" Silver Dad slowly shook his head. "Nothing like that. The issue was that if you added all their ages together, they wouldn't even equal your grandpa's!" *Pfft!* Silver Hand sprayed a mouthful of red wine, choking so hard his glass clattered to the floor. Beside him, Silver Sword's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. "Holy shit! That's sick!" Silver Dad let out a mournful sigh, took an elegant sip of wine that was sour enough to substitute for vinegar, and traced an exaggerated curve in the air with the rim of his glass. "Yeah... If they were stacked like Yaya, maybe the Administrator would've turned a blind eye. But they weren't even as developed as Tengteng." Eavesdropping nearby the whole time, Jieyan could finally hold it in no longer and burst out laughing. "Bwahahaha!" Counting Jieyan, who had jumped into the conversation halfway through, the four rascals cracked jokes without restraint. Before they could finish two cups, their network connections began flickering, and the two Strength-type brutes were the first to slump over the table. The other players paid it no mind, long accustomed to this method of blacking out to log off. The servant pouring wine beside them, however, turned deathly pale, terrified that something was wrong with the wine on his tray. "Strange..." Staring at the slumped forms of Silver Hand and Silver Sword, Silver Dad muttered, "These two noobs usually hold their liquor pretty well." Besides, the alcohol content was not even that high. Good thing he had wisely chosen the Constitution-type path back then, or he might have— Just as the thought crossed his mind, his eyes rolled back, and he dropped his cup, slumping onto the table as well. Jieyan's expression shifted slightly. He quickly set down his glass, yet he still could not escape the same fate, getting tagged by the exact same "bug." "Holy crap, you guys sure drank a lot. Even the Constitution-type got put under." Clueless about what had actually transpired, Ye Shi sauntered over with a grin and snapped a quick photo of the four. Just as he was thinking of logging off to mock them on the forums, a portly noble suddenly walked up. "Honorable Lord... I've finally found you." The fat man was drenched in sweat, forcing out a trembling smile. Never having seen the man before, Ye Shi looked him up and down. "Can I help you with something?" "This humble one is named... Braham, a baron ennobled by His Majesty." Before Ye Shi could ask what he wanted, Baron Braham pulled an aristocratic lady forward and said fawningly to the bewildered player, "This is... my daughter Cecily. We wish to thank you for saving her that night." Currying favor with the Alliance Administrator was likely hopeless. He had seen it clearly in the square earlier: the eyes of those formerly untouchable elites had practically glowed green as they stared at that man. However, that did not mean he was entirely devoid of ambition. After hearing about his daughter's encounter that night, he had immediately set his sights on the Administrator's subordinates. Ye Shi stared blankly at the potbellied baron and the bashful young woman beside him, completely failing to recognize that this was the very same noblewoman from the previous night. "You're welcome..." "It is not merely a matter of being welcome," Baron Braham said with dead seriousness. "You preserved her virtue, and it is no exaggeration to say you saved her life..." Seeing the noble lady bow her head in gratitude, Ye Shi scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "No... actually, we didn't really do anything. She knocked the guy out herself and escaped." If anyone deserved thanks, it should have been Lao Bai for giving her half a curtain. Yet the portly baron seemed not to hear a word, carrying on relentlessly. "Ever since that night... my daughter has been unable to get you out of her thoughts, pleading with me for a chance to see you again." "Huh?" "I see that Your Lordship is a man of exceptional talent and character, someone worthy of trust. Please, take her with you!" Ye Shi was completely dumbfounded. "Wait, your daughter lived in the castle—was she one of the king's concubines? Or what?" Baron Braham offered an embarrassed smile. "Ah, that... She was indeed one of His Majesty's concubines before. However, in accordance with the Administrator's decree, the King has already ordered the scale and budget of the harem to be drastically reduced. Aside from those concubines who bore His Majesty children, most of the rest have been dismissed." Saying this, the man leaned close to Ye Shi as if struck by a sudden thought, flashing a lecherous smile as he whispered softly, "His Majesty is well up in years, and his vigor has long failed him. I tell you this in absolute confidence, so please do not spread it about. My daughter was only brought into the palace last year. Originally, on account of that MacLaren—ahem, in any case, I swear to you that my daughter has not yet shared his bed..." Standing nearby, Lady Cecily bowed her head, her face flushing crimson as she averted her gaze. "Father... please, say no more." Being a hot-blooded young man, Ye Shi felt his face grow hot as a ripe apple under such suggestive words. His eyes drifted involuntarily toward Lady Cecily. Though she wore an elegant and dignified gown, it featured a remarkably daring neckline, and the lazy curl of her hair draped softly over a glimpse of radiant fair skin. Now that he looked closely... Yeah. She was definitely well-endowed. In particular, that blend of maturity and youthful charm held a distinct allure for a young guy who had barely left the ivory tower. Seeing that the youth was clearly hooked, Baron Braham felt a surge of joy and immediately struck while the iron was hot. "...I hear you possess vast estates in the Lion Kingdom. Could you take us along? I once traveled far and wide with merchant caravans and know a great deal about trade. If you do not wish to be burdened by mundane affairs, you can leave their management to me... I am willing to serve as your humble steward." "Huh?" Before Ye Shi could answer, Baron Braham pressed on at rapid-fire speed. "If you are willing, you two can hold your wedding right now!" "Wait, uh... wouldn't that be a little too fast?" Ye Shi said in a panic. He admitted that for a split second, he had been tempted by her looks. Heaven was his witness, though—he had only let his imagination run wild for a moment. He had never seriously considered marrying an NPC in a game! Yet the baron refused to let up. Seeing the prize slip from his grasp, he grew anxious, wanting nothing more than to grab his daughter's hand and shove it directly into the youth's palm. "How could it be too fast?" "B-but we don't even know each other—" Ye Shi stammered, caught between laughter and tears, though his words hardly sounded like a firm refusal to the baron. Convinced he had the upper hand, Baron Braham pressed forward relentlessly. "That doesn't matter! Once you're married, you'll have all the time in the world to get to know each other!" Ye Shi stared dumbfounded at the man trying to pawn off his daughter, utterly at a loss. What stunned him even more was that Lady Cecily did not resist her father's aggressive pushing in the slightest. In fact, the moment their eyes met, a delicate blush crept across her cheeks. He had no idea whether it was genuine or an act. Just as Ye Shi was floundering, Lao Bai fortunately walked over and stepped in to bail him out. "Listen here. I don't care what scheme you're running, but stay away from my man, or I'll throw you out of here myself. Care to guess whether your king will speak up for you?" Staring at the round-bellied man, Lao Bai spoke in a tone that brooked no argument. "Y-yes... my Lord, forgive my offense." Cold sweat drenched Baron Braham as he backed away two steps, inwardly cursing his rotten luck. Unlike that young man, instinct warned him that the person before him was far harder to talk to, and far less easily duped. Not daring to linger, Baron Braham quickly bowed in apology and hurried away with his daughter. Ye Shi breathed a sigh of relief. He could not tell whether he felt more relieved or disappointed, though it was certainly far more of the former. Seeing his buddy's flustered, inexperienced expression, Lao Bai could not resist ribbing him. "Don't blame me for ruining your good fortune. You don't own any estates in the Lion Kingdom, and supporting her whole family wouldn't be easy." Hearing that, Ye Shi instantly protested, "Tch, who are you looking down on? Can't I just buy one?" Lao Bai grinned, pointing over his shoulder. "My bad for being reckless, then. Should I go back and put in a good word for you?" Ye Shi glanced in that direction and shrank his neck. "Forget it..." He had just been momentarily bewitched. Thinking about it calmly, if he actually brought her home, wouldn't he be wrapped around her finger? Wait, no! How could he get married so haphazardly in the first place?! And to a stranger whose name he had only just learned, no less. He considered himself a talented young man, a one-in-a-million lucky dog chosen by the neural helmet. In any game, manga, movie, anime, or web novel, he would clearly fit the protagonist mold. Even if he didn't build a massive harem like an overpowered protagonist, he should at least experience a few sweet romances first... Just then, Kuang Feng, who had remained quiet all this time, spoke up with a sudden thought. "Come to think of it... buying a few estates in the Lion Kingdom on our way back is actually a solid idea." "True," Lao Bai said, rubbing his chin. "I think Fang Chang mentioned that we shouldn't focus entirely on pushing the main storyline—the real opportunities are in the side quests." All along, Qingquan City's grain had primarily been brought in by traveling merchants from the south. Yet the southern trade routes were perilous. Jinchuan Province was a plain ringed by mountains, with rugged ranges extending westward all the way to the Zhuobar Mountains north of the Camel Hump Kingdom. That was no peaceful oasis blessed with gentle weather. It was a desolate wasteland crawling with mutants, marauders, slave traders, chaotic cultists, and madmen. By comparison, Sunset Province was undoubtedly a far superior granary. Most importantly, unlike the Falcon Kingdom perched on the edge of the Great Desert or the Honey Badger Kingdom in the central-west, the Lion Kingdom was not too far from the Alliance. A railway was even being laid toward it recently, and the Alliance military base there had save points for players. Now that the war was virtually over, some of the sharper lifestyle players had probably already headed over to stake out land... ... While the players feasted at the banquet, Chu Guang sat in the office that had originally belonged to King Menggote, flipping through the royal treasury's ledgers. The Alliance would not remain in the Falcon Kingdom for long. If not for Griffin stubbornly refusing to surrender, Chu Guang would have departed within two days at most. Maintaining the pre-war borders was a consensus already acknowledged by all parties, and a commitment he had made to his allies. He had no intention of acting as a troublemaking spoiler who went back on his word. That would bring zero benefit to the Alliance. It was precisely why they had devised the plan to "withdraw immediately after forcing the Falcon Kingdom into a ceasefire or surrender." Yet now, Griffin had chosen to be the spoiler himself, which allowed Chu Guang to linger a bit longer before the governor dispatched from Triumph City arrived. Half a month was not long, but it was enough time to implement deeper reforms in this defeated nation. Establishing the Citizens' Autonomous Committee was merely the first step. What Chu Guang truly intended was to transfer as many of this kingdom's fixed assets as possible—including land and factories that an airship could not carry away—from the hands of feudal nobles and landlords into the grasp of the newly armed citizens. A hundred percent transfer was impossible. Even if achieved, it would surely be seized back. Yet even if only ten percent was transferred, and just one percent remained after the Alliance departed, it would be enough to give the Wielanders a massive headache. Internal checks and balances would sap the kingdom's potential for external warfare. Meanwhile, Bist Town, which the Alliance would retain in its grip, would constantly monitor the shifting balance of power within the kingdom and intervene whenever necessary. When that time came, the Wielanders would discover to their astonishment that while the Falcon Kingdom remained their vassal and its king remained loyal to their Marshal, this vassal—aside from belonging to them in name—could no longer provide a shred of practical utility. A crafty smile curved at the corners of Chu Guang's mouth. Right then, Xiao Qi, perched on the desk, spoke up. "Master! An airship is approaching from the west!" "An airship?" Chu Guang paused his pen and looked at Xiao Qi. "How large?" "A little smaller than the Heart of Steel, but it has a very strange-looking... uh, cannon, I think?" As she spoke, Xiao Qi lightly swiped her index finger through the air. The indicator light on the holographic pen on the desk blinked, projecting a faint blue holographic screen. Chu Guang examined the screen. The image was rather blurry. Even after AI processing, only a rough silhouette could be distinguished. Chu Guang asked, "Has it made any unusual moves?" Xiao Qi tilted her small head. "No... Oh, wait, it seems to have slowed down." Slowed down? Chu Guang pondered for a moment, an idea dawning on him. He immediately said, "Can you contact them?" Xiao Qi frowned slightly. "The signal in the Great Desert is extremely unstable... but they're almost out of the desert, so we can give it a try!" Chu Guang said, "Send them a message saying... invite them to Falcon City to negotiate a ceasefire." Xiao Qi blinked playfully and responded briskly, "Understood!" Chu Guang stared at the little AI for a moment before speaking up. "By the way, did you secretly kick a few players offline just now?" Xiao Qi's gaze drifted to the side, a guilty look on her face as she mumbled in a small voice, "...They were badmouthing you behind your back, so I gave them a tiny punishment." Chu Guang sighed. "If I had to police everything people say in private, I'd have an endless list of things to manage... Don't do that again." Unless someone was actively conspiring to sabotage or assassinate him—in which case she could keep a close eye on them and trigger a disconnect before they put the plan into action—there was no need to make a federal case out of harmless jokes or tavern banter. Xiao Qi nodded aggrievedly. "...Alright, Master." ... The next day. Inside a lavishly furnished bedroom in the castle. Before the sky outside had fully brightened, Chu Guang was awakened by a call from the Academy. He had intended to curse out the caller for being insane, but remembering the time difference, he swallowed the reprimand. "What is it?" "You took Falcon City???" Hearing the incredulous exclamation on the other end, Chu Guang yawned and said, "That was two days ago." It seemed the Academy's intelligence network was not particularly sharp; it had taken them nearly two days to learn that the Falcon Kingdom had surrendered. Infuriated by Chu Guang's indifferent tone, Li Ke fumed, "You promised me a ceasefire with the Legion! Why did you—" Chu Guang cleared his throat, cutting him off. "I promised you, but there is a slight communication delay between me and the frontline... Besides, haven't I already ceased fire?" "You call this a ceasefire!?" Li Ke had never expected the Legion to fold so easily, allowing the Alliance to steamroll all the way to Falcon City in a single push. He had heard that Griffin was currently being chased down by the Alliance's Skeleton Corps, having retreated to the Legion's largest military base in Oasis 2—Horn Fort—where he was facing a complete cutoff of food and water. To confirm the report, Li Ke had personally called Griffin, only for the man to hang up without listening to a word. Evidently, that muscle-brained Wielander had lost his temper, and the worst-case scenario had come to pass after all... He did not care whether the Enterprise or the Legion fell first, but he could not tolerate this mission—his chance to rack up achievements—going up in smoke! "Don't get so worked up. We're preparing to negotiate with the Legion—" "You've occupied their vassal kingdom's royal capital! What is there to negotiate? Are they supposed to just hand Oasis 2 over to you?" Chu Guang said dismissively, "That's easy enough. We can just give it back to them." On the other end of the line, Li Ke froze. He had never expected this greedy warlord to give up what he had captured so readily. Chu Guang felt a twinge of regret himself; he really should have leveraged this opportunity to squeeze some benefits out of the Academy, given the immense sacrifice the Alliance was making for the greater good. However, recalling that the Judgment was already breathing down their necks, he cleared his throat and abandoned the idea of further extortion. "...See? I'm even giving up Oasis 2 after taking it. Shouldn't you give me those coordinates now? Otherwise, I might have to reconsider." Li Ke said warily, "...I will give them to you after you sign the armistice agreement." Chu Guang said with clear distrust, "And what if you go back on your word?" "Impossible!" Li Ke replied without hesitation, though his tone shifted a moment later. "However... it is understandable that you have such concerns. How about this: Where are the negotiations taking place? I'll come over in person. A face-to-face exchange shouldn't be an issue, right?" Chu Guang wanted to laugh, but held it in. "In Falcon City." "Give me a week... no, three days! I'll be there in three days!" Though he tried hard to conceal his excitement, the sudden flood of words betrayed his inner thrill. How best to showcase his importance in the ceasefire negotiations? By standing right there at the signing ceremony, of course! Even though this war had virtually nothing to do with the Academy, that didn't stop him from showing up on behalf of the Academy's Foreign Affairs Department to piggyback on the glory. Roughly guessing his intentions, Chu Guang smiled without exposing him and agreed readily. "Fine." He hung up the phone. Chu Guang rested his head against the soft pillow. The Legion, the Academy, the Enterprise... By sheer coincidence, the three eldest sons of the Post-War Reconstruction Committee were all gathering in one place. Who would have thought that this reunion, after a century and a half, would be orchestrated by an outsider like him? Chu Guang could not help finding it amusing. "Xiao Qi." A pleasant voice chimed from the nightstand. "Here, Master!" "Summon Yi Chuan for me as well. Tell him... in three days, we will hold ceasefire negotiations with the Legion, and the Alliance has honored its pledge to end the war before the year is out." With the Academy present as well, there were just enough players for a full table of mahjong. Hopefully, they wouldn't start brawling over grudges from over a century ago... "Wait, hasn't Griffin refused to surrender yet?" Xiao Qi tilted her head. "Him?" Hearing the familiar name, Chu Guang said with a hint of lament, "He probably doesn't have much longer to live."