Chixia pursed her lips. "Since you already know, I won't hide it from you anymore. The truth is, I've already kissed Lucian!"
"And I really, really like Lucian! I'm definitely going to marry him in the future! No one can stop us!"
Lucian: "?"
From the moment Chixia started speaking, Lucian had been frozen in shock. He never expected her to think so far ahead—he wasn't prepared for this at all.
But if he rejected such intense affection from the girl, she'd surely be heartbroken…
Just as Lucian was about to say something, Rover cut in first.
"You won't marry Lucian."
"Because Lucian is going to travel the world with me. So, he'll only be with me."
"Right, Lucian?"
Rover glanced at him, her eyes carrying a faint hint of threat.
At this moment, Lucian just wanted to escape this battlefield. In his past life, as a proud single man, he never imagined he'd encounter a harem conflict—damn that system!
Yangyang weakly raised her hand from the side. She wanted to change the subject, but seeing how tense the two were, she didn't know what to say. After all, she was also a girl who knew nothing about romance.
Besides, relationships were a matter between two people… well, in this case, three… so it was best to let them resolve it themselves…
Lucian, feeling the chili sauce in his arms, suddenly had an idea. "Actually, I also prepared a gift for Yangyang."
Chixia: "?"
Rover: "?"
Rover narrowed her eyes. "You and Yangyang also have some secret relationship?"
She carefully recalled everything that had happened on their journey. Though Yangyang had spent a lot of time with them, neither Lucian nor Yangyang had ever shown any ambiguous behavior toward each other.
Lucian straightened his expression. "No, Chixia, Rover, I've said this before—my heart has shattered into many pieces."
"But even so, each piece is equal in size and weight. None is bigger or more important than the others."
"So what I'm saying is, no matter who ends up with me, my feelings for all of you are the same!"
Rover said bluntly, "So you want to have your cake and eat it too?"
Lucian: "…Rover, we Jinzhou people must master the art of speaking—subtlety and tact are key. You can't just say it so directly, understand?"
Rover pointed at herself. "Am I from Jinzhou?"
Lucian hesitated. "…Well, maybe not. Or maybe you are? Are you or not?"
Rover nodded slightly. "Don't change the subject. Just answer me—will you travel with me till the end?"
Lucian clicked his tongue. "The Magistrate entrusted me with your protection."
Chixia smirked. "That was the Magistrate's request, not Lucian's own will. Once the Magistrate finds out I'm going to marry Lucian, she'll definitely approve!"
"And then she'll have Lucian stay in Jinzhou!"
Rover: "Even without the Magistrate's request, Lucian would still travel with me—because I'm the one he likes the most."
Chixia: "?"
I was the one who kissed him first! How did you suddenly become his favorite?!
Neither of them backed down, staring fiercely at each other.
Yangyang quickly tried to mediate. "Um… Lucian, didn't you say you got me a gift? Can I see what it is?"
Lucian nodded and took out a piece of jade from his pocket.
Though he had spent a lot of time with Yangyang, he didn't know her preferences very well. So, he simply went with his gut and bought her a jade stone.
"This jade emits a unique frequency. Touching it can ease tension and help you relax."
"Consider it my thanks for holding off those Tacet Discords for us!"
Back then, Lucian and the others had entered that space, leaving Yangyang alone outside with his Echo to fend off the swarming Tacet Discords and prevent them from interfering.
Yangyang took the jade. The cool touch against her palm seemed to reach straight into her heart, soothing her mood.
She smiled. "Thank you, I love it."
"And…"
Yangyang took out a wind chime. Transparent strings tied together various pieces of jade, each differing in color, size, and shape.
"This is a wind chime I made. At first, it only had a few pieces of crystal and jade."
"But as I traveled to more places, collecting some myself and receiving others as gifts from friends, it's grown to dozens of pieces now—several times longer and more intricate than before."
Lucian asked curiously, "So you'll tie this jade to it too?"
Yangyang nodded. "Yes. Every piece here represents the kindness of my friends. It's one of my most treasured possessions. So, thank you—I really do love this gift."
Rover narrowed her eyes. "Lucian, where's my gift?"
Lucian laughed. "Of course I prepared one. After all, I am fair to everyone."
With a flick of his hand, he summoned an ice-blue Sword.
This blade, named Emerald of Genesis, was forged for him by Uncle Wei at the crafting station. Though the old man with his reading glasses was a bit of a tsundere, his craftsmanship was undeniable.
Moreover, Lucian had spent a long time gathering the rare materials needed for this weapon—its performance spoke for itself.
If one pressed their ear to the cold, sharp blade, they could almost hear the sound of frigid currents surging beneath.
"Rover, this blade is called Emerald of Genesis. I noticed your old Sword was getting worn out, so I specially crafted this divine weapon for you!"
Rover gripped the sword, testing its weight before twirling it effortlessly.
There was no denying it—this Emerald of Genesis had completely won her over. The balance and feel were impeccable, making it hard for her to put down.
She nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad. You put thought into this."
Lucian grinned proudly. "Glad you like it."
Just then, the Tacet Mark on Rover's hand suddenly glowed, and the small white creature leaped out from it.
It stretched lazily. "What's going on? You're all so loud you woke me up…"
Before anyone could react, the white creature's nose twitched, as if it had caught the scent of something delicious.
It flew over to the freshly served dishes on the table and gasped. "Wow! This smells amazing!"
Chixia finally processed what was happening. "Ah… so this is…"
"I'd heard you had a strange little companion with you lately. So this is it?"
"It just… popped out of the Tacet Mark like that?"
Lucian watched as the little creature drooled over the food, reminding him of how it had completely absorbed the frequency of the Dreamless before.
He nodded in confirmation. "This is Glutton."
Chixia blinked. "Gla… what?"
Yangyang covered her mouth with a light laugh. "Lucian's just teasing it for being a huge eater."
The little creature immediately protested. "What do you mean, Glutton?! I'm… I'm… what was it again?"