As Lucian gazed at Feixiao and Yueyu, Yueyu inevitably made eye contact with him, which earned her a slight nod and a gentle smile from him.
She could see that in Lucian's behavior there was no hostility at all, not even a trace of unfriendliness.
Yueyu watched the young man stretch out his limbs and energetically lead an exercise routine, with foxians of all ages—men, women, and children—following along behind him.
Seeing the children imitate him earnestly, trying their best to copy his movements, a strange sense of happiness welled up in Yueyu's heart.
'Ahh... this is exactly why I've worked so hard all these years—to see my own people living so happily...'
Yueyu was deeply moved inside, and her impression of Lucian grew quite favorable.
Even though Yueyu still felt some aversion toward the Abundance, at least she no longer held any hostility and even felt a desire to befriend Lucian.
She then turned and walked into the shade of a tree, sending a message to the Xianzhou Alliance.
She truthfully reported everything she had seen and proposed cooperating and exchanging information with Lucian, while also keeping him under observation.
[In that case, the Alliance approves General Yueyu's proposal.]
[But only the Yaoqing may make contact, while the other Xianzhou must not follow suit. If anything goes wrong, General Yueyu will bear full responsibility.]
And so, after a round of discussion, the Xianzhou Alliance's higher-ups agreed to Yueyu's plan.
Although the Xianzhou Alliance truly hated the Abundance, and merely mentioning it would make their faces pale, if the higher-ups had not heard that Lucian was actually a good person and could potentially be won over, they never would have agreed to any contact.
For the Xianzhou Alliance, Yueyu's actions could be said to border on betrayal, but she was someone who did not care what others thought. As long as it was the right thing to do, she would go through with it, even if it meant being cursed by everyone.
After a while, Yueyu returned to Feixiao's side, and by then, Lucian had already finished his exercises and come over to greet them.
"Brother, I brought a Xianzhou general who wants to meet you."
At this point, Feixiao no longer stood by Yueyu's side but instead moved to stand with Lucian, clearly showing where her loyalties lay.
"Greetings, Mr. Lucian. I'm Yueyu from the Xianzhou Yaoqing. I've already heard plenty of stories about you, so I want to know—what's your view of the Xianzhou Alliance?"
Yueyu, not wasting time chit-chatting, got straight to the point.
Lucian did not beat around the bush either.
"My view? Simple. If no one messes with me, I won't mess with them. If you want to cooperate, I'd be happy to. But I'm guessing the Alliance wouldn't agree to contact an Emanator of Abundance."
"No, I've already been permitted to represent the Yaoqing and cooperate with you." Yueyu paused for a moment, then added, "Of course, this is just a trial run. For now, only the Yaoqing will be in contact, while the other Xianzhou are strictly forbidden from communicating with you."
"Fair enough." Lucian smiled calmly and reached out his hand. "From now on, I guess we're friends, then."
Needless to say, the fact that an Emanator of Abundance made friends with an Emanator of the Hunt was truly unprecedented, and he was the first to ever do so.
"Mm, for now."
Yueyu shook hands with Lucian, marking a temporary truce and friendly relations between their two sides.
However, seeing that the two were still holding hands after a while, Feixiao finally grew anxious.
In the next moment, Feixiao grabbed their hands and pulled them apart.
"Alright, since you're done talking, let's go eat."
With that, Feixiao took Lucian's hand herself and led him toward the dining hall.
===
When Yueyu returned to the Xianzhou Yaoqing, Jiaoqiu immediately rushed over, ready to scold her.
"You! Never mind, I can't out-talk you. As long as you're back, it's fine."
"Don't worry, Jiaoqiu, they're very friendly." Yueyu smiled and spoke casually. "And by the way, from now on, the Yaoqing will be allying with Koolur, paving a new path for the Alliance."
Allying with an Emanator of Abundance was undoubtedly a new and unusual path, as shown by how Jiaoqiu was so shocked by Yueyu's words that he nearly froze.
"You mean you not only went to chat with that Emanator, but also got the Yaoqing to get along with those abominations?"
Was this even something that could be strung into a single sentence?
"Jiaoqiu, trust me." Yueyu's expression turned serious. "I guarantee they are different from those abominations."
Seeing her so adamant like this, Jiaoqiu could only sigh helplessly and nod.
"Fine, do what you want. I'm done worrying about it."
When Yueyu announced to the residents of the Yaoqing that she would be establishing a friendly relationship and cooperation with Koolur, countless people were thrown into an uproar, and some even voiced strong opposition.
However, as soon as she led them to Koolur, they fell silent.
"What? Five days off every week? And overtime's totally optional?"
"You actually get thrown in jail for making someone work unpaid overtime? Did I hear that right?"
"Wait, miners get free access to the bathhouse after work? And technicians even get a discount?"
"Hey, what's this whole 'six insurances and two funds' thing about?"
"Janitors get a year-end bonus?"
"Doctor, are you saying treatment's completely free?"
"Soldiers get paid that much? And the families of fallen soldiers get honored everywhere?"
"I remember now, I remember everything! I was actually born on Koolur!"
Eventually, after living in Koolur for a while, some foxians started to waver.
It was honestly understandable, since life on this planet was simply too good—even unbelievable.
And so, with the vanguard paving the way, more and more foxians and Xianzhou natives from the Yaoqing came to Koolur to travel, do business, work, and even settle down.
As a result, the Yaoqing's ties with Koolur grew even deeper.
===
Five years later, a large number of the Yaoqing residents migrated to Koolur.
Another five years after that, the cultures of the Yaoqing and Koolur had completely merged, and migration stopped.
Ten years later, the Yaoqing and Koolur had fought side by side countless times, reclaiming over two hundred planets from the Abominations of Abundance.
Yueyu and Lucian's relationship had also become very close, and Yueyu had formed a deep friendship with Feixiao as well. Sometimes the three went to war together, traveled together, sparred together, and discussed the future.
In the blink of an eye, another five years passed.
===
Koolur.
In a luxurious, peaceful garden-style courtyard, with only the gentle bubbling of the tea kettle filling the air, Lucian carefully poured tea, his movements fluid and soothing to watch.
Yueyu lounged lazily by the stone table, her fingers tapping the tabletop absentmindedly as her gaze clung to Lucian's hand holding the teapot, her lips carrying a faint, unreadable smile.