Not only do you speak in riddles, you don't even make things clear.
Damn riddle-speakers!
But given Fuli's stats, I'll just chalk it up to a quirk of the powerful.
Those with low stats don't even get a seat at the table.
"Give me the thing."
Leon sighed and accepted the commission.
"Before you ask for it back, I'll do my best to protect it."
He was a simple man. He was good to those who were good to him, and vice versa.
"Though I don't get why someone with your stats would even need my help, that is."
It was true that he and Fuli had had friction, but that was a matter of their respective positions.
There was no life-or-death conflict between them.
From beginning to end, this Aeon of Remembrance had never gotten serious with him.
Other than applying a little pressure at the very start to remind him to stop what he was doing, they had done nothing else.
If Fuli had dealt him a fatal blow back then,
Leon would have fought them to the bitter end.
He would have even become a slave to two houses just to kill them!
But the moment Fuli stopped trying to prevent him from drawing his bow, the conflict between them was over.
Not only was there no conflict, but he even owed Fuli a favor.
Fuli had stopped him because their positions were different, which he could understand. So when they stopped blocking him, the matter was considered closed.
It should have been a situation where neither owed the other anything, but Fuli's sudden help at the end had left him inexplicably in their debt.
Before, he felt there was absolutely no reason for them to help him.
Leon pondered, looking up at the supreme one before him.
Now it seemed it had been premeditated all along.
Although he hadn't asked for it, the fact that they helped him was undeniable, and he had to acknowledge it.
It was just like his philosophy on saving people.
If you don't have the ability, of course you don't have to give any reward, but you should at least offer some emotional validation. Otherwise, he might as well go save a dog.
Fuli had probably seen through his loyal and righteous nature. The reason they had chosen to help him before was likely because they were waiting for him right here.
Leon was a man of some capability.
Under these circumstances, he certainly couldn't just say "thank you" and be done with it. A favor that could be repaid absolutely must be, so naturally he couldn't refuse their commission.
Debts of hatred must be repaid, and favors must be returned.
That is the way of The Hunt.
Fuli nodded imperceptibly.
After receiving his answer, the fleeting blue light from their arrival appeared once more.
Fuli was gone.
Just as their appearance was abrupt, so was their departure.
Leon's advancing foot landed where it should have, and the familiar scene returned to his eyes.
He knew he had been released from Fuli's little black room.
"So, where's the thing?"
Leon wondered.
He really didn't understand what Fuli's trip was for.
They said they wanted him to safeguard an item, but before he could even get his hands on it, they had already left. Wasn't that just a joke?
"Playing games with me, are you?"
"Where did you go again?"
Phantylia couldn't understand how he managed to vanish into thin air every other day.
"Are you worthy of asking? Talk to me about free speech when you're a big shot."
Leon glanced over. "I have nothing to say to a mid-tier scrub like you right now."
"Sigh, I think this Fuli has gotten so used to being a riddle-speaker they've lost touch with reality."
Leon was a bit lost regarding this sudden event.
Whatever, I'll just pretend it never happened.
It was Fuli who didn't hand the item over to him, not that he didn't agree. Even if they came asking for it later and he couldn't produce it, that's on them.
Thinking this, Leon casually stepped onto solid ground.
He strolled through the galaxy, assuming Fuli was just joking, and planned to follow the Vanquisher to the next disaster zone.
As he walked, Leon suddenly recalled what Aha had said before—that Fuli had also acknowledged him.
He couldn't help but wonder if that conversation just now was a test from them.
Is this the path to becoming a slave to three houses?
Before he could even ponder it, a massive wave of Remembrance energy came crashing towards him.
Drawn in, Leon put away his thoughts and raised his gaze towards the source of the energy—
and was promptly ambushed head-on by a glacier-like chunk of blue-white ice. The thick power of Remembrance smashed right into his face!
"FULI, I'LL F*CKING KILL YOU!"
This Aeon of Remembrance had entrusted the item to him so suddenly that by the time Leon reacted, he had to hastily raise his hands to brace against the massive ice chunk!
Only then did he avoid the fate of being sent crashing down by the ice.
"Dude, are you serious?"
Leon looked at the pink-haired sleeping beauty sealed within the ice, momentarily at a loss for words.
With such a powerful aura of Remembrance, he didn't even have to think to know whose handiwork this ice block was.
He had thought Fuli was just kidding.
He never expected them to be serious, to actually deliver a waifu!
...Wait, can this even be broadcast?
Leon looked at the beautiful young girl in the ice, completely uncovered by any clothing, and felt a wave of doubt. Is this really something that can be shown on stream?
Who would have thought, who would have thought that Fuli was also in the business of human trafficking!
And if you're going to be in the business, fine, but they clearly don't understand how to package their goods! Not only did they freeze the little girl in ice, but they didn't even give her any clothes!
Sigh, unfollowed!
Imaginary energy surged from Leon's palms as he held back the ice block.
He used the power of The Hunt to dissolve the ice forged from Remembrance, still finding it a bit hard to believe that the item they wanted to entrust to him was a person.
Crack!
Under the power of an Emanator, the ice block melted in an instant. The sleeping beauty broke free, her body unconsciously leaning forward and falling towards him.
With quick reflexes, Leon took off his coat, draped it over her, and then opened his arms to catch her.
"What's with me and pink-haired girls, anyway?"
He held the sleeping beauty.
Her tantalizing silhouette pressed against him, and as he felt her soft, cool skin against his own, Leon's mind was focused only on her eye-catching pink hair.
He had met quite a few women so far.
Among them, pink-haired girls were the most numerous. Not only did each have her own unique characteristics, but their looks were all top-tier. It's just that, aside from Cyrene, their stats didn't seem to be very good.
He was starting to feel like he was developing a special advantage against pink-haired girls, you know?
"Damn you, Fuli. You said you were entrusting something to me, but you're just making me raise your kid?"
Feeling the distinct blessing of Remembrance on the sleeping beauty, Leon couldn't help but complain.
"Damn it, I'm a Main DPS, not a Support! You just drop her off, but can I handle the logistics?"
Leon cursed at the absent Fuli, clearly thinking their decision was utterly absurd.
After cursing, Leon immediately sighed, appearing resigned to his fate.
What else could he do? He could only accept it for now.
He owed Fuli a favor, so he had to see it through.
"First, let's find a place to settle down."
He looked at the girl in his arms. In any case, he couldn't just let her stay naked.
What about his clothes?
Haha, what tier is she to dare occupy his clothes permanently?
It was generous enough to lend them to her temporarily to solve the privacy issue. Did she expect him to just give them to her?
She's dreaming a little too big.
Leon might consider giving them to her, but he'd have to see her total damage and DPS first. If they're high enough, it's not out of the question.
Azure Star.
Leon randomly found a planet to land on.
He didn't know where this was either, because he didn't recognize any place.
He just came here on a hunch, but it was quite prosperous, and public safety was surprisingly good.
Leon used the friendship fee from the Xianzhou to rent a nice room on the spot.
He placed the sleeping beauty on the bed, while he himself sat to the side, bored out of his mind, scrolling through the Jade Abacus he had barely ever used, waiting for her to wake up.
"The Xianzhou Alliance has formally declared war on the Lord Ravager Celenova. The Corporation will fully support this punitive crusade, vowing to eliminate all these scourges of Destruction!"
The first thing he saw was explosive news.
"Celenova?"
Hearing this name, Leon's eyes shifted slightly, his gaze falling upon the puzzle piece on his bow, the Vanquisher, whose very existence he had almost forgotten.
"I was wondering why Celenova hadn't come to rescue me yet. So it was the Xianzhou Alliance holding her up..."
Phantylia, who was peeking at the screen from the side, was startled by the announcement. At the same time, she finally had an answer as to why no rescue had come.
Oh my, why is this Xianzhou Alliance so nasty!
Phantylia now only hoped that Celenova could protect herself. Otherwise, if two Lord Ravagers fell into the hands of the Xianzhou Alliance, how embarrassing would that be?
"Oh, that bridge-guarding dog."
Leon recalled for a moment and realized that the person with this name seemed to be the same one who owned the puzzle piece.
"Fighting the Xianzhou? Looks like I can't let her live, then."
The Xianzhou Alliance was the public face of Lan in the cosmos. If something were to happen to it, Lan's reputation would suffer as well.
Leon definitely couldn't let that happen.
What's more, he was a nominal Arbiter-General of the Xianzhou Alliance. Now that the Alliance was in need, it was only right for him to contribute.
Just as Leon was thinking about maybe going after Celenova next, he heard a faint sound by his ear.
If nothing unexpected happened, it should be the sleeping beauty waking up.
With this thought, Leon walked over to the bedside and witnessed the girl's eyelids flutter slightly, before she slowly opened her eyes.
"You're awake? The surgery was a success."
He met the girl's bewildered and ignorant gaze and said as much.
"Sur...gery?"
The girl murmured in confusion, her voice as halting as a newborn baby learning to speak.
Pure as a blank slate, she clearly didn't know the meaning of the word "surgery," so naturally, she couldn't appreciate the meme Leon was playing with.
Without a doubt.
Barring any surprises, her values and morals would need to be slowly shaped by Leon.
"What's your name?"
Leon skipped past her question and asked another one directly.
"Name?"
The girl had sat up without realizing it. Her reaction to these two words was the same as with "surgery"—complete incomprehension, which made her speak again.
"Name... what is that?"
"? You're asking me what a name is?"
The corner of Leon's mouth twitched involuntarily. He really thought this was getting a bit ridiculous.
Damn Fuli! Apart from saying they had something to entrust to him, they told him nothing else, treating him just like a Japanese light novel protagonist!
As a result, not only did he get a little girl out of nowhere, but this girl was like an amnesiac, unable to answer a single question.
That son of a bitch Fuli didn't even give her a single memory related to common sense!
He's supposed to take care of a fallen girl like this?
He thinks Fuli has finally lost their mind!
"A name is a very important thing."
Leon sighed, thought about the question for a moment, and said seriously, "It symbolizes a person's origin, the very embodiment of why you are you."
"Then my name... what is it?"
The girl didn't understand, but she had a vague feeling, a feeling that this thing was very important.
"Your name, huh..." Leon murmured.
What was her name again?
Leon suddenly found he really couldn't remember.
He actually had some impression of the girl before him. Even if he usually didn't pay attention, it was unlikely he'd forget a main character and mascot as easily as other characters.
But an impression was just an impression. He couldn't come up with her name right away.
It seemed to be related to some date...
Leon only had a vague impression.
He opened his Jade Abacus, just about to follow this clue and look for inspiration in the calendar.
But when he turned on the screen and saw the date displayed—the four words 'March 7th'.
He knew he didn't need to look anymore.
The memory of the mascot girl deep in his mind was instantly dredged up by those four words.
"What's the date today?"
Leon held the Jade Abacus facing her and asked in a Cantonese accent.
"March 7th, lah."
Surprisingly, the girl could read.
"On March 7th of the year 2157 in the Amber Era, you and I were here together discussing your name. Because of you,
I will remember this very minute."
He spoke with a fluent Cantonese accent, using a cheerful tone to lighten the somewhat heavy atmosphere.
Leon gave her the name she wanted.
"March 7th... March 7th..."
The girl kept repeating the name, as if familiarizing herself with it.
"My name is March 7th."
After a moment, the girl looked at him seriously and spoke, one word at a time, providing the answer she couldn't give before.
"My name is Leon."
Leon nodded. Looking at the clueless girl before him, he had absolutely no idea what to do next.
He was fine with fighting and being cool, but taking care of someone...
You've got to be kidding your big bro Leon.
"March 7th, is there anything else you remember?"
Leon decided to first assess the extent of her memory loss.
"Anything at all. If you have any impression of anything in your head, you can tell me."
March 7th hesitated for a moment, then shook her head.
"I am March 7th, and you are Leon. The rest, I don't know..."
As March 7th spoke, she shifted her gaze from his face to the bed and the quilt.
Everything around her was a strange sight.
Things that were familiar to Leon, she didn't recognize a single one, let alone know their use.
Leon didn't think the problem was with her, but rather with Fuli.
"Just wait until I get a chance to make Fuli drop some gold, you'll see."
This Aeon of Remembrance was rumored to collect memories from the entire galaxy. He didn't believe they didn't have March 7th's. So why did they deliberatelyremove them?
Leon couldn't find an answer.
If he could sync up with a higher-dimensional being, would he even need to ask Fuli?
It would be generous of him not to just kick them down and take their place.
_____
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