Erii slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was a pink ceiling. The air was filled with the faint scent of herbs and Dragon Blood. She slowly sat up and looked around.
This room, unlike the familiar room she knew, had no suffocating medical equipment. Instead, it was filled with toys she liked. Warm sunlight streamed through the window, and a few fluffy Kittens chased and played in the corner.
Erii instinctively looked for her Little Yellow Duck toy and her small notebook.
"You're awake?"
A familiar voice sounded. Erii snapped her head around and saw Ian standing at the doorway, a gentle smile on his face.
The moment she saw Ian, the unease in Erii's heart vanished instantly. She suddenly remembered that she was no longer in her old place.
She jumped up and threw herself into Ian's embrace.
"This is Minecraft, and it is your home from now on," Ian gently patted her back, his voice soft. "Here, you are completely safe. You don't need to fear anything."
Erii looked up at Ian, her eyes welling with tears.
She wanted to say something, then started rummaging for her small notebook—that was how she used to communicate with others.
"You don't need that anymore," Ian smiled and pointed to her throat. "You can talk now. Give it a try."
Erii was stunned. She quickly waved her hands and opened her mouth, but only "yi-yi ya-ya" sounds came out.
She pointed to her throat, her expression anxious. The words she spoke would turn into terrifying Dragon speech and hurt others.
"Don't worry, you are different now," Ian encouraged her. "You have undergone the organization's Enhancement, and you can now freely control your abilities. You won't lose control anymore."
Erii was a little disbelieving. But then she remembered the miraculous power Ian had displayed that day—that god-like figure and the organization that traveled through ten thousand worlds to save them. Perhaps, what he said was true.
She prepared herself, gathered her courage, and tried to speak: "Hel... lo?"
A clear, sweet voice came out of her mouth, pleasant to the ear.
Erii, hearing her own voice, froze. She covered her mouth in disbelief, her eyes wide. Was that her voice? She could talk? She could speak in human language?
"Thank you... Thank you, Ian-sama!" She finally spoke a complete sentence, her voice trembling slightly.
"Haha, no need to thank me, it's nothing," Ian waved his hand.
Erii's tears turned into a smile. Like a child with a new toy, she ran to the window and excitedly called out to the little Elves fluttering outside: "Hello!"
The Elves seemed to understand her words. They flew around her, and a few even landed on her hair and hands.
Erii turned around again and said to the little Grass on the ground: "Hello, little Grass!"
The breeze rustled the Grass, gently swaying its leaves, as if responding to her.
Ian walked to her side and gently rubbed her hair: "From now on, say whatever you want. You won't need the small notebook anymore."
Erii nodded vigorously, her face full of smiles. She could finally speak freely, just like a normal person.
"Oh right, Ian-sama, my brother..." Erii suddenly remembered Genzhi Sheng, and mentioned her brother to Ian, her voice tinged with worry.
Ian suddenly recalled that he had been so focused on taking Erii out to play these past few days that he had completely forgotten about Genzhi Sheng and the others.
The corner of his mouth twitched: "Ah, I almost forgot about them."
He immediately instructed Zambo, who was standing by: "Go and bring Tachibana Masamune and Wang Jiang from the End Rod Device."
He had been planning to use those two later, so he temporarily refrained from giving them punishments that would affect their appearance too much, lest others wouldn't recognize them.
The "punishment" Ian arranged for them was actually quite restrained; it was just to let them experience the fully automatic End Rod Device. After he was done using them this time, he would upgrade their "package," perhaps by adding a few more End Rod.
Ian had another idea in mind. If the Group Chat could bring in friends from the Warhammer Universe in the future, he would send these two to Slaanesh and let the Slaanesh Demon "entertain" them well, allowing them to experience "bliss."
"Received, Boss!" Zambo said respectfully, turning immediately to carry out the order.
Ian turned to Erii and said softly, "Let's go, we'll go see your brother."
He gently took Erii's hand, signaled Zambo to bring the sacks containing Tachibana Masamune and Herzog, and with a thought, the three instantly returned to the Dragon Raja World.
Uesugi Yue's mood had been complicated recently.
Ever since he furiously burned down the ancestral hall and withdrew from Shaoqi Yabashi, he had lived in seclusion and did not want to involve himself in their disputes again.
But recently, annoying fellows kept disturbing him.
A while ago, the Shaoqi Yabashi headquarters was attacked, the patriarch Tachibana Masamune was kidnapped, and the young master Genzhi Sheng also disappeared abroad. Shaoqi Yabashi was headless.
Lately, the heads of a few families who knew his former identity ran to his small Noodle Stand every day to weep and plead with him to come out of retirement and take charge of the situation.
Uesugi Yue was getting annoyed by their constant clamor. These guys really thought he couldn't lift a sword anymore.
Today was the same. Those people had returned, chattering incessantly outside, making it impossible for him to even do business.
Just as he was getting irritated and prepared to go out and "shoo them away," the noise outside suddenly vanished.
Uesugi Yue was momentarily stunned, wondering why these people had suddenly become so sensible today.
He poked his head out curiously, wanting to see what was going on.
He then discovered that the Shaoqi Yabashi members who had been incessantly babbling were all limp on the ground, their faces pale and their bodies trembling.
Standing before these people was an extraordinary young man and a kind-looking girl. Trailing behind them was a strange man in a suit, shouldering two huge sacks.
What was this situation?
The Shaoqi Yabashi members on the ground stared at Ian with terrified eyes.
As soon as Ian arrived, he heard the group chattering non-stop, which annoyed him, so he released a trace of his Coercion. The group immediately fell silent.
Uesugi Yue ignored who was lying on the ground and walked directly to Ian. After sizing him up, he asked, "Who are you people?"
Ian smiled slightly: "Who I am is not important. What is important is that I have a good show here, and I'd like to invite the elderly gentleman to enjoy it with me. Will you honor me with your presence?"
Uesugi Yue slightly furrowed his brow. He initially wanted to refuse, but a strange feeling rose in his heart, as if telling him he would regret it if he didn't go.
He thought for a moment, then finally nodded: "Very well. Business isn't good today anyway. I'll treat it as a distraction."
His small Noodle Stand business had become quite slow recently due to the Shaoqi Yabashi disturbances. He would just close up early today.
"Excellent!" Ian immediately took a Red Matter Pickaxe from his backpack. With a gentle tap on the ground, the whole of Tokyo vanished (just kidding).
With a gentle tap, a passage leading straight underground appeared before everyone.
"Follow me." Ian gestured, then led Erii and Zambo, jumping down first.
Although Uesugi Yue was surprised by Ian's miraculous method, as someone who had seen the world, he just took it as a special kind of Word of Power and did not dwell on it much.
After all, he was one of the few Sovereign-Class Hybrids among the Hybrids, and his Word of Power was high-risk. There was nothing that could make him retreat now, not even a Dragon. He followed without hesitation and jumped down.
The end of the tunnel was a spacious underground area. In the center of the underground space was a huge Round Table.
Two people were already seated at the Round Table—Ian and Erii.
And surrounding the Round Table were six mysterious people with hoods over their heads.
Zambo stood respectfully behind Ian.
"Please take a seat." Ian pointed to an empty seat, smiling at Uesugi Yue.
Uesugi Yue, filled with questions, slowly found a seat and sat down, his eyes alert and tinged with curiosity.
Ian then had Zambo pull off Genzhi Sheng's hood first. Seeing him, Erii immediately shouted "Brother."
Genzhi Sheng's eyes snapped open. The intense light made him dizzy. He subconsciously squinted, struggling to adapt to the blinding light. Faintly, he seemed to hear a familiar yet unfamiliar voice.
"Erii?" Genzhi Sheng struggled to recognize the voice, which was now hoarse. Finally, he saw clearly. Standing before him was his long-lost sister, Erii. However, she seemed slightly different now. Her previously pale face was healthy and rosy, her eyes were more spirited, and her whole being exuded an unprecedented vitality.
"Erii, are you okay!" Genzhi Sheng asked excitedly, his voice trembling.
Erii shook her head, "I'm fine, Brother."
Genzhi Sheng wanted to ask more questions, but Ian interrupted him: "The catching up can wait. Now, let's continue."
Ian snapped his fingers again. Zambo understood and walked up to Genzhi Nu, tearing off the hood over his head.
The moment Genzhi Sheng saw the face opposite him, his pupils contracted sharply, and his face showed an expression of utter disbelief. This face was so familiar, like a combination of himself and Genzhi Nu, handsome but with a hint of femininity, both familiar and strange.
"You... who are you?" Genzhi Sheng stammered, his mind in chaos. "Don't tell me... Don't tell me I have other siblings?"
Genzhi Nu slowly opened his eyes, adapting to the sudden light. He saw the face he had longed for across from him. A flash of joy crossed his eyes, but this joy was immediately replaced by intense disgust.
"Brother, you certainly have a lot of free time," Genzhi Nu said coldly, a trace of mockery in his voice. "Why did you kidnap me? Did you find out I wasn't dead and want to kill me again?"
Genzhi Sheng froze instantly. He looked at Genzhi Nu in disbelief, his lips trembling. "Genzhi Nu? You... you're not dead? But... how did you become a girl!"
Genzhi Sheng first felt a burst of ecstasy—his younger brother was alive! But immediately following that joy was sadness and self-reproach. He remembered the scene where he had personally "killed" Genzhi Nu, and his heart twisted in pain. Now, although Genzhi Nu survived, he had become like this. It was all his fault!
"Baka! I'm not a girl!" Genzhi Nu roared furiously.
Genzhi Sheng felt even more guilty. He felt that it was all his fault that Genzhi Nu had become like this, unable to even accept his own gender.
"Alright, alright, hold on for a moment," Ian interrupted them just in time. "Now is not the time for chatting."
He snapped his fingers once more. Zambo pulled off the remaining hoods. The faces of Tachibana Masamune, Wang Jiang, Sakurai Komura, and Yabuki Sakura were revealed.
Erii saw Tachibana Masamune and was about to call out to him, but Ian gently pressed her shoulder. Ian signaled her to sit down first and not rush.
Genzhi Sheng, Genzhi Nu, Sakurai Komura, and Yabuki Sakura all tried to speak, but found they couldn't make any sound at all. They could only fret anxiously.