Chapter 224: Why is the News Getting More and More Outrageous?
"The General is right! Aha the Elation is, by His very nature, driven by amusement. He likely won't take offense at our actions..."
"As long as we keep this under absolute wraps, no one will ever know..."
Seeing Jing Yuan's signature, unbothered calm, the anxious heads of the Six Commissions slowly felt their racing pulses settle.
"I wouldn't bet on that," Jing Yuan replied, offering a lazy shrug. "Haven't you noticed that Aha has already released a teaser broadcast?" He leaned back, his golden eyes gleaming with a mix of amusement and exhaustion. "The Aeon of Elation would never pass up such premium 'fun.' Everyone... I highly advise you to prepare yourselves mentally. The storm is coming."
The color instantly drained from the faces of the Commission heads.
How could they have forgotten? The sheer chaos that had just unfolded across the Xianzhou Luofu had undoubtedly been recorded in high definition by the Elation. They could only pray to the stars that when the broadcast went live, it wouldn't completely obliterate the Luofu's ancient and dignified reputation.
And a lingering, desperate question hung in their minds: Why wasn't the Reignbow Arbiter among the Aeons who decided to use the Xianzhou Luofu for their impromptu team-building exercise?
"Everyone..."
Jing Yuan's voice cut through the stifling silence. It remained as steady as ever, yet those familiar with the General could detect a faint, exhausted sigh woven into his tone.
"We all grasp the rough shape of our current predicament. At this very moment, there is more than one Aeon treating the Luofu as their personal vacation spot. Why They descended, and when They might decide to leave, are matters entirely beyond mortal prediction or interference."
He paused, his sharp gaze sweeping over the assembled officials, grounding their rising panic. "Our priority is not to play detective and investigate the cause of Their arrival. Our duty is to manage the fallout. Public discussion is boiling over in the streets. Neighboring factions and ships are flooding our comms with inquiries., I anticipate a major upheaval brewing within the Vidyadhara. Every single one of these fires requires careful, precise handling."
They were powerless to evict a group of cosmic gods treating their flagship like a tourist resort. However, they could still anchor the hearts of the Luofu's citizens.
The Commission heads began tossing out rapid-fire suggestions, their voices overlapping in a desperate bid for control. Jing Yuan listened in silence, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest, before he finally raised a hand to set the absolute tone.
"Public opinion is like a flood; it must be channeled, never dammed." His gaze shifted to the respective leaders. "The Cloud Knights and the Realm-Keeping Commission will double their patrols. We must prevent any opportunists from stirring up riots in the confusion. As for the civilian chatter..."
He smiled faintly. "Adopt the official stance that the movements of Aeons are simply beyond mortal comprehension. Instruct the people of the Xianzhou to hold fast to their duties and wait for the storm to pass. Guide the narrative gently. Forceful suppression will only breed conspiracy."
"As for the frantic inquiries from the other Xianzhou ships, the Divination Commission and the Seat of Divine Foresight will issue a unified, ironclad response. The core of our diplomatic strategy will be exactly two words: No comment."
The officials bowed, accepting their orders, yet the heavy creases of anxiety on their brows remained stubbornly etched in place.
Meanwhile, deep within the submerged ruins of Scalegorge Waterscape, the grand council hall of the Vidyadhara Preceptors felt like a tomb.
The usual aura of solemn, ancient dignity had evaporated. The air hung so thick and heavy with dread that one could practically wring the moisture from it. Several of the venerable elders sat with ashen, bloodless faces. A few couldn't even stop their fingers from visibly trembling against their ornate jade tables.
The Reignbow Arbiter... Lan... has been on the Luofu this entire time?
The realization was a suffocating weight. If the Aeon of The Hunt had been watching, then their secret communications with the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, their treacherous, hidden plots to reclaim their lost glory... wouldn't all of it have played out directly beneath the piercing gaze of a god?
The Aeon of The Hunt patrolled the cosmos to eradicate the Abundance. The heavenly mandate was absolute. And they... they had actually dared to commit such treasonous acts right under His nose. It wasn't just arrogance; it was practically begging for annihilation.
Pure, unadulterated panic spread through the hearts of the Vidyadhara Preceptors like a fast-acting neurotoxin.
These ancient schemers weren't afraid of Jing Yuan. They scoffed at the Cloud Knights, and they always believed they had enough political use to maneuver around any standard punishments handed down by the Xianzhou Alliance. But they were utterly terrified of the Aeon who wielded the absolute power of The Hunt. They were paralyzed by the thought of that cold, merciless, star-shattering gaze locking onto their treacherous council.
In the eyes of the Reignbow Arbiter, how was colluding with the Abominations of Abundance any different from painting a massive target on their own backs?
Yet... a desperate glimmer of hope sparked in the dark. Since Lan hadn't immediately rained down a localized orbital strike of light arrows to vaporize them, did that mean they still had a chance to repent?
The Preceptors who had kept their hands clean shot venomous, calculating glares at their guilty peers. The Vidyadhara leadership had always been a fractured mess of factions: those who genuinely supported the young Bailu, those who secretly backed the exiled Dan Heng, and the largest, most corrupt group—those who merely wanted to puppet the High Elder and hoard absolute power for themselves.
Now, the political landscape had violently flipped. The faction of Preceptors who had once been the most arrogant and untouchable were suddenly being eyed like bleeding prey by their rivals.
As for those corrupt elders, their chests tightened with suffocating terror.
It's over. It's completely over.
No wonder Jing Yuan had suddenly dropped his lazy facade and taken such a brutally hardline stance against them. The General literally had the Reignbow Arbiter standing in his corner!
The ancient draconic heritage and the eternal cycle of rebirth they so proudly relied upon suddenly felt incredibly fragile—laughable, even—when placed against the absolute, crushing will of an active Aeon. In their despair, they could only bitterly mourn the fall of Long the Permanence. If their own Aeon were still alive, they would never have been reduced to cowering rats...
Light-years away, on the frozen world of Jarilo-VI, soft morning light filtered through the ornate window lattice of the Supreme Guardian's bedchamber.
The golden rays gently spilled over the tangled sheets and the two figures resting in a deep embrace. Cocolia's long eyelashes fluttered, casting delicate shadows on her cheeks as she slowly opened her eyes.
The very first thing she registered was the deep, lingering soreness radiating through her muscles—a vivid reminder of the previous night's intense passions. But immediately following that was an overwhelming, deep sense of peace. She was anchored tightly against a broad, warm chest.
She lay quietly, her gaze softening as she studied Leon's relaxed, sleeping profile. Raising a slender hand, she traced the silhouette of his face in the air, not quite daring to touch and wake him. Powerful waves of emotion surged within her chest, eventually settling into a quiet, deep pool of tenderness.
She knew the truth. The Amber Lord hadn't cast His monumental gaze upon Belobog because of her wavering faith or her sheer will. It was all because of the man holding her. The intoxicating realization that she was being cherished and protected by someone capable of casually commanding the attention of a supreme being shifted her attachment to Leon. It was no longer just love; it was evolving into an obsession with an almost religious undertone.
"Awake already?" Leon's voice rumbled against her ear. He had opened his eyes at some point, his gaze sharp, clear, and brimming with his signature teasing smile.
Cocolia didn't pull away. Instead, she shamelessly snuggled deeper into his embrace, letting the warmth seep into her skin. Her voice was slightly raspy from the night's exertions, yet exceptionally firm. "Mm. I seem to have... become a little more greedy lately."
"Oh?" Leon chuckled, his hand lazily stroking her bare shoulder. "Greedy for what?"
Cocolia simply shook her head, pressing her lips together in a secretive smile, refusing to elaborate.
Leon laughed, a rich, vibrating sound, and pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead. "Well, if you plan on challenging me to another 'duel' next time, do remember to submit your application in advance. That way, I can actually hold back and control my intensity."
The serene, deeply affectionate atmosphere shattered instantly. Cocolia's cheeks flared a brilliant crimson. She delivered a bashful, annoyed punch to his ribs, though it lacked any real force. Burying her burning face into his chest, she mumbled into his skin, "...Shut up! Don't you dare mention it!"
The two lingered in bed, trading lighthearted banter and lazy caresses as the morning stretched on, basking in the rare, uninterrupted warmth.
Eventually, however, the real world demanded attention. After a long, satisfying morning, Leon finally dressed and departed from Belobog, off to find his next source of amusement.
After watching Leon step through a spatial rift and vanish, Cocolia lightly bit her lower lip, already missing his presence. She fell back onto the plush mattress, reaching for her discarded phone on the nightstand.
The moment she unlocked the screen, a tidal wave of unread notifications flooded her vision.
Bronya: Mother, are you awake? The trend on the interastral network... it's completely shifted again.
Bronya: The IPC headquarters just sent over a highest-level formal apology, along with a new cooperation agreement. The trade terms they are offering are so overwhelmingly generous... it's honestly unsettling.
Bronya:...
Reading her adopted daughter's frantic messages, a thoroughly amused smile graced Cocolia's lips.
The sudden, monumental gaze from the Aeon of Preservation had triggered a political earthquake far greater than she could have ever calculated. The subsequent ripples spreading across the cosmos were deep, terrifying to her enemies, and incredibly lucrative for Belobog. Thanks to Leon's theatrical setup, her new galactic reputation as a "duplicitous yet fiercely devoted fanatic of Preservation"—and rumors labeling her as a suspected "Shadow of Preservation"—would likely dominate the universe's gossip networks for centuries to come.
Cocolia slowly scrolled down through the rest of the reports, her eyes suddenly pausing on a specific line of text.
Bronya: Mother, do you think... is it possible that the Amber Lord's gaze was somehow related to Leon?
Bronya actually guessed it?
Cocolia blinked, a flash of genuine surprise crossing her elegant features. Her daughter's political instincts were sharpening faster than she thought. That was the second-to-last message Bronya had sent during the night. The final one was just a simple, exhausted "Goodnight."
Her fingers flew across the digital keyboard.
Cocolia: Bronya, what makes you draw that conclusion?
Just a second after the message was delivered, the 'typing' indicator popped up. Bronya replied almost instantly.
Bronya: Mother, you're finally awake.
Bronya: Wait... was it really him...?
Cocolia: Yes. But you must keep this an absolute secret. Bury it.
Even though Leon had never explicitly ordered her to keep his involvement under wraps, Cocolia's seasoned instincts as a ruler warned her that this level of reality-breaking influence shouldn't be casually advertised.
After all, Aeons were the undisputed, supreme existences of the universe. If the wider galaxy discovered that a single man could casually coax the Aeon of Preservation into casting His gaze upon a frozen backwater planet, it would inevitably draw the most dangerous, greedy, and fanatical factions straight to his doorstep. And bringing unnecessary trouble to the man she loved was the absolute last thing Cocolia wanted to see.
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