Watching Robin leave, Yun Fan closed the room's door. He had a basic understanding of Sunday's intentions.
There were two main reasons. First, Sunday wanted to curry favor with him. It seemed he had already learned of Yun Fan's identity through Robin. Though it was merely an alias, for the Family, an "Emanator"—especially an unprecedented "Emanator of Causality"—was a figure of immense significance.
An Emanator was worth the Family's efforts to befriend.
The second reason was Yun Fan's attitude toward Robin. While Sunday wasn't exactly a sister-obsessed brother, his affection for his younger sister was no less than that of any devoted sibling.
To ensure his sister wasn't harmed, he needed to discern Yun Fan's intentions toward Robin, this dangerous figure.
"Oh my, it seems that winged boy has his eyes on you, my dear Aeon~"
Suddenly, a gloating voice sounded in Yun Fan's ear, followed by two soft, delicate hands resting on his shoulders.
At this, the black-haired youth shook his head helplessly, feeling a touch of exasperation toward the owner of those hands.
"Little Sparkle, you sure love watching the drama unfold, don't you?"
"Hehe!" At Yun Fan's words, the girl named Sparkle giggled, then slowly walked around to face him. "Hehe, Lord of Causality, don't be mad. Your little Sparkle was just teasing~"
"Haha, how could I be? My heart's as wide as the cosmos." Yun Fan laughed, then reached out with his right hand, vigorously ruffling Sparkle's twin ponytails into a tangled mess until her head resembled a bird's nest. Only then did he retract his hand, satisfied.
"Hmph, and you say you're not mad…" Sparkle let out a soft huff, pouting discontentedly as she began to tidy her now-disheveled hair.
Watching the adorable girl before him, Yun Fan's lips curved slightly. Once she had fixed her ponytails, he asked, "Little Sparkle, are you interested in stepping onto the Path of Causality?"
"The Path of Causality?" Hearing Yun Fan's words, our Miss Sparkle paused, then lowered her head, one hand propping up her chin as she carefully considered the feasibility of his words.
Sparkle had long coveted the power of the Path of Causality, knowing its immense potential. However, she was deeply attached to her pursuit of Elation. After a long pause, she looked up at Yun Fan and asked, "Can I step onto the Path of Causality while retaining my original Path?"
"Uh… well, that would be—nope, not possible." Yun Fan first piqued Sparkle's curiosity, then promptly denied her request.
Watching the hope in Sparkle's eyes turn to disappointment, then to disdain, Yun Fan couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Under Sparkle's resentful gaze, the youth reached out and pinched her soft, milk-white cheek.
"Hahaha, I'm done teasing, done teasing. I can try to help you preserve your original Path, but… you should understand that, in terms of Paths, Causality inherently encompasses many others. So, eventually, your original Path will be subsumed by Causality. Got it?"
"This… I accept." After a moment's hesitation, Sparkle finally agreed to Yun Fan's proposal.
"Tch, I'm making you stronger, yet it feels like I'm the one getting the better deal," Yun Fan clicked his tongue, speaking with a hint of exasperation.
Though he said this, he still honestly extended his hand, pressing a finger to Sparkle's forehead.
Buzz—!
The moment his fingertip touched her forehead, Sparkle suddenly felt her mind go blank, followed by a humming sound.
In a daze, Sparkle's consciousness arrived in the cosmos, above the galaxy, among the stars. There, the divinely adorned Yun Fan stood with his hands behind his back.
As her gaze fixed on this majestic figure, He suddenly turned, His divine eyes meeting hers.
Thud—!
As if struck by a heavy hammer, Sparkle's consciousness was flung back, returning to her body.
"I… what was… huh?! You, why are you suddenly hugging… cough, cough, Lord Yun Fan, you sure have refined tastes~"
Regaining her senses, Sparkle found herself in a warm embrace, the strong scent of masculinity filling her nose, causing the girl—who had never been in love—to blush uncontrollably.
But soon, this little vixen snapped out of her shyness. She reached out to touch Yun Fan's face, saying, "Lord Yun Fan, you're quite the charmer. Do you want Sparkle to… ouch!"
Before she could finish, Yun Fan turned his palm into a fist, delivering a solid thump to her head.
"Don't go saying weird things all the time, kid. Boys won't like that." Looking at Sparkle, who was now crouching and clutching her head, Yun Fan couldn't help but smile, speaking in a lecturing tone like an elder.
"Tch!" Sparkle scoffed, rubbing her still-stinging head in dissatisfaction and complaining, "Really, Lord Yun Fan, you're so ungentlemanly."
To Sparkle's grumbling, Yun Fan only shook his head with a light laugh, his thoughts drifting. A gentleman? He could never be a gentleman. After all… he was a bit of a scoundrel.
— — — —
Xianzhou Luofu, Artisanship Commission…
Whoosh—!
With a sharp sound cutting through the air, one of Master Gongshu's mechanical constructs fired a green laser, instantly piercing the knot of the Ambrosial Arbor's roots.
A breeze swept by, and the root knot dissolved into dust, leaving no trace behind.
"Phew, finally done. That should be the last one, right? With this taken care of, that deer no longer has a supply of Abundance power."
March 7th wiped the sweat from her forehead, massaging her aching neck and letting out a long breath.
"Well done. That was the last node. Now that the beast no longer has the Ambrosial Arbor's support, it's the perfect time to deal with it," Master Gongshu said, pushing up his glasses, also feeling a bit relieved.
"Huh? Right now? Can't we wait a bit? I'm kinda tired…" March 7th gave an awkward laugh, then pointed to her slightly shrunken stomach, from which a gurgling sound emerged.