Lucian asked in confusion, "Why are you all here?"
The three women stepped forward. Jinhsi's pink lips curled slightly. "We heard there were signs of Retroact Rain here, so we came to check."
"But it seems you've already taken care of it."
Jiyan chimed in, "There shouldn't be any issues now, but the monitoring data from the Sonoro Sphere still needs a report from Huaxu Academy."
Changli then changed the subject. "Lucian, I heard you sent the bill to Black Shores?"
Lucian immediately felt a little guilty. "Was I not supposed to?"
Changli chuckled. "It's not that, but Black Shores sent us an email earlier saying they wanted to file a complaint..."
Lucian was puzzled. "A complaint?"
When it came to Black Shores, the only people he knew were Shorekeeper, Aalto, and Encore. He'd also met Camellya once before.
Theoretically, Shorekeeper's status should be higher than the others, though he wasn't sure exactly where she stood.
But judging by Shorekeeper's title alone, if the bill had been sent to her, she probably wouldn't have complained...
Lucian frowned. "Jiao-Jiao, who did you send the bill to?"
Jiao-Jiao shrugged. "Dunno. Just sent it to someone at Black Shores."
Rover sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Let's just send the bills to Fractsidus from now on. That way, there won't be any issues."
Lucian nodded slightly. "Fair enough."
Changli covered her mouth, laughing. "If Phrolova finds out, she might come after you again and try to trap you."
Lucian shook his head dismissively. "A defeated opponent isn't worth mentioning."
Jinhsi smiled gently. "Let's take a walk around Taoyuan Vale."
"Even though the Jinzhou Riverside Games were interrupted, it's still lively here. Not to mention, with the Moon-Chasing Festival approaching, many shops are preparing."
Jiyan nodded. "In that case, I'll head back to Jinzhou to ask Mortefi about the situation."
Then, he turned to Lucian. "Mr. Lucian, once you're done here, please come to the Knell Square. I have something to give you."
Though Lucian was curious, Jiyan didn't elaborate, so he didn't press further.
After Jiyan left, the group strolled along the mountain paths of Taoyuan Vale.
"Rising at dawn to clear the weeds, returning at dusk with the hoe under moonlight."
The curling smoke from chimneys, the barking of dogs, and the crowing of roosters—such was the bustling scene of human life.
They reached the mountain peak, where an ancient tree stood tall. Beneath it was a small space with several hemp ropes tied, adorned with colorful cards.
"This is the Moon Tree House."
Jinhsi introduced it with a smile. "In the days leading up to the Moon-Chasing Festival, people from Jinzhou come to Taoyuan Vale to write their wishes on paper slips and hang them on the high branches or place them inside this Moon Tree House."
"Legend says that wishes made under this wishing tree will come true in one way or another."
"Perhaps there's a mysterious 'behind-the-scenes hero' working hard to make them happen."
Lucian raised an eyebrow. "Really? Every single one?"
"What if I wished for endless money?"
Rover deadpanned, "That's not a wish. That's a fantasy."
Lucian straightened up. "But we've already achieved something like that."
"If we just send all our bills to Fractsidus, wouldn't that be the same as having endless money?"
Rover frowned. "What if Fractsidus goes bankrupt from our bills?"
Jiao-Jiao couldn't hold back a snort.
Lucian glared. "Who just farted?"
Jiao-Jiao: "?"
Changli laughed. "If you could bankrupt Fractsidus just by sending them bills, we'd be thrilled."
Lucian mused, "If wishes really do come true, then I should make one too."
Rover, standing beside him, asked curiously, "You're not seriously wishing for 'endless money,' are you?"
Lucian sighed. "I can dream, but it's hard to achieve."
"So I should wish for something that's both possible and difficult..."
Rover rolled her eyes. "You're really testing the 'behind-the-scenes hero,' huh?"
Lucian grinned. "Well, it's not like I'm the one making it happen."
Jinhsi smiled. "In that case, what kind of wish does Mr. Lucian want to make?"
Lucian furrowed his brows, deep in thought. Something possible yet difficult...
There were plenty of options—world peace, immortality, things like that.
Those were the hardest to achieve, bordering on impossible, but not entirely out of the question.
But Lucian wasn't planning on making such grand wishes. If there really was a 'behind-the-scenes hero' as Jinhsi said, then a short-term, achievable wish would be better.
While Lucian was still pondering, Rover had already written her wish on a card and hung it on the rope.
Lucian glanced over and saw that her wish was: "To be with Lucian forever."
After hanging the card, Rover stood on her tiptoes and kissed Lucian's cheek. "What's your wish?"
Lucian didn't answer immediately. "Rover, even if you didn't make that wish, we'd still be together forever."
Rover nodded in satisfaction, but her hands moved swiftly—she snatched the blank wish card from Lucian's hands and wrote: "To be with Rover forever."
Then she hung it up.
Lucian wrapped his arms around her from behind, nibbling on her delicate earlobe.
Rover giggled. "You're not mad, are you?"
Lucian smiled fondly. "Of course not. Being with Rover forever is my greatest wish."
Just then, Abby floated past them and hung his own wish on the rope.
Lucian took a look—Abby had written: "I hope to have endless food."
Lucian chuckled. "Don't worry, Abby. As long as I'm here..."
Abby gave him a thumbs-up. "Lucian, this Echo knew you were reliable!"
Lucian's tone shifted. "From now on, as long as I have a sip of soup, you'll have a bowl to wash."
Abby: "???"
Meanwhile, Jiao-Jiao and Jinhsi had both made wishes for "peace and prosperity."
Lucian sucked in a breath. "Is this 'behind-the-scenes hero' some kind of superhero?"
Jinhsi laughed softly. "Of course not. While many wishes in the Moon Tree House come true, not all of them do."
"Wishes like ours require everyone's collective effort—they can't be achieved by one person alone."
"Such wishes are simply beautiful hopes for the future."