Vita intentionally made these intimate and ambiguous gestures to provoke the three women—to test the limits of their reactions and see how Lu Jingming would handle the small storm she had deliberately brewed.
For her, this was inherently a highly entertaining, spontaneous performance, and Lu Jingming and the three jealous women were perfect characters in her script.
Lu Jingming felt the warm breath near his ear and the soft sensation of her body nearly pressing against his. Looking at the three girls who were about to reach their breaking point, a helpless, wry smile appeared on his face.
This Vita was truly an unadulterated troublemaker and mischief-maker who couldn't stand being idle for a second.
He gently raised a hand, not pushing Vita away, but using a subtle force to distance her body, which was about to make solid contact. He also took a half-step back, slightly widening the dangerous gap, and spoke with a hint of warning:
"Miss Vita, your performance is excellent. However, before discussing exciting adventures, let's complete the proper transaction. After all, the sovereignty of the Star Traveler is still in your hands."
He skillfully steered the conversation back to business, simultaneously appeasing Gu Yuena and the others before they erupted and giving Vita an out, lest the troublemaker be subjected to a mixed beatdown later.
Upon seeing this, Vita knew when to stop; going too far would be counterproductive.
She chuckled, gracefully stepped back, and resumed her mysterious, unpredictable demeanor, as if the person who had just actively leaned in wasn't her at all.
"Alright, alright, business it is~"
She winked. "But little brother, you must remember, I'm really looking forward to the more thrilling adventures, you know~"
That sentence caused the expressions of Gu Yuena, Firefly, and Castorice to stiffen. Gu Yuena even shot a fierce glare at Lu Jingming.
A cunning and delighted light flickered in Vita's eyes, like a child who had finally received a beloved toy.
She knew she hadn't lost out on this transaction; trading a conceptual creation that was destined to dissipate after her departure for a ticket to a parallel world, temporary freedom, and... the highly entertaining love triangle she had created before her eyes.
It was practically a Buy-One-Get-Three deal of fun.
"So, what is your choice? It's fine if you don't agree; I won't force you," Lu Jingming said meaningfully. He genuinely wouldn't force Vita to hand over the Star Traveler, but if Vita died, wouldn't the Star Traveler become masterless? Then it wouldn't count as seizing it, right?
"Alright, alright, who asked you to be so sincere, little brother?"
Vita shrugged in feigned helplessness, her face nevertheless beaming with a look of success.
She extended a slender finger and traced a complex symbol in the air. A faint light shot out from her fingertip and merged into the core of the stationary green mech, the Star Traveler.
Immediately, Lu Jingming distinctly felt a master-subordinate connection established between himself and the Star Traveler. Although its existential foundation still required him to reinforce it with his authority later, the right of use had been completely transferred.
"Here, your new toy."
Vita patted the Star Traveler's cold armor, her tone light.
"Now, it's your turn to fulfill your promise, little brother. When do we set sail for the parallel world?"
Lu Jingming felt the connection to the Star Traveler and nodded in satisfaction. "Right now."
He turned to Lemuen, Istaroth, and Durandal and said, "Sister Lemuen, the subsequent cleanup work here, and the matters in Abyss City, I'll temporarily leave to you."
He had originally intended for Firefly and Castorice to return to Abyss City with Lemuen to rest.
However, before he could finish speaking, two pairs of expectant eyes were fixed firmly on him.
Firefly, though silent, had a determined look in her eyes, which were usually slightly distant. She took a small step forward, positioning herself beside Lu Jingming, using action to state her attitude.
Castorice gently held Lu Jingming's sleeve, maintaining her gentle smile, but her tone was firm.
"Ah Ming, I want to come too. An extra person means an extra layer of care, and... Miss Vita seems to need someone to keep an eye on her."
"T.N.: Ah Ming (The prefix Ah is an informal, affectionate, or familiar particle used before names, often common in southern Chinese dialects.)"
She subtly glanced at Vita, who was watching them with great interest.
Gu Yuena didn't say anything, but she let out a cold huff and crossed her arms, her stance making it clear—she was definitely going along.
Jingliu stood expressionlessly to the side, as if everything was irrelevant to her, but her very presence already represented her choice.
Lu Jingming looked at the mixed emotions of worry, jealousy, and non-negotiable expectation in the eyes of Firefly and Castorice, and his heart softened.
He naturally understood the two women's thoughts; rather than worrying about danger, they were afraid that Vita, the 'fox spirit,' would continue to cause trouble in the parallel world and try to steal Lu Jingming's heart.
Faced with their rare display of expectation, which held a touch of coquetry and stubbornness, he found himself simply unable to harden his heart and refuse.
"...Fine."
Lu Jingming sighed resignedly, though a faint, barely perceptible curve played at the corner of his mouth.
"Then you all come along."
"Yay!"
Firefly let out a quiet, happy cheer.
Castorice, while still mostly expressionless, had eyes that clearly brightened a few shades, and her tense body relaxed.
This scene naturally did not escape the eyes of the onlookers.
Lemuen couldn't help but burst into a small laugh, nudging Durandal next to her with her elbow, and whispered:
"See, see? I told you Ah Ming is a soft touch, especially when it comes to the requests of pretty girls. He just can't say no."
Her face was full of mischievous, spectating smiles, completely taking on the attitude of an older sister gossiping about her popular younger brother.
Durandal, meanwhile, looked confused. She looked at Lu Jingming, then at the several women with distinctly different attitudes, frowned, and said in a low, puzzled voice to Lemuen:
"Aren't they going to a parallel world? Why is the atmosphere... so strange? Shouldn't personnel arrangements prioritize optimal combat efficiency?"
She clearly hadn't grasped the complex emotional dynamics at play.
Istaroth retained her usual indolent look, seemingly unenthusiastic about everything. She even let out a small yawn, as if the spectacle of romantic rivalry before her was less interesting than the shape of the clouds in the sky.
Only when her gaze occasionally swept over Lu Jingming did a faint, elusive light flicker deep in her eyes, but it quickly subsided back into calm.
Raiden Mei indicated she had seen too much of this; such situations were commonplace. As for Wang Qiuer, having just merged with Tang Wutong and becoming complete, she had little interest in external matters at the moment.
Jingliu, as Lu Jingming's teacher, stood silently to the side, holding her sword. No emotion was visible on her cold, clear face.
However, her eyes, like a cold pool, took in every subtle interaction on the scene.
When she saw Lu Jingming finally compromise and agree to take Firefly and Castorice along, she gave a nearly imperceptible shake of her head. Her lips seemed to curve into an extremely faint, shallow arc, tinged with a little helplessness yet also knowing acceptance.
She understood her disciple's nature well: sometimes his heart was very hard, but other times it was very soft.
At this moment, she was more like a calm observer, watching the emotional entanglements of the young people, silent, but seeing everything clearly.
Vita took it all in, her smile growing even brighter.
She deliberately leaned closer to Lu Jingming and said in a sickly sweet voice, "Oh dear, little brother, your harem lineup is truly vast~ It seems this trip to the parallel world is destined not to be boring~"
These words undoubtedly drew several more icy stares.
Lu Jingming gave Vita an exasperated glare, too lazy to bother with the mischief-maker who thrived on chaos.
Lu Jingming steadied himself and nodded to the others who were staying behind. "Well then, I'll entrust this side to you."
With that, he took the lead and stepped into the gradually stabilizing temporal passage, accompanied by the women with their varied expressions—Gu Yuena, Firefly, Castorice, Jingliu—and Vita, who was smiling brightly as if heading out for a spring picnic.
Lemuen waved goodbye with a smile, her eyes showing a mixture of sisterly concern for her brother's journey and mischievous amusement.
Durandal remained serious, her brow slightly furrowed, seemingly still contemplating the issue of personnel allocation.
Istaroth was her usual indifferent self, as if everything happening had nothing to do with her, her eyes vacant, once again drifting off into space.
As for Raiden Mei, she had no complaints about Lu Jingming not taking her along; in fact, she was faintly relieved.
Her mind was elsewhere.
She was currently looking down at a photo she had just received on her Soul Tool phone—Lu Jingming had sent it to her.
The photo showed a woman holding a red paper umbrella, standing in a misty rain. Her face was eight-tenths similar to Mei's, but her aura was fundamentally different—a deeper sense of loneliness and coldness, as if carrying countless departed memories.
"Raiden - Bosenmori - Mei..." (Acheron)
Raiden Mei softly repeated the name, her fingertip gently brushing the image on the screen.
She was no stranger to the existence of alternate selves, having knowledge of both the World Bubble theory and a similar existence from the previous civilization.
But even so, seeing another self who was so alike yet fundamentally different still gave her an indescribable, strange feeling.
All she wanted now was to return to Abyss City as quickly as possible to meet this self who called herself Acheron.
The sensation inside the temporal passage was kaleidoscopic; colors and forms twisted, shattered, and reassembled in illogical ways, as if traveling through a crack between a kaleidoscope and shattered mirrors.
But for Lu Jingming, who had previously traveled to parallel worlds using the Cosmic Juggernaut, this familiar feeling of weightlessness and distortion instead brought a strange sense of calm.
While the previous passage opened by the Cosmic Juggernaut was more stable, the essence of interdimensional travel was the same.
A faint light barrier, originating from the power of the Cosmic Juggernaut wielded by Herta, stably enveloped Gu Yuena, Firefly, Castorice, Jingliu, and the excitedly curious Vita, effectively counteracting the turbulent impact of the spatial-temporal flow.
After an unknown period, perhaps an instant, perhaps an eternity, a point of stable light finally appeared in the chaotic darkness ahead and rapidly expanded, engulfing the group.
A solid sensation returned to their feet, and the surrounding light became soft and steady.
A raw, abundant vitality, mixed with the clean scents of earth and wood, washed over them.
They found themselves on the edge of a vast, primeval forest. Towering ancient trees reached for the sky, their canopies forming a dense cover. In the distance were rolling, emerald mountains, and the faint sound of rushing, mighty river water could be heard.
The sky was pristine blue, and bright sunlight filtered through the layers of branches and leaves, casting mottled shadows on the ground.
The concentration of world energy here was extremely high and active, possessing an untamed, vibrant wildness.
"Is this... the Great Star Dou Forest?"
Gu Yuena took a deep breath. As the Silver Dragon King, her perception of life force and elemental energy was the sharpest.
The forest's aura felt familiar to her; the rich source of life was identical to the Star Dou Forest's core region. However, a closer sense revealed subtle differences, many things were not as she remembered.
Lu Jingming quickly scanned the surroundings, his spiritual power radiating out like invisible ripples. He found no recent traces of humans or unusual energy signatures.
Clearly, the large group of people previously sucked into the temporal passage—Shrek Academy, Huo Yuhao, and the others—had not landed at the same location as them, likely having been randomly scattered across different areas of this world.
"This is indeed the Great Star Dou Forest," Lu Jingming confirmed her judgment as he walked over to Gu Yuena, simultaneously explaining.
"It's just that the Star Dou Forest in this parallel world may not be exactly the same as the one you are familiar with."
He understood well that even parallel worlds could have massive differences in their details.
For example, the core of the Star Dou Forest in this world—the Lake of Life—was currently occupied not by Di Tian and the Ferocious Beasts, but merely two hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts: the Azure Ox-Tide Dragon and the Titan Giant Ape.
The so-called Ten Great Ferocious Beasts and the Silver Dragon King, Gu Yuena, might not exist at all in this world's historical timeline.
"Parallel worlds are countless, like different branches on a tree. Their origins may be similar, but their directions of growth can be poles apart," Lu Jingming slowly stated.
"Even if familiar people or objects appear, their essence, experiences, and even destiny could be completely different."
Gu Yuena was silent for a moment, gently tucking a strand of silver hair behind her ear.
She had already sensed the two powerful hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast auras in the direction of the Lake of Life. She indeed did not detect any existence at the Ferocious Beast level, nor the slightest trace of another self.
While this made her feel unfamiliar, it also brought a strange sense of relief.
Otherwise, she truly wouldn't know how to face her counterpart—should she regard her as an anomaly that must be eliminated, or attempt coexistence? It would be an unsolvable problem.
Lu Jingming could not fully empathize with Gu Yuena's inner conflict.
In his view, if another self truly existed, there was only one answer—mortal combat.
His existence had to be unique, brooking no form of shared replication.
However, he vaguely felt that the probability of a variable like himself having a counterpart in different parallel worlds was exceedingly small.