As Lucian glanced at his surroundings, he realized that Jingliu's house was indeed enormous and could have easily accommodated more than a dozen people.
"Why is your place so empty and quiet?"
Lucian suddenly realized that he actually did not know anything about Jingliu's childhood background.
All he had ever known from the game was a brief mention that her hometown was the Xianzhou Cangcheng, which was destroyed by Rahu, and later on, she became the disciple of an armored woman from the Xianzhou Luofu.
Now, he had met the young Jingliu in person and finally had a chance to learn about her family background.
He wondered if he would get to meet a white-haired milf.
"My parents were killed by abominations, so I am an orphan." Jingliu answered calmly, her voice so calm as if it did not involve her at all. "They left me this house and a large sum of money, enough for me to grow up."
Having survived that true nightmare, she felt that her mental resilience had grown much stronger, so when she spoke of her deceased parents now, she no longer felt as sad as she used to.
"I see..." Lucian nodded softly as he realized there would be no white-haired milf, then joked without hesitation. "Well, you're a bit luckier than me, then. At least you have an inheritance. Back then, I didn't even get any of that—just the clothes I wore on my body."
Seeing his casual attitude as he spoke about his past, Jingliu began to feel at ease, especially since there was a sense of shared hardship between them.
Because the Xianzhou Cangcheng's architectural style was quite similar to the Xianzhou Luofu's—both rich with ancient charm—her house was a grand traditional, eastern-style mansion located in a bustling district.
It was clear that her parents had saved up a great deal of money when they were alive.
However, in the original story, all this property was unfortunately swallowed up by Rahu, leaving her a penniless refugee.
If Lucian were in her position, he would have just collapsed on the spot.
Before long, Jingliu led Lucian into a large empty room.
"You can live here from now on." Jingliu chuckled softly, and there was even a trace of happiness in her voice. "From now on, you have a home too."
Lucian looked at her smiling face, and he suddenly felt like he was a stray cat that had just been adopted.
"Aren't you worried I'm a bad guy?" Lucian asked in wonder. "I mean, what if I have some evil intentions toward you?"
"What kind of bad guy would save people?" Jingliu's expression stayed composed as she shook her head. "If you're after my inheritance, I'll just give it to you as thanks for saving me. Would you even want it?"
Upon hearing this, Lucian couldn't help but chuckle.
Jingliu, even at eleven years old, was quite something.
All the suffering she had endured had turned her into a cold-on-the-outside, warm-on-the-inside ice queen.
Suddenly, Lucian felt a certain desire—he wanted to see what kind of person he could turn Jingliu into on this different beginning.
"Smart, but not really smart..." Lucian reached out and gently patted Jingliu's head. "You have no sense of your own beauty at all. From now on, don't let people you have just met into your home again. You're too weak to protect yourself."
Jingliu did not resist having her head patted—on the contrary, she seemed to enjoy that long-lost sense of security, looking like a little kitten, her eyes narrowing slightly, looking obedient and cute.
"Don't worry, you're the first and the last." Jingliu nodded calmly. "I want you to live here because I want to learn from you."
Right after saying this, her lips curled up slightly before she locked eyes with Lucian, her red eyes gleaming.
"That's why I'll have to trouble you to protect me from now on, Master."
As soon as he heard 'Master' coming out of Jingliu's mouth and saw her curled-up lips, Lucian felt his heart melt.
He never expected this little girl to be so sly and clever.
"Alright, so... can you cook?"
"A little bit."
"Okay, then you're officially my disciple."
As soon as these words fell, Lucian suddenly remembered something.
Should Seele call Jingliu 'senior' or 'junior'?
From his perspective, he had accepted Seele as a disciple first, but in terms of timeline, Jingliu was more than a thousand years earlier than Seele.
'Oh well, let them fight for it in the future. Whoever wins gets to be the senior.'
Lucian chuckled inwardly and shook his head.
"Alright, good disciple, hurry up and go cook for your master. I want to try your cooking."
He wasn't actually hungry—he just wanted to taste a meal cooked by Jingliu herself.
How many people ever got that chance?
If some of his online buddies from his original world—those who had Jingliu as their waifu—knew about this, they would definitely cry in blood and curse him.
"Mm, in that case, Master, you'll have to arrange your own furniture."
Jingliu smiled faintly before slipping away to the kitchen.
===
At the same time, inside the Seat of Arbiter-General, the Chief Counselor and four of the Six Charioteers had already reported everything that the Xianzhou Cangcheng had experienced to the higher-ups of the Xianzhou Alliance.
From the initial decisions, to the attack, and finally to the black-haired young man who had, with his own strength, single-handedly turned the tide, slain the living planet, Devourer of Worlds Rahu, and saved the Xianzhou Cangcheng from disaster—every step was carefully documented.
[Yes, the Alliance is already aware of this matter. Regarding your recommendation for that mysterious hero to become the next Arbiter-General, the Alliance approves. Bring him to the Yuque for assessment. Once he passes, he may inherit the Yuque's Spiritus.]
Upon hearing this reply, the four were filled with excitement.
As the most prosperous Xianzhou ship, the Xianzhou Cangcheng definitely needed a powerful Arbiter-General to hold the line.
If there had been an Arbiter-General to stand against Rahu before, there would not have been such a world-ending disaster. Because there was no Arbiter-General, the most prosperous Xianzhou ship had nearly become history.
Not wasting any time, the Chief Counselor immediately gave the order to the captains of the Cloud Knights.
"If you can't find anyone at the bow, pull up the surveillance. Search every single place—make sure you find the hero."
As all the captains excused themselves to carry out the order, the Helm Master stopped them.
"Wait, Xuanlian, we should make this public and establish his reputation first, so the public can easily accept him later."
Upon hearing this, the Chief Counselor, Xuanlian, thought it over for a moment before agreeing with the suggestion.
Just like that, everyone, whether they were high-ranking or low-ranking officials, began working, searching, and spreading the news about Lucian.
Finally, after a long search, they found his whereabouts two days later—right there in the residence of a martyr couple.
===
Three days after Lucian settled in Jingliu's residence, the Chief Counselor and four of the Six Charioteers arrived at the residence with gifts.
"You are...?"
As Lucian opened the door after hearing knocking sounds, he saw a group of men and women in neat, official clothes—it was clear at a glance that they held high status.
"It really is you, hero! Thank you for saving us! Thank you for saving the Cangcheng!"
Xuanlian quickly stepped forward and grabbed Lucian's hand excitedly, pouring out words of gratitude endlessly.
Ordinary people might not understand, but the five of them certainly did.
A feat that saved hundreds of billions of lives—who would not address such a man as 'hero'?
"Uhh... there's no need for thanks." Lucian looked awkward, really not wanting to hear all these words of praise from this official. "If there's nothing else, go back to work. I mean, the Cangcheng still needs your support—goodbye."
"Wait, it's not just thanks! We came here to ask you to take the position of Arbiter-General of the Xianzhou Cangcheng."
Xuanlian spoke hurriedly, then his expression turned grave.
"Because the last general died in battle, and the one who was supposed to inherit the position was killed as well, we need someone with strong power and upright character to lead the Cangcheng."
"And the best candidate we can think of is you, hero!"
As he spoke, the others wore the same serious expression.
"Why do you think I'm the right one?" Lucian asked with raised eyebrows.
"You killed Rahu, a planet-level threat, with a single sword swing." Xuanlian replied solemnly. "Your strength is unquestionable. I guarantee it."
"You stepped up to save the Cangcheng at its moment of destruction." The Helm Master added. "Your resolve and courage are obvious."
"And after the crisis, you kept your achievements hidden, never asked for rewards, and stayed low-key." The Commissioner also added. "Such a noble act, your character is truly impeccable!"
Knowing all this, how could anyone be more suited for the role of Arbiter-General?
Seeing this group of high officials speak with such sincerity and determination, Lucian almost started to believe he really should take the job, but unfortunately...
"I refuse!"
Lucian had no interest in being an Arbiter-General, handling official duties every day.
What was so great about being a bureaucrat anyway?
Besides, since an Arbiter-General would receive a Spiritus, what if getting it conflicted with his own power of Abundance?
Wouldn't that basically expose him, revealing himself as an Emanator of Abundance to the entire Xianzhou Alliance?
And what if the Aeon of the Hunt, Lan, found out?
He would only be making things harder for himself.
It had only been a few centuries since Shuhu orchestrated the Second Abundance War, so Emanators of Abundance were still hated, still the Xianzhou Alliance's number one public enemy.
Understanding this, he would never make Jingliu's script more difficult on purpose.
Wasn't it better to just stay and live peacefully with Jingliu?
"But—"
*Click!*
Xuanlian wanted to persuade Lucian more, but the door was already closed.
"Hahh... let's leave it for today, Chief Counselor. We'll try again later."
Sighing, then shaking his head, the Furnace Master spoke with pity.
Xuanlian fell silent for a moment before suddenly calling out.
"Hero, at least tell us your name!"
"Lucian."
Lucian, still standing behind the door, replied calmly while rolling his eyes.
After all that inspiring and touching talk, after asking him to be their Arbiter-General and thanking him for saving them, they were only asking his name now?
Weren't these officials a bit unreliable?
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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