Chapter 35: Rolan Viotte

Chapter 35: Rolan Viotte

Yun Huai silently observed Lu Lin'an for several seconds.

During these moments, myriad flashes of white light crossed his mind, but as he calmed down, he realized his mind was empty.

Only his ears, burning inexplicably due to Lu Lin'an's words, betrayed his emotions in Lu Lin'an's eyes – the young man's face was cold, but his reddened ears exposed everything.

Lu Lin'an wasn't deceiving. He was indeed powerful, so powerful that even when Yun Huai unilaterally severed the link, he could seamlessly reconnect. This was something the Ita people absolutely couldn’t achieve.

Yun Huai stood rooted to the spot for a while, then said, "The shells, don't pick them up."

Lu Rin'an: "Hmm?"

"You can't touch anything here," Yun Huai took another deep breath, "Because I can feel it."

It was like scratching an itch – you never know exactly where it is, but someone else can easily find it. Lu Rin'an's slightest movement in his world caused Yun Huai to experience an eerie sensation.

Fortunately, Lu Rin'an heeded his words. Yun Huai watched as the man threw the shells back into the sea and then followed him, asking, "Can I touch you, then?"

Lu Rin'an chuckled softly, "You're so real, I might not be able to resist."

Yun Huai wanted to wake up, but the sleep following the full domain link was like being trapped in sleep paralysis – he tossed and turned but remained in the world of psychic sea.

So, he whispered a warning, "Everything, you can't, including me."

Lu Rin'an asked, "What about pinching your face?"

"No."

"What about a pat on the head?"

"…No."

"Touching your toes?"

"…Absolutely not!"

Lu Lin'an, perhaps cautious not to wake from this dream, followed Yun Huai wherever he went, persistently asking, "Really, nothing is allowed? How about this?"

As he spoke, he suddenly reached out and grabbed the hem of Yun Huai's shirt.

The clothing Yun Huai wore before sleep remained the same in the psychic world, so now he was dressed in a white shirt, which tightened around the chest as Lu Lin'an tugged at the hem.

Yun Huai closed his eyes and, after a second, silently continued to walk forward.

However, a large creature was trailing behind him. He seldom ventured from the beach to the deeper parts of the island, as the temperature near the snow mountain was extremely cold, especially for uninvited guests.

Unable to dissuade Lu Lin'an, Yun Huai waited for him to give up and leave the psychic link.

Ice crystals fell from the mountaintop, mingling with the howling wind. Even Yun Huai felt a chill, but the heavy presence behind him remained. Turning around, he saw Lu Lin'an’s hand holding his shirt covered in frost.

Faintly visible scales emerged on Lu Lin'an’s neck, pulsing with golden-red veins. As a creature thriving in scorching flames, Lu Lin'an had always found Yun Huai’s coolness comforting.

However, in the core of his most potent power, Lu Lin'an would undoubtedly find it unbearable.

Yun Huai, despite feeling weak, understood the energy clash of a fire attribute in a frigid environment.

Yet, Lu Lin'an seemed unaffected, and even with a smile forming misty breath, he remarked, "You don’t seem as cold as before."

Yun Huai's gaze flickered momentarily.

Lu Lin'an, pushing his luck, asked, "Can I pat your head now? I’ll just touch your head and won’t pull your face."

Yun Huai looked up at him, about to speak when he saw a large figure looming towards him. Instinctively reaching out, he found Lu Lin'an hanging in front of him, his warm breath entering Yun Huai's ears.

"…Hiss, so cold. The Ita King really is my nemesis, even in dreams…"

Lu Lin'an's words were cut short as he suddenly vanished from the spot.

Yun Huai, still holding the pose of catching him, was left with only a few golden-red sparks fluttering in the air, evidence of Lu Lin'an's recent presence.

Slowly lowering his arms, a biting cold wind blew by, extinguishing the last traces of warmth.

So it wasn't that Lu Lin'an wasn't suffering; he simply didn't want to let go. This dream was too precious to him, making him choose to bear the pain to stay close.

Yun Huai, lost in thought, suddenly felt the absence of that mischievous voice a bit too lonely for a solitary island.

……

After initiating the universal link, the King slept for three full days, enough time for all the citizens of the First Star System to accept the new King’s arrival in the Garden.

Only the highest echelons of the Main Star knew that the King was not born in the Garden, but painstakingly brought from another realm.

But this absolute secret of the new King would be forever sealed in the Ita Chronicles.

Near the Sanctum’s royal statue, countless Ita people had gathered in worship, with everything related to the King shrouded in sanctity. Despite stricter entry reviews to the Main Star, all related travel was made free.

This was Xie Ye Na’s decision, ensuring no taint of impure interests touched anything associated with the new King.

The citizens' reaction exceeded expectations, with applications to enter the Main Star stretching three years into the future, and purebloods who had left the Main Star were now stuck in transit back home.

The empire, though seemingly in disarray, pulsated with a vitality stronger than ever before.

Not only were the worshipers' travel tickets free, but many Ita people began celebrating wildly on the subsidiary planets, rejuvenated by the empire finding its direction again.

Thus, a strange phenomenon began to occur in the First Star System.

Ita people in streets and alleys began to whisper, their light tails entwining subtly.

"Is it really true?"

"Absolutely! I have a friend on the Main Star, he was one of those instantly linked by the King!"

"What does it feel like to be linked by the King? The reverberations here are just faint sensations..."

"It's incredibly wonderful. I heard the King is quite young, his voice nothing like the coldness of the Sanctum’s royal statue. He even considerately asked the linked ones if they were hurt - hey, watch your tail!"

The person turned around to find his light tail had excitedly tied itself into three knots.

“……”

If such fervor existed on the distant subsidiary planets, the Main Star was even more enthusiastic. In the military academy, Gabri and Fido dined in silence, a picture of elegance if one ignored the layers of onlookers surrounding them.

Finally, Gabri couldn't hold back: "Enough already! You must have been linked too, being so close!"

"But the King didn’t look at us."

"Nor did he pull us with his psychic threads."

"Are the King's eyes really like soft gems?"

"What does it feel like to be tugged by the King’s psychic threads?"

"And Fido, your injury... I only knew of the King’s power through Stana’s words, but I never imagined the King to be so formidable. Fido, your luck makes us envious. Is it too late for me to get injured now?"

Fido: "...” Ahhhh!!!

He was completely dumbfounded then! He couldn’t recall the King’s gaze, only feeling an overwhelming gentleness, so much so that closing his eyes brought visions of those purple eyes!

More voices, cold yet straight, inquired with deeply buried fiery admiration. The forum posts about Yun Huai were now all highlighted and pinned, for all military students to revere those precious moments.

Meanwhile, Yun Huai, the cause of all this, turned over in the Rolanveit Garden and slowly woke up amidst a circle of concerned gazes.

Iliad was the first to notice because it was hanging, QAQ-like, above Yun Huai’s head.

When it realized Yun Huai had opened his eyes, the mechanical energy sphere got so excited it nearly shook off its cat ears. Then AG-0781 noticed, its battered armor freshly coated with a maintenance layer by the king's attendants. Its pale eyes flickered with light, and it stutteringly greeted Yun Huai with a stuttered "King."

Yun Huai rubbed his head and got up, observing the circle of Ita people surrounding him like a major commemorative event. He struggled to find Xie Ye in the crowd and hoarsely asked the chief executor, "What's happening outside?"

The king asking about his citizens upon waking softened the eyes of the Ita people. Xie Ye leaned in and spoke softly, "Everyone has mostly calmed down. They know you are well cared for in the royal court on the main star. After your approval upon waking, I will disclose the scenery of Roland Veit Garden to the citizens, of course, preserving all your privacy."

Another older noble bowed and added, "This is a tradition for the arrival of a new king. Seeing the lush garden will bring immense peace to the hearts of the Ita people."

Yun Huai raised his hand to rub his forehead, "Get to it as soon as possible."

Xie Ye hummed in acknowledgment, then couldn't help asking, "Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"

Despite knowing the king's name from Stana, the Ita people still refrained from addressing him personally. Calling him "King" brought them joy and constantly reminded them of Yun Huai's presence.

Lu Rin'an's entry into the psychic world still affected Yun Huai. It wasn't particularly uncomfortable, just a subtle tingling sensation of electricity due to the complete counteraction of their attributes, leaving Yun Huai slightly disoriented upon waking.

He felt this way, so Lu Rin'an, who had been counteracted and disappeared, must not have had it easy either.

That creature, Iliad, got so excited by a single shock; Yun Huai didn’t dare imagine what bizarre state Lu Rin'an was in now.

He guessed Lu Rin'an might still think it was all a wonderful dream.

After reassuring the worried chief executor, Yun Huai got up from the soft bed to tidy himself up. The royal court was extravagantly large; he had to walk some distance from his bedroom before finding a place to change his clothes.

The white shirt was so wrinkled from sleep it was unwearable. As Yun Huai was taking it off, he suddenly felt a burning itch on his back. Frowning, he turned the shirt inside out, only to find five scorched claw marks.

The claw marks were surrounded by dark red edges that kept spreading. Yun Huai grimaced in pain, quickly extinguishing Lu Rin'an's ubiquitous flames of love and then completely destroyed the shirt, finally breathing a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, Xie Ye had left.

But soon, the noble chief executor returned.

Ever since linking with Lu Rin'an, Yun Huai always felt a strange sense of guilt as if he was sneaking around behind the backs of his guardians and strangers. This made him involuntarily cough lightly when he saw Xie Ye, attracting the long-haired young man's worried gaze.

Yun Huai, with a hoarse voice, asked, "Is there anything else?"

Xieye Na, gazing at the young king with his white lashes lowered, replied, "Although the route to the main star is crowded, everything for you is prioritized. The merman from the alien species we talked about has reached the main star's spaceport. In less than twenty minutes, it will be transported to the Royal Court for your consumption."

Yun Huai: "............"

Oh.

It's that innocent fish.

The merman, inadvertently involved in the affair between him and Lu Lin'an, had almost slipped Yun Huai's mind until Xieye Na mentioned it.

Since it's already on its way, considering merfolk are typically shy and reclusive, it's best to keep it in the Royal Court for now.

Thinking this, Yun Huai resignedly instructed Xieye Na, "Be careful when bringing it in later, make sure not to frighten it."

Author's note:

Shy·Sensitive·Big-tailed Fish·Handsome and Healthy·Rambunctious Lu Lin'an: Honey, open up! Your cosmic delivery is here!!!

Huai: Hand trembling slightly as he holds the bowl.

Welcome to the grand undercover romance drama: "The Dragon and the King's Secret Garden."

Theodore, the butler: "The young master (Lu Lin'an) hasn't laughed like this in a long time."