Chapter 86: Eternal Faith

Chapter 86: Eternal Faith

Listening to Lu Rin'an, Yun Huai just stood there, staring at him for a few seconds.

Lu Rin'an raised his hand, waving slightly: “Shall we go in?”

Yun Huai: “……”

He took a deep breath: "Shouldn't I be the one asking you this?"

Lu Rin'an: "I'm easygoing, mainly because I don't want to put you in a difficult position between us."

He added, sounding a bit wronged: "I've been pursuing you for so long, how can they still not be used to me? They look like they want to devour me every time the door opens."

Yun Huai: "…………"

If he remembered correctly, due to Lu Rin'an's "versatile style", he had different scripts for different Grand Executors.

From K420 to the Garden, from the Garden to Blue Fi Star, and now in Night Gold City - Yun Huai's social anxiety, always lingering on the fringes of crowds, flared up again. He looked at Lu Rin'an and suddenly asked: "Why are you calmer than me? Shouldn't you feel guilty?"

Lu Rin'an: "If we really had something between us, I might be anxious about how to explain, but we have nothing. We're as pure as glacier flowers, I'm still on the path of pursuing you."

Yun Huai, unable to contain himself, closed his eyes briefly.

Lu Rin'an's approach to romance seemed different from others. In his view, there's no need to panic over things not done, and he probably thinks there's nothing that can't be solved with a fight when facing the Grand Executors.

If not, then two, three, four, or even five or six fights.

"Don't make a fuss, you need to let them know you're harmless," Yun Huai whispered, "Let's go."

Lu Rin'an pressed his lips together, smiling, his face devoid of any serious expression.

Pushing the door open again, Yun Huai entered first, followed by Lu Rin'an, and lifted his eyes to see that Lu Rin'an was right.

Xiayena and Gashu were both there.

The Grand Executors stood up from the table, all except Lailar displaying "fascinating" expressions, including the Chief of Guards on one side.

The first to react was Xiayena.

Yun Huai suddenly realized that Xiayena was the first pureblood Ita to meet Lu Rin'an, but his information was the most outdated.

He was probably more shocked than anyone as to why the monster, who was left behind at K420 Starport, now appeared so familiarly in Night Gold City of the Third System, right beside Yun Huai, and even seemed to have just returned from an outing with the king.

As Yun Huai walked, his brow slightly furrowed, with Lu Rin'an’s footsteps lighter than his own, as if he was returning to his own home.

[He’s very confident.]

Lu Rin'an: Strength determines mindset.

[True, they don’t know you’re a dragon, but I think taking on three at once is a bit of a challenge, the Grand Executors are not easy opponents.]

Lu Rin'an glanced at the standing figures, then sat next to Lailar.

Lailar seemed unsurprised, only moving his chair slightly further away from him.

Across, still silent, was Xiayena and Gashu, with Lunen Holman standing further away, looking as if he had seen a ghost.

Yun Huai sat at the head of the long dining table, and the Grand Executors gradually took their seats.

The king’s arrival didn't thaw the atmosphere; rather, it seemed to become even colder.

Lu Rin'an, raising his eyebrows, communicated with his own consciousness: [Getting on Lailar’s good side seems to have some effect, he’s the only one not staring at you, the rest seem like they want to bore holes into you with their gaze.]

Lu Rin'an: Understandable, after all, I’m as good-looking as any of them, they're probably just jealous of my beauty.

[You haven't seen Lailar's face yet.]

Lu Rin'an: Being confident in love opens up new perspectives.

[…Learned something new.]

After a few moments of silence, the young Ita king, who hadn’t returned all night, looked at the beautiful young man with white hair: "How did you get here so quickly?"

Xiayena: "…There's a suspected royal seed carrier in the Third System that you might need, so I had to come and check. I heard your transitional phase has already started?"

Yun Huai nodded, his eyes subtly glancing to the side, where Lu Rin'an was already preparing his nutritious breakfast for the day.

Xiayena: "During the transitional phase, utmost care is needed, because your old powers will—"

He suddenly stopped, then his gaze shifted back to Lu Rin'an.

[Your confidence is so strong that even the Ita Grand Executors are starting to question life. I bet he only realized halfway through that you're an outsider.]

Lu Rin'an, however, asked: "The royal seed carrier, do you even know what that is?"

[How would I know? No dragon has ever managed to sit at the Ita king’s table like you. This is totally uncharted territory for the Nirea dragons.]

Lu Rin'an chuckled smugly.

Ice began to spread from Xiayena's side of the table, Gashu slightly leaning back to avoid it.

"You are that alien from K420," Xiayena suddenly said, "Why are you here?"

[Here it comes.]

After what just happened, Yun Huai inexplicably felt that Lu Rin'an was so bizarrely adept that he didn't even need the Ita king to speak; he could face the Ita Grand Executors with his exceptional mindset.

The young Ita king rubbed his forehead while Iliad peacefully shut down in the king’s embrace.

"You should ask Gashu about why I'm here," Lu Rin'an sliced through a smooth egg custard, then pushed it towards Yun Huai, "He's the one who opened the route for me."

Xiayena's chest heaved.

Gashu smiled slightly: "If I hadn't opened the route for you, wouldn’t you have returned to the Garden? The universe isn't full of such good luck."

Xiayena: "…Return again?"

Gashu turned, "So you really didn’t know about his merman disguise to enter the Garden?"

Xiayena: "………………"

Gashu: "He even entered the Azure Dream as a merman, I was almost deceived by him."

But merfolk are fragile, not top of the interstellar food chain. How could such a ferocious monster truly be a merman? It must be a disguise.

Probably some sort of trick.

Gashu served a slice of shellfish to the king in his transitional phase, then addressed Lu Rin'an: "Not a small feat, even deceiving Lord Xiayena."

Yun Huai's eyelashes fluttered.

It wasn’t just Lu Rin'an's doing; Yun Huai had provided a lot of cover for Lu Rin'an back then, not wanting him to clash with Xiayena.

...So the cold Ita people really don’t communicate privately, leading to today, where everyone still remains in their own information circles.

In a way, Lu Rin'an truly mastered survival in the interstices to its extreme.

"You're still far behind me. I really didn’t expect you not to say a word to Xiayena," Lu Rin'an, resting his chin on his hand, nodded towards Xiayena, "Aren’t you guys on the same side?"

Gashu laughed with a cool tone: "It was you who disguised as a merman to infiltrate the Garden, how come it seems like it’s my fault now?" Skillfully stirring up discord.

Lailar remained silent throughout, leading Yun Huai to suspect that the Grand Executor's thoughts were still fixated on the first issue—the royal seed carrier.

A solid ice-like psychic force split the plate in front of Lu Rin'an into two, but he remained unscathed, his super defensive skin that could withstand spaceship explosions wasn’t for nothing.

"So, the merman released at the border by the king was you?" Lunen, standing behind Yun Huai, suddenly spoke up, though his tone seemed even more strained.

Lu Rin'an smiled at Lunen, unafraid of the tense atmosphere: "That's right, me, a creature used to flying in the sky, hiding in the water doesn't really fit."

Compared to Xiayena and Gashu, Lunen found it even harder to face Lu Rin'an.

He was well aware of whom he was speaking to; Lu Rin'an wasn't just any ordinary monster to be dealt with easily, but an alien lord of an unknown species that even Xiayena had trouble identifying.

The king's merman, or should he be called the king's close friend, or perhaps the alien pursuing the king? Lunen closed his eyes, his gaze filled with sorrow upon Yun Huai's back.

It was only now that Lunen fully understood what Iliad meant when he said the merman grew wings and flew away.

A burst of intense flame rose from where Lu Rin'an's elbow rested, melting Xiayena's ice and even thoughtfully drying the tablecloth.

Lailar silently observed them, then turned his gaze to Yun Huai, finally speaking in a hoarse voice: "They all recognize him."

The young king nodded slightly.

Lailar: "But it seems like they don't really know him. Who is he, exactly?"

Before Yun Huai could speak, Lu Rin'an addressed Lailar: "My good brother, aren't we supposed to be helping me pursue someone? Has that changed?"

Xiayena: "?"

Gashu: "??"

Lunen: "??!"

Lailar: "."

Silence.

A deathly silence.

Even the pure-blooded guards, one in black and one in white, held their breath.

Lu Lin'an: "I gave you the scales, now say something meaningful and long."

Lailar: "You."

Lu Lin'an: "Hmm?"

Lailar, not addressing Lu Lin'an, turned to Jiaxiu: "Why did you set his route to the third system? If Lu Lin'an hadn't come to the third system, how could I have made that faith-betraying deal with him?"

Jiaxiu, with a forced smile: "You ran so far away, how was I to know the route's exit was by you? The transit lines to the third system haven't been maintained in ages, even affecting the energy fields of the second system's transit."

Lu Lin'an leisurely watched the two executors quarrel, while Yun Huai numbly stuffed a piece of shellfish into his mouth.

Lailar, adept at making weapons but not at speaking, chose silence in the face of Jiaxiu's questioning. No one knew what he was thinking at the moment.

Perhaps he thought nothing, merely falling back into a state of failed contemplation.

Xiyena pushed a cup of juice towards the king, choked by shellfish. The mere act of pushing it frosted the glass with a chilly aura. Yun Huai sensed that the main star's executor's mental strength was unstable; Xiyena was barely maintaining sanity.

[You really were influenced by the Eye of the Storm, daring to speak such a provoking statement about chasing someone in front of three executors and a guard captain.]

Lu Lin'an: Half and half, I guess.

【？】

Lu Lin'an: Little Iota King indulges me, but he doesn't like to see me fight. So I have to divert their attention from me, to avoid an actual fight breaking out later.

【。】

[Impressive, you've really mastered the art of diverting attention and watching from a safe distance.]

Otherwise, how could he pursue the Iota King amidst Iota's deadly blockade?

Lu Lin'an was actually somewhat restless, realizing that the executors had countless reasons to expel him, yet he had none to stay by Yun Huai's side.

Before, he could at least be the Iota King's fast food; now even that role was stripped away.

Three minutes later, the silent and tense dining table was broken by Xiyena.

Xiyena's icy tone was dangerous: "The king eating alien food is because of you, so not eating properly in the garden, secretly feeding him as a disguised merman, even accompanying the king to Blue Feya Star and the Empire's border, and now appearing together in Night Gold City. Is there anywhere in Iota you haven’t been?"

Lu Lin'an's face turned slightly serious: "You've listed all the places I've been. Basically, wherever the Iota King is, I am too. But I also took him to visit the Genesis Star Field, so don’t think I'm stealing imperial secrets."

The Genesis Star Field.

The heart of the alien territories.

"I truly hope for friendly exchanges between the Empire and the aliens. The recent border conflict was poorly handled by the aliens, but I’ve eliminated all the insubordinate rebels, even personally returned to the Genesis Star Field to deal with the incompetent subordinates. You might not believe it, but I really fell in love with your king at first sight."

[Keep it down, or a real fight might break out.]

Lu Lin'an: "I can't, love is love, not loving is not loving. What's the point of loving without expressing it? I should thank the Eye of the Storm for driving me mad with love."

[You're in alien territory, I'm worried you'll get mobbed.]

Lu Lin'an: "Suddenly, I'm starting to miss the Lava Dragon Tombs."

【？】

Lu Lin'an: "In situations like this, we should call more of our own people for support."

Xiyena stared straight at Lu Lin'an, his utensils already covered with a thick layer of ice.

Free access to the Genesis Star Field, complete command of the military, even having his own subordinates—

Xiyena: "So, who exactly are you?"

Yun Huai set down his cup and looked up. His movement was slight, but it still drew everyone's attention.

"Lunen."

Lunen lowered his head: "My king."

Yun Huai sighed: "Tell Xiyena who Lu Lin'an is."

Their encounter was abrupt, but the executors had to eventually understand who Lu Lin'an was.

They needed to recognize each other if they hoped to coexist harmoniously in the future.

Lunen was silent, then uttered a few words.

"...He is the alien lord."

The guard captain, as if unburdening himself, informed the other three Iota nobles: "This monster, who fell in love with the king at first sight and is pursuing him, is the alien lord whose species has remained uninvestigated by the main star."

Lu Lin'an's golden eyes flashed with a hint of dark red, but he maintained a human-like appearance: "Now that we are truly unreserved at one table, can you perhaps lessen your hostility towards me?"

The monster's brows slightly furrowed as if troubled: "If the environment becomes too dangerous, I might trigger a passive defense."

His genetics felt urgent: [Why did you have to fall in love with the most powerful in the universe? If only things were that easy. Damn it, you should eliminate anyone who stands in your way of pursuing the Iota King.]

Lu Lin'an remained silent.

[Being obstructed in love is infuriating. Even one against three is acceptable. Everyone but the Iota King should vanish! If you can't, let me do it!]

The edges of Lu Lin'an's black hair began to emit a fire-like red, proving that going mad for love wasn't just a saying.

Lailar finally caught up with the others' thought processes, his hand resting on his weapon at his waist. Jiaxiu's aura became dangerously light.

Ice rapidly encased half of the dining table. The sound of Xiyena's long hair ring clashing against the chair back produced a crisp tinkling.

Lunen, witnessing the tense situation about to erupt, suddenly remembered a phrase the king once told him – "The alien lord has an uncontrollable, self-aware competitive gene. You better not awaken it, for Lu Lin'an is rational, it is not. If there’s a next time, I might not be able to restrain it."

Lunen stepped forward abruptly, about to remind the three executors, when a slender white light tail dazzled his eyes.

Ice crystals began to cool the air as Yun Huai quietly set down his knife, followed by the emergence of white, blue, and gold tails.

Three light tails gently swayed behind the young man, resembling a satiated, sleepy, and cold little cat.

The autonomous consciousness, midway through a rush of emotions, became enraptured with love: [...Oh my goodness, he's so adorable. We shouldn't fight in front of him. The Iota King, in his transitional phase, is extremely sensitive. Seeing you not getting along with the executors might confuse him even more.]

Apart from the war videos of Dayuga, this was the first time Lu Lin'an had seen Yun Huai's tails in reality.

Not just him, Xiyena, Jiaxiu, and Lailar were also seeing them for the first time. The previously tense atmosphere was instantly altered by Yun Huai's strange intervention, with Xiyena reaching out a finger only to be gently touched by the tip of the king's white tail.

"Don't fight."

Yun Huai, having not slept the entire night, was truly a bit sleepy. "I've introduced you to each other; immediate acceptance isn't necessary, but fighting is prohibited here. In Night Gold City, control your emotions, otherwise, there's a high risk of losing control of your psychic powers—Lailar."

Lailar, once again failing in his thoughts, couldn't reach the king's golden tail, so golden light brushed past the executor's wheat-colored ear tips.

"Arrange bedrooms for Xiyena and Jiaxiu. Before the unknown arrives, unity in the Empire is paramount."

Yun Huai spoke, locking eyes with Lu Lin'an, whose hair tips still held a flame color. The little Iota King pursed his lips, slipping him an Ice Glacier flower picked just before leaving, from under the table.

"Its psychic energy is thin. Before dusk, I hope I can still see it."

Although everyone had different perceptions of Lu Lin'an's identity, they all had seen Yun Huai's indulgence towards him. Thus, the scene was even more comprehensible to the executors than before, except for Xiyena, the most traditionally informed executor.

[Be careful! If its psychic energy is thin, a slight force will dissolve it, and that would break my heart!]

Lu Rin'an: "First, pull back your consciousness, if I can't suppress it, not just this one, but everything in the spatial rift will be destroyed."

The gene fell silent for half a second.

The fiery edges of his hair gradually returned to pure black, the dark red in Lu Rin'an's eyes disappeared, and the sharp vertical pupils returned to their round shape.

Bringing Lu Rin'an in front of the patriarch actually relieved Yun Huai. He stood up, slightly troubled by the three light tails that he couldn't retract.

Gashu was completely captivated: "Your beauty makes my heart tremble."

A silver-blue butterfly landed on the king's light tail, adorning it like a beautiful butterfly bow.

Xiayena took a deep breath: "I will find the royal seed carrier for you as soon as possible. Your powers have begun to enter an intense fluctuation period."

Lu Rin'an suddenly spoke up: "Is it impossible without that so-called carrier?"

Gashu smiled back: "Try not eating and see if you'll starve."

Lu Rin'an, straightforward as always: "I won't. I once went two years without eating."

[That's because you overate when you first took office, what the aliens call the 'bloody feeding period'. You ate everything that came your way—could it be that eating too much is why you're the strongest dragon?]

Lu Rin'an: If you don't know what to say, better say nothing.

The gene, charmed by the young Ita king's cuteness, lost all thoughts of fighting: [Alright, I'll keep quiet.]

Yun Huai, feeling a headache with so many people around, repeatedly instructed Lu Rin'an before going back to his bedroom to sleep and grow: "No fighting, I want to check on the glacier flowers before dusk."

Lu Rin'an nodded.

[Okay, I'll behave.]

[He clearly understands your strength. If it really came to one against three, the Ita king might even lose a Grand Executor, but we are not their enemies.]

Of course, not enemies.

[We have only a heart of gold in pursuit of love. Brave dragon, during this crucial time you must find a way to stay in Night Gold City. Otherwise, once you leave, the Ita Grand Executors will not allow you to come near the king again.]

Lu Rin'an turned around to see three great nobles all watching him.

At Xiayena's table, solid ice had completely enveloped the dining table.

Lu Rin'an suppressed the agitation of being madly in love, giving the Grand Executors a slight smile as he walked past the Ita, leaving behind some scorching golden-red specks in the air.

The sturdy and broad dining table suddenly cracked violently, with black and red magma-like fissures exploding from the end, yet the head of the table where Yun Huai sat remained intact.

Lu Rin'an had a passive defense against danger. Sometimes he didn't really want to strike, but he habitually ensured he was in a winning position.

In the twenty-three years since breaking out of his shell, the Ita king was the first and only person who didn’t trigger his passive defense.

That’s why the gene would say Lu Rin'an's affection for Yun Huai surpasses his own instincts and life.

The title of 'Alien Lord' branded on Lu Rin'an's head was more daunting to the Ita than just being a monster.

But Lu Rin'an, the lord, showed up in the heart of the empire alone, without any entourage, seemingly indifferent to his surroundings.

Either he was too fearless.

Or perhaps he's just too powerful.

Powerful enough to be fearless, even capable of engaging in lighthearted conversation with the most formidable upper echelons of Iota.

Holding the Ice Glacier flower given by the Iota King, he smiled at the Iotans before leaving the dining room: "Let's not fight today. I'd be troubled if the flower were to spoil. His transition period is so crucial; you should prioritize finding mesons for him."

"Of course, if you need help, feel free to ask. After all, I would do anything for him."

Once the monster left, the air quieted down again. Lailar, looking at the cracked table, said: "Eight hundred years."

Jiaxiu withdrew his gaze.

Lailar's voice, hoarse and unemotional: "Next time take your quarrel outside. Everything in Uramel Palace belongs to the king and is worth a fortune in antiques."

Xiyena turned and disappeared into the hall.

Jiaxiu suddenly asked Lailar: "He's been drilling in the third system for so long, do you know what exactly he is?"

"…Those two swords at his waist, they're his fangs, nearly two meters long."

Jiaxiu: "?"

Lailar looked up: "That was his data at age eight."

Jiaxiu: "…"

"But the king can suppress him," Lailar repeated, "Perhaps he has already been tamed by the king."

"Being tamed is not a reason for him to confess to the king in front of us," Jiaxiu said meaningfully. "The king's transition period is crucial. Xiyena won't tolerate the Alien Lord being here. Within three days, either a war will break out, or he'll leave Night Gold City."

Lailar began pondering again, lifting his hand to silently touch the eight-hundred-year-old cracked table.

-

Yun Huai's deep sleep made Uramel Mountain itself quiet down, with the dusk casting black shadows through the high windows, turning the solemn black into dazzling gold.

Lu Lin'an, holding the Ice Glacier flower, sat atop the palace, where he could best hear the quiet, rhythmic breathing of the little Iota King.

[Have you figured out how to stay by his side? That white-haired one is not easy to deal with; he shares the same ice and water attributes as the Iota King.]

Lu Lin'an didn't respond.

[Did the maternal male infect you with his silence?]

Lu Lin'an was entirely lost in thought: Tails, so cute, he has three of them, each one cuter than the last, enough to kill me with cuteness.

【……】

[...Seriously, seeing his tails could extinguish any fire in me.]

Lu Lin'an: Understood.

[...Wait, aren't we supposed to be thinking about how to stay in Night Gold City?]

Just as his genetics were about to go crazy, Lu Lin'an suddenly looked up.

A disc-shaped mechanical object, frozen in space fifty meters away by a force, was surrounded by a circle of flickering white light.

[What's that?]

Lu Lin'an raised his hand, and the disc was immediately drawn towards him.

The dragon, madly in love, flipped over the disc to examine it, and its half-lifeless white light instantly quickened.

"Beep—Contact with suspected target established," the mechanical object's cold voice rang out swiftly. "Identification in progress, do not move. Progress: 20%, 45%, 90%, identification complete."

Just as Lu Lin'an was about to toss the object away, its white light turned into a vibrant and lively green.

"Identification successful! Huge reservoir! King Seed Meson Container matched!"

Author's note:

Lin: Starving a bit does have its benefits, like for collecting King Seed Mesons, blood must be drawn on an empty stomach (smile).

Xiyena: ?

Huai: . (Ah, what??

*The fangs are about 1.7 meters.