Seeing the Vermilion Bird Clan Chief Again

They could only remain silent.

Roy felt somewhat saddened as well, but he quickly cast those feelings aside.

He would never become like Mars and the others, losing his drive and direction, forcibly locking down his own limits.

"By the way, Elder Roy, ever since your divine artifact advanced to a High-level Divine Artifact, we've hardly seen you. What brings you out today?"

"I have a small matter I'd like to ask a few big brothers to help with."

Roy then explained Chris's situation to Mars. "That's the situation. Since Chris became a deity outside her body, her soul is very weak right now. So I wanted to ask whether you have any spare Soul Gold Beads."

"If you do, I'd like to trade for some so Chris's soul can recover faster."

"After all, during the thousand years after becoming a deity, one's affinity with the Profound Mysteries of Laws is at its highest. If her soul fully recovers and even grows stronger, Chris will be able to go further in her future cultivation."

"Indeed."

Mars nodded. Then, three Soul Gold Beads the size of glass marbles appeared in his hand. After handing them to Roy, he said, "I only have these three left at the moment. Take them back for your little maid first. As for the rest, I'll ask some old friends and see if they have any left."

"Mm, thanks, Brother Mars."

"If you ever need anything, just send me a message. Your little brother will never refuse!"

"Hahaha, Roy, I'll remember those words."

Mars laughed heartily.

Wasn't that sentence exactly what he had been working for?

They were all old foxes who had lived for countless years, each with their own way of surviving.

Investing emotionally in a powerful young man like Roy offered the greatest returns.

If he could use supplies and Ink Stones to gain a measure of friendship, that friendship might even save his life someday.

Mars went to contact his old friends, while Roy took the three Soul Gold Beads back to the castle and knocked on Chris's door.

"Elder Roy."

Hearing the knock, Chris opened the door. She glanced at the sky outside, and her face flushed faintly.

She had been Roy's servant for over a thousand years now. Chris was no longer the young girl who knew nothing.

Over the past millennium, she had returned home several times. From the probing conversations of her parents, grandfather, and others, she had picked up on certain things.

Wasn't it still a little too early?

And she was not ready yet!

Before Chris could let her thoughts run wild any further, Roy handed the three Soul Gold Beads to her.

"Chris, these are several Soul Gold Beads. Absorb them directly later. They'll be very beneficial to your soul's recovery."

"I've already asked friends to gather Soul Gold Beads. Once your soul has passed its weakened period, you can begin cultivating again."

"Over the next few days, organize any questions you have about cultivation. I'll help you solve the ones I can, but for those I can't, you can only think them through and comprehend them slowly yourself."

"After all, in the eyes of ten thousand deities, the Profound Mysteries of Laws take ten thousand different forms. No two people have ever comprehended exactly the same Profound Mysteries of Laws."

"Ah?"

Looking at the Soul Gold Beads Roy was offering her and listening to his nagging, Chris suddenly felt that perhaps everything was not so terrible after all.

"Thank you."

Taking the Soul Gold Beads from Roy's hand, Chris thanked him softly.

"Hmm?"

Roy looked Chris over a few times. Was it just his imagination?

It seemed as though there was something different in the emotion contained in Chris's voice just now.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. I just feel that you seem to have changed a little."

"Then, Elder Roy, do you think I was better before I changed, or after?"

So it was not an illusion after all.

His little maid from before would never have asked such a question.

"It doesn't matter. Changed or unchanged, you are still yourself. As long as you feel comfortable, that's enough."

"Alright, go absorb the Soul Gold Beads. If you have any questions about cultivation, you can come to the second floor and ask me."

With that, Roy waved to Chris and returned to his Cultivation Room.

Sitting cross-legged in the Cultivation Room, Roy closed his eyes and began cultivating.

Roy offered no judgment on Chris's changes.

Over the years, through various bits of information, Roy had naturally learned of the Four Divine Beast Family's intentions.

But as far as feelings were concerned, Roy believed it was best to let nature take its course.

He would not choose Chris because of the Four Divine Beast Family, nor would he reject Chris because of the Four Divine Beast Family tens of quadrillions of years from now.

If his heart was moved, then everything would be well.

If there truly were no feelings, then they would remain like this.

Whenever his maid wanted to leave, he would not stop her.

For now, cultivation was still more satisfying.

With Mars's help, Roy gathered enough Soul Gold Beads to fully restore Chris's soul in less than a year, with some left over besides.

After Mars learned that Chris had not yet gone to the family's Bloodline Awakening Pool to awaken her bloodline, he even prepared the Soul Gold Beads Chris would need afterward for Roy.

Roy was deeply grateful for this, and the two had visited each other several times recently.

Of course, during the collection of Soul Gold Beads, Roy also met more than a dozen Seven-star Devil Elders from the Four Divine Beast Family, all introduced by Mars.

"Elder Roy, I've fully recovered."

That day, Chris changed into an emerald-green dress and knocked on Roy's door.

Back when Chris became a deity, Roy had told her that once her soul fully recovered, he would take her to the Vermillion Bird Clan's territory to awaken her bloodline.

Sure enough, the moment her soul recovered, Chris could not wait to report it to Roy.

"Mm."

"Then let's go."

Opening the door, Roy looked Chris over.

Mm, she looked very energetic. One glance was enough to tell she had not suffered any mistreatment.

He was bringing her back to her family home. If the young girl returned looking like she had been bullied, what would her family think?

Roy was not some kind of pervert. His reputation was still important.

Because flying was forbidden within the Sky Sacrifice Mountain Range, Roy and Chris had to walk to the Vermillion Bird Clan's territory.

Along the way, Roy ran into several elders he knew. After stopping to exchange a few words, they each went off to attend to their own affairs.

"Hahaha, Roy, I thought you would come in your second year, so I kept waiting here. I never expected that wait to last more than a thousand years."

After arriving at the Vermillion Bird Clan's territory, Chris was led by her clansmen to the Bloodline Awakening Pool, while Roy was taken to the Clan Chief Hall to meet Tia Nemo, the Vermilion Bird Clan Chief.

Tia was genuinely delighted.

The Four Divine Beast Family did not lack Seven-star Devil Elders, but it lacked powerful elders.

Roy's performance in the arena over the past thousand years had been no weaker than that of the strongest few elders in the family.