Matou Sakura's pitiful expression made her look like a little puppy abandoned by its owner at the side of the road.
Fu Yuan gently stroked Matou Sakura's black hair and said softly, "Little Sakura, even though I'd really like to take you in, I'm still an outsider. It wouldn't be convenient for me to look after you."
"Besides, rather than having you suffer by my side, it would be better for you to go to Finland and grow up safely under the protection of a mage family."
"...I understand." Matou Sakura seemed to lose all her strength as she limply leaned against Fu Yuan's shoulder.
"But you don't need to worry, Little Sakura. We can keep in touch by phone or letters. If I have the time, I'll go to Finland to see you too."
"...Mm."
Hearing Matou Sakura's dejected response, Fu Yuan helplessly scratched his head. Although this decision was somewhat unfair to her, it was the best one for her.
Fu Yuan did not mind having Matou Sakura by his side, but with the system on him, he would definitely be running all over the place because of its Daily Quests and Main Quests. Just like today's Daily Quest, which was to gain the acknowledgment of Queen Scáthach of the Land of Shadows.
If Fu Yuan took Little Sakura in, would he bring her to the Land of Shadows with him? Or would he go there alone and leave this little girl behind by herself?
On top of that, Fu Yuan, who cultivated Great Void Sword Qi, knew nothing whatsoever about magecraft in this world. He had no way to teach Matou Sakura, who possessed outstanding Mage Circuits, magecraft.
Therefore, Fu Yuan truly was not suited to adopting Matou Sakura.
After Matou Sakura's future had been decided, Tohsaka Tokiomi looked steadily at Fu Yuan and spoke to this mysterious young man.
"Fu Yuan, I must thank you for everything you've done for Sakura. If it weren't for you, who knows what kind of suffering Sakura would be enduring now."
Faced with Tohsaka Tokiomi's gratitude, Fu Yuan waved his hand. "I don't need your thanks. Since Little Sakura calls me 'Brother,' she is my little sister."
How could an older brother allow his little sister to be hurt?
Tohsaka Tokiomi looked at Matou Sakura beside Fu Yuan. "Sakura, come here. We're going home."
"..." Matou Sakura remained silent. Only after Fu Yuan gently patted her little head did she slowly loosen the hand clutching the hem of his clothes and walk toward Tohsaka Tokiomi.
In the end, Matou Sakura returned to Tohsaka Rin's side and stayed with her older sister.
Seeing Matou Sakura return, Tohsaka Tokiomi said to Fu Yuan, "Then we'll be leaving first."
"Mm, I'll see you out." Fu Yuan escorted Tohsaka Tokiomi, Tohsaka Rin, and Matou Sakura to the front door.
After Tohsaka Tokiomi politely declined any further escort, Fu Yuan stood at the entrance and watched the three of them leave.
Holding hands with her sister Tohsaka Rin, Matou Sakura kept looking back at Fu Yuan. She turned around every few steps, looking utterly unwilling to leave him.
Fu Yuan watched the reluctant little girl with gentle eyes until the three of them disappeared around the corner of the street.
Thus, Matou Sakura's fate had changed.
Instead of being adopted into the Matou family, she would go to the Edelfelt family in Finland, Northern Europe.
From then on, Matou Sakura would grow up healthily in Finland and receive magecraft instruction from the Edelfelt family there.
Although Matou Sakura was unwilling, this outcome was a good one for both Fu Yuan and Tohsaka Tokiomi.
And in this incident, the Matou family had been the biggest loser.
Not only had Matou Zouken failed to adopt Matou Sakura, but Fu Yuan had also blown up his Magecraft Workshop. The tens of thousands of Magic Crest Worms cultivated over a century had all been wiped out.
After seeing Tohsaka Rin and Matou Sakura off, Fu Yuan turned and returned home. When he arrived in the living room, he saw two cups of milk sitting on the table.
Looking at the two cups, a faint sense of loneliness suddenly welled up in Fu Yuan's heart.
The noise Tohsaka Rin had brought and Matou Sakura's obedient replies had added a touch of warmth and life to the house. Now that Fu Yuan was alone at home, he felt a slight loneliness.
After all, humans were social creatures.
Fu Yuan suppressed the emotions that had suddenly surged within him and laughed at himself. "Honestly, when did I become so sentimental?"
Then Fu Yuan picked up the two cups from the table and walked into the kitchen.
Fu Yuan washed the milk-stained cups in the kitchen, then opened the Honkai system interface and accessed the backpack within the projected display.
Now that Tohsaka Rin and Matou Sakura had both left, it was time for Fu Yuan to check the reward he had received for saving Matou Sakura.
Fu Yuan's System Backpack contained many items, though most of them were... meat ingredients and cooking utensils.
Fu Yuan had several hobbies, and cooking was one of them. So, he stored all the ingredients he bought in the system's backpack.
Fu Yuan had simply treated the system backpack as a portable refrigerator.
Besides his love for cooking, there was a more important reason why he stuffed ingredients into the backpack: cultivating Great Void Sword Qi required him to eat.
The Great Void Sword Qi of the Vermilion Knight gradually turned the body into a container and conduit for Honkai Energy, increasing one's capacity for and control over Honkai Energy.
Once Great Void Sword Qi turned the body into a conduit for true qi, and both the Sword Heart and Sword Form reached completion, the body could draw energy from heaven and earth, forming true qi and allowing it to flow unobstructed through the meridians and channels forged within the body.
However, Fu Yuan's world was not one filled with Honkai Energy. Thus, when he drew upon the energy of heaven and earth to form true qi, he would consume the food within his body.
Gradually, Fu Yuan, who cultivated Great Void Sword Qi, developed the habit of carrying ingredients and food with him.
Fu Yuan's gaze shifted to the last slot in the backpack. Stored there was the reward he had just received for completing a Side Quest.
It was a small box resembling a shipping container. Printed on its surface was the yellow head of a strange creature—the HoMu emblem from Honkai.
As long as Fu Yuan opened this HoMu box, he would randomly receive an entire set of Stigmata from it.
Fu Yuan looked at the box, took a deep breath, washed his hands and face in the kitchen, then said, "System, I want to open this reward."
The system's emotionless voice rang out in Fu Yuan's mind. "Confirm: does the host wish to open the box containing a randomly obtained set of Stigmata?"
"I confirm."
With Fu Yuan's confirmation, the box slowly opened, and dazzling purple light immediately burst forth from it!
Ah! I got it! I hit the jackpot!
The light pouring out of the box was purple—a beautiful light that meant he had obtained something good.
Seeing that delightful purple glow, a pleased expression immediately appeared on Fu Yuan's handsome face.
Although Fu Yuan knew he would receive an entire set of Stigmata from this box, the opened box had emitted purple light.
Which meant—
The set of Stigmata Fu Yuan had randomly received was not some ordinary three-star set like Hana, Ottovira, or Lucia!
Before you continue