Lu PingAn's return was a signal.
When he returned to Earth, many things began moving with him at their center.
Or, from another angle, he was merely one of the countless masses, returning to the planet specifically for this moment, preparing to take part in this grand feast.
"...The timing is about what we expected. After two and a half to three years of strategic defense, we've finally entered the strategic counteroffensive phase."
The grueling years of hardship seemed to have passed in a flash, but someone had still needed to bear the burden and press forward through that suffering.
Lu PingAn seemed to have used some time-skipping technique, bypassing the dull, agonizing defensive period and arriving directly at the destined turning point of the counteroffensive.
Most of the time, he traveled between starfields and busied himself among various factions for his own benefit, but he had also been preparing for the war's counteroffensive and reckoning.
Yet he still valued and respected the defenders who had remained in their homeland, carrying out a duty whose road ahead and ending they were destined not to see.
"Thank you for your hard work, charming city guardian."
Lu PingAn lightly clinked glasses and smiled at the long-legged beauty in a blue evening gown.
Xia Qin had grown far more mature than she had been back then. Now, at the banquet venue, with her hair grown long, she was—judging by appearance alone—a breathtaking beauty with a radiant smile, flawless skin, and springlike grace.
"Thank you for your hard work too, Ancient City. No, the Eastern Kingdom's biggest arms dealer and war broker."
Their glasses touched lightly, sending ripples through the wine. They looked at each other, then both covered their mouths and laughed softly.
This was a charity banquet hosted by one of Ancient