Was He Really That Careless?

"Hm?"

All of a sudden, Little March seemed to notice something.

She slowly looked over the people who had just shaken hands with Yan Huan, recalling what they had said.

She began sorting out the connections between them.

Leaving Rocky aside, wasn't Lamina's supervisor Kapote?

In other words, Lamina had gone and reported Kapote herself.

That staffer named Rong Cangzhong seemed to be researching the Curio "Wuwuberg."

He had said that the supervisor who had kept rejecting his thesis had finally been reported, which was why he was so happy.

Could his supervisor have been Kapote too?

"..."

March 7th's gaze fell on Kapote.

Sure enough.

Although Young Master Bo was also clapping in celebration, the smile on his face had grown far more haggard.

He looked as though he had aged several years.

He was full of weary vicissitudes.

The dashing, radiant figure March 7th had seen that day was gone for good.

"What exactly had he been through?"

Just as March was wondering about it, she suddenly saw that Yan Huan had already shaken hands with the children.

Wen Shiling was wearing a shirt printed with Yan Huan's portrait, cheering excitedly.

When she saw Yan Huan approaching, she eagerly held out her hand.

"Young Master Yan Huan, do you still remember me?"

Yan Huan was briefly stunned by the form of address, but he still politely extended his hand and gave hers a shake.

"I remember, I remember. You really have an eye for talent. Young Master Bo truly is a fine-looking man."

"Uh..." Wen Shiling froze at those words, then gave an awkward laugh.

Her face turned red.

In truth, Young Master Bo's reputation had already collapsed after Lamina exposed him.

But Yan Huan did not know that yet.

Since Kapote had praised him before, Yan Huan still had a fairly good impression of Kapote.

He merely found Wen Shiling a little strange and thought nothing else of it.

"Wait, what's printed on your shirt?" Yan Huan raised a brow.

After taking a closer look, he realized that the face on Wen Shiling's shirt looked awfully familiar.

"It's you, Mr. Yan Huan!"

"Huh???" Yan Huan was baffled.

What was that supposed to mean? Why had they printed his face everywhere? Was this some new kind of curse ritual?

"This photo won't do. Go get a new one from March later. The ones she took look much better."

"Okay!"

Wen Shiling was overjoyed and nodded vigorously.

March 7th, standing nearby, was utterly speechless.

She felt as if she had wandered into a massive cult recruitment rally, though she had no proof.

These people were really obsessed. They were only testing a project, so why had they turned it into some huge fan meet-and-greet?

Yan Huan was no better.

He was clearly already late, yet he was still shaking hands one by one and asking every staffer after their well-being.

Was he seriously preaching here?

The atmosphere around them remained lively enough to draw Himeko and Welt from the Star Rail Express to the observation window, where they silently watched the scene below.

"Welt, I never knew Yan Huan was so popular among these staffers." Himeko smiled warmly.

Over the course of getting along with Yan Huan, she had gradually come to understand what kind of person he was.

He looked carefree and scatterbrained, but he was actually deeply sensitive and delicate inside.

"Yes, he had always been like that."

Welt folded his arms and watched the scene below with her.

"When he was a captain, he faced countless enemies. Though the companions aboard his warship never said it aloud, the intense battles left everyone deeply uneasy."

"I saw all of that when I worked with them in the past."

Himeko raised a brow and asked curiously,

"So Mr. Welt used to command quite a sizable force."

Welt gave an awkward smile.

"That was all a long time ago. Now, my companions are only everyone on the Express."

Himeko nodded.

In her eyes, Yan Huan and March 7th were actually the same type of person.

They hid the unease in their hearts and tried their best to appear cheerful, so much so that many people thought they were carefree and thoughtless.

Yet people like that were often the ones most worth befriending.

Himeko was not surprised that the two of them got along so well.

She even thought it was a good thing.

After all, she and Welt were both rather busy on the Express, while Dan Heng did not like talking.

Even Pom-Pom could not stand March 7th's odd ramblings sometimes.

Now that Yan Huan had come along, March had someone to keep her company.

"Welt, did Yan Huan have power like this in the past too?"

Welt shook his head and said softly,

"Not at all. As I recall, he had always been an ordinary person. Back then, the fighting was dire, and every night, he would feel despondent because he could not be of much help."

"Whenever he watched his companions return covered in wounds, he blamed himself immensely and thought it would have been better if he were the one hurt."

"He valued his own life very little."

"Then whose life did he value?" Himeko asked curiously.

"If we're talking about now, March and the rest of us would probably come first. He would put himself last."

Himeko fell silent for a moment. Then she looked at Welt and gave him a meaningful smile.

"You understand him quite well."

Welt sighed and smiled.

"I remember many people. Some left forever, while others became companions again in another universe. Seeing him able to be like this now makes me truly happy for him."

As the two chatted, the lively sounds below continued one after another.

Yan Huan seemed to have changed many things, yet at the same time, it seemed as though nothing had changed.

Still, because of him, everyone had been given the day off today.

So the staffers were all in exceptionally good spirits.

Though Herta was also an Emanator, she was nowhere near as approachable as Yan Huan. Many staffers had never even seen her true body.

Even her puppets rarely spoke with the staffers in their daily lives.

Usually, they would assign some tasks and hurriedly log off.

How could she compare to Yan Huan, who was willing to insist on greeting every single one of them even if it made him late?

Support Zone.

Platform.

Surrounded by a lively crowd of staffers, Yan Huan finally entered the Space Station.

After receiving so much praise in a single day, he could not stop smiling despite wearing sunglasses.

The corners of his mouth rose wildly.

Yet he still pretended to be humble.

"All right, everyone, enough praise, enough praise."

With both hands in his pockets, he flicked his trench coat, lifted his head toward the sky, and said with great ease,

"I am merely an ordinary person. If I bask in glory that does not belong to me for too long, I might lose myself too."

"I have always believed..." Yan Huan swept his gaze across the crowd. "Everyone here is amazing."

"I am incomparably honored that you have all come here to show your support for Yan Huan."

"I have felt your enthusiasm. Everyone, let's handle the important business first."

As he spoke, he waved to March 7th behind him. Under the watchful eyes of the staffers, the two entered the elevator.

"Mr. Yan Huan, I'll cheer for you on the screen!"

"Brother Huan, see you in the public chat later!"

"Master Yan, your fly is open. Remember to zip it up!"

"Even someone as powerful as Master Yan Huan has to go to the bathr—" Before that person could finish, he was knocked to the ground.

"Damn it, it's you again, isn't it? Everyone, beat him up! Hell, are you ever going to stop?"

Outside the elevator, chaos suddenly erupted.

It left Yan Huan rather confused.

But once the elevator doors closed, it became much quieter.

As the elevator slowly rose, Yan Huan, still in high spirits, suddenly heard a long-missed electronic voice in his mind.

Congratulations, Host, on obtaining a phase-based slacking reward: Key of the Gods—Divine Fire Sacred Judgment

"Hm?!" Yan Huan's eyes lit up.