"We'll make do for tonight."
Chen Fan brought Zhou Mo to the entrance of the War Pavilion's great hall. He turned to look at the contours of that face, slightly unfamiliar after so long yet utterly familiar all the same. His weary body straightened a little, and a smile touched his eyes.
"It was tough, but we still won."
"Tomorrow, we'll hold a welcome feast for you."
"There's still a lot to handle with the postwar reconstruction. I'll leave the War Pavilion... to you."
"All right."
Zhou Mo nodded and looked at the memorial tablet bearing his name in the center of the hall. The ashes in the incense burner were still fresh; someone must have paid their respects a few days ago. Only now did he realize that he had been dead for roughly a year.
During that year, the Mortal Domain had changed enormously.
"But there's one more thing, Domain Lord... why did I find this in my tomb?"
Suddenly remembering something, he took an Image Recording Stone from inside his clothes and waved it.
"Ahem."
Chen Fan's gaze wandered aside. He coughed lightly. "Let's not talk about that. The War Pavilion has everything to rebuild, and it needs you in charge. I'll head back first. Tomorrow at noon, we'll discuss the postwar reconstruction at the Strategist Pavilion."
Only then did he stride away.
The war was over.
But there were still many things to handle, one after another.
After watching the Domain Lord leave, Zhou Mo beckoned over a young War Pavilion member who had been watching him from a distance. "Tell me exactly what happened while I was gone."
The young War Pavilion member acknowledged him, then began recounting everything from the beginning in a subdued voice. "After you fell in battle, Pavilion Master Zhou Mo,