The apology seemed sincere, too.
Lingchen did not mind. He settled his grudges on the spot, so what was there left to be angry about?
Besides, this time they probably genuinely hoped Fu Xuan would marry him.
Last time, because of the higher-ups, there had been an assignment attached to it.
They would probably have to apologize to Fu Xuan this time, too.
Fu Xuan did not deny what Lingchen said, because she had divined it herself. Perhaps she had picked up too much of his presence-for instance, from drinking so much of his milk tea-but she could now divine a little more through indirect clues.
"Hmph, there are certain things I'm not ready for yet. After all, everything in this world changes in an instant, and there has never been a precedent for a Xianzhou general marrying someone."
Fu Xuan stood with her hands on her hips, looking haughty, though the blush on her face seemed a little deeper.
Good grief, she was still thinking about becoming a general.
"Have you considered that you might not get that seat for another few hundred years?"
Lingchen reminded her, somewhat speechlessly.
She really was stubborn about showing her feelings, but Lingchen understood. They had not actually spent much time together. Her current attitude owed much to her family's remarks and what he had done to the higher-ups. Perhaps she still needed a few major events to give her a push.
"How could that be? Jing Yuan is getting on in years, and the mara... never mind. I need a moment."
Fu Xuan suddenly remembered that Lingchen had said he would be able to cure some people of being mara-struck in the future, and fell silent.
Just then, Tingyun spoke up beside them.
"In that case, why don't you stay at my home for the next few days, Benefactor? My residence may not compare to yours, Lord Diviner, but it's quite respectable."
She had also heard what Lingchen said about lifespans, but she was not worried at all, because he had said he would give her a future.
Having chosen to trust him, Tingyun would trust him to the end. She believed he would find a solution to her limited lifespan.
Foxians loved deeply and faithfully. Other Foxians paired off with those whose lifespans were similar, but if she truly made up her mind to stay with Lingchen for a long time, then even if he had no solution, she would not mind touching the blighted miracles of The Plagues Author.
Of course, she had greater faith in Lingchen finding a solution.
After all, when Lingchen had once sat chatting with Yukong and her, the topic of lifespans had come up. His answer had been, "I shall have an immeasurable lifespan, untouched by mara, free of calamity, beyond danger and enmity, pure as crystal, self-existent and everlasting."
Later, she and Yukong had concluded that Lingchen's other "Path," besides [Elation], might offer everything he had described. He simply lacked the ability to wield that power yet.
"No."
Chapter 33: If Only She Could Make Up Her Mind
"Oh? Such a decisive answer, Lord Diviner. Surely I'm allowed to invite my benefactor to stay for a while?"
"Th-that would be far too improper, wouldn't it? You're still an unmarried maiden. It wouldn't be good if someone saw and your reputation suffered."
"It's quite all right. He can stay at your home, Lord Diviner, and I'm someone he personally saved. Though I'm not ready yet, my future is already more or less settled."
"So just hearing that my benefactor might spend several days in an empty, lonely home makes me sad."
Tingyun was not actually insisting that Lingchen stay with her. He would have to agree, after all. Still, seeing the Diviner's eternally confident expression crack did give her a tiny, strange thrill of delight.
Vixen!
Fu Xuan secretly gritted her teeth.
"I'm only leaving for two days, not two weeks. Moving back and forth would be inconvenient, after all. Wouldn't you agree, Lingchen?"
Fu Xuan and Tingyun both turned their gazes on Lingchen.
They wanted to see where he would choose to go.
"Little Xuan'er has a point. I can't be bothered moving around. Otherwise, I'd have moved into my own residence ages ago. Let's talk about it when I move into that house."
Lingchen's words carried a deeper meaning.
The Alliance High Command's apology gift was much larger than Fu Xuan's residence, and it would be able to accommodate more people.
He glanced at Fu Xuan in amusement. Even the straightforward Fu Xuan was beginning to say things she did not mean. He remembered her initially saying she would observe him for a while, then make him leave.
"Just call me Fu Xuan."
Fu Xuan lifted her little head.
"Sure, Little Xuan'er."
"Hmph~"
"All right, then. Ah~ And here I was learning shoulder-massage techniques from videos lately. It looks like I'll have to wait for another opportunity."
Tingyun knew Lingchen was telling the truth. He really did dislike moving, but she also understood the intent behind his words.
Continuing to live with Fu Xuan meant he would not let her down, while moving into his new home later was another reminder that he would not give up on any of them.
After all, his new home was large, and he did not have as many materials and instruments to store as Fu Xuan did, so it could house plenty of people.
Tingyun sighed inwardly. She exchanged a glance with Fu Xuan, and both knew the other had understood Lingchen's intentions.
It was frustrating, and neither wanted to accept it.
That was also why, despite already being able to go on dates, they had not taken things any further.
Perhaps taking the next step would require some other push.
After all, who wanted to share?
Lingchen had actually noticed that their feelings for him were developing rather quickly.
Among the Xianzhou's long-life species, a reserved, earnest courtship lasting a decade or so was practically standard. Only after deciding things felt right would they go further. With such long lifespans, choosing a partner naturally called for caution.
Even some short-lived civilizations had relationships that lasted that long before progressing.
Of course, some young people nowadays preferred whirlwind romances and marriages.
Lingchen had once thought it was simply because he was charming enough.
The system had given him an answer. His many charms were certainly undeniable, but it was also related to his body's unique nature. Naturally, that was part of his charm too-its deepest, most fundamental aspect.
After crossing the [Tree] and the [Sea], his body had long since ceased to possess a mortal structure.
Whether it was his physical abilities, the imaginary energy within him, or his existential rank, everything was actually improving at a very slow rate each day. Lingchen himself had noticed it, too.
The [Tree] nourished his body, while the [Sea] nourished his soul, allowing his power to arise from within.
In other words, as long as they developed affection for him, his existential rank would exert an increasingly strong attraction on them. This was an attraction of the soul, one that represented his very essence.
Was that not another kind of charm?
[Wolf Baby: Well? Well? Did the Xianzhou higher-ups give you any trouble?]
That evening, Lingchen was lying in bed, playing on his phone alone, when someone with a peculiar contact name sent him a message.
Given Silver Wolf's abilities, the fact that she had not changed the contact name clearly meant she had tacitly accepted it.
[That Man: They definitely resent me. After all, I really did make a few old bastards become mara-struck beyond recovery. There's no shortage of dumbasses among those old bastards. They just don't dare act right now.]
Lingchen sneered. He understood people like that all too well. Their ambitions never died, and the more power they held, the more they wanted to control.
Although the Xianzhou's Emanator power could be passed down, it still required approval. Not just anyone could inherit the might bestowed by Lan. Otherwise, what would be the point of the Xianzhou generals?
Every civilization had trash like that. Their willingness to gossip even about General Huaiyan was proof enough. Lingchen simply did not care. If they got too uppity, he could just kill them.
Aside from the dumbasses, anyone sensible knew better than to casually offend an Emanator.
Once his strength surpassed that of an Emanator, even if there were still dumbasses, their own people would probably deal with them in advance.
After all, the Xianzhou really did have Emanator-level power, but nothing beyond that. They had never even heard of such a thing.
[Wolf Baby: And you're putting up with that? Why not just set the seas ablaze? You're an Emanator!] [That Man: I'm an Emanator, but not an Emanator of [Destruction]. Aren't you guys on a mission these days? How do you still have time to chat with me? Firefly doesn't even have time to talk to me. And where's Kafka? Is she with you?] [Wolf Baby: All you care about is chatting with Firefly, huh? Firefly just finished fighting and needs a good rest inside the Sam armor. That woman Kafka went coat shopping.]
Kafka was arguably the hardest person in the entire team to build an emotional bond with. Her lack of fear had dulled her other feelings somewhat, too. She seemed emotionally expressive, but most of it was acting. Only around a few familiar people did her emotions become a little more genuine.
The fact that Lingchen could now bring out genuine feelings in Kafka, and that she even sent him pictures of herself trying on coats, was already enough to prove they had a fairly good relationship.
[That Man: I see. That fits my stereotype of Kafka.] [That Man: As for Firefly, just think how wonderful she is. Soft, sweet-smelling, a great figure, a lovely personality. She gives every question I ask a serious answer and even sends cute pictures. If only she could make up her mind.]
P.S. Dear readers who earn a fortune every day, excel in school, succeed in your careers, enjoy happy lives, find fulfillment, and pass every exam... please send flowers and votes.
Chapter 34: If It Were a Single-Player Game
[Wolf Baby: If you were playing a single-player dating sim, she might have made her choice already. You're the one who picked multiplayer. Getting everyone connected might be a little difficult.] [That Man: What can I do? Everyone has their own special qualities. As an adult, of course I choose all of them.]
Shameless.
At a temporary resting place used by the Stellaron Hunters, Silver Wolf stared at Lingchen's message, rather speechless.
They often played games together, and gradually became extremely familiar. Sometimes, when Lingchen was home alone, she would even project herself into his room to play with him.
At first, Silver Wolf had typed only a few words at a time, but Lingchen always sent long messages. As they chatted, she began doing the same. After all, as Lingchen put it, it meant pressing the send button fewer times.
But wasn't she good, too?
She played games with him, supplied him with Credits, and replied to his messages as soon as she saw them.
Silver Wolf felt a little dejected. Was chatting with her really not interesting?
[That Man: Of course, I really like our Wolf Baby too. I liked you back in the other world already. Why else would I call you Wolf Baby?~] [Wolf Baby: Hmph, don't think a couple of nice words will make me happy. Besides, I can't stop you from calling me whatever you like.]
Silver Wolf quickly typed her reply, and much of the disappointment in her heart faded.
As for his claim that he had liked her in another world, she simply took it as him sweet-talking her.
Elio could not foresee Lingchen, but he could glimpse a few pieces of their futures involving him. Those futures were also one reason their relationships with Lingchen had become romantic and ambiguous in just a few short months.
Gradual influence was a frightening thing. Pillow talk worked in much the same way.
After all, according to Elio, he could see other futures, with more than one choice and more than one outcome, so the Stellaron Hunters had to choose the best one. With Lingchen, however, there was only this one outcome.
There were actually two: the other was refusing to accept Lingchen having multiple partners, with nothing coming afterward. Clearly, though, they were happier in the outcome where they were with him, and the future the Stellaron Hunters hoped for would arrive sooner. There were many things they would no longer need to arrange.
Naturally, Elio wanted an easier time of it, too.
"If you want to look, just look. You don't have to sneak peeks."
Silver Wolf tilted her phone toward Firefly, and the last trace of disappointment in her heart disappeared.
After all, she had long since known what kind of person Lingchen was. That feeling just now had only surfaced involuntarily because her feelings had reached a certain stage.
"I'll just message him myself."
Firefly was not inside the Sam armor at that moment. Although Lingchen had only purified her for an instant back then, she could now spend more time outside.
Just seeing Lingchen's description of her on Silver Wolf's screen made her cheeks redden.
What did he mean, soft and sweet-smelling? She sweated when she fought, too!
"Hey, you're still recovering. You... never mind. Tsk~ If you're already like this, you might as well go find him on the Xianzhou."
Silver Wolf had only gotten halfway through her words when Firefly stepped away from the armor. There were still erosion-like markings on her face, but her expression was eager.
Over these past few months, even innocent little Firefly had been left dangling on Lingchen's hook.
It was just that she was far too straightforward, and her past as Glamoth's last survivor made her much more cautious about this sort of thing. Whenever she followed Kafka's and Silver Wolf's line of thinking and considered that possibility, a little uncertainty and sense of unreality inevitably welled up within her.
[Firefly Baby: Um, sorry. I only just finished today's mission and haven't had time to rest yet.]
"Oh, looks like his contact name for you is pretty similar to mine."
Silver Wolf used her hacking skills to check Lingchen's contact name for Firefly.
Firefly blushed, a flicker of panic flashing through her eyes.
They had realized at their very first meeting that Lingchen was interested in her-no, in all of them.
After all, back then, Lingchen had made no attempt whatsoever to hide his goodwill.
In this world, Lingchen was the only person who showed goodwill toward the Stellaron Hunters.