"Don't run, Lady Bailu. It's time for you to go back."
"I'm not going back! Stop following me."
"But if you do this, the Vidyard Elders will..."
"I don't care! Am I not even allowed time to meet my friends? If you keep following me, I'll quit being the High Elder!"
Chapter 12: They Won't Take Me On for Your Sake
Lingchen had just sat down and ordered a cup of ordinary tea, much to Boss Du's visible disappointment. As he wondered whether Jing Yuan or Fu Xuan would arrive later, he heard voices coming from a distance.
He had just tried checking in with Short Auntie and failed. That confirmed that characters with only minor involvement in the story couldn't be used for check-ins, so he hadn't bothered trying with Boss Du.
That voice...
Lingchen turned slightly and spotted a little girl with dragon horns, a gourd hanging at her waist, and clothing far more elaborate than what ordinary Xianzhou natives wore. She was impatiently waving her little hand behind her.
The people following her looked anxious, but Lingchen could sense that few of them held any genuine respect for her.
The Path of Elation really is amazing.
"Lady Bailu, you said the same thing last time. That excuse is getting old."
One of them spoke as though waiting to see what other excuses Bailu could come up with.
Just looking at that adorable face made Lingchen feel he could drink ten cups of blazing strong tea with it as his accompaniment. The disloyal people trailing behind Bailu spoiled the mood a little, though.
Just then, Bailu noticed Lingchen too.
Her eyes lit up, and she pattered over to him on her little legs.
"You're here! Have you been waiting long for this... for me?"
Judging by Lingchen's looks, he couldn't be a bad person.
Of course, the main reason was that she had been backed into a corner. This time, she had to find a "good friend waiting for her."
Besides, Lingchen had an inexplicable air of Affinity about him.
Lingchen naturally knew where his affinity came from. Although he hadn't possessed it for long, any fondness already established would remain even if the affinity disappeared.
After all, he had never actively used it, so all that goodwill was rooted in who he was. If he himself were no good, the affinity wouldn't accomplish much either.
If he actively used it, even a mortal enemy might eventually let go of their hatred for him.
No wonder I like Seele so much.
She already had that kind of quality to begin with.
No matter how powerful this ability became, it was still an evolved, elevated version of the Herrscher of Rebirth's power.
And now, Bailu had been drawn to him.
"Not long at all, little Bailu."
Lingchen casually invited Bailu to sit. To show that they really were good friends, she sat beside him rather than across from him.
"Hello, sir. Lady Bailu needs to return to the Vidyadhara now. Please stop playing along with her."
The people who had followed Bailu looked surprised, but one of the maids quickly recovered.
"If Lady Bailu returns late, the Vidyard Elders will worry."
The maid emphasized the words "Vidyard Elders."
Bailu immediately clenched her little hands in nervousness. She wasn't stupid. Although the maid's tone wasn't exactly threatening, her words came close enough.
Yuanli had something to take care of today and hadn't come along, so these people had accompanied her instead.
Never mind. The Vidyard Elders were always strict with her. It really was time to go back.
At that thought, Bailu's expression dimmed. Her little body shifted, and she was about to say something when Lingchen reached out and rested his hand on her small head.
Startled, Bailu quickly looked up and met Lingchen's gentle gaze. In an instant, the worry in her heart eased.
"What's this? Little Bailu told me she's the High Elder. That should be a fairly important position among your people, shouldn't it? Yet you don't seem to show her much respect."
The maid's words almost made Lingchen laugh. Threatening someone without knowing who they were was something he had thought only happened in brainless novels. Apparently, reality could be just as absurd.
Perhaps the maid thought she was merely stating facts rather than making a threat, but Lingchen didn't like her tone.
"I wouldn't dare. But who are you? I've never seen Lady Bailu with a 'good friend' like you before."
The maid remained composed, unruffled by Lingchen's remark.
Instead, she focused on this supposed good friend of Bailu's.
"Little Bailu, what's this maid's name?"
Rather than answer, Lingchen used his supreme authority over Elation to produce a cup of milk tea and several Xianzhou pastries as he asked Bailu.
To everyone else, it looked as though he had taken them out of a storage device.
"Oh, she... her name is Mingyue."
Not Yuanli or Huanxi?
Well, NPCs from my past life really are hard to recognize in reality.
"Is that so? Here, little Bailu, have something to eat. You came over in such a hurry. Your little tummy must be starving."
"Can I really eat these?"
Although Lingchen's way of addressing her made Bailu a little shy-she didn't even know his name yet, and she was surely older than an outworlder like him-still...
Bailu sniffed lightly. The fragrance of the pastries had already filled her nose, making her mouth water, and her dragon tail began swishing from side to side.
"Of course. I prepared these just for you."
"They'll get cold if you wait any longer."
Naturally, the pastries created with his supreme authority were made from genuine ingredients. They weren't anything complicated or advanced, after all.
So if Lingchen said he had bought them, then he had bought them. Nothing wrong with that.
And hearing Bailu's soft little question nearly melted his heart.
An adorable little dragon girl like her deserved to be thoroughly spoiled.
Lingchen pushed the pastries closer to Bailu.
"Lady Bailu, you..."
"You're a maid, correct?"
Lingchen interrupted her. His tone was calm, but his gaze was no longer as gentle as before.
Couldn't she see he was feeding this adorable little dragon girl pastries? This maid really couldn't read the room.
"I'm Bailu's good friend. We've known each other for a long time. Today is simply our first meeting in person."
"You ought to remember your place. If you're worried about explaining yourself when you return, wait here. Once Bailu has finished eating, we'll naturally explain things. Those Vidyard Elders won't punish you, and I don't mind you standing by."
After all, if these people left, Bailu would probably move a little farther away from him.
Right now, little Bailu was sitting very close to keep up the pretense that they were good friends.
Lingchen could even smell the faint medicinal fragrance on her. Even he found himself relaxing considerably at the scent.
He would surely sleep better with her as a cuddle pillow.
Lingchen inserted a straw into the milk tea, piercing the biodegradable film with a single poke.
"I don't think the Vidyadhara would offend me for your sake, maid."
Chapter 13: General, This Man Intends to...
Actually attacking this maid named Mingyue, or getting into a petty argument with her, would only cheapen him.
He was merely explaining a fact to her and the others waiting nearby, calmly and clearly.
They were not to interrupt him while he fed Bailu.
As for the white-haired "observer" elsewhere, he could watch all he liked.
"How is it? Tasty, right?"
Having said his piece, Lingchen stopped looking at the maid and the others' sour expressions. He took out a napkin and offered it to the little figure beside him, but seeing how happily she was eating, he had "no choice" but to wipe her mouth himself.
"Mhm! It's really delicious!"
Bailu swallowed the Lotus Root Cake in her mouth. A blush flashed across her adorably round face as she watched Lingchen's hand approach.
She hurriedly reached out and snatched the napkin from his fingers. Her translucent dragon horns moved with her little head, and her tail swayed along.
"This lady... ahem, I can do it myself."
Having a boy she had only just met wipe her mouth for her-she wasn't a little child anymore, so of course she felt shy. Still, all she had sensed from Lingchen so far was kindness.
For a moment, Bailu's little heart filled with delight. Perhaps they really could become good friends.
What left her a little troubled and confused, though, was that this "online friend she was meeting in person" seemed rather inclined to spoil her.
The people nearby exchanged glances. Lingchen's few remarks had left them uncertain of his identity, and for a while, they truly said nothing more, simply standing beside the pair.
"You certainly know how to enjoy yourself."
Just as Lingchen occasionally fed Bailu a small pastry and brought out another serving, tempting even the maid nearby with its aroma, a hearty voice rang out before them.
The maid instantly recognized the newcomer and hurriedly said:
"General, this man intends to..."
She wanted to say more, but Jing Yuan raised a hand, signaling for her to stop.
Though dissatisfied, she shut her mouth. He was a Xianzhou general, after all.
"Well, it seems the rumors that the Vidyadhara and Xianzhou natives don't get along aren't particularly credible."
Lingchen chuckled.
Check in.
[Ding! Checked in before the newly appointed Vidyadhara High Elder. Reward obtained: Herrscher of Rebirth character card.] [Ding! Checked in before the Arbiter-General of the Xianzhou Luofu. Reward obtained: Welt character card.]
I didn't expect to get the Herrscher of Rebirth again.
As for Welt...
On his way to the Luofu, Lingchen had already figured it out: once he had a character card, he could use it whenever it seemed appropriate.
He was bound to encounter plenty of characters as the story unfolded, so increasing his power would be easy. Unless a card was special, there was no need to insist on saving it until he faced a powerful opponent.
He only needed to build up little by little. Higher-level concepts could encompass lower-level ones, so his strength would keep increasing. Eventually, his energy level would at least reach that of an Aeon. Likewise, repeatedly stacking the same philosophical concepts he drew would ultimately bring them to at least an Aeon's level.
Since that was the case, why deny himself?
After all, sometimes certain people really made him want to deliver some strange lines.
Of course, the most important thing was that he now had Elation's gift, power at an Emanator's level, while his own strength was still growing.
"You jest. The Vidyadhara and ourselves are all fellow members of the Xianzhou Alliance. Naturally, we stand together and support one another wholeheartedly. Such rumors should not be taken at face value."
Jing Yuan knew what Lingchen meant.
Had he not intervened, this maid might well have been forced into scale shedding reincarnation.
The Vidyadhara would never offend an unknown Emanator for the sake of a maid.
Besides, the Vidyadhara seemed to be planning something at present. At a time like this, they were even less likely to allow anything unexpected to happen.
He turned to the Vidyadhara attendants.
"You may return first. With me here, there's no need to worry about the High Elder's safety. If the Vidyard Elders ask, simply give them an objective account."
Later, Jing Yuan would also contact the Vidyard Elders and issue a warning.
For now, however, establishing the relationship between Lingchen and Bailu took priority.
"Well... sorry for the trouble, General Jing Yuan."
They exchanged glances, bowed slightly to Jing Yuan, then turned and left.
They weren't fools. Even Jing Yuan had come in person. Their frustration had initially clouded their judgment, but once they calmed down, they left with lingering fear.
If they truly offended someone important, those Vidyard Elders were no kindly souls. The maids would absolutely be thrown under the bus.