Luo Li: All grown up and still so fond of acting cute

Time seemed to flow more regularly within the Primordial Data Federation than elsewhere—at least under Luo Li's careful control.

In the blink of an eye, those two little ones who used to turn the palace upside down have grown into graceful young women.

The older sister, Luo Shiyu, had long, silver-purple hair that reached her waist. Her temperament was calm and serene, and her eyes inherited her father's deep gaze, but they possessed a hazy quality that seemed to reflect the passage of time, unlike Luo Li's.

She prefers simple and elegant dresses, and the swaying curve of her skirts as she moves seems to be precisely calculated.

The younger sister, Luo Shiyi, had the same hair color but had cut it into a neat shoulder length, with a few strands of fluorescent blue highlights at the ends.

She often wore modified versions of comfortable and easy-to-move-in outfits, her eyes were bright and lively, and her smile was so radiant it could light up the whole room.

In theory, the two princesses should already be capable of handling things on their own—and indeed they are.

Shiyu's understanding and application of the laws of time has reached a state of perfection, enabling her to precisely control the flow of local time within the Federation to optimize various processes;

Shiyi became the "Chief Experience Officer and Bug Tester" of the Federal Data Network, and no system vulnerability could escape her eyes and... the urge to fix it on the spot.

But theory is one thing.

That afternoon, Luo Li was processing a batch of intergalactic trade agreements for final review at the data center of the Morning Star Central Palace.

While described as a "palace," it is more like a vast mental palace suspended in the air, composed of flowing data and physical materials.

Countless streams of information swirled around him like a galaxy.

Just as he was about to sign the final agreement—

"Father--"

Two voices rang out simultaneously: one cool and deliberately softened, the other cheerful and full of coquettishness.

Luo Li paused, then looked up.

Shiyu and Shiyi, one on each side, had somehow gotten close to him.

Shiyu held a report in an old-fashioned scroll in her hands, her expression dignified, but her slightly drooping eyelashes and soft breathing betrayed her nervousness.

Shiyi Yi leaned directly onto the armrest of his chair, tilted her head back, and blinked her purple eyes, which were exactly the same as Castorice's, her face clearly saying, "Say yes!"

"... explain."

Luo Li put down the virtual pen, leaned back in her chair, her face expressionless, but a knowing glint flashed in her eyes—these two girls appearing at the same time and acting like this, it can't be anything good.

"Father..." Shiyu spoke first, her voice steady.

"After in-depth discussions with the academic exchange group from the Aierda Galaxy, I believe that their proposed joint development project for the ' Corridor of Time ' ruins has extremely high archaeological and scientific research value."

As someone with the ability to manage time, my personal involvement in the initial exploration phase would greatly increase the project's success rate.

She spoke clearly and logically, with well-founded evidence.

Unfortunately, Luo Li knew her eldest daughter all too well.

His gaze swept across the scroll. "Aierda Galaxy, the ruins of the ' Corridor of Time '... I remember that report."

The temporal turbulence around the ruins is rated ' Abyss Level '; even three Federation time-stabilizing ships have lost contact there.

Shiyu's expression remained unchanged. "That's precisely why my abilities are needed even more."

Father, I have conducted over three thousand simulations, with a success rate exceeding 87.4%.

"In your deductions, did you include the possibility that 'the core of the ruins is the sealed location of some ancient time-related evil god'?" Luo Li asked calmly.

Shiyu: "... This variable has been included in simulations 2871 to 2890. See Appendix -- for detailed solutions."

"You're not allowed to go," Luo Li interrupted her.

A crack finally appeared in Shi Yu's dignified expression. Her lips pursed slightly, and a hint of resentment and... grievance flickered in her clear, cold eyes. She whispered, "Father, I'm an adult now."

"Even as an adult, you still have to follow the Federal Dangerous Relics Exploration Regulations. You don't have the necessary authority."

Luo Li remained unmoved and turned to the other side. "And you? What trouble have you gotten into this time, or do you want something again?"

Shiyi immediately put on a bright smile and nuzzled his arm, "Father is wise! It's really nothing serious... It's just that I was helping the data security department test the new firewall a few days ago..."

Luo Li raised an eyebrow. "Get to the point."

"The key point is... during testing, I discovered a super~ interesting hidden protocol layer! Then I did a little... in-depth analysis..."

Shiyi's voice trailed off as she spoke, "As a result, we accidentally triggered a ' Civilization Screening Program ' left at the bottom layer of the network by an ancient civilization. Now, that program thinks the Federation is a newly emerging civilization awaiting evaluation and is planning to launch a full-scale ' Civilization Adaptability Test '..."

Luo Li remained silent for three seconds.

The data flow within the central hall seemed to pause for a moment.

"... What does the comprehensive test cover?"

His voice was eerily calm.

"Uh... the first phase seems to involve 'randomly converting one-tenth of stars into black holes temporarily to observe a civilization's ability to respond'..."

Shiyi shrank her neck, but her eyes were still shining.

"But don't worry, Father! I've already reverse-locked 37% of the program's control nodes! Just give me three more days—no, two more!—and I can take it all apart and use it as a toy!"

"Luo, Shi, Yi."

Luo Li spoke slowly and deliberately.

Shiyi immediately stood up straight. "Present!"

From now on, all your data permissions will be downgraded to level three.

Without Lu Jingheng's or my personal approval, no one may access any federal core systems or unknown external agreements.

Luo Li's voice contained no anger, but rather an undeniable authority. "Furthermore, within three days, I need to see a complete analysis report and at least five harmless disposal plans. You will personally carry out the disposal, with Lu Jingheng supervising."

"Father! Even with Level 3 access, I can't open the highest difficulty level of the holographic games in the entertainment area!"

Shiyi wailed.

"Perfect timing, let's use this time to thoroughly repair the public service systems in the six star sectors you messed up last time."

Luo Li glanced at her. "If it can't be fixed, then keep demoting it."

Shiyi's face fell, and she muttered, "He's an adult, why is he still so strict..."

On the other side, Shiyu spoke softly, "Father, what about my application...?"

"No."

Luo Li rejected it again, but in a slightly gentler tone.

"However, if you can design a personal protection theoretical model that can stably resist ' Abyss Level ' time turbulence within a month, without causing Spacetime paradoxes, and verify it through Ms. Herta's Simulated Universe, I can consider letting you participate in the second phase of the project—peripheral data analysis."

Shiyu's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"This is contingent on successful verification."

Luo Li emphasized.

"Moreover, the model testing must be conducted entirely under Lu Jingheng's supervision."

Yes! Thank you, Father!

A faint but genuine smile finally bloomed on Shiyu's face, brightening her usually calm demeanor.

After dealing with her two daughters' "requests," Luo Li waved for them to leave and continue their respective "studies."

Watching the two figures leave the hall— Shiyu's steps were still elegant, but noticeably lighter;

Shiyi Yi slumped her shoulders, but her fingers were already unconsciously tracing something in the air, clearly her brain was already racing to figure out how to "atone for her sins" -- Luo Li shook her head, but a very faint smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.

"You're already an adult, yet you still act so spoiled, and when you get into trouble, you always run to your father..."

He murmured to himself, his tone full of doting affection.

Castorice's voice came from behind, carrying a gentle laugh, "It's all because you spoiled her."

She walked over to Luo Li and placed a cup of tea beside him. "However, you really should do something about it."

Shiyu's desire to control time is getting stronger and stronger. Last time, in order to verify a theory, he almost trapped himself in a time bubble that was a thousand times faster.

Shiyi was even more... Regarding the ' Civilization Screening Program,' Lu Jingheng just gave an urgent report saying that its impact might be even wider than she described.

Luo Li picked up his teacup, the rising steam blurring his expression.

"I know."

He spoke slowly.

"Their power is too unique, and they're growing too fast. If they're not disciplined, something bad will happen sooner or later."

He took a sip of tea and gazed at the starry data flowing across the dome of the hall. "But I am gratified."

Castorice turned her head to look at him.

"At least, they were not afraid of their own power, nor did they abuse it."

Shiyu is trying to understand the true meaning of time and wants to use it to do something valuable;

Although Shiyi is impulsive, every time she gets into trouble, it stems from her curiosity about the unknown and her enthusiasm for solving problems.

Luo Li's gaze softened.

"They have grown up successfully and mastered the power within them—although they still need more experience to control it."

As a father, he had to be strict and pull them back when they went astray.

But as a father himself, he was incredibly proud.

His daughters did not become slaves to power, but strived to become its masters.

Even though the process was bumpy, and even though he still needed to look after her constantly.

Castorice gently placed her hand on the back of his hand and said softly, "They will get better and better—because they know that no matter how high or far they fly, their father will always be here, proud of them, and ready to catch them when they need him."

Luo Li gripped his wife's hand tightly in return, chuckling, "You make it sound like I'm some kind of safety net."

"Isn't that right?" Castorice blinked.

"The most robust data security network in the entire universe."

The two looked at each other and smiled.

Outside the hall, Shiyu was in her research lab, surrounded by intricate light streams based on time formulas, her expression focused and excited; Shiyi, was squatting in a sea of data, rubbing her hands together at the massive "Civilization Screening Program," muttering, "Watch me break you down into eight million parts and then put you back together."

They knew their father was strict, but they also knew his love.

He is strict because they deserve a wider sky, and their father wants to make sure they fly towards clear skies, not storms.

Love is because no matter where they fly, when they look back, they can always see those eyes watching over them, eyes full of pride and protection.

So what if you're an adult?

In front of their fathers, they can always act spoiled occasionally, run back to apologize when they get into trouble, and seek support when they have dreams.

Because home is here.

Luo Li, the Aeon who controls data, may not have achieved his greatest accomplishment by building a federation that spans thousands of stars.

It was this family, and these two daughters who, though they caused him endless headaches, also filled him with immense pride, and whom he was willing to protect with everything.