Nobody told me this wasn't a game.

"..."

The atmosphere at the scene grew even colder.

Once again, Zuo Chang began to wriggle restlessly.

The Saintess of Time was not good at communicating with people, nor did she like to smile. At this moment, she curled her red lips into what she thought was a friendly smile, but it was more like a disdainful sneer.

The words “not needed” were pronounced too abruptly and the tone too calm.

Coupled with her cold smile, it was full of sarcasm and sounded like she was extremely disgusted.

The Holy Maiden of Time, with keen observation, noticed the solemnity in the air.

"...I think I messed up again."

The hands, tucked into the wide sleeves, were clenched into tight fists.

The saintess took a deep breath and said again, "Uh. I mean, that—it's not necessary."

Blood Rose was very nervous.

She quickly said, "Ah, I... I think the Holy Maiden means that we don't need to take it so seriously. Although the competition for the Grand Rank is very intense, our strength is not weak either. Sending people as usual should be fine... right?"

The saintess paused for a moment, then nodded and shook her head: "Yes, and no."

Blood Rose cautiously probed, "So you mean..."

The saintess dared not laugh carelessly; she maintained her composure: "Just keep things as they are; there's no need to replace anyone."

Zuo Chang sensed the obvious awkwardness in the air and felt he had to show some attitude.

Remaining silent will do nothing to improve the situation.

Sometimes you have to make a decision, or you'll only get deeper and deeper into trouble.

He turned to look at Asuka and said, "Let Kijiro do it. Kijiro has been busy and hardworking lately, and his talent... is passable. We can try to train him."

Kichijiro's talent was very average.

However, the most talented retainers of the Yaotai clan have already surpassed the seventh realm. Among the short, the tallest is Jijiro, who is the best candidate.

Besides him, there's also "Brother Man" who's always sticking close to the corpse puppet. We can't let Brother Man go first, can we?

but--

Even the usually compliant bird shook its head at this moment.

She spoke up, insisting, "General, Kichijiro's talent is quite average; he's not a good choice. If you don't have anyone else to choose from, it would be better to leave the position vacant for now. The Grand Tournament allows for the temporary recruitment of teammates, and you can recruit them when needed, which is also a good option."

"..."

Zuo Chang was a little annoyed.

He didn't understand Asuka's decision at first, but when Asuka asked the Time Saintess to send another person, he realized Asuka's thoughts—

She didn't want to cause trouble for Zuo Chang.

There was only one spot available for the Holy Maiden, so she refused to take more than one and only accepted one, so as not to cause any resentment or unpleasantness for the Holy Maiden.

Zuo Chang did not dislike this gentleness.

Zuo Chang truly felt her thoughtfulness.

The annoyance surging within him at that moment stemmed from his attempt to reciprocate Asuka's concern, which Asuka had rejected.

This is alienation.

Feiniao tried to push Zuo Chang away; she was rejecting his advances.

"Duh, duh."

Zuo Chang leaned against his desk, his bent fingers rhythmically tapping the surface, making a crisp sound.

The room was silent. Even Lychee, who had been looking around absentmindedly, turned her gaze to look. Everyone present realized that Zuo Chang's mood was probably not very calm.

At this moment, what Zuo Chang was thinking about was more complex than they thought.

Being considerate of your partner but not taking care of yourself won't actually make the relationship closer.

Day after day of dedication, sacrificing oneself and one's soul, can only result in a tragic and shattered end.

Because no one will fall in love with a housekeeping robot, no one will care about an emotional dumping ground, and no one is likely to be interested in a walking ATM.

The bird, who didn't want to put Zuo Chang in a difficult position and was willing to suffer injustice, still didn't understand this principle.

This should be considered a form of inferiority complex.

She is a woman whose life is full of misfortunes, having lost her husband, achieved fame but been betrayed, and now witnessing her lover's wedding. When faced with a saintly woman of the fifteenth realm, she subconsciously belittles herself.

"Bird, come here."

After a moment, Zuo Chang spoke.

Feibiao hesitated for a moment, then took two steps forward and asked, "General, what's wrong?"

Zuo Chang looked at her patiently: "Come closer. Come to me."

"……Yes."

With a hint of unease, Fei Niao stood in front of Zuo Chang.

In terms of height, Asuka is considered tall for a woman. However, compared to Zuo Chang, she is still more than half a head shorter.

Standing before me now, she slightly raised her chin, a hint of unease flickering in her golden eyes.

Zuo Chang abruptly raised his hand, pressed it on the top of her head, and ruffled it haphazardly: "How old are you? Still giving me difficult questions."

"General?!"

The bird hurriedly looked at the Saintess of Time.

The saintess squinted, seemingly somewhat displeased!

Zuo Chang continued, “You are my wife, and the Holy Maiden is also my wife. You are equally important to me. How to handle my relationship with you is a problem I need to face and solve. I only have one request for you—to be free to express yourselves, not to compromise, not to make sacrifices. What attracts me is your own character, not the changes you make for me or the grievances you endure.”

The bird blinked, seemingly not understanding Zuo Chang's meaning.

Zuo Chang didn't explain much.

He looked at the saintess and said, "Saintess, you are the same."

The Saintess of Time blinked twice and nodded.

I don't know if this counts as a response.

Ugh!

It's a pity that the birds are blind, the saintess doesn't recognize her true love, the Blood Rose is a pearl cast before its eyes, the True Bow is bewitched, and the Lychee is blinded by a leaf—all of them have been deceived by that scoundrel Zuo Chang!

There will be one more update today.

I'm so angry with Zuo Chang, I need to calm down and will update again tonight.

Please wait a moment, everyone!

Chapter 211 A Joke

In a very strange atmosphere, the group temporarily dispersed.

Zuo Chang claimed that he was exhausted after a fierce battle and needed to conserve his energy to face the severe challenges ahead, so he fled.

The battle for the top spot is, after all, a top priority, and no one can criticize it.

Therefore, how to face the Holy Maiden of Time became Bai Lin's biggest worry.

Bai Lin had no choice but to proceed officially, taking the Holy Maiden of Time on a tour of Sky City.

I thought this would be a rather painful process, but after actually experiencing it—

Bai Lin discovered that the job was not as difficult as she had imagined.

The Holy Maiden of Time possesses extensive knowledge. She may be somewhat inexperienced in interpersonal relationships, but she is very adept at governance and development once she adjusts her approach.

What surprised Bai Lin even more was that the Holy Maiden had already gotten into character.

The role of a staff officer.

After learning that Zuo Chang had acquired the lost technology of Sky City and could create mechanical life forms to replace traditional labor, but currently lacked high-quality ore, the quality of the mechanical life forms produced was relatively low...

The saintess stated directly, "SCVs are exceptionally useful; they are a unique and outstanding technique of the general, and must be developed immediately. What kind of ore do you lack?"

Uh.

Bai Lin was taken aback, but still told the truth: "The exploration progress of 96511 is very low, and it is basically lacking in all kinds of ores. What we need most right now is 'source iron stone'. If we use source iron stone to produce SCVs, the working efficiency and service life will be greatly increased."

Yuantieshi, upgraded to the world's finest iron ore.

It is widely used in automobiles and ships and is a valuable strategic material.

The saintess said, "If you have any needs, I can try to get you some orders."

Bai Lin was extremely arrogant: "Holy Maiden, as you can see, we are in the initial stage and do not have much funding."

"The reading club is willing to invest in any lord with potential. You have the lost technology of Sky City, making you the best investment target."

Whether the Goddess of Time is objective or not, I don't know.

But she was really calm.

Bai Lin dared not make a decision on his own. He simply said, "Your Holiness, such an important cooperative project cannot be decided by me alone. I will report this to the General and ask him to make the judgment."

"Ah."

The saint nodded slightly.

Quite abruptly, she turned to look at Bai Lin and asked, "Knight Bai Lin, when did that 'Senior Flying Bird' arrive?"

"It's been about a month!"

The saintess nodded again: "When I married the general, everyone told me that Senior Asuka was in grave danger and would most likely die in a coup."

Bai Lin was a little nervous: "This... it's not just you, Holy Maiden. Everyone, including the General, thinks that Vanguard Asuka is dead. It's a coincidence! Not long ago, the General and Vanguard Asuka met by chance."

It was as if it were all preordained.

Bai Lin didn't say that.