Man on the ark, forced to become king

The original room was almost destroyed by Xi's "coquettishness," leaving a large hole and making it uninhabitable. Even if it needed repairs, it would take several days. Fortunately, there were still many vacant luxury suites in this hotel, so it was not too much trouble to switch rooms at any time.

The only problem still lies with Xi.

The shy god of painting, after making a mess, simply ran away and disappeared into his own world of paintings, which was not a problem in itself.

However, this time the 'carrier' for the painting was not paper that could be rolled up and taken away, but an entire wall... This made things very difficult.

After much deliberation, Lin Lu had no choice but to cut off the entire section of the wall and carry it away under the stares of the hotel staff who looked at her like she was mentally ill, and she ended up losing a lot of money as a result.

"Pfft~ Sorry, sorry, it wasn't on purpose."

After moving her luggage into the new suite, Lani hurriedly grabbed her clothes and ran into the suite's bathroom as if she were avoiding something, giving no one a chance to talk to her.

Chen lives in a separate room, so he needs to pack his luggage.

Melina and Theresa had nothing to do, so after putting down their luggage, they saw Lin Lu carrying a large piece of wall as she slid in through the door. They couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"I think you should try calling her out."

Melina gently patted the black ink stains on the wall with her palm, and said with a smile, while Theresa nodded in agreement: "Yes, we're almost done eating. We can't just let her stay cooped up in the painting like this, what kind of situation is that?"

...I think your concern for others is fake; you really just want to see them make a fool of themselves.

The intention behind those two sentences was as clear as day, and everyone knew it. Lin Lu rolled her eyes and strongly condemned those who couldn't wait to see her make a fool of herself.

Want to see me make a fool of myself? No way!

After a moment's thought, Lin Lu laid the large piece of wall she had cut off flat on the floor, bent down, and tapped the black ink stains with her knuckles.

dong dong dong~

"Are you there?"

"..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the ink blot suddenly became even deeper, as if it had come to life.

As expected, Xi, who is in the world of the painting, is able to sense the situation outside at any time.

Thinking about it, if delving into one's own words is considered blindness, then the flaws in this authority are far too great.

"Open the door, let's talk, okay? Just the two of us."

Facing the now lively Mo Se, Lin Lu spoke softly, ignoring the silent protests from Melina and Theresa beside her.

No way, how could he possibly bring these two guys who just wanted to watch the show in with him?

Like Lani, Xi is naturally thin-skinned. What if she gets upset and becomes withdrawn?

Therefore, it's safest to handle this matter by himself alone. Shy Xi Gua should be allowed to enjoy it first!

"..."

The ink trembled slightly, then suddenly came to life on the wall, breaking down into extremely simple lines that outlined the shape of a door on the wall of the suite.

Silence speaks louder than words here; the meaning of "evening" is self-evident.

"Okay, I'm coming in now~"

Reaching out, Lin Lu pushed the door made of ink, a smile playing on her lips. With a sudden burst of strength, she pushed the door open, and the pitch-black ink expanded rapidly. The moment he entered, it contracted inward, transforming back into a blob of ink imprinted on the wall, leaving two people who had planned to sneak in empty-handed.

Upon entering, one is greeted by a completely different scene from the outside world, as if one has entered a new realm.

...Perhaps, that's indeed a fair way to put it?

The world and the people in the painting are ultimately different from the outside world.

The chirping of insects and the songs of birds fill the air. Above the vast blue sky, the sun shines brightly, the sky is clear and boundless, a gentle breeze blows, and the grass and trees sway. In the distance, there is an endless expanse of verdant land, with babbling brooks, intertwined forests, and a hundred flowers in bloom.

Such scenery is rare in the real Terra; perhaps it can only be seen in paintings.

Taking a deep breath, as if the restlessness in her heart had calmed down a lot, Lin Lu stepped forward and walked up the grassy hill. At the top of the cliff, the fairy in the painting sat there.

The coat she often wore was casually placed aside. Sitting on the cliff, Xi wore only a dress that resembled a cheongsam, which perfectly outlined her exquisite curves. Against the backdrop of green grass, her two long, straight, and fair legs, as white as ivory, were dazzling.

In her arms, she held a strange-looking creature with a huge head and a short tail. At first glance, it looked a bit like an orca pillow with two legs, except that its back was blue-black. Its current function was to be held in her arms as a pillow.

A gentle breeze blew by, lifting Xi's ink-black hair and revealing her pointed ears hidden beneath, the tips of which were tinged with a delicate pinkish-red.

"……sorry."

Xi didn't look up, remaining in the position of holding the strange creature, her head buried in it, her voice muffled.

"Actually, there's no need to apologize. I can roughly understand your mindset... Lani is quite similar to you."

Lin Lu took a few steps forward and sat down next to Xi. Xi's arm trembled slightly, as if she had acquiesced, without making any further movement.

"However, the commotion you caused was a tiny bit bigger than hers."

Extending her thumb and forefinger in a "little bit" gesture, Lin Lu smiled and touched the strange creature being held in Xi's arms, asking curiously, "What's its name?"

"...It's A-Yao, my creation from my painting, a very cute little guy."

Xi hesitated for a moment, then looked up and put A-Yao, whom she was holding, down on the ground. Watching it wander around in circles, looking bewildered, a faint smile appeared on her face.

Shaded by green trees and covered with lush grass, the fairy in the painting smiles radiantly, as if a hundred flowers were in full bloom.

It has to be said that Xi looks really beautiful in this state. Of course, she is always beautiful, but at this moment she seems more silent and repressed, always with a tense face, and it is hard to see any other expression except when she is playing around with Nian.

Now, it seems more vibrant and authentic.

"I'm sorry, I did that on impulse... That guy Nian talked a lot of nonsense, which made my mind very confused. Are you alright?"

With her legs bent, arms wrapped around her calves, and chin resting on her knees, Xi tilted her head to look over, her dark hair draped over her shoulders, slightly disheveled.

Surprisingly, she was much calmer sitting there than Lin Lu had expected.

"No, this kind of impact is not enough to defeat me."

Actually, I was injured, but thanks to the power of gold, I recovered quickly, so it didn't matter at all.

In any case, Lin Lu would never admit to being headbutted by the 'shy beauty'.

"Now that it's just the two of us here, this is the perfect opportunity if you'd like to say something."

"..."

Her wine-red eyes trembled slightly. Xi remained silent for a moment, her gaze falling on the grass not far away, her expression slightly dazed.

"When Nian told you about that, I was actually right next to you."

“I heard it very clearly and I admire her courage. She is always like that, saying whatever comes to mind without being affected by her emotions at all.”

“It was like that before, and it is like that now. She can always find a goal and then do it with all her might. I probably will never be able to do that.”

“I used to be very scared, so scared that I would hide in my paintings, afraid to go down the mountain, afraid to communicate with people, and even afraid to sleep. But now I think that fear itself was a kind of support.”

"After joining Golden Tree, the threat of age disappeared, but from that moment on I realized that without constraints, what remained was not pure freedom, but an endless emptiness and confusion."

"I don't know what to do, I don't know what I want to do, I don't know what the future will be like... It's not just me, Nian thinks the same way."

"Therefore, we need an anchor, a reason to move towards the future, and there is a perfect answer right in front of us."

"Sorry for rambling on and on, it sounds messy, doesn't it?"

Her slender fingers brushed past her ear, brushing away a stray strand of hair and tucking it behind her ear. After saying these words, it was as if she had used up all her courage.

A blush crept onto her cheeks, and the fairy in the painting smiled and looked up, her voice so low it was almost inaudible: "Since we're just anchors, friendship isn't enough. I think we can become partners?"

Chapter 89 Xi Gua's Courageous Straightforward

companion.

This word has many meanings. It can refer to a fellow traveler who is moving forward together in a certain career, or a close friend who travels or works together.

Of course... Xi's choice of "partner" is definitely not limited to this. In most cases, this usually refers to a husband-wife relationship, or something even closer.

Lin Lu didn't know how Terra gods like Nian and Xi viewed interpersonal relationships in this regard, but there was no doubt that they had some things in common on this issue.

If we extend the timeframe to an unbelievable length, what ordinary people perceive as a 'couple' or 'partner' relationship is actually a very fragile one.

High enthusiasm will always fade, and the initial excitement will be worn away by time, eventually returning to ordinariness.

Therefore, the partners that long-lived or immortal beings consider are not as simple as ordinary couples.

As Xi said, what they need is an anchor, a cornerstone that can fix eternal life and prevent them from getting lost in the length of time.

Such a relationship is much closer than one built on impulse or lust. Becoming each other's partner and anchor means that the two are perfectly integrated from soul to body. There are no secrets between them; the beautiful, the ugly... everything is revealed without reservation.

Such a bond is unbreakable, and time cannot diminish it; it is far more reliable than any vow of eternal love.

Lin Lu is not against such a partner. He has such a relationship with Lani and Melina. The trust between them far exceeds what words can describe. As long as Lani and Melina do not object to other members joining, it is not impossible for them to become partners, given that they already have mutual affection.

The key question is, is Xi truly ready? Or is it just a momentary impulse influenced by Nian?

"No need to doubt, I can still do it if I understand myself."

A pure white dragon tail swam over from behind and gently rested on Lin Lu's arm. It was only then that Lin Lu suddenly noticed that Xi's tail seemed to be much longer than Nian's. Its dark green mane was soft and fluffy, like a ball of cotton, and felt wonderful against the back of her hand.

So... is this considered a statement made through actions?

For the Terrans, the tail is a very private part of their body, and they don't easily allow others to touch it, not even close same-sex friends, let alone opposite-sex friends.

Although true gods are formless, after living in the human world for a long time, they will eventually have a fixed appearance and retain some similar habits through exposure.

In many regions, stretching out one's tail is almost synonymous with 'teasing' in local customs.