I am the old, fiery-faced man from the senior department.

"..."

Haha, I really wish I could go back to that afternoon and give myself a good laugh.

A few sweet words were enough to make her dizzy with delight.

"Your Highness, these Four Happiness Meatballs are very good, please try them."

The lynx placed a meatball into Bai Zhou's bowl, praising how delicious the dish was.

"Ah, thank you for your help, Kal'tsit."

“(。?`ω'?)”

"Click".

Nian silently spread her hands, the chopsticks in her hand already broken in two.

"Sister, are you alright?"

Bai Zhou immediately put down the half-eaten dumpling to check on Nian's condition.

"It's alright, Ah Xi. It's probably because these chopsticks are uneven in thickness, and they break easily with just a little force."

Nian grasped his hand in return, smiling at him. But when his eyes swept over the lynx to the side, his smile froze.

"Click~"

"Kal'tsit? You... aren't hurt either, are you?"

"It's alright. Your Highness, Miss Nian is right, there's a serious problem with the quality of these chopsticks."

"It's alright, it's alright."

After confirming that neither of them was injured, Bai Zhou looked at the chopsticks in his hand with some confusion.

He's been using these specially supplied chopsticks all along, and there's never been a problem like this before. How come there are one mistake after another today?

"Ah Xi, hurry up and eat your food, it'll get cold if you don't. Here, try this chopped chili fish scales, it's numbing and spicy, the scales are fresh and fragrant, it's delicious."

"Your Highness, food tastes best when it's hot. This braised pork ribs is tender and delicious; you should try it."

"Ah Xi, eat this crab."

"Your Highness, this tofu is really delicious."

“Ah Xi…”

"Your Highness..."

"..."

As the dishes in his bowl kept piling up, Bai Zhou vaguely sensed that a struggle had already begun.

Bai Zhou glanced at them, and then simultaneously attracted their attention.

"Everyone is eating; I can't possibly eat all this food by myself."

During the day, Bai Zhou picked up his chopsticks and first placed a piece of pork rib on Kal'tsit's plate.

"Kal'tsit, eat more. Don't be shy. Make yourself at home."

Then he put a piece of chopped chili on Nian's plate, which she liked to eat.

“Sister, you should eat too. You’ve been busy for a long time and it’s not easy for you to come home. You can’t keep going on an empty stomach.”

"...Thank you, Your Highness."

The lynx twitched its ears, picked up a rib, and took a bite.

"Yes, Ah Xi is so sensible."

Nian smiled and ate her food.

Due to the forceful intervention of a third party, both sides were forced to temporarily cease hostilities and rest.

"so good."

Sensing that the atmosphere had returned to calm, Bai Zhou contentedly lowered his head to eat the pile of food in his bowl.

"That's terrible."

Looking at the bowl of plain noodles in front of him, the painter sighed and threw his chopsticks aside.

The rain not only ruined her mood for dinner, but also brought an unwelcome guest.

What are you doing here again?

She looked up at the doorway.

"I need your help with something, it's the National Day holiday."

The elder brother walked into the house holding an umbrella.

"Oh, you're eating noodles too. When we first arrived, Ah Xi treated us to a bowl of meat noodles. The meat chunks were big and tender, and the juices were so delicious."

Miaobi followed her brother into the room, and then saw the clear water on the painter's table. As the painter expected, she made a sarcastic remark.

"..."

"Alright, alright, stop arguing."

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing, the elder brother hurriedly spoke up to stop them.

"So what are you doing here again?"

These two guys in front of her have already been added to her list of the first and second most hated people.

"I'm inviting you to dinner."

Miaobi, with her hands clasped to her chest, looked around at the decorations in the room, and replied when asked a question.

"Have a meal?"

The artist was even more puzzled.

"To be precise, it was a celebration banquet about suppressing the old man and Yan Kingdom's great victory."

The elder brother explained aloud.

"...Where is the location?"

Although the painter didn't want to go, considering that she was going to sleep for the rest of her life and didn't know how long it would be before they met again, she decided to agree to attend the banquet.

"The Divine Capital".

"……where?"

The artist took two deep breaths and asked again.

"The Divine Capital".

The eighteen dragons trembled, and the lynx bowed its head in worship.

That night, after a full meal, he took a walk in the courtyard with the lynx during the day.

The night sky was bright with stars and moon, and a cool breeze swept across the earth, bringing a touch of coolness.

"Your Highness, how did you manage to make that gardenia bloom in just two hours?"

Kal'tsit took the initiative to start a conversation.

"It's just a minor spell, but it's not that I don't want to take good care of it; I just want to test the spell's effects."

"Is it the power of authority?"

Lynxes are knowledgeable and have seen many strange and magical abilities, including this kind of generative ability.

However, she was quite concerned about the power Bai Zhou held. Although she knew that Bai Zhou had accomplished a great feat, she didn't know what that feat was, or what he meant by "ascension." Because Bai Zhou had never explained it to her in detail, the lynx knew very little about it.

"Ah."

Bai Zhou responded softly, his eyes sweeping over the lynx's face, catching the curiosity in her eyes.

"Does Kal'tsit want to know how the Tianyue matter went?"

He would need the lynx's help in the future, and the two of them would eventually become a ruler and minister like Duke Huan and Zhong Xiang. He could tell her these things without any reservations.

"nature."

Kal'tsit was worried about not being able to find the reason for his abnormality, and now that Daylight had taken the initiative to send her a message, how could she not accept it?

"Then I'll have to explain it properly."

With a slight smile on his face, he recounted his grand plan for ascension to the lynx.

"To abolish this world and become the consciousness of the Great Yan... I see."

After listening, Kal'tsit roughly understood what that strange feeling was all about.

Having successfully ascended, the true dragon relinquished its human form, forging itself into one with this world. Under its protection, the Great Yan dynasty, with its thousand-year history, will endure for ten thousand years or even longer.

but……

The lynx felt admiration, but also a sense of unease.

Such a true dragon is now unstoppable on this land. If he were to suddenly act foolishly and do something wrong…

Her concerns were not unfounded.

In that war, she witnessed a dragon breathe fire, tearing the earth apart and ruthlessly destroying the city.

But afterwards, he only felt that the magic was burning his tongue.

Yet this coldness seemed to vanish when facing the Flame People. He would greet every soldier he encountered with kindness, personally treat the wounded, and bury the fallen with his own hands. He would encourage the cowardly and praise the brave. Regardless of their merits or demerits, he treated them all equally, without the slightest discrimination.

That's like... spoiling.

It was as if only the creatures of Yan Kingdom were worthy of his care, while the creatures of other places were nothing more than dust.

"..."

A paranoid monarch is more terrifying than a tyrant.

"..."

But isn't this exactly why I stayed here?