Jiao-Jiao's Room.
"Jiao-Jiao, can you do that thing again?" Lucian asked eagerly.
Jiao-Jiao squinted her half-moon eyes and looked at him speechlessly. "What thing?"
Lucian rubbed his hands together. "You know, the one where you grow tall and big!"
He stared at the tiny Jiao-Jiao excitedly.
Jiao-Jiao snorted. "Not a chance. Don't think I don't know what you're up to."
"And back at the peak of Taoyuan Vale, you were definitely playing dead, weren't you?"
"Heal me already!"
Lucian chuckled. "Won't transform?"
"Heh..."
"Well, your condition... it's not that I won't treat it, but..."
"It's not like there's a guarantee or anything. Untreatable? Not exactly."
Jiao-Jiao smacked Lucian on the head. "Stop beating around the bush with me."
"Today, whether you want to or not, you're healing me!"
She grabbed Lucian's hands and pressed them onto her shoulders. "Heal me! Why won't you heal me?!"
But Lucian stood firm—if he said he wouldn't, he wouldn't.
Rover, hearing the commotion, walked in. "Feels like Jiao-Jiao's gotten a lot younger since spending time with Lucian."
Lucian grinned. "Look at her. It's not that she's gotten younger—her intelligence has regressed."
He pointed at Jiao-Jiao's fair, delicate face. "See? All these silly kids look the same. No matter how much you treat her, her mental age is stuck at four or five, about the same as Abby's."
Abby: "???"
Jiao-Jiao snapped, "Three days without a beating, and you'll be tearing off the roof tiles. Today, I'll teach you a lesson on behalf of the Lady Arbiter!"
With that, Jiao-Jiao transformed into the mature, elegant form she had taken at the peak of Taoyuan Vale.
Before Lucian could properly admire her, Jiao-Jiao raised her hand and swung at him.
Lucian reacted swiftly, catching her slender, snow-white wrist. The next second, Jiao-Jiao lifted her long leg and drove her knee toward his stomach.
Lucian immediately recoiled in shock. "Damn, this youngster's got no martial ethics!"
He yanked Jiao-Jiao's wrist, causing her to stumble and fall into his arms.
"Enough playing around."
Lucian pinched Jiao-Jiao's soft cheeks before she could retaliate.
A faint glow emanated from his palm, and Jiao-Jiao's tone instantly softened.
"Good. Since you're willing to heal me, I'll forgive you!"
Rover smirked. "Of course, you'll forgive him?"
"Didn't expect you to be a fence-sitter like Abby, Jiao-Jiao!"
Jiao-Jiao fell silent for a moment. "Lady Arbiter, you misunderstand."
Rover sneered. "Explain, then."
Jiao-Jiao clarified, "As the saying goes, only with a healthy body can one assist the Lady Arbiter in achieving great things."
"I'm not just helping myself—I'm helping you!"
Rover laughed. "No need for excuses. Why don't you just tell me what pose you and Lucian plan to take when I throw you both out the window?"
Jiao-Jiao went quiet again. "Can I just transform into Jué and fly out myself?"
Rover's smile turned icy. "What do you think?"
Lucian continued healing her without pause, then mused, "Is there a chance I could also transform into another Echo and fly out on my own?"
Rover chuckled. "You have two choices: either I throw you both out, or I throw you both out. Pick one."
Lucian put on a serious face. "What's the difference between those two? Forgive my incompetence, but I truly can't see any distinction."
Rover's voice was cold. "There is none. Either way, you're getting thrown out."
Lucian sighed. "Rover, is there really no room for negotiation?"
Rover remained expressionless. "You still want to negotiate? Then hurry up and change how you're healing her!"
Lucian fell silent, at a loss for words. After all, he hadn't expected Jiao-Jiao's mature form to be so elegant and dignified...
Nighttime.
Lucian lay on his back, staring at the white ceiling, lost in thought.
When he had questioned the Mirror of Inquiry earlier, he realized it was hinting that he himself was the benefactor who had once helped Rover.
But Lucian couldn't make sense of it—he had crossed over from Earth and knew nothing about Solaris.
Unless... he was originally a native of Solaris who had left for some unknown reason?
Even when he asked the system, he received no answer.
But as the saying goes, if you can't figure it out, don't dwell on it. The truth would reveal itself in time...
With that thought, Lucian's eyelids grew heavy, and he slowly drifted off to sleep.
The Next Day...
Lucian stirred awake to something soft and warm pressing against his face. A sweet, familiar scent filled his senses—Rover. His eyes fluttered open to find her straddling his chest, her full breasts smothering him, the pink peaks brushing his lips with every slight shift of her body.
"Mnn~ Lucian~" Rover moaned, her voice breathy as she ground against him. "You're finally awake..."
His hands instinctively gripped her hips, pulling her closer. "Ahh Rover," he murmured against her skin, tongue flicking out to taste her.
She gasped, arching into him. "Mmmph~ right there~" Her fingers tangled in his hair, urging him.
Lucian sucked gently, drawing a whimper from her lips. "More~" she begged, rocking forward.
He obliged, lavishing her, his free hand sliding up her thigh. Rover shuddered.
"Ah! Lucian~!"
Her moans grew louder as he teased her, fingers dipping between her folds. "So wet already," he growled, circling her clit.
Rover cried out, her body trembling. "Y-yes~ please~!"
Lucian flipped her onto her back, pinning her beneath him. Their lips crashed together. She whimpered into his mouth, nails digging into his shoulders.
He broke the kiss, trailing down her neck. "You taste so good," he groaned, nipping at her collarbone.
Rover writhed, her legs wrapping around his waist. "Mnn~ don't stop~!"
Lucian smirked, fingers thrusting into her. "Like this?"
She gasped, back arching off the bed. "Ahhn~! More~!"
Her pleas fueled him, his pace quickening. Rover's moans filled the room, her body clenching around him. "L-Lucian~ I'm close~!"
He captured her lips again, swallowing her cries as she came undone beneath him.
Breathless, Rover clung to him, her chest heaving. "Mmm~ again~"
Lucian chuckled darkly. "Greedy."
But he couldn't refuse her. Not when she looked at him like that.
Their bodies moved together, lost in pleasure, the world fading away until there was only heat, only need, only each other.
"Ahhn~ Lucian~!"
"Rover~"
And nothing else mattered.
———
Blossom Pavilion Restaurant.
Lucian's terminal buzzed.
"Lucian! Lucian!" Youhu's excited voice came through.
"What's up?"
"Remember that treasure I found on Mt. Firmament?"
Lucian thought for a moment. "You mean that thing that looked like a storage card?"
Youhu laughed. "Exactly! After researching it with Master, we discovered it's definitely connected to the Port City of Guixu!"
Lucian frowned. "What did you find?"
Youhu explained, "With help from Huaxu Academy, we detected some kind of frequency stored inside, but even the researchers couldn't decipher what it is."
"So, wanna set a time to go check it out together?"
Lucian was puzzled. "Why invite me?"
Youhu covered her mouth mysteriously. "Aren't you guys looking for clues about the Black Shores?"
"Here's a little secret—Master and I suspect this treasure is related to the Black Shores!"
"And the place where the connection leads is the Port City of Guixu!"
Youhu puffed up proudly. "Besides, you're the one who fished me out at Mt. Firmament, so you deserve some credit too. Gotta give you a sense of involvement!"
Lucian: "..."
"Let's wait until after the Moon-Chasing Festival. I'll contact you then."
Youhu snapped her fingers. "Deal! Happy Moon-Chasing Festival! I'll keep studying this—maybe there are more secrets to uncover."
The call ended.
Rover asked, "So, if we want to find the Black Shores, there's a lead in the Port City of Guixu?"
Lucian glanced at Jiao-Jiao, who was devouring her meal, and snorted. "If we want to find the Black Shores, Jiao-Jiao could just fly us there and be done with it."
Jiao-Jiao: "?"
Rover rested her chin on her hand. "Hmm... Come to think of it, we haven't seen Aalto or Encore in a long time."
"Not just them—it seems like all the Black Shores members have vanished from Jinzhou."