Before long, the soft glow of stars in the hallway faded behind Lucian and Serfina as the master bedroom door shut with a sharp bang behind them, firmly sealing off the world outside—along with all sense and restraint.
Outside the window, the dream river flowed quietly, its seven-colored lights gently wrapping around the small building that carried new life.
Lucian remained true to his usual style—efficient, direct, purposeful, and remarkably effective.
===
As the first ray of morning sunlight slipped through the gap in the curtain, it fell upon the messy bed filled with a carnal scent, and then upon the naked Serfina, who lay curled in Lucian's burning, solid arms, looking utterly exhausted.
At this moment, deep within her heart surged a sense of safety and belonging she had never felt before.
Lucian, the Dreammaster and the Uncrowned King of Penacony, closed his eyes, one arm tightening possessively around the soft warmth in his embrace, while the corners of his lips curved with the faintest trace of satisfaction.
"Now that we've reached this point, from today on, we're a real family. No need to hold back. I'm not the ruler of Penacony—I'm just the father of this family."
Lucian's gentle words filled Serfina's heart with warmth, making her unable to help but press closer, craving more of that tenderness.
Unfortunately, it was time to make breakfast for the children, so after a brief embrace and kiss, Serfina got up and dressed, while Lucian simply watched her in silence.
It had to be said, halovian women truly had their own special advantages and characteristics—especially those wings behind their ears, which resembled the sensitive ears of elves in some anime.
Halovian women were sacred, possessing a noble kind of allure that no woman could compare to.
Serfina's figure was incredible—even though she hadn't given birth, she carried that graceful, mature aura of a milf that made things even more enticing.
Lucian was convinced that his effort to recruit her as a follower had certainly been worth it.
Of course, aside from desire, his true goal in making this mama bird his follower was to revive her once the script ended.
When that time came, Sunday would have no choice but to call him father.
===
"Papa!"
During breakfast, Robin, as always, ran straight into Lucian's arms while excitedly calling him—though this time, instead of 'Big Brother,' she now called him 'Papa.'
No wonder many fathers were closer to their daughters than their sons.
Honestly, when the daughters were as adorable as Robin, who wouldn't?
Robin and Sunday, of course, had no idea what had happened last night to their mother and new father.
All they knew was that today, their parents seemed closer than ever.
===
Another year passed in the blink of an eye, and Robin and Sunday had grown another year older.
On one bright morning, while they were playing in the garden, the two of them came across an injured Charmony Dove on the verge of death.
Sunday decided to build a birdcage to protect and care for it until its final breath, but Robin, gently cradling the bird, seemed to disagree with his idea.
"It didn't break out of its shell just to live in a cage." Robin said softly, her expression looking complicated. "Papa said birds… are born to belong to the sky."
"People think flying is a bird's nature because they've never seen one fall to its death." Sunday argued with a frown. "I... I just want it to live, even if it means losing its freedom."
In the end, since neither sibling could convince the other, they brought the Charmony Dove to Lucian and asked for his opinion.
Lucian was leisurely sitting at a garden table, sipping a cup of warm tea, when the two came running up to him.
"Papa, should we let this little one return to the sky?" Robin asked while holding out the bird.
"But it can't fly." Sunday, standing beside his sister, voiced his opinion. "It'll die if we let it go—it should stay in the cage."
Lucian looked at the earnest expressions of his two children, realizing this was their first true clash of ideals.
Although still young, they had already shown their different traits.
Robin was a brave, compassionate fighter-type, while Sunday was a protective guardian-type and had a slight impulse toward control.
"When it can't fly, of course, it should stay in the cage. However, once it learns to fly, let it choose for itself."
Lucian explained calmly, then reached out and tapped the Charmony Dove with his finger.
In that instant, the power of Abundance healed it back to its prime condition.
"Wow~! It's all better! Heehee~"
Robin giggled joyfully as she held the bird close to her face, rubbing it with her cheek.
"What if it chooses wrong?"
Sunday gazed at the Charmony Dove and asked hesitantly.
"It doesn't matter." Lucian replied with a calm smile. "All you need to do is give it the chance to choose. Whether the result is right or wrong has nothing to do with you. You don't have the power to control everyone, so don't try to lock others in cages without their consent. They'll struggle and overthrow you in the end."
Even before transmigrating, his motto was always the same—might makes right.
Needless to say, with absolute power, whatever you said or did became right, but of course, if you didn't have that absolute power, then forget it.
Naturally, that wasn't something to teach a child just yet.
"Mm... I understand..."
Sunday nodded solemnly, his young mind turning over Lucian's words.
In the end, Robin and Sunday built a birdcage together and took care of the Charmony Dove until it could fly.
Lucian didn't know what would happen to the future of the Sunday within this script, but he figured that any progress was better than none.
Not long after the two children walked away, Mikhail came to visit, then plopped down in the chair next to Lucian, grabbed a teacup, and downed it in one go.
"Lucian, Penacony's reconstruction is finally complete, but now there's another problem."
Mikhail spoke tiredly, his face looking utterly exhausted.
He had thought he had found a capable leader, but it turned out he had instead found a total hands-off leader!
Aside from scaring off external enemies, Lucian didn't handle anything!
Granted, that much even he couldn't complain about—whenever an enemy appeared, Lucian could wipe them out with a single gesture.
"What problem?" Lucian asked casually, his face appearing nonchalant. "You and Gopher Wood can decide."
"No, we can't." Mikhail said, staring at Lucian seriously. "Penacony's Dreamscape is too small now. Too few resources, but too many people. We need to continue pioneering."
Lucian stared at Mikhail and then noticed the dark circles under his eyes—he truly looked completely worn out.
'Look at him... As I thought, underlings are important...'
Lucian couldn't help but feel deep relief, feeling glad about his choice.
If he had to do all the work himself, how could he enjoy such a relaxed life?
He almost laughed, but managed to hold it in.
"So, you wanna reopen the Memory Zone?" Lucian asked, then nodded in understanding. "Sure, the more, the better."
"Of course I know the more, the better, but... it's just too hard..."
Mikhail sighed tiredly, then covered his face in helplessness.
"We not only need to expand the Dreamscape but also need to gather massive resources to expand the territory in Reality."
"I mean, the Memory Zone is full of memetic entities and soul-devouring vortexes. One wrong step, and you'll get lost and turned into a memetic entity yourself."
"To make matters worse, because Asdana has been blockaded by the IPC, no supplies can get in, and the memoria we mine can't be sold at all since we don't have the channel."
Upon hearing this, Lucian stayed perfectly calm, not even slightly bothered.
"Mikhail, oh Mikhail, you should've said so earlier..." Lucian sighed and rolled his eyes. "If you had, it'd be solved already."
For the IPC problem, just send a few planets to their headquarters, and they would behave.
Back when Penacony had no one to back it, those corporate thugs naturally resorted to force to take over, but now that an Emanator was here leading and protecting it, it was hardly a problem.
As for the Memory Zone?
Even easier—just use BGM, and every place would be free of danger.
"Said so earlier?"
Mikhail couldn't help but roll his eyes as well.
Thanks to Lucian, he was as busy as a dog, so where would he even find the time to report to him any earlier?
He didn't even have time to get a proper rest.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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