Nerima Ward, Tokyo. Residence.
Arthur walked out of the kitchen, carrying two freshly prepared dishes in his hands.
He brought them over to the dining table.
At this moment, the table was already filled with a variety of food—half of it local Japanese cuisine, the other half traditional Huaxia dishes.
Placing the plates down, Arthur turned and went upstairs to the master bedroom on the second floor.
Akashiya Moka was lying on the bed, still lost in sleep.
Her arms and legs were exposed, her snow-white skin faintly tinged with pink.
"Little lazy pig, time to get up."
Arthur whispered softly into her ear.
"Mmm…"
Moka's willow-like brows furrowed slightly, her long eyelashes trembling before she slowly opened her eyes, a small sound humming from her throat.
"Arthur?"
Her gaze carried a touch of confusion, as if she hadn't fully woken yet.
"Arthur!"
She blinked, clarity returning to her eyes, and a bright smile lit up her face. She immediately sat up.
The blanket slid off her body.
But Moka paid it no mind.
She threw open her arms and flung herself into Arthur's embrace, burying her face into the crook of his neck, breathing in the familiar scent that brought her peace.
"Alright, let's eat first."
Suppressing the fire stirring in his chest, Arthur gently hugged her back.
"Dinner? Okay!"
Moka nodded with a smile.
They separated, and Arthur handed her one of his own robes to wear.
The two then went downstairs together.
Arthur brought out a bottle of tomato juice.
"Itadakimasu!"
Seated across from each other, the two began enjoying the bountiful dinner.
Halfway through the meal—
"Hmm?!"
Arthur froze slightly as the Compendium of All Things suddenly gave him a notification.
A new entry had lit up.
"What is it?"
Moka tilted her head curiously.
Arthur summoned the Illustrated Record.
The pages flipped automatically, and the new entry appeared.
Nickname: Tohru
Rank: Purple
Introduction: Whose dragon maid?
Acquired: Exclusive Mirage Realm
…
"Tohru…"
Arthur narrowed his eyes at the glowing entry, lost in thought.
But he didn't immediately claim the reward.
He closed the Illustrated Record and looked at the smiling Moka across from him.
Smiling faintly, he said, "I just got a reminder—within the next couple of days, my third retainer should be arriving."
"Third retainer…"
Moka froze for a moment at his words.
A flicker of jealousy flashed through her heart but quickly vanished.
Then she thought of something, curiosity filling her eyes.
"By the way, Arthur, who was your first retainer?"
Arthur replied, "Her name is Yotsuya Miko. She has the Yin-Yang Eyes."
"Miko is human. I've already told her about you, Moka. Next time, I'll arrange for you two to meet."
"Alright, I'll listen to you."
Moka nodded with a sweet smile.
Then, still curious, she asked, "What about the third retainer?"
The first had Yin-Yang Eyes.
The second was her, a vampire.
The third surely couldn't be ordinary either.
Arthur smiled faintly. "Her name is Tohru. She's a dragon."
"Wait—a dragon?!"
Moka's eyes went wide, her small mouth opening slightly in shock.
Even her inner self was startled.
In the demon realm, there were legends about the Dragon Race.
It was said they were a race so powerful they could rival the gods themselves.
A dragon, once grown, would possess near-divine strength.
The strongest of them were said to match—or even surpass—the gods.
Yet no demon had ever seen one.
Dragons existed only in legend.
It was said that ten thousand years ago, they had vanished together with the gods.
Even that "it was said" lacked any proof.
Among all demons, vampires were considered a top-tier race.
But only a handful could even approach the power of an ordinary adult dragon.
To surpass a dragon, one needed to awaken the power of the True Ancestor.
Although Moka carried the True Ancestor's bloodline, she had yet to awaken it.
"That's right—a real dragon."
Arthur nodded at Moka's shocked face and smiled.
"When I met Tohru, she was injured. I saved her. She seemed lost, as if she had nowhere to go. So I invited her to become my retainer, to come live with us, so we can share a home together."
This world was full of chaos.
As Uncle Ben from the multiverse once said: With great power comes great responsibility.
And as someone with power, Arthur was willing to give these beautiful girls a home.
What could be wrong with that?
Obviously—nothing at all.
"I see."
Moka nodded in understanding.
Then, blinking her large eyes, she suddenly asked, "But Arthur, how do you know she's already agreed?"
"Hm~~~" Arthur arched his brow and said with a grin, "Just think of it as one of my abilities."
"Oh…"
Moka nodded knowingly.
"Alright, enough of this. Let's finish eating." Arthur said.
Moka nodded again.
Ten minutes later, dinner was over.
Moka, the picture of a gentle and considerate wife, told Arthur to rest while she cleaned up the dishes.
Arthur kissed her lightly on the forehead, then went upstairs to the study.
Casting a barrier over the room, he opened the Illustrated Record to claim his reward.
The next moment, his spirit trembled as his eyes closed.
A speck of light appeared deep within his soul.
The light shimmered, then suddenly blazed brilliantly.
It was as if a thunderclap exploded in his ears, like the Big Bang itself—the speck detonated, birthing a "world."
But unlike a planet or universe, this one followed the ancient cosmology of "heaven round, earth square."
A vast circular continent materialized within the void.
Information flooded his mind.
In an instant, Arthur understood the origin of this "Exclusive Mirage Realm."
It came from the world of Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy.
It was the unique ability of the so-called "invincible" superior dragon—Shen.
A fully independent subspace.
Canceling the barrier around the study, Arthur willed it—and before him appeared a strange gateway, woven of white mist, faintly glimmering with colorful starlight.
This was the Mist Gate to the Mirage Realm.
Arthur stepped into the Mist Gate.
His vision flickered.
In the next instant, the scenery around him transformed.
It was a barren land, utterly devoid of life.
He summoned the Sanctuary of Silver.
Flying into the sky, he closed his eyes, extending his spiritual senses outward.
About a minute later, he slowly opened his eyes.
By then, he had a rough idea of his exclusive Mirage Realm's size.
Its land area was nearly equal to that of Earth itself.
Roughly one hundred and fifty million square kilometers.
But the continent was utterly lifeless, barren and desolate.
Still—he could make some changes.
Arthur closed his eyes.
Within his consciousness, his soul opened its eyes.
A glass orb the size of a tennis ball appeared before him.
Inside the orb lay the Mirage Realm.
His soul grasped the orb firmly.
He poured his boundless Origin Force into the realm.
The Origin Force transformed into endless starlight, raining down across the barren land.
…
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