She agreed just like that?
At first, seeing Dusk's attitude, everyone thought it would be impossible to persuade her. Who would have thought that after a period of stubbornness, she would relent so easily...
Is this what they call being a tsundere?
However.
Given Dusk's identity as a shut-in, getting her to go out would require either a very important matter or a person she cared about deeply.
The directors at the Columbia film festival were a pretense.
After all, no matter how amazing a director is, they are still mortals. As a god, Dusk might appreciate their work, but that doesn't mean she would hold them in high regard.
It could only be said.
That the one Dusk truly cared about was Nian.
She was just being dismissive on the surface.
"Let's go."
With a flick of her wrist, the long scroll on the desk began to move without any wind, as if it had a life of its own, rolling itself up. Not only that, but in this massive study, countless scrolls on the bookshelves also seemed to come alive, trembling and automatically falling into this master scroll.
"Do you want to go in, or leave..."
"Huh?"
Nian was taken aback.
"Me?"
"Not you..."
Dusk's emerald-green hand patted Nian's face. Her left eye, not covered by her hair, looked calmly at Saga, who had emerged from the scroll.
"I know you are cultivating, trying to comprehend the artistic conception within. If you come out just like this, all your years of hard training and enlightenment will be for naught."
"There is no need, thank you, Miss Dusk, and thank you for your care over these years."
Saga held up a single hand, giving Nian a monk's salute.
"Don't misunderstand."
"I wasn't taking special care of you, I just happened to glance at you a few more times. Even if you couldn't hold on and fell into my scroll in the future, I would only treat it as fate and would not extend a helping hand."
Saga gave Dusk a slight bow, then walked over to the Nine-Colored Deer.
"Ever since I left the temple and my grandfather the abbot, I have been wandering, contemplating the true meaning of life. And today, I feel a sense of familiarity upon seeing you, miss."
The Nine-Colored Deer smiled faintly. Even though it was a small movement, her smile was still as radiant as the rising sun. She didn't give an answer, but Saga nodded.
"This humble monk understands."
And beside them.
Closure whispered to Surtr, "Miss Surtr, did you understand what Miss Nine-Colored Deer and Miss Saga were talking about? Why can't I understand it? Why are they like Kal'tsit, always speaking in riddles? Do you think the more profound people are, the more they like to use riddles to confuse people?"
However.
Closure had truly asked the wrong person.
Surtr didn't answer, feigning a profound and icy demeanor.
In reality.
She didn't understand either.
"Let's go!"
Nian pulled Dusk's hand and walked towards the door, but Dusk immediately shook her off in disgust.
"Miss Nine-Colored Deer, we are preparing to leave Yan this time. Will you continue your travels in Yan, or return with us to learn modern medical knowledge?"
Lucas asked one last time.
"I will go with you, Lucas."
The Nine-Colored Deer smiled and nodded.
"No problem. Let's head back."
Lucas waved his hand.
The large transport drone circling in the air received Lucas's command and, with a roar of its engines, slowly descended from the sky. Apart from Saga and Closure, everyone present was a god. Even if they had never seen it before, they were only slightly startled, then a little curious.
But Saga's eyes went wide, her mouth forming an 'O' shape.
"This..."
"Lucas, what is this?"
"Something that flies in the sky."
"Whoa! What a big iron bird!"
"....."
Closure went to the nearby Gouwu City and drove the Land-runner from the parking lot into the [Stardust].
As Dusk boarded the aircraft, she also looked around curiously, then asked Nian.
"Your creation?"
Nian shook her head.
"Nope, it's Lucas's."
Dusk was a little surprised. After all, she knew that ordinary humans could never create something of this level. If there was only one person in the world who could, it would be Nian. No matter how much Dusk disparaged Nian's filmmaking skills, she had to admit that forging was Nian's true profession, just like her own painting.
So, she was a little surprised to learn that this high-tech aircraft was actually made by Lucas.
"Lucas's talent is very strong. You can think of him as an enhanced version of Second Brother."
"Got it."
Dusk nodded.
The [Stardust] flew very, very fast.
It only took a little over three hours to fly from Yan to Columbia, let alone to the much closer Rhodes Island. It arrived above Rhodes Island in just over an hour.
It slowly landed not far from Rhodes Island.
Closure drove the Land-runner out of the [Stardust]. She needed to return to Rhodes Island. Lucas had originally planned not to go back to Rhodes Island just yet; there were still many people in the cabin, and Lucas wanted to take them to Columbia first.
However, Closure wouldn't stop clamoring.
Lucas had no choice but to wait for her where he was. After she delivered the supplies back to Rhodes Island, she would immediately drive over and go with Lucas to Columbia.
"Nian..."
"Hmm?"
Hearing Lucas call her name so seriously, which was rare.
Nian looked up with a grin, her eyes meeting Lucas's.
"I think your trip to Yan wasn't just to call on your sister, was it? You are all fragments of Sui, and Sui is about to awaken, at which point you will all disappear. That's why you want to resist Sui, right?"
Nian scratched her head and chuckled.
"I didn't think you'd figure it out, Lucas. But don't worry, I won't drag you into this. This trip was purely to find my sister Dusk. I hope my sisters and I won't be so scattered anymore. Only by gathering together do we have a chance of resisting Sui's awakening. Later, I might go find my older sister Ling. Sister Ling is very, very strong. Although we are all Divine Fragments, she is not someone Dusk and I can compare to."
"In my opinion, as long as we siblings unite, we will definitely defeat Sui. This world is too wonderful, there are still so many places I haven't had fun in. I don't want to die so pitifully. It would be too much of a waste."
Lucas rubbed his chin and grumbled.
"I'm glad I didn't give my soul fragments independent consciousness when I scattered them. Otherwise, I bet every single one of them would want to kill me and take my place."
"..."
Nian was speechless.
"Lucas, are you being polite?"
An hour later.
Closure came driving over again, all cheerful. She didn't even tell Kal'tsit, just snuck out and boarded Lucas's pirate ship.
———————
Columbia.
"So tired~"
Jessica yawned at the dinner table.
"I finally understand how hard my parents worked. No wonder they couldn't spend time with me when I was little. Even a small company like mine is keeping me incredibly busy, let alone my dad."
Jessica quietly complained to the others.
These past few days.
Jessica had been getting busier and busier. Due to the collaboration with Rhodes Island, she even made a personal trip to visit Rhodes Island, to see its current situation and the environment for medical research and development. It had to be said, Jessica hadn't seen many Landships as big as Rhodes Island's, although Raythean Industries did have one.
Jessica was very satisfied with Rhodes Island's medical and research environment. Then, came the main point. After touring the medical department, Jessica specifically toured Lucas's dormitory at Rhodes Island. Knowing that Lucas had gone to Yan for these few days, she toured it with great abandon.
Under Franka's influence, Jessica had been binging on novels and TV shows.
According to the silly netizens online.
99% of men have engaged in handicrafts at least once.
The remaining 1% either don't have the function or have a boy's body and a girl's mind.
Then, according to the analysis of old internet drivers, basically 100% of normal men have engaged in handicrafts at some point.
This wasn't something to be ashamed of, but rather... an instinct deeply ingrained in every man's heart, a piece of intangible cultural heritage, an art older than any other intangible cultural heritage, it was...
Art!!
Jessica didn't think so before.
But ever since Lucas got a body, she often wondered if Lucas might have such desires too.
After all, according to scientific analysis, the source of this desire is a special hormone secreted by the human body.
Originally, Lucas was a soul and didn't have a body, so naturally, he had no desires. But now that he had a body, would he...
However.
Jessica simply couldn't imagine the handsome Lucas doing such a thing.
Therefore.
The first thing she did upon entering Lucas's room at Rhodes Island.
Jessica transformed into a detective.
She searched in different corners of the room, even sniffing the air and checking the trash can.
Her actions made Amiya extremely puzzled. When Amiya asked about it, Jessica's face instantly turned red, and she quickly laughed it off.
"She's the boss now, after all."
Franka said while eating.
"Hey, our Jessica is swamped with work, while that guy Lucas is wandering around outside all day, idle as can be. Who knows which pretty girl we don't know he's chatting with right now."
Jessica shook her head confidently, "He wouldn't. Lucas went to Yan to procure supplies this time."
"Besides, Miss Nian and Miss Surtr are with him. And Lucas isn't some kind of player who actively hits on girls. It's not like girls will just throw themselves at him wherever he goes, right? He's not like the main character of that novel you recommended to me, senior, where girls inexplicably fall for him everywhere he goes. That's just not realistic."
Franka shrugged.
"Let's hope so."
Suddenly.
Lucas's voice echoed in Jessica's mind.
A look of joy appeared on Jessica's face.
"See, Lucas is back so soon. He's been gone for less than two days. You were definitely overthinking it, senior."
Jessica stood up, and everyone went to the helipad on the villa's roof together.
The [Stardust] slowly landed.
The hatch opened, and Lucas was the first to walk out.
Jessica ran up and gave Lucas a hug.
"Welcome back, Lucas. I thought you'd be gone for a few more days. Have you eaten? We just started dinner. I'll have the kitchen send you....."
Jessica hadn't finished her sentence.
When three women she had never seen before walked out of the aircraft.
Two of them were breathtakingly beautiful, their bodies faintly shimmering with a divine and buddhist aura.
When the Nine-Colored Deer stepped off the plane.
Her radiance even made the night-shrouded Columbia glow as bright as day.
Her every frown and smile, even without any expression, had a temperament that could steal the soul of any man or woman.
A transcendent beauty, as if walking down from the heavens, untouched by dust.
"Ah, this...."
Jessica was instantly at a loss for words.
Even Jessica and Franka, and everyone else present, were stunned the moment they saw the Nine-Colored Deer, somewhat lost in a daze, only coming back to their senses after a long while.
Behind them, Franka just shrugged helplessly.
"As expected... novels really are based on real life. And it seems Lucas even brought back a goddess... so beautiful...."
"Mmm...."
Jessica had to admit that, for a moment, she felt an immense pressure.
Could Lucas's soul be stolen away by these goddess-like young women?
Probably not...
"Uh... let me introduce you. This is Miss Dusk, Nian's younger sister. This is Miss Nine-Colored Deer, a complete god from Yan, who hopes to come here for an exchange with Raythean Medica to learn about medicine. And this is Miss Saga.