"What a disgusting mechanic."
Leon scoffed.
There was nothing straightforward about it; it was completely underhanded.
"I'll take this then. Thank you, Marshal."
Leon wasn't shy at all, closing the sandalwood box with a beaming smile.
But if such a disgusting mechanic fell into his own hands...
Then he could only say:
"Wait, you're saying our Lord 'Counter-Time Strike' is underhanded?"
"It's rare, has a wind-up, and can be easily interrupted."
"Anyone who thinks 'Counter-Time Strike' is underhanded should reflect on their own problems. Hasn't your power level been creeping up all these years?"
"Good stuff."
Leon was delighted.
His mindset had shifted from 'no need for these empty gestures' to 'this trip was totally worth it.'
This "Counter-Time Strike" solved one of his most pressing problems.
He wasn't just raw stats; he actually had mechanics, too.
The superpower from his golden cheat was his mechanic.
A hypnosis ability that could even crowd-control an Aeon—isn't that mechanic broken enough?
Unfortunately, the golden cheat refreshed weekly, which meant the mechanics he temporarily possessed weren't permanent.
It was just a trial card.
Once the time was up, it was gone.
Plus, who knew what random ability he'd get next? There were too many uncertainties.
So his mechanic was practically ephemeral.
Now, with this "Counter-Time Strike," he had an insurance policy to fall back on.
Even if he refreshed a useless superpower in the future.
With "Counter-Time Strike," even if he encountered some gimmick-heavy opponent or a stat monster of the same level,
he would still have a trump card in his hand to gain the upper hand.
Praise the Marshal!
"The jade abacus contains a way to contact us."
Hua really liked his straightforward personality.
A great hero should be like this; pleasantries and the like were unnecessary.
"If one day you grow tired of wandering and wish to find a place to live in seclusion or rest, the Xianzhou Alliance will be at your beck and call."
The Xianzhou Alliance had given him almost all the prestige they could offer, showing just how much they valued him.
"Thank you, Marshal."
Leon could feel their immense sincerity and nodded his thanks.
"Yes, a starskiff has been prepared for you."
Hua replied softly, "You've found your own path, so walk it boldly."
"The Galaxy Rangers have never produced an Emanator. I suppose this too is destiny."
As she spoke, Hua raised her hand and pointed to the bow slung across his back.
"If you don't know where to find the Denizens of Abundance, or where the oppressed yearn for The Hunt, then just ask your bow."
"Roger that."
Leon nodded, then raised his hand. "Well, I'm off?"
"Yes. The Xianzhou Alliance will always be a home you can trust."
Leon didn't say any more, silently committing the Alliance's kindness to memory.
He turned and strode towards the exit, ready to begin his life of The Hunt in the name of a Ranger.
"Wait."
Huaiyan, the General of the Zhuming's Candle-Abyss, couldn't suppress his desire and presumptuously called out to him.
"It may be presumptuous, but little friend Leon, would you allow me to see your bow?"
Huaiyan asked, full of anticipation.
"Oh? You want to borrow my bow?"
Leon turned back.
"The Zhuming is the Xianzhou of Forging. This old man is a craftsman; I simply cannot resist divine weapons and artifacts."
Huaiyan took the initiative to step forward, not making Leon come to him.
That would be impolite.
"I truly wish to feel for myself what kind of miracle a creation of the Reignbow Arbiter is. I hope little friend Leon can fulfill this old man's dream."
The old man's voice was excited, and one could sense his powerful desire to explore the miracles of the Reignbow Arbiter.
"Here."
Leon directly took the longbow from his shoulder and handed it over.
No big deal, we're all bros here!
"Thank you, little friend Leon."
Seeing him be so straightforward, Huaiyan was endlessly grateful.
"In the future, if you ever need any forging done, you can come to my Zhuming. I will personally forge a weapon for you with the full power of the entire Xianzhou ship."
Huaiyan took it with trembling hands, shaking uncontrollably.
"So this is a miracle of the Reignbow Arbiter..."
On the surface, it was just a simple, ancient-looking longbow of cyan and blue, incomparable to modern high-tech weapons.
Only when an Arbiter-General of the Reignbow held it in his hands could he understand what a truly macrocosmic weapon it was.
A dense aura of The Hunt permeated every part of the longbow, even surpassing that of an Arbiter-General's 'Guardian Spirit.'
If he wasn't also of The Hunt's Path,
someone from another Path would probably be crushed by its energy the moment they held it.
This was the value of a personal gift from the Reignbow Arbiter.
Huaiyan mused, stroking the longbow with his right hand.
On the Zhuming, a good craftsman should be able to resonate with a good weapon that has a story.
Huaiyan closed his eyes, using his mind to sense its history.
Clang!
But in less than a second, the longbow was dropped to the ground.
"This... This!"
Huaiyan's eyes widened.
He looked utterly incredulous, stumbling backward as if he had seen something world-shatteringly horrifying.
"What's wrong?"
Puzzled, Leon bent down to pick the longbow back up.
"Little friend Leon, this bow of yours..."
Huaiyan's throat bobbed as he swallowed nervously, his face a mask of shock.
"What's wrong with my bow?"
Leon was even more confused.
What, is the bow haunted by Lan or something?
"—Is it the very one the Reignbow Arbiter uses himself?"
The shock in Huaiyan's eyes had not faded.
He thought he would never forget the heaven-defying scene he saw when he resonated with the longbow.
After Huaiyan finished speaking, all the Arbiter-Generals present were in an uproar.
The same look of disbelief was on every face.
This was a rare sight for Arbiter-Generals who had seen it all.
"Yeah, it's the 'personally used by an Aeon, 99% new' edition."
Leon didn't understand what the problem was.
"Huaiyan, what did you see?"
Hua, ignoring Leon's words, asked with a grave expression.
"...I experienced, from a first-person perspective, the process of the Reignbow Arbiter cleansing the abominations of Abundance."
Huaiyan said, still shaken.
"If I hadn't pulled out in time, I would probably be dead right now."
In the scene he had resonated with,
the Reignbow Arbiter was drawing the bow and gathering an arrow, preparing to sweep away The Abundance.
The Aeon's immense power could crush an Emanator as easily as crushing an ant.
Even as a mere projection of the past, it was an existence that could easily cause an Emanator to become brain-dead.
"Are you certain this is the one the Reignbow Arbiter uses himself?"
Hua enunciated every word heavily, confirming again and again.
"Absolutely certain."
Huaiyan took a deep breath and nodded.
Hua's gaze returned to Leon, staring intently at him.
She had still underestimated how much the Reignbow Arbiter valued him.
She had thought that the Reignbow Arbiter giving him a bow-type gift was recognition enough.
Turns out their imagination was as barren as an Ake's.
This bow wasn't forged from a gift of power at all; Lan had directly given him the bow He Himself uses!
Unbelievable. Is he really not his illegitimate son?
The Arbiter-Generals' hearts could not calm for a long time, too shocked to speak.
"Uh, is something wrong?"
Leon noticed their expressions were off.
Is a 'personally used by an Aeon, 99% new' version really stronger than a brand new, sealed one?
No wonder some used items with a special label sell for more than the original.
So there was a reason for it.
Oh, senior, I love you even more now.
Leon praised Lan's wealth and generosity in his heart.
____
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