Several hours earlier, on Saturday, July 18, 657—specifically at 5:30 AM—Jia lay in her private bedroom, wide awake, gazing calmly at the ceiling without uttering a word.
Yet, her expression spoke volumes, revealing the many questions she sought to answer. Seventeen days had passed since the beginning of the six-month summer break—a period of which she would get to enjoy only five months.
Regardless, it mattered little whether it was five months or even three; what mattered was that she finally had a moment to catch her breath, away from the pressures of being a student at Versalkin Academy and the daughter of the Magic Emperor, Aster Guilford.
Life within the Caseral household was not so bad—in fact, despite the whirlwind of events that had unfolded in such a short span of time, it was still far better than life with the Guilford family.
The sense of freedom, the ability to move about with ease, and the absence of anyone monitoring her every step or questioning her whereabouts made her wish she could live in the Caseral residence forever.
But that was impossible. In four months and two weeks, she would head to Versalkin Academy, where she would spend two months before eventually departing for the Celestial Khalidin Academy in another ordinary world.
A full year lay ahead, shrouded in the unknown—yet she felt no fear. She knew she would have to confront hardships and challenges to forge both her inner and outer strength. She closed her eyes for a few seconds before opening them again, letting out a deep sigh. Then, she rose from her seat and headed toward her room door with heavy, labored steps.
These steps reflected the weight of the thoughts planted in her mind—thoughts that had left her utterly exhausted. After all, physical fatigue can fade, but the weariness of the mind and soul is not so easily eased by rest alone. While the body finds rest in sleep, the mind finds it by shedding worries and ceasing the cycle of overthinking—and from this, the soul, too, finds its repose.
As Gia wandered through the corridors of the Casiral family estate, her gaze fell upon Athena, who was moving through the halls with that same heavy, weary gait.
Gia couldn't help but wonder: when did Death become so anxious? It was strange—and, in a way, quite ironic. Death felt guilty for what had befallen Destruction—a rare sight, indeed.
Deciding to let it be, Gia continued on her way and exited the mansion. Athena watched her for a few moments before pretending not to notice her at all—a gesture that did not escape Gia as she descended the stairs.
Once more, a deep sigh escaped her lips as she made her way toward the exit. The sky was still draped in a black, star-studded velvet, which was now beginning to fade as the sun slowly lifted that heavy, dark veil.
Gia sighed yet again, her expression shifting into a flicker of annoyance at the constant, unending sighs that had haunted her for days. She turned her gaze toward the greenhouse, where someone she had never seen before was sitting. It was neither Yuta Kasiral nor anyone else she was accustomed to.
Instead, it was a man with striking, well-proportioned features, his crimson-pink hair—reaching down to his waist—tied back into a ponytail. His irises were shaped like lotus blossoms. He wore a *hanfu* in a blend of charcoal black and deep crimson.
This was the Venerable Lotus Blossom, Jihao Yuxuan. He sipped his tea while watching her with a calm, steady gaze—a presence that left her wondering why he had come here. Still, she chose not to dwell on it.
She headed toward him, intending to find out who he was—whether he was an acquaintance of Yuta's or someone who had been watching her. She noted his posture: he sat with such ease, leaning back in the chair as if he were the master of the estate, sipping his tea with an air of utter nonchalance—as though there were no one in the world who could trouble him, or who would dare to question him.
To her surprise, Chloe and Madeline—who had been standing behind her—walked toward him, their faces lit up with joyful, gentle smiles. She realized then that his gaze had been directed at them all along.
Feeling a sudden, intense wave of embarrassment, she decided to maintain the charade—pretending that she had intended to approach him all along, and that her movement had nothing to do with the suspicion that he might have been watching her.
Meanwhile, the Venerable Lotus Blossom, Jihao Yuxuan, patted each of them on the head, a faint smile gracing his features.
"How are you both—'Kind-Word' Chloe and 'Sharp-Tongued' Madeline? You seem quite excited, don't you?" Neither of them said a word, both laughing happily, before Chloe spoke, looking toward him:
"Did you think we wouldn't realize you used your 'Loan Shark' wing ability—the one that rendered the Great Story-Merchant, Stefan Telmore, unable to fight, allowing the 'Heavenly Blessing' Islabeth to finish him off with ease?"
The 'Lotus Blossom' Jihao Yuxuan said nothing, though he was surprised at how easily his actions had been uncovered; after all, his own wing ability was the direct antithesis of Stefan Telmore's.
Nevertheless, he felt a sense of satisfaction at having secured a prize he hadn't expected to capture. Given the vast disparity in power, ensnaring an entity like the Great Story-Merchant, Stefan Telmore—and avoiding the complex complications that might arise from dealing with such a being—had seemed virtually impossible.
Flashback
In a beautiful garden—a setting that resembled a park yet possessed an extraordinary, ethereal beauty—Jia, Madeline, and Chloe were strolling through the Market of Mysteries.
Jia, however, found herself puzzled by her surroundings. Suddenly, she felt a sharp, fleeting pain in her heart—a sensation that lingered for a few seconds before vanishing—leaving her even more bewildered. She glanced toward the two young women, who had been wandering about, rarely uttering a word—a behavior that struck her as deeply suspicious. In a quiet, slightly perplexed tone—wondering herself why she was even asking—she inquired:
"Do you favor Master Stefan Telmore, the head of the Market of Mysteries, or would you prefer to come with us to the Casiral family estate?"
The two women stared at her for several moments in complete silence, fueling Geya's suspicions. Noticing something in their hair that resembled a hair clip—yet appeared distinctly peculiar—she reached out and removed it.
Then, she repeated the question, her voice taking on a tone she hadn't realized she was even capable of:
"Would you like to come with us, Lady Madeleine and Chloe? I am quite serious. After all, you know who I am; it is far better to be truthful now than to hide the facts and come to regret it bitterly later."
Chloe and Madeleine remained silent for several seconds. Then, Madeleine spoke, resting her head against Jia's chest—a gesture Chloe mirrored.
"We don't want to stay in this place. We loathe it here. We are merely tools for his objectives. Honorable Great Creator Yuto, please, help us. Life here is a living hell. He has repeatedly used us to further his own interests, and he even tried to turn us into sexual objects—but we have always resisted him."
Jia did not utter a word; she had been bewildered ever since she arrived in this place. Everything around her left her confused and disoriented. She cast her gaze toward Yuto—whose facial features remained obscured—and then toward the "Honorable Great Story-Merchant" Stefan Telmore, whose face had turned completely pitch-black.
Yuto stood surrounded by an overwhelming, chilling, dark-red aura, his eyes fixed upon Stefan Telmore—eyes as black as an abyss.
As Yuto stared at him with a terrifying, murderous intent, the "Honorable Great Story-Merchant" Stefan Telmore thought to himself:
"What the hell is happening? How did things end up like this?"
Stefan Telmore cursed his own luck and his decision to enter the world of the novel *The Dragon Angel in a World of Fantasy*.
A look of shock washed over him as he stared at a message—shaped like a blood-red lotus flower—which declared that the time for paying compensation had arrived. He recognized the sender instantly. He muttered to himself, his tone tense and anxious, realizing that an adversary even worse than Yuta or BO 00 01 was approaching.
"Damn it, damn it! Why do misfortunes never come alone?"
[Great Venerable Story-Merchant, you are required to provide compensation to Great Venerable Lotus-Flower Jihao Yuxuan for failing to return what was lent to you, and for stealing several items from the treasury of the Sovereign Path Empire—items that are his by legal and rightful ownership.]
Before he could even process what was happening, Great Venerable Story-Merchant Stefan Telmor found himself in a pitch-black void, with Great Venerable Lotus-Flower Jihao Yuxuan watching him, a faint, calm smile playing on his lips.
Speaking in a composed tone, yet with an underlying killing intent that struck terror into Great Venerable Story-Merchant Stefan Telmor, he said:
"Great Venerable Story-Merchant, you have raided the Imperial Palace multiple times, seizing things that were never yours to possess."
"That said, I suppose I should thank you; today, I shall collect the compensation I am owed. It is time to pay the price for the loans you took from me. Isn't it rather poor form to steal whatever you desire without paying for it—especially when it comes to me? That is entirely unacceptable."
Elsewhere, Great Venerable Story-Merchant Stefan Telmor's eyes burned with rage. First Yuta, then BO 00 01, and now Great Venerable Lotus-Flower Jihao Yuxuan—all of them threatening him. He felt deeply scorned.
He unleashed a surge of power—enough to shake the world of the Venerable Lotus Flower, Jihao Yuxuan—yet the latter's expression remained unchanged. His true intent had been to provoke the man into an attack.
Jihao Yuxuan parried the strike from the Venerable Story-Merchant, Stefan Telmore, but the force shattered both of his own arms and sent him reeling backward. Even so, a smile remained fixed on his face; he had achieved exactly what he set out to do.
A system interface materialized before the Venerable Story-Merchant, Stefan Telmore, fueling his rage to such an extent that his face turned bright red.
[Physical assault detected against the Venerable Lotus Flower, Jihao Yuxuan, initiated by the Venerable Story-Merchant, Stefan Telmore, following his refusal to provide compensation for a theft—an act he had claimed was merely a "loan."]
Before Stefan Telmore could utter a single word, a hundred-petaled lotus flower manifested behind him, from which chains erupted with terrifying speed. Unable to evade them, he found himself completely bound, with a significant portion of his power sealed away.
He let out an enraged growl, glaring at the Venerable Lotus Flower, Jihao Yuxuan—who returned his gaze with a calm, provocative expression. He activated a special wing—dubbed the "Great Story-Merchant"—along with 1,342,000 sub-wings. A disc appeared, bearing the emblem of a merchant who trades in books and garments—a purveyor of noble literature. Behind this primary wing-disc hovered a colossal, secondary disc, densely packed with the imagery of all the sub-wings he had amassed through the "Path Wars" and various battles across eight distinct eras, up to the present day.
This surge in power was so immense that the "Venerable Lotus-Flower" realm—the domain of Jihao Yuxuan—began to fracture, teetering on the brink of collapse. Yet, Jihao Yuxuan merely watched, entirely unperturbed.
Suddenly, several chains shot toward the disc, sealing away the entirety of his wing-based abilities and nullifying all his sub-wings. As his power reverted to its baseline state, he was left utterly stunned; the smile on Jihao Yuxuan's face, once merely provocative, now appeared truly terrifying.
Then, another message materialized before his eyes—one that struck a deeper, more primal terror into him than even his encounter with Yuta at full strength, or his run-in with "BO 00 01." It was the chilling realization that his life had reached its end—that death was closing in.
Having lived for nearly nine full eras, the prospect of death was agonizing—all the more so because it was being delivered by someone eight eras his junior. A message in the form of a blood-red lotus flower, bearing the following inscription:
[Name of the Thief: Stefan Telmor
Title of the Thief: The Venerable Great Merchant of Stories
Gender: Trans-species
Race: Absolute Entity
Age: Approximately 9 eras
Primary Domain: The Great Merchant of Stories
Name of the Victim: Jihao Yuxuan
Title of the Victim: The Venerable Lotus Flower
Gender: Trans-species
Primary Domain: The Hundred-Petaled Lotus Flower
Race: Absolute Entity
Age: 70,000 years
Items stolen by The Venerable Great Merchant of Stories, Stefan Telmor, from The Venerable Lotus Flower, Jihao Yuxuan:
The theft of 12 manuscripts—each dedicated to a fragment of the 12 Narratives and the Absolute Protector—comprising the following:
The Domain of the Sacred Scribe, The Domain of the Supreme Observer, The Domain of the Cosmic Arbiter, The Domain of the Master of Classifications, The Domain of Order and Balance, The Domain of the Origin Dao, The Domain of the Master of Trials, The Domain of Narrative Chaos, The Domain of the Concept of Assassination, The Domain of the Mist of Mystery, The Domain of Narrative Time, The Domain of Absolute Imagination, and The Domain of the Absolute Protector.
34x "Demon Gem of the Fantasy World" recovered.
Theft of Empress Xiao Yi's robe.
Theft of the "Forgotten Library Seal" of the Alkentai Kingdom.
Theft of a book of unknown origin; the first 45 volumes of "Path-War Chronicles"; 10 volumes of "Pre-End Era Chronicles" (covering Eras 4 through 15); the first volume of "Imperial State Chronicles: Ruler Path"; various documents; personal journals belonging to the first "Venerable Queen of Hunters," Felix Corvus; and 5 "Minor Narrative" journals.
Theft of a map to one of the Ten Forbidden Zones—the "Narrative Glitch Desert"—and a map leading to the "Prime Origin Gem."
Theft of a complete, unidentified suit of armor/attire.
Theft of 24 materials of unknown origin.
An attack on the "Exalted Lotus-Flower Venerable," Jihao Yuxuan, resulting in severe injuries.
Threatening the "Venerable of Great Creation," Yutu, and attempting to assault "Chloe the Kind Word" and "Madeleine the Harsh Word."
Penalties imposed:
1) A fine amounting to 67% of his power, levied due to his refusal to pay compensation and his act of insulting the "Exalted Lotus-Flower Venerable," Jihao Yuxuan (the victim).
2) The surrender of all subordinate wings—estimated at 4 million wings in total. Since the Venerable Story-Merchant, Stefan Telmor, refused to pay the compensation, attempted to harass both "Kind Chloe" and "Bad Madeleine," and assaulted the Venerable Lotus-Blossom, Jihau Yuxuan—even expressing an intent to kill him—he has forfeited any claim to protection, leaving him entirely at the mercy of the Goblin Ruler, Kaflieur.
As the demand made by the Venerable Lotus-Blossom, Jihau Yuxuan, was for the very soul of the Venerable Story-Merchant, Stefan Telmor—a condition that aligns with the formal terms and penalties of a "Sole-Wing" pact—the document attesting to this commercial transaction is hereby voided.
Shock and terror were etched across the face of the Venerable Story-Merchant, Stefan Telmor, as he stared at his own death warrant.
He might have been capable of defeating the Venerable Lotus-Blossom, Jihau Yuxuan, in combat; however, he was not merely fighting his opponent—he was contending against the very terms of his own pact. His defeat was an absolute certainty.
He struggled to break free from the constraints that bound him, desperate to survive, yet he was powerless; the end had arrived. His true body had already been destroyed by the Venerable Heaven-Pool, Islabeth, mere minutes earlier.
Any attempt to escape was rendered futile as lotus blossoms rapidly enveloped his entire form. Left with no other recourse, he could only gaze toward the Venerable Lotus-Blossom, Jihau Yuxuan, in the final moments of his life. Before losing his sight entirely—along with his other senses and combat abilities, all of which had been completely drained to cover a portion of the reparations—he realized that what he had stolen was, in the end, truly priceless.
Lotus blossoms enveloped his entire body, forming a beautiful cocoon crafted from the flowers themselves.
"The eleven withered lotus blossoms have been restored. They will regain their full potency, allowing for the repeated use of the 'Hundred-Petaled Lotus'—sixty-six times, in fact, without the need for a recharge. Who could have imagined that I would land such a 'big fish'—the Great Story-Merchant Venerable, Stefan Telmor?" remarked the Lotus Venerable, Jihao Yuxuan, with a sense of deep satisfaction.
Stefan Telmor, the Great Story-Merchant Venerable, had lived for eight epochs and was nearing the completion of his ninth. In his prime, he had managed to slay the twenty-six Venerables of the Story-Merchant Pavilion eight times in succession—a feat that granted him a terrifying level of power, the likes of which Jihao Yuxuan had never dreamed of possessing before the War of the Paths.
Turning his gaze back toward the cocoon with a calm, steady look, Jihao Yuxuan transformed into a colossal black dragon, exuding an aura of death so potent that he seemed the very embodiment of Death itself.
In a single, swift motion, he devoured the Great Story-Merchant Venerable, Stefan Telmor—thereby eliminating the greatest traitor within the Path of Sovereignty, whose existence had rendered the War of the Paths all but impossible to win. Having done so, he reverted to his original form and cast his eyes once more upon the lotus blossom. [Energy conversion for the Heavenly Lotus Pavilion is underway. We ask the Venerable Lotus, Jiehao Yuxuan, to wait for two full years.]
Venerable Lotus Jiehao Yuxuan gazed at the message for several seconds before closing it. His expression remained calm; he had fully expected that his pavilion would require a significant amount of time to process the energy from an entity such as the Great Story Merchant, Stefan Telmore—in fact, it would have been highly suspicious had it been otherwise.
End of flashback.
He spoke, glancing at Chloe and Madeline, who sat on either side of him:
"No need for thanks, my charming ladies. Just be sure to mind your manners and listen to what the Venerable Creator Yuto—and the Scholar—have to say, all right?"
Chloe and Madeline both nodded in agreement. He patted their heads gently before turning his gaze toward Jia, who was watching him with a calm, yet puzzled, expression—clearly wondering about his true identity.
He returned her look with a calm, slightly mocking glint in his eyes, then poured some tea for her, asking in a composed tone:
"One spoonful of sugar, or two, Lady Jia Caserford?"
Jia remained silent, recalling the words of the Final Domain Venerable, Ping Tao Xin—the very same words he had spoken to her before her battle against the Beast Sovereign.
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Rising from his seat, the Final Domain Venerable, Ping Tao Xin, looked toward Jia, clasped his hand, and offered a slight bow:
"I wish you a pleasant evening, Lady Jia Caserford."
With that, the Final Domain Venerable, Ping Tao Xin, vanished instantly, without another word.
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Taking a deep breath, Jia turned to the Lotus Blossom Venerable, Jihao Yuxuan, and replied to his question:
"I like it sweet. Please, add four spoonfuls of sugar, Lord Jihao Yuxuan."
The Lotus Blossom Venerable, Jihao Yuxuan, gazed at her for several seconds before adding the sugar to her cup of coffee. Jia watched him, bewildered; she had spoken his name instinctively, despite having never met him—or even knowing of his existence—until this very moment.
Yet, he felt hauntingly familiar. He had crimson, pink-tinged hair that reached his waist, tied back into a ponytail, and eyes with irises shaped like lotus blossoms. A child with these exact features had appeared in her dreams—a child whose name she had never known, and whose identity had always remained a mystery. Nevertheless, she felt as though she had been in that place; yet, the fact that she was male made it impossible for her to grasp the situation, and rendered the hypothesis implausible for the time being, due to a lack of supporting evidence.