278: Nice to meet you, Tu Nan

When Hain couldn't handle it alone, Kong Jiamu finally couldn't help himself.

He ordered Hain and his own formation to close in on Tu Nan's side, then leaped forward, spreading his wings and trailing a streak of fire behind him as he joined the fray.

And then, those Star Worms started looking quite pathetic.

Washed and roasted, crispy and fragrant?

"Tch, just some pathetic scraps,"

The Emperor complained disdainfully, "There aren't even any Advanced Star Worms here; these two sure love to show off."

Everything was going so smoothly it was hard to believe.

"Could it be a bit too smooth?" Tu Nan couldn't believe it.

[The First Star Visible at Dawn, the Rank of the Star Worms here isn't very high. How is it on your end?]

[Oh, oh, oh, isn't that great? The ones here have indeed all run away. What good luck! Meeting you, Tu Nan, must truly be the luckiest thing ever.]

"Isn't smooth a good thing?" The Emperor ruffled her hair. "What? Are you hoping for something to go wrong?"

"I just feel that the difficulty of saving the world is a bit too low..."

It was a sense of mismatch; she didn't know how to describe her feelings.

"Too low?"

The Emperor leaned in very close, his breath hitting Tu Nan's eyelashes, making them ticklish.

"It's not low, my dear," he whispered in her ear, gently blowing on her earlobe.

Tu Nan's poor cat ears twitched.

"The Empire's S-Ranks are about to be rounded up by you, and yet they have no complaints," he said with a smirk. "Do you think this is easy?"

He turned Tu Nan's head toward the silent Your Majesty.

"And him—making him fall for you is truly a feat."

"Fall for me..." Is that true? "Your Majesty just thinks I'm the most suitable, and he needs Children to solve these problems. I just happened to appear."

The Emperor felt a bit of sympathy for his brother.

"Oh? You think so?" He scoffed. "The only times he's ever lost control have been because of you. Of course, as an Emperor, he has countless considerations, but regardless, all the emotions he feels as an ordinary person are tied to you, aren't they?"

"Sigh, I really shouldn't have told you," he shrugged. "Who told me to like both you and him?"

Tu Nan was stunned.

She didn't have time to think about Your Majesty's personal feelings toward her.

She was chasing the outcome, again and again, having already gone too far.

She had to make herself believe that these Male Beasts were all like her, having specific goals—like for the Children, or for the Empire.

Once that wasn't the case, the path she had taken would seem muddy.

Tu Nan covered her face.

"Are you crying?" The Emperor was quite surprised, looking intrigued. "Let me see."

This guy!

Tu Nan put her hands down, expressionless, and stepped on his foot. She took a step forward, distancing herself from this chaotic person.

The Star Worms in this passage were quickly wiped out, and no more Star Worms could follow inside. The legions left outside had completed their task well.

Everything was truly that smooth.

Not until they reached the laboratory did Tu Nan truly believe it.

The place where The First Star Visible at Dawn resided was indeed just like the video they had brought back from their last exploration: a colorful, flowing black.

The Materials of the entire laboratory absorbed the light sources from the surrounding space, and the light from the fighter jets seemed to be swallowed up when it got near.

This made it an "object that cannot be looked at directly."

"Truly Advanced. Is this where a god lives?"

Carrying Tu Nan in one arm and dragging the huge eggshell carriage in the other, The Emperor had already exited the small starship and stood before this space.

[Come in quickly.] The First Star Visible at Dawn was impatient.

Before the words faded, the round sphere split open a crack, and the light inside burst out.

"Let's go!"

The Emperor took the lead. His Talent was best suited for such unknown areas because his Domain could keep his surroundings stable.

Tu Nan followed him, entering the laboratory in the first wave. After everyone else caught up, the light suddenly flickered twice, and everyone instantly tensed up and took a defensive stance.

But the light immediately became steady again.

"Don't be nervous, it's me," a voice rang out directly in the space. "Welcome. I have finally 'seen' you, Tu Nan."

Only then did Tu Nan breathe a sigh of relief.

A passage leading inward was illuminated by bright, even light, and light green arrows appeared beneath their feet.

"Follow this path to the core area."

The First Star Visible at Dawn was very happy. All problems were about to be solved; Its waiting and existence were seen and proven.

Everything would have value.

Layer upon layer of doors slid open to the sides.

In less than fifteen minutes, they had walked to the very center of the sphere, the location designated by The First Star Visible at Dawn.

It was like inside an aquarium.

But when they were in the middle of the hall, separated by transparent glass, there was water all around them.

A Pearl-like droplet of water suddenly appeared in the water, shaking and gradually growing larger, with a tiny worm curled up inside.

That was the Early Stage of an egg.

Then it gradually grew larger, harder, became white and opaque, and then cracked open.

A little Dragon clawed at the crack and crawled out. It chirped crisply, but there was no response from any companion around it.

The little Dragon closed its eyes in disappointment. After a sleep, it would grow a size larger. Until finally, with one roll, the entire body of water churned as if boiling.

It swam in the chosen direction, up and up.

The water actually had a limit; it broke through the surface of the water, and outside was a new world.

The surprised Dragon discovered that outside there was sky, land, clouds, and forests.

It swam happily among the clouds, and the Dragon's roar resonated across the world. For the first time, it received a response.

The Dragon parted the clouds and looked down, seeing a white tiger dominating the mountain peak.

They became close friends who talked about everything.

Then, in the long wait, they waited for a furry Little Bird to turn into a Phoenix covered in brilliant colors; at the same time, a strange-looking fish in the sea grew larger and larger, and one day it suddenly floated into the sky, with one flip it turned into a Peng, and played with that Phoenix.

The two big brothers accepted the two rowdy little brothers.

Together, they roamed between this vast and lonely world, from joy to silence.

They were visibly unwilling to move much anymore, and for a long time, they stopped talking to each other.

The seawater receded, and the surroundings were still just walls. The First Star Visible at Dawn's explanation sounded at the right moment.

"That is how the Four Divine Beasts were created. It was only after this that they decided to seek a new world. Their long lives made them taste bitterness."

"That is loneliness."

Tu Nan sighed; she knew that feeling.

Once, in the laboratory, she had endured year after year just like that.

"Yes, although for various reasons they could never return to their original home," The First Star Visible at Dawn's voice was gentle, "but they met friends and had descendants... I think they have no regrets."

"No regrets."

With a smile on her lips, looking at all these people beside her, Tu Nan thought this.

"We have already heard from Tu Nan that you have a gift to give to her Children," Hain stepped forward. "Is it true that this can help us solve the Star Worm problem?"

"Come." The First Star Visible at Dawn did not delay. Before their eyes, a platform rose from the ground.

"Let the Children stand up here. We have all been waiting for this moment."

"What about Ao Ao? He doesn't belong to the Four Divine Beasts? And what about Xiao Qing and Xiao Bai?"

The First Star Visible at Dawn chuckled softly.

"The Four Divine Beasts are the baseline. There is nothing wrong with a higher score; let them all come."

The Emperor took the Children and stood up first.

"Is it okay for me to be here?" He did not let down his guard.

"It is fine; it does not affect anything," said The First Star Visible at Dawn.

Tu Nan and the others looked at each other, and finally...

Everyone squeezed onto that area together.

...

The First Star Visible at Dawn felt like complaining, but decided against it.

It rolled its non-existent eyes.

"Then... I shall begin."