Seeing the danger rating marked in purple, Felix was actually satisfied. For years, whenever he scouted Wei Yenwu, the result was always red, sometimes even a deeper red. Over time, it made him doubt his own strength. Was he still as powerless as before? Still too weak?
But once he saw Wei Yenwu again, his heart steadied. The system judged him by every aspect, including his skill while wearing armor. Wei Yenwu was an elite executive of Lungmen. Having a purple rating against him was already something to be proud of.
In the previous life, many players had wanted to challenge Wei Yenwu, who looked like he could barely lift anything heavier than a teacup. But no one expected that this "old dragon" had terrifying swordsmanship. One strike was enough to carve a player down to yellow health, and two strikes would slice them neatly into eight pieces. It was no joke.
Players soon realized that Wei Yenwu's sword skills were exceptional. Some even wanted to take him as their master. There was no way. Raising favorability didn't help, offering gifts to Auntie Fumizuki didn't help either. They could only stare helplessly.
Now, Wei Yenwu drew his sword. He wasn't using his full strength, but his gaze sharpened like an ancient blade leaving its sheath.
Felix gripped his own sword with both hands. This was the knight-sword technique of the Nearl family, and also the foundation of Młynar's style. He narrowed his eyes. "Governor Wei, will you let me experience your Chi Xiao Sword Style?"
"You know about it?"
"I heard it from Ch'en Hui-chieh."
Wei Yenwu paused before answering, "Even if you call her Hui-chieh in front of me from now on, I will not be offended."
"…"
Felix fell silent. The ring on his finger glowed, and a pale-blue flame materialized from thin air. It suddenly surged upward, licking at the ceiling several meters high. Flames wrapped around his sword.
Wei Yenwu nodded slightly. "The old method of flame infusion. You know this as well. Not bad."
"But even with this, you cannot protect Ch'en Hui-chieh."
With a single swing he scattered the flames. Felix didn't even see the arc of the strike, only a flash of sharp sword light.
The Nearl family's knight swordsmanship emphasized broad, decisive, and elegant movements, like knights charging across a battlefield. But in the modern era, longer weapons reigned supreme. People favored long blades, spears, and halberds. Swords like these had vanished from real battlefields, surviving only among Originium Arts users. Iberia's Inquisition like Irene still used swords alongside Saint Carmen, and the deep-sea hunters of Ægir wielded cold steel because the Seaborn had evolved in a way that forced them to.
Felix clashed head-on with the sword light. He swung downward, and flames burst violently from the blade like a volcanic eruption.
The training room's heat sensors activated. Water rained down, but evaporated instantly when it touched the flames.
"So this is your Originium Art… but you are using it incorrectly."
Wei Yenwu gave his assessment. He stood at a distance as if the fire simply could not touch him, and the flames halted before reaching him. "Your fire is not just fire."
"My Originium Art is not only flame?"
Felix frowned.
Wei Yenwu considered it. "I am not skilled in Arts. You should ask a professor of Originium studies. They may have an answer for you."
He stepped forward. In an instant, the sword in his hand turned crimson.
"If you want to protect Little Ch'en… this is not enough."
His eyes seemed to glow faint red. He spoke each word with weight. "Let me show you the Chi Xiao Sword Style."
"First form: Unsheath."
Wei Yenwu sheathed his sword slowly, then unsheathed it in a flash. The slash cut through the layers of flame with piercing precision.
"Second form: Weeping Edge."
Sword light fell like rain, gentle in appearance yet filled with hidden lethality. Each droplet of this rain could kill.
"Third form: Fleeting Night."
The crimson blade deepened into a dark red. Continuous swings formed a black wall before him, as deep and solid as the night sky. A defense as firm as forged iron.
"Fourth form, Raised Brow."
As the name suggested, it required a literal raising of the brow. This form pushed the concept of "lifting" to its limit. The blade swept down, then snapped upward. A horizontal cut flowed smoothly into another rising slash. Even after the sword turned, it rose once more.
"Fifth form, Shadowless."
A strike as swift as a shadow. Only the attacker's afterimage was visible as dozens of slashes were unleashed within mere seconds.
"Sixth form, Cloud Splitting."
A heavy blow powerful enough to split the clouds in the sky. The sword itself weighed nothing special, yet each strike felt as if it could cleave a cliffside apart.
"Seventh form, and the final one… Heaven's Eye."
The long sword glowed red-hot like living flame. This was a strike capable of shattering Felix's defenses and destroying the entire building.
"This is a strike of the heart."
Wei Yenwu spoke calmly. "The power of the final form depends on one's inner state and one's understanding of this land of Terra. Someone who has spent their life cooped up in a single city cannot touch the essence of this technique."
"We call it 'principle,' or simply 'Dao.' Any martial artist who catches a glimpse of this Dao gains a new understanding of Terra itself. Some become faster, some develop an uncanny sixth sense. Unfortunately, I have not reached that realm."
"I have stayed in Lungmen for too long. This city carries the hopes of several generations. I cannot leave it. That is why my Heaven's Eye will never be complete."
Wei Yenwu let out a light laugh. "Among all who have practiced the Chi Xiao Sword Style, the early forms are the same. Only the final form differs for each person. Every heart is different. The strike changes with it."
"Watch closely. I will only demonstrate once."
His sword suddenly shone with an even deeper red. This was just an ordinary training blade—so of course, the next moment, the sword cracked apart. Yet Wei Yenwu still held a blade in his hand. What was that sword made of? Originium Arts? Or the Dao and principle he spoke of?
Amazing. Was this the strength of Terra's elite? Truly terrifying.
The explosion swept through the entire training room. Even the nearby Lungmen Guard Department building trembled faintly.
Dust billowed, only to be sliced into fine particles that drifted downward. Wei Yenwu stood with his hands clasped behind him, expression calm.
A rough cough sounded from the other side. Felix knelt on one knee. His sword had disintegrated after taking Wei Yenwu's strike head-on. He looked mostly fine, just disheveled, hair blown out of place. Not a single serious wound, not even a scratch.
But he knew the truth. He had activated his mech's defensive systems, and its internal interface warned him that eighty percent of its energy had been consumed resisting that single blow. If Wei Yenwu had attacked again, the mech would not have held.
[You have unlocked "Chi Xiao Sword Style." Current mastery: 1%]
This was… the disciple system. Felix hadn't triggered it once since becoming the mechanic's apprentice. Seeing it again filled him with a mix of emotions. He had tried many times to locate his elusive teacher Dürrenmatt over the years, but the man's movements were impossible to track.
Players had dreamed of triggering this master-disciple interface. Countless players in the previous life prayed to see this exact message after fighting Wei Yenwu.
"…I learned a lot. Governor Wei, thank you."
Felix straightened and offered a respectful bow. He understood that Wei Yenwu now considered him "one of his own." Their goals and futures might differ, but their temperaments and methods were alike. On the same path, they might even have been rivals. But Felix had chosen a route outside the main race, one more difficult and filled with hardship.
His relationship with little Ch'en, along with his own attitude, had earned Wei Yenwu's approval. Felix was someone with restraint and ambition. An ally worth trusting, not someone who would betray easily.
But that did not mean Felix felt touched. Everything today was the result of his own effort. He had no expectation that a politician—especially a Lungmen executive—would truly treat him like family.
Even companions could stab each other in the back. How much more a politician?
Felix smiled lightly and bowed again. Wei Yenwu waved his hand. "Remember all the sword forms I just showed you… From here on, I leave little Ch'en in your care."
"Governor Wei, do you want Hui-chieh to leave Lungmen?"
"Lungmen is still too small for someone young."
Wei Yenwu turned and walked away. "Young people should charge forward and explore the world outside, not stay in a comfortable nest enjoying quiet days."
Felix watched him leave. He could feel how much Wei Yenwu cared about Ch'en Hui-chieh. From Ch'en Hui-chieh's own perspective, Wei Yenwu might seem like an unfeeling relative and superior, but an outsider could see more clearly.
Perhaps Hui-chieh had not faced any major ordeals yet. Perhaps she was still naive, or stubborn. But Felix knew what she yearned for. Was it order? Justice? Fairness?
Or perhaps she acted for the sake of her own convictions.
Dusting himself off, Felix walked back into the L.G.D. building as if nothing had happened. A few office workers had stuck their heads out after hearing the explosion, but when they saw nothing was wrong, they quickly withdrew.
Ch'en Hui-chieh should be out on an assignment right now. Felix knew he still had many things to do. Like a high-speed locomotive, most of his time was devoted to official duties: war, Kazdel, and countless affairs. It often caused him to unintentionally neglect the girls around him. The unrealistic dream of building a harem had somehow become reality, but now he no longer had the leisure he once wished for. Every matter required his review.
It felt almost like being an emperor, though emperors at least had ministers to assist them. He, too, had his own high-level personnel helping share the burden.
But rather than becoming an emperor, he wants to ascend the throne of a supreme emperor.
———
The anomalies within Reunion did not surprise him. What he truly anticipated was how update 3.0 would unfold.
In his past life, most players during the 3.0 period didn't possess such overwhelming gear. They were considered strong by Terra's standards. Facing a lone Reunion thug was easy, but dealing with a swarm meant they had to be cautious. After all, no one wanted to get infected. As for PvP between Reunion players and Rhodes Island players, that was another matter entirely.
There were players within Reunion, but not many. A single Brotherhood squad could overwhelm them without issue.
But Reunion was not the real concern. What kept Felix uneasy was Victoria's civil war and General Theresis's movements.
A civil war would kill many. People who shouldn't die would fall without reason, while those who deserved it would walk away unharmed.
Another issue slipping from his grasp was that Count Warwick was still thriving. As for her adopted daughter, Eblana, she had seemingly vanished. Felix's scouts had found nothing.
He picked up a book from the lounge table and began reading. Thinking too much would just burn brain cells. If he simply became stronger and punched through any opponent, wouldn't that solve everything?
Time passed.
Inspector Ch'en, Officer Hoshiguma, and Missy Swire stepped out of the elevator into the lobby lounge. They looked up and saw a young man sitting beneath the setting sun.
The youth leaned against the sofa, one hand propping his cheek while the other slowly turned the pages of a book.
A breeze drifted through the window. The haloed Sankta's bangs swayed lightly.
Gulp.
Someone swallowed. Ch'en Hui-chieh and Hoshiguma snapped back to their senses and glanced at the blushing Swire behind them.
Ch'en Hui-chieh felt her heartbeat quicken. After spending time apart, it seemed Felix had grown even more mature and reliable, yet he still carried a trace of youthful spirit that made people forget his age.
Hoshiguma was calmer. She, too, felt a slight flutter, but not as openly as Swire, nor as tense as Ch'en Hui-chieh, who was practically gritting her teeth. Hoshiguma simply lived more transparently; no point fighting her own colleagues over a man.
"When did you come back to Lungmen?"
Ch'en Hui-chieh's tone sounded like a reprimand. She strode toward him, but anyone could hear the joy hidden in her voice. "You didn't even tell me you were coming. You just walked right into the L.G.D. like this? No one gave you trouble?"
"I talked a bit with Chief Wei, then waited here for you."
Felix set the book aside and looked directly at her. "Hui-chieh, you've gotten thinner."
"Y-you… what did you just call me?!"