This appraisal carried dissatisfaction, even a hint of hostility, with a touch of selectiveness—much like a woman examining a piece of clothing she's not entirely satisfied with, yet feels compelled to purchase it for some reason. Yes, precisely this feeling of not fully liking it, not fully accepting it, yet having to endure it temporarily. Guan Ya couldn't help but furrow her brow, but more than that, she was puzzled—she couldn't understand why her mother's friends treated her this way. "Yaoya! You've arrived!" Fu Xue greeted her daughter warmly, inviting her to sit down and introduced her to Chen Shu: "This is my daughter, Fu... Guan Ya! Yaoya, this is Aunt Chen—Mother has mentioned her to you many times." At that moment, Chen Shu had already set aside her critical gaze, smiled, and praised: "Indeed, she's quite beautiful—more so than your mother was when she was younger." Though not entirely satisfied with her daughter-in-law, Chen Shu felt she couldn't find any flaw in her appearance. Guan Ya hung her bag on the coat rack, her refined, mixed-race features glowing with a sweet smile: "Good afternoon, "Thank you," Chen Shu said. With a deliberate "hm," she asked knowingly, "Do you have a boyfriend?" Kuan Ya first glanced at her mother. Seeing her mother's slight embarrassment, Kuan Ya immediately softened her smile: "No!" Her tone now cold and reserved. From her mother's subtle expression, she sensed that Chen Aunty knew her boyfriend was Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn—just recently returned to the spiritual realm. Why bring it up now? Kuan Ya kept her face stern, silent, not particularly pleased. At the same time, being reminded of her boyfriend's recent return to the spiritual realm, she found it difficult to appear relaxed. Noticing the heavy atmosphere at the table, Fu Xue quickly stepped in to lighten the mood: "Yaya, your mother has a son, quite handsome, a true gem—she keeps asking me to arrange a match between you two, hoping you'll become her daughter-in-law." Really? What a string of ordinary people does she have to introduce to me? Kuan Ya offered a polite yet slightly dismissive smile. Then she noticed her mother also gave a touch of condescension. Fu Xue cleared her throat, smiling calmly and asked, "Yaya, where is Juming? He didn't come with you—has something work-related delayed him? Will he be arriving soon?" On hearing this, Chen Shu turned to Guan Ya. Hmm? This woman seems a bit nervous and resistant, yet also full of yearning and warmth! As a scout, Guan Ya was keenly attuned to Chen Shu's emotions and was both surprised and puzzled. "He has a dinner appointment with a specialist from headquarters—Christine Gustav!" Guan Ya said. "Christine Gustav?" Fu Xue paused for a moment, then suddenly realized, "Ah, the one who's been the magic king's favorite—so that means she'll have to face off against Winny Berlent!" She looked like someone enjoying the sidelines, full of gossip. Chen Shu lowered her cup and sipped her tea, changing the subject, "Yaya, before you met Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun, did you ever have a boyfriend?" Guan Ya gave a polite, half-hearted smile, "I had my first love. I don't plan on dating anyone else now." She first blocked the path, making sure the aunt wouldn't actually introduce her son to her, though from the aunt's tone, she sensed that the aunt didn't quite see her as a match. Chen Shu nodded, "How far have you advanced now? I heard Fu Xue mention that the sage who was promoted this mid-year is correct, isn't it?" Guan Ya replied, "Late fifth level." "Good pace," Chen Shu said, giving a slight nod of approval. Guan Ya furrowed her brow—this woman was clearly ordinary, yet she carried the air of a somewhat critical junior. "Have you heard that Fu Family would like to arrange your marriage to the Miller family? With the return of the Primordial Sovereign to the spiritual realm, what are your thoughts?" Chen Shu spoke casually. "Feel free to ask—I don't have to answer if you'd rather not," Guan Ya replied. And indeed, she didn't engage with her at all. Fu Xue glanced at her daughter and sighed, "Ah, after the Primordial Sovereign's return to the spiritual realm, the elders have indeed been reiterating the proposal to have Guan Ya marry into The Miller family agreed, on one condition: they wished for Guan Ya to bring the relics of Yuan Shi with her when she married into the family. Chen Shu chuckled: "What do they want?" Fu Xue lowered her voice: "The Miller family wanted the Sacred Heaven Set. Initially, the elder council refused, but after negotiations, they reached an agreement: the Sacred Heaven Set would be jointly owned by the Fu and Miller families. Ya would bring two components of the set and half of the relics to the Miller family. In return, the Miller family would acquire Fu Family's assets in Europe and the Free Federation at a premium price, and also grant Fu Family 5% of the Miller family's future earnings over the next ten years, free of charge." Chen Shu shook her head with a string of cold remarks: "Their calculations are truly well-thought-out." Guan Ya was stunned: "Mom, how come I didn't know about all this?" Fu Xue glanced at her daughter. "Since Fu Qingyang refused, he stated that Yuan Shi Tian Zun was the one who raised him, and thus Yuan Shi Tian Zun's legacy rightfully belongs to him—this is his return on investment. If the Clan Elders and the Miller family dare to challenge his possessions, they're essentially inviting a war with the Five Elements Alliance. Fu Qingyang is now one of the key power holders in the Five Elements Alliance, on par with the Nine Elders, so the Clan Elders can no longer afford to offend him." Ah, so ultimately it was Fu Qingyang who bore the entire burden! Guan Ya nodded, indicating she understood. In truth, she no longer holds the Clan Elders in high regard. Aside from her boyfriend and cousin, she herself is a Level 5 Swordsman, with a large collection of Saint-level items in her inventory, and numerous stored items in the Wandering Deceased Warehouse—reaching Level 6 this year is certainly achievable. With such strength, she could certainly become a pillar of any organization. "In fact, marrying into the Miller family might not be bad at all!" "Chen Shu smiled gently," It's extremely important for a match to be a good fit in terms of family background—this directly determines the quality of life after marriage and the prospects for future development." Hmm, Fu Xue's daughter marrying her son is quite an upward move. At that moment, the server entered the room, asked if the guests would like to start serving the dishes, and upon receiving a positive response, bowed and stepped out. ... In a private dining room about fifteen meters away, Shawn Mede, Ossido William, and Zhang Yuanqing were dining with the young lady from the Gustave family. Zhang Yuanqing's ability to be seated here is partly due to his outstanding achievements and distinguished military record, and partly because he represents the Five Elements Alliance. Kris set down her knife and fork, then picked up a few premium feed pellets from a nearby porcelain dish and gently placed them into the glass fishbowl. The colorful little fish, Lusi, swayed gracefully with their fins, and their delicate mouths opened and closed, swallowing the floating feed as they went. Then it softly said, "The situation in the New Covenant County, the Master has already reviewed in the report, but the finer details remain unclear. Could the three of you please elaborate?" Shawn Med nodded. "Certainly!" He immediately began to recount the various details that followed the rivalry between the two major factions in the New Covenant County—the early sweeping campaigns by the crime syndicates, the successive assassinations of prominent political and business figures in the mid-phase, the eventual downfall of the Saints, right up to the Night at the Port. During this period, there were numerous disagreements among the leading lawful organizations in the First District—details that Zhang Yuanqing had not previously encountered. Christina listened patiently, and the fish tank's Ruth spoke up: "The headquarters has assigned me to the New Covenant County with two primary tasks. First, to take over Channing Lu's responsibilities and assist the New Covenant County branch in countering the evil faction. Second, to uncover the evil faction's conspiracy. Winnie previously emailed headquarters reporting that the evil faction was waiting for an opportunity to eliminate the Sea God Church. Headquarters has asked me to investigate this—what is the Sea God Church's perspective on this matter?" The Sea God Church originally didn't intend to get involved in the dispute between the Merchant Guild and the Wine God Club, and even when it escalated into a full-scale conflict, they often remained indifferent. It wasn't until Winny sent that email to the Heaven's Judgment headquarters that the Sea God Church reluctantly stepped in. Sean Med sighed, "The Sea God Church doesn't trust our intelligence." Ruth, in the fish tank, scoffed, "That makes sense—a group of arrogant, impatient, and poorly behaved sea nymphs whose intelligence is only slightly above that of the second district's fire mages." As soon as she finished speaking, Kristi gave Ruth a cold, piercing look, sending the little fish scrambling to the bottom of the tank. Why was the fire mage being treated so poorly? Why did even the first district's people have to belittle them? Zhang Yuanqing felt deeply aggrieved on behalf of Red Chicken. Sean explained, "The information came from Jumang, via the dragon-horse Hase." Hase was a peak sage—how could he have uncovered a secret from a law-abiding organization and still remain unaware of it? Menguang is from abroad—how authentic his intelligence really is, no one knows. Given their respective ranks and backgrounds, the Sea God Sect would naturally be skeptical about this matter. Kris suddenly realized this and couldn’t help but glance at Menguang several times. In Viña Berlent’s email report, there was no mention of the source of the intelligence. The headquarters’ high regard for the information stemmed from Viña’s own standing. This meant that Viña deeply trusted Menguang and believed the intelligence to be genuine. Sean and Osidio exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with disbelief: How could this young man be so bored? Otherwise, why would he dance ballet right in the midst of a battlefield? Everyone at Heaven's Punishment knows that Miss Cris holds the title "Lord of Magic" in the highest contempt. The Lord's romantic and indulgent nature has left her deeply disappointed. During the month when Cris and Winny competed for his attention and were imprisoned at headquarters, the Lord not only failed to visit either of them but also, instead, immediately turned his attentions to Tanah, sharing a passionate romance with her—so much so that every evening and morning, the couple was draped in frost. After her release, Cris severed all ties with the Lord and, driven by resentment, could no longer bear to hear the word "Lord" mentioned. Have you had too much wine? Did you pass out? "Did I really have too much wine?" Zhang Yuanqing's mind still wasn't quite clear. "You were knocked out by the lady," Sean Med looked at him with a sideways glance. "...Did the lady answer my questions at the end?" Zhang Yuanqing asked, while reaching up to touch the back of his head, where he felt a swollen bump. Hmm, she really hit hard! "What do you think?" Sean Med stared at him evenly, with a touch of sympathy in his eyes, "Don't mention the Prince of Magic to the lady—do you know, the sea nymph is proud and easily irritated, and hard to manage." "...Ah." It seemed the fragments of the Prince's key weren't on Kris's person—most likely, they were in Winifred Elina's hands. Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself: worth it, after all. At ten p.m., Zhang Yuanqing returned to the bank building in Sean Med's car, first heading to his own room, then using the Star-Transit technique to reach the lady's bedroom. Guan Ya wore a white practice outfit, sitting cross-legged on the ground, absorbing the essence of swordmanship. "Today's dinner wasn't very pleasant," Zhang Yuanqing told her about being knocked unconscious. Guan Ya listened, then opened her eyes, smiling gently. "That's what a normal woman should be like. I can't understand those women who are abandoned by the Emperor of Magic from the beginning, yet still hold onto their memories of him. Fortunately, the Emperor of Magic is lucky—he has a flourishing charm, and hasn't developed a 'cherry blossom curse.' Otherwise, with his rather inconsistent romantic style, he'd have been eliminated by women long ago." Her tone conveyed clear disdain and contempt for men with such inconsistent romantic relationships. "How was dinner today?" Zhang Yuanqing sat by the bed, holding the Scorpio doll. Guan Ya shook her head. "Not very pleasant. One of Fu Xue's friends has an inexplicable hostility toward me. She speaks with sharp remarks, confident as if she were someone special, yet she's just an ordinary person—seems to think she holds me in lower regard." "Oh!" Zhang Yuanqing casually asked, showing no interest in his mother-in-law or her friends. After Guan Ya finished her complaint, she added, "Fu Xue is here to discuss business—she wants to sign a contract with Tianfa Division, establish a factory in Xin Yue Prefecture, and supply mechanical weapons to the first regional lawful organizations. Could you help her with that?" Business deals aren't difficult to close, but if her boyfriend could personally get involved, the collaboration would move faster and more efficiently. After all, Ju Meng's reputation in Xin Yue Prefecture already ranks just behind the Dominator. "Let's talk to Shawn Med about it tomorrow," Zhang Yuanqing nodded, as he was also a shareholder in the mechanical manufacturing and R&D company. He stayed in Guan Ya's room for half an hour, then said, "I'll go out for a while." He needed to meet with the president to report on his recent work progress. The man in a pale yellow robe and wearing a silver mask lounged lazily against the head of the bed. Chen Shu didn't turn around, as if she had anticipated his arrival all along, nor did she respond—she simply continued brushing her hair. After a few minutes, when her hair was dry, she set down the hair dryer, opened the refrigerator in the bedroom, and poured two bottles of beer. "Yuanzi has come to Xinyu County. I want to see him—those things, he'll eventually have to know," she said. The man took the bottles and smiled. "It's unnecessary. Whether you're the head of your Ji Shi Society or the one who revived Zhang Tian Shi, he already knows all that." Chen Shu furrowed her brows. "I mean these things—not these." "The things you're thinking of, he can't yet know—unless you want him to die," the man said solemnly. "I'd like to remind you, though, that Yuanzi has already used the Mother Goddess's womb once, and thus can no longer be revived." Chen Shu remained silent for a moment, then nodded. The man smiled and said, "What's on your mind, dear sister "Chen Shu spoke in a low tone: "Abbe Marshall has gone missing!"