Felix arrived at the hotel where the Sui family was staying around dinnertime.
He had already handed the entire wedding preparation over to his subordinates. These past two days, he had been occupied with compiling another list. Since he still did not know whether version 4.0 would even come, all he could do was place his hopes in that brand-new ship and trust that it would carry them into the unknown universe.
Lately, he had been busy finalizing the roster of those who would board the ship.
Because the purpose of this mission was exploration rather than colonization, he planned to bring a large number of engineers, scientists, agricultural experts, and other technical professionals. At first, he assumed there would be more than enough talent available, but when the final list was handed to him, his first reaction was that there were far too few.
Columbia alone only had a few thousand top-tier scientists. But what they truly needed was a team of tens of thousands, perhaps even hundreds of thousands. How could a mere few thousand ever be enough?
The only thing that comforted him was the fact that these thousands were the elite among elites, each one outstanding in their own field. This list had already been reviewed and approved by the Maylander Foundation, so its accuracy could be trusted.
He left the task of gathering more engineers and technical personnel to others. Rim Billiton and Kazdel had grown quite close in recent years, and Rim Billiton itself had no shortage of engineers. Moreover, Rim Billiton was highly supportive of Felix's vision of pioneering the unknown.
Naturally, he had not forgotten to ask Kal'tsit to help recruit medical personnel as well.
As for Felix's harem, they would of course board the ship too.
None of them were merely pretty faces. Each had her own skills and specialties, and all of them would be able to contribute, both aboard the ship and in the exploration of the universe.
Even the simplest duties, like agricultural logistics, could be entrusted to someone like Shu.
The waiter's respectful bow pulled Felix back from his thoughts.
The hotel stood beside the Capitol Building and had been built in the architectural style of Yan. Its garden resembled the water towns of Jiangnan. The courtyard was filled with cool evening air, and when one looked up, one could see both the deep starry sky above and the towering skyline of Kazdel beyond.
In the pavilion at the center of the courtyard, Felix saw a man dressed in fine robes.
A chessboard lay before him.
Felix walked over and saw that the man was playing against himself.
The man also noticed Felix. When he lifted his head, it was like the darkest ink had been poured across the night.
"This is our first meeting in a setting like this, Your Highness. My name is Wang. I am the second brother among my siblings."
"I don't know how to play chess."
Felix sat down across from him, looking at the board in front of them. He genuinely did not understand chess, but he was not the sort of man who would lose a match and then smash the board in a fit of anger. Even if he could not play, he still understood basic courtesy.
"No one is perfect."
The dark-faced man lowered his gaze again.
"How much do you know about the matter of the Sui?"
"I learned the general situation from your elder brother. Sui is currently sleeping beneath the Baizao of Yan. Once we act, all of your fragments will be reabsorbed into the body of the Sui Beast, and Sui will awaken."
Felix paused, then continued,
"As for the Fifth Sister you mentioned, she has not truly vanished. Her fragment still exists inside Sui's body. If we kill the Sui Beast by ordinary means, then you may all gain your freedom, but you will lose the chance to save her."
"And how do you intend to save her?"
"By purifying the body of the Sui Beast, breaking its original power back into fragments, and then reshaping those fragments."
"And the success rate?"
"I don't know. There is no prior data to rely on."
"So it is a gamble."
"Yes. I am certain I can kill the Sui Beast, but I cannot be completely certain that I can purify its body and reshape its fragments."
Wang lifted his head toward the twin moons overhead. After a long silence, he finally asked,
"What do we need to do?"
"You need do nothing," Felix replied calmly. "The moment the Sui Beast awakens, your bodies will be reabsorbed into it, and it will regain the strength it once possessed when it ravaged Yan ten thousand years ago."
"Is that so…"
Wang's voice grew quiet.
"Then it truly is like a long dream, and now it is time to wake."
In the moonlight, his expression was blurred and unreadable. He set down another white piece on the board.
"How much time do we have left?"
"When do you want me to do it?"
"The sooner, the better."
"Even knowing that the moment the Sui Beast awakens, everything you see before you may vanish like a mirage?"
Wang looked steadily at Felix.
After a long while, he smiled.
"So what if it was only a dream? So what if it was real? At the very least, during these thousand years, I have calculated, struggled, and planned. The only one I have truly wronged is her. As for everything else, I have no regrets."
"Mm."
"Yes… it was like a beautiful dream. But dreams, in the end, must still come to an end."
Looking at the chessboard before him, Wang pondered for a long time before finally saying, "…Go on. They're waiting for you."
"See you later."
Felix left the courtyard and noticed Ji quietly weaving in the corridor. Their eyes met, and Ji took two steps forward.
"I made an extra wedding dress," he said, "but I don't know who to give it to."
Those words made Felix pause slightly. He studied Ji carefully, then seemed to realize something.
"Are you sure she has no objections?"
"Her gaze today could have killed me a thousand times over," Ji said with a chuckle. "But considering how many years she has already spent on the Venus…"
"Alright, I understand."
Felix patted him on the shoulder.
"We'll decide on the date together later."
Ji nodded and returned to the corridor, resuming his weaving.
After that brief exchange, Felix entered the hall. From Yu, who was soaking in the bath like a shrimp, he learned that all the siblings had gone off to bathe after drinking a little too much that night. Still, they were all here on vacation, so there was nothing wrong with relaxing and having a few drinks.
After all, this was a rare chance for these old people to set down their burdens. They had been busy for countless millennia, so having a moment to unwind was a good thing.
In the lounge area, Felix found Nian and Ling, both slightly tipsy, as well as Dusk, whose cheeks were flushed red. He sat down against the cushions, and Shu quietly shifted closer to his side.
"They drank again?"
"Sigh, it's rare to see both elder sister and younger sister this happy." Shu wore a gentle smile. She gestured toward Dusk, who was clearly a little out of it. "Little sister drank too much. Hmm… she normally would never drink this much."
Felix waved a hand in front of Dusk's face and received only a soft breath in return. The motion seemed to disturb her, and Dusk frowned in dissatisfaction, muttering softly,
"Don't… go…"
Felix withdrew his hand and enjoyed the quiet for a moment, his other hand still tightly held by Shu.
"Are you staying here tonight?"
"Yes. I'm a little tired."
"You always keep your worries to yourself." Shu gently smoothed Felix's brow. "Sometimes it feels like you're racing against time. Sigh… even immortals would feel ashamed in comparison."
"I just want to finish everything I need to do and leave no regrets behind. Besides, there isn't much war anymore. I'm far more relaxed now than I was during the war against the demons."
Felix stood up and first carried Ling back to her room in a princess carry. Then he carried Nian the same way. After settling those two drunkards, he lifted Dusk as well. When he turned, he noticed the worry in Shu's eyes.
"What's wrong?"
"My little sister drank too much. I'm a little worried." Shu bit her lower lip, swallowing back a sigh. "I've never seen her look this uncomfortable."
Dusk did indeed seem miserable. Her brows remained tightly knit, she kept muttering something under her breath, and her hands and feet shifted restlessly from time to time.
After carrying Dusk back to the bedroom, Felix had a waiter bring over some hangover tea. Shu sat down beside the bed and took care of her, gently massaging Dusk's brow to ease her discomfort.
"Mm… Sister Shu."
"I'm here."
Shu held Dusk's hand. Dusk slowly opened her damp eyes.
"Should I… do something?"
"The Venus has already been deployed?"
"Why bring up the Venus?" Shu asked, puzzled, her tone unconsciously becoming gentle and coaxing.
"Because… he's getting married, and I live right next door to him. You can all see where I hide. It's very inconvenient, seeing each other all the time like that…"
Dusk's voice was hoarse. She coughed twice as if the words themselves hurt. Then she blinked and suddenly realized that not only Shu was sitting at her bedside, but Felix was there too.
"Why are you here, you mudd—"
"…I carried you back."
Felix looked at Dusk with a trace of surprise.
He was no longer the naive young man who had first left Laterano, the one who could not even understand Mostima's hints and teasing. If he still could not understand Dusk's words now, then all these years of experience would have been wasted. At that point, he might as well admit he had lived like a dog.
In the end, Felix really was someone who cared about appearances. After all, there was a saying that beauty often reflected the heart. And besides, weren't all the officials handsome men and beautiful women? Felix was still an ordinary person at his core, so naturally he could not escape that weakness either.
Dusk's appearance was undeniably captivating. In the past, Felix had only ever treated her as someone to admire from afar, not someone to touch. After all, what kind of work could Dusk even be assigned? Painting? Her paintings were so dangerous they could swallow the audience whole. A high-ranking position? Dusk's personality was closer to Bocchi's. If she ran into trouble, she would probably just curl up, pretend to be dead, and say nothing at all. She was certainly adorable, which was why Shu always doted on her so much. But as for work… well, it was probably better to just let Dusk do what she liked.
Besides, the hints she had dropped earlier could hardly have been more obvious.
Felix took hold of Dusk's hand, but Dusk turned her face away, her ears burning red.
"Dusk, I'm getting married in three days."
"Mm…" Dusk's voice dropped to nearly a whisper.
"Can you let Nian and Shu marry me together with you?"
"Uh…?"
Dusk's entire face flushed crimson. She started mumbling incoherently, like a goldfish flopping out of water, opening and closing her mouth without being able to form proper words.
The next moment, Felix gently patted her head a few times.
"You'll look beautiful in a wedding dress," Felix said with a soft laugh. "Now that I think about it, among all of you siblings, you're the one who has stayed with me the longest. Even though you usually keep your distance through paintings and arts, in truth, your room has always only been a wall away from mine. Thank you for always being by my side, and for always watching over me silently."
"So, Dusk… will you marry me?"
Dusk pouted slightly. Her gaze shifted first to Shu, who was smiling gently at the side, and then away again to some direction where neither of them stood. She closed her eyes and suddenly began to snore softly.
"Does Dusk snore in her sleep?" Felix asked Shu in surprise.
Shu covered her mouth and laughed softly. "No, never."
"Oh… sigh. Then what if Dusk refuses? We still have an extra wedding dress. Are we really supposed to just throw it away?"
Shu had already noticed Dusk's body trembling slightly beneath the blanket, and the corners of her own lips lifted higher.
"Felix, I also hope you can understand little sister's heart. Her personality is… sigh. Still, I'm very much looking forward to our wedding. I'll definitely become the one who makes your heart race."
"You already are."
Those soft and tender words made Dusk's whole body shiver.
She could even hear the two of them kissing. The intimate sounds made her face burn hotter and hotter. Unable to resist, she cracked one eye open just enough to peek toward them, only to discover that Felix was merely kissing the back of Shu's hand while Shu herself was wearing an amused expression.
The three of them met each other's gaze all at once.
"Ah…"
Dusk immediately yanked the blanket over her head. She did not want to see anyone! If Shu and Felix had not been here, she might already have drawn her sword.
Still smiling, Shu gently stroked Dusk's little head, then turned and shot Felix a reproachful look.
"It's all your fault. Little sister is angry."
"Then how do we make sure Dusk doesn't stay angry?" Felix asked with complete sincerity.
"Let me think…"
Shu tilted her head from side to side for a moment, then smiled.
"Little sister is tired now. Why don't you give her a goodnight kiss?"
Dusk immediately began struggling violently, but her strength was no match for Felix's. Before long, a face as red as a ripe apple was exposed in front of him.
Dusk, completely red.
A warm, burning red.
"Honestly, next time you should know your limit when you drink."
The scent around her was the fragrance of ink and books, mixed with the delicate scent of a young girl and a faint trace of wine. Her eyes were now fixed on Felix like those of a cautious little deer in the forest, too shy to approach, too nervous to flee.
"Alright, alright. Starting tomorrow, we'll begin preparing for the wedding. You'll look beautiful in the wedding dress."
"Mm…"
Dusk answered in a tiny voice, her eyes darting away again, not daring to look at Felix.
Felix chuckled softly and kissed her on the forehead.
Dusk immediately fainted on the bed.
"…That sensitive?" Felix looked at her in surprise. "It was only a normal kiss on the forehead."
"Most women in Yan are very traditional. If you had kissed her on the lips just now, I guarantee she would have exploded on the spot."
Shu's tone sounded slightly smug, though beneath it was genuine relief.
Dusk's future would finally become brighter.
She would no longer be alone.