Lucien stood in silence for a long ti.
He did not know whether the thought should make him feel insignificant or terrifyingly important.
Alanthuriel looked at him quietly.
Seeing Lucien so speechless, the Abyssal Arch-Lord continued.
"Before they could make that tiline the main tiline, I locked the Pri Continuum."
Lucien’s gaze slowly focused.
Alanthuriel’s voice remained calm.
"They believed it was the best tiline. But I do not think so."
Alanthuriel looked down at Lootwell.
"I have watched the main tiline longer than any of the other Arch-Lords. I watched its failures. Its accidents. Its improbable rcies. Its contradictions. Its stubbornness."
His eyes shifted toward Lucien.
"I have better judgnt than them."
That was said with such quiet certainty that Lucien almost laughed despite the pressure in his chest.
He breathed out slowly.
The best tiline did not an the correct tiline.
That mattered.
Alanthuriel continued, "Continue what you are doing. Trust your path."
The Arch-Lord’s voice softened by a fraction.
"The Pri Continuum will not remain locked forever. When it opens, other possibilities will press against this one. So will be beautiful. So will be monstrous. So will be tempting because they look cleaner than reality."
Alanthuriel paused.
"But even then, it will be difficult to find a tiline better than the current one."
Lucien’s eyes changed.
Alanthuriel turned away from the view and looked at him fully.
"So go now."
For a mont, the Arch-Lord’s expression seed almost human.
"I trust your judgnt."
Lucien stared at him.
Then smiled.
"Thank you for your trust, Senior Alan."
He bowed slightly.
The confusion did not disappear.
Neither did the dread.
But beneath both, sothing settled.
If the so-called best tiline existed without him, then fine.
He would make this main tiline better.
•••
Lucien returned to the central office.
When Lucien opened the door, the room went quiet.
Lucien stopped.
Then several voices spoke together.
"Congratulations on reaching the Eternal Realm."
Lucien stared.
The central office had been rearranged.
People were gathered inside.
Vivian stood near the front, smiling softly.
Seraphine stood beside her with her arms crossed and the expression of soone who had personally decided Lucien was not allowed to escape the celebration.
Lilith was there too, dignified as always, though her gaze softened the mont she saw him.
Marie, Kaia, Sylra, and Marina stood together, all four visibly trying to look calm.
Luke and Cienna were present.
Virel and Aniel had co.
His uncles Ed and Max were there.
Sebas and Elunara stood near the side, both composed in different ways.
Cielius had brought a bottle of wine.
His close friends were smiling.
And Eirene was there.
She had clearly been part of the surprise.
Lucien looked around.
"You planned a celebration for a breakthrough that might have failed?"
Seraphine’s eyes narrowed.
"If it failed, I would have been too busy saving you to care about decorations."
"That is comforting."
Marina rushed forward first.
"My prince!"
Lucien braced himself.
Marina hugged him with enough force to make an ordinary Eternal reconsider rib placent. Then Marie, Kaia, and Sylra joined more calmly, though not by much.
Lucien looked over their heads.
One by one, the others greeted him.
The gifts ca next.
Lucien did not care how expensive the gifts were.
He accepted each one with the sa genuine joy.
For that day, the tilines disappeared from his mind.
There was only the warmth of people who had waited for him.
Lucien stayed with them for the rest of the day.
And for once, he did not hurry toward the next crisis.
•••
The next morning, Lucien returned to work.
The warmth remained.
So did the paperwork.
During Lucien and Eirene’s three-month absence, everyone had not been idle.
The first major report concerned the North Continent.
Vaelcar had succeeded in coordinating with the Obsidian Collegium.
Land had been secured.
The chosen location sat at a strategic convergence between old northern routes, several protected valleys, and territories that respected both the Valley of Wyrms and the Collegium enough to hesitate before causing trouble.
Lucien read the report carefully.
"They moved quickly."
Eirene nodded then passed him the next file.
Lucien opened it.
Then paused.
Lilith had already begun the construction.
"Good."
There was pride in his tone.
Lootwell could move without him now.
That mattered more than he wanted to admit.
•••
Later that day, Lucien visited the chapel in both territories.
First, the main territory.
Then Grand Confluence.
Three months of faith had gathered in his absence.
The divine energy moved toward Lucien in steady currents.
His Divine Energy Core received it.
The Tree of Creation stirred.
Inside his conceptual space, the fruits answered.
Lucien watched them closely.
The fruit he had forced to ripen for Eirene was gone, and the others had been delayed by the price he had paid.
But now, with three months of accumulated divine energy pouring in, their growth accelerated again.
Several fruits glowed brighter.
Lucien’s eyes shone. He was excited.
Clara stood beside him in the chapel, watching his expression with terrifying attentiveness.
"My lord seems pleased."
Lucien looked at her.
"The chapel has done well."
Clara’s eyes brightened.
"Then perhaps the chapel can do even better."
Lucien should have been cautious.
He was.
Unfortunately, he was also interested.
"I am giving you expanded authority over relief quests, public teaching, healing distributions, and sincerity-based devotional programs."
Clara’s eyes glowed.
For one brief mont, they shone like small suns.
Lucien took half a step back.
"That reaction concerns ."
Clara placed one hand over her heart.
"I will use this authority responsibly."
"I believe you."
Her smile widened.
"That sounded reluctant."
"It was."
Clara looked deeply satisfied.
Lucien wondered if he had just empowered a saint or released a devotional disaster with excellent administrative skills.
Possibly both.
•••
The Origin Core campaign had also continued.
In the Middle Continent, five more factions had been influenced by the Shadow Information Network’s spies.
The five factions had agreed in principle to surrender their Origin Core fragnts.
But they had waited for Lucien’s return to finalize the Soul Contracts.
So Lucien handled it personally.
He t the representatives in Grand Confluence.
They ca with guarded expressions, ceremonial boxes, and the tension of people still not fully certain whether they were giving away a treasure or stepping into a future.
Lucien did not rush them.
He let them see the benefits first.
That changed the negotiations as usual.
The Soul Contracts were ford.
The fragnts were surrendered.
The benefits began.
Five more lights joined the growing whole inside the Origin Core Shrine.
•••
There was also one other matter that had occurred during Lucien’s absence.
The Red Dragon had co to Lootwell to cause trouble.
Of course he had.
Lucien read that report twice.
Then a third ti, because the first two readings had not made the situation less ridiculous.
According to Elias’s summary, the Red Dragon arrived in the West with fury, wounded pride, and the moral confidence of soone who had technically been robbed.
He appeared in the main territory, demanding an explanation.
The Red Dragon declared that Lootwell had stolen his treasures.
Then he specifically accused Astraea, Condoriano, and Saber.
That was when the ancient beasts were called.
They arrived far too quickly.
Astraea had greeted him first.
"Red Lizard."
The Red Dragon nearly erupted on the spot.
Condoriano had bowed with insulting elegance.
Saber had simply crossed his arms and said, "You look better than expected."
The Red Dragon had roared loudly enough to shake the nearby districts.
He demanded the return of his Origin Core fragnts.
He demanded compensation.
He demanded apology.
He demanded that Astraea stop smiling.
He received none of those imdiately.
Instead, a public argunt broke out.
The Red Dragon accused Lootwell of cruelty.
The West did not believe him.
Not because they thought Lootwell was incapable of questionable actions.
Many people knew better.
They simply did not believe his specific claim.
Three Origin Core fragnts?
Hidden in his private treasure cove?
Without the Nephralis Sect knowing?
From the Red Dragon who had spent years pretending not to care about anything except his sect and dignity?
The accusation was too absurd and too impossible to verify.
His own secrecy betrayed him.
If he had publicly held the fragnts, he might have had witnesses.
But because he had hidden them perfectly, no one could prove he had ever owned them.
The Red Dragon’s hoarding habits had backfired with historic elegance.
Lucien lowered the report.
Then slowly covered his face.
He could imagine it too clearly.
The Red Dragon trying to convince an audience that his hidden illegal hoard had been stolen by the people he could not prove had found it.
And the audience politely not believing him.
Still, the matter had not been ignored.
Astraea and the others had felt so guilt.
A little.
The Red Dragon was crafty, proud, and dangerous. If truly cornered, humiliated beyond recovery, or treated like a pure enemy, he might do sothing stupid out of spite.
And a spiteful Red Dragon was not sothing anyone wanted joining the Black Mass side.
Killing him would have been worse. And crueler.And politically ugly.
Because no matter how one decorated the facts, Astraea, Condoriano, and Saber had stolen from him first.
Also, there were old connections from the Millennia War.
Enemies now, perhaps.
Irritating peers, certainly.
But not strangers.
So the ancient beasts had offered him a settlent.
Not an apology.
That would have killed them.
Instead, they gave the Red Dragon free entrance to Lootwell and selected facility privileges.
Lucien stared at that line.
Then read the next.
The Red Dragon accepted after thirty-seven minutes of furious refusal.
Then he entered Lootwell.
Then he fell in love with the facilities.
Lucien stared harder.
Apparently, the Red Dragon enjoyed the Echo Crucible.
He pretended not to care about the Ascension Spire, then entered it twice.
He ate at six food stalls.
He bought three premium communication devices despite claiming he did not trust devices.
He requested a private storage evaluation service.
And then he complained that Lootwell’s treasure managent facilities were "almost competent."
That was reportedly his highest praise.
The public narrative shifted beautifully.
Lootwell had magnanimously received an angry ancient being, listened to his unverifiable complaints, restrained itself from escalation, and even granted him access to its facilities.
The Red Dragon’s reputation beca complicated.
Lootwell’s reputation rose.
Astraea described the entire outco as "unexpectedly graceful."
Condoriano described it as "proof that robbery can improve relationships if handled with artistry."
Saber described it as "annoying but acceptable."
Lucien placed the report down.
He did not know whether to laugh, cry, or send everyone involved to ethics training.
Finally, he sighed.
"Only in Lootwell."
Sowhere in Lootwell, the Red Dragon was glaring at a scoreboard, pretending he had not started enjoying himself.
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