The upcoming conference on Blue Luster Star had drawn the attention of the entire interstellar world.

Within the three days before the conference officially began, all the invited races had already arrived one after another.

At that point, the port was officially closed and would not reopen until after the conference ended.

This was also to ensure that during the conference, a constant stream of irrelevant outsiders would not keep entering Blue Luster Star. The Alliance needed to make sure Blue Luster Star remained under their control during this period.

And among the very last passengers on the final ship to arrive before the port closed, there were two tall figures standing in the crowd.

They looked no different from the people around them. Dusty from travel, each dragging a suitcase, their faces carried the fatigue caused by long interstellar voyaging.

Whenever the line stopped, they would naturally grumble along with everyone else. No matter how one looked at them, they seemed like ordinary travelers.

Standing in the crowd, they were utterly unremarkable.

The staff member in charge of inspections at the port scanned their suitcases with an instrument, checked their identity chips and biometric data, and after confirming everything matched, still did not immediately let them through.

He looked at the two passengers, his hawk-like eyes sweeping back and forth over them.

“What are you here for?” he asked.

The two passengers were very cooperative.

“We’re employees of the Wemm Hotel. We took leave and went home some time ago. Now our vacation is over, and our supervisor has already been urging us to hurry back to work.”

As they spoke, they submitted their employee IDs, leave slips, and their supervisor’s contact information.

The Wemm Hotel was a long-established hotel on Blue Luster Star, and the story these two passengers told matched the facts. The hotel really had recently granted two employees a long leave to go home.

Seeing that the two passengers were not tourists who had come out of curiosity because of the upcoming conference, but local employees instead, the staff member—who had been speaking in an interrogative tone just moments earlier—softened his attitude and let them pass.

What that staff member did not know was that the moment those two passengers left the port and boarded a hovercar, the dull, honest expressions they had just been wearing instantly changed.

One of them raised a hand to his face. When he lowered it again, his face was no longer the ordinary, slightly freckled, shy-looking one from before.

The features revealed once more were deep-cut and sharply defined. His eyes were indifferent, his nose high-bridged, and even an ordinary work uniform looked like military dress on him.

Dark, broken strands of hair fell across his forehead. His thin lips were pressed tight, and with that expressionless face, he looked like a drawn blade, his whole body carrying the coldness of sharpened steel.

Xi Heyan was in a very poor mood.

The King of Spades knew exactly why.

The repair deadline proposed by that mechanical undead was almost here, yet at this point they had uncovered movement from the Tribunal.

After learning that the person they were looking for might be an Adjudicator, the King of Spades had his people focus their investigation on intelligence related to the Tribunal.

And very quickly, his people discovered that the Tribunal had posted a bounty mission on a black-market task platform.

This mission had not been placed directly in the main task hall, but in a special section accessible only to a small number of bounty hunters.

Unfortunately, because of the risk of being discovered, they could not stay there long. Even after hacking into the system, the King of Spades’s subordinate only managed a hurried glance.

He did not know the exact contents of the mission. It had been encrypted by some kind of program, and only bounty hunters who accepted the task could view it.

All he knew was that the mission site was Blue Luster Star, that it carried the highest classification level, and that an Adjudicator would be acting alongside the bounty hunters.

As for that Adjudicator, the task information only displayed the designation Number 1.

Clearly, this information was extremely important.

Everyone knew that Blue Luster Star was about to host a peace conference attended by various races.

For the Tribunal to release a mission at a time like this—and a secret mission aimed only at a select group of bounty hunters—made the whole thing feel wrong no matter how one looked at it.

And on Polaris’s side, Dan also seemed to be making moves.

A mole the Black Rabbit had planted inside Polaris sent back word that Dan had issued orders to mobilize a batch of experimental subjects.

That batch of subjects had been loaded onto a transport ship, and no one knew where they had been taken.

Whether it was the Tribunal or Polaris, this string of abnormal activity made even the King of Spades unwilling to take things lightly.

His instincts told him there had to be some kind of connection between the two. Most likely, the Tribunal and Polaris... no, more precisely Dan, were tied together in secret.

In fact, anyone familiar with the black market could tell that the forces behind it were very close to Dan, and even bore traces of certain rebel organizations.

The black market, research institutes, rebel organizations... all tangled together like roots underground.

The King of Spades discussed it with the others, and they decided to come to Blue Luster Star first to see what was happening.

But that meant delaying Xi Heyan’s business.

And because of that, Xi Heyan had been in a bad mood the entire trip.

The King of Spades did not understand why Xi Heyan cared so much about that light-brain chip. It could not possibly be that there was a wife hidden inside it, could there?

Still, whether he understood or not, he had enough sense not to pry too much into a client’s privacy.

Xi Heyan did not explain, and the King of Spades did not ask.

So the two of them rode in silence all the way to the Wemm Hotel.

Very few people knew that the Wemm Hotel was actually one of the Damian family’s outside investments.

After the successive deaths of the two Damian family members, it had fallen into the hands of Xi Heyan, who carried half the Damian bloodline.

Xi Heyan had never come here before. This was his first time setting foot in a property inherited from his mother’s family.

And whether by coincidence or not, the Wemm Hotel stood near the conference hall.

Xi Heyan and the King of Spades did not enter through the front entrance. Instead, they went in through a side door used only by internal staff.

A group of people was already waiting inside.

They wore neat, formal uniforms, and their expressions were severe.

Yet the moment they saw Xi Heyan, their faces immediately turned emotional.

“Young Master Izeer...”

..........

“Good morning, Daddy.”

After getting up, Wen Yuzhi ran into Mansendis in the hallway, and father and son embraced each other.

They went to the dining room together and finished breakfast together as well.

Today was their second day on Blue Luster Star.

The conference hall was very lively. Before the conference officially began, some races had already started paying visits to one another and exchanging courtesies. Almost every race had received invitations from other races to some extent.

The Saint Clan alone remained as deserted and quiet as ever.

Not a single request for a visit had come to the Saint Clan. After all, the Saint Clan’s reputation preceded them, and everyone kept their distance from this final-boss villain.

Fortunately, the Saint Clan did not care.

After accompanying the cub through breakfast, Mansendis had to prepare to deal with state affairs.

Those few days of playing on Blue Zither Star had already counted as the first time Mansendis had ever given himself a vacation since ascending the throne.

Now that they had left Blue Zither Star, Mansendis also had no choice but to deal with the state affairs that had piled up over the past five days.

That was one of the burdens that came with concentrating all power in the hands of the monarch.

The greater the power, the greater the responsibility one had to bear.

Although Mansendis was cold in his attitude toward the Saint Clan, he was in fact a responsible ruler. Since taking power, he had rarely rested. If he was not expanding outward, then he was handling state affairs.

It could be said that among all the Saint Clan sovereigns throughout history, no royal-blood predecessor had done better than he had.

He had given up the pleasures of power, given up a life of luxury and indulgence, and bound himself to the throne like a machine.

If not for Wen Yuzhi, that dry, repetitive life would have continued until the day Mansendis died. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

And so Mond was always deeply grateful that the Saint Clan had welcomed a little highness—and that this little highness just happened to be Mansendis’s child.

“Is there something on my face?”

Noticing that Mond had been staring at him, Wen Yuzhi touched his cheek, instinctively wondering whether he had accidentally gotten milk on his mouth while drinking just now.

But Mond smiled.

“I was wondering what little highness plans to do later... The weather is very good today. There’s a lawn outside, and a lake nearby as well. Would you like to take Awu out to play for a while?”

Mansendis’s vacation had ended, but Wen Yuzhi had been allowed to continue resting for a little longer.

Mansendis was strict with himself, but when it came to his only child, all he wanted was for the cub to be a little happier.

But now that Wen Yuzhi had been given an extended holiday, he could not immediately think of anywhere he wanted to go.

He had already taken Awu all over the lawns and lakes around the palace on Dark Tower Star, so hearing Mond mention them now did not stir much interest in him.

“Can I go out and look around?”

By going out, Wen Yuzhi meant leaving the Saint Clan’s designated palace grounds and going into the city streets to look around.

The reason he had wanted to come to Blue Luster Star in the first place was because he was curious about the different races of the interstellar world and wanted to take this chance to see them for himself.

There were still three days before the conference began, and Wen Yuzhi did not want to spend all three days staying inside the palace.

He wanted to go out and play.

Those words were written plainly in Wen Yuzhi’s eyes.

Mond...

He was so struck by that look that he nearly nodded on the spot.

Fortunately, reason won out at the last second, and he reminded him, “That will require the King’s permission. I cannot make that decision for him.”

Wen Yuzhi immediately ran off to ask Mansendis.

The silver-haired sovereign bent a finger and tapped lightly on the desktop. Under the cub’s nervous gaze, this parent finally gave a slow nod.

“You may.”

But before Wen Yuzhi could cry out, Daddy, I love you, Mansendis added another condition.

“But you must ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) take the royal guard with you.”

“No problem!” Wen Yuzhi answered without hesitation.

“And you’re not allowed to stay out too long. You must come back before nightfall. Don’t approach strangers carelessly, and make sure those royal guards stay with you at all times...”

This was probably the longest stretch of speech Mansendis had ever delivered. He had far too many instructions he wanted to give.

He did not realize that at this moment, he looked exactly like a parent sending a child off to kindergarten for the first time, fussing endlessly over every detail.

Wen Yuzhi did not find it annoying in the least. He listened patiently, then promised with great seriousness, “Don’t worry, Daddy. I’m just going out to look around a little. I’ll be back very soon.”

At some point, the childishness had faded from the cub, and he had grown into a strikingly beautiful youth. His voice was no longer soft and fluffy, but clear and bright, each word landing distinctly.

Looking at Wen Yuzhi like this, Mansendis could not help going a little dazed.

It was not until Mond set a newly brewed cup of tea in front of him that the silver-haired sovereign returned from those thoughts.

“Your Majesty...”

Mond seemed about to say something, but hesitated.

Mansendis, however, seemed to have already guessed what this old chief steward wanted to say.

“You thought I wouldn’t agree?”

Mond nodded. He truly had been curious.

All the Saint Clan within the palace had seen with their own eyes just how tense the King had been over little highness during these past six months.

To put it dramatically, Mansendis’s protectiveness toward Wen Yuzhi over the past half year had nearly reached an extreme. He kept the cub by his side at all times, so much so that it seemed he wanted to turn back into beast form and carry him in his mouth.

Others among the Saint Clan might not know, but Mond, as the chief steward who remained constantly by Mansendis’s side, knew very well that the King was still deeply bothered by little highness’s kidnapping.

Sometimes even after little highness had already fallen asleep, the King would still go stand by the bed and look once more, as though to confirm that the cub was still there.

That was why Mond had been unable to stop himself from feeling surprised when Mansendis gave permission.

But Mansendis merely said in an even tone, “Children always have to grow up.”

As a parent, Mansendis could tie the child to his side and refuse to let him leave even a single step.

But if he did that, Zhizhi would not be happy.

And that would go against his wish for the cub to grow up carefree.

What Mansendis wanted was this: so long as the cub could remain healthy and happy, no matter what Wen Yuzhi wanted to do, he would support it as much as possible.

If the child wanted to stay by his side, then he would protect him and never let the cub suffer even the slightest wind or rain.

But if the child wanted to step outside and see the world beyond, then he would also loosen his hold when appropriate.

“Mond, I do not want to become a father my child will resent.”

Mansendis said it quietly.

Mond comforted him. “How could that be? Little highness likes you so much.”

Mansendis merely raised a brow.

“He likes everyone.”

Mond, Alvin, Selet, Merita, Kasha... among all the Saint Clan Wen Yuzhi knew, who was there that he did not like?

He even said every day that he liked Mu Luo, the Gumu, and the white wolf.

The cub’s temperament was soft. As long as someone was willing to be kind to him, he was never stingy about sharing his own affection in return.

And because of that, everyone throughout the Saint Clan liked Wen Yuzhi.

The cub was always offering candy and telling everyone that eating something sweet would make them feel a little happier, but to the Saint Clan, Wen Yuzhi himself was the sweetest candy of all.

So sweet that just drawing near him could improve their mood.

..........

Wen Yuzhi still did not know that in Daddy’s heart, he was already on the verge of becoming some kind of universal flirt who made everyone fall for him.

He changed into a set of clothes suited for going out and also altered both his hair and eyes to black.

Silver hair and golden eyes were far too conspicuous anywhere.

Besides, anyone with a decent understanding of the Saint Clan would probably guess from his appearance alone that he was connected to the Saint Clan royal bloodline.

Wen Yuzhi only wanted to go out and have fun. He did not want to attract attention, so he simply covered himself up a little.

And since he did not have the Saint Clan’s obvious physical traits to begin with, once his hair and pupils turned black, Wen Yuzhi looked no different from an ordinary human from the outside.

In fact, when he looked at himself in the mirror with black hair and black eyes, Wen Yuzhi felt a long-lost sense of familiarity.

He had lived in the Wen family like this for more than ten years, and yet perhaps because he had grown used to seeing himself with silver hair and golden eyes, changing back so suddenly made him feel strangely unaccustomed to it.

He shook his head, making himself stop thinking about the past.

That was all over now. He was Saint Clan now. He had a new life and a family that loved him.

Thinking that, Wen Yuzhi stepped out of the room.

Mond was waiting for him outside the door.

In the old chief steward’s hands was a tray piled with accessories.

But these were not ordinary accessories. They were protective tools crafted by the workshops in Esoris, inspired by Wen Yuzhi’s sapphire necklace.

Not only that, Mansendis’s mental energy had also been placed inside Wen Yuzhi’s light-brain.

If something like what had happened before ever happened again, Mansendis would know immediately.

And after Wen Yuzhi put on all those accessories and went out with more than a dozen equally disguised royal guards following behind him...

Wen Yuzhi felt that with all the layers of security measures now protecting him, forget someone trying to kidnap him—even if Blue Luster Star exploded, he probably still would not necessarily be harmed.

But in the eyes of other people, Wen Yuzhi walking around with more than ten bodyguards behind him looked absurdly extravagant, like some rich young master from an old family, brimming with pomp.

And of course, the first thing Young Master Wen Rich-Family-Style Zhizhi did after going out was head somewhere with the most people.

There was a famous shopping district nearby, and it was the perfect place to stroll around.

After arriving, Wen Yuzhi looked left and right, then went straight into a dessert shop beside him.

Staring at the delicate cakes displayed in the window, he picked out a flavor he had been wanting to try for a long time.

“Hello, I’d like one of this vanilla ice cream cake.”

“Hello, please wrap up this cake for me.”

Wen Yuzhi’s voice and another voice sounded almost at exactly the same time.

And by pure coincidence, both of them were pointing at the only vanilla ice cream cake in the display window.