Xyrin Empire-Chapter 646

At first, I thought that Mercury Lamp simply wasn’t ready to face her sisters under these circumstances, but now it seems, I clearly overlooked the influence of an Empire’s leaders of no morals on the gradual loss of integrity of a Rose Maiden.

That short one was purely afraid of getting scolded...

It wasn’t until a miniature doll named Cui Xingshi burst out of the house and used a super-sized watering can to "cultivate" a mass of vines to attack me and Qianqian that I realized this.

That mischievous guy, he had written an ambiguous "threatening letter" to his sisters before, claiming to send them to another world—how is that not setting up his own demise! Anyone would misunderstand, right?

Vines, sound waves, red roses, animated puppets—what normally seemed harmless were now transformed into weapons. Coupled with a valiant girl wielding golden scissors, these attacks swarmed out from the house in front of us and surrounded Qianqian and me from all directions in seamless coordination. Their quick mobilization of formidable firepower showed that the other side had been training intensely in anticipation of an "emergency." Mercury Lamp’s little trick was now crystal clear; a simple invitation had been twisted into a threatening letter, which had terrified her poor sisters for who knows how many days.

"Hey, Ah Jun, something doesn’t seem right."

Facing the incoming assault, Qianqian still had the leisure to chat with me as she casually caught the golden scissors that came from above and mumbled while tilting her head.

"Phew, that Mercury Lamp, she must have known this situation would occur, and she’s probably afraid of getting scolded, which is why she didn’t follow us."

I opened up the Energy Shield, creating a vacuum in the immediate vicinity to block the omnidirectional sonic attacks. The attacks originated from a doll girl standing on the rooftop, dressed in a bright golden-yellow, using a small violin as a weapon to release air pulses mixed with high-frequency sound waves. Although it sounded like a vigorous violin piece, it contained frequencies indiscernible to human ears, making it a rather effective method of attack—see, even in a world like the Rose Maiden, we can analyze problems scientifically. Next, let’s discuss whether the watering can that Cui Xingshi used to instantaneously catalyze giant vines contains a high concentration extract of Gold Kela. Let’s delve into science, into the Empire of Xyrin...

"Cang Xingshi! Come back right now!"

After the valiant girl clutching the golden scissors was effortlessly disarmed by Qianqian, Cui Xingshi immediately shouted nervously. At the same time, an even denser influx of vines started to close in from all directions. The large watering can in Cui Xingshi’s hand was like a Gold Kela factory, endlessly powering the inexplicably growing vegetation. All right, let’s continue into science, deep into its most minute details.

It felt like this miniature doll and that struggling girl with scissors could become lucky candidates for Lilina’s deception... baptism.

Fearing too strong a resistance from them could unintentionally hurt them, Qianqian eventually released the golden scissors of unknown material. Cang Xingshi, the doll girl with contrasting red and green irises, immediately retreated to her sister’s side. As she escaped the "danger," a golden-haired girl in a red dress also took the opportunity to act. Rose petals, appearing out of nowhere and sharp as boomerangs, burst forth from the golden-haired girl’s hands, rapidly expanding until they obscured the sky, and then attacked like a tornado. Undoubtedly, this was an attack staked on the certainty of victory: Mercury Lamp hadn’t made such a fuss when we first brought her home.

Should I jest about the petal rain in front of me as the Thousand Cherry Blossoms scattering?

"Damn it! Why can’t the attacks reach them!"

A few seconds later, the green-skirted doll screamed out in frustration.

At the start of the "battle," Qianqian had used time freeze to lock the flow of everything nearby to prevent this bizarre misunderstanding from causing too much trouble. So, despite the Rose Maidens’ attacks being magnificent and varied, they were actually ineffective: everything around them was fixed in an invincible state by time. Not to mention hitting us, even the dust on the ground couldn’t be stirred by Cui Xingshi’s vines as they swept past.

And our family of three was watching the commotion of the Rose Maidens with exasperated expressions. I was reminded of when Mercury Lamp first came to our house—truly befitting of the first doll, her initial solitary commotion nearly matched the current fuss of all these sisters. Of course, another reason was the bunch of beauties in our house adding to the chaos.

"Let’s catch one first."

Feeling that the nuisance was about enough, I turned around and tucked a small body under my armpit—the sound wave attacks had failed, so the little doll girl who attempted close combat with her violin bow was swiftly defeated.

Let me think, this little girl in the bright yellow dress, with gray curly hair and pupils, should be called Golden Canary, right?

"Let her go!"

I had just remembered the struggling little girl’s name pinned under my arm when another voice suddenly interjected. I looked up to see a pair of golden scissors rapidly enlarging in my line of sight.

"Ah Jun, I caught one too!"

Qianqian halted the attacker in mid-air and then casually stepped forward to cradle her in her arms, turning to me with a smile as if to claim credit.

...Wielding golden scissors, the Rose Maiden, who looks as brave as a boy but also possesses a girl’s fragility, was Cang Xingshi, a "gardener" with Cui Xingshi as her twin. She was likewise defeated in a single round.

Bubbles glanced at our achievements and then shrugged indifferently, clapping her hands a few times.

"Clang!!"

An eight-barreled ion cannon Guard Tower fell from the sky, landing like a super-heavy tank with a thud on the ground. If Qianqian hadn’t halted the flow of time in this area, I guess it would have sunk more than half a meter.

"All you rebels inside the house, listen up!" The imposing child’s mother climbed onto the Guard Tower with a megaphone in hand, wearing a helmet emblazoned with "City Management" that had appeared from nowhere, and her arm adorned with five bars. Amidst the smoky breeze, the white-dressed Loli was like Pandora in possession, "You are surrounded! I order you to give up resistance immediately! Put your hands over your head and don’t move! There’s no escaping if you resist! Repeat! Don’t move! Put your hand on your head! Otherwise, we’ll open fire!"

Half a minute later, a group of Rose Maidens and a spectacled boy who hadn’t shown himself until now walked out obediently.

"Done, the child’s father, all sorted."

The meritorious Bubbles jumped down from the turret, fussing over pushing her tilting helmet back into place, the words ’City Management’ shining brightly in the brilliant sun.

...Truly worthy of someone who could keep up with Lilina, her morals were through the roof.

"Alright, alright, no need for such a long face, we didn’t hurt you guys, right?"

I and Qianqian put Cang Xingshi and Golden Canary on the ground, looking at the group of tense Rose Maidens, my head aching.

A cluster of little girls, each around Shorty’s height, huddled together. Their determined eyes fixed ahead, their protective stance akin to stepping into the end of the world together: what’s with this subtle yet scoundrel-like guilt?

"It’s all because of that dummy Mercury Lamp..."

I sighed deeply, then pulled out the crystal from my pocket again: "Let me repeat, Time-Space Administration, Supreme Governor, also, I am Mercury Lamp’s current foster father."

At these words, silence ensued.

"What did you say?!" The girl who stood at the forefront of the sisters shattered the silence. She boasted floor-length golden twin tails and a face of noble elegance, dressed in a dragging gown akin to that worn by the Queen of England, her light snow-blue crystal-like eyes reflecting the three strangers before her who did not earn the trust of the girls. If one were to overlook her inconspicuous stature, she would indeed pass for a lady of high society.

The original protagonist of the Rose Maiden World, right? A noble doll named Zhenhong.

"Be polite, especially when you’re facing your elders," Bubbles crossed her arms and stared sternly at the group of doll girls who were even shorter than herself, "I’m your elder too! This man by my side is my husband! So that makes me Mercury Lamp’s stepmother!"

"...So you’re mocking me, using such little kids."

If possible, please keep your distance from this no-morals Loli! You’ll realize just how terrifying she is when she starts collecting you as otaku merchandise!

I pulled Bubbles, who had sneakily crept closer in the hopes of kidnap a Rose Maiden for her collection, back to my side and showed a troubled smile to the few doll girls standing guard due to the misunderstanding, "Huff, that Mercury Lamp really knows how to cause trouble... You must have received a letter, right?"

"So you really are enemies!" Golden Canary, who had just regained her freedom, immediately started gesticulating with the sun umbrella in her hand (How did a violin transform into a sun umbrella? Let’s get scientific and explore...), "That suspicious mailman uncle broke into someone’s house in the dead of night, you can tell at a glance he’s no good! And that letter with the black feather, it’s definitely a declaration of war from Mercury Lamp!"

"No, it’s actually just an invitation," I shook my head expressionlessly, "We’re having a carnival, and I asked Mercury Lamp to invite her friends and sisters over to the house to play – but it seems the writing skills of that girl are indeed lacking."

I didn’t voice the fact that she could actually write a normal letter.

As expected, all the Rose Maidens looked at us with distrustful eyes.

"Stop joking, Mercury Lamp would never do such a thing!" Zhenhong was still in a defensive posture, subtly protecting her younger sisters behind her. Despite being perfectly taken down a moment ago, her eyes still held a sense of calm.

I shrugged, "I know she disappeared from all of you a few months ago, and it must have surprised you when she suddenly reappeared calling you ’sister’ – actually, during that time, she has been living with us in another world. People change, Mercury Lamp has given up hostility towards you and is too embarrassed to come over and admit it herself."

Being a daddy is such a draining task, especially when your daughter is always causing mischief outside, and what’s more draining is when she’s up to mischief with her own biological sisters – then to add to the headache, those biological sisters aren’t your daughters, but conversely, that daughter sees you as a father. Yet, her sisters have no clue about it... So, let’s make a formula, to analyze what exactly Zhenhong should call me...

"Daddy, I think you’re having a breakdown."

Bubbles looked at me with concern.

"Breakdown my ass!" I abruptly lifted my head from the complex ethical formulas, and the pained expression on my face must’ve startled Zhenhong and the others, and uh, also the boy Jun Sakurada who was standing beside us, whose presence had already become virtually nil, "Mercury Lamp! Come out! How much longer are you planning to hide?!"

As my voice called out, everyone’s gaze immediately focused in the direction I was looking: the top of a low wall by the path.

A black feather was swirling and fluttering up from there: Mercury Lamp, are you molting? Looks like you’re a couple of days ahead of Alaya.

Under the gaze of so many eyes, even someone like Mercury Lamp couldn’t hold out for long. Accompanied by a gasp from Zhenhong, the black-clad Gothic girl leapt onto the wall from behind, then zipped swiftly before us, facing me from three meters away.

"Don’t tap my head! Don’t pinch my face! Don’t pick me up and spin me around in the air!"

I hadn’t even opened my mouth when Mercury Lamp quickly stated her conditions.

"You seem to think you’ve actually got a point—fine, I agree."

Only after securing the promise she wanted did the doll girl reveal a satisfied expression, zipping onto my shoulder with a swipe and affectionately embracing the adjacent big head, then attempting to pull it off in passing.

Each little girl in our house has her own unique way of showing affection when we meet, typically various hugs, and sitting on my shoulder to embrace my head is Mercury Lamp’s exclusive way of being coquettish. However, inevitably each time, by the end, she would involuntarily pull down, leaving me somewhat teary-eyed.

"Apologize to your sisters, look at this crappy letter you wrote!"

I shrugged my shoulders, and amid Mercury Lamp’s reluctant hums, I forcefully turned the troublemaker around to face a bunch of wide-eyed Rose Maidens.

At this moment, as a successful "trainer," a sense of pride rose within the chest of a certain Leader.

"Zhenhong, we meet again."

Though just a second before she had been playfully grumbling while pulling someone’s hair, when she turned her head, the black-clad gothic girl immediately regained her indifferent expression and softly spoke to her sister in front.

Unlike every past encounter with Zhenhong, where she would accurately count the days since their parting, she now greeted her sister as casually as a common greeting. The golden-haired doll with a noble and graceful demeanor flashed a trace of surprise in her eyes, clearly noticing the change in her sister’s manner of speaking.

"Mercury Lamp..." Zhenhong’s face conveyed disbelief as she looked at the Rose Maiden, who used to exude aggression but now sat with such a tranquil expression on the shoulder of a human (theoretically) and greeted her with such a calm tone. Unaware of what Mercury Lamp had experienced in her life over the past several months of absence, Zhenhong was nothing but bewildered, "You..."

The environment changes everything. Having followed a bunch of Imperial Leaders with no morals through an extraordinary universal war, and having seen a vast world that Rose Maidens could never realize, Mercury Lamp had already abandoned the "petty" grudge between her and Zhenhong. Therefore, after composing herself, with a hint of mischief, Mercury Lamp looked at her sisters, with their various expressions, and softly said, "The Carnival is approaching. Do you want to come over to my place?"

...I realized that through the constant battles with Lilina, this little doll had also picked up the latter’s scheming side, like using psychological gaps to shock others and then sneakily watching their ludicrous reactions in secret. She was well aware that suddenly changing her way of speaking would create an impact on her sisters, so she did just that.

"You, what have you done to Mercury Lamp?!" Golden Canary, with an alarmed expression, waved her umbrella in front of my face, poking here and there, "She’s definitely not normal right now!"

"If you knew how much trouble your sister caused when she first came to my place, you would never say that—I can’t tell you how much effort it took me to tame her... Hey, Mercury Lamp, don’t bite my ear!"

And so, the awkward father-daughter duo got into another tussle.

"So that’s how it is," Zhenhong said, her voice lilting slightly, "It seems Mercury Lamp, you’ve finally found your warmth too, though it’s quite late to say so now, but..."

"Apologies are unnecessary," Mercury Lamp, who had been fighting with her "foster father" just a second ago, switched instantly to chairwoman mode, utilizing her Skill honed amongst the Imperial High Level to shift into a commanding presence. She spoke abruptly yet not coldly with her back to her sisters, "Let’s leave it at that. Today, I came only to invite you over to play at my place. Over the past few months, I’ve been at an incredibly unbelievable location. If you’re curious, you can follow me today. But that guy with the eyes is not included! One stupid human is enough!"

After all, he was the original "protagonist," now coldly sidelined without a word.

I cast a sympathetic look to the frustrated bespectacled boy, who was the rightful hero of the story, then pulled out a huge stack of Crystals, "Line up, girls—one IQ card each for the Rose Maidens, six in total... okay, let’s make that five..."

(To be continued. If you like this story, I invite you to cast your recommendation and monthly votes at Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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