"All part of the same family. Nana is destined to become the Pope in the future."
"Your young master, as Nana's husband, must not be treated lightly. It would be too impersonal otherwise."
Bibi Dong feigned a sigh and glanced at Chen Jian and the others.
However, Chen Jian, completely unmoved, waved his hand and chuckled:
"Your Holiness, you are too kind. You are the Pope, holding supreme authority over the Spirit Hall."
"As for us, we are merely elderly folk who have stepped into retirement."
"We've long since lost the passion of youth and only wish to spend our remaining days in East Sea City, watching our young master settle down and start a family."
"This way, we too can enjoy our twilight years in peace."
"And you, Thirteen, is this what you think too?" Bibi Dong raised an eyebrow and scrutinized Thirteen, narrowing her eyes.
"Zhou Long and Chen Jian might be able to enjoy their retirement, but you're still young. Surely you're not already planning to withdraw from the world?"
"Indeed." Thirteen replied calmly, his tone unwavering.
His respect for Bibi Dong stemmed solely from Ye Tian.
His earnest yet perfunctory demeanor made it clear to Bibi Dong that she was not welcome.
Bibi Dong, not one to push beyond her bounds, wisely perceived the rejection.
She refrained from pursuing the matter further and turned her gaze toward Ye Tian.
"Prepare well today; tomorrow we head to Spirit City."
"Understood." Ye Tian nodded in agreement.
After Bibi Dong left, Chen Jian approached Ye Tian and whispered with a grin:
"Seems like even the Pope of Spirit Hall is not above trying to recruit talent, even extending her efforts to us."
A faint smile appeared on Thirteen's face as well: "It's not that Spirit Hall is weak; it's that our young master is simply too strong."
"Walls have ears. Speak less." Zhou Long reminded them cautiously.
Then, bowing toward Ye Tian, he said, "Young Master, as we head to Spirit City, why not have the Polaris Squad accompany you? With me absent, they can still offer you some degree of protection."
"No need. Let them stay by the East Sea." Ye Tian shook his head.
"Spirit City is teeming with experts, a stark contrast to the remote East Sea coast."
"Bringing the Polaris Squad would increase the risk of exposure."
Even the most highly trained special forces could not remain entirely hidden.
In the sparsely populated East Sea City, it was easy to blend into the environment.
But Spirit City was different—its dense population made the risk of exposure much higher.
For now, the special forces were Ye Tian's secret trump card.
Top-quality steel must be reserved for the blade.
"Zhou Lao, there's no need to keep worrying about my safety over and over."
"Rest assured, I value my safety and would not do anything foolish."
At this, Zhou Long bowed once more. "I understand."
The next day, on Douluo New Year's Day:
"Host, your New Year's gift pack has been delivered to your storage space. Please check it."
"Goodbye."
Half-asleep, Ye Tian heard the system's voice in the early morning.
He had to admit, his "Patience" system truly lived up to its name.
All these years in the Douluo Continent, it only made appearances during festive seasons to deliver gifts.
Otherwise, it would remain completely unresponsive.
Glancing at the faint light of dawn outside the window, Ye Tian decided not to go back to sleep.
He was curious to see what the system had delivered this time.
Just as he was about to lift the covers and get up, he noticed Hu Liena's soft hand wrapped tightly around his neck.
Leaning close to her ear, Ye Tian whispered softly, "Little fox, the sun is shining. Time to get up."
No response—she seemed to be sleeping soundly.
"If you don't wake up, there'll be no breakfast."
"Hmm? Breakfast?"
Hu Liena reflexively opened her eyes, her hand releasing its hold on Ye Tian's neck.
"There's none."
Ye Tian sat up halfway and covered Hu Liena with the blanket.
"You lied to me?"
"No, you were dreaming."
"Hmm."
Not one to oversleep, Hu Liena instinctively pressed the bedroom's crystal lamp switch.
She put on a thick, fluffy robe and got out of bed to join Ye Tian in freshening up.
After washing up, Ye Tian retrieved his storage ring and went to the tea table by the window.
He could clearly sense a glowing object inside.
Using his soul power, he extracted the glowing object from the ring.
The light soon dissipated, revealing two ancient, yellowed pieces of parchment.
"Surprising, it's not modern items this time." Ye Tian felt a trace of excitement.
In the past, the system's gifts were often items like The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, High School Chemistry Encyclopedia, or Das Kapital.
While these books could spark the dawn of technology on Douluo Continent, technology wasn't the mainstream here and wouldn't be easily accepted in the short term.
As a result, Ye Tian's workshop remained hidden in a remote mountain, conducting secret experiments for personal amusement.
Observing the two pieces of parchment carefully, Ye Tian found they contained ancient text from Douluo Continent.
He could only recognize a few simple words, roughly translating to "crystal" and similar terms.
At the bottom of the parchment were a few diagrams.
"Could it be a treasure map?"
"But not knowing the script makes things tricky."
"Brother, up so early to study?"
Freshly washed, Hu Liena leaned over, wrapping her arms around Ye Tian's shoulders.
"Nana, do you know ancient scripts?" Ye Tian asked.
Hu Liena chuckled, wagging her finger:
"You've come to the right person. As the Pope's direct disciple, I've studied four ancient script systems to research old cultivation methods!"
"Nana, you're truly multi-talented."
Casually praising her, Ye Tian handed the parchment to Hu Liena.
"Quick, take a look and see what it says."
"Sure."
Hu Liena eagerly examined the parchment.
Moments later, she gasped in surprise. "This is the blueprint for creating soul devices!"
"Wasn't the knowledge of soul devices lost on the continent? How do you have this?"
As she continued reading, her eyes dimmed with disappointment.
"It seems to be a method for making a projection soul device."
"I thought it might be for soul weapons."
"Projection?" Ye Tian's brows relaxed. "Isn't that essentially a camera?"
He chuckled. "This is great! It'll make life so much more colorful."
"Perhaps one day, films might become a staple of entertainment on Douluo Continent."
"I don't get it." Hu Liena pouted, waving the parchment. "Since you're so interested, why don't I copy it down for you?"
With that, Hu Liena pulled up a small sandalwood chair and began translating the ancient text onto fresh paper.
Taking advantage of the time, Ye Tian went to the farm's kitchen to prepare breakfast for the two of them.
"How fragrant! Is that little yellow fish? My favorite!" Hu Liena sniffed the air, delighted.
Truth be told, she was tempted to stay in East Sea City forever.
Every day, she could enjoy delicious food here.
In Spirit City, meals prioritized nutrition from supplements, while taste came second.
"Your nose is as sharp as ever."
Ye Tian opened the lunchbox, revealing an array of exquisite seafood dishes—at least a dozen in total.
(End of chapter)
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