The morning light shone brightly.

Liyue slowly opened her eyes, waking up to find an animal skin quilt draped over her body. A warm feeling rose in her heart.

She glanced sideways at the wall covered with swords, and her delicate face softened.

Yes, the white-haired girl had once again spent the night in Luciel's room. As for the reason—she'd already forgotten.

"If this continues… I'm afraid I won't be able to leave, will I?" Liyue whispered, gently brushing the scarlet lines on her right cheek.

If not for the "virtual ghost infection," perhaps she really would have wanted to stay.

After all, here she could bathe in water—such a luxury. She could drink tea—such extravagance. But most importantly, he didn't hate her.

"Oh, what am I thinking? Yu Fei'er and the others are still waiting for me. I have to meet them at 'Angel Tears.'"

Covering her pretty face with her hands, her silver-white eyes grew hazy as she rolled back and forth on the bed.

"Ahem…"

A cough sounded from the doorway.

"…" Liyue froze halfway through her roll.

"I just need to grab something. Don't mind me, continue."

Leaning against the doorframe, Luciel smiled faintly as he watched the girl freeze like a startled rabbit on the bed.

"Huh~~" Liyue immediately pulled the quilt over her head, faster than ever before.

Amusement flickered in Luciel's black eyes. He walked into the room, picked up a waterproof backpack from the corner, and headed back to the door.

"I'm heading out. You can keep sleeping," he said with a chuckle before leaving.

In the hall, Luciel poured out the contents of the backpack—several pieces of animal skin. With the sky still early and the girls asleep, he planned to study the oracle bone inscriptions carved into them.

He hadn't expected to see such a flustered side of the white-haired girl—it was actually rather cute.

"This inscription corresponds to the word 'fire.'" Luciel carefully copied each oracle bone character, then wrote down the corresponding simplified version.

By comparing and contrasting, he gradually deciphered the inscriptions.

"There are still so many I don't recognize…" he muttered, scratching his head.

Immersed in study, time slipped by. The morning sun brightened the sky.

"Aha~~" Mino yawned as she opened her door, only to notice the firepit was cold and unused.

"Luciel! I'll cook breakfast," the rabbit-eared girl announced eagerly, raising her hand.

"Hm?" Luciel looked up from his work, then smiled. "Then I'll trouble you."

"It's no trouble at all!" Mino chirped as she carried a steel pot into the warehouse.

Ten seconds later, she returned with a grimace, holding an empty wooden barrel.

"Luciel… we're out of water," she said weakly.

"Don't worry. We still have some." Luciel smiled calmly.

He pulled out a wooden bucket from under the table. With a small twist, clear water gushed out.

Splash~~

"Huh? Since when did we have another bucket of water?" Mino's blue eyes widened as she quickly held her barrel to catch it.

Her gaze caught on the small gap in the bucket, and her expression shifted. She nudged Luciel's foot with her toe, whispering nervously, "Luciel… there's something inside. It's trying to get out."

"Oh, right. The crystal fish." Luciel suddenly remembered. Of course—Mino had never seen one before.

He lifted the lid in a swift motion, eyes sharp as he caught sight of the shimmering creature.

In his mind, he gave the order: "Tame the crystal fish. Evolve it directly to Level 3."

"Ding! Level 1 lifeform detected: Crystal Fish. Commencing taming…"

"Ding! Taming successful. 10 taming points consumed."

"Ding! Evolution initiated. Advancing from Level 1 to Level 3. 110 evolution points consumed."

"Ding! Evolution complete. Level 3 Crystal Fish obtained."

"Ding! Inheritable talent detected: [Crystal Fish · Water Element Condensation]. Inherit?"

"Inherit," Luciel commanded, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.

Another ability everyone would envy. With this, he would never again have to worry about running out of water.

"Ding! Inheritance complete. [Water Element Condensation] successfully acquired."

A refreshing sensation coursed through him before fading away.

Luciel opened his system interface to check:

Trainer: Luciel

Strength: 46

Speed: 45.8

Physique: 48

Spirit: 70

Lifespan: 24 / 1200 years

Taming Points: 0 (refreshes daily, accumulative)

Evolution Points: 748

Abilities:

Mimicry · Scaly Hardening (Lv. 4)

Baisi Control (Lv. 4)

Earth & Rock Manipulation (Lv. 4)

Starlight Realm (Lv. 3)

Water Element Condensation (Lv. 3)

Angel's Tears (Lv. 1)

Domesticated Beasts:

Tricolor Lizard · Scaly Hardening (Lv. 4)

Red Ghost Spider · Baisi Control (Lv. 4)

Rock Tortoise · Earth & Rock Manipulation (Lv. 4)

Crystal Fish · Water Element Condensation (Lv. 3)

Domesticated Plants:

Starlight Tea Tree · Starlight Realm (Lv. 3)

Angel Wings · Angel's Tears (Lv. 1)

Satisfied, Luciel closed the panel.

"Huh? The crystal fish… it's gotten bigger." Mino's blue eyes sparkled with surprise.

Every time she saw Luciel take in a tiny creature, only for it to grow huge instantly, she couldn't help but be shocked.

"Oh! Luciel, put it down already—you're about to crush it!"

She poked his cheek with her finger, urging him.

Startled, Luciel quickly released the fish, which had grown to half a meter in length, letting it breathe.

Splash~~

The crystal fish immediately activated its talent, gathering countless droplets around itself until a huge sphere of water enveloped Luciel's arm.

Luciel sighed helplessly at his soaked sleeve. "Looks like I'll need to keep you in the bathtub for now."

"What a beautiful fish! Long, elegant… and translucent!" Mino leaned closer, mesmerized by the shimmering creature, her fingers brushing the watery sphere.

"It's just being naughty," Luciel muttered as he placed the fish into a large empty tub.

"Hehe… Naughty is fine too," Mino defended softly, her eyes glued to the glittering creature. Like all women—whether young girls or grown ladies—she couldn't resist shiny things.

Splash!

The bathtub instantly filled with water.

"Gulu gulu…" The crystal fish sent its grievances to Luciel—it found the space far too small.

"Stay put for now. I'll dig a big pool for you later," Luciel soothed it, sending calming thoughts so the water wouldn't spill everywhere.

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