The little girl tilted her head cutely, clearly perplexed as she blinked at him. After considering for a mont, she asked innocently again, "Then should I call you papa?"
Orion imdiately felt a surge of internal despair and frustration, the corners of his mouth twitching even more violently.
He had barely stepped into adulthood and hadn’t had any bed action, yet here he was, suddenly saddled with the responsibility of a little girl calling him papa.
He took a deep breath to calm himself, his voice carrying a helpless resignation, "No, you can call Big Brother Orion. I’m neither your mama nor your papa."
She stared up at him with an adorably stubborn gaze, pursing her small lips slightly. It was clear she wasn’t entirely convinced.
Orion felt another wave of helplessness wash over him, rembering the mont the little girl hatched from that enormous, cursed egg.
At that ti, Orion had no idea how to react, everything he knew about reality seed to shatter. Especially when she first called him daddy, his heart nearly stopped from sheer panic.
He wanted to steel his heart and leave her behind to soone more qualified to care for a child, but the bitter irony was that he didn’t even possess the strength to abandon her.
Using the Eye of Revelation, he had discovered that she was born directly as an Exalted Grade being, a truly unbelievable existence.
Just glimpsing further details about her origins or nature required an astronomical amount of SP that Orion wasn’t currently willing to sacrifice, or rather he didn’t have that much.
Resigned to this reality, Orion had accepted his fate. The silver lining was that her presence cleanly repelled any mana beast along their path, allowing them to travel peacefully and swiftly. Within just a few days, they had already entered the outskirts of the Thunderpeak Kingdom.
Despite this fortunate turn of events, Orion couldn’t quite summon the strength to be happy. His heart was still crying out internally, ’Ahh! Who did I provoke to end up stuck with this disaster?! Why am I forced to beco a caretaker for this child?!’
Lumi, anwhile, took imnse delight in Orion’s internal tornt, teasing him relentlessly. Her mischievous laughter echoed frequently in his mind,
[Hahahahaha! Master, you really need to man up and accept responsibility! You poured your essence into that egg, she’s technically half yours whether you admit it or not. (¬‿¬)]
As if to reinforce Lumi’s words, the little girl peered up at him curiously once more, her green eyes sparkling earnestly. "Big Brother?" she repeated thoughtfully, then shook her head decisively, smiling sweetly, "But I really like calling you papa!"
Orion nearly stumbled again, tears threatening to form in the corners of his eyes from sheer helplessness. They had this discussion countless tis already, but the little girl hadn’t budged a single inch in the past few days.
In his Sea of Consciousness, Orion couldn’t help but inwardly lant, ’We still don’t know her species, and I honestly don’t get how any creature can hatch at the Exalted Grade! This is ridiculous!’
Lumi giggled knowingly,
[Hehe, you don’t need to vent your frustration by sounding ignorant, Master. Beings nurtured in exceptional environnts or left to develop over countless years can naturally be born at higher cultivation grades. Even among the Dragon Clan, there are dragons who hatch directly at Exalted or higher grades.]
[So dragons with diluted bloodlines might never even reach that level throughout their lifetis. Clearly, she must have remained dormant in that cave for an unimaginably long period, absorbing energy and nurturing herself to an extre level, resulting in her astonishing birth grade. But her Origins must not be simple since she can be born directly at Exalted Grade. Her future achievents should at least reach the limit of this world.]
Hearing Lumi’s explanation, Orion rely shook his head softly, deciding it wasn’t worth the headache to dwell on the matter further.
Over the past days, he had discovered that the little girl’s appetite rivaled or perhaps even exceeded his own, forcing him to hunt and cook monsters frequently.
Although Orion himself wouldn’t mind eating the nutrient-rich atballs from the Infinite atball Forge, he simply couldn’t bear to subject the adorable girl to a monotonous diet.
So, with reluctant acceptance, Orion had taken on the unexpected role of both guardian and cook.
As they continued across the peaceful plains, Orion finally gave up trying to correct her affectionate form of address.
He reached down and gently patted the little girl’s silky green hair, a helpless smile forming across his face. "Fine, suit yourself."
The little girl giggled softly, clearly satisfied with her victory, grabbing onto Orion’s sleeve affectionately. Her cheerful laughter and innocent expression gradually ward his heart, softening so of his frustrations.
Soon, the towering gates and bustling walls of a large, prosperous city appeared on the horizon.
Silver spires glimred in the distance under the gentle sunlight, the distinctive architecture of Thunderpeak Kingdom coming into full view.
Orion quickened his pace slightly, his long robes fluttering gently behind him as he led the little girl forward, who eagerly kept pace by his side.
As they approached the city, Orion glanced down at the excited child, silently thinking with mixed emotions, ’I wonder how the others will react to her? Hmm, I think they will lt with her cuteness alone.’
At that mont, the little girl raised her head happily, calling out in an excited, "Papa, let’s hurry! There’s lots of yummy food in the city, right?"
Orion nearly tripped yet again, helplessly sighing as he conceded in defeat. Smiling softly despite himself, he lightly replied, "Yes, there will be plenty of delicious food. Let’s go and enjoy it, Little Lyra."
He had decided on this na after an entire day of thinking. Because if they were going to travel then she needed a na at least. And for so reason, she didn’t know her own na like Orion. So he decided to na her Lyra, based on a constellation from his past life since she seed like a celestial on earth.
The little girl excitedly nodded her head and skipped towards the city with him.
Orion then rembered that he had nearly exhausted all of his Mana Crystals on her, so he could only shake his head, ’Well, I will just sell so treasures here.’
Soon, Orion and Lyra ca to a stop before the tall, imposing gates of the city. Orion’s eyes casually glanced upward, his gaze landing on the grandly carved letters displayed above the entrance, clearly spelling out: [Silverfall City]
He raised an eyebrow in slight surprise, ’Silverfall City...isn’t this the city where Magi established Limitless Heaven not too long ago?’
A faintly mischievous smile slowly ford across his lips, his eyes flashing with excitent. ’Perfect. Looks like it’s ti to empty Magi’s pockets again.’
However, the subtle excitent dimd slightly as mories of the unfortunate accident in the cave resurfaced.
A complicated expression flashed briefly across his handso face. Orion softly sighed inwardly, suddenly feeling a pang of worry. ’I wonder how everyone else is doing. Hopefully, Brother Lucan and Uncle Edgar managed to find the others safely.’
Lumi’s encouraging and gentle voice resonated comfortingly in his consciousness, easing so of Orion’s anxieties,
[Don’t worry, Master! I’m confident the others will be fine, especially with that expert who helped to stabilize the spatial fissure. And besides, their luck isn’t as terrible as yours, after all, not everyone would stumble upon an Exalted Grade beast out of nowhere.]
Reviews
All reviews (0)