"…I didn't catch that. Could you repeat it?"
"I hope you can beco Karen's brother."
Ren Suo recalled for a mont and confird that in English, "brother-in-law" and "brother" were two completely different terms, feeling a twinge of disappointnt.
But before he could speak, Little Jiu looked at Little Karen with tear-filled eyes. "Karen, are you going to steal my Big Brother?"
What was supposed to be a good deed, bringing soone up to et Big Brother, turned out to be introducing a wolf into the house!
Little Karen blinked and opened her arms to hug Little Jiu, rubbing her face against hers while giggling, "No, he'll be our Big Brother! I'll share with you!"
"Half each?" Little Jiu asked seriously.
"Yes, half each! Good things are to be shared!"
Little Karen stretched out two little hands, one for Little Jiu and the other on her own chest. Ren Suo scoffed at the sight—as if he were a waterlon to be shared, half for you and half for .
"May I ask Miss Euphy…"
"Just call Euphy, Suo."
"Alright, Euphy."
Ren Suo asked seriously, "Becoming Karen's brother... what does that an?"
Euphy spread her hands and said, "It's just as it sounds."
"After Karen's Awakening, she never really had any friends. She doesn't trust other people, except for our Ranpelrouge Family's long-ti butler and . She doesn't like getting close to other people—whether they are maids or bodyguards, or even children of the sa age."
"At parties, Karen ate alone because she doesn't like interacting with others."
"But, you are an exception." Euphy glanced at Little Jiu. "And now there's another exception… eting you, Suo, has really been wonderful. I hope you can beco Karen's brother, chat with her, and talk about topics she's interested in."
Euphy blinked. "For example, the Fairy Palace… Even though we are studying the language and culture of the Mysterious Country, we still can't compare to soone from the Mysterious Country itself. Karen really wants to discuss the Fairy Palace with you, and you are an expert Researcher on the Fairy Palace. Of course, even so trivial and amusing anecdotes would make Karen very happy."
"However, now…" Euphy looked at Little Jiu. "If possible, I also hope that Little Jiu can beco friends with Karen."
Euphy sighed. "I usually have to focus on Cultivation and studies, as well as managing the group's decisions, so I can't always be with Karen. She doesn't have friends to talk to, and I always hope she can have a few friends to communicate with."
Ren Suo understood. "You want to chat more with Karen? But you are returning to Britain…"
Euphy looked puzzledly at Ren Suo. "We have the internet and smartphones."
"Uh... Can't Karen just chat with online friends?"
Euphy shook her head. "Karen doesn't like talking to strangers, and I don't dare let Karen interact with unknown people. You know, there are a lot of weirdos on the internet, and if she encounters so disgusting people… The best way to avoid filth is not to go to filthy places."
Ren Suo agreed wholeheartedly.
It was like when he opened his social dia feed: the post above was Zhao Huo showing off his cross-dressing figurines, and below was Qiao Muyi's toxic chicken soup—a real intelligence debuff.
Dong Chengling thoughtfully glanced at Euphy and said, "Actually, the best solution is for Suo to co back to Britain with you, and then beco Karen's brother, accompanying her every day."
Euphy nodded with a smile. "Even if we can't achieve the best ending, as long as Suo and Karen can stay in touch, I'd be very happy. Karen has rarely been close with males. Looking towards the future, we can foresee Karen gradually becoming an important force in Britain. She will inevitably have to deal with other people, and I'm really worried about her right now. Moreover, if Karen later ets a bad man who can deceive her, she has no experience and could be trapped before we knew it was too late. So, I want to find a brother-like figure for her, to let her gain experience interacting with n."
Ren Suo wondered about the subtext of Euphy's words. Was she implying he was a bad man, or that he wasn't one?
Of course, according to Euphy's statent, Ren Suo was undoubtedly an excellent choice: Firstly, Karen liked him, which was a necessary condition. Secondly, Ren Suo was very talkative, which Euphy had already verified. Thirdly, Ren Suo was a citizen of Mysterious Country, and this identity ensured that no matter what his intentions were, he could never have designs on the Ranpelrouge family business.
Ren Suo didn't think too much about it and agreed right away.
He was extrely curious about the little girl Karen himself—being favored by the Mini-World Ga Console was akin to being a Chosen Maiden. Now that he had the chance to observe Karen's growth up close, Ren Suo naturally agreed.
Hearing Ren Suo's agreent, Little Jiu and Little Karen beca so happy that they started frolicking again, but at this mont, Euphy stood up, ready to leave.
"Suo, you and Little Jiu must keep in touch with us, preferably through Faceti (video chat)," she said.
Euphy left her contact information and took Karen by the hand to say goodbye. "After we finish visiting everyone else, we are likely to return to Britain tomorrow."
"You can co to Britain to find us later, and we will surely give you a grand welco. Or perhaps, we might co to Mysterious Country again. Karen, it's ti to go."
"Bye-bye, Little Jiu! Bye-bye, Big Brother! Bye-bye, Big Sister!"
"Bye-bye, Pretty Sister! Bye-bye, Karen!"
After Little Karen and Euphy left, the living room suddenly beca quiet. Only after a while did they hear the sound of a car engine starting and moving away from downstairs.
Little Jiu looked at Dong Chengling, then at Ren Suo, and asked softly, "Big Brother, will you still make sothing delicious? Little Jiu can wait."
Little Jiu knew she hadn't gone out for an hour and co back, so naturally, Ren Suo wouldn't have had ti to prepare anything delicious. However, she still asked with a hint of hope, even making a concession—she could wait!
Before Ren Suo could speak, Dong Chengling gave him a curious look. "You can cook?"
"Uh..." Ren Suo covered his mouth and mouthed to Dong Chengling, "Order takeout."
Dong Chengling couldn't help but snicker and said, "I'm also heading out now; I can't just let Xiao Yan cover my class... Co over to my place for lunch after I finish buying groceries, let's say at 12:15 PM."
Now that Euphy and the others had left, it was natural for Dong Chengling to also take her leave.
However, she glanced at the contact information Euphy left behind and narrowed her eyes slightly—there were two contact numbers listed, marked 'Karen' and 'Euphy'...
She looked at Little Jiu and asked, "Is this your relative's daughter? What's her na?"
"Yes," Ren Suo said with a straight face. "Her na is Little Jiu."
"How long is she planning to stay?" Read complete version only at NoveI-Fire.ɴet
Before Ren Suo could reply, Little Jiu clung tightly to Ren Suo's hand and earnestly said, "Forever! Not a year, a month, a day, an hour, or a minute less!"
Dong Chengling could no longer maintain her calm smile.
Seeing such a charming little girl say these words, even she couldn't help but smile with narrowed eyes. "Alright, alright, you can stay forever."
"In that case, Suo, you'll need to transfer her to a school. She should be... in elentary school, right?" Dong Chengling ca over, patted Little Jiu's head, and said, "There will be sothing delicious at noon. Can you wait until then?"
"I can!"
"Then you have to behave and stay at ho. Don't run around anymore. Suo, see you at noon."
Although Ren Suo noticed that Dong Chengling's way of addressing him had changed from 'Ren Suo' to 'Suo,' he didn't mind it much. Instead, he seriously pondered a problem.
It was clear that Dong Chengling didn't believe the 'relative's daughter' story, but she did remind Ren Suo of sothing: he needed to sort out an identity for Little Jiu.
Currently, in Mysterious Country, Little Jiu was undoubtedly unregistered.
A person with no birth certificate, no household registration, and no ID card—a so-called three-no person.
In fact, most Demons and Ghosts are unregistered.
Apart from the small number willing to register with the Tactical Bureau as 'nationally registered monsters,' most Demons and Strange Creatures can only wander around rural areas, urban villages, suburbs, and places where hotels don't require an ID card for check-in.
Of course, the country has always been promoting that registered Demons and Ghosts can receive living subsidies and arranged employnt and housing.
But while monsters didn't rush to register, a large group of ordinary people were trying to scam money from the Tactical Bureau and the Public Security systems.
Xie Qiansi often talked about this in that chat group she started—people with gallstones claiming they're Golden Core ancestors, pregnant won claiming they are Nascent Soul Female Cultivators, practically turning the Public Security bureau into a hospital.
Ren Suo certainly didn't want Little Jiu to beco a person without an identity. After Dong Chengling's reminder, he actually considered sending Little Jiu to elentary school, but he didn't want Little Jiu to register.
Although the state had allowed Demons and Ghosts to exist, no one knew how the future would change.
After all, the saying "Those who are not of our kind must have a different heart" is deeply inscribed in human bloodlines.
This is also one of the main reasons why Demons and Ghosts do not register themselves.
Demons and Ghosts understand humans too well; if they don't register, they can keep their existence hidden, but once they are registered, their life and Freedom are no longer in their own hands.
Not to ntion, the movie "Demon-Slaying Blade" had just finished its theater run not long ago, and humans were still imrsed in the simple worldview that 'the Tactical Bureau are the good guys, exterminating all evil spirits and monsters.' People definitely did not have a favorable opinion of the Non-human race.
Of course, the real powerhouses wouldn't care. Non-humans like Yun Wangshu and Changsheng could even receive overtures from the state due to their strength.
The world was changing rapidly, and policies couldn't keep up imdiately, so naturally, Ren Suo didn't want Little Jiu to register a fairy identity—he believed Little Jiu could live normally in human society.
To put it another way, Little Jiu was almost 'crafted' by him.
Little Jiu's growth system was mostly following the evolution gained during the Nine-Tailed Fox phase, and Little Jiu's personality was entirely decided by him. He had no reason not to be confident.
Not to ntion, Ren Suo had already ford a Bond with Little Jiu.
Although there was no basis for it, Ren Suo subconsciously believed that the existence of the Bond made him and his bonding partner important parts of each other's lives. Ren Suo had to face adversity with the other person or deepen their relationship to form a Bond. Furthermore, the bonding partner's increase in strength and the rising Bond Level would also feed back to Ren Suo.
Such a Bond made it very difficult for both sides to betray each other. Not that they couldn't, but they wouldn't even want to entertain the thought.
The next problem, then, was how to get Little Jiu a normal identity.
Ren Suo's first thought was of Yu Kuangtu and Li Dan.
Those two were practically the two big bullies of Lianjiang City. Especially after the Heavenly Lotus attack incident and the convention event, the Tactical Bureau was sure to get more attention and resources. Other departnts would also have to cooperate with the Tactical Bureau's work.
Asking them to get Little Jiu an identity should be a piece of cake.
But Ren Suo quickly listed this as a backup option.
Although he knew that with their Bond, even if Yu Kuangtu and Li Dan had suspicions, they would still handle the matter perfectly.
However, after all, both of them were part of the Tactical Bureau system.
Getting an identity would ultimately be done through others, leaving traces that would not withstand investigation.
Similarly, it wouldn't work to seek help from Xie Qiansi and those friends in the Public Security system.
Little Jiu was rootless, and anyone who investigated her would find problems with her identity.
And Ren Suo, being a dic from Heavenly Lotus Academy, a Level 3 Researcher, and external personnel of the Tactical Bureau system, it was quite normal for people around him to be investigated.
One might think Ren Suo was idle all day, but he was actually considered a confidential staff mber within the Tactical Bureau system.
However, precisely because he stayed at ho and didn't work, he was not likely to be scrutinized—his gar lifestyle made the Tactical Bureau very reassured.
"To create a flawless identity for Little Jiu..."
Ren Suo looked at Little Jiu, and Little Jiu also looked back at him with wide eyes. At this mont, he suddenly had a bold idea.
"Little Jiu, you know my real identity, right?" Ren Suo suddenly said seriously.
"Little Jiu knows, you are the Big Brother from Fairy Palace!" Little Jiu said.
Ren Suo asked, "You understand that Fairy Palace is our secret, right? Have you told anyone else about it?"
Little Jiu shook her head. "No, Little Jiu wasn't sure if Big Brother was there before she found you."
Saying that, Little Jiu got a bit upset. "Big Sister only told to find her in Lianjiang, but Lianjiang is so big! Little Jiu walked all night and didn't et anyone. If I hadn't t you later…"
Ren Suo laughed sheepishly. "Yeah, Big Sister was so bad."
How could he have known then that Little Jiu would really co looking? Of course, he had just given a place na and run.
"So in the future, Little Jiu, you must never talk about Fairy Palace, and you absolutely must not reveal that you are a Nine-Tailed Fox. You must always maintain a human state and never expose it to others. Otherwise…" Ren Suo spread his hands out. "We're about to leave this ho."
At the word 'ho', Little Jiu imdiately beca excited. "I don't want to leave ho again!"
"Then you will absolutely not ntion anything about the Fairy Palace, not expose that I co from the Fairy Palace, not reveal that you are a Nine-Tailed Fox, or that you've t the elder sister from the Fairy Palace."
Although Ren Suo spoke with great seriousness, he wasn't very worried.
After all, Little Jiu would no longer be tracked by the Federal Undertakers, and as long as she didn't reveal her identity as a Nine-Tailed Fox, whatever she said would be dismissed as a child's ramblings, and no one would believe her.
What, are you saying Big Brother Ren Suo is from the Fairy Palace? Hmph, the Black Cat downstairs is a Cat Demon that stole the Sky-bright Pearl! I even saw a Magician with his seven wives fighting the Handso Monkey King from the Fairy Palace not too long ago!
Ren Suo purposefully exaggerated to plug any leaks, but Little Jiu seed to take it very seriously.
She clenched her fists and closed her eyes. Suddenly, a layer of dreamlike Purple-blue Gauze appeared around her.
She muttered to herself, and after a short while, the Purple-blue Gauze disappeared. She opened her eyes and said, "Okay, Little Jiu will absolutely not reveal anything about the Fairy Palace!"
"Oh? Why is that?"
Little Jiu blinked, looked at Ren Suo, and said, "Big Brother is so handso."
"Hmm, got it. Keep it low-key."
Little Jiu laughed. "Big Brother, just then I wasn't saying 'Big Brother is so handso,' but talking about your relationship with the Fairy Palace."
Ren Suo was slightly startled. "Then what I heard was..."
"Hehe, that's the amazing part about Little Jiu!" Swinging her short legs, Little Jiu said, "While playing with Karen, Little Jiu suddenly learned many uses for Clothing. Just now was one of them. I can replace what I want to say with sothing else, so then I won't let anything slip!"
This Ability... isn't it just like replacing sensitive words! And it's even a self-censoring Passive Ability?
However, at this mont, Ren Suo did keenly notice sothing else. "Little Jiu, you said that by playing with Karen, you learned more uses for Clothing?"
"Yes," Little Jiu nodded and said eagerly, "When is Karen coming next ti~"
Ren Suo asked, "Isn't this the first ti you've seen Karen? Why do you like her so much?"
"Hmm?" Little Jiu shook her head and said, "I don't know. I just like her a lot; liked her the mont I saw her. Well, of course, I still like Big Brother the most."
Ren Suo knew he wouldn't get more information from Little Jiu, but from these few words alone, he vaguely sensed sothing.
Little Jiu had rged with the Supre Treasure—certainly not to 100%, but rely to the extent that she could 'use' it, roughly 60% to 70%. Then, the rging process had progressed another level just from playing with Karen for a while.
The ability to enhance the strength of those around her, possessing a powerful allure of her own, and being a formidable Transcendent herself...
Looking at Karen, a Chosen Maiden, Ren Suo verbalized his envy, but he truly was envious—after all, even he had to rely on diligence, Effort, and burning the candle at both ends to get ahead! For the September ga, he even had to tempt fate!
Shaking his head, he cast aside these silly thoughts.
Since Little Jiu could keep secrets and had already beco privy to so of his, Ren Suo could afford to show off a little while sorting out her household registration problem.
Good heavens, having always watched ga characters slaughter their way through while he could only be a three-dinsional Player, Ren Suo didn't know how long he'd anticipated this mont—even if it was just in front of a little girl, he was already eager!
An azure Mark had erged on Ren Suo's left ring finger without notice, and he stood up—
He drew the balcony curtains, not allowing the outside to get even a glimpse into the living room.
Then, Ren Suo snapped his fingers in the center of the living room and murmured, "Heed the command of the Supre Supre! Appear now, the sole ruler of the illusory world, the omnipresent deep blue maiden!"
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