"What if Xiao Cai heard what you just said? What do you think it would do to you?"
Luciel arched a brow, looking at the red-haired girl with a teasing grin tugging at his lips.
Yue Feiyan froze. "Uh... lizards can’t understand human language, right?"
Her voice was cautious, her eyes darting nervously toward the large tricolored lizard lounging near the studio. Slowly, she tiptoed and hid behind Luciel’s broad back like a guilty child.
Luciel chuckled. "Maybe it understands... a little," he said half-jokingly, though even he wasn’t completely sure.
His dosticated beasts could understand his commands through thought and tone, but whether they understood everyone else—that was still uncertain.
"Then please explain to it!" Yue Feiyan pleaded dramatically, crouching down and covering her face. "Tell the big lizard I didn’t an it, okay?"
Even though she had no problem laughing at the creature’s expense, she was terrified of it at the sa ti. An eight-ter-long body, scales gleaming like armor, a mouth full of sharp teeth—it was hard not to be scared.
Luciel sighed helplessly, the corners of his lips twitching. "You really are sothing else," he muttered, shaking his head. "Relax, it didn’t hear you."
"Really? That’s great!" Feiyan exhaled in relief, visibly relaxing.
"Alright then, now get off ," Luciel said, trying not to laugh at how flustered she looked.
Feiyan blinked, realizing she’d been clinging to his arm the whole ti. Her face turned pink, and she quickly stepped back.
Not far away, Yue Qinlan watched them both quietly. Her aqua-blue eyes softened, but then her hand slowly moved to press against her chest. A faint, indescribable tightness filled her heart.
"Mother, what’s wrong?" Feiyan turned to see her mother’s gesture and imdiately grew concerned. "Are you feeling unwell?"
"No, it’s nothing." Yue Qinlan forced a small smile, quickly lowering her hand when she noticed Luciel’s questioning gaze.
"Your wound isn’t fully healed yet?" Luciel frowned slightly.
"It’s fine," she said quickly, searching for an excuse. "It’s just a little itchy, that’s all."
"That scared ," Feiyan sighed in relief. Her mother’s face looked better than before—still pale, but with a faint blush that gave her a touch of warmth.
Before Luciel could speak again, a familiar voice called from the hall.
"Luciel, it’s dinner ti."
Mino poked her head out from the doorway, her blue eyes imdiately locking onto Luciel. Her gaze widened the mont she saw his gleaming armor.
Luciel chuckled. "Let’s eat and talk," he said, walking toward the hall.
As he passed Mino, he reached out and gently closed her slightly open mouth with one finger. "Careful," he teased, "your drool’s about to start flowing."
"Ah—!" Mino panicked and wiped her mouth in embarrassnt, realizing a mont later that she wasn’t actually drooling.
She puffed up her cheeks and glared at him. "Luciel! You tricked again!"
Luciel laughed and walked to the table, his armor glinting under the light. "I’ll take off the armor first," he said casually.
By now, Wei Youlan—who stood quietly nearby in her maid uniform—stepped forward politely. The young girl, barely thirteen, had long brown hair and gentle brown eyes. She had quickly beco Mino’s most dependable assistant.
"Master Luciel," she greeted softly.
Luciel nodded, then gestured toward Mino. "Co here. Help undo the straps."
"Yes!" Mino hurried over and began unfastening the webbing with nimble fingers.
She had done this a few tis before, and her hands were already used to the process. One by one, the armor plates ca off, until the full set rested neatly on a nearby chair.
Luciel stretched his shoulders as he sat down. "Even though it’s light, it still gets a bit uncomfortable after a while."
Yue Qinlan sat gracefully beside him, folding her hands on the table. "Do you plan to mass-produce this armor?" she asked curiously.
Feiyan, sitting opposite, leaned forward and poked at one of the armor’s gauntlets under the table. She was clearly fascinated by it, her red eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"I’ll make a few sets," Luciel replied calmly. "But this invisible armor will only be for mbers of our special departnt here in Black Tortoise."
He hadn’t made this armor for himself. He could already turn invisible and harden his body at will—armor was unnecessary for him. But outfitting an elite unit with this kind of equipnt? That was a different story entirely.
"Special departnt?" Qinlan repeated, tilting her head slightly. "I haven’t heard of such a division in the city."
Luciel smiled faintly. "That’s because it hasn’t been ford yet."
In his mind, he already had one person in mind—the one who had left five days ago: Riyue. The armor’s invisibility could perfectly conceal the symptoms of her "Void Ghost Infection."
"Who’s your first candidate?" Qinlan asked.
"Just one for now," Luciel replied. "But it’ll expand soon."
At that mont, Mino and Wei Youlan began serving dinner. Mino carefully set Luciel’s plate before him, while Youlan served the others.
Tonight’s dishes were luxurious by their standards—stir-fried cabbage, tomato soup, and a perfectly seared beast steak.
Luciel smiled faintly. "Compared to what we used to eat, this feels almost extravagant."
The plantation’s sixth-level Starlight Tea Trees had accelerated the growth of many crops. Vegetables like cabbage and fruits like tomatoes could now be harvested regularly. The City Lord’s Mansion had even begun serving fresh greens daily—a small miracle in itself.
"Hurry up and eat before it gets cold," Luciel said, cutting into his steak.
The at ca from a beast caught earlier that day, thanks to the Red Ghost Spider and the hunting team’s coordinated efforts. With the help of dosticated beasts, their hunts had beco far safer—and far more successful.
As he chewed, Luciel glanced around the table. "Where’s Youfeier? She’s not joining us?"
Mino looked toward Wei Youlan, who answered in her soft, timid voice, "Miss Youfeier said she’s about to prepare a new strengthening potion. She didn’t want to waste ti coming out."
Luciel sighed. "She’s completely obsessed with alchemy."
He waved his hand lightly. "Go have dinner too, Youlan."
"Yes, Master Luciel." The young maid bowed and walked toward the kitchen, her steps light with quiet happiness. Even the servants’ als had improved dramatically—sothing unheard of not long ago.
When the room quieted again, Qinlan turned to Luciel. "So," she said, returning to their earlier topic, "what exactly is your plan?"
Luciel took a sip of soup, his expression calm. "It’s a small idea," he said slowly. "But I’ll need soone to act as a thief."
"A thief?" Qinlan frowned. "You an to steal sothing from the Tenth-Floor City?"
Luciel chuckled and shook his head. "No. To steal our own goods."
"What?" Qinlan blinked, utterly confused. "Why would we steal our own things?"
Luciel leaned back in his chair, resting his chin on one hand. "Tell —how can we quickly exchange our goods for a large amount of beast crystals?"
Qinlan thought for a mont. "If we want speed, we need to make a na for ourselves. That would attract more trade."
Luciel shook his head. "Fa cos easily—but it can also slow things down."
The giant rock tortoise carrying their city would imdiately attract attention if it approached the Tenth-Floor City. The outer districts were crawling with spies. It was impossible to move unnoticed.
So this ti, he wasn’t even going to try hiding. He would arrive openly, using the colossal tortoise itself as a statent.
"What’s more famous than riding a beast the size of a mountain?" Luciel said with a grin.
"Then what’s the problem?" Qinlan asked.
"The problem," Luciel replied, "is fear. If we make too much noise, others might be too afraid to trade with us."
Qinlan’s eyes widened. "You’re planning to reveal Little Black Tortoise to the world?"
Luciel nodded. "Exactly. If we keep dealing in small batches, it’ll take forever to move goods. We need to make the market co to us."
"But that’ll draw unwanted attention—maybe even attacks," Qinlan warned, her voice laced with worry.
Luciel smiled confidently. "Let them try. With the Little Black Tortoise guarding us, even the Tenth-Floor City wouldn’t dare strike first. Our defenses are unbreakable."
He leaned forward, eyes gleaming with sharp intent. "Besides, it’s not just about safety—it’s about strategy."
Qinlan tilted her head. "So what’s your plan, exactly?"
Luciel’s smile deepened. "Simple. I’ll set our official prices high—then send in people disguised as thieves to ’steal’ our own goods and sell them ten percent cheaper."
Qinlan blinked. "You... you’re going to pretend to be thieves? To sell your own items?"
Luciel nodded. "Exactly. Everyone loves a good deal. The mont word spreads that rare Black Tortoise goods are being ’smuggled’ for cheap, rchants will swarm to buy them before the officials even finish negotiating."
For a mont, Yue Qinlan just stared at him, utterly speechless. Then two words popped into her mind—
Profiteer. Absolute profiteer.
Luciel raised an eyebrow. "What’s with that face?"
She sighed helplessly, half amused, half exasperated.
Luciel chuckled. "It’s just good business," he said lightly. "Earth rchants used to do the sa thing. A fake shortage here, a little competition there—suddenly, everyone’s desperate to buy. It’s the fastest way to move stock without lowering prices."
His tone grew more thoughtful. "This fast-shipping plan ca to while I was designing the invisible armor. If we pull it off right, Black Tortoise will grow stronger faster than anyone expects."
He smiled faintly, eyes reflecting the soft glow of the lamps. "Sotis, a little trickery is the best form of progress."
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