"Alright Layton, you can go back now."
"But as a reward for you just joining Glimr, I suggest you find a way to replace the servants in your ho."
"While they may not be able to influence you, they can certainly influence your wife and daughter."
"And once the seeds of doubt are sown, it's not so easy to get rid of them."
Tendo's words were like ice dropped into boiling water, causing Layton's pupils to contract. Imdiately, a cold killing intent flashed in his eyes, so fast it seed like an illusion.
After a mont's thought, Layton calmly said, "Understood, Lord Tendo. Thank you for the reminder."
With that, Layton pressed on, "What about my daughter and Yuchen's matter?"
Tendo waved his hand. "That's not a big deal. Whatever you say about Yuchen, he is quite good at playing with people's hearts."
"You know, won in love are always a hassle. The more you try to stop her, the more your daughter will defy you."
Tendo's tone held a hint of casual teasing and the air of an experienced elder.
It was a good thing the dinsional audience couldn't hear this. Otherwise, another label would be added to Tendo's collection of 'Summit of the Stars' and 'Innate Powerhouse.'
A label called... 'Master of Theory, Rookie in Practice.'
After all, so people had already made a move on him, but Tendo remained as unresponsive as a log. How could soone like him have the audacity to give others advice?
After saying this, Tendo's smile suddenly vanished, and he said aningfully, "Therefore, it's better to guide her than to block her. Just let her be, and make sure that Euphemia doesn't get a hold of your weakness."
"In fact, at certain tis, I think you should even secretly help Yuchen."
"Do you understand what I an?"
Layton stared at Tendo's deep eyes, which seed to be able to see into the future, and swallowed.
A few seconds later, he slowly nodded, his voice low. "Yes, I understand, sir."
"Once the dust settles, Euphemia will 'accidentally' die at Yuchen's hands. No one will know what really happened."
Even though Tendo remained silent after Layton finished speaking, offering no response, sotis, silence itself is the answer.
Because not denying it is, in itself, a form of affirmation.
Seeing that Layton was so quick on the uptake, Tendo leaned back in his chair and looked up at the clock not far away. In a friendly, casual tone, he said, "Alright, Layton. It's late. You should go ho."
"After all, if I rember correctly, your recent late nights have made your wife have so bad thoughts."
"Otherwise, she wouldn't have had the servants secretly monitor you."
Upon hearing this, Layton raised a hand and rubbed his temples, shaking his head helplessly. He looked exactly like a doting husband troubled by his wife's little tantrums.
But Tendo knew that in the original story, it was precisely this doting affection for his wife that led to Layton's weakness being exploited, ultimately leading to his tragic death.
What's even more ironic is that the ones who killed him were none other than the 'family' he had worked so hard to protect. It was quite a tragedy.
Layton's identity was a 'fake' one that he had stolen through nefarious ans. Yet, during his long 'act,' this highly intelligent Starbeast had gradually co to see himself as the real 'Layton,' and had poured genuine affection into his so-called family.
Tendo had no intention of debating whether Layton's actions were foolish or wise. It simply wasn't important to him. He only needed to know that keeping Layton around was more beneficial than not.
With Tendo's reminders, Layton now understood many things. He thanked Tendo sincerely, "Lord Tendo, thank you for your reminder tonight. If you have no further instructions, I will take my leave."
"Go on, be careful on your way ho."
"Thank you for your concern, sir."
After Layton left, the villa's main hall returned to its quiet state. Tendo looked out at the moonlight and suddenly smiled.
"A cold and arrogant beast, unknowingly chained by humanity with sothing called 'family affection,' hmm?"
"Layton, you're an interesting one."
With that, Tendo stood up, stretched, and his joints let out a soft crack.
The plot of the second season was already one-third of the way through. While there had been a few changes in the middle, the main story was still advancing along the original track.
So, if Tendo's guess was correct, Chenkong and Liu Ma, whom he had deliberately let go while capturing Vivienne, should have already t the most crucial ntor of their second season, the Disaster from the Martial Arts tropolis—White Tiger of the Feathers, Yu Qianxia.
Tendo was still a little concerned about her. She was currently the only person in the entire Steam City who could potentially disrupt his plans. After all, this person was only a 'Level Three Perfect.'
But not all people are created equal. 'Perfect' ans 'limit.' And so people's 'limit'... is just another person's starting point.
As the once-in-a-century genius of the Yu Clan, one of the Five Insects of the Martial Arts tropolis, Yu Qianxia was a rare 'Level Three Perfect' with 'four S-rank attributes.' Even her weaker attributes, 'ntal power' and 'strength,' were 'A ,' close to the S-rank.
Not to ntion, she had fused the special bloodlines of the 'Yu Clan' and the 'Mao Clan.' Therefore, in terms of actual strength, she should be sowhere between the Doctor—a Level Three Perfect with six S-rank attributes from the first season—and Byron, a high-ranking mber of the Iron Do family and a Level Four High-tier Star Envoy.
She was soone Tendo couldn't defeat for now.
But once he completed his 'High Heavens' plan, he wouldn't have to worry so much. He would completely break the boundaries between the 'Star Core' and 'Star Source' and fuse the 'Star Eclipse Eye' and 'Vector Control.' He would form a unique, true 'Perfect.'
This was originally a special privilege that only the protagonist of the show, Chenkong, had.
Thinking of this, Tendo couldn't help but mutter to himself, "'Stone of Miracles - Kong,' which can assimilate and carry everything."
"I only knew that a monkey could pop out of a rock, but I never thought two people could co out of it. The creators of 'Stars' really have wild imaginations."
"Otherwise, how could the Stone of Miracles turn into a person, marry a Star Envoy, and have a child? Can everything really be explained with the word 'miracle'?"
Tendo shook his head and went back to his room to rest. After all, one of the three key plot points of the second season had already passed. He needed to rest and gather his strength for the upcoming 'Woe' plotline, where he would be adding his own touches.
The most important thing right now was the impending "Woe" plotline. The 'Woe' refers to the disasters caused by 'drifters.' Because in the eyes of the citizens of the Upper City, the people living in the Rusty Iron Hell of the Lower City were all 'drifters' who were out of place.
When these drifters broke into the Upper City, the arrogant upper-class citizens would naturally see them as a 'woe' that disrupted the harmony of the Upper City and must be expelled. The people who would soon trespass into the Upper City were, of course, Chenkong and Liu Ma, who were trying to save Vivienne.
But Chenkong and Liu Ma did not realize that their actions would not only completely ignite the long-standing tensions between the Upper and Lower City of the Steam City. It would also lead the arrogant noble lords of the Twelve Copper Council to utter that classic line:
'These are no longer ordinary rioters. Heavy-handed asures must be taken!'
—Twelve Copper Council Resolution 318 Passed!
The citizens of the Upper City, bathed in sunlight, could never tolerate the 'sewer rats' who lived in the eternal steam clouds of the Lower City appearing in their world. Even briefly sharing the sa sunlight was a great insult to them.
This was the Upper and Lower City of the Steam City, a seemingly unified place that was, in reality, fractured to its core.
But Tendo knew very well that the steam cloud shrouding the Lower City would eventually be torn open by the reckless intrusion of Chenkong and Liu Ma. At that ti, the people of the Lower City would see the long-awaited, warm 'light.'
And once you've seen the light... you can never go back. After all, they could endure the darkness, but only if... they had never seen the light.
Tendo looked at the calendar hanging in his bedroom. After counting the days, he said aningfully, "March is coming soon, and the Steam City will usher in another spring."
"But this year's spring in the Steam City might be... a little more lively than in previous years."
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