A Token of Gratitude

"My Lord Gladys?"

Lu Yuan had already caught the exchange at the doorway. A flicker of surprise crossed his face.

He knew perfectly well that Gladys was a Nightshade Race Battle Saint — one of the three who had fought earlier.

What he had never expected was that a Saint of her standing would want to see *him*.

*What could she possibly want?*

Li Qinghe and Si Tingyu both looked toward the door.

Lu Yuan stood and smiled. "I'm here."

The Nightshade Battle Emperor's eyes brightened slightly. "Young Master Lu Yuan, would you be willing to come with me?"

Lu Yuan considered. Gladys was a Battle Saint, but as far as he was concerned, as long as she had no command over spatial power, she had no means of holding him. That held true even with both the Twin-headed Demon Race and Star Dwarf Battle Saints added to the equation.

He smiled and nodded. "Since a Saint extends the invitation, I'll gladly come."

Li Qinghe glanced at the Nightshade Battle Emperor, then turned to Lu Yuan. "Then be careful."

"Don't worry." He smiled. "I know."

He walked to the door and followed the Battle Emperor out of the rented room.

On the way downstairs, Lu Yuan looked at her and asked with mild curiosity, "Senior, what does Senior Saint Gladys want with me?"

"My name is Violette," the Battle Emperor said pleasantly. "Just call me Miss Violette. I'm not entirely sure myself — you'll find out once you're in front of My Lord Gladys."

"Understood." Lu Yuan smiled and nodded.

A moment of comfortable silence passed before Violette spoke again. "I should also thank you personally for your help during the Beast Tide. Without you, holding it back wouldn't have been nearly so simple — we could have lost a great many people."

For Gene Warriors of other races, retreat had always been an option if the Beast Tide grew too fierce. But for the Nightshade, no such escape existed. No matter how overwhelming the tide became, they were bound to hold the line.

If Dark Night City fell, their losses would be devastating — a blow too great to bear.

Given the scale of this particular Beast Tide, the Nightshade should have suffered severe casualties. Instead, with Lu Yuan here, they had weathered it with almost no losses at all.

For that, Violette was genuinely grateful.

Lu Yuan heard her out and gave a light smile. "I was only here to earn Merits for myself. You're too kind, Miss Violette."

As they talked, they arrived at the center of Dark Night City — a deep-crimson manor, its gates engraved with three characters: *Dark Night Manor*.

The city lord's residence.

Violette escorted him through the Nightshade guards' inspection and led him inside, bringing him to a spacious reception hall.

Nightshade architecture ran in blacks and crimsons — every wall, every surface adorned with elaborate, intricate carvings, the hall's furnishings no different. The tables and chairs bore the same ornate handiwork.

Lu Yuan swept his gaze across the room and found two people already present.

One was Gladys the Saint, seated at the head of the table. The other — and this gave him pause — was Anastasia.

He glanced at her. She met his eyes briefly and gave a small nod. He returned it and turned his attention to the woman at the head of the table with an easy smile.

"My Lord Gladys. What a pleasure. What brings you to seek me out?"

Gladys smiled, her tone carrying a note of genuine warmth.

"I've paid little attention to White Cloud Star Domain's affairs these past few years. I never imagined it would produce a talent like you." She paused. "That is White Cloud Star Domain's good fortune. The reason I asked you here today is simple: I wanted to thank you. You shouldered the greater part of this Beast Tide on behalf of Dark Night City and spared the Nightshade Race considerable losses. In recognition of that, I'd like to offer you three hundred thousand Merits as a token of gratitude." A soft laugh. "Compared to Gene Armaments or Transcendent Genes, we don't know your specific needs well enough — but Merits can be exchanged for anything, so I believe this is the most fitting gift."

Lu Yuan stared at her, a flash of genuine astonishment crossing his face.

He had blocked a substantial portion of the Beast Tide, yes — but three hundred thousand Merits?

To put it in perspective: sealing a Spatial Rift of the magnitude he had dealt with had earned him five hundred thousand. What he had done during the Beast Tide was nowhere close to that in difficulty.

He smiled and shook his head. "Senior, this is far too generous. What I did, I did for my own Merit accumulation. There's no need for you to reward me on top of that."

Even a Battle Emperor would need an enormous stretch of time to accumulate three hundred thousand Merits. He genuinely hadn't expected Gladys to part with that amount so readily.

Anastasia and Violette both found their gazes drifting toward him.

Violette, in particular, looked genuinely stunned.

Three hundred thousand Merits was a staggering fortune — and this young man wanted to turn it down?

Gladys smiled again.

"As someone from White Cloud Star Domain, you no doubt have some understanding of our people. Beyond forming bonds with talented individuals of other races through marriage, we also make investments in promising young talent. Think of these Merits as a gesture of goodwill — the Nightshade's investment in your future. Please accept them."

A look of understanding settled over Lu Yuan's face.

"Since you put it that way, Senior, I'll accept."

Framed as the Nightshade Race's goodwill, refusing would have been poor manners. Better to gain an ally than to make a needless enemy — and the Nightshade fielded Battle Saints. Cultivating a warm relationship with them cost him nothing.

*And, admittedly,* he thought, *the fact that every single Nightshade woman is stunning doesn't hurt in the slightest. A negligible factor. Barely worth mentioning.*

Gladys smiled at his acceptance.

Then a subtly meaningful expression crossed her elegant face.

"As I mentioned earlier — we Nightshade are accustomed to forging bonds with those of other races. Anastasia carries the Queen's direct bloodline and is the most gifted young talent of her generation. You two should spend some time getting to know each other."

Lu Yuan: "..."

He shot a rather dumbfounded glance at Anastasia. He'd harbored a faint suspicion about why she was here the moment he'd seen her — but he hadn't actually expected it to be something quite so much like a blind date.

Anastasia, for her part, responded to those words with a composed nod in his direction. A faint flush touched her cheeks — not refusal, but something closer to shy acknowledgment.

For the Nightshade Race, choosing a partner was among the most momentous decisions of a lifetime.

Anastasia's standards were high. But the strength and talent Lu Yuan had demonstrated were extraordinary, and his looks were hardly a complaint. She was perfectly willing to take time to understand him better before drawing any conclusions.

Where it led, of course, would take time and mutual confirmation to determine.

Lu Yuan collected himself and gave Anastasia a small nod in return.

In terms of raw talent, Anastasia was stronger even than Yeye — likely the most gifted young woman he'd ever met. And she was undeniably beautiful. He couldn't say he disliked her — that would be dishonest — but feelings of actual affection weren't there yet either. They barely knew each other. At most, she was someone striking enough to merit a second look.

Still, since Gladys had said what she said, there was no reason to refuse outright. Even if nothing came of it, an added friendship was never a loss.

Gladys smiled and gestured for the pair to go. "In that case — let Anastasia show you around."

Anastasia rose, looking at Lu Yuan. "Come on then. I'll take you for a walk through Dark Night City."

The effortless confidence Lu Yuan had always noticed in her was still there — but the cool, untouchable aloofness she'd worn when he first saw her was absent. She looked at him directly, without the hauteur.

Lu Yuan glanced at Gladys, then stood and nodded. "I'll leave myself in your capable hands."

He followed Anastasia out of the hall. They walked side by side through the manor grounds, and Lu Yuan looked at her profile with a quiet smile.

"The first time I saw you was at the Midnight Tavern in White Cloud City. My strength was considerably below yours then. I never imagined we'd end up actually knowing each other."

Anastasia considered for a moment, then gave an honest shake of her head.

"The Midnight Tavern? I didn't notice you at the time." She paused. "But your talent is stronger than mine. In a short span, you overtook me on the Prodigy Rankings, reached first on the King Rankings, and have now broken through to Battle Sovereign. You left everyone behind — me, Yan Liang, Aimen. We couldn't keep up."

She turned and looked at him, something complicated behind her eyes.

"And now you single-handedly held back at least half the assault of a Beast Tide at this scale... I can't even see your back anymore." A quiet breath. "I've always believed I'm no weaker than anyone. But facing you, I find myself with no hope of closing the gap." She paused. "Sometimes, when I think about it... there's a little bitterness there."

Lu Yuan hadn't expected her to be so direct. He smiled.

"Everyone finds their opportunity in their own time. For all you know, a great leap forward might not be far off for you."

Anastasia gave a soft smile. "I'll take that as a good omen." A beat. "Just call me Anastasia — that's what my friends call me."

"Then call me Lu Yuan, or A-Yuan — whichever feels right."

Lu Yuan smiled.

Anastasia nodded. "Coming to the Upper Layer of the Land of Origin has only made me more aware of how far I still have to go," she said. "Once I claim first place on the King Rankings, I plan to enter seclusion. I hope the gap between us will have narrowed a little by the next time we meet."

Lu Yuan's lips twitched. A faintly odd expression flickered across his face.

*That gap... is going to be extraordinarily difficult to close.*

He said nothing to dampen her spirits — only smiled and replied, "Then train hard. I'm planning to make a push for the Emperor Rankings myself before long."

"With your strength, first place on the Emperor Rankings is a foregone conclusion." Anastasia said it the way one states a simple fact — calm, unhurried. "Congratulations in advance."

After witnessing what Lu Yuan could do, she genuinely couldn't conceive of anyone at Battle Sovereign level surpassing him.

They chatted as they walked, eventually leaving the Dark Night Manor and wandering through Dark Night City.

In truth, Anastasia had only visited Dark Night City two or three times before and didn't know it particularly well. But Gladys hadn't sent her out with Lu Yuan to serve as a guide — she'd sent them out to give the two of them time alone.

Both of them knew it. So they wandered without real purpose, and mostly just talked.

After several hours, Anastasia and Lu Yuan exchanged Communication Crystal contacts. Then they parted ways.

Dark Night Manor.

Anastasia returned to her small courtyard and found Xia Zhi, Nina, and several other young Nightshade talents who had made the journey with her to the Upper Layer of the Land of Origin waiting at the gate.

All of them were Battle King Rank warriors — each with time spent on the Prodigy Rankings, impressive in their own right.

The moment they spotted her, their eyes lit up and they moved forward to greet her.

Nina looked at her with bright curiosity. "Princess Anastasia, what did My Lord Gladys want with you?"

Xia Zhi's expression was harder to read. "...I heard from a guard that they saw Lu Yuan come in, and then you two left together. Don't tell me My Lord Gladys was playing matchmaker."

At that, the others turned to Anastasia with entirely undisguised envy. After what they had witnessed during the Beast Tide, every one of them privately considered Lu Yuan just about the ideal partner.

Anastasia's face remained serene. "My Lord Gladys only wanted me to make a friend. That's all."

"A friend..."

Nina's eyes went a very telling shade of green.

*She's calling him A-Yuan and claiming it's just a friendship?!*

"Ahem... Princess Anastasia," Nina said carefully, "did you by any chance exchange Communication Crystal contacts with Young Master Lu Yuan? Could you perhaps share his contact information with me~~~"

Xia Zhi and the others said nothing. They simply watched.

Anastasia didn't answer. Her gaze swept across the group, her expression turning measured and cool.

"During the Beast Tide, the lot of you performed abysmally. If your guardian escorts hadn't stepped in, you'd all be dead. And you still have time to think about A—" she caught herself, "—about Lu Yuan?" A pause. "Focus on cultivating and raising your own strength first. Have you forgotten what My Lord Gladys told us? This Aberration Source wasn't ordinary — the Heavenly Calamity Cult had a hand in it. The Upper Layer of the Land of Origin may be on the verge of great upheaval. Is now really the time to be slacking?"

Xia Zhi, Nina, and the rest fell quiet. They opened their mouths, then closed them again. With Anastasia fixing them with that cool, unyielding look, none of them could find a convincing rebuttal.

Because, frustratingly, everything she said made complete sense.

They exchanged glances, each with the vague feeling that something about this situation was slightly off — but unable to quite identify what.

Then Anastasia said, in that same composed tone, "From here on, I'll be personally overseeing your training. If your strength isn't where it needs to be when the upheaval arrives, you may not survive it."

"...Understood."

Xia Zhi, Nina, and the others had no choice but to comply.