The streets of the outer city were quiet, the faint glow of lamps stretching toward the highlands.

Two girls were walking side by side.

"Ahh… I'm so tired."

Alina rolled her shoulders with a small groan, complaining toward the white-haired girl beside her. "I just got here, and you already dragged me off to do all the hard labor."

"Didn't you eat dinner?" Liyue blinked her silvery eyes, a hint of amusement glinting within them.

She remembered clearly — the pink-haired girl had eaten a lot. At least three times her own share. The little maid had to cook twice just to satisfy her appetite.

"I really took you." Alina rolled her eyes dramatically. All that dinner, gone. She had burned through it all working through the night.

As they climbed the stairs toward the high ground, she asked curiously, "By the way, where's Euphyr? Haven't seen her all night."

"She's probably studying something again," Liyue said after thinking a bit.

"Then take me to her later. I've got some things to ask that blond woman directly."

Alina's tone grew more serious. She didn't completely trust Liyue's perspective anymore — the white-haired girl had already been half-absorbed into this city of Black Tortoise, her judgments tinted with affection and loyalty.

Alina's fingers brushed against the full-body armor covering her. Such a powerful high-grade spiritual weapon… This City Lord, Luciel, was far from simple.

"Alright," Liyue nodded.

She picked up her pace slightly. "Come on, let's remove the armor first."

"Yeah." Alina followed close behind.

They entered the hall at the top of the highland, boots echoing softly on the stone floor.

Inside, Luciel sat at a long table, head lowered, quietly writing something.

He looked up when he heard footsteps. "Thanks for your hard work tonight."

"It wasn't hard," Liyue said lightly, shaking her head.

She removed her helmet — and the long white hair coiled within suddenly tumbled down, falling over her shoulders like flowing silk.

Luciel folded his hands before him and asked softly, "How's the armor? Any flaws?"

"No defect," Liyue said. Her usual cold tone softened a little. "This armor is incredible. It completely raises our strength… to another level."

"Is there anything that could be improved?" Luciel asked with a small smile.

Liyue thought for a while. "No. It's already perfect."

"What about you?" Luciel turned to the pink-haired girl.

"Everything's fine," Alina murmured. Then, hesitating, she asked, "What's its name? This armor, what do you call it?"

"Its main ability is invisibility," Luciel said. "So I've named it—Ghost Armor."

"Ghost Armor…" Liyue repeated softly. "That name fits well."

Indeed, the power of invisibility matched perfectly with the idea of ghosts.

Luciel smiled faintly. "You've been busy all night. Go get some rest."

He stood, walked over, and helped the white-haired girl unfasten the Ghost Armor. His movements were gentle, almost careful.

He didn't mention the other plan in his mind — forming a special division using the armor. It wasn't time yet.

"Go wash up before sleeping," he added casually.

Luciel carefully removed the last clasp and tucked a strand of Liyue's white hair behind her ear.

He didn't offer to help Alina — the two of them weren't familiar enough, and she was the type to get flustered easily, just like that rabbit-eared girl before.

"Mm." Liyue's delicate face flushed pink as she answered softly.

"???" Alina stared at the scene, speechless — Lang Qing Concubine Yi Yi kind of atmosphere floating in the air.

She lifted her foot and lightly kicked Liyue's leg. A silent reminder — hey, my armor too!

"Huh?" Liyue turned, confused.

"Help me out," Alina muttered, turning her back.

"Oh." Liyue finally understood, cheeks burning. Her small hands began unclasping the armor piece by piece.

Alina took off the helmet with her back still to Luciel. The moment it came off, she quickly tied a scarf over her face again.

She shook out her pink hair — soft, glossy, fragrant — and tied it up into twin ponytails with a simple strap. The movement revealed the graceful curve of her snow-white neck.

"Alright, let's take a bath," Liyue said, tugging the pink-haired girl toward her room.

"Wait— a bath? Really?"

Alina pressed her lips together. "Wouldn't that waste water? I can just wipe myself down with a wet cloth."

"No water will be wasted," Liyue replied, repeating Luciel's words with the same tone he'd used to teach them. "The water from bathing can be used to flush the toilet later, or to water vegetables, or clean the floor."

"I still think that's wasting water," Alina muttered softly, still unconvinced.

"Just follow me," Liyue sighed. Now she understood what Luciel must've felt when lecturing them.

Bit by bit, her own habits had been changing — reshaped quietly by his influence.

When Alina followed her into Wei Geng's private quarters, her eyes widened.

The bathroom was huge. Steam drifted lazily above the wide pool of water.

She stared blankly for a moment before asking in a small, uncertain voice, "Liyue… do you usually bathe like this?"

"Not really," Liyue said softly. "Only when I sweat a lot."

She stepped into the big bath first, letting the pink-haired girl watch and adjust.

In truth, she wanted Alina to experience comfort — a sense of belonging. Give her something to enjoy first, and maybe… she wouldn't leave so soon.

Because Alina wasn't like Yufeier — she wasn't a fool. She was sharp, rational. If she didn't feel truly connected, she would walk away one day.

After all, the pink-haired girl had a dream — to become an adventurer, to write her own travel notes across the world.

"Should we bathe together?" Alina asked shyly, a glimmer of expectation in her pink eyes.

"Of course," Liyue smiled faintly. "We haven't bathed together in a long time."

She stepped into the warm water, steam wrapping around her pale skin. "Come on, or the water will get cold."

"Coming, coming, don't rush me!" Alina said in embarrassment, stepping carefully into the pool.

Liyue's gaze softened as she noticed the faint scar on Alina's back. "That one was from when I blocked for you last time."

"Don't— don't talk about that!" Alina shouted, face turning red. "Can you not bring that up?"

"Why not?" Liyue tilted her head. "Are you shy? I didn't say anything bad."

"You are wrong."

Luciel chuckled faintly, listening to their voices from afar — the awkward, funny exchange carrying through the hall.

At that moment, Yue Qinlan walked in from outside, surprised to see the smile on his face.

"What's with the big smile? Something good happen?" she asked teasingly.

She had been stationed near the tail of the rock tortoise all night, waiting — no one had climbed up.

"Listen," Luciel said, pointing toward the direction of the girls' quarters.

Yue Qinlan tilted her head, listened quietly for a while… then looked at him with an amused expression.

Her blue eyes shimmered mischievously. "So our great City Lord likes eavesdropping on the little girls' secret talks, hmm?"

Luciel's cheerful expression froze instantly.

He only thought their clumsy conversation was amusing, nothing more — but somehow, in the mouth of this black-bellied woman, it sounded completely wrong.

Maybe… his ears were just too sensitive tonight.

"Go rest early," he said calmly, pretending nothing had happened. "Tomorrow we'll receive the supply convoy and new trade goods."

He turned and walked toward his room. Tomorrow, if everything went well, he would have two new domesticated beasts.

Yue Qinlan watched his retreating figure, a sly smile curling her lips.

Playing little tricks on Lord Luciel… was unexpectedly fun.

"Didn't think he had that kind of side," she whispered. "Strangely… kind of cute."

Her long fingers tapped lightly against her chin, the reflection of the lamp glimmering in her clear aqua-blue eyes.

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