Early morning light spilled across the sky.

"Luciel, someone's dead!"

The frantic voice of the rabbit-eared girl jolted Luciel awake.

"Dead? I see," he murmured, opening his eyes to see Mino's anxious face hovering over him.

He gave a lazy grin and asked drowsily, "Is it hanging on the wall?"

"Huh? How did you know?" Mino blinked, stunned.

She looked around the room but saw no one else.

"No need to check," Luciel said calmly as he sat up. "They died around midnight. Xiao Hong did it."

"...The Red Ghost Spider?"

Luciel nodded. "A few thieves tried sneaking in last night. Xiao Hong caught them and hanged them."

The Red Ghost Spider had detected intruders and sent Luciel a mental signal. Still half-asleep, Luciel had responded irritably: Kill them.

And so, the spider did exactly that—capturing the thieves, injecting them with venom, and hanging their corpses on the wall.

"Oh… so it was the Big Spider," Mino exhaled, visibly relieved.

She wasn't afraid of the dead—only of infighting. After all, she had once mistaken Luciel himself for a corpse and even flipped him over to check. Death didn't scare her much anymore.

"How are the people outside reacting?" Luciel asked.

"Everyone's a little on edge," Mino said after thinking for a moment. "The ones who died were newcomers—messengers from the lower camp."

"Where's Liyue? Is she awake?"

"She's up already. She made breakfast."

"Good. You can go on ahead. I'll change and join you soon."

"Okay." Mino nodded, her cheeks suddenly flushing as she scampered out.

Luciel tilted his head. "Since when did she get so shy?"

He stood, opened the closet, and changed into a loose black Hanfu. He had important matters to handle today, and he wanted to look proper.

"Bzzzz…"

As he adjusted his sleeves, the sound of fluttering wings buzzed behind him. Turning around, he saw the Shining Beetle hovering in the air, clutching something small in its tiny claws.

"For me?" Luciel blinked, puzzled but intrigued.

The beetle vibrated its wings excitedly.

"Alright, give it here," Luciel said, extending his hand.

The beetle dropped the object into his palm. It was another beetle—smaller, rounder, and less luminous than the adult Shining Beetle.

"Wait… is this your offspring?" Luciel's black eyes lit up in surprise. "How did you even—release a light source?"

The beetle responded with a series of gentle buzzes, as if explaining.

"I see," Luciel said, nodding thoughtfully. "So it's your child… In that case, I'll name it Lantern Beetle."

The Shining Beetle buzzed approvingly and flew out toward the Starlight Tea Tree, where it usually rested during the day before returning at night as Luciel's light source.

"I didn't expect you to be this capable," Luciel chuckled in amazement. "Laying one offspring a day? That's incredible."

This discovery completely took him by surprise—and delight. The offspring of the Shining Beetle could solve everyone's lighting problems perfectly.

That's why he named them Lantern Beetles: their glowing tails could serve as living lanterns.

Whistling softly, Luciel cradled the tiny insect in his hand and stepped out of his room, smiling.

In the main hall, Liyue was already dressed and armed, her hooded cloak draped neatly over her shoulders. She looked up as Luciel entered, her silver eyes calm but distant.

"Luciel," she said softly, "I'm leaving."

"Did you eat?"

"Yes."

"Got enough dried meat? Enough water?"

"Yes."

"Enough weapons?"

Each question made her head lower a little more. By the last one, her eyes had turned slightly red.

"Good," Luciel said gently. "Then take this too." He stepped forward and handed her the Lantern Beetle.

"What is this?" Liyue asked, cupping the small insect carefully.

"It's called a Lantern Beetle. Its tail glows for about eight hours straight at night," Luciel explained. "If you don't want it to glow, cover its tail with a cloth. During the day, remove the cloth so it can breathe and absorb sunlight.

"They like to nibble on green plants, especially Star Tea leaves—bring some along to feed it."

Liyue listened carefully, holding the beetle as though it were something precious. "I'll take good care of it."

"If you keep it with you for three days, it'll recognize your scent. Even if it gets lost, it'll fly back to you," Luciel added.

"Alright," she said softly.

"Then hurry and pick some tea leaves. Best to leave while it's still early."

"Yes."

She left the house and made her way to the plantation.

"Be careful out there, Yueyue," Yu Feier yawned sleepily, wrapping her messy blonde hair in a cloth.

"I will. You should rest more," Liyue replied, tucking the tea leaves into her cloak.

"No way—the strengthening elixir is way too interesting." Yu Feier shook her head, her eyes half-lidded from lack of sleep.

Liyue sighed. "You never change."

"Oh, and if you see Alina and Yan Bing, tell them I miss them," Yu Feier mumbled before shuffling back to her research room.

"Don't just lock yourself in there all the time. Come chat with Luciel or Mino once in a while!" Liyue called after her.

"Talk to Luciel?" Yu Feier froze, nearly tripping. Her face turned crimson. "No way—I'd scare him to death!" she shouted and bolted back into her lab.

Liyue blinked, confused. "Since when was Yu Feier ever afraid of someone?"

Shaking her head, she gathered the last of the tea leaves and hurried toward the high ground.

Luciel was already waiting at the stone steps with Mino beside him.

"I'll see you off," Luciel said, beckoning her closer.

"Okay," she replied softly, steadying her breath.

The three of them descended the slope. Smoke curled lazily from the rooftops below.

"Lord City Lord!"

People they passed on the street stopped and bowed respectfully.

Luciel returned their greetings with a calm nod.

At the city wall, they found Wei Geng and his team on patrol, still visibly shaken from the morning's discovery.

"Lord City Lord," Wei Geng said, hurrying over.

"We'll talk later," Luciel replied coolly.

He turned to Liyue, then raised a hand. The stone beneath them rumbled and rose, forming a platform.

He and Liyue stepped onto it while Mino stayed behind on the wall, quietly moving a few steps away from the guards—especially from Wei Geng.

"Be careful out there, Liyue!" she called.

"I will," Liyue answered softly.

Luciel lowered the platform to the ground.

"I'm leaving now," she said quietly and began walking away.

"I'll be waiting for you in the Tenth-Floor City," Luciel called out.

"Mm."

She stopped, raised a hand to wave, then walked a few more steps before her eyes blurred with tears.

Suddenly, she turned and ran back toward him—

Thump!

She threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly around the waist, pressing her cheek against his chest to feel the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. The warmth, the strength—it made her feel inexplicably safe.

Luciel held her quietly, his hands resting gently on her back, savoring this bittersweet moment of farewell.

"I'll be going now," Liyue whispered.

After a long pause, she reluctantly pulled away, turned around, and ran off before she could change her mind.

Luciel watched her until her figure disappeared behind a distant hill, then sighed softly. "Why does this feel… different from saying goodbye to a comrade?"

Having never been in love, he didn't quite understand the strange ache tightening in his chest.

Once she was gone, he stepped back onto the rock platform and lifted himself back to the wall.

"Hmph~" Mino scrunched her nose and puffed her cheeks in mock protest.

"What's wrong with you?" Luciel teased, pretending not to know as he reached out to pinch her ear.

"Don't touch me! I'm leaving!" Mino squeaked, crouching to protect her head before bolting away.

Luciel looked at his empty hand and sighed. "Didn't catch her this time."

When he turned back, he found Wei Geng and the patrol staring at him awkwardly.

"Gather all members of the hunting team," Luciel said evenly. "I have an announcement."

The Black Tortoise City was about to undergo its first major reform—Luciel needed to set things in order before they reached the Tenth-Floor City. Otherwise, chaos would follow them there.

"Yes, Lord City Lord!" Wei Geng and his men straightened immediately.

They also silently noted one very important thing:

Their City Lord… has a habit of tugging ears.

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