"Evernight?"

Moria chewed on these two words, over and over again.

His eyes grew brighter and brighter.

"Evernight, Evernight..."

He looked up at Yasuo, his gaze filled with almost fanatical adoration.

"The name our Lord chose is simply beautiful!"

These words weren't entirely flattery.

Evernight.

A long night, without a glimpse of day.

This name, just by hearing it, exuded a chilling domineering aura, perfectly aligning with the path they were destined to walk.

Zhou Huai's consciousness, inside Yasuo, smiled faintly.

The name Evernight wasn't something he just randomly came up with.

Firstly, it was naturally to match this 'Night Demon' legion, destined to walk in the darkness.

Secondly, it was to stand against the mysterious and powerful Dawnbreaker Guild.

They prided themselves as the dawn before daybreak.

Very well then.

Under Evernight, there would be no more dawn.

Zhou Huai had a strong premonition.

Sooner or later, he would engage in a full-scale, unending war with that enigmatic Dawnbreaker Guild.

He wanted to personally eradicate this malignant tumor entrenched in the Great Xia Country.

"The rest of the matters, I'll leave to you to handle."

Zhou Huai left these last words, and his consciousness receded like a tide.

Moria's figure, at this moment, transformed into a wisp of ink, silently merging into the shadows on the ground and disappearing.

In the room, only Moria and Yasuo remained, standing quietly with a calm expression.

"Young Miss Moria, if you have any needs, you may instruct me at any time."

Yasuo's weathered voice rang out, steady and unruffled.

Moria looked at Yasuo before him, momentarily dazed.

He could clearly feel that just now, his Lord's Soul had left this body.

It was truly miraculous.

This Clone, despite having no Soul, could still move autonomously and speak.

What level of existence was his Lord... exactly?

What kind of Heaven-Defying profession had he truly transitioned into?

Countless questions surged in his heart, but he wisely suppressed them all.

His Lord's secrets were not for a mere servant like him to presumptuously guess.

All he had to do was obey and complete his tasks.

Moria took a deep breath, the confusion in his eyes fading, replaced by an unprecedented drive.

He quickly washed up and changed into a capable, fitted outfit.

Then he straightened his back and gave his first command to the swordsman beside him.

"Mr. Yasuo, let's go."

"To the Guild Registration Center."

Yasuo nodded slightly, silently following behind him, like the most loyal guard... Meanwhile, in the suburban villa.

Zhou Huai's consciousness had already returned to his main body.

The reason he returned so quickly was that just now, Butler Fu had softly informed him that Young Miss Ye Xi had arrived.

He slowly opened his eyes.

The light in the room was soft, and a faint, fresh scent of plants diffused in the air.

A graceful figure bounced in from outside the door.

The Young Miss was wearing a light green long dress today.

The color was like the tender buds of early spring, full of vibrant life.

The cut of the dress was just right, perfectly outlining her slender and graceful figure.

The hem of her skirt swayed gently with her movements, like ripples spreading in a pond, radiating youthful vitality.

As soon as she entered, the entire room seemed to brighten a few shades.

Ye Xi had a bright smile on her face, like a little girl asking for candy.

"Brother Zhou Huai, you haven't seen me for so long, did you miss me?"

Zhou Huai leaned against the headboard and also smiled.

"Of course I missed you."

He looked at the Young Miss's vibrant face and spoke casually.

"How was the National Examination? I've been watching the news these past two days, and I heard our Dongning Province seems to have won the championship this year?"

At the mention of this, Ye Xi immediately perked up.

He pulled over a chair and excitedly sat down by Zhou Huai's bed, his clear eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Brother Zhou Huai, do you still remember that Gandalf I mentioned to you before?"

"Of course I remember." Zhou Huai cooperatively showed a curious expression, "I saw on the news that he seems to have also won the top scholar in the National Examination, looking very impressive."

Ye Xi nodded vigorously, his small face slightly flushed with excitement.

"That Gandalf is more than just impressive, he's a monster!"

"I've never, ever seen such a terrifying professional among my peers!"

The rest of the time became Ye Xi's personal storytelling session.

He waved his small fists, vividly recounting his experiences on Triple Island that day.

He talked about how that Forbidden Spell Mage named Gandalf casually led them to sweep the competition, easily eliminating strong teams one after another.

He talked about how he, single-handedly, confronted the combined siege of the Imperial Capital, Demon Capital, and Chuan Du teams.

Finally, he lowered his voice even further, mysteriously talking about the bad guy wearing a ghost-faced mask.

He talked about how Gandalf stepped forward, engaging in an earth-shattering battle with that S-rank villain, ultimately turning the tide and saving all the examinees.

Zhou Huai listened quietly, a gentle smile always on his face.

From time to time, he would let out a perfectly timed exclamation or two.

"Wow! That amazing?"

"One person defeated so many S-rank Geniuses?"

"Heavens, wouldn't he be a future pillar of the country?"

His exaggerated acting made Ye Xi giggle, his sense of accomplishment bursting.

"Now, that Gandalf is highly valued by the military!"

Ye Xi had an expression of shared honor.

"I heard that Governor-General, to reward him, even exceptionally opened the military district's special treasury for him, allowing him to choose three rewards!"

As he spoke, his gaze inadvertently flickered, and he suddenly noticed the black egg on Zhou Huai's bedside table.

"Oh? Brother Zhou Huai, what is this?"

Zhou Huai's heart skipped a beat.

He secretly cursed his carelessness.

He had been busy controlling his Clone to handle guild matters earlier and had forgotten to put this little fellow away.

As his thoughts raced, Zhou Huai's face remained calm, even showing a hint of amusement.

"Oh, this?"

"Butler Fu was afraid I'd be bored staying in the courtyard, so he specifically went to the market to find this toy for me, to pass the time."

"If you don't believe me, look."

As Zhou Huai spoke, he stretched out a finger and rhythmically tapped the smooth eggshell twice.

"Thump, thump."

The next second.

From the inner wall of the eggshell, two responses of the same rhythm indeed ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) came.

"Thump, thump."

The sound was crisp.

"It's real!"

Ye Xi's eyes instantly lit up, as if he had discovered a new continent.

He leaned closer, and imitating Zhou Huai, extended his slender finger and tapped the eggshell twice.

"Thump, thump."

The little Dragon inside the egg seemed to enjoy playing with him and immediately responded.

"Thump, thump."

"Wow! How interesting!"

Ye Xi's eyes curved in delight, and he held the "toy egg" with adoration.

"This toy is made so realistically, I almost thought it was a real Dragon egg just now."

Zhou Huai wiped away non-existent cold sweat from his forehead and waved his hand, feigning nonchalance.

"You certainly know how to joke."

"How could your Brother Zhou Huai have the ability to get any Dragon eggs."

Ye Xi giggled, his attention quickly no longer on the egg.

He placed the egg back on the bedside table, and then, as if remembering something important, his expression turned mysterious.

"Brother Zhou Huai, I came today specifically to bring you a gift."

"Oh?" Zhou Huai raised an eyebrow, "What gift?"

Ye Xi didn't keep him in suspense.

He carefully took out an exquisite wooden box from his spatial ring.

The box opened.

A soft white light emanated from the box.

The moment Zhou Huai saw what was inside, the smile on his face involuntarily froze.

On the silk lining of the box, a transparent glass bottle lay quietly.

The bottle contained clear liquid.

It was sacred light spiritual water.

"This is?"

Zhou Huai's voice carried a subtle tremor.

Ye Xi looked at him and introduced it earnestly:

"This is called sacred light spiritual water."

"Thanks to the great Gandalf, Governor-General also gave me and the remaining two teammates an opportunity to enter the military district's treasury to select rewards."

"Although we couldn't enter the special treasury, the items in the ordinary treasury above are also quite good." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"I heard the assistant who led the way say that this sacred light spiritual water has the effect of dispelling curses, and this was the last bottle left in the entire treasury."

"So, I chose it."

As he spoke, he handed the box to Zhou Huai, his eyes full of anticipation.

Zhou Huai looked at the bottle of sacred light spiritual water, then at Ye Xi's face, which was practically screaming "praise me."

An indescribable warmth surged in his chest.

His heart felt as if it had been gently squeezed by a warm hand, both sore and soft.

"Silly girl."

His voice was a little hoarse.

"This was a reward opportunity you earned by risking your life."

"Why didn't you choose a piece of equipment or a skill book that you needed?"

"What if... what if this sacred light spiritual water has no effect on me? Wouldn't your rare opportunity be wasted?"

Ye Xi, however, smiled and shook his head, his bright eyes earnestly gazing at him.

"How will we know if we don't try?"

"Besides, in my heart, nothing is more important than getting Brother Zhou Huai back on his feet."

In that instant.

Zhou Huai felt all his restraint, all his defenses, collapse with a crash.

He suddenly stretched out his arm.

He pulled the girl before him, who made him both ache and feel touched, tightly into his embrace.

"Ah!"

Ye Xi was startled by his sudden action, letting out a short gasp.

But he didn't struggle.

Only after the initial stiffness did his body slowly soften.

He blushed, resting his head gently against Zhou Huai's chest, as docile as a gentle cat.

Zhou Huai took a deep breath.

His nostrils were filled with the faint, pleasant fragrance unique to the Young Miss.

He rested his chin on the top of his head, his voice deep and strong.

"Don't worry."

"Your Brother Zhou Huai will, one day, stand up again."

Ye Xi, in his arms, buried his head even deeper.

Zhou Huai could even see a captivating flush of red creeping up his fair, delicate earlobes.

He softly "hmm"ed in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

"I believe in Brother Zhou Huai."