Upon returning to Dragon Mountain City, my first stop was to thank Long Xi. After all, that scepter was incredibly precious to him, yet he gave it to me so readily—a generosity few ordinary people could muster. Truly the stuff of kings.

Long Xi, however, seemed utterly unbothered by the matter, even chuckling at me: "Dragon Envoy, you are too polite. The entirety of Tai Hao survives because of you. What value does a mere symbolic scepter hold compared to the weapons and lives you have saved?"

There was no currency here yet, only the tangible exchange of goods to denote value. I knew that scepter would be priceless in the later eras, but I wasn't short on wealth; I simply didn't want any shortage of that scepter to interfere with future events.

Since I had already promised the Dragon Girl I would help her brother quell the rebellion and govern the state, now that I had established a rapport with Long Xi, I might as well impart some successful governing strategies from later ages. Of course, I wouldn't introduce anything too advanced; it was better to let him progress step-by-step along the path history had originally set.

The conversation between Long Xi and myself stretched from daylight late into the night, with the Dragon Girl tirelessly acting as translator. Even before her voice gave out, it was already hoarse from having to repeat everything each of us said to the other.

The more Long Xi listened, the greater his reverence for me grew. It made sense; this so-called prehistoric super-civilization was nearing extinction after two millennia of interstellar travel and maladaptation to Earth's environment. They scarcely had the means to develop a state, let alone with a few years of rebel unrest and genetic mixing throwing everything into disarray. The policies I proposed were governance strategies proven effective over thousands of years in future history—exactly what Long Xi desperately needed right now.

"Hearing the Dragon Envoy speak has truly opened my eyes; I feel I have lived in vain until this moment. Once all the scattered rebel factions are thoroughly purged, I can implement everything the Dragon Envoy has advised. I believe it will usher in a world of supreme prosperity!"

I coughed, not taking the bait. After all, I already knew what the future held. Whether it was an age of prosperity or not, I hadn't witnessed it firsthand, but the Great Flood was certainly coming, one that would sweep away all traces of civilization. I believed this event was unavoidable; even if I hadn't built the moon, those scientists would eventually arrive at the same conclusion, and Kang Hui, hiding with eighty nuclear missiles, was likely the architect of this calamity.

This Kang Hui, so treacherous—could he be connected to the Black-Clothed Men of six thousand years hence? Even if he wasn't one of them, he might be an accomplice. In any case, I absolutely could not let him escape next time I saw him.

The dinner we had eaten hours ago had long since digested. The Dragon Girl arranged for a late-night snack to be brought in. Their local cuisine wasn't anything special, but I was genuinely hungry and ate quite a bit.

"Dragon Envoy, please don't leave tonight. Stay and let us talk all night long," Long Xi requested of me.

This issue... If I stayed, the Dragon Girl, my translator, would inevitably have to stay as well, which would mean the three of us sharing a bed? Before I could voice a refusal, the Dragon Girl turned to me, saying, "Dragon Envoy, please agree with Big Brother Long Xi. He still has so many questions to ask you. With you by my side, aren't you reassured?"

Hearing the Dragon Girl say that, I couldn't appear too petty. "Fine, let's talk thoroughly about future development, though this means more labor for you, Translator."

"No matter how tiring, my heart is willing. After all, you two are the ones I care for most. Without you, my life holds no meaning," the Dragon Girl murmured to me, leaning against my side while looking at Long Xi.

Long Xi felt no jealousy about his sister being so intimate with me, as the concept of jealousy hadn't yet entered his frame of reference. The three of us climbed onto Long Xi's large bed—Long Xi on the inside, me in the middle, and the Dragon Girl on the outside—and continued our profound discussion on governing the world.

No one knew who fell asleep first. Soon, not a sound could be heard. Suddenly, a fissure opened in the floor, revealing a hidden passage, and a dark shadow silently climbed out. He stood before the large bed, staring at the three figures locked in slumber, hesitating. However, when he saw that the person on the far outside was a woman, he seemed to conclude that the master of this bed was holding two women in an embrace. His target instantly locked onto the figure in the middle, buried under the covers.

He raised a compact laser pistol and fired down toward the center of the bed. Whoosh! The covers instantly caught fire. The shadow, certain of his success, immediately aimed his weapon at the woman on the edge of the bed, intending to eliminate all three. Suddenly, the burning covers snapped up and were thrown over his head. The shadow was taken completely by surprise, having no time to fire again, and was violently thrown outward, crashing through a large section of the wall with a resounding boom!

Shouts erupted immediately as a squad of guards rushed into the chamber. Then Long Xi and the Dragon Girl also scrambled out of the warmth. The Dragon Girl touched the burnt hole in my clothes. "Dragon Envoy, you have saved Big Brother Long Xi once again. How can I ever thank you?"

"What gratitude? We aren't outsiders. When my brother-in-law is in danger, how can I, his brother-in-law, not save him? If I take a bullet for him, I just hope he won't be too reluctant to give me his sister later on."

The Dragon Girl pouted prettily. "If Big Brother is unwilling, I will follow you anyway. But I must stay here and watch over Big Brother Long Xi until there are no more enemies around before I can let you go. Otherwise, I won't be able to leave with peace of mind."

"Hurry and see who the assassin is. And he seemed to enter through a tunnel; have the guards follow that passage immediately. They likely have people waiting outside; don't let them escape."

Long Xi issued commands one after another. After a brief moment of confusion, the guards quickly secured the scene—some capturing personnel, others investigating the tunnel. Only then did Long Xi have time to thank me. He asked, "Dragon Envoy, how did you detect the assassin entering the bedroom?"

"Instinct. I was sleeping deeply, but at the very instant danger approached, I woke up. Perhaps I borrowed the aura of you, the True Son of Heaven."

The Dragon Girl scoffed, "No way! Don't just flatter my Big Brother Long Xi. I know it's because the Dragon Envoy is supremely skilled. Let's go quickly and see who dares attempt to assassinate Big Brother Long Xi."

The shadow, having been thrown against the wall, was subdued by a group of guards. The lights flared brightly, and the man was brought before Long Xi. Everyone focused their gaze, and there stood a figure bearing the exact likeness of Kang Hui! Of course, many people looked like Kang Hui, so I couldn't be entirely certain if it was the real one.

But this fellow had incredible resilience. My kick was no less potent than the Shadowless Kick, nor was it inferior to the Flying Cloud Eighteen Legs of the National Security Bureau. He crashed through a thick wall yet didn't even spit up a mouthful of blood!

The Dragon Girl translated the questioning on the scene. I heard Long Xi demand loudly, "Kang Hui! You dare attempt to assassinate me again? Do you truly hold Tai Hao in contempt? With the Dragon Envoy here, your schemes will never succeed!"

Kang Hui completely ignored Long Xi's interrogation and instead turned toward me, demanding, "Who exactly are you, and why do you keep ruining my endeavors!"

Through the Dragon Girl, I responded to Kang Hui: "Didn't you hear them call me the Dragon Envoy? I am the messenger of the Dragon, and naturally, I must protect the Dragon's descendants! I suggest you reveal your true form soon, or I’ll kill every single one who shows up."

"Hmph!" Kang Hui sneered. "Though your disruption has foiled my plan to seize Dragon Mountain City, don't assume victory is yours. I possess the power to destroy this world. Make Long Xi abdicate the throne and hand over the four energy stones and the genetic specimens, or else, hehe..."

The Dragon Girl naturally translated Kang Hui's words according to my address. It turned out Kang Hui was after the four energy stones and the single seed that birthed Little Snow! As for the throne, it belonged to the capable. With Earth's sparse population and vast stretches of wasteland, Kang Hui could easily find a mountain stronghold and raise his own banner if he simply desired kingship. The fact that he expended immense manpower and resources to attack Dragon Mountain indicated his true motive was the plunder of treasures.