In order to celebrate the smooth resolution of the startup terminal incident, I feel we ought to organize some kind of activity—just do something random. The point is to hype everyone up, right? The big problem’s finally resolved, so it’s time for everyone who’s been uptight for days to relax a bit.

So, walking down the street, I brought this idea up, and Xiao Xue and Bingdisi immediately popped up to brainstorm with me. Sister Bing thought we should host a cross-world brawl tournament, oh, officially it’s called an arena match. Xiao Xue felt today should be "Naughty Kid Protection Day," where the mischief caused by naughty kids throughout the year gets wiped clean, so she can have pocket money by next month...

"I can understand the brawl tournament; it’s very much Sister Bing’s style," I raised an eyebrow at Xiao Xue, "But how dare you propose Naughty Kid Protection Day? Don’t think Dad will ignore you just because he’s in a good mood today—behave yourself."

"Dad, I think the reason we quickly found the ’core’ is mainly due to Taville getting the hints from the Prophet, not wasting much effort. Don’t you think all Prophets nationwide deserve a reward for this? After all, the Prophets are just me and Mom..."

I tossed the unreasonable little rascal aside, pondering whether a family trip or a dinner would be better. Anyway, I’m not planning to hold a large-scale event like Sister Bing suggested: it’s not the time yet. The bridge building is only half-resolved; the startup terminal is nearing completion, but the foundational "Peace Core" is still unknown. Hosting a big event in this situation seems inappropriate; for sure, Sandora wouldn’t agree. So maybe just a small family gathering and a short break...

Just as I had the thought, I heard a loud voice not far behind me: "Hey, isn’t that my little brother? Fancy meeting you out shopping too?"

Turning around, it turned out to be Xingchen and Sister Hila coming over, accompanied by a few familiar faces: the quiet and serious Supreme Dark Goddess Solaphiel; the well-mannered, reliable, gentlemanly Uncle Kuwayin; the constantly stern-faced, always-on-duty Sovare; and the ever-cheerful, seemingly unharmful Supreme Dragon God, Salon Qian Yuhao.

Clearly, it’s a group of Divine Race high-ups touring Shadow City. I never expected to run into them here. But before I could greet them, Supreme Dragon God stepped up, grabbing my hand with a smile so bright it felt Photoshopped: "Wow, long time no see, let’s chat..."

Then everyone around shouted in unison: "Shut up!"

"I didn’t even say anything yet..." Even with his own Father God shouting angrily, the chatterbox could only sulk off scratching his head, muttering as he walked, "There’s really no need for you all to be so tense. Though I like talking, most of what I say isn’t meaningless. You should shift your perspective and realize that verbal communication is essential..."

Everyone around could only shout again in unison: "Shut up!"

After the chatterbox finally went quiet, I was able to approach Xingchen and the group to greet them: "Hey, you’re all here for a group tour? I hadn’t heard you were coming. Ahem, Sovare, long time no see, sis, long time no see, Uncle Kuwayin, long time no see... and you don’t need to say anything either, chatterbox—but long time no see too, is everyone well?"

"There’s one more!" Just as I finished speaking, I heard a tiny voice from Xingchen’s chest, then a little green being peeked from Xingchen’s collar, "Jiajia greets you! Is Dingdang home? Jiajia came to play with her!"

"Dingdang is here~~" A tiny voice sounded from my chest pocket too, as Dingdang peeked out waving a candy, "Long time no see, Sister Goddess! Would Sister Goddess like to visit Dingdang’s place?"

Then the two little beings started chatting across their respective mounts + mobile sea view rooms, with Dingdang warmly inviting Jiajia over to hers, and the latter feeling obliged, crawled out of Xingchen’s collar, shouting as she flew toward me: "Sorry for the bother!"

This "sorry for the bother" wasn’t even said to me...

Soon, both little beings were squeezed into my pocket. Thankfully, this outfit was specially modified; the pocket is particularly spacious, allowing plenty of room. Their chatter soon emerged: "Oh oh, Dingdang, your room’s so tidy, huh?"

"Of course, Sister Chen Qian handles laundry. It’s super clean. So, Sister Goddess, want anything to eat?"

"Anything’s fine; is there candy? Like the soft candy you brought back from the Divine Realm last time?"

"Sure, sure, it’s in the neighboring pocket—Dingdang’s little warehouse! Do you want a drink, Sister Goddess? There’s juice and milk tea, and maybe you’d like to see Dingdang’s toy room? It’s in my pants pocket, with a teleportation gate between the pockets—it’s super quick!"

"Oh oh! Dingdang, you’re so clever! Is this milk tea? Wow, this cup’s exquisite, lustrous white, smooth as jade, and I saw you took it from your Personal Space earlier, and... oops, spilled it."

I finally couldn’t take it anymore, reached in, and pulled out both little beings: "Okay, the two of you, that’s enough!"

Honestly, Dingdang, what have you done to my clothes? What’s with these strange structures?! Why is there a teleportation gate connecting the pockets? Why is there a toy room? How can you host a tea party in there? How’ve you packed so much stuff inside?

Feeling increasingly uneasy, I hastily peeked into my pockets, and I could hardly believe it: the space inside is vast. Clearly, Dingdang used Divine Techniques to modify the structure; there’s a whole set of miniature furniture, and even two indoor swimming pools...

I felt like I couldn’t breathe: "For crying out loud, is this still my pocket? How come I never noticed before?"

Dingdang proudly puffed up her chest: "Because it was modified just recently! Plus, every time Sister Chen Qian comes to wash clothes, Dingdang would clear out these things beforehand; otherwise, the house would flood..."

I feel like not only would this little thing’s house flood, but her head must have been flooded at birth too.

"You two sure get along well," Xingchen cheerfully stepped forward, "Get used to it, little ones are like this, they can settle anywhere and randomly modify things. I’ll show you the shirt I often wear someday, it’s got two acres of farmland inside..."

Suddenly, my situation felt trivial—dear goodness!

"After hearing the startup terminal core issue has been resolved, we came to check it out," Hila leaned over, "After all, our two clans have invested quite a bit of manpower and resources into this... It’s incredible that it got resolved this way, almost speechless."

I could only scratch my head and laugh along, it’s not just her being speechless, I’m still feeling dazed about it.

The familiar faces trailing behind Xingchen came upon hearing the news. Bridge building is a major event garnering collective attention from the Void Three Clans. Though these Supreme Gods aren’t specialized researchers on the project, their focus placed on it is considerable. Of course, there’s one slight exception: Uncle Kuwayin came along to check on his daughter, and it seems those two are at it again.

"Dear daughter, found anyone yet? When are you settling down? Got suitable prospects? My granddaughter..."

"Can’t you talk about anything else for once! And how many times do I have to emphasize, that doll is not mine and Chen’s illegitimate child! Every time she hears your name she’s too scared to sleep, can you stop scaring the kid?"

"Oh ho ho, you still say you aren’t, just look at how you instinctively start worrying about the kid. You sound just like your mom back in the day..."

"... You old rascal, do you believe I’ll turn against you if I could beat you? Believe I’ll go tell my mom!"

Basically, that’s the main topic when these two meet.

Looking at these familiar faces, I suddenly remembered the celebration we were planning earlier. With a clap of my hands, I loudly proposed, "Since there are quite a few people here today, why don’t we gather and celebrate? Celebrate the resolution of the Startup Terminal issue!"

Everyone present responded enthusiastically, except for Sovare, the rigid one, who couldn’t help but say a few words: "Pardon me for speaking, but only the Startup Terminal issue is resolved; the Peace Core is still a problem. Isn’t it a bit premature to celebrate now..."

"That’s why you’re never happy in this life. I feel exhausted being your friend," Dragon God immediately cut in, "When it’s time to be happy, be happy. When it’s time to celebrate, celebrate. If everyone was like you, life would be unlivable. In peacetime, you’d worry about war; when things go smoothly, you’d worry about pitfalls. You win a battle and worry about a fake defeat. Even having a meal, you’d worry there aren’t enough plates—where are there so many troubles in the world? Don’t you know what a phased victory is? Back when I led my troops to the Shu Gu Rift Zone to fight, I only returned after seven thousand years. Do you know how I motivated myself? By hosting an annual..."

"Shut up! I agree to celebrate, but shut your mouth!"

I curiously watched the Supreme Dragon God and Supreme Light God, thinking to myself how they were still bickering friends, despite their contrasting personalities.

Xingchen and Hila strongly supported having a celebration. As Void Creatures, they naturally had similar temperaments (though Sister Hila did have a slight mutation tendency); they belonged to the type who are cheerful and live in the moment. Plus, to be honest, it’s not easy for those from Huron to gather here, so we couldn’t miss this chance. In the end, we dismissed the unfeasible plans like holding a group fight competition (Bingdisi hadn’t given up), hosting a recitation meeting (Dragon God’s suggestion), or organizing a book exchange event (Whichever genius thought of that?). Finally, a suggestion from Sandora, upon hearing the news, was telepathically connected and unanimously approved: to go to Heavenly Realm City for a barbecue feast.

I enjoyed these family-rich activities much more than any highbrow gathering and they were much easier to organize.

"Let’s invite the folks from the research institute too," Xiao Xue suggested, "They’re the ones who need it the most. Plus, half the people there have come a long way, like those from the Star Domain and Huron Divine Race, and the experts from the Abyss Zone. They’ve been busy all this time since coming so far and haven’t even had a welcome feast yet. Gatherings are fun with more people, just having our family and a few others isn’t as fun."

Hila nodded repeatedly upon hearing this: "Yes, exactly, especially my guys, it’s really tough for them to come over, I had to drag them over. I never realized before, but Xiao Xue is quite considerate—though what’s up with all those strange titles, how do I match them?"

I awkwardly scratched my head, "Hehe, hehe, don’t sweat the small details..."

Heavenly Realm City embraced a rare bustling day.

This place had always been the quietest part of the capital. Shadow City was bustling with visitors from All Realms, while Avalon was full of rowdy demons and Heroic Spirits, but Heavenly Realm City had almost nothing. Though it had been established for a year and the recovery speed of various facilities was rapid, and the number of Apostles on the Mysterious Side was increasing day by day, it still wasn’t enough to make this place flourish. Only silent Arcane patrol soldiers wandered the Sky Dome Avenue year-round, and the floating palaces were either occupied by the reticent Gando Giant Statues or monotonous magic-powered machines. The newly-born angels did bring some vitality to the Angel Wall vicinity, but they didn’t like flying around and mainly clustered near the wall... um, that is, their houses clustered around the Angel Wall. The newly-born Apostles on the Mysterious Side were mostly sent immediately to various front-line troops and outposts, so even after the revival of Heavenly Realm City, it didn’t become lively.

Orelia would occasionally lament to me about how quiet this place was—although she wasn’t a particularly lively person, the perpetual tranquility felt uncomfortable. Over the past year, Orelia had continuously worked hard, establishing several relatively prosperous areas within Heavenly Realm City, but overall, the place remained quite quiet.

But at least today, she didn’t have to complain: Sandora’s proposed barbecue party was held here, and its scale was several times bigger than we expected. I truly admired those Divine Race expert groups’ ability to join the fun; once they heard that the Imperial Family was hosting and it was specially approved by their God King, allowing for a grand buffet-style barbecue, those folks were thrilled... They even sent two representatives to ask if they could bring relatives and friends, because attending a banquet in the Xyrin Capital was novel for many Divine Race members, and they wanted their families to enjoy it. Being hospitable as I am, I of course agreed, resulting in reports of people bringing over forty cousins, thirty-odd cousins, and twelve uncles to the feast—and believe it or not, all these relatives were genuine!

The largest building in the center of the Heavenly Realm City is the recently completed "Kalran Square." This immense circular floating platform is where the Xyrin Angels and Magic Energy Vanguard new recruits gather and train. The square is connected to several surrounding Magic Power Obelisks and the Mystical Palace (a training hall for studying arcane knowledge) by a long bridge of brilliant light. Surrounded by a curtain of aurora, mysterious runes eternally flow in the sky. Standing on this grand square offers views of the most magnificent Sky Dome Avenue stretching into the clouds, as well as the most impressive floating halls of the Heavenly Realm City. It’s safe to say this is the most beautifully scenic spot in the entire group of floating structures. Even though the Xyrin Apostles have always been a bit indifferent to the concepts of "scenery" and "art," this doesn’t seem to impede their ability to create extremely majestic and magical creations.

All the experts who tirelessly worked to repair the Startup Terminal (along with their cousins, siblings, in-laws, uncles, grandparents, and paternal aunts) have been given a day off today. This grand square is just right for hosting an open-air gathering. As with our usual events, liberalism is embraced here, and everyone is free to form groups and thoroughly enjoy this wonderful time. However, it seems like the Divine Race is generally more easygoing than the Xyrin Apostles. The liveliest places are always where the Divine Race gathers. Whether Star Domain Divine Race or Huron Divine Race, they sure know how to revel. In contrast, where the Imperial Researchers gather feels more like an academic seminar, their concerns having absolutely nothing to do with BBQ...

Due to their inherently rigid nature, ninety percent of the Xyrin Apostles are certified social downers, as the saying goes.

But regardless, it’s a new atmosphere in the New Empire, and even the most rigid Xyrin Apostles would now not reject a bit of relaxation and entertainment, making the scene quite lively.

Our big family, along with some Divine Race folks joining the fun, casually found a corner on the square. Watching the bustling scene, Lin Xue appeared particularly excited: "Hey — heh! This is life! Who doesn’t love a life of eating meat by the chunk and drinking wine by the bowl? But speaking of which, Taville’s researchers are just too much of workaholics; even given a day off, half of them weren’t happy about it."

"What kind of general leads what kind of soldiers," I said, the smile never leaving my face. As I spoke, I pointed to a figure in the distance. "Look, Taville is already pulling people to study data again. I bet her mass projections are still busy in the lab. If she had even one percent of her energy here, that would be a miracle."

"That’s her charm point, you wouldn’t understand," Bubbles remarked, carrying several large skewers of raw meat, casually dropping this comment as she passed by me. Then she came to Lin, holding the skewers to her mouth and tapping her shoulder, "Blast!"

The Dragon God Girl instantly opened her mouth and "whoosh," a large burst of Dragon Flame came out.

Bubbles’s exclamation followed quickly: "Ah... it’s burnt again, really can’t take the lazy way out."

Sandora, catching the smell, came over: "Don’t throw it away! I actually like it slightly charred like this. Lin, help me grill these leftover skewers too."

Once more, Lin was used as free labor. But this time, instead of doing chores or moving heavy objects, she was helping grill meat. All it took was a tap on her shoulder for her to obediently open her mouth and breathe Dragon Flame. Never mind her skill, her obedience is quite touching. Some people at home really make the most of things... But as always, whenever Lin helps, things get complicated. This Dragon God Girl, so used to spitting fire, that when I asked her to hand over some seasoning, she turned around at the sound of her name and accidentally sent a big fireball my way... this clumsy, scatterbrained dragon.

However, I soon noticed something odd on the scene. Bingdisi, usually the liveliest one, was uncharacteristically pensive. Sitting not far off, her head was bowed, seemingly deep in thought, with no intention of mingling with others.

Curious, I went over and patted her shoulder: "What are you thinking about? This isn’t like you."

Bingdisi looked up and saw me, waving her hand with great extravagance: "Nothing much, I just suddenly remembered something."

"Tell me about it."

"Would you like to marry me?"

(Now that Sister Bing has had an epiphany, how about some monthly tickets, tips, and subscriptions, huh?) (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com for reading.)