She sounded especially downcast, watching wide-eyed as Xie Jianxun walked out the door and got into the City Lord’s Mansion vehicle.
He poked his head out the car window and waved goodbye to her.
The mechanical arm wagged its tail, its scarlet electronic eye watching the convoy depart in grand fashion.
Settling into the spacious, comfortable City Lord’s Mansion car, Xie Jianxun withdrew his gaze and voiced his doubt. “City Lord, I thought you hadn’t recognized me before?”
The Middle-Aged City Lord sighed. “You really surprised me, dyeing your hair black like that… Fortunately, I went to the Eastern Border Embassy afterward and confirmed your identity.”
Xie Jianxun let out a soft sigh too. “As expected.”
Some things he could cleverly avoid using his status; now, it was precisely because of his status that he had to go with the City Lord’s Mansion.
As his thoughts wandered out the window to that beautiful building, he wondered: Would Yiwen take good care of Idis?
The City Lord’s Mansion convoy sped through Silver Watchtower’s central street toward the City Lord’s Mansion.
Along the way, Xie Jianxun saw protective personnel stationed everywhere, holding half-person-high plastic disinfection buckets and spraying special anti-insect disinfectant on the empty streets.
He loved this lively city and couldn’t help furrowing his brow. “Is the insect disaster that serious now?”
The City Lord replied smoothly, “It’s manageable. Most are contained in the Wild Zone; we haven’t let them spread into the city. We’re just doing preventive work ahead of time, spraying insect repellents. Prevention is always better than a cure.”
That was true. The Insect Clan was formidable in combat, while Silver Watchtower was usually peaceful.
Most citizens had never seen a gun; the most dangerous thing they could grab was probably a kitchen knife—nothing like Desert Star.
Unarmed civilians facing the Insect Clan meant casualties were inevitable.
The City Lord said considerately, “You Liang’s still at home. Shall I drop you off to hang out with him first? Young people together will have more in common than with an old fogey like me.”
Xie Jianxun laughed, his mood lightening a bit. “No, no. You look pretty young.”
The Middle-Aged City Lord said smugly, “That’s all thanks to You Liang’s mom dressing me up.”
In just a few words, his friendly and approachable attitude dispelled Xie Jianxun’s initial wariness, and they chatted amiably.
As they neared the City Lord’s Mansion, Xie Jianxun asked without much hope, “Have you informed the East Territory about my situation in Silver Watchtower?”
The City Lord answered candidly, “I spoke with the ambassador. He said you came alone to Silver Watchtower, possibly not wanting to tell your family. He respected that. But I’m the City Lord of Silver Watchtower and the planetary governor of the Western Border. Your whereabouts and safety have to be our top priority.”
He hinted subtly that he—or Silver Watchtower—couldn’t bear such a risk.
Just as Xie Jianxun had thought, the Little Adventurer nodded a bit dejectedly.
Sensing his disappointment, the City Lord said softly, “Mr. Xie, trouble at home?” His tone was like a kindly elder, so Xie Jianxun mustered some spirit.
“No such thing. Just pretend I don’t want to go home yet and want to play a few more days.” He joked.
The City Lord said, “Easy enough. When the diplomats arrive, I’ll have someone take you two around to enjoy yourselves properly—whatever you want to do.”
Upon arriving at the City Lord’s Mansion, Xie Jianxun got out of the car following the City Lord.
Unlike his casual entry before, the gates of the City Lord’s Mansion stood wide open this time. On-duty staff escorted him inside, with nearly a full honor guard waiting.
The lights blazed brightly, illuminating the spacious first-floor hall in opulent splendor. The floor gleamed like a mirror.
Fortunately, no media reporters snapped photos with incessant clicks. Only personnel from the embassy and the City Lord’s Mansion were present.
He figured as much—his appearance was top-secret, so no photos would leak easily.
Someone even walked ahead to clear the path for him. A carpet had been laid out in the hall, lest he slip.
It was the first time Xie Jianxun had been treated with such formality, and it nearly gave him goosebumps.
The Little Adventurer thought to himself, Heavens, I hope I never have to go through this pomp again.
As they passed through the courtyard, a head vaguely appeared from behind a white jade pillar.
He relaxed a bit, turned to say something to the City Lord, then headed that way. Sure enough, You Liang was hiding behind the pillar.
Xie Jianxun asked curiously, “What are you doing hiding here?”
You Liang glanced at his father, then at the crowd standing nearby, and stammered, “Uh, I bought a new multiplayer game. The cartridge just arrived—want to play?”
He was much more reserved than during their late-night snack run.
Who could’ve guessed that a casual wild squad outing during vacation would lead to meeting the Eastern Border Young Noble from next door!
They’d even explored caves together, slain insects, and fought mineral beasts.
…It felt like hanging out with a buddy at the bathhouse, only for him to turn out to be a billionaire tycoon.
A city lord’s son and a domain lord’s son—worlds apart.
Before he finished, Xie Jianxun slung an arm around his shoulders with enthusiasm. “Let’s go, let’s go! I haven’t played games in ages. What’s hot on Star Net lately?”
With a slight push, he propelled You Liang forward.
Soon, they slipped out of sight of the people behind them. Both let out a collective sigh of relief.
You Liang was startled by Xie Jianxun’s exaggerated exhale and whispered, “What was that for?”
Xie Jianxun grumbled, “Doesn’t it feel awkward with a whole crowd trailing you, no matter what you do?”
You Liang: “Yeah… I figured with your status, you’re used to it.”
Xie Jianxun: “Nah, not at all. Back home, I’m practically invisible—never see scenes like this. Think about it: have you ever spotted me in the news or official events?”
You Liang paused, then realized it was true.
He exclaimed in surprise, “How’s that possible? Don’t your family like you?” This friend of his was awesome!
Xie Jianxun: “It’s not that. Sigh.”
He sighed again. You Liang didn’t pry. The two hooked arms and headed upstairs to game, fleeing the crowd’s scrutiny in something like a hasty retreat.
Watching their departing backs, the deputy let out a breath of relief. Before they arrived, they’d worried the Eastern Border Young Noble might be temperamental, hole up, and cause them extra trouble.
The deputy asked, “City Lord, should we assign more personnel?”
The Middle-Aged City Lord considered it and nodded. “Yes, we should bolster security to avoid any mishaps.”
Xie Jianxun had nothing to complain about staying at the City Lord’s Mansion—except he couldn’t leave. They’d assigned him a luxurious suite, complete with dedicated staff for meals and cleaning.
Yet he missed the little bedroom at the Idis Family home, with its cozy trinkets meticulously arranged by Yiwen and the swaying bedside night-light.
Sometimes, lost in thought, Xie Jianxun would swing that lamp for a full ten minutes, watching its light dance across his textbooks.
The next morning, the City Lord’s Mansion informed him that the East Territory had replied. They would assemble a team to arrive in the Western Border within 216 star hours—nine days.
Crossing the entire East Territory plus half the Western Border required multiple long-range spatial jumps on a starship, demanding high endurance from both vessel and crew.
Xie Jianxun asked without much hope, “Who’s coming? Diplomats?”
The messenger replied, “Here’s the visitor list. Take a look.”
Xie Jianxun glanced down at the official document. It listed several names in neat rows—some proper diplomats, others less so.
For instance, Julius was prominently featured.
He closed his eyes briefly. This is ridiculous.
Xie Jianxun shut the file, marveling that Julius would go through official channels so openly to retrieve him. What an oddity.
Over the past few days lounging around the City Lord’s Mansion, he’d picked up plenty of news.
Border planets had erupted into large-scale war, with ripple effects causing minor Insect Clan resurgences in surrounding systems—clearly due to pressure from the border swarms.
Planets without a King Insect fared okay, but those with one hatching faced outright catastrophe.
Some bug-free worlds had breathed easy, only for a neighbor’s King Insect to drift through space and land on theirs—talk about bad luck.
This explained the military’s bulk mecha purchases: enhancing soldiers’ combat prowess and survival via full-body enclosure and brainwave control. Brain Domain Mechs were the optimal combo.
Silver Watchtower launched a massive disinfection campaign, spraying streets with anti-Insect Clan pheromone repellents on a grand scale.
Troops in white protective suits took to the streets, doubling as a citywide cleanup.
For a moment, the streets were cleaner than ever.
Some clueless residents heard “disinfection” and “extermination” and assumed underground roaches and ants had overrun the place. Finally, the City Lord’s Mansion was funding street cleaning!
Eager citizens popped up from every nook and cranny, in clusters, armed with their own slogans and bug spray.
“Our goal: a roach-free city!”
The staff panicked, waving them off frantically. “No, no, no—not those bugs! Don’t spray randomly—it’ll mask the scent!”
