Lu Ming sat upright in his chair, a gentle aura naturally radiating from him.
“Mm, welcome, Yilin. I’m truly happy for you and Lisi.”
He spoke with both politeness and sincerity.
Lisi was one of his own. Naturally, it was a good thing for her to reunite with her sister.
And now, Lucia no longer had to be separated from her own mother.
“Uh, but I can’t help but feel a little strange, as if I’m some kind of wicked stepmother… or stepfather.”
Lu Ming couldn’t help but sigh.
He then noticed the look in Lisi’s eyes.
She was glancing back and forth between Lu Ming and Sislia, her gaze shifting from initial surprise to gradual understanding.
Finally, she let out a meaningful smile, as if she was thinking of something rather indecent.
Seeing this, Lu Ming gave her a subtle glare.
Then, acting as if nothing happened, he spoke to Yilin.
“Yilin, was it the Church of the Ocean that helped you escape danger?”
***
Yilin fluttered her lashes, her expression becoming complicated for a moment.
“Yes, the people of the Church of the Ocean saved me. They helped shield me from the investigations of the other churches.”
Yilin’s voice was soft, carrying the warmth of a gentle neighborly older sister.
Soft, yet tinged with a subtle resilience.
As she spoke, Yilin suddenly smiled, her eyes shining with relief as she looked at Lisi.
She reached out, holding Lisi’s hand and interlacing their fingers tightly.
Yilin’s eyes were filled with tenderness and longing.
“If not for the Church of the Ocean, I would never have seen Lisi again, nor would I ever see our child, Lucia.”
At those words—
***
Sislia, who had been wholly preoccupied with Lu Ming and her own tangled thoughts, was immediately drawn to the conversation.
“What? Their child? Wait, I understand every word, but why do they make no sense put together…”
She knew that for the Elf race to have children, it didn’t require a pair, nor was it limited by gender.
That much, she understood.
But weren’t these two sisters?
Blood sisters.
They had a child together—well, perhaps that was still understandable?
Yet, the more Sislia looked, the stranger she felt. The way Yilin gazed at Lisi didn’t quite seem like how a sister would look at her younger sibling.
It was practically electric.
And Lisi—was she actually… a little shy?
Wasn’t that the right word for that attitude?
But then Sislia realized, if they really did have that sort of relationship—
Then Lisi certainly couldn’t be having anything with His Highness.
“Mm, that’s a good thing.”
“This way, I don’t have to worry about anyone competing with me for His Highness, do I?”
With this shift in thought, the way Sislia looked at Lisi and Yilin gradually changed.
Her gaze became much warmer, no longer holding the subtle wariness from before.
***
“Ahem…”
Lu Ming cleared his throat quietly.
He then signaled to Lisi with his eyes.
Only then did she snap back, realizing that now probably wasn’t the time to be exchanging loving glances with Yilin.
She gently squeezed Yilin’s hand, silently reminding her.
That melancholy beauty finally withdrew her gaze with a pampering look, though the two Elves’ hands remained entwined.
And, Yilin surreptitiously shot a glance at Lu Ming, her eyes faintly pleading.
As if she were begging Lu Ming to let someone off.
Lu Ming simply smiled and said nothing.
He took it as Yilin being naive for now—after all, there were many things she had yet to experience.
“The depths I’ve reached are beyond your imagination…”
“At best, all you can do is talk…”
“Since that’s the case, Yilin, are you willing to serve as the Ambassador of Lies for the Lie Church?”
“To engage in dialogue and contact with the major churches. For now, I plan to first establish diplomatic ties with the Church of the Ocean.”
“The position is equivalent to that of an archbishop of a branch church. I believe you will become an indispensable part of my Lie Church.”
Lu Ming had long planned this.
He just hadn’t decided whom to appoint yet.
With Yilin’s arrival, she was the perfect fit.
Yilin was momentarily stunned by his words.
It was only after a small nudge from Lisi that she snapped out of it.
She looked uncertainly at Lu Ming, confusion and doubt filling her eyes.
“Equivalent to a chief bishop of a major church… am I really suited for such a position?”
“Your Grace, Promise God, what is it you want from me? What could I possibly have that would interest a deity…?!”
Yilin was riddled with worries.
“Could it really be as I fear, that Lisi has already…”
“No need to worry, Lisi will be the Pope of Lies. You’re new here—surely there are many things you’re unfamiliar with or not used to.”
“Just ask Lisi for guidance. She’s very experienced.”
Lu Ming spoke casually, utterly easygoing.
His tone was warm and inviting, without even a hint of that oppressive aura of a deity.
Yet, Yilin only found these words more and more ambiguous the more she listened.
Her unease only grew.
Besides, this was the Promise God—could a single word from him be trusted?
“Relax. I’m the most trustworthy. Even lies can be told with goodwill.”
Lu Ming chuckled softly.
He didn’t care in the least what was running through Yilin’s mind.
At his words, Yilin opened her mouth in shock.
Only then did she realize—
“My thoughts… were all heard by His Excellency ‘Ymir’? I…”
Even she couldn’t help but blush faintly.
She scooted a little closer to Lisi.
Her pair of pointed Elf ears drooped downward, as if she were a bit nervous.
“Oh? So you can move your ears? I’ve never seen Lisi do that.”
Lu Ming, curious, flashed over to Yilin’s side.
He reached out and gently touched one of her slightly reddened Elf ears.
Lu Ming gently kneaded it.
The texture was wonderfully bouncy, as if there were no cartilage—like touching jelly.
“Mm…!”
Yilin was startled by the sudden gesture, the shock making her gasp unconsciously.
Her eyes grew dazed, and her body seemed to lose strength, collapsing softly into Lisi’s arms.
Seeing this, Lu Ming quickly withdrew his hand.
He raised an eyebrow and grumbled inwardly.
“Are Elf ears this sensitive? Is that some kind of universal setting…?”
He gently ruffled Yilin’s hair in apology, channeling a hint of Power of Divinity into her.
“Sorry, Yilin. I wasn’t very thoughtful.”
Although Lu Ming didn’t feel embarrassed, it really wasn’t appropriate to suddenly start rubbing someone’s ears like that.
But he truly was curious.
Lisi and Yilin were biological sisters—
Why could one move her ears and the other couldn’t?
When he touched Lisi’s ears, nothing much happened—just a little ticklish and shy.
But with Yilin, the reaction was huge.
Lu Ming thought for a moment and figured it was probably just a difference in constitution—maybe like Sislia.
“Uh, so this is what a true Water Elf is like?”