Chương 172: Chapter 171: Home, Where Dad Has Bankrupted the Divine Realm

The magitech battleship The Sovereign slipped through the spatial gate and settled onto the main rail at Solaris Central Station. After weeks of Gangnam skyscrapers, neon, enormous advertis-ing screens, and exhaust fumes, Lucian found himself looking at mossy stone towers and old glazed roofs. Magical abacuses clacked at the roadside stalls. Somewhere, someone was baking apple pies. The railway between Solaris and the Demon Realm was running smoothly.

Freight cars loaded with black Tartarus ore rolled out of the station behind shipments of Earth-style household goods. A red-bronze billboard hung over the main concourse. WELCOME HOME, YOUNG VANCE! THIRTY PERCENT OFF ALL OFFICIAL BOOKS AND MERCHANDISE! Lucian stared at it for a few seconds. His mouth twitched. His father had monetized his homecoming. Fine. His own plans were simple: go home, take a hot bath, eat until he couldn't move, and sleep for at least ten hours. No treaties. No franchise agreements.

Absolutely no corporate mergers. He pulled his hood lower, steered the others around the reception committee of officials and reporters, and made for the family carriage at the private exit. The armored carriage took them straight to the Vance estate. Boris was waiting inside the drawing room, impeccable in his black suit. Lucian hung up his coat and looked around.

"Where's Dad?" The old steward glanced toward the dragon-leather armchair in the corner. Valeria sat with her legs crossed, sipping herbal tea. She lowered her cup neatly onto its saucer.

"Chicken coop." Evelyn took off her sunglasses.

"The Nine Heavens Sword Em-peror?"

"Chicken coop." Astra hugged her box of strawberry ice cream.

"Did he lose to a chicken?" Valeria rose without elaborating. Her black silk skirts brushed the carpet as she crossed the room, took Eleanor's hand, and drew her toward the dining room. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

"Fish or meat tonight, dear?" Eleanor hesitated. This was the woman who had wiped out three ancient kingdoms with one hand. Apparently, a princess's arrival called for no ceremony beyond establishing her dinner preferences.

"Fish, please." Her voice came out softer than usual.

"Thank you." Lucian developed an urgent interest in the back door. A chime sounded. The dark, translucent window of Unified System v3. 0 appeared in his vision. [LOCATION UPDATED: SOLARIS — VANCE ESTATE] Immediate threats detected: None. Outstanding business items: 47. Host stress level: RISING. [HIGHEST CURRENT PRIORITY] Mother Valeria's dinner schedule and menu. Hide that. [Request denied.] Lucian sighed and went outside.

He followed the gravel path past the wisteria to a weathered pine chicken coop beneath a banana tree. He lifted the latch and pushed the door open. Regulus Garrick von Vance, the Nine Heavens Sword Emperor, sat on a three-legged wooden stool in the straw. A fat brown hen was grooming herself on his head. Lucian looked at the hen. Then at his legendary father. Regulus looked up.

"You're home, son."

"One million Divine Crystals." His father rubbed his chin.

"The new sword is excellent. Cuts clean through. Barely any resistance."

"I DIDN'T ASK FOR A PRODUCT REVIEW!" Regulus waved a hand. The hen flapped twice, reconsidered the situation, and settled back onto his hair. Then his father looked properly at him. The grand sword-reviewing expression eased into something warmer and a little awkward.

"How was Earth?" Lucian crouched in the doorway and snapped a piece of straw between his fingers.

"A pain in the ass." Regulus nodded.

"Mm." He patted his knee.

"You got home safely. That's what matters." Lucian sat down in the straw beside the stool. For a while, neither of them said anything. Then he reached into his coat pocket and took out the compen-sation order the Divine Realm's Holy See had sent through his mother's flames. He unfolded the last appendix for one final look. A small line of dark-red Ancient Divine text caught his eye at the bottom of the page. [AUTOMATIC ENERGY SAFETY INSPECTION NOTICE] Trigger: SEVERE STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO THE BIFROST BRIDGE.

Directly affected network: THE ENTIRE SOLARIS CONTINENTAL MANA GRID. Full compliance audit begins in seven days. Lucian slowly raised his head.

"Dad." Regulus looked at him. Lucian pointed at the red text.

"How the hell did you cut a bridge so hard you broke the conti-nent's power grid?"