100\% DROP RATE : Why is My Inventory Always so Full? Chapter 742 - Visits

The Abyssal Tempering inside Lucien’s Divine Energy Core had continued throughout the passing months.

By now, Lucien no longer needed to oversee every group personally.

Lucian had taken over much of that responsibility.

He had formed his Nihility Body long ago, and after experiencing the entire process himself, his understanding of Abyssal Tempering had become deep enough for Lucien to trust him with future trainees preparing to enter the Celestial Realm.

His Law of Axiom proved especially useful.

Lucian could observe the different stages of tempering, identify unnecessary resistance within the process, and adjust the conditions without weakening the final result.

The trainees still had to endure the Abyssal Pools.

There were no shortcuts around that.

Lucian simply made sure they did not waste time suffering through problems that contributed nothing to the formation of their bodies.

The difference gradually became obvious.

More Lootwell soldiers were successfully completing the process and forming Nihility Bodies during their Celestial breakthroughs.

Lucian took the responsibility seriously.

He was genuinely pleased whenever another trainee completed the final stage, and Lucien was just as satisfied watching him handle the work without needing constant supervision.

His own progress had not slowed either.

Lucien occasionally gave him leaves from the Tree of Creation containing concentrated traces of Law essence.

Lucian studied them carefully, using his Law of Axiom to break down the principles within each leaf and incorporate whatever understanding he could grasp.

Over time, the improvement accumulated.

His Axiom Law became increasingly refined.

•••

Lucien also made time to visit Edric and Sylvia.

Neither had allowed themselves to become complacent.

Their strength continued improving, partly because both had developed the same complaint.

They refused to fall too far behind their son.

Lucian’s progress had apparently become another source of motivation in the household.

Edric claimed it was embarrassing for a father to look weak beside his own child.

Sylvia had been considerably less dramatic about it, but she trained just as seriously.

Both wanted to remain useful to Lootwell.

That pleased Lucien.

His visits remained peaceful until Edric suddenly asked him whether this was a good time to have another child.

Lucien stared at him.

Edric explained, with complete seriousness, that he wanted a daughter.

Lucian, according to him, had become far less affectionate as he grew older.

Lucien laughed hard enough that Edric nearly regretted bringing it up.

Still, once the amusement passed, Lucien answered honestly.

The timing was not ideal.

Something was gathering beyond the five continents, and although Lucien did not know exactly when the situation would worsen, he could already feel the storm approaching.

Edric’s expression became serious almost immediately.

He understood.

Wanting another child was one thing.

Bringing one into the world at the beginning of a major war was another.

Lucien respected that.

Then, after thinking for a moment, he handed Edric a box of extremely high-quality contraceptives.

Edric looked inside.

His expression changed.

A second later, Lucien disappeared inside a crushing bear hug.

"GAHAHA! Nephew, you understand me the most!"

Before Lucien could escape, Edric kissed the side of his head.

Lucien endured it.

Mostly.

It had been a long time since his uncle had hugged him like that.

He had missed it more than he expected.

•••

Maxim and Ellenwen welcomed him just as warmly.

Their son had grown considerably since Lucien last spent much time with them.

Allen was already approaching five years old.

Lucien had prepared something for him as well.

Just as he had done for Lucian when he was younger, Lucien gave Allen a life-saving item suited for him.

Maxim and Ellen thanked Lucien several times.

Allen simply bowed politely.

Too politely.

Lucien looked at him.

The boy stood quietly beside his parents with his hands neatly placed in front of him, waiting until the adults finished speaking before saying anything.

He had inherited much of Maxim’s calm temperament.

Ellen’s sharpness was there too.

The combination had produced a child who sometimes behaved several years older than he actually was.

Maxim and Ellenwen were quietly worried about that.

Neither wanted Allen to grow up believing he always had to behave perfectly.

They had never deliberately forced that expectation onto him, yet the boy seemed naturally inclined toward restraint.

Lucien discovered that the problem disappeared whenever he played with him.

Allen lasted only a short while before his carefully maintained maturity collapsed.

Soon he was laughing, chasing Lucien around the room, asking questions faster than Lucien could answer them, and complaining whenever Lucien deliberately let him almost win before escaping at the last moment.

That version of Allen reassured his parents considerably more.

Lucien enjoyed it too.

The first time Allen called him older brother, something in Lucien’s chest softened.

He never corrected him.

Maxim and Ellenwen had also begun looking forward to Lucien’s visits for a very simple reason.

Allen laughed more when he was around.

For two first-time parents who constantly worried about whether they were raising their son correctly, hearing that laughter was enough to make the entire house feel lighter.

Lucien understood.

He found himself visiting more often afterward.

•••

Sebas and Elunara’s situation was different.

For some time, the two had been trying to have a child of their own.

Nothing had worked.

The difference between human and elven bloodlines made conception far more difficult than either of them had initially expected.

They had tried several methods.

None succeeded.

The disappointment had hurt them at first.

Lucien could see that much without asking.

But as the situation across the Big World became increasingly uncertain, they had gradually accepted that the delay might not be entirely bad.

A child born immediately before another great war would bring worries neither of them needed.

Lucien still had no intention of leaving the problem unsolved forever.

He told them that once the coming crisis was over, he would ask Seraphine to develop something specifically for them.

If natural compatibility was the problem, then there was no reason they could not improve the conditions artificially.

Sebas’ reaction was immediate.

His usual expression disappeared.

He grabbed Elunara around the waist and lifted her from the ground before apparently remembering that Lucien was standing there.

Elunara’s face turned red.

Lucien laughed.

Seeing through Sebas’ usual Poker Face was rare enough that Lucien considered the moment worth remembering.

More importantly, Elunara looked happier than she had when the subject first came up.

That mattered more.

Lucien had known all of them for too long to treat their lives as something separate from his own.

They were family.

Seeing them safe, progressing, and finding reasons to look forward to the future gave him a kind of satisfaction that no treasure could reproduce.

For all the dangers gathering beyond the five continents, the past months had been good to them.

Lucien was grateful for that.

•••

His next visit took him to Luke and Cienna.

Among everyone he had checked on so far, the two of them had changed the most.