Chapter 152: What Do You Like?

Seeing Xuan Xuan engrossed in her work, Zhan Yu could not help asking, "Are these metals really that useful?"

Even with her right in front of him, Zhan Yu still felt a touch of unreality. It felt like searching for someone thousands of times in a crowd, only to suddenly turn around and find her standing quietly in the dim fading light—having searched endlessly and waited for so long, only to realize she had been by his side all along.

Yet even with her beside him, right before his eyes, he dared not be certain. He didn't even dare to blink, afraid she would vanish the moment his eyelids closed.

Zhan Yu felt as though he were dreaming. The words she had spoken just moments ago seemed less like something she had actually uttered and more like a figment of his own imagination.

"They're needed for making magic crystal stones—well, energy stone converters, to be exact. They are quite important," Xuan Xuan replied directly without lifting her head.

A faint smile touched the corner of Zhan Yu's lips. Only now, as Xuan Xuan spoke to him, could he feel a sliver of reality anchoring him.

She was truly right beside him, neither a delusion nor a hallucination.

"Can this kind of converter really turn colored energy stones into usable transparent ones?" Zhan Yu asked. He knew Xuan Xuan had long intended to build such a device, but they had previously lacked the necessary materials.

"Those colored ones each correspond to a specific attribute. The gold ones are the ones you can use; you can absorb the energy within them or use them to craft weapons. Because of this limitation, their application range is narrow, and since a vast number of people in the Federation possess no supernatural abilities and thus no attributes, they aren't of much use to most of you. But in truth, every energy stone has its own distinct function, especially for awakened ability users. For instance, if you use red fire-attribute stones to supply energy to a weapon, the effect is far superior to attribute-less ones," Xuan Xuan explained.

However, the people of the Federation did not know how to utilize them. Xuan Xuan was currently planning to find someone to teach them. The best candidates would be Shi Zishan and Zuo Chen; Elder Ji was too old, making Shi Zishan and Zuo Chen much more suitable choices, though teaching the two of them would certainly be no easy task.

Xuan Xuan added, "Gold-attribute energy stones can power your current mecha energy swords, making your attacks much sharper. And there are all the other colors; each attribute has its own unique properties, though one must understand them thoroughly before use. Putting them on mechas is merely my hypothesis—I haven't tested it yet, but it should work without any issues."

Xuan Xuan had conceived this idea long ago. In the Federation, people only knew how to use attribute-less energy stones, leaving all the remaining attributed energy stones completely neglected and unused.

This was precisely why the energy stone converter was so crucial to the Federation, and why Wanmo Lianhao and Zhan Yu had been so thrilled upon learning of its function.

Zhan Yu frowned. He knew it could not be that simple; otherwise, the Federation would not have failed to find a way to use them during the long period since energy stones were first discovered.

Xuan Xuan busied herself with the task at hand. These metals were extremely precious, and she had no wish to ruin them. Giving all her attention to the intricate engraving, she answered Zhan Yu's occasional questions absentmindedly, replying to whatever he asked without a second thought.

Zhan Yu was already well accustomed to this state of hers. A smile played at the corner of his mouth as he casually tossed out random questions about trivial daily matters, letting Xuan Xuan respond effortlessly without needing to think.

"That phantom fox you caught has gotten a bit chubby lately, and its fur is sleek and glossy," Zhan Yu remarked with a smile in his eyes.

With phantom grass becoming increasingly abundant, the phantom fox had plenty of rations. Since neither she nor Kuang Shao had the time to torment it, the creature lived in absolute comfort—how could it not grow fat? "It has gotten chubby."

The smile in Zhan Yu's eyes deepened. He asked no further, fearing he might distract Xuan Xuan or cause her to realize he was gently probing for information.

Xuan Xuan never explained why she used two identities, nor did he know how she had managed to learn so much at such a young age—surpassing even Elder Ji and Kuang Hongyi in certain aspects. But this was Xuan Xuan's affair; if she preferred not to share, he would not pry. Over the span of more than a decade, he understood her well enough.

Whatever she chose not to speak of, Zhan Yu would not ask. Whatever she was willing to share, he was willing to listen. Knowing it was truly her, and knowing she was right by his side, was already more than enough.

His gaze grew slightly deep and his brow furrowed as he looked at Xuan Xuan's back. Now that he knew it was her, why did the path ahead suddenly feel so much more difficult?

His face darkened. She was only in her teens—was he really about to become some kind of "pedophile"?

Had Kuang Shao been right when he said he would have to slowly "raise her up"?

Moreover, the obstacles standing in his way were numerous. Wanmo Lianhao was the biggest hurdle; Wanmo Lianhao held the lowest opinion of him possible. How could he ever make Wanmo Lianhao change his perspective? Zhan Yu felt that task might be even harder than reforming Bai Ruchen.

And even leaving Wanmo Lianhao aside, there was Wanmo Yi, whose protectiveness over his granddaughter was legendary; Wanmo Lianjun, who allegedly favored his niece far more than his own son; the unpredictable Wanmo Lianchen; not to mention Xuan Xuan's two fiercely protective older brothers.

As Zhan Yu mentally tallied his potential enemies, feeling that the path ahead was pitch black without a single ray of light, his communicator chimed. He glanced at the screen—it was Kuang Shao. Without a second thought, he hung up.

His expression grew even darker. How could he have forgotten about Kuang Shao? This senior brother of his was dangerous enough, but the even greater problem was the old man in Kuang Shao's family, who had been eyeing Xuan Xuan as a prospective daughter-in-law for a very long time.

Right, and then there was that classmate of Xuan Xuan's, the young man from the Ai family.

His face contorted in a tangle of conflicting emotions. He was twice her age, possessed a difficult personality, and came from a less-than-harmonious family—would she despise him for all of that?

The more Zhan Yu thought about it, the deeper his frown became, and the more insecure he felt.

Why did he suddenly feel like he had zero chance of winning her heart?

"What do you like?" Zhan Yu asked abruptly.

Against enemies, he could parry blow for blow, destroying them one by one or a pair at a time. But with Xuan Xuan, Zhan Yu felt she held no special feelings for him whatsoever.

Xuan Xuan paused, turned her head to look at Zhan Yu, and blinked. Had he spent all that time in silence just to ponder this question?

"I like meat," Xuan Xuan answered, seeing the grim expression on Zhan Yu's face as if the question were of the utmost importance.

Meat? Zhan Yu felt a line of black sweat drop down his forehead. "What about people?"

"Dad, Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle..." People? Xuan Xuan began to calculate, counting them off one by one. Seeing Zhan Yu's expression grow increasingly earnest, she kept going, listing every single person she knew, nearly including the entire Bai family. Yet Zhan Yu's face only grew darker and uglier. Xuan Xuan spread her hands in exasperation—just what on earth did he want to know? She still had work to finish on her project!

Listening to Xuan Xuan count all the way from Wanmo Lianhao to Kuang Hongyi, then to her classmates, and even dragging in the Ai family boy without ever mentioning him, Zhan Yu felt his vision darken. What had previously seemed like a distant, ethereal glimmer of hope now felt entirely obliterated.

Seeing that Zhan Yu remained unresponsive, Xuan Xuan turned back to her work.

Zhan Yu gritted his teeth. Did he really not even have that little bit of status in her mind?

Unaware of the turmoil in Zhan Yu's thoughts, Xuan Xuan was busy with her tasks when she heard someone calling out from the house. Estimating the time, she figured it must be lunch.

"Grandma is calling me, I'm heading in," Xuan Xuan called out over her shoulder.

Zhan Yu was still standing there in a deep, brooding trance, but at the mention of "Grandma," his eyes lit up. How could he have forgotten this crucial detail?

The person with the highest status in the Wanmo family was not Wanmo Yi, but Xuan Xuan's grandmother, Tong Wan. Who throughout the entire Federation didn't know about Wanmo Yi's fear of his wife?

A smile curved the corner of his lips. Didn't he remember Tong Wan having a rather favorable impression of him?

With Tong Wan backing him up from behind, what did Wanmo Lianhao or Wanmo Yi even matter?

Having devised a plan, Zhan Yu immediately logged off the stellar network and instructed his subordinates to investigate Tong Wan's preferences. "I want every single detail—all her hobbies, her daily habits, find out as much as humanly possible. She likes watching television? What kind of shows? What genres? Who directed them? Get every single thing cleared up for me!"

Xuan Xuan might be a bit dense in these matters, but Zhan Yu felt he needed to forcefully boost his presence. He also had them investigate where else she frequented besides the Kuang residence and the school.

After giving his instructions, he suddenly remembered the various metals Xuan Xuan had requested earlier, guessing she would likely need them in reality as well, and immediately ordered his men to start collecting them in the physical world.

Since Xuan Xuan loved to eat, with meat ranking undisputedly as her favorite, Zhan Yu decided his culinary skills definitely had room for further improvement.

Having settled all these matters, Zhan Yu plunged back into a headache: How was he supposed to explain this to his grandfather? His grandfather had long known he was searching for Xuan Xuan's "teacher," but how was he now supposed to explain that the person he had set his sights on was Wanmo Xuanxuan herself?

And what about Kuang Shao? How on earth was he supposed to break it to Kuang Shao?

Tell him that she was "her"?

As if that were possible.

For a brief second, Zhan Yu felt a wave of profound relief—thankful that he had listened to Kuang Shao and enrolled in the First Military Academy of the Federation. If not for that, when on earth would he have discovered that the Wanmo Xuanxuan right beside him was the person he had searched for so long?

What if he had missed her? Would Xuan Xuan have been scooped up by Kuang Shao, or Ai Zhe, or someone else entirely who recognized her worth?

While Zhan Yu was wrestling with his headache, Xuan Xuan was having a pleasant time at home, where Wanmo Lianjun's return had prompted Tong Wan to add a slew of delicious dishes to the table.

Burying her head in her food, she ignored the stern expressions on the faces of Wanmo Yi and the others. Tong Wan, however, glared at the men. "What's with those gloomy faces at the dining table?"

Who in the Wanmo family held more authority than Tong Wan?

"Your principal already spoke with me regarding your school. The academy has investigated, and the mecha was indeed your doing. It will be dealt with this afternoon," Wanmo Yi informed the three of them after the meal.

The folks at the First Military Academy had been so agitated that it took them until now to finally relay the issue back to Wanmo Yi.

Wanmo Yi had no intention of telling the three of them how Liao Kun had praised them; excessive praise bred complacency, but the pride swelling in Wanmo Yi's heart went without saying.

Xuan Xuan acted as though she hadn't heard a thing. Wasn't this only natural?

Wanmo Weihan let out a cold snort and asked, "How are they going to handle that Xuan Guo?"

"Her competition eligibility will be revoked. Expulsion is unlikely," Wanmo Yi replied.

Wanmo Weihan muttered under his breath, "Isn't that letting her off way too lightly?"