These words really tempted Jiang Lijin. Traveling... she hadn't been on a trip in all three of her lifetimes combined...
But she soon thought of a crucial problem.
[What about Chiron? I gave Baal a deep purification before he left. Does Chiron need one too? What if the moment I leave the capital planet, his spiritual power spirals out of control in the hospital? Who would be held responsible? I don't want to carry the charge of murdering an academician of the Imperial Academy of Sciences.]
Xiao Yi's electronic voice popped up with a somewhat educational tone: [Host, you are letting your concern cloud your judgment. Commander Baal's situation is quite special. He has been stationed at the frontline for a long time, and fighting the Zerg is an everyday occurrence. In such a high-intensity combat environment, not only is his spiritual power frequently overdrawn, but he also comes into direct contact with the pollution sources emitted by the Zerg. It is perfectly normal that his rampage levels cannot be suppressed.]
[In the Federal Military, the position of Commander-in-Chief is basically a consumable. An average person works for about ten years before needing replacement.] Xiao Yi paused, taking the opportunity to flatter her, [But now that you are here, Commander Baal's career can at least double, and working until retirement is no longer just a dream.]
Jiang Lijin raised an eyebrow. No wonder that guy Baal always had a tightly furrowed brow; it was probably the aftereffect of being tortured by pollution year-round.
[As for Director Chiron,] Xiao Yi continued to analyze, [He stays on the capital planet every day, either doing research or treating patients. At most, he might get polluted when coming into contact with male warriors whose spiritual power has gone berserk. His spiritual power won't go wrong anytime soon, so you can put your mind entirely at ease and go on vacation.]
Hearing this, Jiang Lijin completely relaxed.
Since she had no worries holding her back, she didn't plan to stay home growing mushrooms anymore.
She opened her door and went downstairs.
The first-floor living room was brightly lit. Tinia was standing in the center of the hall, directing several people in uniform who were carrying various high-end ingredients into the kitchen and storage room.
"Those deep-sea chalcedony shrimp, the temperature must be kept at exactly minus three degrees, a slight difference will ruin the texture! And those boxes of starlight fruit, be gentle, can you afford to pay for them if you bruise them?"
The blonde, blue-eyed young master, who usually looked clingy and loved to act spoiled, actually had quite the air of a superior when ordering people around.
Jiang Lijin leaned against the stair railing and glanced over.
These newly arrived butlers and chefs mostly had spiritual power fluctuations hovering around the A-level. Among ordinary people, they would be considered the elite class, but now they were doing chores for a 19-year-old young master.
Tinia was quite particular, though; he didn't let these people live in the house, but arranged for them to leave on their own after getting off work at night.
This house was located on the edge of the capital planet, a very remote location. These people's daily commute probably took two or three hours on the aerial lanes.
The bitterness of wage earners applied just as well in the interstellar era.
She walked straight behind Tinia and reached out to tug at his sleeve. "Tinia, come here for a second."
Tinia was pointing at a box of ingredients issuing orders. Hearing the voice, he turned his head.
His blue eyes instantly lit up when he saw her. "Sister! You're not asleep yet?"
He abandoned the group of people and hurried over, wagging an invisible tail, his tone full of flattery.
The two walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows, avoiding the busy servants.
Jiang Lijin got straight to the point. "Weren't you always talking about wanting to take me to the Valoran Galaxy?"
Tinia froze, then nodded in ecstasy, his golden hair shaking with the movement. "Yes! It's aurora season over there right now, the scenery is absolutely stunning! Plus, I have a few private resort planets under my name, you can go to whichever one you want! Whether it's seeing the ocean or skiing, I'll arrange everything perfectly!"
"Then let's go." Jiang Lijin's tone was casual. "Baal is away on a business trip, and I haven't had any serious business lately. Let's treat it as a relaxing getaway."
"That's wonderful!" Tinia cheered, opening his arms to hug her.
Jiang Lijin was quick; she slapped a hand against his forehead and pushed him away.
"Don't be too happy just yet. Before we leave, we need to go say hello to Chiron." She turned and walked toward the door. "We live under the same roof after all, leaving without a word wouldn't be polite."
Half the smile on Tinia's face collapsed. He curled his lip, muttered something under his breath, but still reluctantly followed her.
Returning to the second floor, Jiang Lijin knocked on Chiron's door.
A moment later, the door opened.
Before she could even clearly see the person inside, a black, palm-sized little bird fluttered its wings and impatiently squeezed out through the crack in the door. It instantly landed on Jiang Lijin's shoulder, rubbed its fluffy head against her cheek, and let out soft chirping sounds.
Jiang Lijin was stunned for a moment before realizing that this was Chiron's spiritual body. She couldn't help but smile; she truly never expected that Chiron, who usually looked so ascetic, would have a chubby little bird that acted cute and begged to be petted as his spiritual body.
She casually stroked the bird's head, which felt surprisingly good, and only then did she raise her eyes to look inside the room.
The warm yellow glow of the wall lamp spilled softly over Chiron.
He was wearing a dark gray, high-end silk bathrobe, the belt tied loosely around his waist, looking as if it could come undone at any moment.
The collar hung wide open, revealing a large expanse of cool, pale skin and incredibly smooth collarbones. The faint outline of tight pectoral muscles could even be seen. His black hair, usually combed so neatly and meticulously, was now a bit messy, with a few damp strands hanging over his forehead, dripping with water.
Those gray eyes had shed their daytime coldness and restraint, holding a bit of the languid mist from his recent shower. The corners of his eyes even carried a faint hint of red.
Jiang Lijin's gaze uncontrollably lingered on that deep V-neckline for two extra seconds, her heartbeat inexplicably skipping a beat.
"Ms. Jiang?" Chiron's gaze keenly caught her stare, and a small arc curled at the corners of his lips. But soon, his gaze moved past her and landed on Tinia, who was standing to the side with a face full of defensiveness. "It's so late, is there something you need?"
As he spoke, he slowly reached out his slender fingers and plucked back the spiritual body that was frantically showing off on Jiang Lijin's shoulder, looking utterly shameless.
Jiang Lijin quickly withdrew her gaze, coughing lightly to cover up her embarrassment.
"Well, Tinia said he wants to take me on a vacation to the Valoran Galaxy. I figured I should let you know. We're leaving first thing tomorrow morning."
She paused, and out of the politeness expected between adults, casually added, "Do you want to come along?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt like she was speaking nonsense. With so many messes and important surgeries at the Central Hospital, how could this busy director possibly get away?
"He definitely doesn't have time!" Tinia interjected first, his tone rushed. "Director Chiron is incredibly busy. All the difficult and complicated illnesses in the galaxy rely on him, and the hospital simply can't do without him. Sister, let's not disturb his precious resting time."
Chiron looked at Tinia's protective posture, looking as if he couldn't wait to slam the door shut immediately, and let out a soft chuckle.
He slowly gathered the collar of his bathrobe, his gaze returning to Jiang Lijin's face.
"The Valoran Galaxy? It's a nice place." His tone was mild as he slowly added, "As it happens, I haven't taken my annual leave yet this year."
Tinia's face completely darkened.
Jiang Lijin was also a bit surprised. Why was this taking a completely different turn from what she had expected?
"However, there are indeed important matters to arrange at the hospital, and the handover will take some time." Chiron observed their varying expressions and added unhurriedly, "You two go on ahead. Once I finish wrapping things up here, I'll come join you."
Since he had put it that way, Jiang Lijin had no way to refuse. She could only nod. "Alright, we'll wait for you there."
Beside them, Tinia ground his teeth in anger.
