Chapter 610 - Secret Rule (Patreon)

After Protector Fiona, only three Protectors remained.

Gandolf moved on to the next person, a beautiful middle-aged woman with her hair tied neatly behind her head.

"This is Protector Jade. She's the Director of Cloud Continent's General Affairs. She handles all the logistics, tax systems, resource management, land management, infrastructure maintenance, budget allocation, disaster relief, and countless other things. You could say she practically runs the entire continent." He said.

Looking at Protector Jade, Leyvi was reminded of Layla. Not because of her appearance, but because of the demeanor and atmosphere surrounding her.

The similarity probably came from their occupations. Just like Protector Jade, Layla was responsible for managing the entire Bara Territory.

"Ahem, don't make it sound like I'm some queen, Gandolf. Nobody else wants to do this job, so I'm forced to do it. Everyone else went on with their lives elsewhere, but I'm stuck here making sure the continent doesn't collapse. It's so unfair." Jade complained.

She didn't stop there.

"I have to deal with so many annoying things every day because everyone is so incompetent. And every time I need to make a decision, I have to think about whether it will harm someone's life or not. It's so tiring. How is this being a queen? I'm not the queen. I'm the slave." She sighed dramatically before adding, "I need a man to come into my life and save me from this slavery."

"We're sorry about this, Jade, but you're the only one we can rely on. If it were any of us in your position, everything would collapse very quickly. You're the only one with the talent to manage the entire continent successfully. You're a true pillar of Cloud Continent." Gandolf said, praising her.

"Really?" Jade asked, her expression brightening slightly.

"You can ask everyone. They all think the same." Gandolf nodded.

As if they had received the cue, the other Protectors also began praising Jade and hyping up her achievements.

Everyone joined in except Java, of course.

He remained as silent as ever.

“Well, if everyone insists, it can’t be helped. I’ll keep running the continent until someone who can do it better than me appears.” Their words put a big smile back on her face.

Leyvi was quite speechless watching this unusual interaction. Was Protector Jade the kind of person who starved for praise?

Then a sound transmission from Gandolf reached him.

“Here we have a secret rule. Whenever Jade starts complaining and ranting, we must do everything we can to lift her mood again. It sounds silly, I know. But it’s very important.”

Leyvi blinked and asked, “Did something happen?”

“Yes. A long time ago, there was one occasion when we didn’t take her complaints seriously. She ended up abandoning her duties and disappearing for months. Can you guess what happened next?” Gandolf asked rhetorically.

Leyvi listened carefully.

“The entire continent rapidly descended into financial, territorial, and martial chaos. We all tried to fill the gap she left behind, but we failed miserably. When she finally returned, things stabilized not long after. None of us ever imagined that the absence of a single person could cause such a drastic change. We all learned a huge lesson from that incident,” he explained with a quiet sigh.

“You might think the praise we just gave her was a big exaggeration, but it’s actually not. There are all kinds of talents in the world, yet the ability to control the logistical flow of an entire continent is something only she seems to possess. In my eyes, her administrative talent stands at the absolute peak. She is not simply capable. She is irreplaceable. That is why I hold her ability in the highest possible regard,” Gandolf continued, his tone carrying clear and deep respect.

Leyvi could sense just how seriously Gandolf meant every word.

“Luckily, she has trained many disciples in recent years who can work together and hopefully fill the gaps if she ever disappears again. Still, we don’t want to take any chances, so we continue to follow the secret rule.”

Leyvi let out a longer, quieter sigh inwardly after hearing everything. The secret rule no longer seemed silly at all. They must have been truly terrified during that time.

The thought of an entire continent nearly falling apart because one person stepped away for a few months was far more serious than he had first assumed.

Thinking about Layla back home, who managed the entire territory, Leyvi reflected for a moment. Although he did not believe she would ever disappear the way Jade once had, and the impact would never be as widespread due to the smaller scale, he still felt he should dote on her a little more as thanks for all her hard work.

“Senior Jade, as a person of Cloud Continent, I sincerely thank you for everything you have done for us. May your wish come true,” Leyvi said, joining the tradition of praise.

“Oh my. What a nice young man. Your words are more uplifting than anything these geezers have said. It’s a breath of fresh air. By the way, I have many female disciples. How about you hook up with one of them? Or maybe all of them?” Jade suggested playfully.

Leyvi nearly stumbled. How had the conversation suddenly turned in this direction? And was she implying that all of her disciples were single? What was wrong with them?

“I already have many wives, Senior Jade,” Leyvi replied awkwardly.

“I can tell. That’s why I suggested it,” she chuckled.

“I meant to say that I already have enough wives,” Leyvi quickly corrected.

“Aw… that’s too bad. But if you ever change your mind, you can tell me. I’m always in this city,” Jade said, her expression bright and joyful after teasing him.

Gandolf then turned toward the next person. Another beautiful middle-aged woman sat there, wearing a dress that flowed like water and adorned with pearl accessories.

From the beginning, Leyvi had noticed the scent of the sea coming from her. He could not help wondering what her role was.

He did not have to wait long.

“This is Protector Daryamaya. She patrols the seas surrounding Cloud Continent to identify potential threats coming from the water. Whenever she finds any, she contacts the nearest of us security guards so we can go eliminate it,” Gandolf introduced.

Leyvi nodded to her respectfully while thinking to himself.

No wonder she smelled like the sea. She probably spent most of her time out on the water.

He also wondered whether Protector Daryamaya had ever met Lady Coryl when she still lived in her massive coral city in Reefworld Lagoon.

Even if they had never met face to face, Protector Daryamaya should at least be aware of her existence, right?

Daryamaya did not say anything to Leyvi. She simply responded with a quiet nod.

Gandolf then turned to the last and youngest Protector in the hall.

She was a beautiful woman in her prime. Her beauty was the kind that could take many people’s breath away. When others looked at her, it almost felt as if the light itself was blinding their eyes.

“This is Little Alexandra. She’s the youngest Protector among us,” Gandolf began.

Alexandra’s lips twitched slightly. Why am I the only one introduced as Little Alexandra? Just because I’m young? These geezers are still treating me like a child.

Unaware of her thoughts, Gandolf continued. “Her master, Protector Wan Hua, used to be in charge of Cloud Continent’s commerce. The Treasure Pavilion that exists all across the continent is the organization she founded to regulate trade. After she retired, Little Alexandra took over her role.”

"Why has your cultivation level remained the same after more than a decade? Are you slacking off or something? This isn't a good habit. Truly not wonderful." Alexandra suddenly asked, slightly frowning.

Leyvi was caught off guard by the question. Why was she asking about his cultivation level? Had she sensed something?

“Little Alexandra, do you know him?” Sugaro asked.

“He’s one of the Mystic Realm expedition participants. I recognize his face,” she replied, still watching Leyvi closely.

“So why has your cultivation stayed the same? Are you stuck?” she pressed again, the same sharp concern in her tone.

Leyvi felt even more confused. It was true that his Qi Cultivation had barely moved forward because of the unknown core, but he could not understand why this woman seemed so bothered by it. The way she kept asking made it feel less like simple curiosity and more like a genuine inability to accept slow progress.

“Little Alexandra, you can’t blame him. You heard our conversation earlier. He’s currently focusing on Spiritual Cultivation. It’s normal that his Qi Cultivation has slowed down,” Newton said, coming to Leyvi’s defense.

Meanwhile, Leyvi’s confusion only grew.

Newton turned and smiled at him.

“Hahaha. Kid, you must be confused, right? Our Little Alexandra here is a little strange. She has an abnormal fixation with cultivation speed. She simply can’t stand it when people cultivate slowly. That’s why it bothers her so much,” he explained.

Leyvi was speechless.

So this woman is obsessed with cultivation speed? Don't tell me she cultivated to her current level so quickly because of this weird personality?