Alright, actually nothing happened last night.

I’m serious—even though a female hooligan kicked open my room door with a pillow in her arms and yelled "I’m here to serve you!" loud enough to be heard in the basement, nothing actually happened. Everything was quite harmonious, with nothing inappropriate for children. With appropriate edits, it could even be broadcast on the evening news. The reason was not a sudden change of heart from a pure-hearted female hooligan, nor Sandora leading Qianqian and a million elite soldiers to catch me in the act. It was because the little doll stubbornly refused to move. What can you do when a naughty kid acts up? Look at those couples who have children, isn’t their resentment overwhelming? They say marriage is the grave of love, but I firmly believe naughty kids are the coffin lid of married life, and it’s made of mahogany!

In the end, Bingdisi and I almost stayed up all night dealing with a little girl barely ninety centimeters tall. Sister Bing nearly got her maternal instinct triggered, and held the little doll like a daughter, telling stories for half the night: starting from when she smashed her first teacher with a brick, all the way to where she fought in front of the Father God Temple, those stories were truly thrilling. The female hooligan wielding weapons slashed from the Eternal Night Palace to the Pantheon, then turned and slashed to Frost Valley, for three days and three nights, a sea of blood flowed, blade up blade down, from ninety-nine to just learning to walk, none were unafraid as she single-handedly revamped the atmosphere of the Divine Realm—even a fool could tell she was making it up. Is there really a distinction like "from ninety-nine to just learning to walk" in the Divine Realm? Those immortals could leap and play from birth until death... But that’s not the main point. The main point is that the little doll actually believed it, and listened with great interest! We knew this girl was going through a rebellious phase, planning to be rebellious for life. Naughty kids with such a personality are great candidates for growing up with societal resentment due to negative education. With Bingdisi’s indoctrination, she was clearly going to grow up bent (although she’s already quite bent).

So my main task that night was to fully utilize my subjective initiative as a father, correcting the little doll’s values whenever Sister Bing reached a part of the story, thus we spent nearly the whole night together as a family of three...

If not for the little doll eventually dozing off due to lack of energy, I imagine we really would have gone until noon.

The next morning, a loud crowing roused me from my sleep, making me groggily realize that silly bird was having another identity crisis thinking it was a rooster. I then rubbed my eyes, sat up, and found Bingdisi lying next to me in deep sleep.

Alright, last night wasn’t a dream, nor was that high-energy confession earlier one. This tough buddy I’ve always considered my best bro is now officially my girlfriend, and honestly, it’s kind of a sore relief—though it’s not unacceptable. Despite our dealing with each other never quite fitting the norm for a couple, as that saying goes, "She is, after all, a girl," getting through wind and rain together over these years should stir some feelings unless one’s heart is made of stone. Previously, my perception was clouded by her tough aura, never realizing these latent emotions (not to mention Bingdisi’s own cluelessness in emotional matters, as she always thought we were just bros, who wouldn’t get it?). But all confusion has ended now, treat her well, like any other family member.

Yet I have a feeling, given Bingdisi’s extremely tough personality and her unabashedly hooligan habits of millions of years, clarifying our relationship likely won’t impact the way we interact, Lady Goddess will still forever remain in the guise of a female hooligan alongside me. There’s probably no hope of developing a normal couple dynamic for us this lifetime... But it’s okay, maybe this suits us better.

Thinking about the possibly disordered life ahead, I couldn’t tell whether I was amused or embroiled as I chuckled and brushed Bingdisi’s flowing hair that had reached the floor: "Wake up, it’s morning."

Bingdisi rolled over groggily, her figure revealing an unbelievable shape even under the nightgown and thin blanket, along with another silver-haired little head exposed: the little doll still sleeping sweetly in "mom’s" arms, these two don’t seem to plan on getting up.

I sighed, casually tying Bingdisi’s and the little doll’s hair together (don’t ask me why, I just did it!), then got out of bed, dressed, and headed to the living room. As expected, it was crowded with people, but I got rid of everyone with one sentence: "Told stories to Little Light for half the night..."

The crowd agreed that such an unexpected turn in our household is entirely expected; if things played out normally, that would be bizarre. Yet Lilina still switched to a risky stance and protested: "Boss, be honest, are you disappointed? A 36E beauty ran into your room wanting to be your bedmate, and you two ended up telling bedtime stories to a naughty kid all night, the development became all-ages, but I’m just..."

Before Lilina could finish, she spun and flew down the stairs, while I scratched my face, gathering the last bit of embarrassment, exchanged morning greetings with my big family one by one, and finally sat at the dining table ready for breakfast. Anwina came over with a large metal tray covered with a lid: "Master, breakfast is very sumptuous~~"

I noticed when Anwina said "very sumptuous," the expressions on the faces of those already breakfasted were quite subtle, so unable to suppress my curiosity, I lifted the lid in front of me. As it turned out, indeed, a very sumptuous dish appeared before my eyes—but it was not suited for breakfast: "Roast meat first thing in the morning?! And only roast meat?!"

"Don’t even mention getting up early. For the next half month, we’ll be eating nothing but barbecue," Qianqian muttered, lying on the table. "Roast whole lamb for lunch, roast suckling pig for dinner, tomorrow three meals of roast rhinoceros, the day after roast crocodile and roast subspecies land bird, the day after that it’s roast earth dragon and roast Bahamut, followed by three days of roast Leviathan and roast Behemoth—oh, of course, not those True God species made by Dingdang, but the species with the same name sent from the Macro World. Ah Jun, you better eat up, maybe if you eat more, we can finish it sooner... Ugh, so full, although it tastes good, eating too much is really uncomfortable..."

I stared in astonishment at the large plate of roasted meat in front of me: "What on earth happened?! Did yesterday’s barbecue go out of control?"

"It’s offerings," Monina slumped lifelessly on the table along with Qianqian, "Some mortal sects heard the news that the ’Mirror Goddess’ finally got married, and they held various sacrificial ceremonies overnight, which were passed on through their gods. In total, they offered countless items... anyway, enough food to last us half a month. Luckily, Sister Sandora can handle ninety percent of it, otherwise, I’d end up with a psychological shadow. Just so you know, we can’t return this stuff since it represents the heartfelt offerings of believers, even if they aren’t followers of Lady Bingdisi, the gods they revere have ties with Lady Sandora."

Me: "..."

"I’m so envious. Just by clearing a hurdle, you get so many gifts," Qianqian continued lying on the table, only turning her head to face us, "Bingdisi is so popular, whereas I have nothing..."

"Envy something else; why envy this," Sandora sipped tea beside them, evidently full and satisfied. She glanced towards the stairs with a particularly complex expression, "The reputation of dying childless has spread not only throughout the Divine Realm—everyone related to sects worshipping the Divine Race she knows even prays in rituals for Bingdisi to get married. I can’t envy that; it’s too embarrassing."

I chuckled awkwardly and continued eating, but thinking about three meals a day of roast meat for the next half month, my spirits just couldn’t be lifted. Maybe after half a month, the whole family would prefer gnawing on the lawn rather than eating this stuff—if worse comes to worst, we’ll have to give some away, but these things aren’t easy to pass on. The whole Bahamut, the whole Leviathan, the whole Behemoth—who can handle such beasts!

Just as I was halfway through eating, a clattering noise suddenly came from upstairs, sounding like someone had rolled off the bed and pulled over a pile of furniture. Hearing this, a cold sweat broke out as I recalled what I had done before getting up. I stood up and said, "I have something to do outside! If Bingdisi asks, tell her I went to inspect the people’s conditions at the Far Border..."

Before I finished speaking, I heard a voice from the staircase: "Inspect your grandpa! If you dare, don’t run!" 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

I instinctively wanted to move my feet, but realized the entire hall was already enveloped by a Holy Light Barrier. Turning my head, I saw Bingdisi standing at the stairway with a menacing aura, her long hair tossed in front with a small, lively doll girl at the end of it: these two’s hairs were apparently still tied together, yet somehow they had managed to change clothes...

Bingdisi leapt directly off the second floor, and the doll tied to her hair swung towards my face like a Meteor Hammer.

Well, after Bible Meteor, Brick Meteor, and Wolf Tooth Stick Meteor, Sister Bing has made a breakthrough through the pretense of dating, creatively developing the Daughter Meteor Upgrade, and this not only is a Fusion Skill but also a Chain Enhancement Skill: I was the one who tied her hair with the little doll’s...

The little doll hurled by Bingdisi’s hair seemed to be enjoying herself, but no matter how much she enjoyed it, it didn’t stop her from clawing, biting, kicking, and punching on my shoulder hectically. It took two to three times more effort than usual to peel her off. Then, I looked up at Bingdisi: "Was that necessary, you have so many Divine Techniques yet you still can’t untangle your own hair!?"

"If I don’t smash it in your face, how would you know my prowess!" Bingdisi yelled with her neck raised. After that, she sheepishly smiled and hugged the little doll, untying their hair with Divine Techniques before high-fiving the little one, "Good teamwork!"

"Has she really come to see herself as her daughter?" I raised an eyebrow and said with a smile, thinking that what was once a near-joking guess by Ice Dad seemed to have become true. Ice Dad herself probably isn’t realizing it, but people often joke about her resemblance to the little doll, and over time, she subconsciously started giving the latter "a lot of care." Of course, I think the most important reason is that their personalities get along well: both are violent naughty kids, born with a rebellious streak that hasn’t improved since.

I pressed Ice Dad down to the dining table, letting this Lady Goddess take a look at the "offerings" sent by the overly enthusiastic believers (who mostly aren’t even her followers, but her friends’), and then explained the situation to her. As expected, this female hooligan was instantly infuriated. It’s understandable: being single for a long time tends to make one a bit neurotic, and even if one eventually finds love, it’s hard to bear others picking at their scars like this. But Sister Bing is a goddess after all, so she took it in stride and knew that those believers meant well (really?), so she could only grumble with a stern face, "Hmph, just consider them naughty kids. Hey, why are you all staring at me?"

Ice Dad noticed the many eyes on her in the living room, and suddenly felt uneasy. The usually fiery boss lady couldn’t help but squirm. "Why does everything feel strange today? Am I really that weird?"

Sandora snorted and turned her face away. "You’ll find out soon enough. Whether you’re simple or cunning, pulling such a stunt in front of Father God, Huron God King, and the Four Main Gods — you have witnesses now. I can’t imagine how lively it must have been, just bursting onto the scene like that..."

"I think the most impressive was confessing at the ’BBQ’ gathering," Xiao Xue scooted over, emphasizing the word "BBQ," "not afraid of burning up the couple, huh."

"Get moving, don’t talk about such strange topics," Lin Xue came over and nudged her daughter aside, then cleared her throat, "Let’s discuss serious matters. We have a lead on a substitute for the Peace Core."

"Oh! Is my luck running out this lifetime? Why are good news popping up like this?"

Ice Dad stuffed her mouth with roast meat, but miraculously it didn’t hinder her speech, and upon hearing Lin Xue’s news, she was the first to exclaim.

Looks like this fellow is a bit overexcited.

"Didn’t Abyss Xyrin say that her backup Peace Cores were all substandard?" I asked curiously while holding Little Baobao, "Does fixing the Startup Terminal mean we no longer need to worry about the quality of the Peace Core?"

Lin Xue shook her head, "It’s not those backup universes, it’s the Hometown World."

Upon hearing this, the living room fell silent. I noticed Sandora nodding slightly; she evidently knew about this, too.

"The Hometown World can be used as a Peace Core?" I was astonished, "Isn’t it still not found?"

"Indeed, it hasn’t, but last night our ancestors sent over some new data from across the shore," Lin Xue nodded, "The Star Ring Federation learned about the destruction of the Hometown World and has been helping collect those ancient-era materials. However, given that the civilization that attempted bridge-building had perished, the remaining data is fragmented and difficult to piece together. Progress has been made recently. Based on the latest data, Taville inferred that the Hometown World might have already transformed into a special universe similar to a Peace Core, possibly even more perfect than the one Abyss Xyrin created."

This time even Ice Dad forgot about eating, staring wide-eyed and waiting for Lin Xue to continue, and then we finally learned what Taville had surmised:

As known, the Hometown World was destroyed by an unsuccessful bridge-building attempt.

The three elements for bridge-building: a broad stable environment, a Peace Core, and a Startup Terminal, but the civilization that ventured the bridge clearly didn’t understand this well; their Startup Terminal was flawed, they had no contact back across, and their choice of "Bridge Pier" was just an unqualified, ordinary universe (which was the Hometown World), so the bridge-building failed.

But evidence shows that materials left behind after the failed bridge-building attempt have been preserved, including the Hometown World and a massive-scale mutated Abyss Gate.

The Abyss Gate opened by bridge-building differs from a conventional one by being "gentler" (though this gentle gate could still destroy a civilization), it is an Inactive Abyss. This gate eradicated life in the universe but didn’t destroy the universe itself. In fact, it fused with the Hometown World — if this hybrid has existed until today, the Hometown World must have transformed into a rather unique place.

Abyss Xyrin said the Peace Core is actually modified from an ordinary universe: by opening an Abyss Gate in a conventional universe, using the knowledge sent across to "inactivate" this Abyss Gate, letting the Inactive Abyss slowly infect and transform the entire world, and when the world "survives" until it is fully invaded, the transformation into a Peace Core is complete.

This transformation is excruciating and protracted for the universe and a one in ten thousand chance of survival. Considering those stringent conditions, usually, no world can withstand it, so it’s understandable Abyss Xyrin has managed to create only one perfect Peace Core with considerable epochs of efforts, while each of her backup worlds is flawed.

And the Hometown World just happened to undergo such a "transformation" by serendipity.

Moreover, the mutation in the Hometown World should be more perfect: its Abyss Gate is inherently inactive, with the Inactive Abyss Gate particularly born for bridge-building as the most perfect energy for transformation. This process has likely continued for countless eons, unlike the rush job-like creation of Abyss Xyrin’s Peace Core: it’s a perfect "Bridge Pier"!

Crafted slowly after thorough care... though this "slow making" brought sufferings beyond count.

"Are not developments always dramatic?" Lin Xue blinked subtly to emphasize, "All things come full circle to their beginnings. Everything started with the Hometown World, and now the solution returns to it."

"No, a circle implies stagnation, so it’s a spiral," Sandora set down her teacup with a glint in her eyes, "Indeed, we must go back to the point of origin, but we return with enhanced standing. Initially, we fled, but now we will grasp everything in our hands."

Witnessing the high spirits of Her Majesty the Queen, I couldn’t help but smile as well.

The path ahead is clear. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com) to support it. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)