CHAPTER 816: NAMING HER

Randolf pushed aside the matter regarding Aldrian’s ability and turned to his butler.

"How about the assassins sent by the Barevisk family?"

"I received information from Patriarch Barevisk that the operation was deemed a failure. They believe they cannot gauge Aldrian the Great’s true limits. From what they understand, if they continue with the mission, their plan will likely be exposed, and the Silent Reaper will probably perish due to Aldrian the Great’s retaliation," the butler replied.

Randolf nodded. "It’s not surprising. I didn’t put much hope in them anyway. With how things have been going since the failed surprise attack by the devils, all beings will be deterred and will maintain their attitude in front of Emperor Aldrian."

"Even if news such as the Spirit Ancestor appearing on this continent already spreads, no one would dare to provoke or cause trouble here. That would be suicide for anyone trying to challenge his authority, and there is no one who wants to be the first to be vainly sacrificed."

The butler silently agreed as Randolf continued. "For now, there is no one but me who will keep an eye on Emperor Aldrian. It seems that I have to stay here for a while, especially since he will go to the Fallen Star Cluster to retake it. Fortunately, he will do that without me having to do anything."

"At this moment, we have to keep a low profile and build a normal relationship with Emperor Aldrian," he said as he turned to look at Aldrian’s palace in the distance, narrowing his eyes.

Aldrian was still useful for cleansing the devils’ influence across the First Heaven, and Aldrian was the fastest way to achieve that. As long as he remained careful and Aldrian did not discover that he was an apostle of another god, everything would be fine.

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The next morning, Aldrian wanted to return to his palace, but the spirit child kept clinging to him. She refused to let go, wrapping her small arms around his leg. Her eyes watered as she looked up at him with a pitiful gaze that made his heart melt. His heart ached seeing her like that, and he gently picked her up.

"I will come back. I will not leave you like in the past, but first, I have something to do. You can stay here for now with Sylphia. We will never leave you again, so don’t cry," he said softly.

However, the spirit child was still reluctant. She suddenly threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Her strength was enough to crush him to death if he were an ordinary cultivator, for this spirit was actually a peak pseudo-immortal existence!

Her cultivation came from her true body that had lived for many years while continuously absorbing energy. If she were not confined to the First Heaven, her cultivation would likely have been much higher.

Although he had already taught her to control her power since yesterday, it seemed her emotions truly burst out, and she forgot to restrain her strength.

Even so, Aldrian simply covered his skin with a thin layer of golden energy, forming a small shield that protected him from her crushing hug and helped soothe her at the same time.

Empress Vilena, Princess Vaelir, and Viona were watching him from not far away. His conversation with the spirit child was beyond their understanding since they did not know the true relationship between the two. From what they could tell, Aldrian and the spirit seemed as if they had known each other for a long time, which in their minds was quite absurd.

Although they could not understand the true meaning of their interaction, they continued to quietly observe and listen to them. The spirit child had been clinging to Aldrian since yesterday and would sometimes cling to Sylphia as well. To them, the three looked like a complete family.

The spirit would only stay close to them, and the child did not seem very interested in anyone else. This made Empress Vilena cry inside. To think that the spirit of the tree, which had existed since ancient times in this empire, would seem more like outsiders than she or anyone from this continent—it hurt her deeply, yet there was nothing she could do about it.

There must be something that made the spirit fond of Aldrian and Sylphia. She could not force the spirit child to like her or anyone else.

She could not help but sigh at the thought of the Tree of Life being moved to the Barisan Continent. Aldrian had already brought up the topic yesterday. Of course, she was reluctant, since this tree was one of the few things left behind by her ancestors and had been cared for by their descendants for generations. It had also been regarded as a sacred tree by many elves since ancient times.

Its historical value was enormous, and it was not easy to simply give it to someone else. Even if she wanted to give it to Aldrian, if others were to find out, it would create a backlash against her. Although they would not show their disapproval openly in front of Aldrian, behind him she would lose great support, even from her own faction.

Although Aldrian had already offered her and her empire compensation that made her heart tremble, she was still uncertain about how others would react. That was why she needed time to decide. Even if she finally chose to give Aldrian the tree, she would still need to convince the others. She hoped that the compensation Aldrian offered would be enough to persuade them when the time came.

Meanwhile, Aldrian was still trying to persuade the spirit child. Sylphia helped him by stepping forward and attempting to pull the spirit away from him, but the child refused to budge. She continued to cling tightly to Aldrian.

He sighed and gently patted the spirit child’s back several times, trying to calm her down. As he thought of a way to make her release him, an idea suddenly came to mind. He looked at the spirit and asked,

"Do you want a name?"

Suddenly, the spirit’s ears twitched as she heard something that caught her interest. She looked up at Aldrian’s smiling face. Since yesterday, she had not been given a name, and she had shown little interest in anything other than clinging to him or Sylphia. Now was the perfect time to finally name her.

The spirit’s eyes glistened, and she nodded twice.

"Alright, let’s see... what would be a good name for you, hmm..." he said, pretending to think, though in truth he had already decided on one. Then, with a small shrug, he added,

"Forget it. I don’t have any good name for a naughty child who won’t listen to me. Maybe I’ll give you one later? Or perhaps you don’t even want a name from me?" he said, feigning annoyance as he turned his gaze away.

The spirit, who had never seen Aldrian act like this before, began to panic and hugged him tightly again.

"No... no... name... name," she said, her voice filled with panic.

Aldrian smiled softly. "Then be a good child, and I will give you a name. I need to go now, but I’ll come back. Sylphia will stay with you, and you can play with her until I return, alright?"

The spirit was still hesitant, but she already seemed much calmer than before. Her expression turned thoughtful as if she were contemplating something. Then she looked at Sylphia, who was smiling warmly at her and gesturing with both hands for her to come closer.

After a few moments of hesitation, the spirit child finally began to loosen her grip on Aldrian. He gently moved her away and slowly passed her into Sylphia’s waiting arms. The spirit allowed Sylphia to hold her, and soon she was safely embraced. Even then, her gaze remained fixed on Aldrian, and he gave her a reassuring nod.

"Alright then. Since you’ve been a good child, I’ll give you your name now. Let’s see... how about Sylvia? That’s a good name for you. Do you like it?" he said with a smile. He couldn’t help but think of Sylphia, slightly changing the letters to make it closer to her name.

"Sylvia... Sylvia..." the spirit murmured repeatedly, then nodded excitedly. "I... like... it."

"Good to hear. Then, Sylvia, please wait here with Sylphia. Be a good girl and don’t be naughty," he said as he gently stroked her head. Sylvia nodded several times in response. The little spirit then hugged Sylphia, making her smile warmly. She couldn’t help but feel as if she and Aldrian already had a daughter.

Aldrian also smiled warmly as he looked at Sylvia, then turned to his avatar, who had remained silent and stood not far from them.

"I’ll leave everything to you again. Keep up the good work."

"I will, Your Majesty," the avatar replied.

Aldrian then turned toward Empress Vilena and the others.

"I will take my leave now. My apologies if I have unknowingly made any of you uncomfortable. And, Your Majesty, I hope you will consider my proposal seriously. I truly hope to hear a positive answer."

"Ah, yes, Your Majesty. Of course, there is nothing that made us uncomfortable. On the contrary, we are truly honored by your visit. Regarding your proposal, I will gather the nobles as soon as possible to discuss the matter. I will inform you of our decision once we reach an agreement," Empress Vilena replied.

Aldrian nodded.

"Thank you," Aldrian replied, gently stroking Sylvia’s head once more before stealing a quick kiss on Sylphia’s cheek. She froze in surprise, then blushed deeply. Aldrian had already disappeared, leaving her pouting at his sudden "attack."

She looked at Sylvia, who was innocently staring at her and blinking curiously. Seeing that adorable face, Sylphia’s embarrassment melted away. She rubbed her cheek against the child’s soft face.

’How adorable,’ she thought.

’Well, I could consider this as preparation for the future—if I ever have a child with Aldrian. Or perhaps... I could just think of this little one as our child. An adopted child, maybe?’