The air in the laboratory was stagnant and stale, and tiny dust particles danced wildly like startled sprites when the [Deconstruction Halo] swept over them.
The faint glow on Linde's skeletal remains illuminated the thick layer of dust on the furniture and equipment.
Ten years... This span of time stirred a rare, astonishing feeling deep within him.
Deep within the Shadow Abyss, the flow of time differs greatly from that of the Prime Material Plane, a fact he had anticipated, but a full decade's difference still exceeded his expectations.
A barely perceptible sense of urgency quietly arose—ten years is a long time for ordinary people.
He immediately expanded the range of the [Deconstruction Halo] rapidly like invisible ripples, instantly covering the entire Blackrock Territory.
The large and well-organized flow of feedback quickly put his mind at ease.
Blackrock Territory is functioning well, even more prosperous and powerful than when he left.
The city has expanded in size, its energy network has become denser and more complex, and its defense system has undergone several upgrades, revealing the steady management of Astaire and the territory's administrators over the past decade.
At the same time, he also "saw" many new and interesting things:
More streamlined public vehicles, powered by a mixture of magic cores and light pulse energy, appeared on the streets; several tall towers were newly built on the outskirts of the city, their structures containing energy guiding technology he had never seen before, seemingly a deeper fusion of magic and Zedo technology; and even in some squares, there were entertainment facilities that resembled holographic projections, where children played.
"It seems that these ten years have not been wasted."
Linde muttered to himself, his tone tinged with a hint of inquisitive interest.
These technological advancements are undoubtedly the fruits of the digestion and absorption of the knowledge system he left behind.
But at this moment, none of that matters.
His mental power acted like the most precise probe, instantly locking onto the life force of several people he cared about most within the lord's mansion.
Alice, Nazra, Leonis... and the children.
Their auras were strong and steady, only more mature and profound than they had been ten years ago.
Especially the four children, who were once tiny flames, have now grown into a fire that cannot be ignored.
Linde took a deep breath of the dusty air. A flash of light appeared on the surface of the crystalline body, and all the dust attached to it was instantly shaken off and annihilated, restoring it to its original pristine state.
He needs to change out of this cold "Starry Sky Apostle" armor.
With a thought, the door to the storage room slid open silently, and a simple yet well-fitting black lord's casual robe flew towards him automatically.
The crystalline armor receded like flowing mercury, merging into the crystal core on his chest, revealing his true form, which appeared no different from an ordinary person but contained terrifying power.
He quickly changed his clothes and tidied his appearance—although his appearance had not changed at all in the past ten years, he still looked young and aloof.
The next moment, his figure disappeared from the laboratory and appeared directly at the door of the living room in the core area of the lord's mansion, a room filled with the warmth of family.
The sight inside made him pause slightly as he was about to take a step.
The afternoon sun shone through the huge stained-glass windows and onto the soft carpet.
Alice was sitting in an armchair by the window, holding a thick ledger in her hands, her brows slightly furrowed, as if she were calculating the territory's income and expenditure.
Ten years have not left many marks on her face. The long-term nourishment of the "Activation Aura" has allowed her to maintain the radiance of someone in their early thirties. However, her temperament has become more composed and capable, with a blend of elegance and sharpness that belongs to the mistress of the house.
Her long golden hair was styled into a simple bun, with a few strands falling beside her ears. Her focused profile looked exceptionally soft in the sunlight.
Not far away, Nazla was leaning over a huge desk, her silver-white fox tail swaying gently, her fingertips pointing at the spread-out map, talking to the young woman standing beside her.
The young woman was their eldest daughter, Lillian, who was nineteen years old.
She inherited her mother Nazla's silver hair and pointed ears, but her eyes and brows had the calm profile of Linde. She was tall and upright, dressed in a neat hunting outfit, and her eyes were intelligent and sharp as she listened attentively to her mother's instructions.
Leonis sat on the other sofa, wiping her knight's sword, which she never parted with.
Her short, silver-white hair remained neat, and her posture was as slender as a pine tree, but her brows now held a touch of weathered fortitude and a mother's gentleness.
Her eldest son, Allen, also nineteen, was sitting opposite her, fiddling with an intricately designed metal component.
Allen has silver hair and a resolute look similar to Leonis's. He is physically strong and has obviously put a lot of effort into his martial arts skills. However, the way he is focused on the components in his hands at this moment reveals his talent and interest in mechanics.
A boy and a girl, around sixteen years old, were huddled together, arguing quietly about something.
The boy, Little Loy, had black hair and black eyes, and his face resembled Lind's, yet he possessed the playfulness and curiosity of a young boy; the girl, Little Irene, looked exactly like Alice, with blonde hair and blue eyes, like a delicate porcelain doll, but her eyes sparkled with a liveliness no less than her brother's. They were undoubtedly the twins.
The warm sunshine, the familiar family, the tranquil yet vibrant atmosphere... all of this formed an incredibly stark contrast to the desolate, chaotic, and ultimately nihilistic Shadow Abyss he had just left behind.
Even Linde's heart, hardened to the point of being as cold as ice for millennia, couldn't help but feel a genuine warmth and... a subtle sense of apology.
In ten years, he missed out on too much.
His appearance was silent and unnoticed, but everyone in the room was a perceptive person.
The first to notice was Nazra. Her innate fox instincts made her suddenly raise her head, her silver pupils instantly contracting, and the pen in her hand fell onto the map with a "thud".
Immediately afterward, Leonis froze in her hand as she wiped the blade, then abruptly turned her head and stared incredulously at the doorway.
Alice seemed to sense something and looked up from the ledger. When her gaze fell on the familiar figure standing in the doorway, backlit yet undeniably familiar, her sapphire-like eyes widened instantly, and the ledger slipped from her hand to the ground, though she remained completely unaware.
“Lin…Linde?” Alice’s voice trembled, as if afraid of waking her from a dream.
Nazira covered her mouth, her fox tail stiffened, and her eyes instantly filled with tears.
Leonis suddenly stood up, nearly dropping her knight's sword. Her lips moved, but no sound came out.
Their reaction immediately caught the children's attention.
Lillian and Allen turned warily, their hands on the weapons at their waists, but when they saw the face of the person in the doorway, their wariness turned into immense shock and bewilderment—their father looked almost exactly like the one they remembered from their childhood! But their father wasn't already…
Little Loy and Little Eileen stopped arguing and looked curiously at the strange yet inexplicably familiar man who had suddenly appeared at the door and elicited such a strong reaction from their mother and aunt.
The deathly silence lasted only a brief moment.
The next moment, Alice was the first to react. She seemed to have all her strength drained away, yet also burst forth with all her power. She staggered and lunged forward, crashing directly into Lind's arms. She gripped his shirt tightly with both hands, and tears instantly streamed down her face.
"Ten years! You bastard! You finally decided to come back!"
She choked back tears, her voice muffled in his chest, filled with endless grievances, worry, and the ecstatic joy of regaining what she had lost.
Nazra and Leonis rushed over almost simultaneously.
Nazra hugged Linde's arm tightly from the side, her fox tail wrapped tightly around his leg as if afraid he would disappear again, tears streaming down her face silently.
Leonis stood before him. This strong Holy Knight of Punishment had red eyes and was holding back her tears. She simply gripped his hand tightly, her fingertips turning white from the force.
The three lovers, in their own way, vented the longing and worries that had been building up for ten years.
Linde let them hug him, feeling as if his heart was being enveloped and nourished by these three warm currents.
He raised his hand and, somewhat awkwardly, gently patted Alice's back, then stroked Nazra's hair. He nodded to Leonis and whispered:
"I'm back. Sorry to keep you waiting."
His voice remained calm, but beneath that calm lay a deep, ocean-like emotion that only they could sense.
The four adults were overjoyed at their reunion, while the four children were completely stunned, staring at each other in disbelief.
Lillian was the first to recover. She walked to her mother, Nazra, and cautiously tugged at her sleeve, her voice tinged with uncertainty:
"Mother? This... is Father?"
Allen leaned closer to Leonis and whispered, "Mother, is he really... Father?"
Little Loy and Little Eileen stared wide-eyed. Little Eileen whispered to her brother:
“Roy, isn’t Dad supposed to be working far away? How come he… looks so young?”
The children's words calmed the three mothers down a little.
Alice lifted her head from Lind's arms, wiped away her tears, and turned to give the children a tearful smile:
"Yes, children, he is your father, Lind Truk. He... has done a very long and important job, and now he is back."
Nazra sniffed, took Lillian's hand, and said to Lind:
“Look, Lind, this is Lillian, our daughter, she’s all grown up now.”
Leonis pushed Allen in front of her:
"This is Allen; he inherited your interest in machinery."
Alice then beckoned little Loy and little Irene over:
"And these two little rascals, Roy and Eileen, they were so tiny when you left."
Linde's gaze fell on the four children one by one. [Deconstructing the Halo] Instinctively swept over them, instantly understanding their physical condition, energy level, and talent inclinations.
Lillian is exceptionally talented, possessing a perfect blend of fox blood and outstanding arcane affinity, making her strength approach that of a high-level professional. She is also calm and intelligent.
Allen is physically strong, has a solid foundation in the power of light veins, and possesses a natural intuition for mechanical structures, making him a promising candidate for both warrior and engineer.
Little Loy is quick-witted, curious, and has an outstanding talent for mental strength. She seems to have a unique sensitivity to the nature of energy.
Little Eileen has an extremely high affinity for the elements. Although she appears quiet, she possesses considerable magical potential.
His children are all outstanding.
Linde's usually cold face softened involuntarily when facing his child.
He stepped forward, gently patted Allen's sturdy shoulder, then stroked Lillian's silver hair, before looking at the somewhat nervous yet curious little Loy and little Eileen.
"Lillian, Allen, Loy, Eileen."
He called out their names, his voice steady yet carrying an indescribable sense of power, "I'm back. You've done a great job all these years."
There were no extra words of affection, but this simple affirmation and gaze filled the four children with a strange sense of security and pride. This was their father, the legendary lord of Blackrock Territory, a man who had disappeared for ten years and returned as if he had only gone on a trip.
The warmth of family reunion filled the living room.
However, Lind's extraordinary perception allowed him to simultaneously detect several powerful auras rapidly approaching from outside the lord's manor and further away in the direction of the Steel Sky—Aster, Naroch, and several important lords of the territory.
They had clearly also sensed his return through monitoring systems or energy fluctuations.
Ten years of silence—there's so much information to learn. He needs to make up for the lack of family warmth, but the situation in his territory, the state of affairs on the continent, and… his unresolved old score with the God of Magic—don't allow him to indulge in sentimentality for long.
Linde's gaze swept past the sunlight outside the window and landed on the distant horizon. In his deep purple eyes, warmth gradually settled, and the coldness and profundity that belonged to the controller, the master of the light veins, and the understander of the shadow abyss gradually coalesced.
Ten years is enough time to change a lot.
Now that he's back, it's time to start making moves on the chessboard of this continent again.
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