"Yes. After you left for Mercenary City, I posted a recruitment notice. I thought it would take a while to gain traction, but they came to apply the very next day. Not just a few, but almost a hundred people showed up. Unfortunately, more than half of them didn't meet the requirements. I felt bad because some had already quit their jobs. So, I accepted those who didn't meet the requirements for other roles," Layla explained.

Leyvi was speechless. What had he done to be admired like this?

Anda giggled at Leyvi's expression and said, "Layla, instead of training them right away, let them spend time doing group activities together first. To continue this job, the ladies can't avoid interacting with men or hating them forever. They need to realize that good men also exist and treat them accordingly. Since Leyvi's fans strive to be like him, I'm sure they would treat the ladies... gentlemanly."

Layla blushed slightly when Anda said the word "gentlemanly."

Anda smiled and continued, "This is the only way I can think of right now. You can try it first. Let's give them about a month. If the situation doesn't improve, we'll think of another way."

Layla nodded. She realized that Anda's suggestion had merit and decided to give it a try. Since they all lived very close to each other, she could start from there.

A few moments later, Layla remembered something, her expression shifting as she looked at Anda and said, "Sister Anda, should we tell Husband about that secret now?"

Leyvi, who was lying on the bed, raised an eyebrow. What evil plan do they have now?

"Oh right, I forgot. We still haven't told him about it yet. I've been busy guiding Dorin for the past week. I didn't expect her to become an Alchemist Master while we were away. Hehe," Anda chuckled.

"Eh? She did? Really?" Leyvi was skeptical.

"You are looking down on her too much. I already said her talent is on par with her sister. Is it so hard to believe?" Anda replied, crossing her arms as if challenging Leyvi to doubt her again.

"Well, you can't blame me for doubting. They say that first impressions are lasting impressions," Leyvi defended himself.

"Is that so?"

"Why do you think I call you panda girl till now?" Leyvi mumbled. He said it in a low voice, but Anda still heard him.

"Hmph! It's not just you. Everyone calls me Alchemist Panda now! Give me my reputation back!" Anda complained while pulling Leyvi's ear.

"Hahaha! That's a nice name. What are you complaining about? It will last for generations. I think you should start wearing panda-themed outfits and accessories. It will suit you very well. You look the best in black and white anyway," Leyvi suggested.

"Really? You aren't lying?" Anda asked with interest.

"Don't you have your abilities? Why don't you use them to see whether I'm lying or not?"

Anda pouted. "Who do you think I am? How can I use my ability on my family? Answer me now!"

"Why would I lie to you? Everyone knows that I am the most honest person in the world. If I ever lie, my metal bat will become longer," Leyvi joked.

Which metal bat? Layla thought, staring at a certain location.

"Ei, why didn't you tell me earlier?" Anda was considering Leyvi's suggestion now.

"You never asked me," he replied.

They were poor most of their lives, so the topic of fashion had never actually been brought up. They would just buy whatever outfits were cheap. Even now, Leyvi was still wearing the same kind of outfit he wore when they were poor: a red jacket over a shirt and jeans. He had grown accustomed to it, and the thought of experimenting with his style had never crossed his mind.

"Fine, I'm going shopping tomorrow. I'll embrace my panda identity from now on," Anda declared.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Leyvi stared at Anda.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked.

"Anda, I only talked about panda-themed things. Don't misunderstand and become a real panda," Leyvi clarified.

"Ei, I know what you meant!" Anda pulled Leyvi's ear again.

Layla sighed. Every time they discussed something, the conversation quickly derailed far from the real topic.

"Ahem... Sister Anda, let's get back to the topic," Layla reminded. She knew she had to steer them back on track before the discussion turned into more comedy skits.

Anda paused for a moment, rolling back her memory. "Oops, sorry, Layla." She then turned to Leyvi and said, "Leyvi, we have a huge matter to tell you."

Leyvi was intrigued. "What's the matter? Are you going to stop tricking more girls?"

"Leyvi, who do you think I am? That is my lifelong mission. The difficulty has risen quite a bit since my standards have increased, but I'm not going to stop at all! I will get a real Fairy Maiden, Saintess, and Goddess into our harem!" Anda said firmly.

Leyvi rolled his eyes and said, "Good luck with that."

"What do you mean by 'good luck with that'? You need to help me! I can't..."

"Ahem!" Layla purposely cleared her throat to interrupt Anda. How did she get sidetracked so fast?

"Hehe. Sorry, Layla," Anda realized she had gone off on a tangent again.

She then quickly recounted to Leyvi what Senior Sister June had told them last time.

"Me? A potential successor to be a Protector? Whoever is considering me to succeed them must be out of their mind! I only want to live a carefree life, okay? I'm not doing it," Leyvi protested, raising his upper body from the bed.

Anda and Layla were not surprised. They had already expected a reaction like this from Leyvi.

A few moments later, Leyvi thought of something and asked with a concerned tone, "Uhh, if I reject it, do we have to return this mansion and the Deed of Sovereignty?"

He was worried that his decision might impact the others, especially Layla. She had just become a city lord, after all. He didn't want to take it away from her.

"Why should we? This topic is a secret anyway. We just need to pretend like we don't know about it. Since they gave all of this to us, we should use it to our advantage. Isn't that what they want? When the time comes, and they ask you to be the Protector, just reject it. What can they do about it? Are they going to guilt-trip you into taking the position? No guilt trip works against me!" Anda said.

Leyvi was stunned. That's right. Even if he didn't want to be a Protector, why should he reject it outright? Oh lord, why am I so dumb? Dorin and Mr. Bison's one brain cell virus has infected me.

"Hahaha! Since my panda wife said so, I'll do it like that. They are the ones scheming first after all. I will play my role as a potential successor well." Leyvi wasn't concerned anymore. After all, they had many potential successors. He didn't have to be one.

He then clasped his hands together in prayer and recited, "To the Protector who picked me as a potential successor, thank you very much for all the opportunities you have given us. Although your ability to recognize great, talented individuals is a bit questionable, it has benefited my family a lot, for which I am grateful. If, in the future, you still don't have a successor because of me, I will help you find one. Thank you again."

"Fuuuuuuh," Leyvi exhaled a mouthful of air after that. "Hahaha. I feel refreshed after saying all that!" he exclaimed, leaning back as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

Layla was relieved. Thankfully, Leyvi didn't feel burdened by it, just as Anda had said. However, she wasn't sure if this was due to his great mental fortitude or just his carefree nature. Judging by his reaction, the latter seemed more likely.

Suddenly, Anda smiled mischievously and said to Layla, "Layla, since we are already here, let's double-team tonight!"

Layla blushed slightly and nodded.

"Alright, ladies, I accept your challenge!"

---

"Achoo!" A white-haired, white-bearded old man sneezed suddenly, disrupting the stillness of his meditation.

"What the heck? Who praised me?"

The old man was Gandolf the White. He was meditating at the peak of an extremely high mountain, surrounded by clouds that seemed to shimmer with an ethereal glow. Despite his serene surroundings, the sneeze had momentarily broken his concentration.

"Gu la la la! Gandolf, I didn't know that we could still sneeze at our cultivation realm. I've come to visit you!"

Gandolf opened his eyes as a figure arrived in front of him as if by teleportation. The sudden presence didn't startle him; he had sensed it long before the man appeared.

The old man was bald with a goatee and was holding a long purple sugarcane with clear bite marks at its tip.

"Hohoho! I just let my bodily functions operate like a normal human's sometimes. I don't want to forget my roots. Why are you visiting me? Are you lonely again, Sugaro?" Gandolf replied.

"I saw the report that you finally found a potential successor recently. It's about time. You are the last to find one," Sugaro said, then took a bite of the sugarcane.

"Hoho, at first, I didn't want to find one. But seeing how free that old lady Wanhua became after she passed down her position made me feel envious. So, when I found an interesting kid, I just picked him casually. It's not that complicated."

"But isn't he too young? He's not even a Core Formation cultivator yet. The others all gave their candidates the Deed of Sovereignty at least after they reached the peak of the Core Formation realm. Aren't you rushing too much?"

"Don't worry. The city I gave him is the weakest one in the South Region. It shouldn't be that difficult," Gandolf said, playing with his beard.

"So, what's special about that kid?" Sugaro asked, leaning forward slightly as if to emphasize his interest.

Gandolf looked into Sugaro's eyes and replied with a smile, "When I met him for the first time, he had only advanced to the Foundation Building realm, but his spiritual sense had already reached ten kilometers."

"WHAT? How is that possible?" Sugaro's eyes widened.