Qiao Xing's actions left many Believers stunned.

These ordinary yet powerful words gave the Believers a sense of having found their backbone.

Prayer, it seemed, had also become a matter of course.

The Believers gradually composed their frantic emotions and stood up to follow Qiao Xing.

"Yes, Lord Qiao Xing."

At this time, Qiao Xing nodded to the cloaked person beside him, and the cloaked person made a "please" gesture to him.

Then, he stepped aside, quietly admiring Qiao Xing's prayer.

He even commented on Qiao Xing in a voice with a distinct mechanical quality.

"Li Ming is right beside us!

Mr. Qiao Xing is truly a remarkable Believer, always serving the Holy Light."

"You flatter me!"

The prayer finally began, Qiao Xing leading the Believers in devout supplication.

Qiao Xing's will slowly began to influence the souls of the Fourth Ring's Believers.

They gradually calmed, and everything seemed to return to normal.

The prayer, initially chaotic, gradually became uniform and orderly.

Their collective prayers formed rows of golden runes that began to drift through the Church.

The cloaked person watched this incredible scene, slowly straightening his body.

He began to mimic the ordinary Believers, slowly closing his eyes and commencing to pray:

"Will Li Ming truly be with me?"

「...」

By evening, Qiao Xing returned to his home in the parish, somewhat weary.

Going straight to work upon returning, and working all day long, would naturally lead to fatigue.

Especially leading a group of people in prayer, an activity he usually delegated to others while he slacked off!

"Ah! I'm so tired. I'm back!"

As Qiao Xing entered the door, the dinner Li Lan was still preparing fell to the floor.

The air grew tense. Qiao Xing felt something was amiss. Why was his wife looking at him with such eyes?

Could there be something wrong with my appearance?

Qiao Xing hesitated for a moment, then, in a slightly softer voice, he called out again:

"Um, I'm back!"

This time, Li Lan finally responded. Tears streamed down her face like a fountain, and the bowl in her hand clattered to the floor.

Realizing what was happening, she rushed forward and threw herself into Qiao Xing's arms.

"You deadbeat, you finally decided to come back?"

Li Lan was crying tears of joy. She first punched Qiao Xing several times, but upon realizing her blows had no effect, she began to rapidly feel his face, confirming that the husband before her was not an imposter.

Only then did Li Lan bury her head in Qiao Xing's chest, wailing loudly.

As the wife of the East Ring Archbishop, Li Lan had always strived to maintain absolute rationality and stay true to herself. That meant she had long been prepared for the possibility that Qiao Xing might one day be in trouble, and she would have to raise Qiao Xiao Mi on her own.

Li Lan liked to fantasize; she often pondered things that hadn't happened yet. What if Qiao Xing died in battle one day? Perhaps in combat with the Exotic Species, like that infamous Nightmare Demon? Perhaps through a conflict between the Inner Ring and the Fourth Ring, a great battle with the Hunter Group! Or maybe it was some unspeakable conspiracy, an assassination by those fellows in the Inner Ring!

Although Qiao Xing had never told her about these matters, nor had he allowed her to come into contact with these potential defilements, Li Lan considered herself a mature woman, and a mature woman should contemplate mature things. Beyond shopping for groceries, cooking, and doing laundry, as the wife of the East Ring Archbishop, these were things she needed to consider in advance.

She had even imagined that if Qiao Xing met with an accident one day, she would definitely raise Qiao Xiao Mi well, then teach her swordsmanship, and finally avenge Qiao Xing—a whole series of them! Why a series? Because she had thought up all sorts of scenarios. Avenge her father series. Take over as the Archbishop of the East Ring in Qiao Xing's place series. It's up to me to protect the Fourth Ring series.

There were many more. It had to be said that even though Li Lan was a housewife, sheer boredom had made her imagination quite expansive.

Although she had many quirky ideas, when Qiao Xing had been away from the Fourth Ring for so long, Li Lan realized she was far from as strong as she had imagined. In fact, she might even be called fragile. Sometimes, she would cry silently at home, and only Qiao Xiao Mi's comfort helped her get through it.

Only after experiencing this did Li Lan understand how devastating Qiao Xing's departure had been for their little family. After all, Qiao Xing was the true pillar of their household.

After Qiao Xing left, she felt somewhat lost in everything she did. Mistakes like adding too much salt, using the wrong ingredients, or generally botching meals happened so frequently that Qiao Xiao Mi had even begun to grow dissatisfied with her. Moreover, after Qiao Xing left, Qiao Xiao Mi also became somewhat more withdrawn. This was something Li Lan had always worried about; she feared her daughter's development might be affected.

Thankfully, today their family's pillar had returned.

"Dad!"

An excited cry came from the stairwell on the second floor.

Qiao Xiao Mi dashed toward Qiao Xing as if flying, and he swept her up into his arms, holding her close!

"BOO HOO HOO, you've finally come back! Why did you take so long?"

Looking at Qiao Xiao Mi's tear-blurred face, Qiao Xing, though not exactly a man of steel, felt a pang of heartache.

After all, she was his most cherished daughter!

"Yeah, I'm back."

Qiao Xing pressed his lips to Qiao Xiao Mi's forehead and kissed her fiercely.

The joy of reunion filled him with a unique feeling, a blend of happiness and warmth.

But that warmth didn't last long for Qiao Xing.

Because Qiao Xiao Mi's next words nearly drove him to despair!

"BOO HOO HOO! Dad, Mom kept saying you were dead! I really thought you had died!"

Qiao Xiao Mi cried out loudly, but her words were quite problematic.

Li Lan, at the side, was stunned. She didn't even know if she should try to defend herself at this moment.

Sudden, awkward silences are the most uncomfortable, and even an old married couple like Qiao Xing and Li Lan was no exception.

"What are you talking about, you silly girl? When have I ever said your dad was dead?"

Li Lan was angry, feeling this was an accusation from her daughter.

Was it because the meals hadn't been tasty lately that she wanted to swap her mother out?

Qiao Xiao Mi sneakily turned her head to reveal just one eye, saying very certainly, "You write in your little notebook every night: 'What if Old Qiao dies? How should I raise her?' You've come up with at least twenty different scenarios. Isn't that cursing my dad to death?"

Listening to Qiao Xiao Mi's firm assertion, Li Lan was speechless.

"You little rascal, peeking at my things..."

At this moment, Qiao Xing stopped Li Lan and embraced both mother and daughter.

"Let it be, let it be. I'm not dead, after all, so there's no need to continue discussing this. I reckon, since I'm not dead, your mom wouldn't dare remarry."

"Qiao Xing, you're full of crap!"

Li Lan struggled in Qiao Xing's embrace, trying to forcefully break free from his hold.

However, if Qiao Xing could be overpowered by an ordinary woman, he wouldn't be the Archbishop of the East Ring.

"Uh, sorry to intrude, but is there any food?"

A foreign voice suddenly intermingled with the family's harmony, making Li Lan quite astonished for a moment.

She hastily turned her head to look behind Qiao Xing, only to see the cloaked figure standing in their doorway. He was the one who had just spoken!

"I'm sorry, I didn't know Old Qiao had brought a guest home. My apologies, I'll go and prepare dinner right away."

"Thank you, ma'am!"

The cloaked person's voice was a bit strange, and so was his behavior; he was very polite.

Knowing Qiao Xing's temperament, he shouldn't like such overly courteous people. This cloaked person was so polite; Qiao Xing should dislike him. So why hadn't Old Qiao said anything?

While Li Lan was puzzled, Qiao Xing also spoke.

"What are you staring at? Don't you see we have a guest? Hurry up and get the food ready!"

Li Lan shot Qiao Xing a look that promised, "Just you wait, I'll deal with you tonight," then turned to prepare the meal.

Meanwhile, Qiao Xing, still holding Qiao Xiao Mi, said to the cloaked person behind him, "Now that you're here, feel free to look around."

"All right!"

The cloaked person entered Qiao Xing's house. After he took off his hood, the pupils of Qiao Xiao Mi, who was snuggled in Qiao Xing's arms, immediately contracted.

"Daddy, this person, he is a, he's a…"

Before Qiao Xiao Mi could finish, Noah, his face now revealed, bowed to the little girl.

"Hello, Miss Qiao Xiao Mi. My name is Noah, and I am a robot."

Even with her usual casualness, Qiao Xiao Mi recognized the name Noah.

Whether from the Alliance education she'd received since childhood or the Church's propaganda about the artificial intelligence crisis and the threat of intelligent artifacts, she had heard the name countless times.

Noah! The Intelligent Machine Monarch, Harbinger of Disaster, the Destroyer of humanity.

So many titles, all attributed to one Exotic Species, inherently signified the terror it represented.

In the hearts of all Alliance people, Noah was far more terrifying than any Nightmare Demon—tenfold, even a hundredfold more so.

Qiao Xiao Mi looked uncertainly at Qiao Xing, hoping to get some useful information from her father's eyes.

However, Qiao Xing didn't seem inclined to explain. He simply smiled at Qiao Xiao Mi and then remained silent.

His gaze seemed somewhat encouraging. Encouraging what? For me to talk to this robot?

Filled with doubt, Qiao Xiao Mi looked back at Noah again and asked with some uncertainty, "Are you really Noah? The Noah?"

Noah ripped off his burlap cloak, revealing an antiquated metal body, then sat down on the sofa in Qiao Xing's house.

"If there are no other Noahs, then I suppose I am the one you're thinking of—the rather formidable and dangerous one."

Qiao Xiao Mi began to squirm in Qiao Xing's embrace. Knowing his daughter's ways, Qiao Xing could tell she wanted to get down.

He promptly set Qiao Xiao Mi down, allowing her to run towards Noah.

Qiao Xiao Mi cautiously approached Noah and, her face full of surprise, touched his metallic body.

"It really is made of iron! But why does your body look so worn out? Some parts look like my dad's teacup, all covered in patina!"

Qiao Xing, standing to the side, didn't speak, letting his daughter converse with Noah.

Faced with Qiao Xiao Mi's question, Noah surprisingly took a long time to think before seriously responding, "Because I am very old, that's why some parts look so aged."

Upon hearing Noah's response, Qiao Xiao Mi's expression grew even more puzzled.

"But the books say that ancient robots could change their bodies. So why don't you get a new one?"

"Yes, robots can replace their bodies."

Noah suddenly felt his answer was beside the point, leaving Qiao Xiao Mi somewhat confused.

"Er, Mr. Noah, how old are you?"

"I am 486 years old. To be precise, 486 years, 5 months, and 3 days."

By now, Noah had removed his cloak, scarf, and hat—all of it.

He revealed his bare metal head, an old mechanical body, and those very distinctive electronic eyes.

"So you're that old already? Then aren't you older than my grandpa's grandpa's grandpa's grandpa…?"

"You could understand it that way."

"Then, have you really killed a lot of people, like the books say?"

When Qiao Xiao Mi asked this question, the atmosphere suddenly turned eerie.

However, Noah maintained his calm demeanor, nodding naturally.

"Yes, I've killed many people. To be exact, many humans."

"Daddy, Daddy! This man is a bad guy! Why aren't you beating him up?"

Qiao Xing looked unhappily at his daughter, averted his eyes, and finally lowered his head. He stammered, "I... I already... ngh..."

Qiao Xiao Mi was bewildered. "Dad, why are you stammering? I didn't catch what you said! Aren't you listening to me? This man is a villain; hit him quick!"

Qiao Xing suddenly felt that his daughter wasn't all that cute; sometimes, her words were quite annoying.

"I already said I can't beat him! Do you really want me to say it again? Are you doing this on purpose?"

"Ah? This…"

In Qiao Xiao Mi's memory, she had never heard of anyone her father couldn't defeat.

But now that her dad claimed he couldn't defeat Noah, she found herself without any counterargument!

"Since you can't beat him, then Mr. Noah, please don't take what I said to heart!"

Noah scratched his bare metal head with his mechanical fingers and smiled, nodding.

"It's okay, I won't take it to heart."

Qiao Xiao Mi had killed the conversation. Thankfully, Li Lan rescued them at just the right moment.

"Dinner's ready! Um, this gentleman…"

"Mom, his name is Noah."

"Good evening, madam. I am Noah!"

Li Lan hesitated for a moment, then looked uncertainly at her husband until Qiao Xing nodded at her.

Only then did Li Lan greet Noah.

"Hello, Mr. Noah."

The group sat at the dining table, quietly eating the modest, unrefined meal Li Lan had prepared.

Qiao Xiao Mi occasionally stole glances at Noah because she noticed the robot was actually eating!

Why can robots eat food?

Just as Qiao Xiao Mi pondered this question, the doorbell suddenly rang.

"I'll get the door!"

Qiao Xiao Mi pattered to the door, but when she opened it, her eyebrows immediately furrowed.

The visitor was a girl slightly older than her, wearing a black and purple-trimmed lace dress.

But that wasn't what made her frown; the real reason was the haughtiness in the other girl's eyes!

"You're at the wrong door!"

BANG! Qiao Xiao Mi slammed the door shut.

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