I have added this story to my Patreon. You can support me and read the latest chapters there. It also fed and motivate me to write more chapters!
Patreon Link: Patreon.com/NineClouds69
--- Chapter 480 ---
The crimson-red mecha cut smoothly through the horizon, tracing a long, glowing red streak across the sky all the way from the distant Whale's Laugh City to the ancient, sprawling city of Heaven Dou.
At first, Han Tianyi's intuition had been to bring his dear grandson straight to Shrek City, the heart of the Douluo Continent and the location of the Spirit Pagoda's main headquarters, also where he could protect him immediately.
But the moment the thought crossed his mind, he had dismissed it. There was no way in hell he would leave his traumatized, fragile grandson in a place that was basically a ticking powder keg.
The situation in Shrek City was far too volatile, threatening to explode into chaos at any given moment. The current, sunny, and peaceful atmosphere of the city was no more than a show, an illusion that the Federation, Shrek Academy, the Tang Sect, and the Spirit Pagoda had tacitly maintained for years while secretly sharpening their own blades.
Moreover, letting Han Yuan stay there was emotionally impossible for the older man. The deep, festering wounds of his past had not healed.
Han Tianyi remembered, with a burning, icy hatred and anger in his heart, that the incompetent elders directly responsible for the fight that caused his son and daughter-in-law's deaths still lived within the Shrek Sea God Pavilion. So, bringing his precious grandson near them was out of the question.
So, after careful deliberation, Han Tianyi decided to let Han Yuan settle in Heaven Dou City first.
Even though the Tang Sect's old main headquarters remained a presence within this historic city, there was another hegemon here that held strong strategic value for the Federation, and it was the Blacksmith Association.
Han Tianyi's plan was simple yet brilliant. He would arrange for Han Yuan to temporarily live under the protection of the continent's one and only Divine Craftsman, Zhen Hua, alongside his own junior brother, Mu Ye.
For a couple of weeks, two weeks if everything went well on his side, Han Yuan would live within the safest, most politically neutral shelter available while Han Tianyi squeezed his authority over the Spirit Pagoda's regional pillar in Heaven Dou City.
With the amount of merits Han Tianyi made to the Spirit Pagoda over the past decades, the council should give him more than enough face and seat for a Vice Tower Master, or at least branch manager.
So, yeah, they wouldn't dare contest his request to oversee and manage the Heaven Dou City Pagoda tower. And if they refused, Han Tianyi still has more than enough connections to achieve it.
Sitting within the padded of the mecha's passenger bay, Han Yuan leaned back, his small face still wearing the wide-eyed, innocent curiosity of an amnesiac child.
Yet, behind those clear silver eyes, an analytical mind was rapidly running complex, world-defying calculations.
He hadn't expected his 'new' grandfather to be so fiercely protective, let alone savvy enough to intentionally avoid Shrek City. For Han Yuan, this was an absolute jackpot.
After all, anything that related to the Tang Clan was a massive landmine and was always monitored by Tang Hao and possibly Ah Yin of this alternative world.
Staying in Heaven Dou City, especially under the Divine Craftsman, Zhen Hua, meant he would have direct access to the peak of the continent's forging masters.
Combined with Mu Ye's presence, the master of the Body Sect, Han Yuan, was effectively placing himself at the best, most suitable starting point he could get, all while remaining protected from the prying, hyper-vigilant eyes of several monsters.
"Xiao Yuan..." Han Tianyi's voice broke through the humming machine in the cockpit, his tone incredibly soft and tinged with an almost desperate tenderness as he looked at the boy. "Look out the window. We're almost there."
"That city down there... That will be your new home. No one will ever hurt you there, I promise."
Han Yuan blinked, shifting his gaze downward as the tall silhouette of the Heaven Dou Spirit Pagoda Tower loomed into view, piercing the sea of clouds like a white, giant mechanical spear.
Not far from it stood the complex of the Blacksmith Association. While it wasn't as grand as the Pagoda Tower, it possessed a heavy, ancient look of wealth, radiating the faint, imminent warmth of forges and the dense smoke of heated rare ores.
'So, this is the Heaven Dou City of the future? Well, it looks impressive at first glance, but the luck in this area is very dim compared to the Heaven Dou City of the past...'
'What a shame...'
"Wow!" A small, tentative smile formed on Han Yuan's lips as he turned back to look at the anxious Super Douluo. "Grandpa Han, this place looks so cool!"
Hearing his grandson call him 'Grandpa Han' with such trust, Han Tianyi's silver eyes softened instantly, a wave of relief washing over his guilt-ridden soul.
He didn't care if the boy couldn't remember the past for now. As long as he was alive and safe, Han Tianyi would dare to rewrite the rules of the world itself to ensure the boy's path was paved in peace and comfort.
"We have arrived," Mu Ye said, glancing at the grandfather-grandson pair with a helpless sigh. "Should I brief Zhen Hua first, or do we go straight in?"
Han Tianyi shook his head gently, his expression turning sharp. "No, leave the talking with the Divine Craftsman to me. As for you..." Han Tianyi cast a pointed look at his junior brother. "Go cook something for my grandson to eat. He must be starving."
"..."
Mu Ye's mouth twitched. He knew he was an exceptional chef, perhaps even the finest culinary master alive on the Douluo Continent, mostly because his sect's deep knowledge of vital energy consumption and assimilation.
Even then, for Han Tianyi to order him around so casually was truly something else.
First, you make me your personal driver. Now, you make me your grandson's private chef!
Even so, Mu Ye quickly hid his irritation as a realization struck him. This was perhaps his best, easiest chance to closely observe the boy and subtly coy him toward joining the Body Sect.
Yet, before the thought could even form in his mind, Han Tianyi's cold voice cut him off. "And do not even dream about recruiting him for your sect."
"If I detect a single poaching, manipulative word escaping your mouth, I will use my spiritual power to rip your thoughts apart."
"..."
Mu Ye went stiff for a moment. He knew Han Tianyi wasn't bluffing. As the man dubbed the strongest brain in the Federation, his Spirit Domain Realm power didn't just allow him to observe from afar. He could also perform a terrifying, long-distance telekinesis.
And that was just the basics. His title as Illusory Brain Douluo isn't just words, as his mastery over illusion is even more terrifying.
"Fine, fine... Let's go, kid!" Mu Ye grumbled at Han Tianyi before turning a remarkably warm smile toward the silver-haired boy. "Your Granduncle Mu is going to cook you an absolute feast!"
"Hmm..." Han Yuan blinked innocently, looking first at Mu Ye and then up at Han Tianyi.
Han Tianyi patted Han Yuan's head gently. "Go with him for now, Xiao Yuan. Grandpa will be back shortly."
"Okay!" Han Yuan nodded obediently, hopping out and then following Mu Ye toward the hidden kitchen of the Blacksmith Association.
Han Tianyi watched his grandson's small, thin figure disappear into the corridor. The second the boy was out of sight, the warmth vanished from the Super Douluo's face.
His gaze shifted toward the private quarters of the Divine Craftsman, a man whose strategic status in the Federation was arguably even more irreplaceable than his own.
"The price will be astronomical..." Han Tianyi muttered, his footsteps slow, deliberate, and filled with an unyielding determination. "But if it buys the Divine Craftsman's protection for my grandson, it is worth every single penny."
Stepping forward into the courtyard, the Illusory Brain Douluo narrowed his eyes. "I am going to make him an offer he simply cannot refuse."