Yueyang spent half the day studying the Twin Masks.

No answers.

He kept catching the edge of something — a flash of intuition that almost resolved into understanding, then dissolved back into murk before he could grasp it. He circled the problem from every angle and came away with the same frustrating not-quite.

Eventually he decided to go find His Majesty.

Fourth Mother had mentioned, in passing over dinner, that His Majesty had apparently been asking about the progress on the war beast wrist device. That was, in its way, a signal — evidence that the person Yueyang had privately categorized as the brooding, quietly-intense type had softened, at least fractionally, from whatever displeasure remained after the last visit.

Strike while the iron is hot. Yueyang understood this principle thoroughly.

He threw himself into preparation with unusual dedication — from the moment dinner ended through the small hours, until the third watch of the night.

Then he crept, once again, toward the Imperial bedchamber.

The duty attendant saw who it was and simply stopped seeing him. She had reached the philosophical acceptance of someone who has decided that certain events are outside her jurisdiction.

Yueyang helped himself to a stool, carried it to the bedside, and waited in complete silence for ten minutes.

A pillow came through the bed curtains and connected with his face.

“It’s you again, you little wretch. Every time it’s the middle of the night, every time it’s here — I am going to kill you.”

“Don’t be upset.” Yueyang caught the pillow and settled it in his lap with the ease of a man receiving a gift. He passed the half-finished war beast wrist device through the curtains. “Look. Under your inspiration, I’ve completed half of it. I’ve also noticed that it’s very quiet here. When I’m here, my thinking flows particularly well.”

“I’ll hang you in the black-water dungeon. Even quieter. Even better inspiration.”

“Right, about last time — I was out of line, and I apologize. But honestly, I’ve been thinking about it, and I don’t believe you’re the brooding type at all. Not the coarse type like Sea Fatty either. I think you’re actually the same as me — effortlessly charming, moving through life’s garden without getting your sleeves caught. That’s why we get along so well. Do you know what that means? We’re kindred spirits. In the pursuit of romantic appreciation, we are genuinely kindred spirits.”

“Say one more word and I will hit you.”

“We’re all men here. Some things are better said plainly and then forgotten. Besides, stress is bad for the liver, and when the liver suffers the kidneys suffer, and if the kidneys suffer, what’s left to look forward to?”

“You—” His Majesty could not locate a response to this chain of reasoning.

“I’m only being practical. Healthy man, healthy perspective.” Yueyang spread his hands. “Speaking of which, shall we discuss the war beast wrist device?”

“I know exactly what kind of person you are,” His Majesty said. “You don’t need to keep advertising. Back to the wrist device. Now.”

Regarding Yueyang’s complete shamelessness, His Majesty had arrived at a state of exhausted acceptance. What couldn’t be denied was the talent behind it. Someone else with identical design concepts written out on paper could not have produced what Yueyang was producing — that much was simply true, and His Majesty was honest enough to acknowledge it.

“Two small favors,” Yueyang said.

“Let’s hear them.” His Majesty’s guard went up immediately.

If it’s something unreasonable, expulsion. Immediate. Permanent. Not another word.

This young man was more dangerous than the largest predator alive. Give him an opening and he would find seventeen ways through it. Whatever he was about to ask, if it was even slightly out of bounds—

Yueyang paused for a moment, which did nothing for His Majesty’s nerves.

Then: “The first is about the wrist device itself. For it to accurately match a warrior with a war beast suited to their attributes, I have some ideas, but I need to cross-reference them. I need more data — war beast characteristics, warrior attribute profiles — to build the calibration properly. If I get this wrong, the impact on the person’s entire life could be serious. I need more perspectives.”

His Majesty relaxed by a significant degree. “I can’t give you detailed responses immediately, but I’ll prepare something over the next few days and have it sent to you.”

Yueyang dropped the pillow and practically bounced. “I knew it. I knew you’d agree.”

His Majesty observed the unrestrained happiness of someone who had just received exactly what they wanted, and found it surprisingly difficult not to smile. This boy — setting aside everything else about him — was fundamentally still a child. Remarkably easy to please. Small wonder she had said he was good-natured underneath it all. It appeared to be accurate. His Majesty suppressed the smile and added, almost casually: “Not just my own notes. I’ll have several of the Guardian War Gods contribute as well. Full cooperation.”

Yueyang performed an elaborate pantomime of wiping a tear. “I’m moved. I’m genuinely moved. Please wait while I feel this fully—”

“The second condition,” His Majesty said, over-enunciating slightly and making it clear that patience was finite.

“Very simple. I’d like to ask about the Eye of the Underworld — its origin and any transformations it’s undergone. That’s all.”

“Why do you have to bring everything to me? I don’t know!”

“I think you probably do.” Yueyang kept his tone reasonable. “I couldn’t find anyone else to ask. The Night Empress isn’t here, and the Supreme — I wouldn’t take something this small to her.”

“The Supreme you won’t trouble with small things, but you’ll trouble me?” His Majesty’s voice rose. “Am I uniquely easy to bother? Listen carefully — don’t push my patience. I can deal with you just as effectively as anyone else. Why can’t you go ask Nangong? He reads all day until his eyes cross, he should know something!”

“You’re closer. And it’s convenient. I’m asking Nangong things would take effort to walk over there, and I’d have to explain the whole context. This way I just ask here.”

“What do you need the Eye of the Underworld for?” A different note entered His Majesty’s voice — genuine curiosity.

“It matches the hollow in my Twin Masks. Not perfectly enough to seat yet, but the shape is right. If I can figure out how to seat it, it might break the last seal on the masks — and if that happens, they might evolve, or recover their full divine artifact nature.”

This was completely honest. His Majesty considered for a moment.

“I know something about the Eye of the Underworld. And I’m not going to tell you.”

Yueyang went still.

“You want it? You’re going to have to earn it. No begging, no telling. Sit with that for a while.”

“Senior,” Yueyang said, with genuine urgency, “I’m asking nicely—”

“The correct form of address helps.”

“The most brilliant, magnificent, heroic, graceful, dashing, inspiring, radiant, formidable, and altogether exceptional Emperor of Tianra — please enlighten your ignorant junior regarding the secret of the Eye of the Underworld!”

“Keep going,” His Majesty said, with a small satisfied sound. “Until I say stop.”

“Your Majesty,” Yueyang said, “you’re being tsundere.”

The comfortable little glow of satisfaction evaporated instantly.

“Get. Out.”

His Majesty had been approximately thirty seconds from giving in — from telling the secret, from enjoying the whole thing. And then this insufferable young man had to go and name it, precisely and accurately, in the most deflating possible way. Was it genuinely so difficult to let someone enjoy a small moment? Was it actually painful to cooperate just a little?

“I was wrong!” Yueyang said loudly. His Majesty paused. A genuine and rapid expression of remorse might still be salvageable. Yueyang bowed with apparent sincerity. “I was completely wrong. What I should never have done — knowing that Your Majesty enjoys being flattered, I failed to continue the flattery, which deprived you of a perfectly satisfying experience. This was my failure. I take full responsibility. I will do better. In fact, I promise that this time, I will ensure Your Majesty experiences complete satisfaction, full and repeated—”

“You are asking to die.”

His Majesty burst through the bed curtains for the second time, foot already moving, and launched Yueyang out of the chamber in a single clean arc.

Complete satisfaction, full and repeated.

The absolute nerve.

The brooding-type remark from last time still hadn’t been addressed, and now this.