Chapter 234: Ulysses’ Marshal’s Residence: As the "Female Consort" of the Household, Ulysses Naturally Has His Own Floor

[His Highness the Prince advanced! A cause for celebration throughout the whole world!]

[The first S-rank male! Even though it's only a novel, it's still very significant. There hasn't been a definitively confirmed S-rank male/Tianjia male or Male Zerg in An-shen's books yet.]

[Maybe not in the books, but there is one in reality! That Lord is definitely S-rank or even higher! Being able to perform group Psychic Soothing over such an enormous area—one look at the A-rank in his updated official records and you know it's fake! Only an idiot would believe it.]

[I feel like An-shen himself is very likely S-rank too. When the Marshal returned from his expedition before, he was in such good condition that it looked like he'd practically "eaten" a Male Zerg. Everyone saw it. And we all know what happened afterward. The Marshal and An-shen have been seen together, behaving intimately, and are suspected to be dating, so it's pretty obvious which Male Zerg performed Psychic Soothing for the Marshal—it was An-shen! We Zergs have TWO S-rank Male Zergs!!!]

The Tianjia refused to acknowledge that.

Males were important strategic resources when it came to national and military power. If they admitted that the Zergs had two S-rank males, wouldn't that be the same as admitting defeat? Admitting that their military strength was inferior to the Zergs'?

Even if something like that were established fact, they couldn't admit it! Much less now, when there was no definitive proof. They had even more reason not to acknowledge it.

[Who knows which Male Zerg Ulysses "ate"? Maybe he went to the prison to secretly snack on his ex-husband. (Tianjia rolls eyes)]

The Zergs absolutely refused to accept that interpretation.

They had all witnessed the domestic-abuse trial. Although privately they thought the current Lord was very, very good, what had happened had happened, and they knew that with the Marshal's pride, he would never turn back.

Compared with the Soothing Specialist Lord, who was already part of the past, An-shen was clearly a much better match for the Marshal now.

For the normally stern and aloof Marshal to shield An-shen with his own cloak in public meant that he definitely liked and cared about An-shen very much.

An-shen had also subtly mentioned the Marshal several times in his books, almost like a special little interaction between the two of them. It was very sweet.

A great many readers were secretly enjoying the crumbs of romance.

Although nothing had ever been officially announced, everyone had already decided that An-shen and the Marshal were a couple. Among them, Lord Aira was particularly famous as the head of their CP fandom, repeatedly urging the Marshal to marry An-shen both directly and indirectly, charging into battle on the front lines of love.

Aira: ???

I'm not! Stop making things up!

The Prince's advancement was a major event, but because it was only something that had happened in a novel, it didn't cause any enormous commotion. The readers simply celebrated and congratulated him.

The Zerg and Tianjia readers still had to argue over who was the first S-rank in An-shen's books, as well as whether An-shen and that Lord were actually S-rank.

Some Tianjia working in government offices did mention that His Highness the Prince hadn't appeared for several days, but it didn't attract much attention.

His Majesty the Emperor, however, had been unusually active in the Imperial Capital, and that drew considerable attention from all sides.

Over the past few days, His Majesty had not only dealt swiftly and decisively with the Tianjia who caused trouble during the Autumn Festival, but had also suppressed several prominent families that had once followed the former Tianjia Emperor. In addition, quite a few Tianjia had received summons from the Investigation Bureau for questioning.

For a while, whether they had served the former Tianjia Emperor or not, everyone kept their tails tucked between their legs, terrified of attracting His Majesty's attention.

Several days later, the Prince attended a diplomatic meeting, and news photographs and footage began circulating.

Every Tianjia who saw the photographs held their breath at first glance.

They had seen footage of the Prince attending events before. The Prince had already been exceptionally beautiful back then, but now... there was something indescribable about him. He was extraordinarily captivating, as though he could steal away one's very soul.

The Tianjia couldn't think of an appropriate way to describe it.

They only felt that the Prince had become even more beautiful.

Speculation immediately erupted.

[Could His Highness the Prince have... advanced?]

[Uh, yes? You're only finding out now? How many days ago did the novel update? Your connection's a little slow, bro. What? You're talking about the news?]

One beautiful photograph after another appeared, and Tianjia who had interacted with the Prince face-to-face came forward to say that his allure was simply too powerful. They couldn't control themselves at all; their minds were filled with thoughts of dating the Prince.

The more proactive Tianjia had already begun asking around through every possible channel. Some had even approached Lieutenant General Caleb to ask whether he would accept the Prince taking another Female Lord.

Naturally, the results were extremely tragic.

It was perfectly normal for females or Female Zergs to duel over a male or Male Zerg. Precious males always had to be fought over and defended.

Lieutenant General Caleb had received a particularly large number of duel challenges these past few days.

Influenced by the novel, the Zerg public also paid particular attention to the Tianjia Imperial Family, treating their everyday activities like bonus material and post-story extras for the novel.

Naturally, they immediately saw the news of the Prince's latest public appearance and were equally stunned by his beauty.

[No way. It can't actually be true, can it? He really advanced? S-rank???]

[Wasn't I reading a novel? Huh?!]

[The Tianjia authorities still haven't issued a public statement about this, but he really does feel different. It's a kind of elegance and allure that goes beyond mere appearance. Even if you covered his face, he'd still be incredibly attractive to Zergs. As everyone knows, just like with the Zergs, Tianjia appearance correlates with rank. The higher the breakthrough and transformation, the closer they come to perfection—physical, mental, and perfection in every other aspect.]

[I've only ever felt something like this from that Lord and An-shen.]

[I knew An-shen's novels weren't pure science fiction.]

[Just how much inside information does An-shen know? (shocked)]

[Come to think of it, someone analyzed this before. A top-tier Male Zerg like An-shen possesses incredibly powerful Psychic Power, and his perception far exceeds anything ordinary Zergs can comprehend! The stories he creates might correspond, on another dimensional level, to events happening in reality!]

[I don't understand, but it sounds incredible.]

[Anyway, although An-shen's stories look like science fiction, they might actually be real! The Tianjia may very well have an S-rank in reality!

I don't know why, but just as the Federation hasn't disclosed An-shen's or that Lord's true ranks, the Tianjia Empire hasn't announced whether the Prince advanced either. But there's no mistaking this feeling!]

StarNet was exploding with discussions over "whether the Prince advanced" and "whether An-shen writes science fiction or reality."

Meanwhile, An Ruo was considering writing a follow-up extra about the Prince and Caleb.

Just then, he received a request and invitation from Ulysses.

An invitation to his home.

The Marshal's residence.

An Ruo hesitated briefly, closed his document, and got up to prepare.

Dating really did interfere with a person's writing.

An Ruo felt secretly guilty for one second, but then decided he didn't care. Everything that needed to be covered in the main story had already been written. The follow-up extras could be written slowly.

Besides, he missed Ulysses too.

While he was focused on writing, he didn't feel much of anything. But the moment he stopped, he wanted to be with Ulysses.

Even if they did absolutely nothing, just lying beneath the blankets together would be nice. He could lie flat on his back while Ulysses sat against the headboard handling military affairs. Even that would feel warm and peaceful, relaxing his entire body.

But Ulysses usually arranged everything beforehand whenever he was going to see An Ruo, and then devoted all his attention to him.

An Ruo's face grew slightly warm. He pulled his thoughts back and changed into a beautiful outfit.

Ulysses had given it to him.

Ulysses had given him an entire spatial device full of clothes, enough to open a whole fashion street.

Faced with so many clothes and gifts, An Ruo had initially felt very troubled. But after spending more time together and confirming their intimate relationship, he had gradually become accustomed to wearing the clothes Ulysses prepared for him. He no longer touched the clothes given to him by his other military female patients.

The clothes Ulysses gave him really did fit better.

And emotionally, they meant something different.

Once An Ruo had finished preparing, he looked at himself in the mirror. Only after getting the distinct feeling that he was going on a date did he message Ulysses to say he was ready.

A spatial fluctuation came from outside the door.

An Ruo turned his head in surprise.

After being subjected to two nighttime raids by Ulysses, he almost wasn't used to Ulysses suddenly behaving so properly and using the front door.

In truth, except during emergencies, Ulysses would always politely stop outside the door. It was simply that the first time he had come seeking Psychic Soothing, he had appeared directly inside An Ruo's room, followed by two nighttime raids where he appeared right beside the bed. Those incidents had left too deep an impression. An Ruo always felt as though Ulysses might suddenly materialize in front of him.

An Ruo walked over and opened the door.

There stood Ulysses, whom he hadn't seen in what felt like forever, and An Ruo immediately sank into those silver-gray eyes glowing softly with warmth.

In truth, it hadn't actually been that long.

They had even met once in the middle of this novel's serialization.

On the bed in An Ruo's room.

All told, they had only been apart for less than half a month.

Perhaps his state of mind had changed. Somehow, every day of separation now seemed exceptionally long.

There were no other Zergs in the corridor. An Ruo moved closer and proactively wrapped his arms around Ulysses.

"Ulysses~"

An Ruo buried himself in Ulysses' embrace, a smile lingering at the corners of his lips and between his brows. He felt deeply content.

It was rare for Ulysses to see him openly display this much affection. He was so startled that he reacted half a beat late before wrapping his arms around An Ruo in return.

There was no need for many words.

He could feel the male's acceptance and closeness toward him. Perhaps someday soon, the male would be willing to leave the Military Region Prison completely and go with him.

"Did you miss me?" Ulysses asked.

"Mm!" An Ruo nodded vigorously, making no attempt to deny it.

A Female Zerg should repay a Male Zerg's longing with his body.

For a moment, Ulysses wanted to skip every intermediate step and go directly to the final one.

But what Male Zergs wanted was often different from what Female Zergs wanted. Going straight to the final step was precisely what a Male Zerg needed least—especially a highly sensitive male like his, who was also a creator.

Ulysses suppressed the restlessness inside him and first took the male home.

His spatial ability saved them a great deal of travel time.

When An Ruo opened his eyes again, he saw a beautiful fountain garden and, directly beyond it, a simple yet magnificent white palace-like building.

"It's so beautiful."

An Ruo's eyes widened in amazement. He felt as though he had accidentally wandered into some famous tourist attraction. Both the garden and the main building looked like works of art.

"I'm glad you like it."

Ulysses was relieved that all the effort he'd put in lately hadn't been wasted.

The Marshal's residence effectively served as half of Ulysses' workplace, so naturally it possessed the basic grandeur expected of the Federal Marshal's residence. It was simply that its original aesthetic qualities had been... somewhat lacking. It had been filled with the Military Department's cold, austere style, hardly the sort of place a male would enjoy.

During this period, Ulysses had hired a master architect to redesign the entire residence. He had also expanded the garden and brought in numerous rare plants.

He knew that plants were one of the male's very few hobbies. Expensive gemstones given to him by military females might not catch his interest, but the flowers and plants they sent were replaced with new ones on his desk every day.

Ulysses' efforts to cater to his preferences proved highly effective.

The male loved the place.

Ulysses took An Ruo through the garden, walking among flourishing flowers and magnificent romantic fountains while using the botanical knowledge he'd crammed at the last minute to introduce every plant that caught the male's curiosity.

Evening primroses that bloomed only beneath moonlight, star flowers resembling a sky full of stars, eternal flowers that never withered, elusive ghost vines, Orchid Queens shaped like butterfly wings and symbolizing the witness of love...

Beyond the garden stood the main building.

Ulysses skipped over the two floors devoted to offices and instead focused on introducing the male to the private areas.

There was a bedroom prepared for him, a dining room, a study, a room displaying book merchandise, a room for storing letters...

"Wait!"

An Ruo sensed that something was wrong and hurriedly stopped him. Both shocked and confused, he asked, "This entire floor was prepared for me?"

"Yes," Ulysses answered, seeing nothing unusual about it.

In wealthy households, it was perfectly normal for the Male Lord to have an entire floor to himself.

Ulysses continued, "The entertainment area upstairs, as well as the observation deck and sky garden on the top floor, are also yours."

Yes.

He had prepared three floors for the male.

More accurately, aside from the basic office areas that had to be retained, every part of the Marshal's residence had been prepared for the male.

An Ruo was dumbfounded.

He was only visiting Ulysses' home and staying for a single night. Was there really any need to go to such enormous lengths?

Then something occurred to him.

"Then where do you sleep?"

As the "Female Consort" of the household, Ulysses naturally had a floor of his own.

Except that it was shared with his study, office, training room, and other facilities. It was practically just a small residential section carved out of the office area.

Ulysses lowered his eyes and said humbly, "I can sleep in the study. If you wish, you may also summon me to your room to serve you."

An Ruo: "...Huh?"

Even knowing that Ulysses was partly putting on an act, wasn't this a little too much?!