When it comes to matters of the laws, continuing seclusion is meaningless; one must still sense the will of the heavens, thus he emerged from retreat.

He truly hadn’t expected that the planet he’d randomly chosen for seclusion would unfold in such a way...

Different planes, different star systems, the civilizations that evolved from them all converged here, yet all had a strong connection to him.

Gavin Carter gazed at his palm for a long, long time, as if a nebula was swirling within.

Suddenly, he smiled faintly.

Actually, it was quite fun.

Why do people seek cultivation, why do they pursue eternal life?

Everyone has their own reasons. For Gavin Carter, at first it was to become stronger, and later it was to satisfy an endless thirst for knowledge and exploration.

This boundless universe, the myriad worlds, countless forms of life, a thousand kinds of wonders... If you don’t see them all, how could you bear to leave?

After witnessing the rise and fall of ten thousand ages, it’s inevitable that one’s temperament becomes indifferent, and most things no longer matter. Emily Brooks saw this clearly: as long as you don’t touch his inner pride, nothing else is worth fussing over; gains and losses are nothing to care about—being interesting is far more important than gain or loss.

For example, why does he go around showing his face, blinking his eyes?

Because it’s amusing—if he wants to try, he’ll just try.

The immortal’s way is to be carefree and unrestrained; it should be so. Having shed the position of Immortal Emperor, with fewer ties, it’s even more so.

Now, the convergence on this planet is very interesting, very fateful, and quite novel—he’s very satisfied.

Perhaps it’s not just an opportunity to resume cultivation... maybe enlightenment will come on this very planet—who knows?

……

He glanced at his watch again; it showed nine in the morning.

Emily Brooks hadn’t gone out. The matter of getting identification should be handled by phone; more likely, she was catching up on sleep.

With her level of cultivation, she still needed sleep, and staying up until daylight was hard on her.

There were a few robots outside the door, standing guard in a silly way, as if wary that he might do something bad while their master slept.

Gavin Carter couldn’t help but laugh, his eyes softening a little.

His attitude toward Emily Brooks wasn’t great, but Emily Brooks treated him very well. Though she was a bit wary and a bit defiant... she was indeed helping him.

Such kindness really shouldn’t be the behavior of a fox clan member.

Whether it was out of empathy for a “little demon mixing among humans,” or because she felt Gavin Carter’s help last night was important, or perhaps it stemmed from a deep soul-level trust and closeness to the “Father God,” or maybe all of the above... whatever the reason, Gavin Carter accepted this favor.

He’d promised to help her solve a problem before leaving... As for last night’s bat-person incident, the cause and effect were unclear; on the surface, it still looked like Emily Brooks, this “lawbreaker,” was “stealing things.” If Emily Brooks herself didn’t bring it up, he naturally wouldn’t ask—actually, Emily Brooks didn’t even know he’d witnessed the bat-person battle.

But her butler probably had some issues; at the very least, he could preset some defenses for Emily Brooks...

Gavin Carter swept his divine sense lightly, landing in the room outside.

The butler was sitting with his legs crossed on a soft chair, a virtual light screen floating in front of him, reading something.

On the screen was... a novel? People still entertained themselves this way these days? Gavin Carter thought this form should have died out long ago... seems it’s quite tenacious.

Gavin Carter glanced at it with a strange expression, then became even more puzzled.

The novel’s title: “The Butler’s Counterattack.”

Chapter title: “Chapter One: The Man Who Entered the Young Lady’s Boudoir.”

Emmmm...

Chapter content: “Watching that second-generation heir embrace the young lady and enter her boudoir, the last image before the door closed was the young lady pressed against the door... Ethan Clark clenched his fists so tightly that veins bulged. He hated the heavens for being unfair—why wasn’t he a super-rich heir, why was he just a lowly butler? Just then, a ‘ding’ sounded, and an electronic synthesized voice rang in his mind: Congratulations, host, for binding with the Overbearing CEO System.”

“Ethan Clark was ecstatic—his golden finger had finally arrived!”

Gavin Carter: “???”

What? Isn’t the first reaction supposed to be worrying about being possessed? Why is he so ecstatic...

He glanced at the butler, who was reading with great interest.

Forget it, it’s just a novel. If you insist on worrying about possession, you’re being too serious. Besides, everyone’s on a different system—maybe with today’s chip implants, such systems really are possible?

No wonder the butler was so engrossed; it was obvious he was projecting himself into it.

It’s a bit unfair—there really is nothing between me and your young lady... Gavin Carter was both amused and exasperated. He kept reading, only to see the butler use the system to rise up, quickly defeat the second-generation heir, win over the young lady, and even start pursuing the madam...

The descriptions were rather inappropriate for children.

The butler happily continued to pay: “Another ten yuan’s worth.”

Gavin Carter couldn’t stand it anymore and stopped watching.

He’d rather watch Little Chick, honestly.

If this butler merely had a crush on the young lady, that’s understandable—“a gentleman pursues a fair lady,” as long as he doesn’t use dishonorable means, there’s no problem. The novel’s content was a bit eye-burning, but reading a novel doesn’t mean anything.

So Gavin Carter hadn’t planned to go too far—he just intended to plant a soul curse on the butler: if he ever harbored ill intent toward Emily Brooks, his soul would immediately suffer backlash; if not, it would never activate in his lifetime.

That was the safest approach.