After Illucy settled her “household registration,” she quietly settled down to live there.
At first, Dolosa always thought this girl’s timid demeanor was an act, but after about two weeks, Illucy still looked just as timid—never daring to snatch anything or interrupt when the others gathered around Liang Lai to talk.
It seemed… that timid appearance wasn’t fake at all.
“So you’re saying she really isn’t just pretending to be so timid?” Dolosa muttered softly to herself.
She stood upstairs, watching Illucy practice Crystallization Ability alone downstairs.
“You don’t still suspect her timid act, do you?”
A voice suddenly came from behind, startling Dolosa. She quickly turned around to see Asterys and Delucia hand in hand, like conjoined twins.
“You two really are like glue,” Dolosa scoffed, showing no intention to hide her disdain for the twins.
Asterys and Delucia came over and leaned against the railing beside her, smiling brightly.
“Why are you two grinning at me like that?” Dolosa felt uncomfortable under their amused gaze.
“I just think you don’t need to be on guard against her. She’s not your or our match at all,” Asterys kindly reminded her.
But Dolosa rejected that kindness with another cold snort, turning away from the railing.
“Asterys, you’d better focus on training. Don’t worry about who I’m wary of. After all, the Examination is in two weeks. Don’t embarrass Liang Lai then.”
With that, Dolosa disappeared without a trace.
Asterys shrugged at Delucia.
“She’s hopeless~ Treating Mom like she owns her~”
Delucia nodded, “Yeah~ She’ll never find true happiness like that~”
Asterys put an arm around her sister’s shoulder.
“We already understand the true meaning of happiness… it’s having Mom always save us! And then becoming one with Mom… Exactly like that…”
Downstairs, Illucy was completely unaware of these matters, focused solely on her own efforts, yearning for Liang Lai to show her some concern and praise.
Liang Lai did treat the four children equally, but it was inevitable that the balance would occasionally tip.
Since Dolosa and Asterys had to prepare for the Examination, in the last half-month, Liang Lai devoted more energy to them.
Also, since she still hadn’t grasped the essence of the first two Crystallization Abilities left by the Original Owner, every use drained her mental strength.
Thus, she also spent time on herself, leaving little attention for Illucy and Delucia.
Delucia didn’t mind, since she regarded herself and Asterys as one person.
Being inseparable, wherever Asterys was, so was she. So Liang Lai’s attention felt evenly distributed in her eyes.
But Illucy didn’t feel indifferent.
She was such a sensitive child, paying close attention to every move of Liang Lai’s, keenly sensing that Liang Lai’s focus had shifted more towards Dolosa and Asterys recently.
“Mom, Mama…”
She quietly called out, but her voice was too soft.
Liang Lai, in a hurry to check on Dolosa and Asterys’ progress in the Practice Room, didn’t hear the call and completely ignored Illucy, who sat hugging her knees on the sofa, feeling gloomy.
Watching Liang Lai’s retreating figure, Illucy’s gaze dimmed.
She tilted her head, thought for a moment, then quietly followed the Saintess.
She saw Liang Lai enter the Practice Room and gently close the door—leaving it slightly ajar. This gave Illucy the perfect chance to eavesdrop.
Illucy slowly pulled the door open a crack and peeked inside stealthily.
“How’s your practice going, you two~?” Liang Lai asked with genuine concern.
Dolosa always wanted to be first, while Asterys was more composed, so Asterys waited for Dolosa’s report before sharing her own.
Liang Lai affectionately patted their heads.
“Wow~ You two are amazing! You’ll definitely pass the Examination! You’ll be the brightest stars on the field~”
Though her praise sounded a bit cheesy, like coaxing children, Dolosa and Asterys were genuinely happy.
After their updates, Liang Lai asked them to demonstrate, while she took Delucia aside.
Dolosa and Asterys were currently learning the basic ordinary Crystallization Ability, which was different from Liang Lai’s.
Simply put, Liang Lai’s was an Emotional Resonance Crystallization—after hitting a target, it could release stored emotional memories or cause an “Emotional Overlay,” temporarily adopting the caster’s emotional patterns.
Others in the Church were forbidden from “being emotional” or “having feelings,” so they could never master Liang Lai’s kind of “mutated” Crystallization Ability.
Liang Lai had to keep her Emotional Resonance Crystallization secret.
Dolosa and Asterys were learning elementary ordinary Crystallization—the ability to instantly transform contacted objects into crystalline structures.
“Show me what you’ve got.”
Hearing this, Dolosa eagerly stepped forward and lightly touched the stone pillar in the center of the Training Ground with her fingertip.
Her youthful recklessness showed, but at the moment of contact, her control was surprisingly precise.
The grayish-white stone surface shimmered as if painted by an invisible brush, instantly spreading a glossy, crystal-clear glaze.
The Crystallization followed the pillar’s natural grain, turning the rough rock into translucent crystal, its interior preserving the flowing original stone patterns.
Asterys was calmer.
She walked slowly to a nearby wooden post, palm hovering over it, eyelashes lowered.
The wood’s fibers began to emit faint cracking sounds.
The wood grain didn’t disappear during Crystallization; instead, it expanded into magnificent tree-shaped crystalline veins.
The brown bark gradually turned transparent, finally becoming a piece of amber-like artwork.
When sunlight passed through the crystallized wood, rainbow-colored spots scattered on the ground.
“Impressive!”
Liang Lai gave a thumbs-up.
Outside the door.
“So, Mom only focuses on the children who need more attention… Because they have the Examination, Mom’s attention leans more towards them…” Illucy murmured.
She stepped back a few paces to the staircase, her eyes dim as she gazed at the long flight of stairs.
“Just like when I first met Mom—back then, my whole body was covered in scars, so Mom paid extra attention to me, even sleeping beside me and such…”