"I read it all, Madam Yeva!"
"So... Is there anything you don't understand... ah... Where are my manners? Please sit down Del, do you want some milk, you can also eat the snacks on the table"
"Yesss.... thank you, Madam Yeva!" Del giggled and ran to grab the snacks on the table.
He munched it happily while secretly peeking at the woman in front of him.
Madam Yeva was the head of the Flower Garden Orphanage as well as the oldest person in this place. Even though she was already forty years old, her beauty was still that of a thirty-year-old girl.
There were no visible wrinkles on her face and her green eyes that still shone bright like rubies could ensnare people's souls. Her red hair was tied into a bun at the back of her head but when it was loose, the length reached her hips.
At first, Del's presence at the Flower Garden Orphanage didn't catch Madam Yeva's attention. She only saw Del as a nuisance that came from Sister Yudith's kindness and Chika's motherhood.
But all that changed when Del was able to speak at only one year old. Madam Yeva started paying attention to him, she paid attention to his speaking style, his demeanor, his daily activities, and even the way he ate.
The more Madam Yeva watched Del the more she wanted to find out more about this baby. Then she found out that Del could read at the age of two. It happened just a few months after Del got his first book.
Del did follow his hunch to delay Chika and Sister Yudith from finding out about his ability to read after a few months, but that still surprised Madam Yeva with his genius. So she started asking to meet Del and interact with him.
Every time they met Madam Yeva always gave him a game whose purpose was to test his intelligence and the books he could read. The more they met, the more satisfied Madam Yeva was with this baby who was now two years old.
Actually, from his first meeting with Madam Yeva, Del already knew that this woman was different from Sister Yudith and Chika. She did not act based on her feelings and morals but rather she followed the logic of profit and loss.
The reason she was attracted to Del was simply because of his intelligence, not because he was a child abandoned by his parents. It was Madam Yeva's presence that made Del feel threatened, but he welcomed her with open arms.
Madam Yeva kept Del from letting his guard down even though he was in the warm atmosphere of the Flower Garden Orphanage.
For those who wanted to reach the top, the safe zone was the most dangerous place. They would let their guard down and get so caught up in it that they would forget about their great aspirations just to enjoy their life in peace.
Even though Madam Yeva's trick was laughable to Del, this still made him feel threatened. That's why Del really enjoyed this newbie-level challenge every day.
"Del is there anything you don't understand from the book you read?" asked Madam Yeva after seeing that Del had sat down happily.
Del answered with a mouth full of snacks, "Hmm... the book you gave is more difficult than before Madam Yeva" Del showed the part that he didn't understand, "I don't understand this... this... this.. .. and this..."
Madam Yeva just nodded and asked, "Have you asked Sister Yudith and Sister Chika?"
"No.. hehehe..." Del scratched his head in embarrassment.
"Why?"
"Sister Yudith is too scary.... And... and... and... I want to make Sister Chika proud," said Del, shyly innocently.
"Ah, Del.. You are such a good boy" Madam Yeva stroked Del's head with a big smile.
Del giggled, as he pretended to feel ticklish by Madam Yeva's act of affection.
He had already been able to hide his Immortal Paragon's pride, with several enlightenments during these two years, Del realized that he was just a two-year-old baby and that he was no longer the mighty cultivator like before. Because of that, Del didn't hesitate to use his cuteness to survive in this world.
Del knew it was too late to hide his intelligence from Madam Yeva. However, there was another way to make Madam Yeva lower her guard, namely to act like a child of his age.
This proved very effective by seeing the satisfaction on Madam Yeva's face. She was probably thinking that even though Del was brilliant he was still only a two-year-old baby. Who still wanted to make his mother, Sister Chika, proud and brag about his achievement in front of her.
"Okay Del, I'll teach you what you don't understand. After this, you can make Sister Chika proud"
"Thank you, Madam Yeva! You are my favorite!"
"Ooh.. More than Sister Chika?"
"ah.. e.. a.. No, I guess"
"HAHAHAHA... Then I need to spoil you harder to defeat Sister Chika"
"Hehehehe"
'Ah.. this is so fun'
Madam Yeva and Del were again preoccupied with their invisible battle until it was time for Madam Yeva to return to work.
-----------------
"Good night Del"
"Good night Sister Chika!"
Chika kissed Del good night and they fell asleep immediately. Del's baby body was still unable to stay up late at night, after a busy day with the invisible battle with Madam Yeva, Del was already feeling tired.
When his baby body sleeps his soul stays awake. As an Immortal Paragon Del used to not need food or sleep like a mortal human, even now although he needed sleep, he wouldn't dream.
So when a shadow appeared inside his mind, Del knew that this was not coming from him but from an outside disturbance trying to enter his mind. Del's Immortal Paragon soul quality instantly erased the shadow before it appeared and caught the source quickly.
Del opened his eyes and saw an illusory string that tied his left ring finger.
"Fate string?!"
Fate string and Karma string were two different things. Karma strings arise due to the actions and reactions in a cultivator's life. When they do something that harms someone directly then bad karma will follow them. But if they do something that benefits someone then good karma will follow them.
The magnitude of the Karma strings that bind a cultivator depends on how much impact they have on others. A string of karma would not be a problem for a cultivator but when the karma was too large or too much then it could harm the cultivator in the future.
That's why cultivators are reluctant to be bound by good karma or bad karma.
But Fate strings were very different.
The formation of Fate strings did not have a hand in the cultivator themselves but was caused by a phenomenon that would affect them. It could be due to a test of The Great Dao or it could also be due to the emergence of a heavenly treasure that was related to them.
Del immediately used his Immortal Paragon Soul power to find out what kind of Fate string he had received. Even though this could injure his soul, the gravity of the situation made him forget the risks.
The thread that bound his left ring finger turned pink and connected somewhere Del could not see with his baby eyes.
"Fate Companion? What the hell is this?"
Del was completely shocked, he had lived for hundreds of millions of years but this was the first time he saw the Fate Companion string connected with him. Del's brow furrowed and his brain began to work hard to think about this.
"Gaia!"
A Smile crept up on Del's baby lips.
The only reason for the formation of the Fate Companion string was the appearance of two people with over 70% compatibility. Even in the Cultivation World, this happened extremely rarely and it could be said that there was only one pair in an epoch.
Given Del's unique physique, the only entity capable of creating women with 70% compatibility with him is Gaia alone, the ruler of this entire universe.
It didn't take long for Del to figure out what Gaia's intention was to create someone capable of forming Fate Companion strings with him.
"You are a great negotiator huh?"
This was one of the reasons why Del loved negotiating with entities like The Great Dao and Gaia. They were very to the point and they do not like to relax with things that are not important. Every thing they desired would be paid for equally and satisfactorily.
It had been two years since Del lived in this world but he had never exchanged any information in Gaia's Information Exchange System. Maybe this made Gaia feel anxious and showed goodwill to Del by creating a woman who really suits him.
That way when Del accepts this woman as his Dao Companion, a Karma string will form between him and Gaia. In the end, whether he liked it or not Del had to help this world when Gaia's Universe was having a hard time.
"Hehehe... Let me see first the meat that you offered me. If it's satisfactory then I will think of helping you"
Del forgot about it and closed his eyes again but before he could get back to sleep, two lumps of fat hit his face and made it hard for him to breathe. With great difficulty, Del managed to survive suffocating.
"Hmm... Del... you're so cute..."
Seeing the culprit, Sister Chika, delirious, Del's lips twitched, and returned to find a safe position.
Using his soul power made Del even more exhausted, he might wake up late tomorrow. But that wouldn't be a problem, he was only a two year old baby after all.
However…
Del never thought that Gaia would not prepare a delicious meat for him but a leash to tie him up.
A honey-soaked leash.