Chapter 121

"You want to order us around again?" Xing took a step back without changing expression.

March 7 spoke in a resentful and helpless tone, as if light had left her eyes: "I knew it—once the general smiles, we're going to be sent out."

"Oh, come on! This special forces unit is being used too often—don't we have anyone else usable on the Luofu?" Even Fu Xun couldn't bear to watch.

New Elixir, Hare's Den.

Boss Nicole, I seriously doubt General Jingyuan only has this one special forces unit.

Do we even need to doubt it? Billy, but this general is really nasty, always picking on Xing and them… It's exactly the same style as our Hare's Den!

Mm-hmm, uh… wait, Boss Nicole, are you praising or scolding me?

The pink-haired girl puffed out her chest proudly: "Of course it's praise. If I were the general, even if I had usable subordinates, I'd first have the Astral Express crew work for me."

Huh? Boss Nicole, what's the reasoning?" Billy froze for a moment.

Turn that rust-prone brain of yours, Billy.

Nicole raised her hand and tapped Billy's hard skull, making a clear 'ding-ding' sound: "I ask you, if we're about to go fight in the void right now, and there are two weapons in front of you—one yours, one supplied by our employer for us to use freely—which would you choose to fight with?"

Hmm…

Billy thought for about three seconds, then in the fourth second he suddenly sprang up, striking a Star Radiant Knight POSS, proudly gripping his two guns.

Of course I'll use my lovely ladies~ My maintenance oil is literally the Star Radiant Knight collab edition! Of course I'll rely on them to clean up the remnants!

——Ah, you infuriate me! You idiot, Billy!

Nicole slapped a stack of shopping lists on Billy's face with a 'pa' sound, wearing a look like she wanted to eat him: "It's because we have to support you abnormal members that the Hare's Den's operating costs are so high! We run into deficits at the drop of a hat!"

In short, not taking advantage of a bargain is stupid! I believe General Jingyuan also knows this well.

After Fu Xun finished speaking, Jingyuan kept staring at her intently.

"You… what are you staring at me for?" Although a little flustered, Fu Xun still reminded: "The location of the Jianmu is a top-secret matter; letting outsiders come into contact with it——"

"——It violates regulations." Jingyuan cut off her words, then said: "I also want to remind Officer Fu, where there is a divine vessel, there are regulations. In times of crisis, if a regulation is applicable, use it; if not, discard it."

"So, I'm going to make a decision that goes against regulations. Ah, maybe not just one—haha, just thinking about it feels exhilarating!"

Having said that, Jingyuan lowered his gaze to the girl: "Officer Fu, I'll hand over the tiger talisman to you; you will command the Cloud Knights and provide support outside the Dan Ding Si cave-heaven near the Jianmu."

"Me? I'm to lead troops?" Fu Xun wore an expression of utter disbelief.

Jingyuan chuckled: "You've always wanted to try what it's like to be a general, haven't you?"

Fu Xun hummed with a hint of complaint: "Normally you wouldn't let me, but now… I understand, I'll do as you say."

He acts steadily yet without rigidity… Jingyuan truly is a talent.

Sailiya watched Jingyuan on the light curtain, and suddenly understood why Miru valued him so much, willing to teach him swordsmanship alone.

Since ancient times, she has seen far too many extraordinarily talented humans, yet only a handful have left their names in history. They weren't lacking in strength; they merely lacked the courage to break with convention.

Jingyuan's demeanor unconsciously reminded her of Fulmara—clearly a disciple she took on a whim, whose conduct, methods, and even train of thought run completely opposite to hers.

When she believed that "magic ought to be special, not taught to those without talent," this disciple of hers instead actively had humanity build a study of magic, so that even utterly untalented ordinary people could learn and master it.

It's clearly her rule, yet… when she heard that word "exhilarating" from Jingyuan's mouth, Sailiya rested her forehead and felt a momentary daze.

She lifted her head, as if seeing a flash of white beauty in the flower field outside the window; in the sunlight, the girl's red hair fluttered in the breeze, like a bold stroke of a richly inked oil painting.

"So this is how you felt back then? … I kinda get it now."

"As for the Astral Express crew… I am now openly inviting you all to join the operation to seal the Stellaron." Jingyuan turned his head to look at Xing and them: "Officer Fu will deploy the Cloud Knights, and I'd like you to go ahead first, taking the shortcut through Gong Zao Si, then meet up with Officer Fu."

"The 【Dan Ding Si】 and 【Scale Abyss Border】 cave-heavens lie adjacent to the Jianmu seal; please go there and investigate."

"Come to think of it, what exactly is the Jianmu?" Xing was still quite curious.

"It is an artifact left by the Abundance Star God Apothecary on the Luofu Divine Vessel. It can freely shape life and conquer death—a divine trace. The ancestors of the Luofu people ingested the divine substance produced by the Jianmu, thereby gaining immortal bodies and transcending into the long-lived kind."

When speaking of the divine vessel's history, Jingyuan seemed to sigh: "But a divine trace that grants immortality is nothing more than a wistful fantasy."

"Take Luofu as an example: immortality seems wonderful, but the ensuing population boom and resource scarcity have driven the eternal beings to desperately cling to the hope of survival, to the point of degenerating into beasts."

"After paying countless blood and tears, the Luofu people finally realized that immortality is not a freely given gift, but the start of a cruel trial."

"For in the years that followed, the Abundance-blessed folk who also received the apothecary's grace repeatedly invaded the divine vessel in their quest for the artifact, committing massive slaughter."

Marvel Universe.

Titan.

A purple-skinned, tall and sturdy Eternal was eagerly watching the light curtain.

After his army occupies a planet, it randomly kills half of the planet's living beings. This slaughter has nothing to do with wealth or status; it is entirely decided by fate.

According to him, "Killing half the population is for the planet's prosperity"—and now General Jingyuan's words serve as the best corroboration of his deeds.