Chapter 171

"After arriving at the astral vessel, Ren's demonic yin form flared up extremely violently, to the point where even my spirit words could not suppress it. In this situation, he cannot undertake interstellar travel."

Kafka looked at Ren, whose eyes were tightly shut inside the room.

"Therefore, I need to use spirit words to continuously weaken the demonic yin form's effect and temporarily seal it. Maintaining the spirit words cannot be distracted; I need you to act as a Dharma protector. Protect me while I suppress Ren."

"I know when the danger will come and what it is. So don't worry; together we will surely overcome this ordeal, and you will bear no negative consequences."

Kafka had already foreseen the subsequent danger, so all that's needed is for Xing to let go of her worries and join hands with her.

Kafka's first arrangement was to have Xing clear away the monsters wandering nearby; it was simple—Xing, wielding a stick, took care of them in a few moves. After returning to the hiding place, she patiently waited a while until Kafka interrupted the spirit words.

"Opening my eyes to see you—it's been a long time, Xing."

"Ren's senses have already been severed by me. Next, I will make his consciousness drift away from the astral vessel and your friends. This process likewise cannot be disturbed, but before it begins, I can spare some time to answer your questions."

"My question?" Xing blinked.

"Yes, as compensation for your help—do you have any questions you want to ask me? I plunged you into sleep, then woke you, abandoned you in the Black Tower, and lured you to the astral vessel; I owe you many explanations, don't you want to know?"

——

"Of course I want to know!" Xiutaerke jumped up straight from the chair.

Anyone could tell that Kafka and Xing were old acquaintances, though it was unclear just how well they knew each other.

"From Xing's skill, she must have been a Star Core Hunter before, right?" Zan Yin inferred, "Ren and Yinlang both know her, and their attitudes are rather subtle… clearly they have fought side by side."

But that doesn't make sense." Filien shook her head. "If you think about it carefully, Kafka, Yinlang, Ren, and the others are all universal wanted criminals with bounties full of zeros, yet there is no bounty on Xing at all. If she were a Star Core Hunter, how could there be not a trace?"

Moreover, if they were comrades, Kafka's attitude would be especially intimate, an intimacy completely different from that with Yinlang and Ren... Xiutaerke's train of thought shifted, and she suddenly ventured a bold guess.

Speaking of…… Kafka wouldn't secretly love Star, would she?

Uh… Secret love?!!

Filien's face instantly flushed red; she glanced at Hutark not far away: 'Probably…… not?'

'No?' Hutark tilted his head, 'Then why doesn't Kafka let Silver Wolf come over? Silver Wolf is also very strong; entering the Astral Express as a law enforcer shouldn't be a problem, right?'

'If you ask me, she just wants to create an opportunity to be alone with Star. Besides, Blade having his five senses sealed doesn't matter; this is a great chance to get closer! Right, right?'

Seemingly very pleased with his own deduction, Hutark proudly puffed out his chest.

Looking at Filien behind him, her cheeks flushed red and somewhat mischievous, Zan Yin helplessly rubbed his forehead. He still hoped that one day these two could date, but now it seems expecting Hutark this blockhead to have an epiphany is impossible.

'Star indeed has some questions she wants to ask, but just as she was about to ask, Kafka suggested playing a truth game.'

'The game has a bit of a strategic element; both sides ask each other questions, lying is allowed, but the answers must be one true and one false. As for which is true and which is false, only the questioner can judge.'

'Kafka doesn't have much time; she allows Star to ask two questions, but at the same time must give two answers.'

'The first question doesn't matter; you can answer truthfully or falsely. The fun of this game lies in the second question. So Kafka quickly posed the first question to Star: 'How do you view me?''

'(Huh? How… do I view Kafka?)'

'Facing Kafka's lightly smiling eyes, Star, who was answering the question, seemed a bit flustered. After some thought, she decided to lie on the first question.'

'After taking a deep breath, Star opened her mouth and said: 'I hate you.'

'…Hah.' Kafka wasn't particularly surprised; she kept her smile, calm and composed: 'Look… just like that. It's simple, Star. You really hid your thoughts well.'

'Now it's Star's turn to ask. Because of her memory loss, she wants to get some answers from Kafka: 'Who was I before?'

'You? … You are a life accidentally created by a star god, possessing only a body but no soul. Àilìōu guided me to find you, granting you a soul.'

'There's not much to say about your past. You remember me because you've only ever seen me. When your soul was born, I was by your side.' Kafka said calmly and confidently.

Wèigōng household——

'This must be a lie, right?'

'Hmm…… I'm leaning toward the truth.' Saber carefully analyzed what Kafka had just said, brow slightly furrowed: 'This woman, no matter what she says, always seems sure of herself; it's hard to tell truth from falsehood.'

'If Kafka's words are true, it would explain why Star can get a glance from Nànǔkè and Kèlǐpò, while others cannot. As such a special creation, containing a star core in her body would also explain that……'

'But shouldn't a star god's creation have some more special abilities?' Wèigōng Shíláng remembered when Star first appeared, wielding a baseball bat and jumping into action, with nothing special at all.

'No, there still is.' Lancer shook the can of beer and said lightly: 'What sets her apart from others is that everyone's fate is fixed, but she can switch between different fates—holding a baseball bat means destruction, picking up a flame spear means preservation; even a Command Seal probably couldn't do that.'

'Thinking about this is meaningless for now; we still need to see Kafka's second answer.'

'I've read your expression——don't ask. I can't tell you whether the answer is true or false. Guess away, and bring your answer to choose the next question. I hope your next question is interesting enough~'

'But before that, let's continue our truth game? It's my turn again.'

'Kafka's lips curled slightly, like ripples spreading across a lake under a spring breeze: 'Second question: Do you still want to see me again?''