Chapter 35

「「I get it! It's an invisible person! 」Xingbao had a sudden thought. 」

「「……」Dan Heng sighed, shook his head, and said, "It's also possible I'm being too sensitive; anyway, let's rest early to gather strength for tomorrow's negotiation."」

Everyone returned to their own rooms to rest; after a day's labor, everyone was exhausted, lying on soft beds, each person drifted off to sleep contentedly.

In his sleep, a faint, murmuring woman's voice drifted in. The voice seemed to cross endless time and space, lightly echoing in this quiet, mysterious realm.

「「Kekulia…Kukulia…」「

「「Who are you? No—what are you? 」「

The suddenly appearing girl's voice was full of terror; even in a pitch-black void, one could imagine her helpless, terrified expression.

「「We are allies…allies who have accompanied and protected the Guardian through the generations. 」「

「「What…do you want? 」「

「「Reforge…this dying world. 」The ethereal voice gradually became clear, each word heavy as a hammer strike: "「Help you…realize 【wish】. 」"

「「Who would've thought wishes could actually come true…this star core isn't bad at all." Qi Yu picked up a steaming beef ball with his chopsticks and took a satisfied bite. 」「

「Jienuos, if the star core could help you realize your wish, what would you wish for? 」

「Me? 」

In the kitchen doing chores, Jienuos swiftly cut a piece of beef tendon into small pieces, neatly arranging them on a plate. After hearing the teacher's question, Jienuos pondered for a moment, shook his head, and said, "I would directly refuse it, Teacher Qi Yu. Accepting such help for no reason often leads to trouble."

Jienuos thought of the monster cells that had appeared when a dragon-level monster showed up not long ago—supposedly, just eating them could greatly boost combat power, to the point that even members of the Sword Saint Society couldn't resist the temptation, and after taking them they completely transformed into monsters.

This star core that lured Kekulia seems to be the same kind of thing.

「I don't believe there are free gifts in this world; as for wishes…" Jienuos looked up at Teacher Qi Yu, who was happily eating hot pot, a hopeful light in his eyes: "I hope to one day become as strong as Teacher; aside from that, I have no other wishes."

「Moreover, I don't want to rely too much on others to become stronger. 」

「Come to think of it, if the star core appeared on Earth, would Teacher accept its help? 」 Jienuos wondered curiously.

「Hmm…probably would. 」

Qi Yu blew on the hot air rising from the beef tendon, thought seriously, and said, "Beef prices at the supermarket have risen sharply; if I don't buy it on Saturday's discount, it'll be quite expensive. If the star core could really help me… I'd probably hope the supermarket offers discounts all seven days of the week? Then I could eat beef hot pot every day."

「By the way, Jienuos…when will Dr. Kusuo come again？」

Picking up the last slice of fatty beef roll on the plate, Qi Yu began to miss the Wagyu beef that Dr. Kusuo had brought during his previous visit—last time, the beef had clear marbling, a rich milky fragrance, definitely not something you could easily buy cheap at a regular supermarket.

「Huh? Teacher, you're looking for the doctor…」

As if struck by inspiration, Jienuos swallowed the rest of his words, not saying them outright.

He gazed at the empty plate on the table, silently sinking into thought.

……Teacher Qi Yu actually wants to see the doctor?

"No way…could it be that Teacher noticed the flaws in his current body and wants to invite Dr. Kusuo to give specific modification advice, so he can become stronger?"

"No wonder Teacher hasn't given him feedback on recent hero activities; he must have been secretly gathering opinions to give a comprehensive review to the doctor."

Jienuos suddenly realized.

Not only did his gaze toward Qi Yu become more respectful and admiring, but even the hand wiping the plate became more adept.

——Indeed! Following Teacher Qi Yu's training is the wisest thing!

「Don't worry, Teacher! I'll contact Dr. Kusuo right away and have him come visit you tomorrow! 」

「Early in the morning, Xing was awakened by San Yue Qi's knocking; Xing yawned and walked out of the room, noticing that both of their expressions were not good. 」

「「A group of Silvermane Iron Guards has arrived at the inn's entrance, but they seem ill-intentioned. 」」

「San Yue Qi looked worried, still shaken, and said, "If they were here to greet us, the atmosphere would be overly solemn. 」」

「Dan Heng's gaze fell on the rows of silver-armored guards downstairs, and he sighed, "Anyway, let's go meet them first; guessing here won't help. 」」

「Downstairs, the Silvermane Iron Guards had been waiting a while; when the three members of the train crew appeared, they fiercely pointed their spears at them one by one: "You! Commander Bronya is waiting for you downstairs. Hurry up and see her—don't try any tricks! 」」

「「We…won't get into big trouble, will we? 」 San Yue Qi already had a bad feeling. 」

Downstairs was the gray-haired girl Bronya, whom we had briefly met yesterday at Klee Po Bao; now she gripped a spear, her expression stern, completely different from how she was yesterday at Klee Po Bao.

「「I am Bronya Land, acting commander of the Silvermane Iron Guard. In the name of the supremely noble Amber King, by order of the Grand Guardian Kekulia Land, I have come to apprehend the infiltrators intent on inciting rebellion. 」」

「Bronya said sternly, "Please abandon futile resistance and come with me. 」」

「「Wait, wait a minute! This isn't what we agreed on! She clearly said she'd invite us to discuss important matters together…」 San Yue Qi argued desperately. 」

「Dan Heng, however, wore an expression of 'seen it all before,' and said flatly, "……This is a preplanned betrayal, no doubt. 」」

——

At dinner time, Denji shoved the vegetables that Pawa wouldn't eat onto his own plate while staring at the light curtain and chewing on leafy greens.

This betrayal drama…makes a great side dish.

「「This Dan Heng guy has really stable emotions; does he often get betrayed? 」」

「「I haven't seen the previous plot, how would I know? 」 Pawa said grumpily, "But if I, the great me, were there, I'd probably kill them all—I hate it when others betray me. 」

「「Denji, what would you do if it were you? 」 Pawa poked Denji's cheeks, which were bulging from being stuffed with food, and said, "Just so you know, if you dare betray the train crew, I'll take you out first! 」

「Hmm…」

Denji stared blankly at Bronya's perfectly proportioned chest, the kind that could be encircled with one hand, then gulped down the greens in his mouth, his face a dead‑serious expression.

「「If she's willing to let me fondle her, then betrayal…isn't out of the question. 」」