Chapter 393

Shajin clutched his forehead in pain, staggering down the streets of Pinokangni.

"Your complexion looks awful. Or is this also your acting?" Laatio couldn't help but sneer.

Although his face was pale, Shajin forced a faint smile: "I didn't expect you still have the nerve to see me."

"I thought this was the result you wanted, after all I did exactly as you said—'faithfully fulfilling my duty.'" Laatio said, "If you can't hold on, remember to let me know."

"The genius of the Mundane Hall plans to collect my corpse? Good heavens… what an honor."

"Everyone in the Strategic Investment Department surely also hopes to receive news of your death promptly. Don't forget, you can no longer see them, and this task now falls on my shoulders."

Shajin switched to a more relaxed tone: "Fine, trouble yourself to send a word now. Just say 'Shajin has made full preparations and can enter in seventeen system hours.'"

"Bombastic. How do you intend to complete the task while imprisoned by Harmony?"

"My talk with Xingqiri convinced me there is a traitor in the family, and Pinokangni's secret lies in that person's hands… Taking this opportunity, I have also placed all Foundation Stones where they belong."

Shajin's tone was quite confident and pleased; if one ignored his currently fatigued and weak demeanor, he would likely raise his pitch even more triumphantly.

"And now I have even successfully retrieved the gift money; since stepping through the doors of the White Day Dream Hotel, things have never gone this smoothly… Watch closely, I am only one step away from victory."

——

Is it wrong to seek encounters in the dungeon?

"Ah?? No, Shajin he… cough cough cough…"

Inside the tavern, upon hearing Shajin say he was only one step from victory, Hestinya nearly choked on her drink and burst into violent coughing; Bell gently patted her back, hurriedly advising the divine elder to take it easy.

"He-he-he… Is he mad? What trump card does he have to support saying this? His own Foundation Stone has been confiscated, and Miss Topaz's too—where does he get his confidence?"

She looked at the bag of gift money Shajin was holding, face full of disbelief: "He wouldn't really intend to use that gift money to win hundreds of billions of credit points at the casino and outright buy Pinokangni, would he?"

If it were someone else, Hestinya might still not believe it, but Shajin… she couldn't say.

In her eyes, Shajin is even crazier than the deities of Tianjie… No, to be precise, if any deity had even half of Shajin's mental state, they'd be locked up as a lunatic.

Liriluka likewise felt curious: "Will he not plan to use even harsher means? For instance, find Xing, have her deliver a word to Topaz outside, and have the company fleet unleash a barrage of bombardment on Pinokangni…"

"The family isn't a soft persimmon either; that Xingqiri alone can directly wield Harmony's power, making it hard to imagine the family lacking other trump cards—if they hide one or two envoys, no matter how many fleets come, they'd be useless." Bell shook his head.

"I still think Shajin won't resort to external forces—at least not now; once the company fleet arrives, whether the family lives or dies is uncertain, but Shajin himself will surely not survive."

——

"It sounds like you're just recounting your miserable state over again, and in an extremely stubborn way."

"That's all I can say. Don't forget? You've already betrayed me, Professor." Shajin spread his hands, "Go where you belong; I can't wait to see the company fleet surround Pinokangni. You've also gotten what you wanted, right?"

Laatio didn't deny it: "Indeed, but so what? Does that bag of gift money of yours still hide a beacon calling for near-orbital support?"

Shajin smiled meaningfully: "Who knows? Perhaps this is why I'm still thinking about making money even as death approaches."

Laatio gritted his teeth: "... You've gone completely mad, you damned gambler."

"Maybe I've been mad all along—who knows?"

"……" Laatio drew a deep breath, but soon he produced a sealed metal container from behind him and handed it to Shajin: "Forget it. Take this. Open it when you're at death's door, and you'll thank me."

"What the hell is this… a medical order?" Shajin curiously examined the small object in his hand, but as soon as he lifted his head, Laatio had already vanished.

"Every time, it's like he evaporates into the human world."

Shajin slipped it into his inner pocket: "... Heh, you understand dramatics, Professor."

——

Slaying the Scarlet Red Pupil

"What is this? A medical order? I think it's more like a silk pouch, wouldn't you say?"

Tazumi somewhat couldn't understand Professor Laatio's actions; if he intended to betray Shajin, why would he also help him? His stance is utterly enigmatic, leaving him momentarily unable to fathom what this man is thinking.

What's even more unbelievable is that, despite having endured such betrayal, Shajin can still speak calmly with him; if it were him, he'd likely transform on the spot and immediately send this traitor back to reality.

…Even if he didn't transform, he'd at least want to give that face two hard punches.

"I suspect the professor doesn't truly intend to betray Shajin, right?"

Main looked at Shajin, who was suffering terribly from Harmony, with a worried expression; perhaps due to her childhood experiences, she couldn't bring herself to dislike that initially arrogant and overbearing company executive, and now instead she feels aversion toward that handsome Xingqiri.

Najeta shook her head: "It's probably not that simple; if Shajin died, this thankless task would fall on him, and since he couldn't retake Pinokangni, he'd ultimately be unable to escape responsibility… Or perhaps… he feels guilty from his betrayal and chooses to lend Shajin a hand again?"

——

"You want me to investigate a case but give me no clues at all… you really are something, you wing‑headed freak." Shajin pressed hard on his temples, trying to use bodily pain to lessen Harmony's effect, "But your jittery reaction to that stowaway fits my 'guess' perfectly. From now on… let the company's rain of wealth fall equally on everyone's heads."

Shajin walked up to a stage, found an ordinary woman promoting pure beauty, and shoved a gem into her hand without a word.

The woman's eyes widened instantly, incredulously gazing at the handsome gentleman before her: "Wow, what a beautiful gem! But why would you give such an exquisite present to a stranger for no reason?"

"Because I… can't stand to see anyone poor in a beautiful dream."