Chapter 850: Star‑Heaven Martial Performance Ritual (13)

"And the dream tapir especially prefers those 【heavy‑taste】 memory essences; the more anxious you are, the more it enjoys eating. Right, little guy?"

"Mwah~ Mwah!"

"\"Sounds amazing! And the price? \" Lu Ka patted his clothing pocket, asking with some difficulty."

"Ling Sha smiled knowingly: \"No need to worry. This dream tapir is my privately raised little pet; I can lend it to you as a medical tool. Just make sure you take good care of it. \""

——

Genshin Impact.

"\"Oh? Your own kind actually became a pet raised by someone else~\" Yae Miko smiled brightly at Ruixi, her pink fox ears twitching slightly."

"\"... Who says it must be my own kind? \" Mengjian Yue Ruixi turned her head away in irritation, \"Although I'm also a dream tapir, Inazuma's dream tapirs have no concept of 'memory essence'. Besides, I'm a monster, and the one Ling Sha holds is still at a shallow cultivation level. \""

"\"Then... if Mengjian Yue Ruixi and the dream tapir in Ling Sha's arms are of the same kind, then Yae Miko, are you and General Feixiao of the same kind? Would you also go 'Moon‑mad'? \" Lei Dianying, seated nearby and silently enjoying seven‑color dumplings, suddenly spoke."

"\"Hmm, that's a good question. What if I said I would? \" The priestess moved a few steps closer to the shadow, \"... then are you going to cut me down as a threat with a single slash? \""

"\"You can't dodge it, \" Lei Dianying said lightly, after finishing the three‑color dumplings in his hand and then starting to sip dumpling milk—whenever he visited Yae Miko Hall, this Inazuma‑revered deity never stopped talking."

"\"If I go Moon‑mad, I'd have to sit in the general's seat for a few days, \" the priestess giggled coquettishly, \"... maybe after Moon‑mad you won't be able to beat me~\""

"\"So perhaps members of the same kind can't be distinguished by appearance; you and General Feixiao are both fox‑people, yet clearly differ in essence, \" Mengjian Yue Ruixi shrugged, \"Whether fox‑people or dream tapirs, lifespans top out at three hundred years, but we shapeshifted monsters can easily live five hundred years. \""

——

"\"Thank you so much. The Alliance has given me many favors along the way... I will definitely repay everyone. \""

"Su Shang was completely won over by the dream tapir, scrambling toward the Star Envoy with a pleading look: \"Hey! You two! You still have other business later, right? Carrying this baby must be really inconvenient, huh, huh?! \""

"\"You go handle your own tasks first; I'm about to return to the Racing Frigate to deliver medicine to the crew... As a Cloud Rider, I rush to help, doing a good deed each day. I can carry this dream tapir back to the lounge for you! I'll just hold it briefly, I promise I won't keep it for myself! \""

"\"Of course, Miss Su Shang. You can come play with it anytime~\""

"\"Great! Thank you, Mr. Lu Ka~\" Su Shang hugged the dream tapir tightly, rubbing its soft face, \"Come here, baby, hee hee hee~ A little dream tapir like you was born to be eaten by Sister Shang~ hee hee hee~\""

After wrapping up the Dan Ding Si matter, Lu Ka and Xing hurried to the Divination Office, where they soon spotted Ling Ke and Qing Que waiting there.

After recounting some odd anecdotes from before, Ling Ke showed Qing Que the jade omen; Qing Que instantly recognized it as a centuries‑old model and, out of curiosity, took on the whole data‑restoration job in one go.

"\"You actually volunteered for the work? \" Xing suddenly wondered if Qing Que had been possessed."

"\"Sigh... can't hide it from you. Didn't Lord of Divination go back to his Jade Gate hometown for business? Before leaving he shoved a massive pile of data, tables, more data, tables, more data… my eyes were about to go blind! Now I have a chance to have them before me, to restore important historical documents... Strictly speaking, this task isn't slacking off, and I get to see fresh stories, why wouldn't I enjoy it? \""

——

Attack on Titan.

"\"Jade Gate Celestial Vessel... isn't that where General Yao Guang is? Does the Jade Gate Celestial Vessel produce so many future‑divination talents? \" Allen stared at the massive jade omen suspended above the Divination Office for divination, and for a moment grew curious about the Yaoqing Celestial Vessel.

Almin lowered his head to ponder: "\"In theory every Celestial Vessel has a Divination Office to calculate routes and the vessel's future, but clearly General Yao Guang's 'Ten Directions Light Reflecting Dharma Realm' is more powerful than the Poor‑View Formation. I suspect the Jade Gate's Divination Office is the strongest among all vessels, and General Yao Guang himself likely came from the Divination Office... \""

"\"Oh…! No wonder Fu Xuan wants to become a general; there's a precedent here, \" Allen seemed to understand, but grew a bit worried, "\"Will General Yao Guang try to persuade Fu Xuan to stay on the Jade Gate Celestial Vessel? After all, it's close to home, Fu Xuan is powerful, and the general himself is a divination master; perhaps he could look after her in work. \""

"I don't know, but given Fu Xuan's strong personality, since she chose to leave the Jade Gate Celestial Vessel, she surely won't return easily. Staying by Yao Guang's side, Fu Xuan might never become a general, forever suppressed by him. Rather than be second, she'd rather switch vessels to be first, and stay in Luofu... that might bring her closer to the general's position."

——

"Qing Que and Ling Ke didn't look first; they waited for Lu Ka to join them."

"After Qing Que cracked the program on the jade omen, the restored footage immediately displayed before the four of them."

"……"

"\"Believe me, with your skill you could even enter the Interstellar Circuit and make a name for yourself. Prize money, fame… things others never earn in a lifetime, you could just lift a hand and claim them! \""

The Company Representative's greedy gaze swept over the red‑haired man's mechanical arm and the tangled, mismatched scars on his body. He stepped a little closer, babbling nonstop, while the man remained silent, staring mute at the floating meteor fragments outside the window.

The universe was like a silent deep sea; he poured all his sorrow and anxiety into it, yet could not stir even a tiny ripple.

"\"Winning… of course makes me happy, but I'd rather have others listen to my post‑race speech, \" the man said."

"\"I know what you want to do; I've heard about your hometown's plight, \" the Company Representative sighed, "\"In fact, many worlds have been attacked by the Nanuk Madmen Legion. So I must remind you, the audience paid for excitement; they aren't interested in your alarmist talk. \""

"\"Igor, you truly are a miracle. A contestant from a frontier planet making it to the Bierpoint finals—historically fewer than ten have ever done so. Kid, make me happy…\""

The Company Representative patted his remaining intact arm, but Igor's face showed no smile at all.

"\"I'm just a toy to please them. Look at what I've done… cut off my own healthy arm, replace it with a corporate prosthetic; all to make the competition more dangerous and thrilling. \""

"\"If Mom saw me like this… she would be very sad. \""