When they saw the pitiful state of the Kasamatsu horse girls, the two girls of the Symboli family were genuinely shocked. This was Louisville, of all places—Secretariat's turf, a city where America's racing elites had gathered. Who in the world could be so outrageously bold as to lay hands on horse girls here?
Horse girls were such adorable creatures. Who could possibly be so awful?
"Wait—where's Xingyun?" After quickly looking around and failing to spot Xingyun Liuge, Rudolf Symboli felt the situation might be even worse than it looked, and anxiety crept into her voice.
Just then, a wheeled office chair came rolling over with a cheerful grrrk-grrrk.
Xingyun Liuge waved casually from it. "Yo. Long time no see, Emperor."
After a brief exchange, the two Symboli girls discovered that it had all been a false alarm.
The Kasamatsu girls hadn't run into danger.
They had run into Xingyun Liuge.
Looking at the flask of bubbling green liquid, Rudolf Symboli had no idea what to say to these recklessly brave girls. Were they really drinking some completely unknown substance just because it was handed to them?
Quietly, she added a new label to Xingyun Liuge in her mind:
Leader of the Dark Cuisine World.
And immediately warned herself: absolutely do not drink anything Xingyun Liuge offers.
Mini Lady had already collapsed on the floor, unable to rise again, her right arm lying neatly at her side and her left index finger pointing straight ahead. Unless this was some bizarre performance art, she had clearly lost consciousness. It was far too dangerous.
Sirius Symboli, meanwhile, bent down and took a delicate sniff of the mysterious green liquid still left in one of the cups. To her surprise, it actually smelled pretty good.
But considering the sight of the girls sprawled all over the floor, she absolutely did not dare try it.
Back in Britain, Sirius had tasted Xingyun Liuge's cooking before. That only made this situation even stranger. Xingyun Liuge was clearly a culinary master—so how had she suddenly turned into the dark lord of culinary disaster? Was this some "know your enemy, know yourself" strategy? Or just pure mischief?
"Want some delicious green juice?" Xingyun Liuge rolled away with a grrrk-grrrk, then rolled right back again.
The mysterious green liquid in the flask was still bubbling ominously, making the two Symboli girls' hair stand on end. More importantly, it looked exactly the same as what the Kasamatsu girls had drunk. Was this some instant-collapse potion?
"It's very good for you, you know. I won't say it cures every illness under the sun, but it's at least great for body and mind."
Xingyun Liuge enthusiastically promoted the attractively colored potion, but the two Symbolis would not touch it no matter what. Who knew how long they'd be out if they took even a sip? If it caused some international incident, that would be a disaster.
Seeing that neither of them was interested, Xingyun Liuge let out a theatrical sigh, then pulled a test tube from her pocket, filled it to the brim, and drank it in one go. She even smacked her lips afterward.
Rudolf's nose twitched.
To her, it smelled like carrot, local bluegrass, and honey.
Which raised an even more baffling question: how exactly had Xingyun Liuge turned ingredients like that into a mysterious beverage capable of dropping horse girls on the spot? And why was she completely fine after drinking it herself?
Rudolf couldn't help thinking of another eccentric at Central Tracen Academy—the phantom horse girl, Agnes Tachyon. That girl also loved concocting bizarre mixtures, also stored them in test tubes, and also liked calling people her guinea pigs.
Objectively speaking, that was already far outside the range of what counted as a normal horse girl.
"So then, what could possibly bring the ever-busy Emperor all the way to Louisville to see a perfectly ordinary local horse girl like me?" Xingyun Liuge pressed her lips together, the thin but rosy curves of them forming a shape so neat and lovely it brought a kitten to mind.
This, at least, was an unexpected pleasant surprise.
Before coming, Rudolf Symboli had assumed that Xingyun Liuge probably wouldn't give her a warm welcome. She had come here with rather pessimistic expectations. After all, Xingyun Liuge's results had been achieved through her own ability, the support of her trainer Chihaya Yui, and the backing of the local racing association. They had very little to do with an "Emperor" whose first words had been, Don't underestimate foreign soil.
Not that Rudolf had come here as a JRA envoy.
If JRA wanted Xingyun Liuge's forgiveness, then it needed to humble itself properly first. Wasn't that only natural?
After thinking it over, Rudolf chose not to mention that "JRA is actively pushing institutional reform, and it might become possible for Xingyun to return and run in the Japanese Derby." Instead, she turned to the daytime training race and began discussing the upcoming Kentucky Derby.
"Risen Star is a formidable rival. After her, Winning Colors," Rudolf judged quietly. Then she gave a bitter smile. "Just as you already knew, I originally intended to bring materials on refining one's domain. But now it seems I've only just scratched the surface myself. I'm not qualified to teach anyone."
At first Rudolf had believed that the physical manifestation of Xingyun Liuge's domain was wind.
Then thunder appeared.
And what shocked her even more was that in the UAE Derby, Xingyun Liuge had displayed a composite power of both wind and lightning.
Rudolf had thought that alone was already a discovery fit to mark a new era.
Then, in today's training race, Xingyun Liuge used a completely different power—neither wind nor thunder.
To Rudolf, Xingyun Liuge felt like a treasure vault, waiting for others to uncover the secrets hidden within.
And a horse girl like that had been rejected by JRA's rigid rules.
What a tragic waste.
Noticing Rudolf's lack of enthusiasm, Xingyun Liuge clapped her hands to draw her attention, then said:
"Don't sell yourself short. You're Japan's pride. Sure, you weren't the first Japanese horse girl to win the Japan Cup, and when you went abroad you got thoroughly crushed…"
Rudolf Symboli nearly lost her composure right there.
What a sharp-tongued little menace, she thought.
Did she not know the simple truth that you weren't supposed to hit people where it hurt most? Why was she opening with a finishing move?
"But," Xingyun Liuge continued, "your dream of going abroad—and all of yours—I'll fulfill it for you."
After a long silence, Rudolf could only smile bitterly.
"Well, thanks a lot for that."
The intention behind Xingyun Liuge's words was good, but somehow they really didn't make her feel any better.
"Don't mention it." As she spoke, Xingyun Liuge filled another test tube and offered it over. "Really not going to try any?"
Though the fragrance was mouthwatering, Rudolf still didn't dare take it, especially after seeing the state of the Kasamatsu girls.
"Hm-hm~" Delight flickered in Xingyun Liuge's eyes. "In that case, don't come begging me to make some for you in a few days."
Because this wasn't really green juice at all. It was a magic potion with just a tiny bit of World Rune power mixed in—something capable of curing ordinary injuries in a single drink, while also strengthening the body.
Of course, the taste had been made deliberately.
She wanted the horse girls to better appreciate the saying: Only those who endure the bitterest hardships can rise above the rest.
Besides, since a certain Emperor had things she wasn't willing to say out loud, Xingyun Liuge saw no reason to explain herself either.
After all, she wasn't the one asking for anything.
"More than that," Rudolf said, "I hope you'll keep your focus on the Kentucky Derby. Prove yourself there, under the eyes of the world. That is your dream, isn't it?"
Before the words had even settled, a burst of commotion rose from the hotel entrance.
It sounded like Secretariat had come calling.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 126)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter130)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter89)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter157)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 133
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 125
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 84
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 143
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 115
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 99
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 53
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 75
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 75
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 52
Uma Musume: I Want All 51
I Can Copy Unique Skills 53
A Guide to Aid in the Underwor 26
Summoning an Evil God, but the 27
Supernatural Multiverse 27
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