Chapter 221: Social Skills, Man-Eating Tree
"Here, this thing is called a Divine Key. Pretty cool, right?"
Rekka casually tossed a heavy golden sword across the lounge. The blade's metallic texture caught the soft overhead lighting, reflecting a cold, sharp gleam, while complex, geometric grooves ran down the length of its hilt.
Stelle reached out, catching the weapon by its grip. "No scabbard?" she asked, giving the heavy blade a few experimental swings. It let out a sharp, whistling hum as it cleaved through the air.
"Alrighty then." She stopped and examined the gleaming weapon in her hands, her brow furrowing slightly. "So... what exactly is this used for?"
"Take out that light arrow I shot earlier," Rekka instructed, leaning back in his chair.
Stelle blinked, reaching into her inventory to retrieve the glowing projectile. The moment the arrow drew near the golden sword, a resonant hum filled the room. In a flash of brilliant light, the arrow liquefied and smoothly merged into the blade's grooves.
"Like I said, it's a Divine Key."
[Key of Dominance - Initial Form: A Divine Key forged from a 10th Herrscher core. There are nearly a thousand of these weapons, all possessing identical abilities, belonging to the mass-produced Divine Key series.]
"Divine Sword? That's a pretty arrogant name for a mass-produced weapon," Stelle noted, weighing the blade. It had clearly grown heavier, thrumming with newfound energy.
"It's 'Key' as in a button, not a sword," Rekka corrected with a wave of his hand. "The prototype of that cane Uncle Yang carries around is also one. Anyway, the point is, you now possess the power of The Hunt, Stelle!" He reached over and gave her shoulder a hearty pat.
"So, you're saying I'm officially walking the Path of The Hunt now?" Stelle asked, gripping the golden hilt tighter.
"More like you're sneaking in through the back door."
"That actually makes me a bit nervous." Stelle scratched the back of her head, looking at the glowing weapon. "Couldn't you have found a more decent, normal way to do this?"
"A 'decent' way would be way too cruel for you." Rekka shook his head, his chaotic demeanor fading into a rare moment of seriousness. "The Hunt is not an easy Path to tread."
To step onto The Hunt through the front door inevitably required deep loss—the total destruction of one's home, the severing of bonds, and the kind of extreme, soul-consuming hatred born only when a person was pushed to the absolute brink of despair.
Stelle didn't press him on what that cruelty specifically entailed. She simply held the golden longsword, feeling the steady, rhythmic vibration pulsing from the hilt into her palms.
"Wait, is there no AI in this thing?" Stelle stared at the golden weapon, momentarily stunned by the silence in her head.
"Where would an AI even come from?" Rekka rolled his eyes. This was the Key of Dominance, not the Void Archives.
"Even March's bow has one..." Stelle looked toward Rekka with pleading eyes. "Can we install one?"
"About that." Rekka flashed a mischievous grin.
"What, do you think you're raising a digital pet? Do you want me to throw in a Xianzhou General voice pack while I'm at it?"
"Actually, I think Feixiao's voice would be pretty dashing." Stelle's eyes lit up, nodding enthusiastically. "Is that possible?"
"Do you really think you need an AI to teach you how to hit people with a stick?"
"True. I'm already a master with a baseball bat. I don't need it anymore."
"What are you all chatting about? Let me in on the fun."
Speak of the devil. The dashing general herself had just arrived.
"General Feixiao!" March 7th immediately jumped up from her seat.
"It's fine, it's fine—just relax, no need to be so formal." Feixiao waved her hand casually, her posture relaxed and confident as she strolled into the lounge.
"The main reason I dropped by is because I have a small favor to ask of you all."
"What is it?" March asked, tilting her head.
"Come have dinner tonight." Feixiao raised an eyebrow, a knowing glint in her eye. "There's someone attending who I think you might know. The Alliance is hoping to establish a more special cooperation with him and the Astral Express."
"A more special cooperation?" March blinked, clearly confused.
Rozaliya blinked her mismatched eyes. Although she usually acted like a complete airhead, the pink-haired twin really wasn't stupid. She was a veteran front-line officer, after all. Connecting the dots, Rozaliya already had a pretty solid guess as to exactly who and what this dinner was about.
Meanwhile, over at the martial arena, 'Mr. Captain' had spent the entire afternoon swatting away overconfident challengers as if he had mastered Spinjitzu. Finishing his long, chaotic day of dominating the ring, he finally stepped down from the platform.
Fast forward to the evening banquet.
"Everyone, allow me to introduce you. This is the Ferryman, Mr. Captain." Jing Yuan gestured gracefully, introducing the imposing, cloaked figure to the members of the Astral Express.
Oh, right. Dan Heng was also present for the dinner.
The stoic guard had enjoyed beating the absolute stuffing out of the arrogant Dragon Masters so much that he had completely lost track of time. When his jade abacus buzzed with a text inviting him to a banquet, his first instinct was that the bruised Dragon Masters and elders were eager to reincarnate early and had set a trap for him.
Checking the sender again, he realized it was actually a message from Jing Yuan.
So it wasn't an ambush after all? Dan Heng silently sighed, feeling a deep sense of disappointment.
"Successor of the Imbibitor Lunae, I finally have the chance to share a drink with you," Jing Yuan said, raising his cup toward the spearman.
"I am at your service anytime," Dan Heng replied with a polite nod.
Jing Yuan smiled, his gaze sweeping across the table. "It is rare for everyone to be gathered like this today. The Luofu owes much to all of you for helping us overcome this recent calamity..."
"Jing Yuan, save the flowery pleasantries," Feixiao cut him off, leaning forward on her elbows. "Get straight to the point."
"Very well." Jing Yuan chuckled softly and set down his wine cup. "Tonight's dinner is mainly about two things. First, the Alliance hopes to establish a more formal cooperative relationship with the Ferryman."
Ferryman Rekka:...
"What is the nature of this cooperation?" The Ferryman's deep, mechanical voice echoed through the room. Oddly, the sound didn't quite seem to originate from beneath the dark hood.
"You are a person of high character, there is no doubt about that. The Alliance is not your enemy." Jing Yuan looked directly at the cloaked Ferryman, his smile warm but calculating.
Rekka, sitting casually at the complete opposite end of the table in his normal body, shifted back slightly in his chair. Using his chaotic mastery of ventriloquism and remote control, he continued speaking through the "Ferryman" puppet seated directly across from the generals.
"How exactly does the Alliance wish to cooperate?" the puppet asked.
Talk about the social skills of a man-eating tree, Rekka thought to himself, maintaining his blank expression.
"Well..." Feixiao tapped her chin, her eyes narrowing playfully as she tested the waters. "How about you take off your cloak first?"
March 7th froze.
Stelle stopped chewing.
Rozaliya and Liliya exchanged panicked glances.
Wait, what? Take off the cloak?!
Knowing the absolute absurdity of the situation—that the 'Ferryman' was literally just a puppet controlled by the guy sitting at the end of the table—the Express crew slowly turned their eyes toward Rekka, breaking into a collective cold sweat.
Dan Heng just blinked. Why does it feel like I'm being left out of an inside joke? Why am I the only one who has absolutely no idea what's going on?
"I admit, I am also quite curious about your true face, Ferryman," Jing Yuan added smoothly. "However, if it is inconvenient, it doesn't matter. Just take the general's request as a lighthearted joke."
Three agonizing seconds of silence stretched across the banquet table.
"Of course," the Ferryman finally replied.
The deep, synthesized voice rang out as the imposing figure slowly raised a gloved hand, its metallic fingers catching the edge of the heavy hood. The black fabric of the cloak shimmered, revealing faint, complex dark patterns under the banquet hall's warm lights, swaying gently with the puppet's deliberate movements.
March subconsciously gripped her teacup so tightly her knuckles turned white. Stelle swallowed hard, a lump forming in her throat. Rozaliya and Liliya held their breath in perfect, terrified synchronization.
The hood was pulled back.
Beneath the dark fabric was a face that didn't look exactly like Rekka's. However, if one looked closely enough, the precise distance between the eyes, the sharp height of the nose, and the arrogant curve of the lips all faintly held obvious traces of his original features. He had basically generated a slightly older, grittier variant of himself.
At least, March and the twins immediately recognized the resemblance.
Stelle just blinked, tilting her head in genuine confusion. Wasn't it supposed to be Rekka under there? Who the heck is this handsome old guy?
March viciously kicked Rekka's shin under the table. Rekka didn't even flinch. He remained completely expressionless, calmly picking up his porcelain teacup and taking a slow sip, acting as if the face on the puppet sitting across from him had absolutely nothing to do with him.
"Much younger than I imagined," Feixiao noted, raising her wine cup in a gesture of respect. "Forgive my sudden intrusion."
"It is fine. Masks and cloaks are merely tools for convenience," the Ferryman replied smoothly. "Since we are cooperating in good faith, being open with one another is fundamental. Wearing the cloak is simply an old habit of mine." With a fluid motion, the puppet pulled the dark hood back over its face.
"Moving to business," Jing Yuan began, his tone shifting to a more serious register. "We have noted that the Hyperion's activity trajectories on the edges of multiple star systems highly overlap with the operational range of the Abominations of Abundance."
"That is only because there are many innocent people calling for help in those afflicted worlds," the Ferryman corrected him, his mechanical voice steady.
"True," Feixiao agreed, nodding slowly. "The Hyperion also seems to appear wherever the Antimatter Legion is most active."
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