Chapter 192
Chapter 192 Grace, Returnees
“Why would you believe such nonsense?”
“Those gods you speak of don’t even have the Courage to step foot into the wilderness! Things that a Train Captain cannot do, why would you think they can achieve them?”
“Furthermore, why do you always dwell on the past? Is there anything wrong with the present?”
Grace’s aged face wore an unnatural smile, one mixed with bitterness.
“Is there anything wrong with the present? Yeah, the vast majority of people who can continuously grow in the wilderness are those like you, Little Xi, who are willing to let go of their past existence, but how does that other saying go?”
She looked up at the sky, gazing at the dark clouds.
“The infinite world holds infinite possibilities. The wilderness is so vast that it allows someone like me, who yearns to go home, a chance to live until now. We are simply Returnees who yearn to go home.”
“Do you remember Zhou Shangqing? Over a decade ago, a young man possessing the unique Talent Beyond the Stars, his appearance made us see hope of leaving. Not only did all the Train Captains of his generation provide him with help back then, but so did we, those who yearn to go home.”
Zhou Shangqing? Beyond the Stars?
Ye Qiyan recalled the story Shaya had once told.
“The person who crossed the wilderness, yet still failed in the end?”
“That’s right, it’s him.”
Grace responded to Ye Qiyan’s whisper.
Ye Qiyan remained silent, quietly eating the White Forest Fruit to recover his Mental Power.
Today’s affair shouldn’t end so easily.
This person should be a Train Captain who came to this world a very, very long time ago.
If she hadn’t said anything, that would be one thing, but…
Since she had stated her purpose.
How could she let them leave just like that today?
Didn’t you see that Charlatan, who usually loves stirring up trouble, being so quiet at this moment?
“Zhou Shangqing ultimately failed, failing without a sound. Crossing the wilderness at a speed close to—no, that was practically a Miracle—yet he still couldn’t find the boundary of the world.”
“At that time, I was thinking, just how big is this world? Big to the point where I couldn’t imagine what other methods could allow us to escape the wilderness.”
Grace’s expression was desolate, and her tone was filled with sadness.
However, these words failed to influence Zhao Xi at all.
“So what?”
“Is this not your reason for choosing to believe in those gods? I don’t believe it! Things that none of us can do, those gods can do?!”
Looking at Zhao Xi’s excited expression, Grace’s eyes were filled with a motherly satisfaction.
“Mhm… I didn’t believe it at first either, until they truly let me see my former world… and saw my daughter… When I came to the wilderness, she should have been about as tall as you, right?”
Seeing the former world?
Has this woman gone mad?
To actually believe something so easily falsified.
“Are you crazy? How many years have you been in this world? Even if you really had a daughter, she would have long since…!”
“The rate of time flow is different!”
Grace rudely interrupted Zhao Xi’s words.
“Telling you all this was just to see if Little Xi and those two upstairs would like to try joining us. But looking at it now… I suppose that won’t work. You and I are not the same kind of people, yet you are the kind of Train Captains most favored by the Train System—those willing to keep moving forward and forge the future. What a pity, you are going to stop forever~.”
“But your lives are very expensive to the System~”
Grace spread her arms, and a staff taller than a person appeared in her hands.
The Train System’s Light Screen continuously reappeared and vanished.
“Look, the Train System is angry.”
“However, since I have not yet relinquished my identity as a Train Captain, it cannot deprive me of its favor~ Therefore, the matter between us is a struggle between Train Captains, and it has no right to interfere.”
“Hehe~ What a hateful, foolish thing…”
“I’m sorry, Little Xi. I am a selfish person, and someone who will use any means to achieve her goal… Let me ask you one last time, do you want to join us? There’s no need to become believers of those gods; we are merely utilizing each other. I only need you to relinquish your identity as a Train Captain when we need it, nothing more. As long as you do this, we are not enemies.”
Zizha——
Zhao Xi expressed her refusal with actions.
Gritting her teeth, silver-white thunder once again pervaded around her body.
“What a pity.”
“Your fierce battle with Simark and the others has already consumed too much of your Mental Power, and the final strike of that machine dragon earlier couldn’t have left you without loss. Little Xi, you have no way of resisting. Besides… Gallo, I agreed to your matter.”
Wearing a respirator and wrapped tightly in clothes, the curse card sequence holder Kamelin Gallo walked silently out of the shadows.
“One curse card, plus the whereabouts of the person who stole the seal, and the key to untie the seal.”
Gallo casually discarded those few corpses and came before Zhao Xi.
Raising his palm, two curse card sequences emerged above his palm.
Instantly, an ominous light flashed from the card sequences, heading towards Zhao Xi’s direction.
“Tch…”
Zhao Xi wanted to dodge, but Grace waved her staff, slowing her movements for a split second, and the curse latched onto her like maggots clinging to bones.
“Bad Luck, and, Devour Life.”
Gallo spoke faintly.
Zhao Xi only felt her Stamina rapidly draining, a feeling of everything going wrong lingering in her heart.
Her Mental Power, already fluctuating due to the anger caused by Grace’s words, suffered a compounded blow and began to plummet continuously.
With a smile on her face, Grace walked straight towards Zhao Xi.
However, before she could do anything further.
Zhao Xi, half-kneeling on the ground, suddenly lifted that small face of hers and pulled a relieved smile.
Instantly, she pulled out a tube of crimson-red potion and poured it into her mouth.
“I really am being looked down upon…”
Dark golden specks of light emerged around Zhao Xi once more, merging into her body. Last time, the power after her transformation hadn’t been completely depleted.
She had only killed Simark, which wasn’t enough to make her look that disheveled.
Her Hunting Mechadragon let out a roar, blocking Grace and him on opposite sides.
Time was enough.
“…Trading the upper limits of Stamina and Mental Power for a temporary recovery of power? I didn’t know you had such things; it seems you don’t completely trust me either. However, how long can you maintain this state?”
Zhao Xi completed her transformation once more.
She flew into the air, the dark golden radiance reflecting that she was the true deity of this world.
She spoke coldly, as if after transforming, no other emotions could affect her judgment.
“Since one believes in gods, one is guilty.”
“Judgment Resolution.”
“Believing in gods, betrayal, the crime of innocence! Empowerment!”
“Verdict——”
“Death Penalty—!”
Hearing that cold voice, a playful smile surfaced on Grace’s face.
She tapped the ground with her staff.
The ground began to collapse.
“There aren’t many people left on this layer. Let’s go fight below; there are still a lot of people down there.”
Rumble——
Solomon City Third Layer.
The people still engaged in battle were stunned to discover.
In the virtual sky, a huge crack appeared.
This crack continued to grow larger.
Until.
Everything on the fourth layer fell downward.
Has the sky collapsed?
“Holy crap, what is Big Sis doing up there making such a huge commotion? Goodness, she isn’t going to croak up there, is she?”
Lin You stood atop the white dragon’s head, looking at the gradually emerging real sky, unable to stop clicking his tongue.
Having similar thoughts to her was Monroe Gina, who was secretly watching the show through the monitor on the second layer.
“…Damn Charlatan… You really had to hit the nail on the head.”
She thought of what Zhu Xingtu had said not long ago.
“Sigh… I can’t just watch Brother Ye get into trouble… Karma has yet to be repaid…”
Karma chains, a total of seven.
Now, there are still five, dim and devoid of light.
