Never, never, never has a human dared to defy a Vampire Prince bearing the surname of Vantrue like this!
Xavier’s eyes were so red with anger that he walked rapidly on his two short legs until he was blocked at a regional transit station and unable to go any further due to permission issues, leaving him with no choice but to stop.
He gasped for breath twice, then violently poked the gem on his chest, his face full of disbelief.
“Celine, what on earth do you think that guy is going crazy about???”
Celine: ……
Actually, in her view, given the status, position, and behavioral style of the Blood Blade leader, after Cain had his memories peeked at, not executing the peeker at the first opportunity was already quite an unexpected thing.
However, seeing Xavier’s puffed-up, angry appearance, she firmly followed along with extreme favoritism.
Celine: “He’s crazy. His brain is crazy.”
——It’s spiritual sea turbulence syndrome after all.
Celine added silently in her heart.
“He is just crazy!”
Xavier couldn’t help but complain aloud.
Just at that moment, a hand reached out in front of him. Xavier looked up, and Gu Shen was crouching right in front of him. “Let’s go, come to my place.”
Xavier looked at the hand before him: fair and slender, with calluses on the palms and fingertips, typical traits of a technical worker.
Unlike that hand that had once supported him many times—darker in skin tone, wide and powerful, with veins bulging across the back of the hand, carrying a rugged and wild aura from bone to skin, looking completely unruly and untamable.
When it reached out, the temperature was also on the higher side, especially the web of the thumb which was covered with traces left from gripping weapons. The touch was rough and heavy, and once it grasped him, it firmly encircled him, steady yet carrying an inescapable sense of aggression.
……
Realizing that he was thinking about that detestable guy again, Xavier averted his gaze and coldly refused, “I don’t want to.”
Gu Shen thought he was afraid of being taken away to be dismantled, and hastily reassured him, “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you.”
He understood the leader’s behavior style all too well.
When encountering people or matters that displeased him, he never showed mercy or left any leeway, not to mention that Xavier had actually peeked into the leader’s memories. This kind of direct invasion of the beast’s spiritual territory made describing it as an “offense” sound remarkably light.
Yet even though Xavier had gone to such lengths, the leader hadn’t dealt with him on the spot, and even had himself handle it instead… too rare.
Or rather, that wasn’t actually the leader’s original intention.
Thinking of the leader’s slight hesitation and wavering just now, Gu Shen sighed, lowered his head, and continued to persuade: “The leader is still in a fit of anger right now, you should go to my place to avoid the storm first.”
Seeing that Xavier remained unmoved, the good-natured Gu Shen shook his hand again, “I’m begging you, little ancestor… little Highness?”
Xavier felt a chill run all over his body from being called that; unable to bear his pestering and badgering, he spoke at a very fast pace, “I’ll reluctantly consider you tactful.”
With that, he finally stepped onto Gu Shen’s palm as if bestowing a great favor. The different tactile sensation made him instinctively lower his gaze, and after a few breaths, he raised his head, saying indifferently, “Let’s go.”
Seeing that he was no longer throwing a tantrum, Gu Shen breathed a small sigh of relief. While walking toward his own workspace in the Third District, he sent a communication to Grisha—who hadn’t returned to the Blood Blade yet—begging her to come back quickly and save the day.
Gu Shen hadn’t arranged a separate bedroom for himself, but his massive workspace was divided into several areas, each with a bed to accommodate his unusual work-rest schedule.
Xavier was taken to the largest studio among them, which was also the place where he had stayed when he first boarded the Blood Blade.
Upon entering his own exclusive space, Gu Shen visibly relaxed a lot, and his speech became dense again.
“Remember this place? That time you sneaked out while I wasn’t paying attention and even took the initiative to provoke the leader, it really gave me a fright—wait, no… You didn’t seem to have obtained transit permissions back then, how did you go to the Tenth District alone!?”
Xavier sat atop his head, speaking lazily, “Biometric information.”
This studio was the private space Gu Shen had stayed in the longest; it was filled with various visible and invisible biological traces, which, to a predator like a vampire, was practically inescapable.
As long as one gathered enough biological information all at once, they could deceive the transit station’s verification system.
In theory, as long as Xavier could obtain Cain’s biometric information, even if No. 1 didn’t grant him permissions, he could freely shuttle across the entire Blood Blade.
However, Cain rarely seemed to leave biological traces behind, not even being common in the Second District, not looking like a proper human at all.
As Xavier was halfway through his inner defamation, he realized he had thought of that guy again, and unhappily pulled on Gu Shen’s curly hair, “Put me down.”
“Hiss—”
Gu Shen let out a low gasp. Actually, it didn’t hurt much; he just noticed that the little intelligent entity’s simulated personality on top of his head seemed exceptionally mischievous, loving to watch people make fools of themselves and cause jokes, so he deliberately put on an act.
If Xavier could be happy, he could also save a bit of mental effort.
However, hearing Xavier’s answer, his shock was genuine, and he muttered, “Has imperial technology developed this fast nowadays…? Well, it looks like the entry verification system on the Blood Blade needs to be updated again!”
Listening to his rambling, Xavier couldn’t help letting go of his hand. Not only was he not amused, but he even felt a bit disdainful.
“Fragile human.”
Gu Shen, who had just recovered: “…”
Facing the workbench, he leaned forward slightly and spoke with exceptional good nature, “Alright, then esteemed Highness, please step down.”
His head, the two extended palms, and the workbench surface formed stepping stones from high to low.
Your Highness the Prince swept his gaze downward and was quite satisfied.
He casually straightened his loose bathrobe, stepped down the “stairs” with a composed stride and an elegant posture.
“You’re still a qualified human.” Xavier stood firmly, looking around on the workbench while speaking offhandedly, “If you could be a bit more observant, you might barely qualify as this Prince’s blood servant reserve.”
“What…?”
Gu Shen pursed his lips, holding back the laughter that was about to escape his mouth. He turned around, his shoulders shaking as he found a suitably shaped component, cleaned it up, placed a small soft cushion on top, and offered it to Xavier.
“Stop looking, just sit here.”
Xavier was genuinely surprised this time.
He sat on the newly made “seat,” shifted into a comfortable position, and finally couldn’t help opening his mouth to poach talent.
“Why don’t you come work under me?”
Speaking of which, waking up in this era all at once, he really didn’t have any usable servants around him. Although his first impression of Gu Shen wasn’t great, now he seemed unexpectedly useful.
Hearing this, Gu Shen pressed his lips tightly together again.
Under Xavier’s suspicious gaze, after a good while, he finally relaxed his lips, holding back his laughter with a slightly trembling voice, “Well, you see, I’m doing pretty well working under the leader.”
Xavier rested his cheek on one hand, his fair and slender fingertips tapping lightly in circles against his temple, “But how come I remember that back then you wanted to bring me onto the Blood Blade, only to be given a sound scolding by that guy?”
“That was for safety considerations by the leader. After all, I had messed up on that matter,” Gu Shen recalled the scene back then, but didn’t feel angry at all. “Besides, the leader can provide me with the best technical facilities and financial support, as well as the freedom to choose my research direction to the greatest extent. That’s what matters most to me.”
Xavier the Medieval Antique Vantrue didn’t make a sound, because he didn’t understand a single word.
“And although the leader looks fierce, he never skrimps on what should be given. Even though I always stay holed up in the studio, actually I have several properties in Xiguang, all rewarded by the leader.”
Xavier the Newly Bankrupt Vantrue still didn’t make a sound, because his only ancient castle had been blown up.
Gu Shen continued: “As for lifelong medical care and children’s education, with Xiguang Star as a guarantee, I dare guarantee that working under the leader definitely has better benefits than holding an iron rice bowl in Central Star!”
Xavier the Interstellar Undocumented Immigrant: ……
Xavier’s fingertips froze in motion, and his other hand instinctively touched the gem on his chest.
“Really or fake, Celine, do you have to be responsible for this much just to find a blood servant? I remember that back then, my human blood servants were noble-born young lords and ladies who broke their heads trying to compete for the positions.”
Celine: “…It’s fortunate that you fell into a slumber in time, my dear, otherwise I’d really be afraid of you getting strung up from a streetlamp.”
Xavier: “?? Why?”
Celine: “Don’t press further, you don’t even have the capital to worry anymore now.”
There was a bit more pity in Celine’s tone. Xavier wanted to speak but stopped, and finally closed his eyes, waving dismissively at Gu Shen, “Forget it, a frail human like you isn’t suited to stay by this Prince’s side to serve.”
“Yes, yes, yes.” Gu Shen nodded with relief. Seeing that Xavier’s mood was reasonably stable right now, he pulled his chair over, sat down in front of Xavier, and leaned forward.
“Then… considering I’m somewhat observant, can you tell me what on earth happened just now? What happened between you and the leader to make you argue so fiercely?”
Xavier slowly opened his eyes, his pale-gold pupils sweeping lightly from top to bottom over Gu Shen’s curious expression, “Want to know?”
“Of course I want to.” Gu Shen answered without hesitation.
“Promise me one condition.” Xavier changed hands to support his cheek, saying with relish, “If you pull it off, I’ll tell you why.”
Gu Shen sat up a bit guardedly, “What do you want me to do? I state in advance, I’m definitely siding with the leader.”
“With just you, you still want to help him fight me?” His Highness the Prince gave Gu Shen a look of “you overestimate yourself,” saying, “Don’t worry, I just need you to help me build a vehicle.”
“A car?”
Xavier imagined the scene of himself driving a miniature car darting between other people’s feet, and immediately denied it.
“Just make a spacecraft instead. One that can fly like the Blood Blade. Can you do that?”
Since he couldn’t snatch the Blood Blade, getting a small one to satisfy his craving would do. Most importantly, Xavier didn’t want that guy to be his mount ever again.
“I can, but why do you want this?”
Hearing this, Xavier looked at him several times, “Don’t tell me you like being stepped on the head and having your hair pulled by this Prince?”
Gu Shen opened his mouth, wanting to say aren’t you always following the leader anyway, what business could you possibly have, but he quickly remembered the tense and explosive atmosphere between the two just now, so he forcibly swallowed those words back and squeezed out a dry, “Alright.”
Xavier noticed his anomaly, but couldn’t be bothered to care, and even less wanted to proactively talk about that guy anymore.
He lazily lowered his eyes, his gaze resting leisurely on his own slender fingertips, his tone relaxed and carrying a bit of casual haughtiness: “Whenever you finish making it, I’ll answer your question whenever. As for whether it can satisfy me, that depends on your level.”
“Alright then!”
At this, Gu Shen’s competitive spirit was also stirred up.
He set his terminal to Do Not Disturb mode, took it off and casually laid it aside, and immediately set to work designing the structure of the small spacecraft.
Once immersed in work, the Blood Blade’s chief engineer, whose talkative attribute was originally maxed out, turned into a “mute.” No. 1’s occasional public broadcasts were also muted by him, and the studio instantly fell quiet.
Xavier looked at the design draft gradually taking shape on the translucent screen and, seeing that it truly resembled the Blood Blade, relievedly looked away, wandering back and forth in the studio out of sheer boredom.
He even managed to find a familiar instrument: the multi-spectral life detector that had been used to scan him back then.
Curious, Xavier scanned himself with it again, and the error code E-318 popped up on the electronic screen as usual.
——Life characteristics unrecognisable.
His brows raised slightly, and he couldn’t help asking, “Are you sure this instrument isn’t broken?”
Gu Shen had just imported the design draft into the equipment and looked at him upon hearing this, “Not broken.”
Immediately sliding over on his ergonomic chair with a “swoosh,” Gu Shen took the detector from in front of Xavier and scanned himself with it.
[Detection result: Human male.]
[Biological genetic origin: Earth.]
[Gene purity: …]
Gu Shen casually turned off the detector and had to emphasize, “This is a life detector. ‘Life,’ sorry, I don’t mean any discrimination, but intelligent entities are temporarily not included in that category.”
He paused, then added, “If possible, I hope you can delete my above statement. In case intelligent entities iterate their own thoughts in the future and successfully overthrow humans, this statement might be quite disadvantageous for me!”
Xavier: ……
Xavier hadn’t expected that Gu Shen—or rather, the Blood Blade members including Gu Shen, and even Cain—would so firmly believe he was an intelligent entity.
They only knew how to stare at the test results.
No wonder they kept asking, asking who his “master” was and what purpose he had.
These guys were truly stupid to the extreme!
Xavier kicked the detector aside, refusing to look at it to keep his mind at peace.
Seeing his expression tighten slightly again, Gu Shen assumed Xavier was unhappy about the fact that he was pointed out not to be a living entity, so he silently shut his mouth.
When the machinery equipment on the side emitted the prompt that instructions were complete, Gu Shen slid over with a “swoosh” as if granted amnesty, and retrieved the outer skeleton of the small spacecraft from the midst.
He placed the silver-white small spacecraft on the workbench, pulled out painting tools from the corner, and handed them to Xavier.
“Wanna try?”
Xavier walked around the outer skeleton of the small spacecraft once.
To say this spacecraft was indeed miniature, the space reserved inside could probably only accommodate four Xaviers of his current size.
However, from its appearance, it entirely adopted the streamlined design of the Blood Blade, even if it carried a bit of majestic momentum amid its delicacy.
It was just that the initial silver-white color was somewhat eyesore.
He reached out his hand, “Give it to me.”
Gu Shen hurriedly handed over the tools and, seeing Xavier starting to paint and draw with great interest, reassuringly turned his head away to continue adjusting the piloting and various supporting systems installed on the small spacecraft.
The two immersed themselves in their own worlds until the sound of the studio door opening came from the entrance.
The moment the door was pushed open, the two of them raised their eyes together to look over.
Only three people had direct entry permission to Gu Shen’s studio, and Grisha was still on her way back, so he stood up immediately and blurted out, “Leader?”
Hearing his shout, Xavier immediately turned his head back.
“It’s me.”
Unexpectedly, however, the voice coming from behind was Grisha’s.
Xavier’s painting movement paused, his pale eyelashes lowering gently, half-covering those pale-gold eyes and hiding away all the churning emotions rising and falling in the depths of his eyes.
Gu Shen had just told Grisha the simple cause and effect through communication. Grisha, who was already on her return trip, accelerated all the way and rushed back so quickly.
Grisha frowned, looking at Xavier. Seeing that he was safe and sound, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief and turned to ask Gu Shen, “What on earth is going on? Are you really planning to dismantle Xavier?”
“How is that possible!”
Gu Shen waved his hands repeatedly. Even if he hadn’t noticed the leader’s hesitation, just knowing that Xavier was useful for the leader’s spiritual sea turbulence treatment meant he couldn’t actually dismantle the little intelligent entity straight out like the furious leader had claimed, not without absolute certainty.
He secretly glanced at Xavier, who looked as if he was extraneous to the matter, before whispering, “I saw the leader was really furious, so I brought Xavier out first.”
“The leader is angry?” Grisha was stunned, then quickly asked, “Then what’s the status of his NSI value?”
Gu Shen: “…I didn’t pay attention to that.”
He had been too busy observing the bizarre atmosphere between the two just now.
Grisha frowned, “Didn’t you just let the leader test-run the medical pod’s NSI treatment system the other day? Are you sure this is fine?”
Cain’s spiritual sea turbulence syndrome was very special; the treatment system arranged for him needed targeted adjustments, and no one else could substitute for a test run.
And after each adjustment and run, it was the period when Cain’s spiritual sea was most unstable in a non-combat state. Usually, he needed an injection and then had to enter deep sleep to get through this period relatively stably.
Once disturbed, wanting to get Cain’s NSI value completely stabilized would not be a matter solved by just a few wasteland stars.
“I… I forgot!”
Gu Shen leaped abruptly, pouncing onto his workbench, rummaging quickly through the table full of parts and tools, and finally found his terminal.
Unsurprisingly, it had a glaring, unanswered call hanging on it.
—— From the leader.
Gu Shen’s face instantly paled, “Oh no, did something happen to the leader?”
“He’s fine.”
“?”
Grisha and Gu Shen looked at Xavier simultaneously.
Xavier put his paintbrush aside, his voice steady without a shred of ripple, “My spiritual anchor is still left on him. If something really happened, I would be able to sense it.”
This was an anchor placed earlier; as time passed, it had already become weak. In fact, Xavier had sensed the spiritual fluctuations at the other end of the anchor just now, but it was generally within a controllable range.
He couldn’t be bothered to look into it deeply.
Gu Shen couldn’t help exclaiming, “…Amazing, amazing.” He didn’t expect that imperial technology had developed this fast! It seemed he needed to work harder, or how could he live up to the title of the Blood Blade’s chief engineer!
Seeing Gu Shen’s over-imagining expression again, Xavier finally couldn’t help it, a faint smile curving the corners of his lips.
At that moment, the door of the studio opened again, followed by slightly hurried footsteps. All three people in the room subconsciously looked over.
The automatic door slowly slid open. Cain didn’t have the patience to wait for it to open fully, his figure flashing as he took the lead to step inside.
All his churning pre-conceptions and anxious mental images fell through completely; entering his sight, he only bumped into the scene of Xavier holding a faint smile at the corners of his lips.
The moment their gazes met, the soft curve at the corners of Xavier’s mouth slowly flattened, and his expression turned cold as well.
It was only until this moment that the metal door behind Cain finally opened wide to its maximum.
Cain: “Out.”
No joy or anger could be discerned on his face. Grisha subconsciously moved half a step, blocking in front of Xavier, “Leader…”
Her view blocked, Cain suddenly sneered, “You too think I would hurt him?”
“No.” Grisha pursed her lips, “Leader, your spiritual sea is very unstable right now, I don’t think now is a good time to make decisions. How about Gu Shen and I accompany you out…”
Gu Shen nodded repeatedly from the side, “Right, right, right, go find a few more wasteland stars!”
The two of them chimed in, only hoping to coax the leader away first. However, Cain was unmoved; instead, Xavier’s voice came from behind them first.
“You guys step back.”
Gu Shen: “…Huh?”
Gu Shen still wanted to persuade him further, but facing his subordinates, Cain’s meager patience was finally exhausted.
He let out a heavy breath of turbid air.
The next instant, pitch-black spiritual tentacles suddenly unfurled and swept out, violently wrapping around the two of them and directly flinging them out of the door.
To top it off, he brutally sealed the studio door shut.
Yet right as those tentacles were thrashing wildly, still trying to approach Xavier, Cain’s gaze suddenly turned stern, and the originally rampant and willful spiritual tentacles instantly withered, subsiding back into his body before long.
Having just forcibly suppressed the surging, chaotic mental energy, Cain’s face paled a bit.
He walked slowly toward Xavier, raising his hand to undo the cuff links on his wrists, revealing his strong, taut arms and resting his palms on the edge of the workbench.
The man lowered his eyes, looking down from a high vantage point with his grey-blue eyes at Xavier, whose expression remained unchanged.
“You’re not afraid of me at all?”
Xavier sat back in his exclusive seat, his lips curling up slightly at the words, revealing a slightly mocking curve, “I should be afraid of you?”
Cain’s Adam’s apple rolled up and down twice, his voice lowering into a hoarse whisper, “Better if you’re not. Come back with me.”
Xavier slowly straightened his body, truly unable to understand why this person’s attitude changed so unpredictably, so he simply asked directly, “Not planning to interrogate who sent me, what my purpose is, or whether I’ll be detrimental to you?”
With that, he rested his cheek on one hand, staring coldly at the slightly stiffened figure of the man.
Cain met Xavier’s ice-cold gaze and couldn’t help recalling how relaxed and smiling he had looked earlier when facing Gu Shen. The contrast between the two states was exceptionally stark.
Unwilling to endure such a gaze any longer, he shifted his sight, which happened to land on the unfinished small spacecraft on the table, and suddenly froze.
“…The Blood Blade?”
He reached out, picked up the small spacecraft, cradled it in his palm, and turned it over and over. It was identical in shape to the Blood Blade, while the front end of the pitch-black hull was painted with a pair of glowing white, sharp patterns.
——It was the fangs representing Xavier.
The trace of helplessness originally on Cain’s face gradually dissipated, replaced by an expression of deep interest.
Seeing this, Xavier’s brows furrowed abruptly, his tone tightening with tension, “Give it back to me.”
Not only did Cain not hand it back, but he raised the small spacecraft high, smiling with the corners of his mouth hooked, “You value it very much?”
“Come with me, and I’ll give the thing back.”
Noticing his intent, Xavier’s reaction was much calmer, “Gu Shen can make hundreds or thousands more. There are plenty of things that can replace it.”
Cain immediately caught the edge hidden in those words.
“Are you threatening me?”
Xavier’s expression was calm, without a ripple: “So you felt threatened? Wavered in your heart?”
Cain hooked his lips into a smile carrying a bit of wicked charm, “Nothing has ever been able to make me waver.”
Xavier’s gaze landed steadily on him, saying indifferently, “Then you can go back.”
The playful smile on Cain’s face instantly froze, and his previously confident and arrogant aura deflated a bit.
His fingers gripping the small spacecraft tightened slightly, and his grey-blue eyes churned with an imperceptible gloom.
He was accustomed to having everything under control and would never be manipulated by anyone’s emotions, but right now, Xavier’s calm and resolute attitude precisely pinched every bit of his confidence.
If anyone else had dared to provoke him like this, he would have long since suppressed them with sheer violence, but facing this little fellow before him, his surging mental energy ultimately lingered and failed to drop even half a shred of pressure.
Even… once his mental energy manifested, it would probably fawn and dance around Xavier a few times in exchange for the slightest possibility of physical skin-to-skin contact.
The air was so quiet it felt taut.
Cain lowered his gaze to look at the small spacecraft in his hand. After a long while, he gave a low, scoffing laugh, shedding all mockery and leaving only a few traces of compromised coldness.
He didn’t raise the small spacecraft high to torment him anymore; instead, he slowly withdrew his arm and placed the unfinished small spacecraft back in front of Xavier.
“You don’t need to use Gu Shen or any other threats to block me.”
His voice remained deep and forceful, just lacking the oppressive pressure from earlier, hiding a trace of reluctance to admit his concession.
“I won’t force you to come with me.”
Cain raised his eyes, looking back at the seated Xavier. All the wicked arrogance in the depths of his eyes had faded completely, leaving only a patch of deep seriousness, carrying a prideful concession that belonged exclusively to him.
“I’m giving the thing back to you. I’ll give you time, until you willingly come back with me.”
Xavier nodded nonchalantly, “Then feel free to wait.”
Faced with his unmoved stance, Cain simply gave Xavier a deep look. The complex and indistinguishable emotions in his grey-blue eyes concealed a entanglement that even he himself was unwilling to delve into, before turning and striding away.
The heavy studio door closed gently, completely cutting off the external aura. The stagnant air finally relaxed slowly.
Xavier picked up the paintbrush again, circled half a turn around the small spacecraft, but the brush remained suspended in mid-air, hesitating to drop any new colors.
A mess of knots inexplicably tangled at the bottom of his heart.
A Vampire Prince possessed an innate nobility in his bones, accustomed to those around him being submissive, respectful, and compromising step by step.
Never had anyone been able to act like Cain, pressing forward aggressively yet retreating abruptly, every move full of absolute abnormality that disrupted his calm state of mind.
Xavier threw the brush back to its place, tapping his fingertips against the gem on his chest.
“Celine, what on earth do you think he means?”
After quite a while, Celine’s spiritual signal was transmitted over, “What do you mean ‘what does he mean’?”
“He said he wants me to willingly go back with him. What does that mean?”
Celine: ……
My friend, your conversation is so bizarre.
Sensing Celine’s silence, Xavier grew a bit curious.
“Didn’t you hear our conversation just now?”
Celine was somewhat helpless.
“I also respect your privacy, and besides, I’ve accumulated some power recently, so I’m trying to see if I can reopen the bloodline link… Well, that’s not important, let’s talk about your situation. What did he say?”
Xavier then roughly recounted the cause and effect to her.
In his view, although Celine lived in seclusion, her undead lich bloodline abilities were right there, and his friend must surely have superior qualities in all aspects.
He therefore sought advice with utmost trust.
“Do you think this guy… does he feel that a frontal assault on this Prince won’t work, so he’s trying to use a roundabout way to soften me up, in order to dig out this Prince’s origins and satisfy his self-righteous paranoia?”
Celine: ……
Celine reviewed the whole matter from start to finish and felt it wasn’t quite right, really not quite right.
If Cain simply wanted to find out Xavier’s origins, with his strength he could completely exert pressure directly, or even set up imprisonment to interrogate him; there was no need to go through such a large circle, let alone obsess over having Xavier “willingly” follow him back.
She mobilized the power of her magic stone, and the scene of the two clashing earlier immediately surfaced in her mind.
Those cold, grey-blue eyes, when looking at Xavier, were not examining a suspicious target at all; they hid a stubborn fixation that perhaps even he himself hadn’t realized.
Celine suppressed the surprise in her heart, her tone remaining steady as she asked back, “Do you really think he just wants to dig out your background?”
Xavier was startled, then immediately recalled Cain’s repeated questioning, “What else could it be for? From beginning to end he’s been sizing me up, clearly full of suspicion in his heart.”
“Sizing you up indeed, but the purpose is hard to say.”
Celine tactfully reminded Xavier.
“After all, if he purely wanted to find out information, using forceful coercion would be much simpler than patiently sparring.”
Actually, for Xavier in his current state, Cain wouldn’t find it too difficult to suppress him by force. Furthermore, for safety’s sake, there was no need to keep an unknown hazard by his side either.
Unless… there was another purpose.
Xavier thought of this too. He raised his chin, his tone resolute, “It must be because of my spiritual resonance ability. That guy’s spiritual sea is an absolute mess; forceful suppression can only solve temporary distress. He probably needs a once-and-for-all breakthrough, and it’s most likely for this reason that he held back from falling out with me.”
Celine didn’t think so.
After spending this period of time together, she saw it clearly: Cain didn’t have an urgent desire to use Xavier’s ability to calm his spiritual sea turbulence.
She suggested, “Why don’t you test him? See what his bottom line of tolerance for you really is?”
“…How do you test this?”
Celine chuckled softly, “Your Highness, when it comes to making people angry, I’m afraid you are the most adept.”
Xavier understood. That meant pure provocation.
The next day, he successfully drove the new small spacecraft, directing Gu Shen to take him to the Tenth District.
Upon arrival, Cain was venting his turbulent state through high-intensity training, suppressing his endlessly churning spiritual sea.
Gu Shen greeted him honestly.
As for Xavier, he stayed silent inside the spacecraft, looking down at Cain from top to bottom.
Because he was training in his private domain, the man before him only wore a pair of grey combat pants, leaving his robust, straight physique and taut muscle lines fully exposed.
The broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted silhouette carried even more oppression when he turned around to look back, and the accompanying arm lines were strong and powerful, with tendons and bones clearly containing explosive power ready to strike at any moment.
Xavier keenly captured a thin layer of sweat covering the muscles; the pheromones contained within it invaded the unsealed small boat, making his pupils contract sharply.
Until Cain stepped forward toward him, Xavier snapped out of it as if waking from a dream, immediately suppressing most of his olfactory sensitivity.
Cain raised his hand to dismantle the mecha components on his right arm, walking slowly toward the two.
Yet the moment he got close, Xavier drove the black boat to suddenly accelerate, grazing past Cain’s side at high speed, executing a light turn, and steadily wrapping around behind him.
Cain didn’t turn around; he casually placed the mecha quantum sphere aside, facing Gu Shen with a tone that was flat yet carried a bit of knowingly cold intent: “You made this for him?”
Gu Shen was clueless and answered foolishly, “Huh, yeah, boss.”
A cold gaze swept over accordingly, pressing down on Gu Shen and making his heart tighten sharply.
Gu Shen was left completely bewildered and clueless: ‽ Bro, what did I do again?
Before Gu Shen could figure it out, the next second, Xavier was already driving the small boat directly to bump into Cain from behind.
A glimmer of light flashed in the depths of Cain’s eyes. He forcibly suppressed his instinctive defensive reaction, and only when the boat solidly bumped into his shoulder did he slowly turn his head, meeting Xavier’s gaze through the cabin window.
He raised an eyebrow, about to say something, but Xavier turned his face away, driving the boat off on his own accord, leaving behind a speechless Cain and a terrified Gu Shen in place.
Gu Shen looked at Cain’s bumped rear shoulder, then at the small spacecraft leaving only a back view, his brain overclocking until only a single thought remained, or to summarize more briefly, just two words:
Done for!
“Well… boss, I’ll head down first too.” With that, he sneaked backward.
“Stop.”
Cain suddenly spoke, halting Gu Shen’s attempt to slip away.
Gu Shen abruptly straightened his body, tightly closing his eyes in tension. Yet after a short while, the expected scolding didn’t fall; instead, what he waited for was the sound of the leader’s tone carrying a bit of playfulness.
Cain’s gaze chased after that retreating black small spacecraft, the image of Xavier’s triumphant and arrogant appearance already surfacing in his mind.
He asked with great interest: “How did you coax him into this?”