The mont the Clear Spirit Pill entered his stomach, Zhongli's eyes widened as countless fragnts and mories from the past flashed through his mind.
He murmured softly, "In the end... Marcosius... Rhoda... Bosa..."
To Yuri and the others, only half a minute had passed.
But for Zhongli, it felt like an eternity.
Only when Venti called out, "Old Man," did Zhongli snap back to reality. He shook his head, grounding himself.
"Apologies, that was rude."
Welt, Hiko, and the others dismissed his concern.
Zhongli then turned to Yuri, offering a rare, grateful smile.
"Thank you, Yuri."
Yuri smirked.
"You're welco. Just rember to pay the bill."
Zhongli let out an amused chuckle. "Hahaha, of course. How much is this pill worth?"
Yuri raised two fingers.
"2000 star coins, or 200 Stellar Jade. Venti should've told you the exchange rate between Stellar Jade and star coins, right?"
Zhongli frowned slightly and shook his head. "No."
Yuri sighed. "Venti, why didn't you tell him sothing this important?"
Venti simply humd and continued drinking his porridge.
Zhongli patted his robes... empty.
"Yuri, I'll send you the Stellar Jade later, alright?"
Yuri waved it off. "No problem. Now, co on, eat up. I've got sothing fun to show you all later."
Just as Yuri was inviting everyone to eat, an ether portal suddenly opened in the shop. Kafka and Silver Wolf stepped out.
Silver Wolf looked particularly annoyed, clearly having been dragged away mid-ga.
"Ugh, there he is. That's Yuri."
After pointing Yuri out to Kafka, Silver Wolf ignored the situation entirely, plopping down at a booth, crossing his legs, and resuming his ga.
Hiko and Welt imdiately tensed.
"Star Core Hunter Kafka," Welt said, his voice sharp. "You're on the company's wanted list."
Klee, who had been watching from the side, gasped in excitent.
"Wow~ Big Devil! Big Devil!"
Kafka glanced at Klee—hmm, a very cute little girl—before turning her attention to Hiko, scanning her up and down.
"Hiko, right? Relax. I'm not here to ss with the Express. I just ca to buy sothing from Mr. Yuri."
With that, she pulled out a small box containing Stellar Jade and opened it.
Yuri stood up and gestured to the others.
"Don't worry, keep eating. I'll handle this."
Though Hiko, Welt, and Zhongli continued their al, they kept a watchful eye on Yuri and Kafka.
Yuri tapped his fingers on the box Kafka had brought and asked, "How much Stellar Jade do you have in here?"
Kafka tilted her head, her gaze playful. "I'm not sure. How about you count?"
She propped her chin on one hand, watching Yuri with an amused smirk.
Yuri raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. He placed the Stellar Jade on an exchange scale.
"No need. This thing tells us instantly. The exchange rate between Stellar Jade and star coins is 1 to 100."
Kafka pouted slightly, disappointed that she couldn't tease Yuri.
"Oh? I see. Well then, let your little scale do its work~"
Ten minutes later, Yuri finished converting all the Stellar Jade.
"That's 60,000 star coins."
Kafka weighed the currency in her hand before giving Yuri a sly smile.
"Yuri, [listen to ]—what do you think I should buy?"
Yuri crossed his arms, eting her gaze evenly. "What do you want?"
Seeing her usual tactics fail, Kafka's interest in him grew.
"Hmm... Are you selling emotions here?"
Yuri blinked. "Emotions? I'd have to check."
He pulled up a search on the touch screen.
The next second, hundreds of products appeared.
Yuri glanced at the list. "Yep. What emotion are you looking for?"
Kafka's eyebrows lifted in genuine surprise. "You actually have that? Alright, what about fear?"
Yuri pulled up several options. "Take a look."
Kafka leaned in, skimming through them.
[Product: Heart Demon]
Description: This item may cause a person's inner demons to resurface.
Price: 1000 Star Coins.
Note: Available in 9 levels. Level 1 starts at 1000, level 9 costs 10,000. Choose accordingly.
[Product: Abyss Pass]
Description: Grants access to the Abyss.
Price: 5000 Star Coins.
[Product: Strange Invitation]
Description: Use this item to enter peculiar gas.
Price: 2000 Star Coins.
Kafka tapped her lips, considering. Then, she looked at Yuri.
"Pick one for ~"
She twirled a lock of her hair, watching his reaction.
Yuri sighed and pointed. "Try the Heart Demon. It forces you to see what you least want to face."
Kafka nodded. "Alright, I trust you."
Yuri took 1,000 star coins from her and bought the lowest-tier Heart Demon.
A dark red energy sphere appeared in his hand, swirling inside a bubble.
He handed it to her. "Just crush it."
Kafka twirled it in her fingers before turning back to Yuri. "Co a little closer, will you? What if I get scared? As the boss, you need to take responsibility for your custors."
Yuri coughed. "Let's keep this professional."
Seeing him flustered, Kafka burst out laughing.
"Hahaha, relax, I was just teasing."
Then, without hesitation, she crushed the Heart Demon.
The mont it shattered, dark red energy surged into her body.
Kafka's smirk froze. Her pupils dilated slightly, a flicker of sothing unrecognizable flashing across her face.
It lasted only a few seconds before she returned to normal.
For those brief monts, she had truly felt fear.
The emotion she had longed to experience.
She pulled out another 2,000 star coins and slid them to Yuri. "Get a stronger one."
Yuri raised an eyebrow but complied, purchasing a Level 2 Heart Demon.
Kafka took it, crushed it, and fell into fear once more.
This ti, the haunted look lasted longer.
Yuri studied her carefully. "Don't go too high. Choose wisely."
Kafka nodded, still savoring the sensation. "Got it."
When Klee saw Yuri's flustered expression, she imdiately assud that Kafka had bullied him.
"Wow~ Big Devil! You're not allowed to bully Brother Yuri~ Bouncing Bomb!"
Standing on her chair, Klee furiously raised a large bouncing bomb and hurled it at Kafka.
Seeing this, Yuri reacted instantly, leaping up and catching the bomb mid-air before it could reach Kafka. He let out a long sigh and rubbed Klee's little head.
"Klee, she didn't bully ."
Realizing her mistake, Klee slipped off her chair, ran over to Kafka, and bowed deeply.
"Big sister, I'm sorry! Klee misunderstood you~ Can you forgive Klee?"
She swayed slightly, looking up at Kafka with wide, apologetic eyes.
Kafka couldn't help but smile at the little girl's cuteness, her lips curving upward.
"Of course~ Sister forgives you. Your na is Klee?"
Klee's expression brightened instantly.
"Yes! My na is Klee! What's your na, big sister?"
Kafka chuckled. "My na is Kafka."
Klee repeated it carefully. "Kafka~ Klee knows! Sister Kafka~"
Yuri walked over, gently patting Klee's head.
"Klee, go eat before your food gets cold."
Obediently, Klee returned to her seat and continued eating.
Since the dining table was too high, both Klee and Hook had to stand on chairs to reach their food. Even sitting down, their eyes barely t the tabletop.
"Hook, that sister is Sister Kafka," Klee said between bites.
Hook swallowed a mouthful of porridge. "Yeah, yeah~ Hook got it. Klee, help pick up so pickles."
Klee grabbed a piece of sauerkraut with her chopsticks. "Here~ pickled cabbage!"
The two little ones continued chatting and eating, standing on their chairs like miniature adventurers on a grand feast.
Kafka watched them, a rare, genuine smile forming on her lips.
Yuri noticed her expression. "Cute, aren't they?"
Kafka nodded. "Hmm~ quite cute. Are they your daughters?"
Yuri nearly choked on his drink. "What?! My daughters? How would that even work?"
Kafka casually tied up her hair, smirking. "Oh~ I thought they were, since you're so good to them."
Yuri wiped his mouth. "Of course I take care of them. Raising a daughter is the most rewarding thing in the world."
Kafka tilted her head, intrigued. "So, have you ever thought about having one yourself?"
Yuri looked at her with a playful glint in his eyes. "What? Are you volunteering?"
For the first ti, Kafka looked slightly flustered.
"You... it's not impossible~" she teased, giving him a knowing look.
Yuri grinned. "Then let's make an appointnt?"
Kafka's thoughts montarily derailed as an amusing scenario ford in her mind. Her face ward slightly under Yuri's gaze. Suddenly, she snapped out of it, hastily purchasing Level 2 and Level 3 Heart Demons before scurrying back to sit next to Silver Wolf.
Yuri smirked. "Ha. Got her back. Woman, you thought you could win?"
Returning to the dining table, Yuri turned to Hiko. "Hiko, what's the star core reading on Jarilo-VI?"
Hiko activated her equipnt, scanning the latest data. Her expression shifted. "The star core's activity is intensifying. It's about to reach a critical point."
Yuri imdiately stood up. "Let's go. We're watching this unfold."
Kafka interjected. "Yuri, are you going to check on Kevin and the others?"
Yuri nodded. "Yeah. It's not every day you get to witness an interstellar war."
Kafka thought for a mont before turning to Silver Wolf. "Honey, pull up a live projection from that star."
Silver Wolf, still engrossed in his ga, barely glanced up. "Busy."
Kafka sighed.
[Listen to .]
"Silver, bring up the projection."
Silver Wolf's fingers twitched as if possessed. She stood up, called up a virtual keyboard, and projected the live feed onto the wall.
After finishing, she plopped back into her seat and glared. "Kafka!!! You used Word Spirit on again!"
Kafka chuckled, covering her mouth. "Honey, you're too focused on your gas. It's your fault."
Then, she turned back to Yuri. "Why go all the way there? You can just watch from here."
Yuri considered it. "Fair enough."
Kafka observed the projection, her expression unreadable. This battle was Kevin's chance. If things went as expected, he would gain the strength he needed.
[Entering Belobog.]
Kevin, March 7th, Dan Heng, Seele, and Bronya arrived at Everwinter Ridge.
Cocolia raised the Fla Lance high. "Creation Engine! In the na of the Great Guardian, rise!"
The ground trembled. From beneath the frozen soil, a colossal machine awoke, towering above them.
At the sa ti, waves of Voidrippers surged toward the team.
Kevin drew the Judgnt of Shamash. The blade ignited, roaring with power.
[Skyfire—Unsheath!]
With a mighty slash, an inferno erupted, consuming everything in its path. Voidrippers shrieked, disintegrating in the blaze. Only elite entities—Devourer's Shadow and Cosmic Ice—survived the flas.
The Shadow of Erosion raised its scepter, preparing to cast a spell—
[System Alert: Incoming attack detected!]
Before it could complete the incantation, an arrow whistled through the air, knocking the scepter away.
Seele erged from the shadows, her scythe gleaming. [Fade away with the butterflies, phantoms of the past!]
She lunged. The Shadow of Erosion barely had ti to react before Seele's blade struck true. Its form shattered into particles of light.
On the other side, Bronya unleashed a suppressive barrage against a Cosmic Ice creature, pinning it in place.
Dan Heng appeared above it, energy swirling around his spear. [The cave is transford, the long dream is broken!]
With a swift descent, he drove his spear into the ground. The Cosmic Ice behind him erupted into nothingness.
Kevin turned his gaze to a Windraiser, a formidable virtual soldier standing in his path.
He crouched slightly—
[System Alert: Dash Boost Activated.]
Kevin shot forward like an arrow, closing the distance in a blink. The Windraiser barely registered his movent before the Holy Judgnt of Heavenly Fire ca crashing down.
[Critical Strike!]
A massive gash tore through the enemy's core. Kevin shouldered his blade as the flas surged within the crack—
And then, the Windraiser exploded into embers, vanishing from existence.
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