The blood-like twilight quietly fell into the bedroom, dyeing half of Li Qingping's face red. He stood perfectly still, quietly gazing at the small shark inside the crystal ball.
The shark playfully bared its small, sharp teeth and grinned sharply, looking just like a mischievous child.
Li Qingping could not help but raise an eyebrow, asking in surprise, "Is this the friend Your Highness wanted to introduce to ?"
"That is right, this is the friend I wanted to introduce to you." Xize'er offered a faint smile.
"Your Highness Xize'er, may I ask the origins of this shark?"
"Its na is Yagubalu. Truthfully, even I do not know exactly what kind of creature it is."
"Yagubalu?"
Li Qingping muttered to himself, lost in thought.
"That is right, that is Shasha's na." Yagubalu snorted twice and proudly swished its tail. "Only a noble among sharks like
deserves a na. Other sharks are just low-intelligence trash, completely unworthy of being in the sa species as , the great one."
Li Qingping looked at it in silence before finally speaking after a long pause, "No wonder... When I ca over a few days ago, I felt there was sothing off about this shark."
Xize'er lowered his voice. "I am sorry for keeping it from you. The circumstances were special back then."
"Li Qingping is a big idiot," Yagubalu suddenly said in Chinese.
Both Li Qingping and Xize'er froze in stunned silence.
"No way, Li Qingping. Did you really not hear
insulting you that day?" Yagubalu asked curiously.
It pressed its head against the glass, contorting its face as it stared at Li Qingping. Its eyes seed to ask: Are you even human? Transfer
to a human operator.
Li Qingping was taken aback for a mont before speaking slowly, "So it really was you cursing at
that day."
"Who else could it have been?"
"The tone you use to insult people sounds a bit like a friend of mine. At the ti, I thought I was having auditory hallucinations," Li Qingping said.
Xize'er blinked in surprise. "Wait a minute, so that phrase was actually an insult?"
"What else would it be?"
Xize'er said slowly, "Yagubalu told
earlier that saying 'Li Qingping is a big idiot' was a way to complint soone, so I was even thinking of learning it to praise you."
Yagubalu clearly had not expected Xize'er to sell it out. It froze for a second before hurriedly defending itself:
"Student Xize'er, actually, verifying whether a word is an insult requires considering the specific target. For example, if you call a pig a pig, does that count as an insult?"
Xize'er shook his head. "No, it does not."
"Right? By the sa logic, if I call a big idiot a big idiot, I am naturally not insulting him." Yagubalu lectured with absolute seriousness. "To be even more precise, for soone like Li Qingping, a word like 'idiot' might already be considered a complint."
It paused for a mont. "After all, no one calls a pig an idiot; they only call humans idiots."
"We have never even t before, so why resort to such harsh words?" Li Qingping was bewildered. 'You not only call
an idiot but also imply that I am a pig. What kind of deep grudge do we have?' he thought.
Ever since his bad mood had nearly caused him to accidentally kill Black Cocoon in front of Gu Wenyu, Li Qingping had decided to turn over a new leaf and be a better person. No matter how much he was provoked, he would remain as calm as possible and not let his emotions dictate his actions.
Otherwise, he would have absolutely dragged this shark out of the crystal ball and taught it a severe lesson.
Yagubalu thought for a mont. "Because I have heard a lot about you from Xize'er, and I feel like your IQ is no different from a pig's. Do you not know that in the current situation, standing on Xize'er's side is a near-certain death sentence?"
Hearing this, Xize'er fell silent.
Even if Li Qingping ultimately chose to back down, turn around, and leave, or even stand against him, he would not have any complaints. From the very beginning, he had prepared himself to walk to the bitter end with only Yagubalu by his side.
Li Qingping spoke with a completely expressionless face. "How will we know if we do not try? Besides, Her Majesty the Queen said that on August 1st, I am to take you and leave this place. Perhaps they do not actually intend to..."
Yagubalu interrupted him. "Evaluation complete. You are just as naive as Xize'er was before his darkening."
It shook its head and muttered, "Good thing Shasha has already used an evolution stone to evolve him into a Darkened Elentary Student, otherwise his future would truly be pitch-black."
The small shark wore a lonely expression, bubbling out two mouthfuls of seawater. With teary eyes, it used its tail to wipe its face. "Sigh... I do not even know why Xize'er trusts you so much, even though... even though Shasha was here first."
"Green tea shark," Li Qingping evaluated expressionlessly.
"Small fry Red Dragon," Yagubalu ground its teeth fiercely.
Seemingly noticing Li Qingping's hostility toward Yagubalu, Xize'er offered a silent smile and spoke up:
"Do not worry, Li Qingping. It has been protecting
these past few days. Otherwise, I might have died several tis over already. Even if it is a bad guy, it is a bad guy that is beneficial to us."
"As I expected..." Li Qingping pondered. "The First Prince and the others have already made their move against you."
"My Queen Mother is also working with them," Xize'er was silent for a mont before speaking in a low voice.
Li Qingping was slightly stunned, taking a mont to recover. "So that is how it is... I had only guessed it was a possibility before, but I was not certain."
He paused and raised his eyes to look at Yagubalu. "But relying solely on the abilities of a Nobel Shark, it should be impossible to properly protect Your Highness Xize'er from the assassins they sent, right? Does this shark possess so sort of sorcery ability, or can it change its shape?"
Yagubalu puffed out its chest, imdiately looking exceptionally proud. It said aggressively, "Instead of asking that, why do you not search your own conscience and ask yourself what exactly you have been doing? If it were not for Shasha, Xize'er would have died long ago. Since you want to protect Xize'er, could you at least show so resolve?"
Li Qingping stated without a shift in expression, "Did I not hand over the Phoenix Feather to Your Highness Xize'er?"
"What use is that bird feather?" Yagubalu tilted its head, glaring sideways at Li Qingping. "Did Shasha not still have to take action in the end?"
"I also want to know," Xize'er said, casting a curious glance at Li Qingping.
"Your Highness will know when the ti cos," Li Qingping replied, seemingly unwilling to explain further.
"No way, this is my first ti seeing soone act like a riddle speaker to their own people," Yagubalu remarked.
"Are you not a bit too modernized for a shark?" Li Qingping asked. "Not only do you speak Chinese, but you also know internet slang."
"Do not underestimate the wisdom of a shark noble, you arrogant human," Yagubalu replied with sheer disdain.
Li Qingping shook his head, no longer wanting to bicker with this green tea shark.
"Enough, let us put the idle chatter on hold for now," Xize'er commanded softly. "Li Qingping, will you accompany
to see my Father King?"
"Of course." Li Qingping nodded. "Let us depart imdiately. This is the exact ti when the Royal Palace has the fewest people around. The First Prince and Second Prince should not be out of bed yet." Xize'er nodded. He picked up the crystal ball and followed Li Qingping out of the Floating Castle, heading toward the most expansive island situated directly beneath the canopy of the Garden World. Upon seeing Xize'er and Li Qingping, the guards imdiately dropped to one knee in salute.
The two walked past the rows of kneeling guards and stepped into the brilliantly illuminated interior of the Royal Palace. Under the blood-red sky, this colossal palace took on a bewitching hue, resembling a woman wearing loose ancient clothes that left her shoulders bare.
It did not take long for them to reach a bedroom deep inside the Royal Palace. Looking up, they saw a lavishly decorated grand bed enveloped within an invisible barrier.
The King was lying quietly on the bed. Black blood vessels throbbed across his face and the backs of his hands, squirming like tiny black snakes. His lips were ashen, his entire being drained of color, and his exposed skin shifted and faded between alternating shades of black and white.
Anyone witnessing this scene would likely assu that the person resting on the bed was a corpse.
The bedroom windows were wide open, revealing rows of blood-red trees outside. A single leaf spiraled into the room, slicing the afterglow of the setting sun into fragnted shards of light.
Xize'er lowered his eyes, quietly observing the King's sleeping face.
Driven by the breeze, the fallen leaf drifted closer to the King's bed, only to be instantly incinerated into ash by the barrier.
At this very mont, both of the King's hands were firmly gripping a bone-white scepter. It was none other than the legendary White King Scepter, a divine artifact capable of indiscriminately suppressing any Generational-tier or lower-tier Anecdotes. The barrier currently protecting the King originated from the scepter itself.
No one knew when this barrier would vanish. Perhaps it would be the very day the King died.
When that ti ca, the White King Scepter would change owners once more. Whoever obtained this scepter would secure the right to rule over the Garden World.
The little shark inside the crystal ball licked its sharp teeth. 'I wonder if eating that thing would make my true form size grow,' it thought to itself.
Li Qingping knelt silently on one knee behind Xize'er, keeping his head perfectly bowed the entire ti.
"Father King... it has been a long ti," Xize'er spoke softly as he looked at the aged man.
However, the only response was a deathly silence. The blood-red leaves outside the window swayed in the wind, cloaking the entire palace in a soft, rustling sound.
"I will absolutely survive," he whispered. "And I will live with more freedom than anyone else."
Yagubalu blinked. Right at that mont, it suddenly heard a set of light, slow footsteps.
It rolled over in the seawater and turned its gaze behind them. A woman dressed in elegant, majestic attire was walking in. A golden hairpin adorned her hair, and the exceptionally long train of her dress dragged across the floor like the tail feathers of a gorgeous bird.
"Xize'er, my child... I heard from the guards that you ca to visit your Father King," Caliliana said as she approached.
"Mother, are you disappointed that I am not dead?" Xize'er suddenly asked.
Caliliana stiffened in shock.
"It does not matter... I do not hate you," Xize'er stated calmly. "On August 1st, I will leave this place exactly as agreed, and from then on, I will never set foot in the Garden World again. If you have even the slightest shred of affection left for , then please let Li Qingping and I leave together..."
He paused. "You are the only one who can persuade my two older brothers, are you not?"
Caliliana remained silent for a long ti before she finally spoke. "Child, what nonsense are you sprouting?"
She hesitated slightly, casting her eyes down at Li Qingping, who was still kneeling on one knee. "Li Qingping, I heard you voluntarily requested to withdraw from the Royal Court Squad. Do you have any idea how highly the King values you? Even after you left the Garden World without a word, he still kept the Vice-Captain position of the Royal Court Squad reserved for you... Yet, the mont he fell ill, you resigned from your position without a second thought."
Li Qingping was silent.
His expression was frigid. His pitch-black eyes reflected the floorboards, as if he was outright refusing to answer her.
"Forget it..." Caliliana said in a hushed tone. "Both of you, go back. Let the King rest in peace."
Xize'er turned his head back around, his white bangs drooping down to completely conceal his eyes. Cradling the crystal ball, he silently brushed past the Queen. Li Qingping followed closely behind.
Had this been any other ti, Li Qingping might have chosen to seize Caliliana and use her as a hostage to threaten the mbers of the Royal Court Squad.
But right now, the Legendary Whale had yet to land. Doing so would be entirely aningless. Instead, it would only hand them the perfect excuse to slap the title of "rebel" on his head, granting them the justification to attack him openly and legitimately.
On the way back, Yagubalu muttered softly, "Small fry Red Dragon, if you want to be friends with Shasha, you have to pay a friendship fee."
Li Qingping was not only confused but also exceedingly annoyed.
Just as he opened his mouth to snap back at the shark, Xize'er suddenly explained from the side:
"The friendship fee Yagubalu is talking about refers to Anecdote Fragnts. It seems to grow stronger by eating them, so in order to prepare for our escape, I have been feeding it fragnts these past few days."
"Did you hear that, small fry Red Dragon?" Yagubalu contorted its face teasingly and slapped the seawater with its tail.
"Green tea shark..." Li Qingping replied indifferently. "However, tossing you so random trash to eat is not entirely out of the question."
As he spoke, he summoned his Anecdote Catalog. He quickly extracted several useless Anecdote Fragnts that he never bothered with on normal days. One after another, he casually tossed them toward the crystal ball, exactly like feeding a pet.
The little shark's eyes lit up brightly, shining like Astro Boy's. It smacked the lid off the crystal ball with its tail and opened its jaws wide. With a series of eager "Crunch, crunch, crunch" sounds, it devoured the fragnts Li Qingping threw over as if eating potato chips, then contentedly patted its belly with a fin.
It let out a completely satisfied burp. "Li Qingping, you are the best... Since you have paid the friendship fee, Shasha will never call you a small fry Red Dragon ever again. I treat my friends incredibly well!"
Yagubalu paused, faintly lowering its voice to a mischievous whisper:
"Green tea Red Dragon."
"Small fry shark."
Li Qingping shot back expressionlessly as he stored away the Anecdote Catalog hovering in midair.
Seeing that one human and one shark were getting along so splendidly, Xize'er felt relieved and tore his gaze away from them. He did not know why, but Li Qingping actually seed to tolerate this shark quite well. It appeared he felt it shared so similarities with one of his own friends.
Throughout this short journey back, Li Qingping ended up feeding Yagubalu a total of 10 useless Common-tier Anecdotes and 5 Universal-tier Anecdotes.
[Successfully devoured 10 "Common-tier" Anecdote Fragnts and 5 "Universal-tier" Anecdote Fragnts. Triggered the effect of the exclusive cultivation system "Anomaly Gluttony". Your true form size has increased by 22.5 ters.]
[Unit 3 — Eternal Abyss Shark "Yagubalu" size change: 124.5 ters to 147 ters.]
Yagubalu patted its round, bulging belly with its fin and licked its sharp little teeth. "This Shasha... can no longer hold back the urge to go on a killing spree."
"Green tea," Li Qingping said.
"Small fry," the little shark replied.
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