by <unknown>
“From the moment you got the clue I left from the intel organization, the result was already determined.”
Under the mask of disguise, Aesop smiled. “You used my name; I give you a little punishment. Fair and square.”
“Is that so?”
Suddenly, a man’s voice came from behind, and a hand tapped Aesop’s shoulder and stayed there.
Aesop’s face suddenly changed. He froze and slowly turned around.
A stranger stood behind him. This man tore off an extremely thin mask on his face, exposing Han Xiao’s face.
“Mister Aesop Hurricane, damn good morning to you.” Han Xiao smiled.
“How did you know I’m here?” Aesop was shocked. His eyes changed slightly and flashed with wonder.
He did not ask why Han Xiao was here; it needed no explanation. He figured it out instantly the moment that he saw Han Xiao. He was puzzled by another question at this moment.
There were five harbors on Noriosse. How did he accurately find the correct one?
He might have heard from Jenny that this Black Star seemed to be an Oracle as well.
“Good question, allow me to introduce.” Han Xiao pulled a man from the side, took off the mask on the face of the person, revealing the face of Feidin. He smiled and said, “This is my mascot.”
“… You mean by luck?”
Aesop’s face stiffened, and then he looked relieved. Oracles as skilled as him were very clear on one thing—there would never be a perfect plan. No matter how good the plan was, it would often be disrupted by accidents. Although luck was something very uncertain, the simplest thing was usually the most inexplicable.
Han Xiao had the Destiny’s Child card, so he understood the mindset of Oracles and the so-called trigger, but this time, he did not use the Destiny’s Child card as there was no need to.
When he refused Aesop’s request, to his understanding of Aesop, he knew that Aesop could easily see through his ‘intention’. Hence, only one choice was placed in front of Aesop. In order to avoid Ames, who was going to arrive, he had to take a spaceship and leave Noriosse. Therefore, the possibilities were narrowed. He just had to spread out across five harbors and wait, as Aesop would definitely pass by one of them.
As a result, the person in the dilemma became Aesop. If he did not leave, he would definitely be found. If he left, he might be found.
Hence, even if Aesop had foreseen this possibility, he would have no choice but to fall into this trap. Not to mention the fact that Aesop did not use his power due to the lack of a trigger.
Those who delved into logic tended to fall into a paradox that they themselves could not see. Aesop wanted Han Xiao to act while complying with his rules of the game, but Han Xiao turned it around and made his interlocked plan into a fair environment for the both of them to compete in their luck. Then, Han Xiao used his rich experience to beat him. Feidin could solve any and all difficulties involving luck.
Aesop’s lousy disguise was good enough for the identity check at the harbor but not disguise veteran Han Xiao.
According to the normal way of thinking, if Aesop left Noriosse long ago right after he made the arrangements, the plan would have had no solution, meaning that he would be in an invincible position. However, Han Xiao had one of the biggest advantages—he knew Aesop’s personality from his previous life. This ancient man had experienced too many things, so his personality was strange and abnormal.
Power? Not interesting. He had once served as the vice president of a star-class civilization.
Wealth? There was no meaning. Resources did not have a real owner, so wealth was only a false definition.
Beauty? Tired of it long ago. The species that he had mated with could circle a Fixed Star several times.
Strength? Experienced before. He had once erased the entire planet from the map with a horrifying weapon.
Aesop was really tired of living, and this was not derogatory but literal. His life was left with a few fun things—freedom, curiosity, and excitement!
So, he had become a treasure hunter who travelled everywhere with unknown whereabouts. He could only experience the feeling of being alive at the edge of danger. Hence, when he plotted and planned, Aesop would absolutely never hide behind the scenes. He would create a fair situation and let the opponent have the opportunity to taste the fruit of victory. To him, it was a dangerous game.
If he won, he would feel empty.
If he lost, he would rejoice.
He had lived too long and really become incomprehensible to ordinary people.
Aesop also took off the disguise, revealing his old appearance, and heartily laughed. “It seems that my apprentice found a powerful partner.”
Han Xiao smiled as well. He showed no flaw on the surface, but he had other thoughts in his mind.
He was thinking of killing Aesop.
Aesop was such a powerful Oracle. Even if he was not his enemy, who could guarantee that he would not be a threat to him in the future?
Han Xiao was very clear about Aesop’s ability; his power was prophecy, so his combat capability was almost equal to zero. As long as he seized this Oracle, killing him would not be much harder than killing a chicken.
This was a good opportunity to get rid of hidden dangers. He just had to tell Ames that he did not find her teacher and let Aesop be forever ‘missing’.
So…
Before Ames arrives, should I…
Kill him‽
Han Xiao eyes flickered.
In his eyes, there was not a single person that had to die no matter what, and there was not a single person he must not kill no matter what.
Chapter 481. Thank You |
Aesop coughed. “You’ve won this game, but I don’t want to see Ames. Black star, can we discuss it?”
Han Xiao suppressed his murderous intent and said with surprise, “Do you not want to see your apprentice that much?”
“Back then, I only casually adopted a little girl, spent some time with her, and taught her the method to awaken her Super talent. How could I have known that she would go on to become a Beyond Grade A whose name has spread across an entire Star Field?” Aesop shook his head. “If only I’d known, I wouldn’t have adopted her. With her strength, if she finds me, there definitely won’t be any way for me to escape. Those kind of days without freedom will be the same as imprisonment. It brings me horror just thinking about it.”
Han Xiao’s mouth twitched. Casually adopting a little girl who turned out to be one of the strongest people many years later, why does this sound so familiar?
Furthermore, this old man looks so reluctant. Hey, you can show off, but don’t go over the line, damn it!
Holding back the desire to criticize, Han Xiao asked, “So, why did you come back since you don’t want to see her?”
Aesop did not possess the demeanor that one would expect from someone who was countless years old. Like a stubborn old man, he said, “The more she wants to find me, the more I want to linger before her eyes.”
A horrible personality as always…
Han Xiao was speechless. In his previous life, Aesop had wandered everywhere and was a mystery shopkeeper in the players’ eyes. But one day, he was dragged into a conflict between two Star System civilizations. As always, he carried out a ‘game’. However, having walked along the shore for so long, it was inevitable that he would get his shoes wet one day. Aesop failed, and it cost him his life. He did not met Ames again. After a hundred years of searching, Ames only saw Aesop’s tombstone in the end.
Ames did everything based on her mood, and she acted out of impulse. She vented her rage and smashed every planet in the territory of these two civilizations, including their mother planets, ending countless lives. The survivors not in the territory at that time filed a complaint to the three Universal Civilizations. Such a violent act severely violated the lawful accords, so Floating Dragon lost its privileges and was besieged by numerous armies.
At that time, a large number o
f players accepted missions and took part in the siege.
Countless battleships were destroyed in the battle, as was Floating Dragon Island. Although Ames did not die in the battle, she disappeared.
The renowned Beyond Grade A from the Shattered Star Ring was never seen again.
Of course, that all happened in a very late version.
Since Han Xiao had captured Aesop, if he let Ames meet Aesop, it would be something that had not happened in his previous life, so he did not know how it would turn out.
Nonetheless, the tragedies of two civilizations with trillions of civilians being slaughtered, Floating Dragon Island destroyed, and Ames being heavily injured should not happen again.
Never mind, I owe her a favor. I shall give him to Ames. Killing him will only cause unnecessary risks.
Shaking his head, Han Xiao kept his thoughts about killing Aesop to himself.
Aesop could only see into a small part of the future, but what he knew about was the overall trend!
There was no reason for him to be afraid!
Han Xiao placed his arms around Aesop’s shoulder and whispered to Aesop’s ear, “I refuse.”
Aesop’s expression stiffened. Why did he whisper then? It gave him false hope…
Han Xiao contacted Ames on his communicator. As soon as the image showed up, Ames saw Aesop, who was standing beside Han Xiao. Her beautiful eyes brightened as a tint of a smile appeared on her face.
“Aesop, my teacher, I’ve really missed you.”
Aesop smiled bitterly. From Ames’ tone, he could hear a strong sense of dissatisfaction. Even without using his foresight ability, he could tell that he was in a bad situation.
After hiding for so many years, who knew how much unhappiness Ames had suppressed; falling into her hands would be truly horrible.
Then, Ames turned to look at Han Xiao and said, “Wait for me, I’m almost there!”
The image turned black right after; she was very quick to act.
Aesop was frustrated. He turned to look at Han Xiao. “Won’t you reconsider?”
“She has already seen you. Do you think I can possibly let you go?” Han Xiao smiled.
Not much later, Ames’ spaceship arrived at the port. Han Xiao took Aesop to the pier, and Ames saw him as soon as she got off her spaceship. She walked over with a fearsome aura!
Han Xiao’s hand that grabbed Aesop’s shoulder clearly felt the old man’s body shiver.
“Dragon Emperor‽”
At this moment, the pedestrians near the pier were in an uproar. With faces of horror, they hurried back far away. They had not expected one of the strongest people in the Shattered Star Ring to suddenly appear.
“Don’t you have something to say to me?” Ames was expressionless.
Aesop sighed as if he accepted his fate. “Alright, I should have come back to see you long ago and shouldn’t have hidden from you. Let’s not stand here and let others watch, let’s go.”
As he was speaking, he walked up the gangway. Before entering the spacecraft, he looked back at Han Xiao, and a smile suddenly appeared on his face.
Ames was about to return to the ship, but she suddenly thought of something and turned around to look at Han Xiao.
She paused. With a serious and solemn tone, she said, “Thank you.”
Han Xiao waved his hand. “It’s a small matter. I’m just repaying my favor.”
“No, I owe you.”
Ames’ tone was unquestionable. She suddenly hesitated before slowly reaching out. The soft black sleeves slid down her smooth arm, revealing her slender white palm, and she patted Han Xiao on his shoulder.
She was a neat freak and would never willingly touch others, but this time, she made an exception.
Although she looked calm on the surface, she was actually very happy, so she was very grateful to Han Xiao, who had captured Aesop. She knew how cunning Aesop was. She had caught wind of his whereabouts before, but she had ended up disappointed every time. This success surprised her.
After a short pat, Ames quickly pulled back her hand and turned around to go up the ship. Han Xiao, however, did not think it was unusual. At that moment, he thought of something and hastily used the blank Character Summon Card in his interface before Ames closed the door, generating her Character Summon Card.
Boom!
The ship unleashed a deep rumbling sound and left the dock along the track, soon disappearing.
Han Xiao stayed on the dock. He had just informed the others, so they heard the news and quickly gathered, watching the spaceship fly away.
“Black star, since we’re done here, where are we going now?” Herlous asked.
“Let’s take a break at Noriosse and leave tomorrow.” Han Xiao turned to Wilsander and asked, “Do you want to stick around with us?”
“I’m not in a hurry to go back. Plus, it’s too boring to stay on Floating Dragon Island. Hehe, it seems like I’ll have to disturb you for some time.” Wilsander gave his standard cheeky smile.
“As long as you don’t spend my money, you can disturb us for as long as you want.” Han Xiao shrugged.
This time, they heard a commotion from the direction of the hall. A group of superiors from Noriosse financial group had heard the news of Ames’ arrival and hurried here. They did not dare neglect such an important person, but after picking up Aesop, Ames had left immediately. The whole process had only taken a few minutes, so these financial group superiors were too late.
Thus, the executives of the financial group approached Han Xiao and chatted with him enthusiastically with warm smiles on their faces.
The Dragon Emperor had left, but they would never go away with nothing, so they decided to form a relationship with Black Star and see if they could provide any help, showing the attitude of Noriosse.
Originally, when Han Xiao first arrived on Noriosse, those financial group executives had only told their employees to send a greeting. However, now that the Dragon Emperor had appeared, things were different. They felt that they had to personally come to say hello to show their sincerity. The attention that the financial group superiors paid Han Xiao rose many levels.
As they were talking, the sound of several footsteps came from not far away. The people subconsciously looked in that direction.
A group of Godorans in combat suits hurried through the hall, looking to have just arrived. The leader looked brave and extraordinary.
“Godorans? What are they doing here?” Han Xiao’s eyes were also attracted. He curiously looked at the leader of the Godoran, and his expression suddenly changed.
He knew that person.
This was a Grade A Super!
…
On Ames’ ship, Aesop stood before a porthole, silently looking at the distant Noriosse.
“What are you looking at?” Ames asked from behind.
Aesop stopped looking and smiled with satisfaction.
“You have a good officer. He’s trustworthy.”
“You mean Black Star?” Ames nodded. “He is indeed very capable. Didn’t you meet him long ago? You even told him to send me a message.”
Aesop shook his head and laughed.
“I’m old now. I almost forgot about that.”
As he spoke, Aesop lowered his head, opened the communicator, and deleted a letter that had been set to send at a certain time. The receiver was shockingly Ames, whom he always blocked communication requests from.
Aesop shook his head.
“If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have come to the Shattered Star Ring into this trap…”
Aesop knew Ames too well—capricious, arbitrary, not good at plotting. Just as Black Star had asked, if he did not want to be found by Ames, he could have hidden far away, so why did he have to return to Shattered Star Ring?
As for his motivation, of course, it was not to tease Ames. Although he was indeed tired of living, his taste was not that boring. His goal was surprisingly Han Xiao!
Someone had used his name to deceive Ames. Wh
at if this person had found Ames’ weakness and deliberately used it to get close to her while harboring ulterior motives?
Aesop had been very worried about that.
No matter what kind of power Ames had, in his eyes, she would always be the little girl who needed someone to take care of.
Hence, he had returned to Shattered Star Ring, exposing his whereabouts and leading Ames’ officers to track him down. If Han Xiao did not catch him, then this man was only so capable. If Han Xiao did catch him, Aesop would start the second round of his test. He had made the follow-up preparation long ago; he deliberately showed his prophecy ability while at the same time angering Han Xiao. If Black Star was really the Dragon Emperor’s enemy, he would not allow such a dangerous enemy to live.
If Aesop died, that timed messages that he had set long ago would have reminded Ames of his death, and the culprit would have been the one who lied to her.
Aesop placed his own life, that of an old man, on the line and made a bet. If he died, Ames would not easily believe in others again, which he felt would be very worthwhile. After living for so long, the habit of looking for death had integrated into his blood—it would only make him feel thrilled and excited.
Although he looked like he did not care on the surface, he actually cared a lot about Ames. Aesop had no children, so Ames was like an adopted daughter to him.
Of course, Han Xiao did not know that his casual words to convince Ames back then on Floating Dragon Island would cause such a butterfly effect, leading the two of them who had never met each other in his previous life to meet for the first time, indirectly changing the fate of hundreds of trillions of people.
Black Star… Aesop thought, Very promising guy. If he lives for a thousand years like me, he will be a hundred times more horrifying than I am.
With his help, Ames will at least have an easier time…
Chapter 482. Trap |
