"Sister Kafka!"
Danqing ran back into the room wrapped in a little quilt, ready to leap straight onto the bed. But while still in midair, Danqing was caught by the collar by Kafka.
"Huh?"
Danqing blinked.
"Oh, little Danqing~ You're all grown up now and can't sleep with me anymore~"
Kafka flicked Danqing on the forehead.
"Really not?"
Danqing tried to put up a struggle, but all that got was another flick on the head from Kafka.
Grievously covering her head, Danqing stared straight at Kafka with teary eyes.
"Oh, I really can't do anything with you. This is the last time!"
Resignedly, Kafka lifted a corner of the quilt and signaled for Danqing to get in.
"Oh yeah!!!"
Danqing let out a victorious cheer and slipped under the covers like a slippery little loach. As for Kafka's rule about not letting Danqing onto the bed in the future, Danqing didn't care about it at all.
From start to finish, Danqing lived by a single principle: let tomorrow's self worry about tomorrow's troubles! Today's joy should be enjoyed by today's self.
Looking at this still childish Emanator of the Permanence, Kafka let out a helpless sigh. Well, to be honest, Kafka was also encountering someone like Danqing for the first time—an existence who had become an Emanator at such a tender age. No, wait, looking across the entire universe, Danqing was the very first! Kafka had thought Danqing would mature quite a bit after becoming an Emanator, but now it seemed she was wrong.Aside from getting stronger, Danqing hasn't changed at all in any other way! Wait, it looks like she grew a little bit taller.
"Sis, Silver Wolf told me I'm going to the Luofu alone tomorrow. Is that true?"
Danqing poked her head out from under the blanket and asked the sleeping beauty beside her.
Kafka turned onto her side to look at Danqing and pinched Danqing's chubby cheeks. Oh my, the texture is still just as good, simply wonderful! She wondered how much longer Danqing would let her pinch them, and how much longer the baby fat on her cheeks would last... While carrying out missions, Kafka had once observed how a mother and son interacted.
When children were still very little, they were quite clingy, but as they gradually grew up, their relationship with their mothers grew increasingly distant, let alone consenting to such intimate actions as having their cheeks pinched. Danqing only ever allowed Kafka alone to pinch hers—even Silver Wolf wasn't allowed!
She wondered when Danqing's rebellious phase would arrive, and what she should do if it did? She couldn't beat her in a fight, and reasoning with her wouldn't work either when that time came. Ah, what a headache.
For now, it was fine. When Kafka pinched Danqing's face, Danqing didn't resist; instead, she took the initiative to press her face against Kafka's palm. There was no helping it—Danqing certainly cared about her pride, but what could she do when Kafka's pinching felt so good? She couldn't refuse, simply couldn't refuse at all!
"Yes, we all agreed."Kafka rested her head on her right hand while her left hand kept moving without a pause.
"Huh? Why?"
Danqing's head was buzzing. Danqing was like a flower in a greenhouse—how could he possibly accept being suddenly thrown out to face the wind and rain? Driven by this mindset, Danqing felt a strong sense of resistance.
"Little one~ Let me guess. During your showdown with Shuhu, you inherited an incredible power, didn't you?"
Kafka did not spell it out directly.
Hearing this, Danqing was startled. He hadn't told anyone present about the Permanence yet, but they already knew???
Wait, just now in the conversation with Sister Silver Wolf...
Yikes, even Sister Silver Wolf knew about my situation???
I was so foolish, truly. I only knew that the older sisters were very strong as Stellaron Hunters, but I hadn't expected their insight to be so freakishly terrifying! Ah, in front of them, I'm just like a total idiot; who knows, I might get sold one day and still help them count the money. Wuwuwu, this is too much bullying for a dragon.
"Uh, haha..."
Danqing gave an awkward laugh. For some reason, on Kafka's face, Danqing saw something called "the oppressive pressure of a parent."
"It's normal for a child who is growing up to have a few secrets of their own; I won't blame you. But that's not the main point. If you were just an ordinary Emanator, that would be fine, but you are an Emanator of the Permanence! Do you know what happened to the dragon of the Permanence? He has already fallen!
You are walking on a Path that currently has no Aeon in existence, and you even became an Emanator! Do you still think this matter is simple? You must know that we Stellaron Hunters are not invincible; when we encounter powerful Emanators, we are still helpless. Therefore, you need to learn to grow up and stop always relying on us.
On the Azure Star, there is an animal called the 'eagle.' Their babies aren't born knowing how to fly either. Even though they possess strong wings, if they don't have the courage to leap from a cliff, how can they become the supreme lords of the sky?"
Kafka pulled Danqing into her arms and reasoned with him step by step.
"So, I'm like a fledgling eagle, and this trip to the Luofu is my training?"
Danqing nuzzled against Kafka's arms—it was still that reassuring feeling. A blush flashed across Kafka's face, but she quickly calmed down.
"That's right. This trip to the Luofu is your trial. There are some things you need to face entirely on your own; we cannot help you. However, you can rest assured about one thing: we are always your family, and here will always be your home."
"Mm."Danqing nodded. Clearly, Kafka had persuaded him. He hadn't understood much, but as long as he followed instructions, it would be fine, right? Wasn't it just going to the Luofu alone? Piece of cake, he'd handle it with ease!
Still, just the thought of finding his own compatriots made Danqing feel a little flutter of excitement.
"All right, time for bed."
Kafka clicked off the bedside lamp, pulled the blanket up over Danqing, and everything was just as it always was.
The room plunged into darkness, and Danqing fell asleep almost immediately.
The next morning.
By the time Danqing woke up, Kafka was already up—though Danqing was used to that. It would have been abnormal if Kafka was still sleeping when he woke up!
After a quick wash and a big yawn, Danqing drifted over to the dining table to wait for Kafka to feed him.
Today, a familiar figure was waiting in the dining room!
"Brother Blade!"
Danqing greeted him with a joyful wave, calling out to Blade, who was sitting on the sofa sipping tea. Hearing his voice, Blade looked up and smiled back at Danqing.
Danqing scrambled off his chair, ran over to Blade, and spun around him twice.
"Brother Blade, you're okay?"
Danqing asked, not entirely certain.
Blade smiled and nodded. For an ordinary person, surviving such severe injuries would be a miracle among miracles, but Blade was different! Although he himself followed the Path of the Destruction, with Danqing's help he had received the blessing of the Abundance! He couldn't exactly be called undying, but his recovery rate far exceeded that of ordinary people!
Which meant that as long as he didn't sustain a fatal injury, Blade could bounce right back!
Blade had spent the entire previous night thinking, and now he was completely ready to go kill himself! A simple death would end all his troubles once and for all. But right now, he couldn't just leave everything behind with a clear conscience. Danqing, this little guy... sigh... he seemed to owe the kid a bit too much. Oh well, he'd just wait until the kid had grown up a bit!
Most importantly! Dan Heng!!! Don't think shedding your scales and reincarnating wipes the slate clean. Shedding your scales and eternal banishment could never repay your sins! You! You have yet to truly taste death!!!
Don't think the Astral Express can protect you! I will hunt you down to the ends of the universe, until you know what death tastes like!!!
"Little guy, I hear you're heading to the Luofu, is that right?"
Blade reached out to pat Danqing's head and said with a smile.
"Mmhmm! Sister Kafka said this is something I have to experience, so I need to act like a big boy! I'm going to breeze right through the little Luofu!"
Danqing put his hands on his hips, lifted his chin, and declared full of high spirits.
"Kafka is right. Necessary training is a must. Your power is immense, but your foundation is shaky. If you don't shore it up, you'll be like a crumbling tower—very dangerous!
"However, the currency used on the Luofu is Strale. Credits can be used, but they're inconvenient. You're still wet behind the ears, and I'm afraid some swindler with ill intentions might trick you, so I'd better prepare some Strale for you. Here is a Xianzhou card containing my former savings. I don't know what that Jing Yuan was thinking, leaving it unfrozen. It's useless to me now anyway, so I might as well give it all to you.
"I honestly forget how much is in there, but I estimate it's quite a bit—enough for a long-life species to squander away a lifetime."
At those words, Danqing's eyes lit up, and he happily accepted the card Blade handed him.
"Thank you, Brother Blade!"
"That said, I don't expect you to go wild and squander money the moment you arrive on the Xianzhou. That's not a good habit! Understand?"
Danqing nodded. He always listened very carefully to the Stellaron Hunters' lectures, though some things were just coded right into his DNA and couldn't be changed overnight. Like his fondness for lewndom...
"All right, go eat. Once you're done, set off for the Luofu. We'll be waiting right here for your return."
Blade ruffled Danqing's hair.
Danqing nodded and carefully tucked the card Blade had given him away for safekeeping!
Kafka had prepared breakfast for everyone—a massive table full of food!!!
Though most of it was meant for Danqing alone.
Danqing stuffed his face while listening to everyone's parting advice. The scene looked just like elders sending a loved one off on a long journey, giving endless instructions and warnings.
Danqing's physique was immensely powerful; traveling alone through the vastness of the universe posed zero pressure for him! Besides, Danqing wasn't old enough to pilot a spaceship anyway. So the plan Kafka had devised for him was simple: follow the stellar tracks to find the Luofu on his own, and then figure out a way to sneak inside!
For an Emanator of the Permanence, that was as easy as breathing.
After saying goodbye to everyone, Danqing transformed into his dragon form and soared out into the cosmos. With his phone's positioning system, finding the destination wouldn't be too difficult.
The others stood watching as Danqing flew off into the distance.
"All right, we have our own work to do. For the sake of that future, we need to make our move on the next target!"
Kafka stretched her wrists and said.
"True, it's time we kept pushing the Script forward! By the way, Silver Wolf, what about the Stellaron vessel?"
SAM asked.
"Everything's going smoothly. It'll be ready soon enough!"
Silver Wolf glanced at SAM and replied calmly.
"You know how important the vessel is. Don't mess it up!"
"Of course I know."
"Alright, everything is for the sake of that Destiny..."