The atmosphere in the room was even more eerie than when Dan Heng had first entered.
Welt's expression was particularly spectacular. How long had it been since Caelus returned from the Herta Space Station?
Huh?
Just what kind of operation did he pull off to join the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus and mix his way up to second-in-command?
According to the new recruit assessment intelligence from the Seat of Divine Foresight, that amount of time shouldn't even be enough to become a rookie, right?
Although this matter sounded incredibly bizarre and unbelievable, no one present disbelieved it. They all believed in the duo's ability to stir up trouble.
"Aaaah! Why did it turn out like this!? Wu wu wu!?"
Great Detective March 7th clutched her head and let out a wail. She could not understand it.
Strictly speaking, using the intelligence given by Sushang could be considered cheating—using a smurf account.
What is crueler than losing a game?
Cheating by hiring a Challenger-rank booster and still failing to win.
And what is crueler than losing despite cheating?
Voluntarily raising the stakes and tripling the bet right before the final settlement!
March 7th, turning gray and white on the spot, knelt weakly on the ground. Her appearance of utter despair was only missing the line, "I can't do anything anymore."
"Sigh, how pitiful."
The Stellaron spirit shook his head and sighed as if he were quite sympathetic, but considering he was one of the main culprits, the mockery in his tone was far more prominent.
"My poor Ah Qi. You wanted to use an evil heart to dominate us, but in the end, you couldn't defeat the envoys of justice. You lost the game, your heart collapsed from anger, and now you're crying and making a scene. How pitiful~!"
"Aaaah! I'm so pissed off!"
Caelus's taunts caused March 7th's rage meter to instantly soar several times over.
Hardened. The fist is hardened!
Anger rose from Little March's heart, and evil grew from her gall. She immediately bared her fangs and brandished her claws, lunging at Caelus.
"Weak! Weak!"
Laughing loudly, Caelus was quick of eye and hand. seizing the moment March 7th flew through the mid-air, he suddenly reached out and hugged her by the waist.
The entire fluid motion made it look as if March 7th had actively thrown herself into Caelus's arms.
"Stop it, Ah Qi. Outside, there are Caelus-cubs everywhere."
Stelle cooperated perfectly, grabbing March 7th's wrists which had circled Caelus's neck, and bound her small hands tightly together.
"Let go of me!"
With her hands bound, her posture accentuating her curves was a bit shameful. March 7th's clear and lively face gradually dyed crimson as she shouted:
"You two are double-teaming me! It's unfair!"
"What unfair? The situation now is that you lost. Could it be, Ah Qi, that you want to renege on the bet?"
Caelus lifted March 7th until her feet left the ground, tilting his head to stare at her.
"I, I... This young lady keeps her word!"
Stared at by two gray-hairs and four burning golden eyes, March 7th stiffened her neck, then glared back at the two of them, puffing up her cheeks in anger.
She had already lost the game; couldn't they at least let her vent a little?
"Alright, Star, let go of her hands."
Caelus placed the girl on the ground, took a small step back, twisted his waist, placed one hand on his hip, and raised the other, striking a slanted JOJO pose:
"To deal with a mere Ah Qi, I have ten thousand plans... Sa! Let the duel begin!"
March 7th was just about to activate her 'Beautiful Girl's Privilege' when her footsteps suddenly paused. She stared at Caelus pinching the hem of Stelle's skirt and the hand he was lifting upwards. Her little head immediately recalled the scene from that night of Strip Mahjong.
"Caelus—! W-What are you guys doing?"
Pa-ji!
In that gap of distraction, March 7th lost the initiative and was grabbed by the shoulders by Caelus, effectively controlled.
"By using the posture of lifting the skirt hem, I attract the target's attention, forcing them to ponder whether there are safety shorts, panties, or nothing at all underneath, thereby seizing the opportunity for a one-hit kill tactic."
"Stelle, are you willing to let Caelus use you like this?"
March 7th's face was full of grief and indignation as she learned to sow discord.
"Sorry, Ah Qi. Caelus-cub is my Big Brother (Today's Limited Edition)," Stelle said in a solemn, deep voice.
Watching the three of them chasing and playing, Little Duck could no longer maintain her Silver Wing-style big sister smile.
She lost.
It didn't matter much to her personally; it was Silver Wing's body anyway, and she was used to the 'White Hole Memory Overflow Error'.
The problem was Seele.
She had to watch Seele closely and couldn't let her be alone with Caelus!
Dan Heng and Old Yang digested and discussed the explosive amount of information brought back by the Star Rail duo.
That night, Seele was called away by Silver Wolf, who was using Caelus's game account, to play ranked matches.
Silver Wing (Bronya), having returned to her body, played a 'pincer attack' ranked session with Stelle and Caelus. At the start, Caelus and Silver Wing jointly attacked the ancient-costumed Stelle.
After wearing down most of Stelle's stamina using the female body, Silver Wing threw the body, which didn't have much stamina left, back to Little Duck.
wearing it herself, she could only estimate based on the attack speed and critical hit rate increased by Caelus. When Bronya put on the ancient costume, Stelle was stunned by her beauty.
In short, it was a great battle that left endless aftertastes.
The next day, early morning.
"Today is another day full of hope~!"
Dressed in a pink, white, and blue-violet dress, with her precious camera pinned to her waist, and finally adjusting the position and tightness of her leg ring in front of the mirror, March 7th walked out of the room on her exquisite, slender legs.
The unwillingness from losing the competition yesterday had vanished like smoke after a good sleep, highlighting her trait of never holding onto overnight worries.
Cute and lovely, no brains needed!
"Eh?"
After greeting Uncle Yang, who was sitting on the sofa reading a newspaper, March 7th's exquisite jade nose sniffed the air. She tilted her head in confusion towards the kitchen.
A fragrance?
"Is someone using the kitchen?"
Regarding the kitchen on the inn floor, probably not one out of a hundred guests who checked in would use it even once.
But as a high-end inn, the guests might not use it, but it couldn't be absent. What if a tourist had a sudden whim to try cooking Xianzhou cuisine themselves?
The girl clasped her hands behind her back, her little boots tapping on the floor as she trotted over—da da da.
The bamboo scent of a steamer mixed with the sweetness of dates wafted through the room. March 7th locked onto the delicious food at a glance.
Inside the golden cake, several red dates were basking in the sun, glowing with a honey-like luster and dotted with crushed peanuts, making one's index finger twitch with appetite.
What stunned March 7th even more was the figure wearing the apron.
"Caelus? You actually got up early today?"
As if seeing the sun rise from the west, March 7th's face was full of astonishment, which subsequently transformed into vigilance.
Among the top three bed-rotters of the Express crew, she firmly held third place, while Caelus and Stelle competed for first. And yet...
"Not going to the inn's buffet cafeteria, but cooking breakfast yourself? Such abnormal behavior... Hmm, I understand. Next, let I, the Great Detective March 7th, unravel the mystery!"
Pushing up non-existent glasses, March 7th extended her finger with full momentum: "There is only one truth!"
Her eyes gradually filling with 'wisdom', she voiced her deduction:
"You want to use today's breakfast to commit a crime! To frame Ah Xing."
There was actually another suspicion point: March 7th had just seen Caelus filming the steamed cake production process with his phone. Was this act leaving criminal evidence for himself?
Usually, suspects wouldn't do that.
"Speak!"
Little March questioned him with awe-inspiring righteousness: "What did you add to it? Did you secretly add chili peppers?"
"Jie jie jie, since you discovered it, I have no choice but to silence the witness!"
Caelus revealed a villainous, insidious smile. He picked up a piece of pastry, licked it lightly first, and then took a bite: "This Persimmon Date Sweet Steamed Cake... I added poison to it!"
"Wait, I... Mmph!"
She originally intended to follow the script of the protagonist from The Case of the Fisherman she read last night and launch a 'Talk no Jutsu', but just as March 7th opened her mouth, a piece of steamed cake was stuffed into it.
"Delish!"
The dense texture mixed with sweetness made the girl's eyes narrow slightly, like a pink and white cat that had just been groomed.
Uh, wait, hold on!
Soon, March 7th reacted. This piece was the one Caelus had just bitten. Doesn't this count as... an indirect kiss?
"How is it? My skill in making desserts isn't bad, right!"
Caelus didn't notice the girl whose face had suddenly turned red, smiling proudly.
The recipe Ruan Mei gave him; the taste was indeed quite good!
"Wu, better than Sister Himeko's."
Muttering with a flushed little face, March 7th lowered her head and took small bites. She finished eating with her cheeks puffed out like a cute little squirrel; the sweetness and fragrance digested her shyness.
"Cough cough, from today on, this young lady appoints you as the Express's Royal Pastry Chef. Future desserts are up to you!"
Greatly pleased, Little March placed her hands on her hips to bestow the reward.
"If I recall correctly, Stelle and I won the competition. You should be executing three of our orders, right?"
"Uh..."
Tragic memories flashed back. March 7th deflated like a leaking balloon. Her eyes darted around vividly as she activated her 'Acting Cute and Spoiled' tactic.
"Caeluuus~~~"
"Alright, alright, you take this and go eat."
Caelus handed the plate containing the cakes to March.
"Wait, why is that plate different from these few? Are you giving Bronya special treatment?"
March 7th pointed at the cakes that looked sparkling on the outside, as if gummy candy had been added, signaling with her eyes that she wanted some too.
"That is a 'special ingredient' edition I prepared specially. Are you sure you want it?" Caelus asked with smiling eyes.
"For Star and Bronya?"
"No."
"Then who is it prepared for?"
March 7th was surprised. Just then, a bang bang knocking sound came from the door.
"Mr. Welt, this little woman apologizes for the intrusion."
A charming and tender voice came from the living room, causing March 7th to blink. Wasn't this voice Miss Tingyun?
"She's here."
Caelus untied his apron and sprinkled a layer of crushed peanuts onto the 'special ingredient' steamed cake, covering the sparkling gummy candies, and shouted enthusiastically:
"Shi... Persimmon Date Sweet Steamed Cake is served!"
"Tingyun, haven't had breakfast yet, right? Pastries I made myself—come taste my craft."
"Oh? I never expected Benefactor to be skilled in the culinary arts as well. Then this little woman will respectfully obey."
'Tingyun', whose relationship with the Express crew was already quite familiar, didn't stand on ceremony. At Caelus's invitation, she sat by the dining table.
The Foxian girl, smiling brimming with smiles, picked up a piece of cake that was perfect in color and fragrance from the plate and brought it to her pink lips.
After getting close, 'Tingyun' suddenly paused. The smell seemed a bit... strange.
She just assumed it was Caelus's cooking issue; perhaps the heat wasn't controlled well.
Taking a bite, 'Tingyun' chewed carefully. The taste was a bit different from what she imagined. She took another bite; it was still a bit weird.
However, with Tingyun's EQ, she naturally wouldn't give a bad review directly. Under Caelus's expectant gaze, 'Tingyun' gave a charming smile and nodded.
"Delicious! Benefactor's craft truly surprises this little woman. Crispy on the outside and glutinous on the inside, with a refreshing sweetness when chewing the inner layer."
'Tingyun' picked only nice words to say.
Welt's expression was subtle.
Currently, only he knew that under 'Tingyun's' skin was the Lord Ravager Phantylia. What he didn't know was, why was Caelus doing this?
What was that cake?
"As long as you love it. I made it using a special seasoning given to me by a friend that makes pastries more delicious. Do you want some? I can give you some."
Like a chef whose hard-made cuisine had been recognized, Caelus looked satisfied and gratified.
"A special seasoning that makes pastries more delicious? What is it?" 'Tingyun' asked curiously.
"It's this."
Caelus's smile remained unchanged as he took out a bottle the size of a mineral water bottle from the kitchen. It was filled with unprocessed Energy Residue.
Although it was residue, its appearance was excellent, each piece looking like a crystal gummy candy.
When Phantylia saw that bottle of Energy Residue, the smile on her face froze. She only felt her stomach begin to churn, and a wave of nausea regurgitated upwards.
No wonder she felt the taste was off!
In here! In here, he added...!
Retch!
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