Chapter 323: Knight of Beauty
"Continuing from the last chapter, a heavy rain saved you as you lay collapsed in the desert. This rain extinguished the anger in your heart. You look at your companion beside you, who has already lost all will to fight, and want to comfort her… At this moment—what action should you take to 'make her laugh'?"
Caelus thought for a moment. "Pat her head?"
Firefly looked helpless. "This doesn't feel like trying to make me laugh—it feels more like you're about to abandon me…"
"Tell a lame joke?"
"Right now it's testing 'body language'… You probably can't just get by with lines, can you?"
"Stand up, let's get going!"
"This doesn't feel like trying to make me laugh—it feels more like you're about to abandon me…"
"Roll around in the sand!"
"Ah… this…" Firefly covered her mouth and burst out laughing.
The judge expressed approval. "Correct answer! Your companion watches you rolling in the sand, recalling all the hardships of this journey. She can't help but laugh, and hope reignites in her heart. So this young lady—"
"I'll… stand up and set off again with him."
[I will ignite the sea.]
[I will ignite the starry sea.]
"So touching! The story continues. That heavy rain gave the two of you a whiff of business opportunity, and you started venturing into the umbrella industry. But just as business was picking up, competitors began dumping low-priced goods in massive quantities to seize the market.
You had no choice but to sell your high-priced stockpiled inventory at a loss… This was no different from drinking poison to quench thirst, dragging you to the brink of bankruptcy. At this moment—what decision would the unyielding you make?"
Hearing this, Caelus turned around and resolutely left, muttering under his breath—"The hero leaves his hometown, comes to dreamland to pioneer. If dreamland won't keep me, this old man will join the Annihilation Gang…"
[Hahaha, Aha said they smelled it and came running.]
[From now on I feel like Aha might just straight-up glance over.]
[Hahaha, how is this plot so hilariously absurd?]
Firefly hurriedly grabbed Caelus. "This is basically admitting defeat… Come back, come back…"
But the next moment, Caelus dropped to his knees with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly to the business rival. A person can live a safe life relying on just four big words—"Spare this good man's life"!
[Firefly bowing her head too, I couldn't hold it in.]
[Aha: This I gotta get up and watch.]
[Bro, it's not gonna end with the protagonist getting Aha's power through this show, right?]
[Way too abstract.]
"Get up already… No one wins a business war by kowtowing…"
Caelus thought about it and realized it made sense, so he slammed the table and stood up. Make him back off? Impossible! A Trailblazer can be knocked down, but never defeated!
The judge showered praise without holding back. "Fantastic! Unfortunately, your friend doesn't agree. Seeing you buried in debt, she feels utterly hopeless for the future, and then—"
Firefly pondered for a moment before replying, "Uh… Then I lose all heart and leave Penacony… Is that okay?"
"Absolutely, way too okay! The two of you have exceptional acting talent—I'm about to cry! But what comes next is the real challenge. You'll face the harshest judge in the show's history—you can only rely on your flawless acting skills to make the other side yield!"
["About to cry!", the judge is pretty abstract too.]
[This whole segment is pure entertainment. When are we getting to the actual plot?]
[Isn't this pushing the plot? Be patient, the full drama's still far from over!]
— —
Finally, the two reached the third light. The absurdity had been played out.
This time, to save time, Caelus went straight for the clock trick.
Sure enough, instant results.
The final judge's emotion was changed to "melancholy."
The judge shouted loudly, "CUT!!! I never imagined that such a sorrowful scene could be performed by you two in such a joyful and heartwarming way. The two remain as friendly as ever, as if time and status mean nothing to them!"
"Hm?" Firefly scratched her head. "Huh? We haven't even done anything yet… She's way too good at filling in the blanks."
"Your performance even surpasses the original! It's… it's… it's practically—not acting at all!"
[God-tier, made me laugh for a second.]
[True, hahaha, not acting at all.]
[I'm really curious what the mindset was during that performance.]
— —
Next came the second stage, mostly involving intellectual decisions.
The two quickly cleared it and arrived at the entrance to the third stage.
The guide had clearly been waiting there for a long time. He indicated that the two had reached the final stage.
As long as they defeated the final enemy, they could claim the crown!
Caelus and Firefly had no reason to retreat—they resolutely advanced.
Besides, didn't they still have that bug skill, the clock trick?
As the two entered the third stage's arena, standing inside was a red-haired knight clad in silver armor.
Caelus looked at this familiar face. "No way, I think I'm seeing… someone incredibly extraordinary."
The camera slowly zoomed in, revealing the knight's full appearance—it was Argenti.
[It really is Argenti!]
[Hahaha, the background music just turned pure beauty.]
[Sorry, but seeing Argenti already has me laughing.]
— —
"Hold! Handsome sir, lovely miss, under the glory of 'Beauty,' I never expected we would meet again. Your warm faces in this tumultuous moment are like spring breezes, soothing my heart of scorching sand!"
Firefly blinked. "Could you be… a Knight of Beauty?"
Caelus: "So that red-haired contestant was you?!"
Argenti nodded. "I learned the festival was about to begin, so I ordered the 'Rare in the World' to full speed ahead, leading me to Penacony. However, without 'Beauty' watching over it, the galaxy is mired in turbidity. On my way here, I was delayed for a long time saving the dying and helping the injured…
Fortunately, the thirty-two stranded souls—including the dwarf rabbit mecha pilot, the wandering cat duelist, the galactic ninja, the four-wheel-drive intelligent machine, and others—all passed through their ordeals safely and unharmed… So I led everyone here together, to share in the harmony and joy with countless beautiful beings."
[Help, the galactic slacker is out saving people everywhere.]
[No wonder they say Argenti showing up anywhere isn't surprising.]
[What the heck is a galactic ninja?]
[And what's a four-wheel-drive intelligent machine? Transformers?]
[You know what, I'm genuinely not surprised at all. I just wanna say, as expected of Argenti—he's capable of this kind of thing!]
[From now on, call him Galactic Lei Feng.]
Caelus's mouth twitched. "You sure do a lot of saving…"
"I dare not accept such praise! It's just a pity that the company envoy as splendid and dazzling as a peacock is still in poor condition… How I wish he could join us in this grand celebration as well."
[Huh?? Argenti saved Aventurine?]
[Where did it say it was Aventurine?]
[Company envoy and peacock—how is that not obviously Aventurine?]
[Aventurine says that slash from Acheron hurt a bit. If it weren't for Preservation, he'd have dropped dead on the spot.]
— —
Caelus thought it over inwardly. He fully acknowledged Argenti's character, and given his prior understanding, this guy loved sparring with friends through combat.
Right now, Caelus just wanted to conserve strength—Argenti's combat power was freakish level.
So, Caelus chose to tell Argenti the truth.
As expected, Argenti immediately agreed that saving the world was an incomparably beautiful deed.
He then stepped aside, letting the two pass smoothly.
…
They arrived at the final stage.
The broadcast announced: "Congratulations to the Galactic Baseballer and Firefly for winning the championship of this Hot Sand Festival!"
At the same time, March 7th and Himeko also cleared the stages.
The four exchanged smiles and advanced together.
However, at that moment.
A familiar voice rang out. "Congratulations to the two of you for becoming the superstars of this Harmony Festival. Before entering the Grand Theater…"
The camera slowly panned, revealing his true face—Sunday.
"I, on behalf of the organizers, extend my sincere congratulations. May you enjoy joy under Their light."