The next day.
Mealtime arrived once again. Valerius pushed his small food cart forward—but this time, things were different.
Beside the cart, there was another small trolley.
[March 7th]: Huh? There's an extra cart today.
[Stelle]: I have a bad feeling. This is definitely another trap.
[Herta]: Valerius is very cunning. Be careful.
[Keqing]: I feel like something big is coming.
[Sampo]: Let's see… I've got a bad feeling too.
Valerius arrived at Room No. 1 and walked inside.
"Here. Your meal."
The food this time smelled incredible. Just from the aroma alone, Jean and Kuki Shinobu could already tell how good it was going to be.
Once the dishes were placed on the table, the two of them couldn't wait and took a bite.
"Delicious."
For a brief moment, Jean felt that all the suffering they had endured before was completely worth it.
[Silver Wolf]: Is Valerius stupid? If the food is this good every day, how's he supposed to get people to spend points?
[Arataki Itto]: If I got food like this every day, I wouldn't spend a single point.
[Keqing]: Now that the temptation of food has been neutralized… the real question is what Valerius will bring out next.
[Jing Yuan]: Let's wait and see.
Seeing how happily the two were eating, Valerius pushed the other cart forward.
"Care to make a deal?"
Looking at the sealed box, the two of them smiled disdainfully at the same time.
"Mr. Valerius, no matter what you say, we won't be spending any more points."
With food and entertainment secured, their situation was already stable.
No matter what Valerius tried to sell them now, they weren't falling for it again.
"Listen to me first." Valerius raised a hand to stop them, then continued,
"This item is worth three points. Once you buy it, you can use it immediately."
"Not buying."
"No need."
Neither of them even hesitated.
They wouldn't buy a one-point item—let alone something that cost three.
"Are you sure?" Valerius stared at them intensely, lowering his voice.
"Once you miss this chance, there won't be another. I'm bleeding money here—are you really passing?"
"No."
The two shook their heads in unison, fully convinced that as long as they didn't take the bait, Valerius couldn't do anything to them.
"Sigh… what a pity."
Valerius let out a regretful sigh, then opened the box right in front of them.
"Huh?"
Seeing what was inside, both of them froze.
If they weren't mistaken, this was the gacha machine Furina had used during the last drawing.
"This thing… it's a gacha machine."
"Yes." Valerius nodded, a playful smile appearing on his face.
"As long as you spend three points, you can immediately draw once—and every reward inside is worth at least five points."
"What?!"
The two of them felt as if they'd been struck by lightning.
They never, ever expected Valerius to bring out something like this.
"We'll buy it—we'll buy it!"
"Sorry." Valerius smiled. "You already gave up on this deal."
Then, before their stunned eyes, Valerius pulled out a hammer and smashed the gacha machine to pieces.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Jean shut her eyes in pain.
You're not smashing a machine.
You're smashing my heart.
"Hah."
After completely destroying the machine, Valerius swept the wreckage back into the box.
"Looking forward to our next deal. Goodbye."
With the two of them on the verge of tears, Valerius pushed his little cart away without looking back.
[Stelle]: My god… even prizes can be sold like this?
[Ningguang]: This is truly something else…
[Keqing]: Missing this chance… it hurts just thinking about it.
[Eula]: Honestly, the daughter of the Gunnhildr clan really let this slip.
[Amber]: Captain Jean isn't going to cry, is she?
[Raiden Ei]: What was Kuki Shinobu doing? Why didn't she buy it?
[Yae Miko]: I can't breathe. There's no problem a gacha machine can't solve.
[Arataki Itto]: Man… A-Shinobu really missed her chance.
All of Teyvat was filled with regret.
Such an opportunity, just gone—something you'd regret for a lifetime.
Luckily, there was still another group.
On the Honkai: Star Rail side, everyone was on edge.
Valerius stopped in front of the next door and raised his hand.
[March 7th]: Himeko, you have to grab this chance!
[Stelle]: I'm nervous now…
[Welt]: Sigh… this doesn't look good.
[Silver Wolf]: If you don't get a reward this time, I'm exposing Kafka's browsing history.
[Firefly]: Isn't it just pictures of coats? Nothing special.
[Silver Wolf]: I'll fake some.
[Sparkle]: Can't wait!
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The door opened, and Valerius pushed the cart inside.
Neither of them realized that a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was right in front of them.
Same dishes. Same flavors.
"Deal or not? Three points. Mysterious item, take it home."
"Take it away."
This time, Kafka rejected it without hesitation.
[Silver Wolf]: We're doomed.
[Firefly]: What a waste.
Himeko, however, studied the box for a moment before asking,
"What is this?"
"Classified."
"Buy it and see for yourself, or I leave."
After a moment of thought, Himeko raised her head.
"Then take it away."
Once again, the deal was rejected.
[Stelle]: Pfft—spitting blood.
[March 7th]: Ah… why is it like this…
[Welt]: March… this is actually the normal choice.
Watching the reward slip away again—even though it wasn't really Himeko's fault—the Astral Express crew still felt their hearts ache.
If they could've bought that prize, even losing the game would've been worth it.
But… unfortunately…
That perfect opportunity slipped right through their fingers.
To Read advanced Chapters, head over to P@treon
patreon.com/DarkVerse146