Chapter 231: Homeward Bound
After a restful sleep, Qi Han packed up his belongings first thing in the morning and tossed everything into Ru Yi's storage space, all while grumbling once again.
"Ru Yi, you actually raised your prices?"
Indeed, what once cost a mere hundred gold coins for one cubic meter per day had now doubled to two hundred.
"Ahem, recently I found that the storage space upgrades with system upgrades too. Now it can store living things as well as non-living, so naturally, the price went up," Ru Yi replied with a self-assured cough.
Qi Han glanced down at Pururu in his arms, contemplating.
"But I'm not storing any living things. Pururu refuses to go in."
"Think of it like a presidential suite with a free gym, outdoor pool, and private garden. Just because you don't work out, swim, or party in the garden doesn't mean they'll charge you a penny less, does it?"
"Fair point," Qi Han conceded with a nod. "But why would I want to party in the garden?"
"Let's not get bogged down by details."
"Fine." With a sigh, Qi Han pulled out two hundred gold coins and handed them over to Ru Yi.
"By the way, the system space was already upgraded when we went to the Hellfire Corridor, right? Why didn't the price go up back then?" he suddenly remembered as the coin slip vanished.
"Oh, right! I forgot!" Ru Yi cried out in delight. "So you actually owe me another hundred coins!"
"Scram!"
"Got it. And before I go, I definitely won't tell you that Side Quest 3 is complete!"
Qi Han's eyes lit up, and he eagerly pulled out another hundred coins. "Keep the change!"
Then he opened the quest interface with a grin, and the completion screen for Side Quest 3 popped up.
[Side Quest 3: Teach Cooking Please (Completed)
Reward: Random 3 Star Dish Recipe x1 (Claimable), 3 Star Optional Recipe Fragments x2 (Claimable)]
Claiming the two Recipe Fragments, Qi Han's gaze fell excitedly on the Random 3 Star Dish Recipe, his eyes glinting with anticipation.
Although he had several unlearned recipes left and hadn't yet mastered "Wensi Tofu" after ten days of practice, he was unfazed by this new recipe. He'd long since reached the point of being at ease under a pile of unfinished tasks; this new 3-star recipe was hardly intimidating.
Not to mention he still had a locked 4-star recipe awaiting him—no pressure there.
"Wait."
Just as he was about to tap "Claim," Qi Han remembered something, put Pururu down, dashed to the restroom, and washed his hands before returning to make the selection.
Last time he washed his hands, his random recipe roll had landed on a 4-star recipe.
Handwashing is the way to go!
With a tap on "Claim," Qi Han found himself transported into the system space.
He and Ru Yi watched the spinning purple roulette wheel overhead, eyes fixed in anticipation. When the wheel finally stopped, a dish appeared before him.
3-Star Recipe: Dinghu Shangsu!
Qi Han took a deep breath, savoring the joy of his ritual handwashing.
This dish, composed of three types of mushrooms, six varieties of edible fungus, nine kinds of bamboo shoots, and one fiddlehead, creates a rich umami flavor indistinguishable from that of meat. This culinary masterpiece earned a place in the Manchu-Han Imperial Feast.
Drawing this dish had taken him by surprise.
He'd always assumed it would be classified as a 4-star recipe.
"This dish sells for 2,000 gold coins per serving, just a step away from 4 stars," Ru Yi noted quietly, sensing Qi Han's satisfaction.
No kidding! Handwashing FTW!
Qi Han eagerly reviewed his stockpile of unused recipes.
2-Star Recipes: Bodhi Vegetarian Dish, Dragon Well Tea Shrimp, Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish, Fish-flavored Shredded Pork, Swallow-Skin Dumplings, Spicy Fish Head with Chopped Peppers.
3-Star Recipes: Jade Dragon Tendon, Dinghu Shangsu.
And adding the nearly mastered 3-Star Recipe: Wensi Tofu.
In the near future, it seemed he wouldn't be short on new dishes.
Perfect; he could introduce these gradually at the Shrek City store as surprises for his customers.
Picking up Pururu once more, Qi Han smiled to himself.
A month away…he missed his customers back at Shrek.
And…her.
Even a single day felt like three years apart, and it had now been four days since he'd last seen Yue Lengxin—a total of twelve years by that measure.
Round up, and that's sixteen years.
…
Having separated from the Shrek Academy faculty and students, Qi Han had to join the Feng Clan Convoy caravan bound for Shrek City. Fortunately, both cities were major hubs with frequent caravans between them.
Qi Han's popularity in Star Luo City was greater than he'd realized. As a result, he donned a hooded cloak to lessen the chance of being recognized and approached by well-wishers.
If word got out he was leaving, he doubted he'd even make it past the city gates.
Thankfully, everything went smoothly. Star Luo City had returned to normal; the gates were wide open and traffic flowed freely.
Following the caravan through the gates, Qi Han was startled by two loud shouts.
"Hyah!"
"Hyah!"
Two magnificent, blood-red unicorns shot past, speeding like thunder.
When Qi Han saw the people atop the unicorns, his eyes lit up.
Wasn't that Senior Tai Lei and Senior Zhao Yunsheng?
It had been a month since they last saw each other, but both seniors were as energetic as ever!
What brought them here?
Seeing the anxious expressions on their faces, as if rushing to a crucial appointment, Qi Han immediately understood.
Ah! Got it!
They must have urgent business for the Tang Sect!
These two seniors were truly dedicated.
With this thought, Qi Han mentally gave them a thumbs-up, then quietly continued with the caravan, leaving Star Luo City.
He'd originally thought of calling out to say hello, but seeing their obvious urgency, he decided not to delay them from their important matters.
Go for it, Seniors!
…
Lanbo City.
Located along the Star Luo Empire's coastline, this town was known for its unique marine catch—the green trout fish. Most of Lanbo's residents made a living fishing for these rare trout.
At dawn, a lone figure stood quietly on the shore of Lanbo City.
The figure wore a hood, the loose robe concealing his entire form.
As the hood slowly lifted, a face appeared beneath.
It was a man with skin so deeply tanned it was almost ebony, his features strikingly handsome with a hint of ruggedness, and eyes bright like the sun, occasionally flickering with a wise, discerning light.
Such a dark complexion was exceedingly rare on Douluo Continent.
Behind him, figures rushed in from every direction.
Each bore a travel-worn look, as though they'd journeyed from distant lands.
"Everyone's here?"
The dark-skinned man gave a gentle, respectful smile, turning to the group. "How goes the information gathering?"
In response, each figure's hand glowed, and thick bundles of documents materialized before them, neatly stacked and respectfully handed to the man.
Anyone knowledgeable enough to recognize these artifacts would be stunned; every member of this group wore, as accessories, items thought long lost to Douluo Continent—unobtainable at any price today:
Soul storage devices!
Seeing the stack of documents, the dark-skinned man's smile widened. "The ship is ready; it's time to go home."
Go home…
Their eyes shone with eagerness.
They had endured hardship, left behind their families and traveled overseas. After all this time, were they finally returning home?
"Your…Your Highness!" The figure who'd collected the documents appeared slightly higher in rank than the others and now gathered his courage to speak, voice trembling with excitement. "When…when will we return to claim this prosperous land for ourselves?"
"Your Highness"—a title for royalty, denoting the son of a nation's ruler.
This dark-skinned man was, in fact, a prince.
Upon hearing this, the man did not immediately reply but looked around at the others, each gaze filled with fervor and anticipation.
He smiled approvingly and spoke softly.
"Soon. According to Lord Hong Chen's calculations, it will likely be another year before this continent detects our presence here."
There was a knowing edge to his voice. "A year is plenty of time to prepare, don't you think?"
Lord Hong Chen!
At the mention of this name, every eye around him flared with passion.
That individual was a source of pride, the first in the continent's history to break through the ninth level, achieving a level of mastery only spoken of in legend.
Only with his creation of the first weapon powerful enough to be deemed legendary did they come to realize the existence of the Douluo Continent sooner than anyone here could have known.
A Tenth-Level Soul Tool—World Command!
"Let's go. The ship is here, and it's time to depart."
The man clenched his fists, and as he turned, his eyes glowed with a fierce light.
If his followers were filled with excitement, he was no less enthusiastic.
But compared to his followers, he knew more of the hidden truth.
While everyone at home thought they were here to conquer new lands...
Only he and his fellow royals knew the real mission.
They weren't here to expand the kingdom.
They had come for vengeance!
With a bound, he stepped onto the ship, casting one final look back at the boundless land behind him.
The Qian Clan was long gone; the Dai Clan had just been toppled from the throne.
All that remained was the Heaven Dou Empire's Xue Clan, struggling to maintain a fragile stability amidst political storms.
But did anyone still remember that millennia ago, during the chaotic age of Douluo Continent, there had been a fourth family alongside the other three?
Veni, vidi, vici!
I came, I saw, I conquered!
I have set foot upon these lands, and I have gazed upon its mountains and rivers.
Next time I return, it shall be to conquer!
The Xu Family is ready. The Sun Moon Empire is ready.
So now...
Douluo Continent—are you ready?
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