"I'm telling you, honestly…"
Bailu folded her arms and looked at Sylvester, a trace of weariness far beyond her age reflected in her eyes.
After enduring multiple rounds of mental shock brought on by Curios, her psychological defenses were already quite sturdy—yet she still couldn't help but complain. "Why is your head full of this kind of rhetoric? You sound just like those old men who go on and on at the annual summary meetings, standing on the podium forever."
There was no helping it—this feeling was just far too familiar to her.
Every time those veteran Vidyadhara Elders spoke, it was always like this.
They would start by thanking this person and that person, then move on to, "After a year of hard work, we have achieved tremendous accomplishments!" Just when everyone thought they were about to say something pleasant, they would suddenly change tone with a sharp "But!" and launch into criticizing someone, rambling endlessly.
What was even more infuriating was that just when everyone thought they were finally about to wrap up, they would suddenly add, "I'll just say a few words," or "Let me add a couple more points," or "One last sentence."
And then… then they would go on talking for twice as long!
This once-a-year meeting was nothing short of torture for someone as lively and cheerful as Bailu.
And to make matters worse, as the Dragon Lady, she was always seated right in the center of the front row—without even a chance to slack off!
And now, hearing the same phrasing come out of Sylvester's mouth, unpleasant memories flooded her mind. Every pore on her body unconsciously tightened, and even the dragon scales on her tail trembled slightly.
Bailu asked cautiously and suspiciously, "You're not about to 'just say a few words,' are you?"
She had already made up her mind—if Sylvester said yes, she would immediately turn around and run back to the Alchemy Commission.
After all, she already had the Curio in hand. As for its specific usage, she could just ask any medical practitioner—it would be the same.
"Am I really that awful? It's just that your Curio is indeed a bit special." Seeing her reaction, Sylvester felt both amused and helpless.
He had originally thought that after all that suspense, Bailu would get angry and throw a tantrum. He hadn't expected her reaction to be this calm.
But once he heard the phrase "just say a few words," he immediately understood.
Even if her authority had been hollowed out, she was still the Dragon Lady of the Vidyadhara on the Xianzhou Luofu—she had eaten more salt than others had eaten rice.
Fine. No more dragging it out.
"In the universe, there is a place known as the M78 Nebula. On one of its planets lives a species that uses 'light' as its power—they are called Ultras. In their language, the name means 'superhuman.'"
Sylvester took a sip of tea and continued slowly, "Their strength varies enormously. The strongest among them is said to be a fragment of the universe's own consciousness, with combat power beyond estimation. As for the weakest—even they, once fully grown, can casually destroy an ordinary civilization that lacks spacefaring capabilities."
"As mentioned before, the 'light' they use is not merely electromagnetic waves. Any other positive, affirmative emotions and beliefs can also elevate their power by an entire tier."
At this point, Sylvester muttered to himself, "That's leaning a bit toward idealism."
He then cleared his throat and said seriously, "In short, perhaps because of this, they possess an obsession with justice far surpassing that of other races. They even established a Space Garrison, protecting all civilizations from invasion within their means."
"And they never accept compensation in any form. They are a race worthy of respect."
Aside from occasionally abducting a couple of people, Sylvester added silently.
Hearing this, Bailu happily planted her hands on her hips. "Hey, isn't there a saying like this? Birds of a feather flock together! This just proves the universe itself recognizes how smart and kind I am!"
"Something like that actually exists? Shopkeeper Sylvester, you're not telling some kind of fairy tale, are you?"
Aventurine widened his eyes; his face filled with astonishment.
It wasn't that he scoffed at things like "justice," or regarded those who believed in it as fools.
On the contrary—if he could truly live in such a world, he would be overjoyed.
But at the same time, his past, along with everything he had witnessed while spending so long within the Corporation—the constant exchanges of benefits, the petty scheming—had taught him that a force that was completely "just" and entirely "selfless" simply could not survive.
Even if "justice" existed, it would only exist within a very limited scope.
There was no need to look far—take the Xianzhou Luofu as an example. They showed no mercy when slaughtering the Denizens of Abundance who endlessly plundered other civilizations across the universe. Many innocents were saved by them; the Foxians of the Xianzhou were among the most prominent beneficiaries.
But if it were the Antimatter Legion under Nanook, or the Annihilation Gang that blindly worshiped Destruction and wreaked havoc across the cosmos, the Xianzhou would not take the initiative to uphold justice—even though their harm to the universe was far more blatant.
And if they were to face both the children of Abundance and Nanook's followers at the same time, could Lan's Lux Arrows still protect the Xianzhou?
When faced with the word "survival," the Xianzhou could only enforce "justice" internally.
And compared to that, the Interastral Peace Corporation…
Aventurine shook his head.
One knew one's own business best. The Strategic Investment Department at least still followed a set of rules. As for their old rivals in the Market Development Department—those people were far less principled.
Yet in an environment that had remained unchanged since the most ancient Amber Era, he was actually hearing of a race somewhere in the cosmos that took it upon themselves to uphold universal justice—and never demanded payment?
If these words had come from anyone else, he would probably have just smiled politely and dismissed them.
But they had come from Sylvester's mouth—and that made all the difference.
A thought he couldn't suppress arose deep within Aventurine's heart.
If Mother and my sister had been born into a world like that… everything would have been different.
At that, he shook his head again in self-mockery.
To think I'd actually indulge in "what if" scenarios.
Without voicing what he considered a childish thought, he quietly listened to Sylvester's next words, hoping to glean more information about that faction from whatever hints he could catch.
"Miss Bailu, first of all, congratulations."
Sylvester smiled. "When you obtained the Nidhogg Origin Bloodline just now, Aventurine and I both believed that until your combat awareness and skills were sufficiently trained, you should never reveal this Curio. But now, that restriction no longer exists at all."
"Could it be?!" Bailu instantly realized something. She clasped her small arms to her chest, her eyes practically sparkling with little stars.
"That's right! You can now freely display top-tier elemental control in front of anyone! Because the [Ultraman's Heart] you obtained contains the accumulated combat awareness and techniques of a top-class Ultra warrior!"
"These things will be etched into your bones like instinct, becoming entirely subconscious abilities. Even if your brain can't react in time, your hands will move before you do, striking invading enemies head-on!"
As soon as he finished speaking, just as Bailu was about to cry out in surprise, her small head slowly tilted upward as Sylvester stood up.
The person behind the counter brought two fingers together and pressed them against his own forehead.
Smiling, he said, "You can be considered now as a true dragon."
===BREAK===
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