"Old… timer…"
Thud!
A weak voice accompanied the sound of a mechanical body collapsing.
"We helped you… brought Phantylia back… and while you're at it, hurry up and fix my body…"
Boothill was face down on the ground, his right arm stretched forward, index finger pointing at the floor, looking completely wretched.
"What, you brought Phantylia back?!"
Hearing this news, the automaton slammed the table and shot up, a look of terror on its face.
It thought this reckless bunch had led Phantylia right to its doorstep and was immediately ready to pack up and flee.
"You Galaxy Rangers have some serious nerve!"
The automaton cursed as it packed its belongings, preparing to cut ties with these two blockheads.
"I told you to find a Heliobus, but you went and provoked Phantylia herself and led her right to me! You've really screwed me over!"
"Anyway, you usually just watch me do the surgery. You should know the procedure by now."
"I've left all the tools here. Just fix yourself. If all else fails, there's some glue over there. Just patch it up and make do!"
Just as the automaton finished and tried to step over Boothill's body, he grabbed its foot.
"We took care of 'Iron Tomb' for you…"
A strained smile appeared on Boothill's lips.
"'Iron Tomb'?"
The automaton froze, staring at his face.
"Is that true?" it asked, its voice trembling slightly.
"It's true, but it was just an avatar."
Boothill's smile widened.
"Sigh, perhaps this is fate."
The automaton sighed and put down its luggage.
It lifted one of his arms, draped it over its own shoulder, and prepared to help him back inside.
Trust between people is difficult, especially for an automaton like itself.
The two of them had a partnership. It could tolerate no reward, but when the risk outweighed the investment, it had to prioritize its own survival.
But since the investment had already yielded some returns, the benefit of repairing Boothill naturally outweighed the risk of its own demise.
"Work~Work~Work~"
Just as the automaton was about to help him up, a turquoise rabbit head suddenly appeared and loomed before its face.
"What the hell is this thing!"
The ghostly thing scared it so badly it leaped backward.
"What are you dodging for? This is the Heliobus you wanted!"
Seeing its reaction, Boothill immediately burst out laughing.
"Do you think my database is just for decoration? Since when does a Heliobus look like this?"
The automaton immediately shot back.
"Besides, when I told you to find a Heliobus, I meant to find one of the wandering 'Demon Swords,' not a pure-blooded Heliobus!"
"The pure-blooded ones are all with the Xianzhou Alliance. How could there be any wandering around outside?"
The automaton told him to stop messing around.
"The wandering ones all came from that one artisan on the Zhuming, who on a whim stuffed a Heliobus into a weapon and accidentally created a 'Demon Sword.'"
"We can't be picky; we have to make do with the Heliobus contained within a 'Demon Sword.'"
The automaton could only say that if these two could actually get their hands on a pure-blooded Heliobus, it would eat its hat.
Did they really think pure-blooded Heliobi were a dime a dozen?!
To be blunt, they are a unique product exclusive to the Xianzhou Alliance. Unless you have connections with the higher-ups, there's no way to obtain one through outside channels.
"You son of a... When you were looking for 'Demon Swords,' couldn't your damn location system filter out pure-blooded Heliobi? It almost got me killed, you know that!"
Hearing this, Boothill immediately got up and accused it of carelessness.
Son of a... If Leon hadn't been an Emanator, he really would have been done for at the hands of 'Iron Tomb'.
Of course, now he could only say.
The power of an Emanator is truly reassuring. I respect the hell out of you, bro!
"If I had filtered them out, you wouldn't have found jack squat!"
The automaton couldn't tolerate this baseless accusation. "Didn't I just say they're essentially the same thing? Are you deaf or something?"
"Stop yelling. The point is, we got the Heliobus for you!"
Boothill declared himself the hero of the hour and demanded some respect.
"Are you serious?"
Hearing this, the automaton immediately began to scrutinize the rabbit-shaped flame before it.
Upon closer inspection, this form made of pure energy really was identical to a Heliobus!
"You mentioned before that the Heliobus clan has produced many powerful individuals. Why don't you elaborate on who they are?"
Boothill asked, looking immensely proud.
"The great Heliobus, 'Suihuang.'"
The automaton paused, its mind reeling from a world-shattering suspicion.
"…And, the Lord Ravager, Phantylia."
"The one before your eyes is one of them. Take a guess which?" Boothill grinned.
"You brought Phantylia back for me?"
The automaton asked, stunned.
'Suihuang' is trapped under the Five-Fingered Mountain on the Zhuming. You didn't even need to connect the dots; a blind man could figure it out.
"Does the term 'Emanator' ring a bell?"
Boothill roared with laughter, loving the look on its face.
"You became one?!"
The automaton's circuits trembled as it asked excitedly.
Many Pathstriders are actually just one step away from becoming an Emanator—all they lack is a glance from an Aeon.
"My bro is!"
Smack!
The second after Boothill said it, the automaton leaped up and smacked him hard on the back of the head!
Sending him into another intimate encounter with the floor.
"You got me all excited for nothing! Turns out it wasn't even you who made it, so what are you shouting about!"
The automaton said, exasperated by his uselessness.
"Doo-doo-doo~ Doo-doo-doo~ The ever-so-worthy Lord Leon has descended upon his faithful land."
Accompanied by Phantylia's welcoming words, Leon walked into the clinic.
"Don't call me Leon. Call me the Ultra Golden Sun, General Chang."
To be fair, getting a new alias with every new superpower was pretty neat. You can never have too many alternate accounts. He chose the name 'General Chang,' finding the homophonic pun on his original name, Chang Geng, amusing.
"Yes! General! Loyalty! General! An endless debt of gratitude! General!"
As Phantylia said these words, she desperately wanted to die.
But she didn't have permission to self-terminate.
Now she could only hope that Celenova, upon realizing she had completely lost contact, would bring troops to support her.
Only Celenova's 'Harmony' was her only possible way to escape his clutches at the moment.
Heliobus curses
To be defeated and then humiliated like this... If I'd known, I would have listened to Celenova and not come!
I was wrong, Celenova! Mama Celenova! I'll be good now, I'll listen to you next time, please hurry and save me! 😭!
"Look at you, what a mess. And that's with a physical body to take the hits."
Leon looked at the sparking Boothill with an expression that screamed 'Your skill level is too low'.
"Son of a..., easy for you to say."
Boothill retorted that he would've loved a no-damage run, but he just didn't have the skills for it.
"I'm not an Emanator, what do you expect me to do?"
The galaxy is filled with turbulent Imaginary energy.
A broken ship doesn't affect an Emanator like Leon, but it's a huge problem for a Pathstrider like him.
After some discussion, they ended up with him sitting inside the broken ship while Leon acted as the engine, pushing it from the outside to get them back safely.
It nearly broke his damn back.
"Sir, please, have a seat!"
The automaton's attitude had done a complete one-eighty. It hurriedly and respectfully invited him inside.
"I'll go get you some tea, please wait!"
As it spoke, the automaton immediately started rummaging around the room.
"Hey, how come I never get any tea when I visit?"
Boothill grumbled about the preferential treatment.
"Shut your trap!"
After finding the tea leaves, the automaton shot him a fierce glare, warning him not to ruin its opportunity.
"I don't drink tea."
Leon knew what it was after and told it not to bother.
"I'll handle matters a Ranger should handle. As for matters a Ranger shouldn't... that depends on my mood."
His meaning was clear.
If 'Iron Tomb' truly did something to cross a Ranger's bottom line, the Hunt would sooner or later deliver justice.
If it hadn't, then unless 'Iron Tomb' decided to take a dump on his head, he wouldn't get involved.
Otherwise, it was purely up to his mood. Offering tea wouldn't help.
______
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