Chapter 425 - 384: The Return and a Visit

Chapter 425: Chapter 384: The Return and a Visit

In the afternoon, Guan Tong and Shangyuan Zi left the manor with their bags packed.

A car was already waiting at the main gate.

The car window rolled down, revealing Sikokun’s face.

"Get in. I’ll give you a ride."

The two got in the car, and Guan Tong said, "Thank you, Legion Commander Sikokun."

After Yelena stabilized the situation, she had officially appointed Sikokun as the Legion Commander of Sisiya. This was a position that could only be entrusted to her most trusted subordinate.

"I don’t think I’ve properly thanked you yet," Sikokun said, her eyes meeting Guan Tong’s in the rearview mirror. "You and Miss Shangyuan Zi were a great help to us this time. If you ever need my help with anything in the future, don’t hesitate to ask."

"Okay." Guan Tong didn’t stand on ceremony. He nodded and said, "I’ll remember that."

Up in the manor’s loft, Yelena watched the car carrying the two of them recede into the distance, a wave of melancholy washing over her.

Sikokun drove the two to the outskirts of the Capital. From there, they would travel on their own, not planning to use public transportation like airplanes.

"Well, we’ll be on our way then."

"Wait a moment."

Sikokun walked over to them, her expression somewhat complicated.

"There’s something I want to say to you. This isn’t from someone else; it’s from me... The Governor, she... she has very few friends. Even though you were here during a crisis, I know she was actually very happy."

Guan Tong and Shangyuan Zi were both silent.

"So, this is a personal request, but I hope you can come to Sisiya often to see her."

Sikokun looked at Guan Tong, knowing he was the one Yelena truly cared about. "I heard from the Governor that you’ve established an organization dedicated to exploring the truth of the Apocalypse Rules. If you ever face rejection from others, you can come develop here. Sisiya will always welcome you."

Guan Tong understood the meaning behind Sikokun’s invitation. Both she and Yelena were welcoming him to establish a base for the Origin-Tracing Expedition in Sisiya. This was undoubtedly a good thing, but with his organization’s current numbers, it was still too early to talk about large strongholds or bases.

"Thank you for your invitation. We’ll keep it in mind," Guan Tong said.

Sikokun nodded without another word, turned, got back in the car, and started her return trip.

The two watched the car drive away. Shangyuan Zi said, "I think you should seriously consider her invitation."

"Oh?"

"Because this country’s Governor, Yelena, seems to trust you completely. She’s just eliminated the threats within her country and holds all the power. With the support and protection of someone like that, you won’t have to worry about anything when developing your organization."

"Are you saying there might be things to worry about elsewhere?"

"Mhm. I think even in your home country, North Star, you might run into trouble trying to develop your organization and establish a base."

Guan Tong thought for a moment before saying, "We don’t need to think about that right now. We’ll revisit it when the organization has more members. Come on, we’re heading to the Double Star Bar."

The two went to the bar and found Black Star. He had already finished collecting today’s Psychic Power and was a little surprised to see that Shangyuan Zi had come along this time.

After completing their transaction, Guan Tong informed Black Star, "We’re leaving Sisiya today."

"You’re both leaving? Then what about the long-term commission to collect Psychic Power...?"

"The long-term commission won’t be interrupted. Just keep collecting, and I’ll have someone else come pick it up."

The "someone else" Guan Tong mentioned was, of course, his corporeal, shapeshifting Shadow. Dressed in clothes, it was indistinguishable from a human. In special circumstances, he could also use Body Shifting to come himself... Compared to the amount of Psychic Power he received, the daily cost of maintaining the phantom was nothing.

"Alright, I understand."

Just then, White Star walked over. She glanced at Guan Tong and Shangyuan Zi, looking like she wanted to say something but held back.

Black Star frowned at her, so White Star didn’t say anything more.

Before leaving, Guan Tong said to Black Star, "If you have any channels and hear about someone selling an item that can store Psychic Power, please ask around for me. I’ll pay a high price."

"Okay, I’ll keep an eye out."

"That’s all, then."

After they left the bar, Shangyuan Zi said, "That woman, White Star. It seemed like she wanted to say something to you, right? But Black Star stopped her with a look."

"I noticed, too," Guan Tong said. "But since she didn’t say it, there’s no need for us to go asking. As long as there are no problems with my commission, there’s no reason to complicate things."

"Mhm. So, where to now?"

"North Star," Guan Tong told her. "I have some business to take care of when we get there. Also, I want you to meet someone."

"Who?"

...

In North Star, the recently concluded challenge for the sixteenth rule hadn’t had much of an impact on the massive nation.

Under the government’s strict control, all competitors successfully passed the challenge—although they couldn’t get any ranking rewards, at least they avoided the decay of their maximum Psychic Power from forfeiting.

For many, just getting by without merit or fault was enough.

Especially after the bombing at the Soloma finals, even more people believed North Star’s decision had been correct. Some even took pleasure in Soloma’s misfortune.

Turning such a murderous contest into a ticketed spectator event didn’t mean it had public support, even if many people were willing to buy tickets to watch.

Even within Soloma itself, countless people had been furiously cursing the government from the first day ticket sales were announced, and they didn’t let up even after the explosion on the final day.

Many people added photos from the scene and screenshots of the Fire Worshiper Bishop to their dark humor meme collections. Some even publicly stated that the Bishop named "Heath" was right—Soloma never should have turned such a deadly contest into an entertainment game.

Yet no matter how much noise there was online, one majority opinion remained: the Fire Worship Cult, this heretical sect, had proven in various ways that they posed a serious threat to all of humanity and had to be eradicated.