Chapter 162: Entering the Tower of Babel

"How much was your debt in total?" Kaelen asked as the Heavenly Gourmet Cauldron cooked in the background.

"Huh? W-Why are you asking?" Kenora asked suspiciously.

"I want to compensate you before I leave. So tell me how much your debt cost and how much you think is enough to cover the three months you spent here."

Her lips slowly curled up in a smile before she forced herself to keep a straight face and began counting her fingers as she sneaked glances at him. "Three," she said with three fingers poking out.

"Three million?"

"No, five. Five billion!"

"Five billion?"

"Absolutely. And that’s after giving you a 2% discount."

Kaelen’s lips twitched.

"My debt costs..." she began calculating with her fingers again. "Five hundred million."

"Five hundred million? How much have you paid off?"

"Just fifty million."

"Fifty million, yeah? Alright. I’ll deduct the fifty from the five billion and send it to you."

"W-What? I thought you wanted to pay it off for me. It’s actually only twelve million I used from your money, I swear."

[You have received a transfer request of 4,950,000,000 from Kaelen Cross.]

"C’mon, I was only joking around with you," she cried out.

"I should cancel the transfer and also deduct your rent, water bill, and hazard fee."

[Transfer cancelled]

[You have received a transfer request of 4,000,000,000 from Kaelen Cross.]

"W-What the..." She didn’t hesitate to approve the transfer before he cancelled once more. "You didn’t have to do that. I’ve been keeping your house tidy and putting a smile on your minions’ faces. I’ve contributed to boosting their morale."

"You’re right. Send it back so I should add a little extra—"

"NO. I-I did it out of love, okay? No need to compensate me for that."

Kaelen ignored her and shifted his attention to Lysandra, who had a faint smile playing across her lips as she watched their interaction.

"I think I’m done here. Let’s go."

Her smile immediately brightened. "Yes, Master Kaelen."

He didn’t waste any more time before he transported the both of them out and back to his room in Emir’s domain.

He didn’t need to tell Kenora anything more. He still needed her for errands like this, but even though she had the opportunity to make a run for it now, he knew she wouldn’t leave. Not after witnessing the huge amount of Evolution Points he possessed and his growing fame across worlds.

His plan now was to introduce Lysandra to Emir and ask if he could bring her along. But he was a little more concerned if he’d still find her alive, as he didn’t catch a glimpse of her all morning.

But as soon as he appeared, the crisp sound of a blade cutting through the wind echoed across the room as Lysandra jumped in front and in between him and Emir, who was surprisingly inside his room.

Both parties were surprised, but Emir didn’t flinch and was rather curious.

"Lysandra, stand down. She’s clearly unarmed."

"Master Kaelen, I can feel the formidable strength and destructive hate behind her eyes. She’s clearly dangerous. Don’t be fooled by her appearance."

Kaelen exhaled exasperatedly and stepped forward to bring her sword down.

"You should learn to listen and follow my instructions if you want me to bring you along," he said with a serious tone.

He understood she was only trying to protect him, but remembering what she did during the Colossal Titan battle, there was no place for such attitudes, especially not in the grand tournament where her actions might get them both killed.

Her hand trembled and she lowered her head slightly. "Yes, Master Kaelen," she said softly.

Emir watched all this with interest and an amused smile spread across her lips. "A Transcendent Dragon, I see. You don’t expect your ’master’ to choose you over his own wife, now do you?" she asked in playful mischief. "Isn’t that right, Kaelen?"

Lysandra’s eyes widened in surprise, but she kept her eyes down.

"That’s not what it is, Emir. Leave her alone." Kaelen said and placed his hand on Lysandra’s shoulder to reassure her. Sure enough, she appreciated the gesture and light came back to her eyes.

"It’s surprising to see you here, but I was on my way to see you anyways."

"Yeah. I wanted to give you something, but you’ve ruined the mood for me. What do you want?" she asked dismissively.

"I wanted to ask if I could bring her along for the grand tournament. As you know, she’s like a beast companion to me and shouldn’t count as an extra head."

"And why are you asking me about that? I already told you the rules would be explained when you arrive. It’s almost time, so you can simply wait to find out yourself," she said calmly.

Kaelen stared at her for a long moment before he shifted his gaze to Lysandra. "Don’t worry. If there’s no rule that specifically mentions the use of companions, then I might be able to use the loophole to bend the rules in my favor."

Emir had a look of surprise. "What makes you think you can do that?"

Kaelen didn’t want to reply to her, but, speculating the timer should be up anytime soon, he took the suppression pill from his pocket, its malevolent aura spreading across the room.

Emir’s brows furrowed. "What’s that?"

"What does it look like? It’s a Suppression Pill. I have a reason to believe rules are going to be tricky and would be nerfing all of my abilities but one. I don’t need to explain what I plan on doing with it."

Emir’s face immediately changed. "Who told you that?"

"I absolutely have no reason to tell you, or to trust you either. I was wrong about you. You can gatekeep the information for all I care. I’m going to make it out of the Tower of Babel with everything I want, with or without your help." As those words left his lips, a glowing scroll suddenly materialized in his vision.

[You have been summoned as a Candidate by the Tower of Babel] [Do you accept the summon?]

"Kaelen, it’s not what you think—" Emir was still speaking as complicated emotions filled her eyes, when his next words interrupted her for good.

"I accept."