Teacher by day, Farmer by passion - Chapter 224

Chapter 224: Exit [1] (NEW!)
Ace blinked, then asked, “How did you two get here?” as he handed each of them an Abyss Repellent Pill.

Liu Mei lit up like a spark. “Well, Junior Brother and I were riding Little Aoki when we came across this massive cave. Master, it was huge! Like—I could fit inside, and then like—a lot of me could fit! Like, a whole army of me!”

She struck a dramatic pose.

“So I very wisely said, ‘Junior Brother, doesn’t this cavern look super dangerous? Shouldn’t we be smart and, you know, not go in?’ And then bam! Out of nowhere! He hit me and forced me inside!”

Before Ace could even blink, Shan Yifeng’s scandalized voice shot back, “What?! Don’t twist the story! You dragged me in! You said it looked like some dragon’s cave full of treasure!”

Liu Mei gave him a smug grin, clearly unbothered. “And? I wasn’t wrong, was I?”

She turned and pointed proudly at Midas, the black dragon lounging nearby. “Ta-da! New pet dragon, courtesy of my instincts. You’re welcome, Junior Brother.”

Shan Yifeng opened his mouth, then shut it. Technically, she wasn’t wrong.

“And well,” she began, flashing a sly smile, “Junior Brother—” she turned toward Shan Yifeng, only to pause mid-sentence.

Her gaze subtly shifted toward Little Aoki, who was standing innocently beside them. “—it was actually Little Aoki’s fault.”

After all, she reasoned inwardly, the bear didn’t have any rights to defend himself.

Liu Mei nodded seriously, hands on her hips. “Yes, yes, it was definitely Little Aoki! He stepped on some weird formation thingy, and bam!—next thing we know, we’re here in this… uh… floating city!”

“It’s a palace, Mei’er,” Ace corrected, only mildly exasperated.

“Yes, yes, a palace! Oh—oh wait, Master! Me, Shan Yifeng, and white fur saw you rowing a boat earlier! Did you spot us from down there and fly up to meet us?”

Please don’t be the culprits, Ace silently begged.

Out loud, he asked, “Surely you guys aren’t the reason that whole section of the realm collapsed and exposed the ocean floor when it wasn’t supposed to…?”

Liu Mei casually whistled and turned her head away like she’d just seen a very interesting wall.

“…Hah. Never mind.” Ace sighed. “Here, take these. Abyss Repellent Pills. No idea what they actually do, but let’s trust the local experts.”

“Yay, pills!” Liu Mei popped one into her mouth without hesitation.

In a blink, Midas Touch moved like lightning. With a battle-hardened reflex, he snatched the pill right from her lips and crushed it under his heel with a sharp crack.

Everyone turned to look at him.

Midas cleared his throat, awkwardly raising both hands in defense. “Ah, well… those pills are poison.”

Liu Mei’s eye twitched. Her expression darkened.

“Hey! That’s something Master gave me!” she growled. “Even if it’s poison, I’ll die happily if it’s by his hand!”

Midas backpedaled instantly. “I mean—wait! Hear me out—ahh! Master! Please make her stop! Let me explain first!”

But it was too late. As her Soul Bond, Liu Mei had full control over the mighty dragon.

And with a smirk on her face, she unleashed her wrath, pummeling him with a few well-placed punch.

Ace sighed, his voice calm but authoritative. “Mei’er, at least let him talk first.”

Liu Mei huffed but paused mid-swing, crossing her arms with a pout. “Fine. But only because you said so, Master.”

Tidying himself up for a few seconds. Midas quickly placed himself in a kneeling position.

“It’s like this, Grandmaster,” Midas Touch began, speaking quickly, nervously.

“This entire palace… it’s actually an artifact. And recently, it’s been trying to awaken its spirit body. But for that, it needs—well—a lot of sacrifice.”

Ace raised an eyebrow. “And?”

“And that’s where the Abyss Repellent Pills come in, Grandmaster.” Midas gave an awkward chuckle.

“Anyone who takes one of those pills becomes… uh… directly connected to the artifact. Like… spiritually tethered. It can use them in the awakening ritual. And once it’s over, they will all die, the realm will collapse and the abyss will evolved into an artifact.”

Ace’s expression didn’t change, but his fingers tapped lightly against his leg in thought. After a beat, he turned to Shan Yifeng.

“Yifeng, did you hear any kind of announcement about a treasury opening earlier?”

Shan Yifeng furrowed his brow, then shook his head. “No, Master. Not a word.”

Ace turned to Liu Mei. “You?”

She also shook her head, a puzzled look on her face. “Nothing, Master. Not even a whisper.”

Ace’s gaze narrowed slightly. “Funny… Then how did everyone suddenly start using Abyss Repellent Pills? A coordinated misunderstanding? Or—”

He paused, a flicker of what had happened on the seventeenth floor flashing through his mind.

His jaw tightened.

“…I’ll be damned if that was actually true,” he muttered, voice low with disbelief.

Then quieter still, like admitting a thought he didn’t want to believe:

“Am I really just dancing in the palm of her plan?”

Midas cleared his throat, pulling him back. “Grandmaster… those who’ve taken the pills are essentially marked—as sacrifices. So if any of us has taken one… we should stop looking for treasure and leave. Immediately.”

Ace then stared at Midas the so-called Azure Sky Dragon.

Yet despite the grand name, the fact that the dragon was pitch black stirred a gnawing suspicion in his mind.

“Tell me, what exactly are you?” Ace asked, his gaze settling on Midas Touch.

“A dragon,” Midas replied matter-of-factly.

Ace blinked. “Really?”

“Yes. An Azure Sky Dragon.”

Ace raised a brow but didn’t press further. Instead, he shifted topics. “How did you end up here?”

Midas hesitated.

[It’s classified… but he’s technically my grandmaster now. And I’m already bound to him… Hah, I don’t think he can really do much with that info. Might as well say it.]

“I was sent to retrieve a child who was trapped in this realm. But… in freeing the child, I ended up trapped instead.”

He gave a dry laugh.

[Of course I got betrayed. But that’s too shameful to share..]

Ace gave a quiet nod. Unbeknownst to other’s, the system’s ability let him hear the inner thoughts of those affiliated with him.

Useful for flushing out spies… and mildly entertaining.

“Alright,” Ace murmured with a grin. “At least I can breed dragons now.”

Before Midas could react to that, Ace turned serious. “I suspect this whole thing may be a trap orchestrated by the Hua family.”