Chapter 496: From Genius to Mediocre
Today was the day of Avril’s return. A Gaian Ishtar-cla.s.s heavy-a.s.sault cruiser swiftly descended on the surface of the Southern Four Lakes, and a shuttle carrying Avril and Sarah aboard embarked on the sh.o.r.e where Xia Fei, Furball and Pod were all already waiting.
Avril alighted from the shuttle with a smile, and Pod went rus.h.i.+ng over to help carry her luggage. Pod’s new look gave her quite the pleasant surprise, “Eh? Why do you look completely different, Pod? You seem a lot more spirited, too.”
Pod somewhat bashfully scratched his head. Now that his propulsion speed had been greatly improved, he did not feel a bit tired shuttling back and forth with the luggage.
“You look thinner.” Xia Fei smiled and came over to give Avril a hug before lightly commenting with concern.
“Not at all. I’ve even put on some weight. Father and grandfather had plenty of delicious food prepared, and I ended up eating so much,” Avril said as she rested her head on Xia Fei’s shoulder.
Sarah was dressed boyishly. As the transport fleet’s commander in chief, she did not have a lot of opportunities to wear skirts usually, and seeing how intimate Xia Fei was with Avril left a sour feeling in her heart, her expression seemingly very unnatural.
“Join us for a meal. I’ll get someone to prepare some of the Southern Four Lakes’ Crystal Prawns,” Xia Fei offered.
Sarah shook her head. She read the room and said, “The fleet will be doing an overnight unloading and will be setting off for the Alliance in three days’ time. We’ll talk about it some other time.”
‘Absence makes the heart fonder’. Though Sarah was not exactly one for polite gestures, she still had quite the eye for acknowledging the situation. As such, she politely turned down Xia Fei and Avril’s hospitality and piloted the wars.h.i.+p back to base.
“How’s Ernst doing?” Xia Fei asked.
“It’s nothing major anymore. The long periods of running around during the war has caused his old heart problems to act up; he just needs some time to rest and recuperate.”
Avril suddenly noticed that Furball seemed to be hiding from her, creeping away in the direction of the house. Thus, she ran over and hugged him. “Little Furball, did you miss me?”
Her two hands were pinching Furball’s soft cheeks, whose face was completely sullen and helpless.
“I brought you plenty of delicious things.”
Furball was even more speechless at this point, looking over at Xia Fei with tears br.i.m.m.i.n.g his eyes. He seemed to be pleading for Xia Fei not to let him taste those snacks the woman had brought with her.
Why would Xia Fei care what Furball was thinking, though? He merely chuckled. “Furball would surely enjoy them; am I right Furball?”
A glimmer of coldness glinted in his eyes, and Furball hurriedly nodded in agreement sorrowfully.
…
After dinner, Avril and Xia Fei lay in bed, and the crescent moon hung beyond the window. Waves upon waves of lake water lapped up against the sh.o.r.e, a soft and soothing sound which was pleasant to the ears.
“I went back and saw Nicole this time.”
“Nicole Sawyer?” Xia Fei knitted his brows, a sense of foreboding welling up in him.
“Yeah. I’ve known her since I was young, and actually, she’s got a great personality, and it’s just that she has a temperament similar to her father’s, always inclined to the extreme,” Avril said even as she was sprawled next to Xia Fei, secretly watching his reaction.
“Oh,” Xia Fei said nonchalantly.
“Nicole seems to really like you.”
“Oh.”
“Sarah often asked about you, too.”
“Oh.”
Xia Fei simply pretended to be absentmindedly acknowledging everything no matter what Avril said. Actually, he had already guessed what she was thinking.
“Xia Fei, the Alliance allows polygamy; have you ever considered—”
Before Avril could even finish her sentence, Xia Fei stopped her.
“Best not to raise this matter again. Having you by my side is enough,” Xia Fei said affectionately.
“But—”
“No buts.”
Xia Fei pushed a b.u.t.ton beside their bed and the ceiling slowly opened to reveal a gla.s.s skylight, and the beautiful sight of a sky full of stars was reflected in the bedroom.
“Isn’t the sea of stars pretty?”
“Yes, very pretty.”
“Do you know just how vast the universe is and just where it ends?”
“Nope.” Avril shook her head lightly.
Xia Fei spoke very seriously, and Avril could not help but look at him gaily. Whenever Xia Fei got serious he would always give off this inexplicable sense of steadiness and comfort, which Avril was exceptionally infatuated with.
“Do you know why the universe was formed?”
“No.”
“Do you know who rules this sea of stars?”
“No.”
“Do you know what heights can a warrior ultimately reach?”
“No.”
“Do you know how many sapient races are out there in this universe?”
“No.”
Xia Fei hugged Avril close, affectionately looking at her.
“I don’t have the answer to these questions, either, but I really wish to figure these out while I’m still alive. A single individual’s effort will always be limited, and I’m no different. That is why I will devote even greater time and energy in searching and investigating this and not let any other things distract me. You’re the only one for me in this multifarious universe.”
Avril nodded solemnly. Most women would not like a man who had no ideals or ambitions to speak of. She was not overcome with curiosity over these things like Xia Fei was, but she nevertheless felt a sort of happiness when she saw how Xia Fei worked hard in pursuit of his truths.
“I support you in your path, though I won’t be against you getting me some sisters.” Avril flashed him a coquettish smile.
Xia Fei was nonplussed. “Is my explanation not clear enough?”
“Well… I’m all alone, and sometimes I can’t bear it,” Avril buried her head under the covers, blus.h.i.+ng hard.
Xia Fei was speechless. He was a powerful Ability Warrior, while Avril was just a commoner. In fact, she did not even have her seventh brain region open. There were plenty of wealthy people who were like that. It was of course great if they could open their seventh brain region through cultivation, but they would not administer gene fluids to their children even if they could not. After all, the 1% risk was still a risk, and it was the same for Avril.
“This is really quite a problem,” Xia Fei shrugged, muttering to himself.
…
The Terminus Star Region’s construction speed had increased, and skysc.r.a.pers steadily rose into the clouds one after another. The waters from the Southern Four Lakes nourished the dry land, and lush flora and fauna were rapidly increasing. New Terra was replete with verdant greenery. Everyone said Xia Fei had made a miracle happen, but only he knew that it was all because of that piece of White Heart of Spirit.
It was not just New Terra. The waters from the Southern Four Lakes were also being used to terraform other barren planets, and more and more planets were turning green. Though they were still far from being qualified to be termed as A-grade planets, there were already many places that drought tolerant plants could flourish, so even though they did not have the a.s.sistance of the Alliance, the Terminus Star Region had already been freed from famine.
More and more businessmen with foresight became aware of the business opportunity in Terminus, bringing their family over to build factories, set up restaurants, open repair shops, et cetera. The powerful transport fleet of Quantum Holdings was their logistical guarantee, with the 1200 cargo s.h.i.+ps expanding to 3000!
This was an absolutely huge number, and they only required a nominal transportation fee to bring in goods from the Alliance to Terminus. There was absolutely no need for them to painstakingly organize their own transport fleets, making it extremely convenient to move goods between regions.
At the same time, the rebuilding efforts back on Earth were progressing smoothly under Wu Long’s guidance. After all, rebuilding a planet was far easier than establis.h.i.+ng a completely new one, especially since Earth itself was already in the Alliance, making transportation that much more convenient and expedient.
It had been quite some time since Xia Fei disappeared from the field of vision of the Alliance, and people were slowly beginning to forget this war G.o.d who had once walked among them, this hero who had practically saved the entire Alliance all by himself. It was as if he had disappeared into thin air, no longer appearing on any news.
Life in the Southern Four Lakes was peaceful, and Xia Fei enjoyed this tranquil time together with Avril, living intimately with each other. Capable a.s.sistants were only a call away whenever anything cropped up, and they pretty much lived a charmed life.
However, Xia Fei himself knew very well that this peace would forever be short-lived. As time pa.s.sed, the date of his departure for the upcoming journey loomed closer and closer.
Yuhua had once visited Xia Fei in this time, and it seemed that he was a lot more interested in Furball. The holy beast’s size had decreased from a basketball to that of a chicken egg by now, which left Yuhua feeling very satisfied, and he once more reminded Xia Fei of their agreement, telling him to prepare himself. The moment it was time, he would personally be coming to bring him away.
Avril still had no clue that Xia Fei was going to leave for the Law Realm. This time she spent beside Xia Fei was simple but hardly uninteresting. She was already completely intoxicated by it, living her days as if she were soaked in sweet honey.
Many times Xia Fei thought to tell her about his eventual departure, yet each time, he found himself silenced by her sweet smile. Time pa.s.sed in such a manner until it was now just three months away.
…
*Whoosh~*
Vampire once more arrived on the outskirts of Terminus Star Region.
After the two s.h.i.+ps connected, Warstar strode aboard Vampire, holding that Moore Stone that had accompanied Xia Fei for many years.
Xia Fei wore the necklace on his neck, and Phantom silently stood by his side. There was of course plenty to talk about when old friends met, but neither man was in a hurry and merely stared at each other.
“This is the Black Bat Radar I’ve optimized to the extreme, possessing a perfect 1980-bit encryption. No one will be able to pry into any communication made through this, and I also adjusted its peak capacity to the very limit of our technology. I do believe that, even if you enter the Law Realm, you’ll still be able to use it for communication.”
Warstar set down three metal briefcases after saying that, and each briefcase had the new Black Bat Radar. This was a system that Xia Fei, Sophie, and Dimsky had worked together to improve, and its performance had already been increased to the limit. Whether or not Xia Fei could maintain communication after entering the Law Realm would all depend on it.
The new radar was no longer big in size, utilizing a Purple Heart of Spirit as its power source and forgoing the complicated energy converter as well as the accompanying transmission system.
Sentinel G.o.ddess Sophie had one for herself, and the other would be with Xia Fei. The remaining two would be left with Charlie and Avril for safekeeping; after all, this was an extremely dangerous voyage he was about to undertake. Xia Fei and Sophie were working together to construct the t.i.tan, which was the natural nemesis of all Law Warriors, so he must not be too ostentatious with all things.
…
After sharing some parting words, Warstar flew away in his wars.h.i.+p, leaving Xia Fei with Phantom and Furball.
The two old friends were seated side by side on the sofa. Phantom did not appear to be too different from how he was in the past, though there was a greater confidence in his eyes.
“Are you very troubled?” Phantom asked with a laugh.
Xia Fei nodded. “Extremely so. I have no clue why the Blood Demon Claw has yet to bloom even now; plus, I still can’t control Peac.o.c.k Blue. Even my rank has stagnated at the Legendary rank, unable to make any progress despite the hard work I’ve done these past two years.”
Xia Fei somberly voiced out the worries he had deep within him. To a warrior, being unable to increase their rank after everything was a very painful matter. It had been two years, yet Xia Fei was still the same as he was two years ago. The Xia Fei who was repeatedly promoted in his rank that it had shocked everyone greatly had not made any sort of progress for a long time. Though he kept maintaining his smile before Avril every day, the pressure he was feeling deep down grew greater by the day.
Could it be that this genius who had his seventh brain region completely open, the war G.o.d Xia Fei who had a warrior’s blood innately coursing through his veins, would really lose from now on? Was he doomed to mediocrity from here onward?