Borbot’s entire body trembled with suppressed rage. He desperately wanted to order the immediate execution of the Spider-Workers right then and there. Fortunately, he remembered the proud traditions of the Romani people. Gritting his teeth, he fiercely stifled the fire in his heart, using the most meticulous Romani rituals to welcome the arrival of Gu Xichen.
After all, during the hunt, the two parties were allies, and Gu Xichen was the supreme commander of the allied forces. Borbot presented him with the finest aged wines, the freshest fruits, and exquisite delicacies meticulously prepared by the Romani's top master chefs.
The long dining table, crafted from pure silver, was piled high with exquisitely designed and elegant solid gold platters. Each platter was engraved with countless delicate patterns, and within these intricate designs were studded natural gems of red, blue, or green. Every single platter was a work of art in itself.
As for the gourmet food displayed on them, even the well-traveled Gu Xichen was loath to destroy such perfect creations.
The Romani pursuit of perfection had reached a pathological degree. An ordinary steak would be carved with an elaborate panorama depicting the entire life cycle of the cattle, from embryo to cutlet. As for the roasted leg of lamb placed before Gu Xichen, a beautiful little poem was painstakingly hand-carved onto the long bone—a hymn praising a deity revered by the Romani. And a serving of blueberry cream cheese meant for bread was simply sculpted into the form of the Venus de Milo. A side note: the Venus de Milo was actually stolen by Romani emigrants and taken to Mars before the War of '93!
It was a feast of perfect culinary artistry. Gu Xichen gazed upon the magnificent spread with pure admiration, finding it hard to decide to shatter their perfection.
Borbot sat at the head of the table, flawlessly enacting the demeanor of the perfect, gracious host.
He assiduously introduced Gu Xichen to the origins of every delicacy and the status of the chefs who created them within Romani society. He diligently explained the vintage and brewing process of every bottle of wine. These perverted Romani even recorded the precise weight and size specifications of the fruit used in the creation of every bottle of fruit wine. The bottleneck was even equipped with a three-dimensional holographic projector, capable of displaying the entire process of that wine’s creation, from initial fermentation to its placement on the table, for the person tasting it.
Utterly "stunned," Gu Xichen could only express himself to Borbot by saying that the Romani had elevated cuisine into an entirely new art form. As a crude, uncivilized Terran, Gu Xichen could not possibly comprehend the profound, vast essence contained within it.
Borbot smiled happily. He deliberately steered clear of the previous unpleasantness between them and focused instead on discussing Earth Federation art from before the War of '93 with Gu Xichen!
Peng Hua, Little Daoist Zhang, Little Monk Feili, along with three senior monks from Tiekan Temple—six individuals in total—were devouring the feast like oxen chewing peonies, utterly heedless. Who cared how much effort went into carving that steak; it was swallowed in a single gulp. How much painstaking care went into that roast; gone in one bite. Whether the exquisite wine had been cellared for fifty or a hundred years, it was downed just as quickly.
Ducat, seated beside them to attend to the guests, felt his face twitch. He had never witnessed such unrefined company. How long had these people gone without eating?
In the end, Ducat dropped his knife and fork, resting his chin in his hands, staring blankly as Peng Hua and the others decimated Borbot’s private collection. Bottle after bottle of rare wine vanished rapidly. Slowly, a sliver of a smile began to spread across Ducat's face. All these fine wines were treasures belonging to Borbot and the Holsom family. If it weren't for Borbot commanding the hunting fleet, if it weren't for maintaining appearances, the Holsom family would never have consented to place nine-tenths of their entire collection of vintage wines aboard the flagship!
The welcoming banquet continued for another twenty minutes. Ducat actually stepped up beside Peng Hua, eagerly helping him uncork bottle after bottle, diligently urging him to drain another one.
Gu Xichen enthusiastically discussed Renaissance oil paintings of women with Borbot, but gradually, he noticed Borbot’s complexion cycling between shades of green and white. Finally, his face grew almost translucent. He glanced back at Peng Hua and happened to see two ashen-faced Romani warriors walking out carrying mountains of empty bottles.
“Heh heh!” Gu Xichen chuckled. He affectionately patted Borbot’s stiff face and asked warmly, “How is the situation on Paradise Star? You were recalled to command the hunting fleet; who is commanding your family fleet back on Paradise Star? Little—”
Borbot mumbled vaguely, “Oh, the situation on Paradise Star? The space fleet is still deadlocked. The ground forces... we lose several thousand casualties every day. That’s how it is.”
After a pause, Borbot forced his gaze away from the empty wine bottles. He gave a dry laugh. “Because I achieved the greatest merit in this expedition by the combined forces of the Nine Great Electoral Families, His Majesty the King appointed me commander of the hunting party. Our Holsom family will receive twenty percent of the Christo crystal spheres harvested from this endeavor.”
Speaking of his accomplishments and merits, Borbot puffed out his chest proudly once more. He shot another look of agonizing pain toward Peng Hua, who was currently making a mockery of the fine wines. That fellow had just opened two bottles simultaneously, pouring them into his mouth; a little less than half went in, and the other larger half spilled directly onto the floor.
“Oh? The merit you earned? Was it because of that bamboo slip detailing the special alloy?” Gu Xichen asked thoughtfully, looking at Borbot.
Stiffening his chest, Borbot roared with laughter, “Yes, that very bamboo slip!” He glanced at Gu Xichen and sneered strangely, “We have you to thank for this. Because of that slip, my merit ranks first among all the participating families. Our Holsom family has accumulated a massive amount of merit points—our points are nearly catching up to the First Electoral Family!”
Nearly catching up to the First Electoral Family? Does that mean the Holsom family has a significant chance of producing a Romani King in the future?
His eyes flickered. Gu Xichen suddenly smiled, “But, wasn’t that bamboo slip that Liande acquired—no, wasn’t it snatched by Your Excellency Ducat Holsom? This merit…”
Borbot’s face changed. Ducat Holsom, who was helping Peng Hua uncork bottles nearby, also went pale. Borbot fixed Ducat with a somber, murderous glare. Ducat looked at Gu Xichen with a complex expression, and suddenly, a flicker of entreaty appeared in his eyes. It was the look of a solitary small beast cornered in desperation, a chick encountering a weasel after being separated from its mother—a look filled with bitterness, hardship, and crushing pressure.
Gu Xichen, who had intended to sow a few more seeds of discord, paused. He looked deeply at Ducat.
Someone with such transcendent talent actually resorting to begging?
After a moment of brief contemplation, Gu Xichen switched topics with a smile, “Now that we are well-fed and well-watered, let’s discuss this hunt!”
Borbot certainly had no desire to dwell on the previous subject. For a Romani noble, having his military achievements publicly questioned and being unable to refute them was an utterly humiliating experience. Since Gu Xichen had steered the conversation elsewhere, Borbot was only too eager to comply. Ignoring the agony over his family’s precious reserved wines, he hastily laughed, “Your Excellency speaks wisely; we should discuss the important matters.”
Placing both hands on his lower abdomen, Gu Xichen sat up straight and asked very seriously, “So, shall we adopt the Joint Hunting Mode or the Individual Hunting Mode?”
Joint Hunting Mode meant both fleets would merge to hunt the Christo Crystal People together, with all spoils divided equally. Any high-grade Christo crystal spheres would also be split evenly. This ensured that the quality of the Christo crystal spheres obtained by both sides would be identical. Furthermore, the combined strength of cooperation meant less attrition if they encountered high-grade Christo Crystal People.
Individual Hunting Mode meant both fleets hunted separately, and all gains belonged solely to the respective party. In this mode, if the Earth Federation acquired a purple or even a black crystal sphere, they would not need to share it with the other side.
However, both sides would dispatch observers onto the other party’s hunting vessels to ensure that neither side exceeded its allotted hunting quota.
In the Joint Hunt conducted once every ten years, the total number of Christo Crystal People hunted by both parties could not exceed two thousand, ensuring the normal proliferation of the Christo Crystal People population. As long as the number hunted remained under two thousand, the Christo Crystal population would gradually increase, and the quantity of high-grade crystal spheres would also grow.
If Individual Hunting Mode were adopted, the observers stationed on the opposing hunting ships would need to ensure that the number of Christo Crystal People hunted by the other side was less than one thousand.
Borbot glanced at Gu Xichen, narrowing his eyes as he pondered.
Gu Xichen smiled easily, stating slowly and deliberately, “Since the Holsom family once captured a black crystal person here, perhaps there could be a second one. It depends on luck.”
Borbot’s eyes lit up. He declared without hesitation, “Then, we should adopt the Individual Hunting Mode! Joint Hunting Mode is mandatory when using Hunter Type-4 and Type-44 spacecraft. We now possess the Hunter Type-444 spacecraft, which has superior defensive and offensive capabilities. We can fully disperse to hunt individually; this saves more time.”
After a period of silence, under Borbot’s apprehensive gaze, Gu Xichen smiled and extended his hand. “Then, I wish you a successful hunt. Our observers will board in ten minutes.”
Borbot grasped Gu Xichen’s hand and replied with a smile, “Then, I wish you a successful hunt, ha ha ha! Perhaps you can capture a few black crystal people this time? Our observers will also board in ten minutes!”
The two men stared fiercely at each other. Borbot suddenly exerted all his strength, gripping Gu Xichen’s hand, pouring every ounce of his strength into it, desperately wishing to crush Gu Xichen’s finger bones.
Gu Xichen countered without restraint, mobilizing his full strength. Immense power erupted from his steel-cable-like fingers. Borbot’s glove, composed of golden scales, shattered with a piercing crunch. The bones in his right hand’s five fingers were nearly compressed into a single stump by Gu Xichen.
Borbot’s face contorted. He sucked in breath through gritted teeth, desperately trying to suppress the pain that threatened to unleash a psychic shockwave. Just as he was about to break, Gu Xichen smiled and released his hand.
“Then, all the best.”
Smiling, Gu Xichen bowed slightly and laughed loudly, “A pleasant cooperation!”
Borbot placed his deformed hand behind his back, gasping in cold air as he forced a dry laugh, “Pleasant cooperation! Little—”
The attentive Borbot escorted Gu Xichen to the transport craft with his mangled hand, smiling and waving as Gu Xichen ascended the ramp.
Once the transport craft flew clear of the hunting vessel, Gu Xichen and Borbot simultaneously flipped each other the middle finger.
Gu Xichen prayed warmly, “May this fellow get his rear end exploded by a Christo Crystal Person!”
Borbot prayed with utmost piety, “Great God, may these damned Terrans be annihilated! Heavens, they drank all our family’s stored wine! Heavens, at the next family banquet, if there isn’t wine aged a hundred years or more to anchor the table, my Great Father will kill me.”
The transport craft returned, and the two fleets dispersed. A large number of landing shuttles were released from the hunting vessels, landing from opposite sides of Pluto.
Gu Xichen, clad in a fully sealed combat suit, marched at the very forefront of all the landing teams. Reminder for halftime break
May 1st, Eighteenth Explosion
Alright, monthly passes, clicks, recommendation votes—
See how the pig head fares!
The pig head is almost drained dry.
Sigh. (To be continued)