Chapter 176: Questions

Words : 1652 Updated : Sep 21st, 2025

Chapter 176: Questions Most things were really easier said than done. Like freezing a giant tortoise in place. While they could restrain it through other means, such as buying capable restraints from the Trove, it wouldn’t solve their biggest issues. Regeneration and assimilation. The corrupted tortoise was replacing the washed-out corruption, some coming from inside its shell and some from the surrounding environment. So Xavier figured that Luca wanted to buy time by locking in the tortoise but was surprised to learn that it was because Luca wished to mine the ores and minerals on its shell. When the first batch of corruption fell, D-29 managed to glean what was on the corrupted guardian’s back. The little system just had to issue immediate prompts the moment the results came out. The results showed not just one but four top-grade materials from the shell’s ecosystem alone. "Really?! Are they still intact?" Asked Luca, who suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Yes, Host! Although with this new corruption coming in, it’s not certain that the deposits won’t be affected by repeated corrosion." Obviously, none of that would do. Not for the little money grubber and the desperate system. So, Luca decided to prioritize the rare materials before exhausting all the sweet corruption. To do this, the little chipmunk thought of how to restrain the beast, specifically the corruption that would just come out of its orifices. His solution? Seal of all the orifices. And for that, he needed the help of Xavier. But for a moment, Luca lost the confidence to ask because the Prince was definitely angry due to his recklessness. And Xavier was right, so Luca could only droop in sadness. However, he was surprised to hear the lecturer ask about his next plans and how they could offer assistance. Luca could only bloom in gratefulness. Especially when Xavier agreed. No wonder those Guides liked having capable husbands and weren’t willing to share them when Guiding. What a capable guy! Thought Luca as Xavier risked his bloodline abilities, effectively exposing himself to one mop who almost fainted. Of course, Luca wasn’t an irresponsible partner who would not help with such a daunting task. So, the little penny pincher decided to purchase several Frost Grenade Launchers as well as the respective payload. Other things existed, such as a cryo-missile system, but Luca could not purchase it in good conscience. Because what if someone needed a revival pill? It was another 50,000CP for three Launchers and a few cryo-grenades. And when Luca handed it over to the three giants, they realized he wasn’t kidding. They were really out here to freeze one colossal being. But Xavier got something extra from his little wife, who trotted around the space looking for containers. And the prince had a bad feeling. It was Ollie who actually flinched the moment he saw it. He knew what it was. Those blasted containers almost killed him! His good brother was going to do a rerun of the waterboarding torture that got him to pass the mechanic mercenary exam. He could envision it already, trembling as the shadows of those buried days resurfaced in his memories. And all the good mop could do was pray for the repose of the mountain giant’s soul. As expected, Luca handed over several containers filled with spiritual water from the lake. But to top it all off, he also forked over a Spiritual Power Recovery Pill. When the Dungeon owner realized that Elder Wei was familiar with the pills, he once asked why his pills felt like the second coming of death. Only to be told that he was taking them reactively instead of preventively. Instead of benefiting from the constant effects of the pill, Luca was using it to cure someone who was already in terrible shape. Like himself. So, to avoid this pain, Luca offered a pill to the distressed Xavier, who had no choice but to take it. If anything, Sid and Kyle thought that if the new leader were out to kill the Imperial Prince, he would only have to hold out the poison, and their Prince would take it. And it would be a scenario that Kyle would not be able to explain to the Imperial family or the courts. But they really didn’t have time to consider possible conspiracies, as Luca was clearly eager to rush out to see the giant crawling CP. The corrupted guardian beast was visibly annoyed. Who wouldn’t be when tiny metallic flies circled around you only to disappear before getting hit? And in its anger, the tortoise kept on pounding the ground, causing the hiding father and son to experience tremors like never before. They were worried, and rightfully so! Every time they thought they were about to be rescued, the rescuers would vanish! Only thankful for the fact that they would eventually return with something more scandalous than before. Like right now. Talen could not believe his eyes. He could only convince himself that his old brain could not imagine such events. Therefore, he must not be dreaming. Cryo freezing one enormous guardian beast? Or was it the part where they used what looked like grenade launchers before one unique-looking mecha launched a barrage of ice shards that grew against the partly frozen beast? But really, what was probably worse was that one manual mecha who ran around the place. That wasn’t the scandalous part. But what made all the difference was how the corruption around the mecha would vanish when he walked around the area! "Father, are you seeing what I’m seeing? Or are we hallucinating in extreme hunger and stress?" Asked Kael, who couldn’t understand what was taking place before him. These people managed to cryofreeze the Sludgeborn Tortoise. And the onlookers marveled at the sight of a new ice glacier. But then it happened. That unique mecha suddenly unfroze part of the beast’s shell just as the cannon held by the manual mecha fired that never-before-seen cannon. Ollie thought it was a sight to behold. If only he had not entered into near convulsions after witnessing something he shouldn’t have probably seen. It wasn’t the display of the elemental ability or the jarring amount of spiritual power used, but the fact that one couldn’t channel such abilities with just a standard mecha. Ollie was a mechanic who knew the limits of what could be done with current mecha technology. And while he may not have been the smartest in the bunch, he also wasn’t that blind! "!!!" And he never thought that their shuttle bus would be like this?! Moreover, why on earth were its legs imprinted with the emblem of the Imperial Crown?! The mop really did not want to speculate and could only curl in his makeshift seat! Because if his speculation was correct, then did that mean he almost off-ed someone who could send him straight back to his ancestors? But he was a Mylor with a busybody tendency, and even as he gasped for oxygen, he couldn’t help but ask Kyle, who was great at not showing his internal panic. "Who is he, really?" Asked Ollie with wide eyes, and Kyle could already tell that this little mop figured something out. However, it was something he couldn’t say, and really, even he was seeing something alarming. The Imperial Crown Prince clearly held out on him. This terror-inducing display of power was not something that a recently awakened elementalist could do. So, since when had the prince been ready to assume the throne?! Kyle could only scream internally but managed to respond to Ollie with a mysterious, "I can’t tell you that." It was an answer that the little mop was expecting. But if he couldn’t say anything about Xavier, then there was one thing he could probably ask. "..." The little mop prayed and wished that he was wrong. "Then you..." "Are you, by any chance, Kyle Nox? As in the son of Minister Kordell Nox?" "..." "Tsk, tsk." So, he probably figured it out now. Kyle thought as he braced both arms around the trembling mop. "And now that you know, is that enough compensation?" Kyle asked as he narrowed his eyes while caging in the terrified highlighter. "Co—compensation?" "Yeah, now when the little ladies ask you, you can just say you dumped the Minister’s son—twice." Kyle had a wry smile that sent Ollie into near hysteria. "!!!" A wolf! They’re all wolves! And he was going to die because of this! Just how was he going to explain it to his family?! "No...No!" Ollie covered Kyle’s mouth in panic. "Me! It’s me! You dumped me!" Ollie was now as high-strung as a stick, and even his hair antenna stood up in stress. But Kyle only found it amusing. Why would it even matter? Being someone’s son wasn’t an achievement anyway. "Nah, I don’t think so. Besides, aren’t you too cute to be dumped?!" He teased. And Ollie, the ticking bomb, could only poof in distress. He was going to be tied up at home—not by his father, who wouldn’t care, but by his Mother, who idolized the Heroic Minister! And it was explosions everywhere. There was Ollie’s little heart, the back of the tortoiseshell, and the minds of the father and son who witnessed groundbreaking secrets. But if there were one who was as serene as the spiritual lake, then it would have to be Luca, who was in utter peace as he looked at Xavier’s masterpiece. The Sludgeborn Tortoise was exposed at the back. Its shell was now partly cleared of the corruption that was safely stored in Luca’s inventory. "Host! Right there! Those should be Titanroot fibers!" D-29 exclaimed a prompt that shocked everyone as Luca switched out his cannon with another piece of equipment. Power tools. And this started the tale of how one little money grubber requisitioned centuries worth of top-grade materials.

Chapter 176: Questions

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