Chapter 333: Transfer

Words : 1134 Updated : Oct 5th, 2025

Chapter 333: Transfer Meanwhile, a few people were taking the concept of work a tad bit too far in the eyes of one dwarf and an assistant. Gisella and Cece were struggling with the sheer domesticity of it all as they watched what should have been elite pilots taking down beasts, but instead turned into this. They were, in turn, dismembering monsters like obedient butchers under the tragic, trembling gaze of two pint-sized superiors in star pajamas and an exploration suit. It was truly a sight to behold, one that partly left the two women both impressed, bewildered, and mildly envious. Because, really, who does this?! For before them, the battlefield by the edge of the barren lands no longer resembled a battleground but more like a processing zone. And at the center of it all, Luca and Ollie reigned supreme—a duo of ruthless, distressed little merchant overlords who inspected every salvaged material as if it could personally wrong them. Every chipped plate, every damaged horn, every hastily severed polymer vein earned them an audible gasp or a pained groan that could make grown warriors flinch. "..." Well, mainly Xavier and Kyle, who, for the most part, tried to meet their stringent requirements wordlessly. Really tried to. Even hovering ever so slightly before a kill, seeking silent approval before proceeding with any cut or movement, now they reeked of professionalism. And the two entrepreneurs couldn’t be happier. Cece stared at them, horrified and weirdly impressed. "Meanwhile, my ex couldn’t even be bothered to get his own food," she whispered to Gisella in awe. "Yeah, no. You just married a baby," deadpanned the assistant. "If only. At least babies are cute." Snorted the dwarf, who thought that it would be an insult to babies. But what could they really do when even they were aware of just how important these materials would be? So what do you know? Eventually, three mechas could be found doing the Lord’s work. However, this strange peace didn’t last long. For eventually, thrusters ignited on the horizon with the return of the two mechas. The Duchess and Butler Gary finally hovered towards them, coated in a new, faint film from the lake’s precious, mysterious liquid. Immediately, Luca opened comms, relief evident in his voice. "Mom! You’re back!" Amelia offered a small smile through the comms, her voice warm. "It’s good to be back, son. We managed to get the liquid we needed." She started. It was good news, but her lighthearted tone faded when she continued. "We found the cave," she said, "and the lake is still accessible to a degree." The group exhaled in collective relief. "However," she continued, voice firming, "the grasslands beyond the lake are a different story." Her mecha gestured toward the south, where the dome canopy cracked and frayed. "We could barely recognize the place. And I’m not sure if we’d be able to find a safe space to camp out again." "While we can try the cave, we might attract unnecessary attention and collapse it by accident." A heavy silence settled. "And then there’s the matter of the spores, too." Butler Gary added. "Apparently, they used to go away after a while, but even now they’ve just grown thicker, even growing and feeding on those dead beasts." But that wasn’t all. Duchess Amelia turned her gaze toward the east—the direction of their true objective. Toward the tree. Towards the entrance of the labyrinth that would lead to that beast’s lair. "There’s something else," she said. Everyone tensed. "The entrance to the dungeon labyrinth lies by that tree. Normally, the tree slumbers, and we could slip by unnoticed—" Her voice grew tight. "But since the tree is now awake, we’d have to wait for the perfect opportunity to slip in." So, when we bring these death worms in there, our goal is to get as close to the actual tree as possible. Ollie’s stomach dropped slightly. He could still remember the sheer destruction brought about by those roots, and he wasn’t even piloting! And worse, the Duchess’s next words were grim: "We have to move quickly. The monsters inside the dungeon that survived the rank-up are adapting to the energy increase. They’re growing stronger by the hour." The implications were clear. And it was what she wanted to check since she had a feeling it was going to be like this again, just way worse. So they expedited their plans. There was no time to hesitate. Location markings were made and changed based on the latest information they’ve gathered. Luca looked and listened and eventually decided that if they were going to rush straight towards the boss’ lair, then he should be piloting his own mecha. "We’ll need more hands once we get closer to the tree," he reasoned. No one disagreed. If anything, Xavier understood immediately—even if his heart wasn’t completely thrilled about it. He smiled, faint but fond, as he reached out to adjust Luca’s collar before the transfer. "Mn. Of course," Xavier said smoothly. But as Luca turned to step out of Sid for the transfer, a hand caught his wrist. Luca blinked, confused, only to find himself suddenly pulled back into a solid hug. And then— A soft, lingering kiss pressed against the nape of his neck. "X-Xavier?!" Luca squeaked, the tips of his ears catching fire. He trembled, utterly flustered, trying to twist around—but Xavier just hummed low in his ear. "Be careful," Xavier murmured, the words brushing warmly across Luca’s skin. "Go. Before I change my mind and keep you here." Then, without giving him time to gather his scattered thoughts, Xavier helped him gently off Sid, who opened the hatch to D-29 with mechanical precision. Still pink and wide-eyed, Luca stumbled into the waiting cockpit like his behind was on fire. He was momentarily disoriented, having to touch his nape for it felt too warm and itchy. "Host! Is everything alright? You are showing signs of an elevated heartbeat and your blood pressure—" Luca felt like combusting and had to stop D-29 from alarming everyone for a possible case of cardiac arrest. "I’m fine. It’s just hot." Very hot. So hot that a pilot with a bloodline ability of fire felt like he was burning. The little chipmunk shook his head. He was definitely just nervous. Right. And that was perfectly fine. He saw it too. D-29 said that married couples say goodbye like that before going to work. They K-k...iss. And of course it was fine. It was just that the Duchess, upon seeing Luca’s comms live, wondered how blind her husband had to be not to see this?! Does he need prescription glasses now? It’s only been six months! Sigh. She’ll get him some. Maybe even a magnifying glass. Provided they just finish with this.

Chapter 333: Transfer

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