Chapter Seven: A Grand Entrance
Page 1/3
As the Tarot meeting ended and his consciousness returned, Selris looked at his palm; the blood that had once been there was nowhere to be found. Turning his hand over to see the back, he noticed a deep crimson hue flowing like a tattoo.
After a moment, the deep red gradually faded until it vanished beneath the skin.
[A thought just occurred to me—you might want to go downstairs and check the basement.]
“Hm?” Selris blinked slightly, turning to look at Gornes knitting nearby. “You’re… never mind. Is something wrong with the basement?”
Gornes blinked and said, “I have no idea, boss. I’ve been right here all along.” He raised the sweater in his hands as if to prove it. “See?”
“Alright then.” Selris clicked his tongue and stood, heading toward the stairs. After descending two steps, he leaned back slightly and peeked over the railing. “Make me one with a dinosaur pattern.”
Gornes smiled and unfolded the sweater. On its back was an unfinished chibi-style green Tyrannosaurus riding a trash can.
They arrived in the basement, which Selris had long converted into a wine cellar. Boxes of various spirits were neatly stacked, and several wooden tables and chairs were piled in a corner. At the very back stood a trash can beside a strange device that seemed out of place.
The device consisted of three segments: upper and lower elongated parts each encircled by a ring, with a glowing blue cube floating between them. The segments were not physically connected but hovered independently, exuding a strong sense of advanced technology.
This was a Realm Anchor.
Realm Anchors were clever gadgets from the Train Group. Typically, nameless wanderers would place these in explored regions to serve as connection points between areas.
As a devoted follower of Hakiveli, the Star God of Hightop, Selris had naturally purchased one of these devices from the Train Group. Unfortunately, they seemed only able to communicate with other Realm Anchors within the same mysterious world.
[See? I told you you shouldn’t put a trash can and a Realm Anchor together. Look, it’s causing a chemical reaction.]
“Chemical reaction? What, are they gonna spawn offspring or something?”
Selris walked over and lifted the trash can lid.
The two exchanged a look, speechless.
What?
...
At half past noon, Kleen, awakened by hunger, got up and cooked two potatoes for himself, eating them along with two black breads weighing a full pound.
Having filled his stomach, he studied the original owner's notes for a while. Shortly after, several officers came to question him. Two in particular left a deep impression.
The lead officer appeared about thirty years old, with a prominent nose and gray eyes that held an indescribable depth.
The other was a young officer with black hair and green eyes. Though his uniform was neat, he exuded an unkempt poet’s aura.
The green-eyed officer seemed especially sharp; he pinpointed Kleen’s notes and noticed the phrase, “Everyone dies, including me.”
Before leaving, he spotted a tavern flyer on the table. Picking it up, he examined it front and back.
“The World’s End Tavern? That name…” He chuckled softly and placed the flyer back. “Young man, drink less,” he advised Kleen with a smile.
Page 2/3
“Uh, of course,” Kleen replied, somewhat embarrassed.
Two protagonists of their era met, history’s Leonard flowing inexorably forward.
The next few hours saw Kleen waging a long battle of wits against the air itself, wildly projecting his acting skills.
Once he was reasonably sure the officers would no longer watch him, Kleen relaxed a little. He picked up the previously ignored tavern flyer. His first reaction was:
“Is this really not a circus advertisement?”
The orange flyer listed the tavern’s address and recent promotions: a 30% discount on all drinks and buy-one-get-one-free for the next three days. The background was adorned with salutes, streamers, hoops, balls, and masks, with the bold title “World’s End Tavern.”
In the lower left corner was a strange pink emblem: a tall glass topped with a diamond-shaped star, with wing-like patterns softly closed behind it.
“This is…” Kleen noticed a mask in the background that looked quite familiar. “The Devil’s Mask?”
Though obscured by a gray mist, the mask hanging on the side of a demonic head bore a similar outline.
“Could it be just a coincidence?” Kleen felt a bit embarrassed.
...
Looking into the amber eyes of the person before him, Selris saw a purity untouched by knowledge’s corruption.
He stepped back, and immediately the other person scrambled out from the trash can.
She even tripped over the trash can.
But no matter—where one falls is where one rises; a hero never flees the battlefield.
She dusted off the gray from her clothes and after a brief silence, her lips curved into a triumphant smile like a returning dragon king. Hands on hips, she let out a cool “Hmph.”
The star core had taken form, now one year old, humanoid and somewhat sentient.
The Galactic Baseball Hero Star made her grand entrance!
[Bravo! Clap clap clap!]
“Hey, aren’t you a girl? How did you end up here too?”
“I don’t know. He said ‘for Star Qiong,’ so here I am.” Star’s eyes shone with the innocent foolishness of a college student.
Star rested her chin on her hand, trying to apply her world-shaking wisdom to understand the reason for her sudden crossing.
Page 3/3
Unable to comprehend it—how could this be? Remember, she was the top student at Origami University. Even the strictest teachers would smile sincerely when facing her.
“No wonder she’s a shareholder of Pinoconi,” they all praised her.
Suddenly, a flash of insight pierced Star’s mind. She understood!
As background music played from her pocket, she immediately bent down beneath the table and threw a tranquilizer dart, striking Gornes, who had come downstairs out of curiosity.
The dart hit Gornes in the neck. Unsteady, he staggered to the table where Star hid, closed his eyes, and slumped unconscious.
Behind him, Star pulled out a blue bow tie and held it to her lips, emitting a deep, mature voice.
“This young girl kidnapping case has been seen through by me, Maori Star Gorou. There is only one truth! That’s right, the culprit is you, Selris!”
“Huh? Me?”
[Never thought you’d be this kind of person! I, the husky, am ashamed to be associated with you!]
“No, dude.”
“What? Still won’t confess? Then I’ll point out your method of operation.”
“Those with a history of crime know the easiest way to abduct someone is to impersonate a familiar person. The victim, the invincible beautiful girl Star, was caught while communicating with Wang Xiayitou. You pretended to be Wang, fooling the virtuous girl for 1,600 Star Qiong. Evidence? No mission’s reward ever exceeds 100 Star Qiong!”
“So how did smart you get tricked?” Selris raised a hand, asking.
“So what?”
“Then why are you sure it was me pretending to be Wang Xiayitou?”
“Hmph, isn’t it obvious? Like why would you help the person you didn’t hit? Why would you rescue me from the trash can’s seal if you weren’t the one who caught me?”
“That’s a bit far-fetched.”
Star crawled out from under the table and kicked Selris’s calf. “Anyway, hurry up and confess with tears streaming down your face.”
[Great, a goddess detective—we’re doomed.]