"Wooo! We're finally back! Himeko, we're home!"
The moment they were teleported back to the Express, March 7th couldn't stop herself from shouting Himeko's name at the top of her lungs in the observation car.
"I heard you, I heard you. Little March, seeing you're still so full of life puts my mind at ease."
Himeko emerged from the parlor car carrying a tray laden with coffee. She placed the tray on a nearby tea table and then smiled, waving everyone over.
"Come, quickly. I've just been researching a new coffee grinding method. Let me wash away the weariness of your journey with a fresh brew."
The faces of Welt and the others, who had just begun to relax upon returning to the train, instantly tensed up. Xing even shot her hand up, declaring, "I just remembered that Cocolia said she wanted to grant me a peerage! I'll head back to Jarilo-VI for a bit!"
Xing had barely turned when March 7th seized her by the arm, her eyes wide as she silently rebuked Xing for such an act of abandoning her teammates.
Xing's face fell into a miserable pout, her shoulders slumping in defeat.
"Is there no way to get out of drinking this coffee?"
Himeko, seemingly oblivious, simply covered her mouth with her hand and chuckled teasingly at Xing.
"It seems you're still a child, Xing. Not like your brother, who can appreciate the bitterness of coffee. Though it is bitter, the mellow and endlessly rich aroma that follows is a rare delicacy."
"I..." Xing instinctively wanted to argue with Himeko for calling her a child, but the memory of the coffee's terrifying power immediately extinguished her fire, and she tacitly accepted Himeko's words.
After teasing Xing, Himeko looked at Fu Zhu and the others in confusion.
"Why is everyone still standing? Won't you sit down and rest for a moment? And don't we still need to discuss the matter of the Luofu?"
Hearing Himeko say this, Welt and the others let out a collective, helpless sigh. They had no choice but to walk over and take the empty seats. Himeko thoughtfully served each person a cup of coffee, though for Xing, whom she considered a "child," she placed a glass of fruit juice.
When Xing saw the juice before her, she couldn't help but exclaim "Long live Himeko!" before grabbing the glass and taking a gleeful, massive gulp. March 7th, sitting beside her, watched with a face full of envy.
March 7th turned back to her own cup of coffee, her expression turning bitter.
Himeko looked at the group, puzzled. "Why aren't you drinking? The coffee will get cold."
Welt leaned back into the chair and pushed up his reflective glasses, his voice deep. "Himeko, the coffee you grind by hand is exceptionally precious. It should be given to those who have earned it. Here, look, it seems Fu Zhu is quite fond of your coffee."
Himeko, Xing, and March 7th all swiveled their heads to look at Fu Zhu. The moment he had sat down, he had picked up his cup and drained it in a single motion.
After finishing his cup, Fu Zhu even smacked his lips, seemingly savoring a lingering aftertaste.
"Huh, it didn't give me a negative BUFF. Looks like my luck is pretty good this time!"
As for the taste... Fu Zhu figured it wasn't a big deal. In his past life, lying in a hospital bed, it was either taking medicine or getting nutrient infusions. Any flavor, no matter what it was, was a novel experience for him.
Fu Zhu turned his head to the untouched cup of coffee in front of March 7th and couldn't help but ask, "March, if you're not going to drink that, can I have it?"
"Yes! Of course!"
Hearing this, March 7th excitedly pushed her coffee over to him, looking at Fu Zhu as if he were a hero come to her rescue.
Fu Zhu took March 7th's cup and, once again, drained it in one go.
As for Welt and Dan Heng, seeing Fu Zhu's display gave them a flicker of temptation to offer him their own coffee. But on second thought, even if Fu Zhu seemed to enjoy it, it was better not to subject their companion to this "poison."
Since Himeko had prepared it for them, they might as well consider it a trial!
Mentally preparing themselves, the two emulated Fu Zhu's actions, picking up their cups and downing the coffee in one gulp. Although it was a bit hot, a swift execution was better than slowly savoring a taste comparable to sludge.
After finishing the coffee, the two men placed their empty cups back on the table with trembling hands. They then propped their chins with both hands, heads bowed, as if lost in deep contemplation.
Seeing that all the coffee had been consumed, Himeko nodded with great satisfaction and finally got down to business.
"Alright, let's discuss your encounter with the Stellaron Hunters. Welt, is there anything you'd like to add?"
Himeko called out, but Welt offered no response.
Xing and March 7th quickly ran interference for them. "Himeko, just go on. Uncle Yang and Dan Heng probably don't have anything to add."
"Very well."
Himeko didn't press them further and stated her conclusion directly.
"Regarding the trip to the Luofu, it makes no difference whether we go or not. After all, the Luofu possesses the capability to handle the Stellaron themselves. Therefore, to be fair, we will hold a vote to decide whether we should proceed to the Luofu."
After a moment of consideration, Fu Zhu, March 7th, Xing, and Himeko raised their right hands, voting in favor of going. Welt and Dan Heng, however, remained with their heads bowed in silence, their disagreement apparent.
Himeko glanced at the result and nodded.
"Four to two. The next stop is decided. It's the Luofu. The Conductor will need about one system hour to adjust our course. If any of you have preparations to make, you should do so now."
"Got it." ×N
Xing and March 7th decided to use the time to go drink more juice and relax. Fu Zhu, on the other hand, planned to return to his room to organize his haul from the Jarilo-VI trip, store what he didn't need, and give his own gear a wave of upgrades.
After all, whether judging by its name or the legends, the Xianzhou Alliance was a civilization countless times more advanced than Belobog. His iron armor was starting to feel a little inadequate.
Returning to his room, Fu Zhu first sorted through the contents of his inventory, storing many items he wouldn't need for a while in a wooden chest. He then placed a High-Tier Enchantment Table in his room. With the bookshelves and the table now in place, the once-spacious room suddenly felt cramped. Fortunately, Fu Zhu wasn't someone who cared much for interior decoration. For him, practicality was paramount.
[Achievement Unlocked: Diamond Aegis!]
[Achievement Points Gained: 5]
After crafting the diamond set, Fu Zhu enchanted each piece with Protection IV and then stopped. Although he could add more enchantments like Durability or Mending, he felt Protection IV was sufficient for now. Besides, he had used up a good chunk of his stored experience on Jarilo-VI, and after applying Protection IV to every piece of diamond armor, he didn't have much left.
Fu Zhu took out his Godfall Sword, preparing to enchant it, but then he suddenly thought of March 7th and the others. He pulled out his phone and sent a message to March 7th, Xing, and Dan Heng, telling them to come to his room.
A short while later, the three of them arrived together. Xing was the first to speak. "Big Bro, why did you suddenly call us over?"
"To enchant your weapons and armor, to prepare for the trailblazing journey ahead."
"Oh."
Xing nodded obediently, then reached up as if to pull her clothes right off.
"Whoa, whoa! Xing!"
March 7th yelped, leaping forward to stop her from undressing. Dan Heng, ever the gentleman, immediately turned his back to them.
"What are you doing?" ×2
Fu Zhu and Xing stared at March 7th, who had stopped Xing, both with looks of confusion, clearly not understanding her behavior.
March 7th glanced between the two siblings, her own expression baffled. "What do you mean, what am I doing... Shouldn't the question be what is Xing doing, suddenly trying to take off her clothes?"
Xing replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I'm doing what Big Bro said. He said he was going to enchant our armor, right? Isn't that our clothes?"
"But..." March 7th felt something wasn't quite right, but she couldn't put her finger on what.
Seeing March 7th's utterly conflicted expression, Fu Zhu simply took out the iron armor set he had retired and placed it before them.
"Here. Either I enchant your clothes, or you, Little March, can wear this complete set of iron armor."
March 7th stared wide-eyed at the boxy, utterly un-aesthetic set of armor Fu Zhu had presented. Finally, her face blushing, she muttered under her breath.
"Fine... I'll take them off, can't I..."
Seeing that March 7th was no longer stopping her, Xing immediately shed her outer jacket. March 7th, however, began to remove her own coat with a hesitant, piece-by-piece motion.
At first, Fu Zhu thought nothing of it, but seeing March 7th's blushing face and slow, deliberate movements, his gaze instinctively focused on her. This caused the already shy March 7th's actions to become even stiffer. Her face turned a deeper shade of crimson, so red you could almost see an illusion of steam rising from the top of her head.
Dan Heng, his back still turned, heard the rustling of clothes from behind him, and simply chose to push the door open and leave, closing it behind him as he waited in the hallway.
Neither Xing nor March 7th wore much. Once their jackets were off, they were both left in thin, white shirts. Through the light, one could faintly discern the colors of their undergarments.
"Here."
The two girls handed their clothes to Fu Zhu. He took the jackets, which still carried the faint, sweet scent of a young woman, and stuck them straight into the High-Tier Enchantment Table, applying Protection IV.
"Done."
Fu Zhu handed the enchanted jackets back to the two girls.
March 7th took her jacket back with a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to put it on, Fu Zhu spoke again.
"Next are the skirts, and then your socks or shoes."
March 7th: ?!
Clutching the jacket to her chest, March 7th glared at Fu Zhu, mortified. "You... you pervert! You're not thinking of taking this chance to... to peep at me, are you?!"
"Let me correct you. What do you mean, 'peep'? I am looking openly and honorably, with my eyes wide open. Don't you dare lump me in with those lecherous creeps!"
"Isn't that even worse?! Waaah, I'm going to tell Himeko you're bullying me!"
Fu Zhu crossed his arms, looking completely unconcerned. "Go ahead and tell her. Even if Himeko comes, I'll have her take hers off too."
This threat immediately silenced March 7th. She could only stare at Fu Zhu with terrified, wide eyes.
Seeing that she seemed to have gotten the wrong idea, Fu Zhu explained with a hint of annoyance.
"Don't get any funny ideas. If I really wanted to look, I wouldn't be beating around the bush. The enchantment I'm applying to your clothes is called 'Protection.' Each level of this enchantment gives you a 4% damage reduction. Ever played a video game? It's like that. And the effect of this enchantment stacks, which is why I need to enchant everything you're wearing, top to bottom."
As soon as Fu Zhu finished his explanation, Xing's eyes lit up.
"Big Bro, you said one level gives 4% damage reduction? What's the highest level you can enchant on one piece of clothing?"
"Right now, the highest I can go is level 4."
Xing immediately began calculating the clothes she was wearing: jacket, shirt, bra, gloves, skirt, panties, socks, and shoes.
"Eight items in total... that's 32 levels of Protection... which means I can get 128% damage reduction! Wouldn't that make me invincible?!"
Having reached this conclusion, Xing immediately reached both hands behind her back.
March 7th saw her movement and asked, confused, "What are you doing?"
"Unclasping my bra. I'm wearing a back-clasp today."
March 7th: !!!
"Don't you dare mess around!!!"
"What do you mean, 'mess around'? March, didn't you hear my brother's explanation? If we get my brother to enchant all of our clothes, we'll be invincible! Here, you want me to help you take yours off? Are you wearing a front-clasp or back-clasp?"
"Eek!"
After a frantic flurry of motion, Xing finally ceased her efforts, looking a little disappointed, but only after Fu Zhu explained that the maximum damage reduction from enchantments capped at 80%.
By now, March 7th's face was so red it looked like it might start bleeding. Just moments ago, Xing had nearly pounced on her to help her undress.
"So, are you taking them off or not?"
Fu Zhu was getting a little exasperated. Himeko hadn't given them much time—only an hour. If they kept delaying, the Express would be leaving.
March 7th bit her lip and glanced at Xing. Finally, as if resigning herself to her fate, she lowered her head.
"Then at least... let Xing go outside first..."
Fu Zhu glanced at Xing. Xing just shrugged, walking out the door with an air of indifference.
Once Xing was gone, March 7th finally sat down on Fu Zhu's bed and reached down to take off her shoes, though her movements were far slower than usual.
After her shoes were off, March 7th slightly raised a pale leg, lifting a foot clad in a white cotton sock. The tip of her foot tensed from her maidenly nervousness.
March 7th hooked her thumb inside the sock, pinching the edge with her index finger. She slowly peeled the sock downward. A pale, pink-tinged foot was slowly revealed before Fu Zhu.
Looking at this beautiful, in a certain sense of the word, sight before him, Fu Zhu couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
At this point, I absolutely cannot say something like, 'Actually, you only needed to take off one shoe or one sock'!