Chapter 287: The Crimson Usurper Nears...

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"..."

Silence consumed the dimly lit, star-filled room for quite a few seconds.

Nobody would've ever expected the greedy Star Rider to be gracious enough to appreciate them for all the trouble they went through in order to hide him from the 10+ Galaxies after his head.

They needed him for his strength, and he needed a place to stay.

It was really that simple.

Of course, over the years, Jing Fu had done nothing but cultivate and come out into the vast, vibrant streets of Starfarer Island.

But within the confines of the 100-quadrant-sized island, Jing Fu was akin to the more powerful version of Loki. This was to say that he knew not how to stay out of trouble, and he sure as hell never exhibited any signs of magnanimity.

"You truly mean that, Jing Fu...? Will you do what is necessary?"

The Island King voiced his question with a slight hint of disbelief in his tone. After all, he never would've guessed Jing Fu to ever consider the well-being of anybody but himself.

'Maybe his encounter with that 'man' changed him...?'

Piang!

The Star Rider tapped his silver chalice against the sleek, marble table, creating a sound that woke everyone up from their daydreams.

"Why do you make it sound like I'm such a villain?? Do you not remember the time that I saved that city from a wandering Overlord Eye???"

"...You destroyed the city in the process of 'saving it'. More than half of the Soulsont Providence vanished the day you did that..." The Island King spoke with a hint of exasperation in his voice.

"Well, alright... But what about the time I stopped that Ethereal Tsunami from touching base with the EastWing Academy on the Comet Archipelago?? Don't you recall all the saving I did back then??"

"While stopping the tsunami from overwhelming the archipelago, you also created a series of raging tornadoes. They tore up the lands for millions of years, and it was only then that my people could go in and gauge the damage. All the people of the 6th largest Archipelago were dead... not even the fish and squids remained..."

Crack!

Everyone assumed they were good after these actions were taken. But the words of the Island King made them realize that they were just holding onto false hope...

"What do we do...?"

The Star Rider voiced his question with a hint of what appeared to be nervousness.

He was not one to scare away from anything, but when it came to that devil in human form, he didn't know how to feel anything but immense fear and trepidation.

Just imagining that unnerving smile focusing on him again was enough to crack Jing Fu's relaxed facade into a million different pieces...

"You ask what we should do? Well, isn't that already obvious?" The Island King lightly shook his head before swiping his sleeves over the table.

BING!

A key with a skull on the front materialized from thin air. After which, it landed in the Island King's hands.

He proceeded to toss the key toward the Star Rider.

"???"

As Jing Fu caught the key, a perplexed gleam shone through his gaze.

The Island King decided to clear up the confusion as he said, "That is the key for the Island's Main Treasure Vault. It is also what you can use instead of looting the vault without it, like you usually do..."

Cough! Cough!

"I don't know what you're talking about, old man. I would never even dream of taking anything from the Main Treasury..."

"..." "..." "..."

Nobody believed the bull crap that Jing Fu was spewing, but they were far too keen on figuring out why the Island King gave away the Treasury Key so easily.

As for what that reason was?

Well, it was something major enough to leave them in complete shock...

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