...
{3rd Pov}
"So, listen, kid," Astreo said lazily, letting out a long yawn. "You'd better tell me when your sister is coming back."
Standing opposite him, the little girl merely glared at him with obvious dissatisfaction, showing no intention of answering his question anytime soon.
Meanwhile, Old Bao watched the exchange with a splitting headache.
However, his attention wasn't actually on the bickering pair.
Instead, his eyes remained firmly fixed on the identity card Astreo had casually shown him earlier.
[Hunter King: Astreo Voldigoad]
Even Old Bao couldn't stop the corners of his lips from twitching after reading those words once again.
With his experience and knowledge, he could immediately tell that the card was completely genuine.
There wasn't the slightest hint of forgery and that was precisely what made the situation even more ridiculous.
Inwardly, he couldn't help wondering just how many strings this young master must have pulled to obtain a Hunter King identity card at such a young age.
No matter how he looked at it, the whole thing felt absurd.
‘Seriously?’
‘Nowadays, even someone with powerful connections can become a Hunter King?’
‘What kind of ridiculous nonsense is this?!’
Song Qingming, better known as Old Bao, was genuinely aghast.
Deep inside, he felt both shocked and furious.
To him, the title of Hunter King represented one of the highest honors a Hunter could ever receive.
It was something earned through countless life-and-death battles, impossible achievements, and undeniable contributions to humanity.
Yet now it looked as though someone had simply handed the title over because of influence and connections.
The mere thought made his blood pressure rise.
“Don't call me a kid!” Ling Ling immediately shot back.
“You're the kid!”
“Your entire family are kids!”
She then pointed accusingly at the identity card still lying on the table.
“And what kind of shady fake thing is that?”
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
“You almost fooled me!”
“Hmph!”
“Get out before we throw you out ourselves!”
She crossed her arms triumphantly, looking extremely pleased with her own threat.
Meanwhile, Astreo simply let out another lazy yawn.
He looked completely unbothered by the threat, as though being kicked out had never even crossed his mind.
Without sparing Ling Ling another glance, he shifted his gaze toward Old Bao instead, patiently waiting for the old man to finish processing the absurd situation.
“So, gramps,” Astreo said lazily, “can you tell me when her older sister will be back?”
A mischievous smirk slowly appeared on his face.
“I've got a few things I need to discuss with her... in private.”
The way he deliberately emphasized the last two words caused Old Bao's eyelids to twitch.
For a brief moment...
He genuinely had to restrain himself from grabbing this rude brat by the collar and throwing him straight out of the building.
“Grandpa!” Ling Ling shouted angrily.
“Just throw this fraud out already!”
She gnashed her teeth in frustration.
She simply couldn't believe that someone would actually forge the identity of a Hunter King.
Not only that the fake ID was so incredibly realistic that it had almost fooled even her!
That made her even more annoyed.
“Ling Ling...” Old Bao said with a weary sigh.
“Unfortunately...”
“That card is genuine.”
He sounded as though he wished those words were lies.
Or perhaps he wished he had found even a tiny flaw proving it was fake.
Unfortunately, he hadn't.
The card was authentic without any question.
Ling Ling's eyes instantly widened.
“Huh?”
She gasped in complete disbelief.
Her trembling finger slowly pointed toward Astreo before shifting back toward her grandfather, as though desperately hoping he would suddenly laugh and admit he had been joking.
Judging by the horrified look on her face that possibility seemed increasingly unlikely.
Old Bao slowly nodded before looking directly at Astreo.
“Kid... what tier are you?”
“Hmm...” Astreo thought for a moment before answering casually. “I can use Novice Tier 6 Space Magic and Psychic Magic. As for my Intermediate Magic, I can also use them at Tier 4. My Mental Realm is also pretty good.”
He spoke as though he were giving a job interview reply, now technically, he wasn't lying. However, his answer was intentionally vague.
At no point did he ever say that Novice Tier 6 and Intermediate Tier 4 represented his limits.
Likewise, the phrase 'pretty good Mental Realm' could mean almost anything depending on who was listening.
Old Bao's lips twitched.
He quietly extended his own magical senses to verify Astreo's cultivation.
After confirming it for himself, he slowly lowered his gaze and fell into deep thought.
For several long moments the room remained completely silent.
Finally, Old Bao let out a quiet sigh.
“I don't know how you managed to obtain the title of Hunter King,” he said honestly.
“But... I have a request.”
He looked at Astreo with complete sincerity.
“Please don't display that title in front of us again.”
He quickly raised a hand before Astreo could misunderstand.
“Don't take this the wrong way.”
“I already acknowledge that you're an exceptionally capable young man.”
“In fact, calling you a monstrous genius wouldn't be an exaggeration.”
His expression gradually became serious.
“However...”
“Even after seeing the cultivation you've revealed today...”
“I still cannot believe you're truly qualified to hold the title of Hunter King.”
To Old Bao the title wasn't merely a badge of strength.
It represented countless years of experience, achievements, and contributions that no amount of talent alone could replace.
“But I really am a Hunter King,” Astreo said honestly, without the slightest hint of pretense.
Unfortunately...
Both grandfather and granddaughter continued staring at him as though he were the biggest liar they had ever met.
Seeing their expressions, Astreo could only shrug helplessly.
“I guess no one believes the truth these days.”
Thankfully for them, Astreo didn't insist on proving his point any further and simply put away his Hunter King identification card.
Old Bao quietly let out a sigh of relief before speaking.
“So, you wanted to meet Leng Qing?”
“She should be back the day after tomorrow.”
“You can come back then.”
Although Old Bao couldn't stand this spoiled young master in front of him, he had to admit one undeniable fact.
The brat had money.
A lot of money.
And money made the world go around.
Even someone like Old Bao wasn't completely immune to that reality.
As long as nobody threatened the lives of his granddaughters or crossed his bottom line, he was perfectly willing to tolerate all kinds of nonsense from wealthy clients.
Provided they had enough cash in their pockets.
After all, cultivation resources for his granddaughters weren't going to magically fall from the sky.
Everything required money.
Not to mention Old Bao himself had no idea how many years he still had left to live.
If he could survive long enough to witness Ling Ling grow up and eventually get married, that would naturally be for the best.
Otherwise by the time that day arrived, he would probably already be lying underground busy fertilizing the grass.
“Hmm... the day after tomorrow? Gotcha. I'll come back on time then. Make sure to prepare some orange juice by then, okay, kid?” Astreo said as he deliberately turned to stare at Ling Ling.
Her face instantly turned beet red with anger.
Seeing her react exactly as he expected filled Astreo with an indescribable sense of satisfaction. It was the exact same kind of joy he used to get from tormenting his younger cousins back in his previous life.
After all! Who told them to become more beloved than him in his parents' eyes?
He still hadn't forgotten how those little brats had shamelessly stolen his precious gaming time whenever they visited. Even now, thinking about it made him feel slightly wronged.
“Youuuu...” Ling Ling pointed at him with a trembling finger, her entire body shaking in anger.
At that moment, she genuinely wanted to bite this bastard's hand.
Why did he keep calling her a kid?!
She wasn't a damn kid!
She was definitely not some lame little kid who couldn't tell the difference between a state and a province! She was a genius Hunter Master!
Suddenly, a knock echoed from the door. Before anyone inside could respond, the person outside tried to open it. Since the door hadn't been locked, it swung open without any resistance.
Mo Fan poked his head inside.
“Sorry to intrude,” he said awkwardly. “I heard you people were hiring, so I thought I'd...”
His voice abruptly stopped.
Leaving aside the two extras in the room when he stared to the man who had become more familiar to him that his own mother, his eyes met Astreo's.
Silence.
The two stared at each other for a brief moment.
Then...
Thud!
Mo Fan immediately slammed the door shut.
He took several hurried steps backward while gasping as though he had just witnessed something unimaginably terrifying.
Without the slightest hesitation, he instantly activated his Shadow Magic.
His body rapidly sank into the surrounding darkness as he attempted the most strategic retreat of his life.
Unfortunately for him before he could escape more than a few meters, a wave of Psychic Energy intertwined with Spatial Energy swept over him.
The darkness around him distorted.
His Shadow Magic was forcibly disrupted.
The next instant, Mo Fan was dragged straight out of the shadows against his own will before being unceremoniously pulled back into the room like a fish caught on a hook.
“Oh! Isn't this our protagonist, Mo Fan?” Astreo said cheerfully. “Brother, why are you running? After all, we can be considered good and loyal friends, right?”
He even nodded to himself as though his conclusion was perfectly reasonable.
After all, in a sense, both of them were protagonists.
Naturally that meant they ought to look out for one another.
At least, that was Astreo's completely logical train of thought.
Mo Fan was a classic Chinese protagonist who, despite all the absurd situations he constantly found himself in, still possessed more common sense than ninety percent of the protagonists in his own genre.
Meanwhile, Astreo was the overpowered harem protagonist who, unlike the average dense idiot, actually understood when women liked him instead of possessing the emotional intelligence of a black hole.
In that regard the two of them really were exceptional protagonists, even within the settings they belonged to.
Mo Fan, on the other hand, looked as though he was about to cry.
At this point, he seriously began wondering whether Astreo secretly possessed the Curse Element.
Because there was no other explanation.
He had definitely been cursed.
Why the fuck did he keep running into this guy everywhere he went?!
Was Astreo secretly tracking him? Or had the heavens simply decided that his peaceful life was no longer allowed?
“Don't worry, you aren't cursed. It's just that we're both students at the same university, living in the same city, and we're both mages. The probability of us running into each other is naturally quite high. Of course, you also can't forget that we're both protagonists.”
HOLY SHIT!
This guy could read minds!
He could definitely read minds!
Old Mu was right all along!
This bastard was a genuine mind reader!
“Nah, I can't read your mind,” Astreo replied casually. “You're just ridiculously easy to read from your facial expressions. You're pretty much the same as Mu Zhouyun.”
Mo Fan's face turned even paler.
'Fuck it!'
Determined to verify the truth himself, he forced the most neutral expression he could possibly make before frantically shouting inside his head.
'Astreo! You're a pussy who only knows how to beat women! WOMAN BEATER Astreo! You're also a mage who relies entirely on resources! A shameless pay-to-win bastard!'
He continued mentally cursing Astreo with everything he could think of while making absolutely sure not a single emotion appeared on his face.
A few seconds passed by as Astreo simply stood there, completely unfazed.
His expression didn't change in the slightest and nor did he suddenly expose Mo Fan's internal insults.
Seeing that nothing happened, Mo Fan finally let out a long breath of relief.
'Thank fuck...'
'This bastard really can't read minds after all.'
‘Though... it's probably because of his Psychic Magic. He can most likely guess what I'm thinking just by reading my expressions if I don't keep them under control!’
Mo Fan confidently came up with that explanation completely on the spot pulling it out of his own ass since it sounded reasonable enough.
So, without thinking any further, he happily accepted it as the truth and moved on.
Meanwhile, Astreo casually released his Psychic and Space Magic, allowing Mo Fan to drop back onto the ground.
He didn't say another word.
Instead, he simply turned around and walked away as though he had only stopped by to greet an old acquaintance.
This left Mo Fan thoroughly confused.
He had been fully prepared for Astreo to drag him into another bizarre conversation.
Instead the guy had just left.
“Hmmm... finally gone.”
Ling Ling let out a small sigh of relief before immediately shifting her attention toward Mo Fan.
“Also!”
The moment her sharp gaze landed on him, Mo Fan instinctively straightened his back and sat as attentively as a primary school student caught talking during class.
Cold sweat slowly trickled down his back.
“Why are you here?” Ling Ling asked suspiciously.
“Considering you know that bastard... don't tell me you're here to meet my sister too?”
She narrowed her eyes.
From her perspective mo Fan already looked like a shameless, lecherous scumbag based purely on his face alone.
Now that he apparently knew Astreo as well her suspicion only increased even further.
“I heard you people were recruiting mages, so I'm here to join,” Mo Fan said instinctively. “My name is Mo Fan. I'm a first-year student at Pearl Magic University, majoring in the Fire and Thunder Elements, with the Summoning Element as my support element.”
The words left his mouth so naturally that he didn't even think about them.
A second later he froze.
Wait a minute.
Why the hell was he introducing himself like he was attending a job interview?!
'Damnit!'
'It must be because of that bastard Astreo!'
'He scared me so badly that my instincts completely took over!'
For a brief moment, the entire room fell into silence.
Mo Fan could practically feel the pain of his aura dropping into the negatives.
His image...
His presence...
Everything had been ruined!
How was he supposed to find a wife now?
(A/N: Just fuck your own sister, step bro)
Thirty years in the east.
Thirty years in the west.
Astreo, don't bully the poor Mo Fan!
One day he would definitely make that bastard repay every last bit of the aura debt he had accumulated today!
...
Astreo, after having enough fun for one day, returned to his private villa located beside the ocean. The villa itself was protected by a powerful magical barrier capable of warding off anything up to the level of a True Monarch. Of course, if something even stronger than that ever appeared Astreo would simply one punch it into oblivion in true Saitama style.
Right now, he was comfortably seated on the sofa in the living room while three of his subordinates stood respectfully in front of him.
They were none other than Shadow, Rumy, and Qin Yu'er.
“I called the three of you here for a simple reason,” Astreo said as his calm gaze swept across his subordinates, his expression remaining completely casual.
“I want to hear the progress of your current missions.”
He paused for a brief moment before continuing.
“After that, I'll be assigning each of you a few new tasks.”
“The expansion of both Star Industries and the Star Clan is proceeding exactly according to our plans,” Shadow reported in a calm and professional tone.
“This year alone, we recruited an additional thirty-six thousand mages into the organization.”
He briefly glanced at the report in his hand before continuing.
“As for our financial performance, Star Industries generated approximately 93.8 billion yuan in profit within China. Overseas operations contributed an additional four billion US dollars in profit.”
Astreo silently nodded, impressed with how Shadow was leading the organisation.
In this world, the exchange rate between major currencies wasn't determined solely by economics.
Instead, it was calculated using the average rankings from three consecutive World Tournaments together with each nation's position on the National Power Index.
As a result, a country's military and magical strength had a direct influence on the value of its currency.
At the moment, the exchange rate between the US dollar and the Chinese yuan stood at one to nine.
China's disappointing performance over the past several tournaments had directly contributed to the depreciation of its currency, affecting not only its prestige but also its economic standing on the international stage.
This was also one of the primary reasons why every nation regarded the World Tournament as a matter of utmost importance rather than merely another international competition.
“What about you, Rumy?” Astreo asked as he shifted his gaze toward the green-haired woman.
Rumy, whose attention had been completely fixed on his face the entire time, immediately smiled as though she definitely hadn't been shamelessly ogling him just a moment ago.
“Lord, the mission to infiltrate the Parthenon is progressing very well,” she reported. “We already have one Great Muse on our side, and several High Priests are now being sponsored by us. Everything is proceeding according to plan, and our influence continues to expand steadily.”
Astreo simply nodded.
That was more or less what he had expected.
Finally, he shifted his attention toward Qin Yu'er.
Unlike the other two, she was kneeling on one knee before him.
Her face remained almost completely expressionless as she looked directly at Astreo. However, despite the lack of emotion on her face, her eyes contained unmistakable reverence mixed with an almost fanatical obsession.
To an ordinary person the contrast would have been deeply unsettling.
Her face appeared calm and emotionless, yet her eyes burned with such intense devotion that the combination bordered on creepy.
Rumy rolled her eyes before silently cursing in her heart.
‘Pretentious bitch.’
Shadow, meanwhile, didn't react in the slightest.
He had long since become accustomed to Qin Yu'er's personality.
Among all the women competing for Astreo's seed she ranked fairly high on the list of certified crackheads.
“Lord, I have completed the mission of hunting down the five Lesser Emperors exactly as you commanded,” Qin Yu'er reported in her usual calm and emotionless tone. “In addition, I have also successfully obtained the location of the Medusa in Africa. The information has already been verified, so the chances of it being false are extremely low.”
“Hmm...” Astreo rubbed his chin thoughtfully as his gaze swept across the three subordinates standing before him.
“You've all exceeded my expectations,” he said with a satisfied nod. “None of you disappointed me.”
He leaned back against the sofa before continuing.
“Tell me.”
“What reward do each of you want? As long as it's within my ability, I'll grant it.”
“Lord, I wish to save my merit points for the future,” Shadow replied without the slightest hesitation.
“Same.”
“Same.”
Rumy and Qin Yu'er answered at exactly the same time.
For a brief moment, the two women turned their heads and looked at each other.
Then they simultaneously frowned in annoyance before quickly looking away again, as though merely making eye contact with the other had already irritated them.
“Very well. Shadow, your next mission is to travel to the Imperial City and investigate the research surrounding the Demon Element, along with any other ongoing studies related to newly discovered or artificially created elements,” Astreo instructed.
Although he had no intention of obtaining the Demon Element for himself, he still remembered just how crucial it had been for Mo Fan's eventual ascension as the Evil Sacred God.
Unfortunately, Mo Fan had completely messed up the ritual though it was because of circumstances or so he remembered.
Because of that mistake, the power he obtained remained incomplete. As a result, despite inheriting such an extraordinary position, his combat prowess ultimately stopped at only Low Mid-Emperor level. Under normal circumstances, someone holding the authority of the Evil Sacred God should have reached at least Mid High-Emperor level, or perhaps even High Emperor. On top of that, Mo Fan could only maintain that overwhelming power for a relatively short period before exhausting himself.
Astreo wanted to investigate whether it was possible for someone under his command to inherit that opportunity instead and successfully ascend as the true Evil Sacred God in place of Mo Fan.
Of course, he wasn't particularly against Mo Fan obtaining that position either.
After all, once Astreo eventually left Earth to explore other dimensions, someone would still have to stay behind and deal with all the world's problems and dumping the responsibility of protecting Earth onto Mo Fan honestly sounded like a perfectly reasonable retirement plan.
“It will be done, M'Lord,” Shadow replied respectfully.
The very next moment, his body dissolved into the surrounding shadows before completely disappearing from the room without leaving behind the slightest trace.
Astreo then shifted his attention toward Rumy.
“I want you to temporarily redirect your focus toward Britain. Build connections there, establish our influence, and buy over as many useful people as possible. I don't care whether they're nobles, officials, or influential mages. As long as they're valuable and willing to work with us, bring them onto our side.”
“I will carry out your orders exactly as you wish, Lord Astreo,” Rumy replied with a bright smile.
Just as she was about to leave, however, she hesitated for a brief moment.
Her gaze subconsciously drifted toward Qin Yu'er.
Rumy was a very intelligent woman.
Astreo had long ago instilled a habit into all of his subordinates.
Once their orders had been delivered, they were expected to leave immediately unless instructed otherwise.
Not to mention, she still remembered how Astreo had rewarded Lisa and even that mysterious maid of his, though she could not confirm when did Astreo bestowed his seeds to Lisa graciously or it was recently.
Because of that there was a very high chance that, now that everyone else had left, Qin Yu'er would receive some sort of private reward as the last remaining subordinate.
Although the thought made Rumy feel a little jealous, she had already sworn her absolute love and loyalty to Astreo.
In the end, she simply swallowed her curiosity.
Without asking a single unnecessary question, she activated her Space Magic and teleported away, leaving only Astreo and Qin Yu'er inside the room.
Finally, Astreo's gaze fell upon Qin Yu'er.
“I have a task for you...” he said before pausing for a moment. “But before that, I want to ask you something. Why don't you come a little closer, Yu'er?”
A gentle smile appeared on his face, carefully concealing the rather lewd thoughts running through his mind.
Without asking any questions, Qin Yu'er calmly walked over to him.
Astreo lightly patted the empty space beside him on the sofa.
She silently sat down at his side without the slightest hesitation.
“It has been many years since you started serving me,” Astreo said calmly. “One could even say that you were ostracized to such an extent because of the actions my maid took back then.”
Qin Yu'er looked at him with her usual almost emotionless expression.
However, the deep obsession hidden within her dark eyes remained impossible to conceal.
“My Lord...” she replied softly, “none of that was ever your fault.”
She gently lowered her gaze.
“The only fault lies with me...”
“I failed to realize your greatness soon enough.”
Her words suddenly came to a halt.
Astreo had reached out and gently begun patting her head as though she were a cherished pet, slowly removing her black hair pin to ruffle her hair even more softly.
Qin Yu'er's body stiffened for the briefest moment.
Then without resisting in the slightest, she slowly leaned against Astreo, allowing him to continue stroking her head.
The black fur lining her coat provided a certain degree of warmth.
Yet compared to the warmth of Astreo's hand resting upon her head it wasn't even close.
Astreo quietly continued petting her, watching her relax ever so slightly.
He would claim her eventually.
That much had already been decided.
But, Today wasn't that day.
To be continued...