Chapter 133: The Bet
Even though Ethan had already guessed QingLian knew about the path beyond, those words still caught him slightly off guard.
"How long?"
"Not sure."
"Because you’re surpassing Emperor?"
QingLian looked at him. "You could understand it that way."
She paused for a moment before continuing: "When I’m preparing to cross that threshold, I’ll face a terrifying tribulation. At that point, I won’t only be dealing with enemies within humanity. Other races, outside factions, old debts, even things I haven’t yet encountered could all appear. They’ll seize that moment to deal me a fatal blow, to keep me from ever crossing that door, to let me sink into the river of history."
"So what are you investing in me for?"
"Insurance."
Ethan raised an eyebrow slightly.
QingLian spoke calmly: "I don’t know how far you can go. But you have potential, you think differently from most Awakened I’ve met, and on top of that there’s something watching you. If you die early, my investment is lost. If you survive, grow stronger, and one day step outside, perhaps I’ll have one more acquaintance strong enough to work with."
Ethan was silent for two seconds, then laughed.
"Well, now I can relax."
This time QingLian was genuinely a little surprised. "You don’t feel used?"
"It’s win-win." Ethan leaned back in his chair. "What scares me is when someone is suddenly nice to me without wanting anything in return. That’s the kind of thing that keeps me up at night."
QingLian watched him for a moment, then let out a very faint laugh. The smile appeared and vanished quickly, but it still softened the air of distance around her just a little.
"You really are a strange person."
"You’re not exactly normal either."
"I’ll take that as a compliment."
"Then go right ahead."
The atmosphere between them finally lightened. After a while, Ethan stood up.
"Three days?"
"Yes."
"I’ll be ready."
QingLian nodded. Ethan turned and walked toward the stone path across the pond. Just as he was about to leave the island, QingLian’s voice drifted from behind.
"Ethan."
He turned back.
She was still seated at the table, one hand holding her teacup, her long black hair swaying gently in the breeze.
"Don’t die before then."
Ethan’s lips curved slightly. "I’ll try."
When Ethan returned to the treatment ward, Laira was the first to approach.
The wounds on her body had already been treated, but the moment she saw Ethan, Laira still leaned down and sniffed around his shoulders and neck as though checking for unfamiliar scents. Ethan gently pushed her forehead away.
"What are you doing?"
"Checking."
"Checking what?"
Laira didn’t answer. Ruo Yan sat in a chair nearby watching the scene, then asked flatly: "Did she kiss you?"
Ethan: "...No."
Laira was immediately satisfied. "Good."
Xue Ji, seated across from them, finally burst out laughing. "You two really keep him on a tight leash."
Ruo Yan replied evenly: "Necessary."
Ethan decided to change the subject, recounting the Trial Gate that would open in one month, QingLian’s invitation to participate, and the fact that they needed to depart in three days.
Laira barely needed to think. "I’m going."
Ruo Yan also nodded. "Me too."
Xue Ji was quiet a bit longer. "Other races?"
"That’s what QingLian said."
"And anyone below Diamond can participate?"
"Yeah."
Xue Ji leaned back in her chair, her expression growing more serious. "Then it’ll be far more dangerous than where you just were."
"I know."
"Still going?"
Ethan looked at her.
Xue Ji laughed at herself. "Stupid question."
She stood up, walked over to Ethan, and lightly punched his shoulder. "Go."
Ethan was slightly surprised.
"Silver Moon City isn’t strong enough yet to keep you here with resources." Xue Ji looked straight at him. "So I certainly can’t let that stop you from going after opportunities. In the future, no matter where you go, if you ever want to come back..."
She pointed out the window, toward the city nestled between the massive cliff walls.
"Silver Moon City will be your home."
Ethan was quiet for a moment. Then he smiled.
"That sounds pretty good."
"Of course it does."
"But before I go, I still owe you this."
Ethan reached into his storage space. A chest appeared on the table.
The Resource Mystery Box Chest.
Xue Ji’s eyes immediately lit up. The dark-haired secretary sitting nearby also sprang to her feet.
"Finally!"
Xue Ji was about to reach for it when Ethan held the chest back. She frowned. "Changed your mind?"
"No." Ethan looked at her. "Do you trust me?"
Xue Ji blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Let me open it."
The secretary immediately cut in. "Hold on." She stepped forward, her expression serious. "The Resource Chest is a reward belonging to Silver Moon City. By the rules, the owner can open it themselves without going through a representative. If he opens it..."
"Let him open it." Xue Ji cut her off.
The secretary stared at her. "You’re not even going to ask why?"
"No." Xue Ji looked at Ethan and smiled. "If I didn’t trust him, I wouldn’t have given him a thousand C-rank Crystals in the first place. Open it."
Ethan’s lips curved slightly too. "Alright."
He looked down at the chest. The Eye of Truth activated silently. Nobody in the room saw any notification panel; to them, Ethan was simply studying the chest’s exterior a little longer than usual.
Laira stood beside him but didn’t ask. Ruo Yan also watched in silence. Both of them knew Ethan had secrets he’d never fully explained, but that had long since stopped affecting the way they stood by his side.
After a moment, Ethan placed his hand on the lid.
The lock opened.
Light immediately poured out.
A dense wave of energy swept through the room, sending every curtain billowing backward. Arrays of crystals, precious metals, energy construction materials, medicinal ingredients, and numerous other resources appeared in the luminous space above the chest, each type compressed into a representative image.
The notification appeared.
[Resource Chest opened.]
[Reward rarity: Diamond.]
The secretary froze in place. Xue Ji also failed to react for several seconds.
"Dia... Diamond?" The secretary was the first to speak, her voice nearly breathless.
The statistical breakdown continued appearing.
Volume.
Categories.
Energy.
Construction resources.
Medicinal ingredients.
Crystals.
The more she read, the more her expression changed. Finally, the secretary raised her head, eyes wide.
"Thirty years..."
Ethan turned. "What?"
"If Silver Moon City maintains its current consumption rate, these resources alone would last over thirty years."
The room went silent.
Xue Ji stared at the chest. She had originally estimated the reward would sustain the city for just over ten years, but ten years would have already been enough for her to complete a long list of plans: three water stations, an energy reserve depot, westside expansion, defense system reinforcement, main road reconstruction, and increased medical budget.
Now, that number had tripled outright.
"Thirty years..." Xue Ji murmured again, her fingers trembling slightly.
Ethan looked at her expression and smiled. "Seems like your investment of a thousand crystals paid off."
Xue Ji looked up. "Paid off?"
She stepped closer. "You’re calling this ’paid off’?"
"Then what would you call..."
Before Ethan could finish, Xue Ji had already pulled him into a tight embrace.
"Wait..."
Ethan’s body was drawn straight into her arms. The secretary’s mouth fell open, Laira’s head snapped up, and Ruo Yan also shot to her feet.
Ethan hadn’t even processed what was happening before Xue Ji released him slightly, both hands still gripping his shoulders. The smile on her face was radiant to a degree completely unlike her usual composure.
"Ethan, you truly are this city’s treasure."
"Calm down..."
Xue Ji leaned in.
And kissed him directly on the lips.
The entire room turned to stone.
The secretary’s mouth hung open but no sound came out. Ruo Yan stood motionless, her eyes slowly narrowing. And the smile on Laira’s face, in that very instant, vanished completely.