Chapter 334: Armor

One hour ago—

After Cillin went into the study, Hara was going to talk with Xingfu when he saw Wheeze skulking about and searching for something. So he asked, "What are you looking for, little fatty?"

I'm looking for food, duh!

But Wheeze wasn't completely lacking in subtlety, so after observing its surrounding it answered shamelessly, "I'm checking out your paintings, of course! They're not very good though."

Xingfu looked away. How could it be so shameless!?

Xingfu wasn't looking at Hara's face, but he could sense a change in the easy-going air surrounding the man. He might not be showing any outward anger, but it was clear that he was bothered by the criticism. Still maintaining his smile, Hara raised his eyebrows and said, "Oh?"

Wheeze lifted its chin and pointed a paw at a particular painting. "For example, that one's no good."

Hara looked. The gray cat was pointing at a painting he drew at a whim when he went to relax on the sea. He had used some consumable seaweed powder and all kinds of powdered sugar to create the image of a blue sea with overlapping waves. Moreover, it gave off the refreshing scent of a sea breeze without the stench that usually accompanied it.

The scents in the room were plentiful but not nauseating. In fact, as a guest traveled from one part of the room to another, they would feel a specific variety of moods induced directly by the scents of the paintings on the walls. Olfactory art was one of those arts that seemed easy to create at first glance but was the complete opposite in reality, and Hara had always taken pride in his skills.

"In that case, please tell me what needs to be changed," said a smiling Hara as he removed the outer frame of the painting.

Wheeze curled its tail and ran to the bottom of the painting. Then, it leaped across the air and clung to the wall... or at least it tried to, when gravity betrayed it and dragged it down a couple of inches. It probably had something to do with its weight. Hara and Xingfu acted to catch it, but it regained its footing surprisingly quick and climbed next to the painting. After circling around the painting one time, it opened its mouth and started licking.

So when Cillin walked out of the study, he saw the cat claw holes on the walls, a cat licking the powdered sugar all around its mouth, and a painting was irreparably marred by a certain someone's licking. It even pointed at its handiwork and said in a sagely tone, "This is how a sea beast looks!"

Wheeze had licked away a small section of the painting and revealed the dark-colored background beneath it. The shape of the hole looked just Blueskin swinging its tail to stand above the water. An outsider would probably think that it was just a performing seal though.

Cillin immediately walked to Wheeze, grabbed it by the nape and pulled it away from the wall. He then apologized to Hara and said, "I'm so sorry. This cat must've given you a lot of trouble."

Hara waved a hand and chuckled amiably. "It's fine, it's fine. That little seal does look rather cool."

Wheeze was licking its paw when it heard the comment and immediately puffed up like a porcupine. "It's a sea beast, a sea. Beast! Have you never seen a ruler of the sea before, fatty!?"

Xingfu looked at his own feet and pretended that he heard nothing. He could count on two hands the number of people in the entire GAL who would dare to call Hara a fatty to his face.

Cillin pressed Wheeze's mouth shut before saying, "It doesn't really understand expression, and its drawing skill is pretty shit too. However," Cillin pointed at the "seal" before continuing, "believe it or not, that is something a sea beast had done before."

"Anyway, have you read the logbook already?" Hara forcibly changed the subject.

Cillin nodded. "Yes. I know a little more about the circumstances surrounding master's sudden departure now."

Hara let out a long sigh and told both Cillin and Xingfu a couple more things that weren't recorded in the logbook.

Apparently, Hara was the one who helped Genya to leave Sector S not long after Butterfly Kiss was made. After that, he never made the delicacy again because he believed that he was the one who gave Genya the determination to leave his family, and he felt very guilty toward Gensheng.

For the same reason Angenia came to dislike Hara, although she still allowed him to send Gensheng food during the latter's birthday. He also made food for Xingfu and Xingji when they were ten years old.

Xingfu understood now Hara made food for him and Xingji only because they were the children of his father, Gensheng. Otherwise, grandchildren of the "Queen" or not, the Food King wouldn't act unless he felt like it.

"Where is Genya right now? Can Angenia and I bring him home if we work together?" Hara asked tentatively.

"No." Cillin thought for a moment before asking, "Did master ever tell you about his background?"

"Yes, but very rarely, not even when he was with Angenia."

"In that case, let me just say that master's background is really a lot more powerful than you think. In fact, the three forces of Sector S combined still might not be strong enough to beat the Gen Family. You'll know it when it is time for him to come home."

Cillin could make this claim because he had seen the Gen Family's private army before. Although the three king's exact military strength was unknown to many people because there was seldom a need to deploy them, only a fool would underestimate the power of a royal family.

However, there were a couple of problems that still needed to be solved before Genya could return to his family. For one, he would be accompanied by his private army, but it was unclear if the time and space vortex was capable of transporting a huge fleet just yet. Moon and Shi Tang were researching this right now, and they should have a solution in the very near future.

Hara decided to accompany Cillin after he heard that the hunter was going to Angenia and Gensheng next. He was planning to visit Gensheng in the near future anyway, so he thought he might as well bring forward his schedule.

Hara also gifted Cillin a square-shaped box about ten centimeters wide. It contained a couple of tiny pill-like objects that didn't seem like much, but could save a life when consumed at a critical moment. To put it simply, it was a type of MRE that contained the best possible combination of nutrients and enough energy to sustain a person between three to five days. It was most suitable for a hunter who spent most of their time travelling across space, not that anyone expected the handmade food of the Food King himself to be anything but exceptional.

Snarker could barely describe his feelings when he was seeing Cillin off at the spaceport. He might not be aware that Hara's residence was right here on this planet, but he was just a lackey, and he expected to not know about these things. The problem was that Qi Geyou was just as ignorant this either, and he didn't believe for a second that the higher-ups of Flying Snake were all unaware of this. This meant that Qi Geyou hadn't truly blended with the group that stood at the pinnacle of the organization.

It looks like all of us still have a ways to go.

At the headquarters of Golden Beginning.

Gensheng was busy with work as usual, but this time he was also wondering about Hara's unusual reaction and that strange young man's identity. After all, not everyone could enjoy the special treatment of the Food King himself.

It was at this moment his private communicator rang and broke his train of thoughts. The caller was Xingfu.

Two minutes later, the bodyguards standing outside Gensheng's room saw their boss dashing out of the door and shooting instructions left and right like he was in the middle of a war. It sounded like he was making urgent preparations to receive someone.

On the same day, a bomb dropped in Golden Beginning's headquarters when it was announced that the Lady had exited her long-time seclusion and made an appearance. Not only that, it was rumored that the Queen was smiling a lot more frequently than usual, and both her and Gensheng seemed to be very excited about something. Everyone in the headquarters was curious to know who or what had caused them to act like this.

It didn't take long before they heard the news that Xingfu, the young masters of "Lavish" and "Infinite", and even the Food King Hara were coming back. They weren't too surprised by the Food King's arrival though, and it still couldn't explain why the "Queen" and boss Gensheng were acting the way they were.

Angenia and Gensheng personally waited at the spaceport when the starships arrived. They didn't react to the first couple starships including Xingfu and Hara's, but when the final starship showed up, they strode up to it before it even landed completely. Everyone who had come with them wished they had longer necks so they could catch a better glimpse of the VIPs they were receiving.

The spaceplane didn't look like anything special, but that was hardly a reason to write off its passenger. Everyone's expectation skyrocketed when the hatch opened, and... a cat with ugly gray fur ran down the ramp, bumped up its fat ass, stretched its back, looked around and finally licked its paw like it hadn't just utterly annihilated their expectations.

Everyone: "..."

Thankfully, the awkward atmosphere only lasted an instant. A group of people walked down the ramp, and Angenia and Gensheng immediately walked up to them.

Cillin observed the obviously excited duo for a second. When Angenia was younger, she had carried herself with an air of pride and undisguised strength. Today, she still didn't look like an older woman, but she was clearly a lot more mature than she was before, and she had learned to smile in a way that was warm yet inviolable due to her natural disposition.

Gensheng was also a class of his own thanks to Angenia's teachings. He might be limited by his genes, but he definitely possessed the spirit of a superior.

If there was one thing that was out of place regarding the duo, it would be their physical appearance. Gensheng's graying sideburns made him look like Angenia's older brother instead of her son.

"Are... are you Genya's disciple, Cillin?" Angenia asked with a clear tremor in her voice.

"Nice to meet you, ma'am!" Cillin saluted as he greeted her, and Angenia the motions immediately. A long time ago, Genya had taught her the same movement and told her that it was a custom in his home. When she saw the familiar curly leaf-pattern around Cillin's thumb, she finally lost control of her expression and burst into tears.

Unbeknownst to her, her retainers were watching the scene from a far distance with a bewildered look on their faces.

What the hell is going on over there?

Is he her illegitimate child—no wait that can't be right—grandchild or something? But if that's the case, young master Xingfu or boss Gensheng wouldn't look as calm as they are.

Seeing that his mother's emotions were spiraling out of control, Gensheng hurriedly advised, "Why don't we take this back home?"

"Right, right! You have all come a long way. We'll be a terrible host if we don't treat you all properly!" The "Queen" immediately instructed her subordinates to receive the crew while she led Cillin into her private car herself.

Wheeze followed them of course. Cillin felt goosebumps all over his body as the goddamn cat called Angenia "master grandma two' again and again.

After Gensheng entered the car, they took off toward Angenia's residence. If it wasn't clear enough, Cillin was the only one Angenia and Gensheng were going to personally receive. Even Xingfu could only scratch his head at being abandoned by his own grandmother and father. After bidding Fen Yuzuo and Peneus goodbye, the young master slipped into the backseat of a flying car and went after the trio.

Hara didn't mind the cold treatment because he was used to it already, and he could understand how Angenia and Gensheng were feeling right now. So, he simply walked up to some familiar faces and greeted them with a smile.

After they arrived at Golden Beginning's headquarters where Angenia's residence was, Cillin passed the necklace to Angenia, and the bracelet to Gensheng.

"This is my master's gift to both of you."

Gensheng accepted the bracelet and slipped it around his wrist. It immediately turned into a curly leaf tattoo on his skin.

Angenia simply stared at the necklace as if she was deep in her memories.

Cillin also injected Gensheng with the hormone extract of the Fuji Tree and instructed them on how to use it before giving them the rest of the stock. Xingji wasn't here right now, so Angenia would be responsible for performing the injection later.

Gensheng was a lot calmer than Xingfu when his genes underwent an evolution. That being said, the boy was near death when he received his injection, so it was understandable that he was a lot more dramatic about it.

Gensheng's rank stopped at B just like Xingfu, but his change in physical appearance was a lot more drastic. One moment he looked like a middle-aged man with graying hair, and the next he looked like a youngster in his prime. Gensheng was very happy as a matter of course. He was the boss of Golden Beginning, and while the boss didn't need to be the strongest person in the organization, he needed some power to command the respect of his people. It was one of the main reasons he faced great resistance when Angenia passed down the leadership position to him. After today, he could finally shut up some of those voices.

Angenia was disappointed that Genya wouldn't be returning immediately, but when she heard that, not only was Genya alive, he was doing very well right now, she still felt like a great burden that had been sitting in her heart for decades had been lifted.

"Oh right, you are a commander in Vanguard right now, aren't you? I have a couple of gifts I think would be useful in your journeys," Angenia said before ordering his subordinates to bring over the items.

"Are you talking about that armor?" Gensheng exclaimed in surprise.

The reason he said this was because they only had five sets of that special armor in total, and they were meant for him, Angenia, Xingfu, Xingji and Prisa. They didn't have a spare for Cillin unless Angenia meant to gift him her or Xingfu's armor. Before the injection, Xingfu was too weak to don the armor, but that was no longer the case, so...

Cillin was very curious. Space-worthy space suits and armor were hardly a novelty, but there must be a reason why Angenia and Gensheng wanted to gift it to him.

A while later, Angenia's subordinate handed Angenia a box, and she took out what looked like a weird one-piece that looked like it was made of some sort of transparent liquid.

"We only have five of these, so I'm going to gift you my armor."

Angenia stopped Cillin before he could turn her down and looked at Gensheng. "Little Sheng, give us a demonstration, will you?"

Gensheng stood up and took off his outfit. It was then Cillin noticed that Gensheng was wearing the same translucent suit Angenia was holding. Suddenly, the suit grew clearer and more physical until the man was wrapped from head to toe inside a silver white armor.

Gensheng grabbed a laser blade and cut himself in the arm. However, the weapon failed to leave any mark on the armor at all. He then ran around and performed a couple of jumps to show off how naturally the joints of the armor bent, and how smooth his movements were. When the demonstration was finally complete, the mask of the armor lifted to reveal Gensheng's face.

The man looked very excited. After his genes had evolved, using his armor felt far more exhilarating than before.

"You can wear this armor in space directly, and I'm sure you'll discover some other benefits after you test it out yourself. It forms a connection with your nervous system once you wear it, and you can choose to manifest it to protect yourself, or hide it into your body at will," explained Angenia while passing the armor to Cillin.

Cillin gave the armor a close look and found it to be very special. When he touched the strange fabric, he almost felt like he could communicate with it. The creator of this armor must be an incredible person.

That wasn't the end of his surprise though. As he continued to examine the armor, he suddenly discovered an inconspicuous symbol on it.

"This symbol..."

"You recognize it?!" Angenia had sharp eyes.

"I do. It's a shame what happened to this family." He paused for a second before asking, "Is someone from this family in Golden Beginning right now?"

Angenia hesitated for a moment but nodded.

"Can I meet them?" Cillin asked again.

Gensheng opened his mouth but chose not to say anything. Angenia should be the one to decide this.

A long pause later, Angenia finally said, "Okay. I'll take you to him right now."

He's here? Well, that's convenient.

Cillin put away the armor and followed Angenia out of the room. Gensheng followed them because he wanted to know exactly what Cillin knew about that family.

There was a courtyard not far away from Angenia's residence, and it was surrounded by all sorts of strange machines. Hara's laughter came from the courtyard when they finally arrived.

Angenia opened the door to the courtyard, and Cillin spotted that person right away.

Hara was adorning a cake he made with some fruits. Sitting on the opposite side was a young man about fourteen to fifteen years old licking the cream of the unfinished cake off his fingers. His eyes curved into crescents when he smiled.

The young man turned around when he heard the door opening. That was when Cillin saw the platinum gleam reflecting off his metallic gray pupils.

The purest gray, the brightest platinum. Everything Moon told him about the Xi Family made Cillin certain that the young man before him was a pure-blooded Xi Family descendant!

The only thing that didn't match up was that the young man had white hair instead of the metallic gray Moon claimed most Gen clansmen had.