Chapter 6: Letter, Pearl, Hera!
Walking out of the Old Gothic Winery, Lan Jue’s mouth was still filled with that abundant, meaty flavor, as well as the pure fragrance of that ‘heavenly treasure’. The Coffee Master, having received a satisfactory answer from him, had left earlier.
Turning his head, he looked at the Gourmet who had left alongside him. Lan Jue couldn’t help but want to laugh.
In the previous era, Iberico ham truly did have rather thick fat. But the method which the Gourmet had selected for them to eat had another effect; it reduced the amount of grease. After reducing the amount of grease, naturally it was a little bit tastier.
At this moment, Lan Jue’s mind was still full of that look of hidden bitterness in the eyes of the Wine Master when he stored away the remaining ham.
“I’m off.” The Gourmet waved at him, then merged into the night.
Lan Jue passed through Skyfire Avenue. He saw, to his somewhat astonishment, that the lights in his store were still lit. It was already very late at night.
Pushing the door open and entering, he saw Xiu Xiu, standing there with a smile.
“Xiu Xiu, why haven’t you gone home to rest yet? It’s very late.” Lan Jue looked towards her questioningly.
Xiu Xiu smiled as she went to welcome him, handing an envelope over to him. “Boss, this is the letter which that young Miss Mao left behind. I was afraid of delaying some important matter, so I waited until you came back. Ke’er originally wanted to wait alongside me, but she was sleepy, so I had her go home first.”
Lan Jue gave her a courtly hug. “You are always so thoughtful.”
Xiu Xiu smiled. “Then I’ll go home now?”
“Right. Good night. Be careful on the way home.” Lan Jue lightly kissed her on her cheek.
Xiu Xiu walked to the door, turned her head towards him, smiling beautifully. “The wine fragrance you are wearing today smells very good.”
Lan Jue laughed. “If I smelled this good every day, the Wine Master would try to kill me.”
Xiu Xiu shut the door after walking through it. Lan Jue stayed at the store at night. Not for the sake of standing guard or working at night, but because this was his home.
Holding that letter, Lan Jue strolled into the VIP room. He pressed a button on one of the side walls of the VIP room, and the wall slide away, revealing the room behind it.
Lan Jue’s residence wasn’t very large, only a hundred square meters or so, but it had all sorts of necessary equipment. Every day, Xiu Xiu and Ke’er would volunteer to help him keep it clean, so this place was always spotless.
The room still had the faint, natural fragrance left behind the two girls. Lan Jue didn’t like the smell of strong perfume, which Xiu Xiu and Ke’er both knew.
Sitting down on the sofa, Lan Jue pulled open the envelope. He actually didn’t want to read it at all, because he didn’t want to ruin the good mood the ‘heavenly treasure’ wine had given him, but…all people are affected by curiosity. He was no exception. In addition, he had the faint sense that this letter wasn’t a simple one.
Opening the envelope, he only saw four words, but these four words caused him to instantly forget about the flavor of the ‘heavenly treasure’.
Lan Jue’s eyes, slightly intoxicated after having drank wine, suddenly turned blue, and electricity crackled within them. The originally bright lights in the room began to flicker and turn dim, sometimes bright, sometimes dark, while emitting a nonstop crackling sound.
Hera! Is! Not! Dead!
Those were the four words on that piece of paper.
Hera was a name. In the previous era, on the home planet, she was the Queen of the Gods in Greek mythology.
Zeus was the King of the Gods. His wife, naturally, was the Queen of the Gods, Hera.
In the New Era, Hera Mao was Lan Jue’s wife. The wife who had disappeared in what was, to him, an utterly calamitous event. The explosion which had ended the event had destroyed an entire star. No one believed that Hera could have survived.
It had happened three years ago. After it happened, he had arrived here and settled down here.
Dragons have their weak points. Zeus did as well.
Lan Jue sat there for a full quarter hour, not moving at all.
After the quarter hour passed, he flipped the letter over. On the back, he found a contact number.
With his left hand, he pressed down in mid-air. The electronic screen on facing the sofa immediately lit up, and a holographic 3D image appeared. The image was that of Skyfire Star. Lan Jue’s left hand was now covered with a layer of light as well.
His elegant, agile finger transformed into a blur as he entered a lone line of numbers, and the holographic image in front of him rapidly moved.
Seconds later, the image of Skyfire Star disappeared. The woman who had come to the store before appeared in front of him, still dressed in white. But of course, this was just her digital hologram.
“Zeus, can we have a chat now?” The woman had a smile on her face as she spoke. She was very confident; perhaps even a bit coy.
Lan Jue’s face was very calm, and the blue color had vanished from his eyes. “Do you know what the price of lying to me is?”
Although they were separated by a great distance and only speaking through a communications device, upon hearing those words, the woman’s face couldn’t help but change. Strong heart palpitations caused her to suddenly feel as though her chest was under great pressure. Still, she quickly managed to calm down. “When Zeus is angered, the heavens and the world will know it. I know. My name is Pearl [Yue].”
Lan Jue said coldly, “Show me the evidence.”
“Alright.” Pearl agreed easily. Raising her two arms, she made pulling motions in mid-air, and an image appeared.
The image was that of a picture. It seemed to be a classroom in a school. The students were all dressed in school uniforms, and they were walking in line, preparing to go to class.
Suddenly, Lan Jue stood up. The blue light which had just disappeared from his eyes appeared yet again.
He saw a person. A person who, for him, had been engraved deep into his soul long ago.
The first thing he saw was her head of long, black hair. Her black hair was somewhat naturally wave, utterly black and glossy, rolling down to her waist. Her school uniform revealed her orchid-like, pure white arms, long and tender. Because the table obstructed the view, one couldn’t see anything lower than mid-skirt.
The most shocking thing was, her eyes had pupils that were different from that of ordinary people’s. They were sky blue, like the color of the sea, without a hint of impurity. Her long eyelashes blinked, and those sky-blue eyes became the most soul-stirring part of her exquisite features. Anyone who she looked at would feel that their soul was enchanted by her two beautiful eyes.
Black hair, blue eyes. It was her!
The picture disappeared, and Pearl’s voice rang out once more.
“Zeus, can we talk about our partnership now? The school uniform which Hera is wearing, in the area of Skyfire Star alone, is used by the students of over two hundred schools. In addition, the star she is at isn’t necessarily Skyfire. I can tell you a secret beforehand. Within the next ten days, if you aren’t able to find her, then, you will definitely regret it all your life.”
Lan Jue, or, to be precise, “Zeus” Lan Jue, said, his eyes flashing coldly, “Terms!”