"Don't worry about it. This Flame-Reaver was an enemy we were tracking anyway. I should be thanking you for cornering him. Otherwise, who knows where he would have run off to."

Faced with Rappa's gratitude, Derick felt a bit embarrassed.

"Exterminating rogue ninjas is the duty of all ninjas. Ninja Derick, you don't need to thank me for this.

"If you say I don't need to thank you, then by the same token, you don't need to thank me either.

Hearing Derick's words, Rappa thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, Boothill was glancing around everywhere.

Noticing his expression, Derick asked him,: 'Sir, are you looking for something?'"

Derick knew Boothill's identity, but it wasn't convenient for him to reveal that.

"Brother, I don't know if you saw a pitch-black monster while you were fighting that guy. Oh, and its attacks carried the energy of the Plague Author."

The Galaxy Rangers are followers of Lan, the Hunt Aeon, so just like the people of the Xianzhou, they refer to the Apothecary as the old Plague Author.

Rappa nodded from the side and said, "That's right, Ninja Derick, did you encounter a ninja monster?"

"A pitch-black monster? With the power of the Plague Author?"

Hearing Rappa and Boothill ask this, everyone except Derick was stunned. Derick also put on a surprised expression.

"You've seen it?"

"We have indeed seen it, but we saw it before you did." Cipher spoke up to Boothill and Rappa.

Then, she told them the story of the battle against the Lord Ravager Phantylia on the Xianzhou Luofu.

After hearing Cipher's explanation, the two of them finally understood what Derick's fourth clone had done.

"I didn't expect that buddy to be like that. Looks like I'll need to stay here for a while longer," Boothill said to the group.

In his eyes, Derick's fourth clone was like an ignorant beast. Whether it did good or evil would depend on how others guided it. Boothill felt it was absolutely necessary for him to be that guide.

On one hand, it was because Derick's fourth clone had helped him a lot during the fight with the Flame-Reaver, making them comrades-in-arms who had fought side-by-side. Galaxy Rangers are extremely loyal to their allies on the same side;

On the other hand, Boothill was also worried his monster friend would be led astray. Especially by those dogs from the Company. If they saw his monster friend's power, they'd stop at nothing to take it away and teach it to serve their evil deeds.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, buddy," Derick said to Boothill.

Boothill grinned, revealing his shark-like teeth. "Easy, easy. Right, your name is Derick, isn't it? My name's Boothill. Hope we get the chance to meet again."

Boothill and Rappa then greeted the people with Derick one by one, and they all got acquainted.

Rappa also held out her hand and gave Derick a fist bump, which was her way of greeting him ninja-style.

After the greetings, Rappa hurried off. "Ninja Derick, I'm going to find that ninja monster!"

Watching Rappa leave, Cipher crossed her arms and asked curiously, "Is Miss Rappa always like this... so chuuni?"

"She might act like this most of the time, but that little head of hers..." Boothill pointed to his own head, "...is much smarter than the average person's."

Boothill said this with a considerable amount of affection in his tone. If his daughter were still alive, she'd be about Rappa's age. When Boothill looked at Rappa, he couldn't help but feel like a doting old father.

"Mhm, I can tell." Derick nodded, completely agreeing with Boothill.

If Rappa were really as chuuni and simple-minded as she appeared, she would have been killed by the Primordial Doctor and his minions long ago.

Then again, Derick felt that if he ever ran into the Primordial Doctor, he would probably have to find a way to kill him. Casually using people for atavistic experiments—such an anti-human act was something Derick simply couldn't accept.

"Haha, well son of a gun, you've got a good eye, buddy."

Looking at Derick agreeing with him, Boothill forcefully clapped Derick on the shoulder.

Derick clicked his tongue lightly.

Afterward, Derick and the others went to a hotel to rest, while Boothill set off to search for the whereabouts of Derick's fourth clone.

The hotel they found was luxuriously decorated, and the bed was especially soft. Derick lay down on the large bed, stretching his body out in relaxation.

But he hadn't been lying there for more than a few minutes when a knock came at the door.

Derick got up and opened the door to find Castorice.

When Castorice saw Derick, her eyes were full of anticipation. She wrapped her arms around his, nestling her whole body into his embrace.

Seeing Castorice being so forward, Derick almost thought it was Cipher in disguise.

But the feeling of the embrace made it clear to Derick that it was indeed Castorice in his arms. Faced with Castorice's actions, Derick, of course, responded enthusiastically. He wrapped his arms around her waist and asked softly, "Why do you seem so excited today?"

"Of course! The Flame-Reaver has been dealt with. The problem of our return to Amphoreus is halfway solved. We finally have a chance to go back to Amphoreus and save it, so of course I'm excited."

Castorice said to Derick.

Amphoreus held a different level of importance for Derick and Castorice. Castorice was willing to wander the entire universe with Derick, but until Amphoreus was confirmed to be safe, her thoughts would always be there.

"Don't worry, we will save Amphoreus." Derick lifted Castorice into his arms.

"But that's for the future. For now, let's celebrate dealing with the Flame-Reaver," he said.

"Mhm." Castorice nodded with a blush, letting Derick carry her into the room.

He held her with such vigor that as they walked, a pile of assorted bags fell from her.

Meeting Derick's questioning gaze, Castorice said softly, "Every time, you ruin a pair of stockings. So, this time, I brought a dozen pairs."

One pair ruined each time means we can go for a dozen rounds.

As Castorice finished speaking, she lowered her head slightly, her voice becoming almost inaudible.

Hearing this number, Derick couldn't help but be stunned.

A dozen rounds!

Good heavens, this wasn't just about winning or losing; this was a battle to the death.

Faced with such a 'challenge' from Castorice, even though Derick had just been with Yunli, there was no way he would admit defeat.

Come, let's battle!

Derick closed the door, simultaneously testing the sturdiness of the soft bed in the room.

He hoped it was strong enough not to collapse midway.

In the hotel corridor, Yunli quietly watched as Derick carried Castorice into the room and closed the door.

She pouted.

She had wanted to secretly find Derick, but she hadn't expected Castorice to get there first.

"Since I missed my chance this time, I'll have to wait until I've found all the Demonic Swords," Yunli muttered to herself.

She turned to leave, only to bump headfirst into an extremely soft chest.

It was Cipher.

Besides Yunli, Cipher had also been peeping just now. Looking at Yunli, Cipher patted her on the head.

"I say, little Li, that's something only adults should watch. You're still too young," Cipher said to Yunli.

At the same time, she cast a lecherous glance at Derick and Castorice's room.

Seeing Cipher act like this, Yunli suddenly wanted to laugh.

Cipher was still inexperienced herself, yet here she was, lecturing someone who had already seen and done it all.

It was truly preposterous.

But Yunli didn't show it. Instead, she padded barefoot across the floor, jogging back toward her own room.

A few days later, Welt Yang had finished handling matters here. When it came to post-disaster reconstruction, Welt Yang was very skilled, and within a few days, he had helped the people of this planet establish an organizational structure.

During this process, Rappa left to pursue the trail of the Primordial Doctor, while Boothill began patrolling the planet, searching for Derick's fourth clone. Derick estimated that Boothill would probably have to wait for a long time.

After all, the Flame-Reaver's body wasn't easy to digest; fully absorbing it would take quite a while.

After Welt Yang finished these tasks, Derick and the others also prepared to leave.

There was one person who was very reluctant to leave, and that was Qingque.

Over the past few days, Qingque had successfully introduced the game of Celestial Jade to this planet. She had spent these days seeking out partners to play with. Even though her opponents were refugees with no money, and Qingque couldn't win anything, she still had an incredibly fun time.

Boarding the starskiff, Derick was incredibly relaxed now that his mission was complete, preparing for a leisurely journey back while enjoying the scenery of the cosmos.

He hadn't experienced such a leisurely time in a while and probably needed to relax properly.

Qingque and Cipher were already gathered together playing Celestial Jade. Cipher waved at Derick.

"Come on, Derry, we need one more."

Derick walked over to Cipher and Qingque.

They needed one more player. Derick looked around, wondering who would be a suitable fourth.

But when his gaze swept over Sushang, he found her looking nervous, sweating profusely.

What's going on?

Derick wondered, confused.

What he didn't know was that Sushang's heart was pounding violently at that moment.

Don't let him find out, please don't let him find out.

Sushang felt the recording of Derick and Yunli in her pocket getting hot, terrified that Derick and Yunli would find out about it.

Luckily, Derick didn't know that starskiffs could save video recordings. After looking around, he invited Stelle to come play Celestial Jade.

Amidst this leisurely game, the group set off toward the Xianzhou Luofu.

-

🔥 40% OFF to celebrate 2 new stories! 🔥

We've just launched 2 new stories, and we want you to join us! Take advantage of the 40% discount to become a member.

When you join, you get instant access to:

✅ Over 40 advanced chapters of ALL stories!

✅ Exclusive content and updates!

Plus, your support unlocks bonuses for the entire community. Our goals are still active:

🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone

🚀 55 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters of ALL STORIES!

Secure your spot with the discount and get access to everything right now:

👻 patreon.com/Walnutchan