Chapter 44: Chapter Forty-Four: The name’s Yasmin
Chapter Forty-Four: The name’s Yasmin
"Which city are you from?" a young man with wide-set eyes asked Valen from across the counter.
Valen glanced around before replying:
"White Star City of the Advanced Kleints Country."
The young man nodded and entered it into a floating screen before him. Then, he pointed at a box beside him and said:
"Pick a pass. The number on it determines the Void Ship you board for the mission."
Valen nodded, silently reaching into the box and picking out a blank card with a number on the back. Then another person stepped forward to replace him, the endless line behind him shrinking slightly.
Staring at the number and seeing a boldly printed ’69’, Valen turned and walked towards the designated Void Ship in the transit station.
The news from Fadil about them having a mission to carry out had not shocked him too much.
He just had not expected Fadil to tell them nothing more before leading them to the transit station, where they had to draw lots to determine which Void Ship they would board.
It was not only them. All thirty-seven cities from the six nations were made to follow this process. Fate would decide which Void Ship one boarded, and it seemed to be done deliberately to minimise the chances of one city occupying a ship to the extent that it could influence its decision-making.
This made Valen curious as to what mission could warrant such precautions.
Once he arrived before Void Ship 69, Valen showed his pass and was about to enter when a voice behind him suddenly made him halt.
"Oh, what a coincidence. We ended up on the same Void Ship."
Turning around, Valen saw the luminous-haired teenager who had evolved through the Sound Path, and his body subconsciously tensed, entering a battle-ready state.
The Wind Elemental Power Suit on his body — which he had commanded to shrink to the size of ordinary armour — also seemed to react to his emotions, showing signs of expanding at any moment.
The teenager looked startled as he stared at Valen, not understanding why he was reacting so strongly.
Scratching the back of his head, he asked awkwardly,
"Why... why are you staring at me like that?"
Valen did not reply. He merely stared.
When he had chosen his card, he had not paid much attention to the person behind him. Who knew it would be this teenager, whom he suspected had already reached the second step of the Sound Path?
And what was that about coincidence?
Valen sneered and replied coldly:
"Don’t feed me nonsense about coincidences. Just come clean. What do you want?"
The luminous-haired teenager chuckled.
"Alright. I’ll drop the act. I had an instinct that we’d become friends, so I came over to say hello. My name is Anas."
The luminous-haired teenager — Anas — extended a hand.
Valen observed him warily, his mind clouded with confusion.
The first impression Anas had given him aboard the Void Ship from White Star City had been one of shyness.
After all, he had reacted dramatically when his Beast Egg was exposed.
But now he carried himself with subtle confidence and composure.
This made Valen think:
’Could it be that he revealed the Beast Egg on purpose? But why would he do that? Wait. Beast Eggs can’t be stored in an Inventory Ring. So where had he been keeping it?’
A bad feeling rose in Valen’s heart.
However, he did not reveal any of it. Instead, he reached out and shook Anas’s hand with a natural smile on his face.
"My name is Valen."
Anas revealed a bright smile of his own.
"Nice meeting you."
And with that, he left, leaving Valen deep in thought.
***
A medium-built man clad in a black uniform with a purple star on his shoulder held a broken metallic collar that emitted a blue glow.
He observed the sixty-ninth Void Ship for a moment before sighing, turning away, and departing the area.
’You’d better not die.’
***
"Boss Shadow, that’s him. He’s the one who beat up Stephen and me, completely disregarding the reputation of our Black Tail Guild!"
From a distance, a lanky youth pointed at Valen’s back as he stepped into the Void Ship, yelling at the top of his lungs.
A dark-skinned, thin man with shoulder-length black hair and pitch-black eyes stood nearby, also watching Valen intently.
Then he turned to the lanky youth and asked:
"Vincent, you’re saying that young man is Night Star — the one who beat you up at the Black Ruin Castle Beast Haven?"
Vincent nodded energetically.
"You know I have a perfect memory. His eyes are the same. Sleek black hair isn’t unique, but it’s certainly rare, and that height... I’m certain it’s him."
Shadow turned his pitch-black eyes towards Valen, feeling amused.
"What a coincidence."
At that moment, Stephen — a towering young man — stepped forward from behind.
"What’s a coincidence, Boss?"
Shadow’s measured footsteps continued as he walked away.
"It’s a coincidence that I also suspect him of something."
Then he paused.
Turning to stare at the three teenagers behind him, he asked,
"Aren’t you going to head over?"
Stephen wore a confused expression.
"Why should we head over?"
Vincent smacked the back of his head.
"Because Boss Shadow wants us to bid him farewell, idiot."
"Uhm..." a hesitant voice sounded beside them as an agile-looking teenager — Farhan — scratched his head.
"Boss Stephen, Boss Vincent, I think Big Boss Shadow wants us to follow Night Star onto the Void Ship, not bid him farewell."
Suddenly, Stephen and Vincent froze, sheepish smiles appearing on their faces.
Shadow massaged his forehead, feeling as though his intelligence had been insulted.
***
Elsewhere, a fair-skinned young lady wearing a hooded cloak that concealed her hair approached the counter while carrying a black bag.
"Which city are you from?" the young man with wide-set eyes asked with a smile.
The young lady showed a hesitant expression.
"White Star City in the Advanced Kleints Country."
The young man nodded and entered it into the floating screen before him. Then he pointed at the box beside him.
"Pick a pass."
The young lady hesitated for a few moments before asking quietly:
"Can’t I just get a pass for the sixty-ninth Void Ship?"
The young man’s expression turned serious.
"The Humanity System watches everything. If I helped you, I would be breaking the rules and could be arrested. I’m sorry, miss, but I can’t do that."
As though expecting such a reply, the young lady was not surprised. She merely let out a small sigh and shot Void Ship 69 a glance.
’You’re lucky this time, but you won’t be as lucky next time. In the end, we’re heading to the same place.’
The young lady did not bother checking the number on the card she picked. Taking her black bag, she turned around and prepared to leave.
Just then, a voice sounded behind her as a young man with smooth porcelain skin and lustrous golden hair approached.
"Young miss, my name is Luke. I have a card for Void Ship 69. Would you like to exchange?"
The young lady’s crystal-like eyes surveyed him in confusion, though it lasted only a second.
She took a glance at her selected card, then nodded.
Luke’s eyes immediately brightened, and the smile on his face widened.
He extended the card in his hand, but the young lady did not immediately take it.
Instead, she asked softly:
"What’s the catch?"
Luke shook his head, as though it was only a small request.
"Your name."
The young lady silently took the card from his hand and handed him hers.
Then she turned and walked away, the sound of her boots echoing through the area.
The wind began to surge, carrying a message through the air to Luke’s ears.
"The name’s Yasmin."
