I Pick Up Talents on the Interstellar Battlefield - Chapter 495 - 406: Round Table Meeting
Chapter 495: Chapter 406: Round Table Meeting
“Morning, Miss!”
Little Jade had just woken up and was rubbing her eyes as she walked out of the bedroom, only to see Dongfang Mingyue wearing a light-colored apron, busy in the open kitchen, which instantly startled her and made her eyes widen. In her impression, Miss had always been focused on alchemy and had never cooked a meal herself. Today’s scene was truly a first-time event.
“Morning, Little Jade.” Dongfang Mingyue turned back with a smile. On the stove, there were several dishes of exquisite pastries with golden crispy crusts and supple cakes, rivaling the signature items from outside stores in appearance.
“Wow! Miss, did you make all these? That’s incredible!” Little Jade quickly stepped forward, the faint sweet aroma lingering around her nose, her eyes sparkling with surprise and delight.
Dongfang Mingyue picked up a freshly cooled osmanthus cake, handing it to Little Jade’s mouth with a hint of relaxation in her tone, “I can handle complicated tasks like alchemy, so making these pastries is much simpler than alchemy.”
“Then… are these made especially for me?” Little Jade took a small bite of the osmanthus cake, its sweet but not greasy taste melting on her tongue. She asked vaguely while holding onto the pastry.
Dongfang Mingyue nodded with a smile but added, “They were made for you, but also for Mr. Qin Tian. He saved all our lives, and we should show some gratitude. Making something myself seems more sincere.”
Little Jade paused her chewing on the pastry, suspiciously staring at Dongfang Mingyue with a mischievous smile on her lips, “Miss, why do I feel like I’m the ’bonus’ here?”
“You cheeky girl, always so talkative!” Dongfang Mingyue helplessly tapped Little Jade lightly on the forehead, her cheeks slightly red. “Go wash up quickly, or the pastries will get cold.”
Little Jade stuck out her tongue, skipping off to freshen up. Before long, Dongfang Mingyue carried several dishes of pastries and warm tea into the suite dining room.
The Dan Tower suite was elegantly and luxuriously furnished, with a spacious and comfortable layout of two bedrooms and a living room, initially meant for managers or high-tier guards, now temporarily loaned to them for a room.
As the two of them just sat down, Dongfang Mingyue softly called out to the air, “Mr. Qin Tian, are you there?”
“I am here.”
As soon as the words fell, a slight spatial ripple appeared in the air, and Qin Tian’s figure materialized out of thin air beside the dining table.
He was still wearing that signature black outfit, its fabric stiff as if yesterday’s bloody battle hadn’t left a trace on him. His face remained stern, yet was a bit softer than usual.
“Brother Qin Tian, good morning!” Little Jade greeted enthusiastically first, her tone filled with warmth.
“Morning.” Qin Tian’s lips curled into a rare, slight smile, his gaze falling on Little Jade as he asked with concern, “Little Jade, are you recovering well?”
“Better than ever!” Little Jade immediately straightened her torso, spreading her small hands as a cluster of pure white spiritual energy blossomed in her palm, sparkling with pure radiance. “After taking the Yin Yang Rebirth Pill yesterday, I directly advanced from Tier Two Nine Stars to Tier Three Three Stars! Master Gu He even said that over eighty percent of the pill’s medicinal properties remained in my body, and will gradually nourish my body, aiding me to at least breakthrough to Tier Five!”
She spoke, her eyes full of longing: “Tier Five… I never dared to dream of it before, but now there’s hope!”
When she finished speaking, Little Jade looked at Qin Tian again, her eyes became particularly serious. She stood up and bowed deeply to Qin Tian, her voice full of gratitude, “Brother Qin Tian, if it weren’t for you yesterday, neither Miss nor I, nor anyone around us would have survived. Thank you so much!”
Qin Tian quickly reached out to help her up, his tone gentle, “Protecting Miss Ming Yue is my duty; Little Jade, you don’t have to be so formal.”
“Then Brother Qin Tian should just call me Little Jade from now on!” Little Jade looked up seriously, “Everyone calls me that, ’Little Jade’ sounds too formal.”
Looking at her sincere eyes, Qin Tian pondered briefly and nodded, “Alright, Little Jade.”
“Then you shouldn’t be partial.” At this moment, Dongfang Mingyue spoke softly, her gaze falling on Qin Tian with seriousness in her tone, “You’ve changed how you address Little Jade; you shouldn’t call me ’Miss Ming Yue’ anymore, just call me Ming Yue. Going forward, I will also call you Qin Tian directly.”
Qin Tian was momentarily taken aback and instinctively wanted to refuse. He had thought that the embrace in the snow yesterday was just Dongfang Mingyue’s emotion after surviving the ordeal; after all, the two were in a protector and protected relationship, and such intimate terms seemed inappropriate.
However, when he looked up at Dongfang Mingyue, he saw her eyes firm, with no hint of joking. That seriousness rendered his rejection unspeakable.
After a brief silence, Qin Tian gently nodded, his voice softer than usual, “Alright, Ming Yue.”
Upon hearing the address, Dongfang Mingyue’s cheeks blushed lightly, but her lips involuntarily formed a soft smile as she sipped her tea.
“Qin Tian, these are the pastries I made for you and Little Jade. Try them out.”
Dongfang Mingyue said with a radiant smile.
“Okay.”
Qin Tian didn’t hesitate anymore, picking up a piece of pastry and putting it in his mouth, biting lightly and savoring the taste before giving a thumbs up.
“Superb, better than those made in the shops.”
At those words, the smile on Dongfang Mingyue’s face grew even broader.
Beside her, Little Jade watched their expressions, sneaked a glance and took another pastry, stuffing it into her mouth, finding it tasted even sweeter than before.
“Miss, did Brother Min find out the identity of those who attacked us yesterday?” Little Jade asked vaguely with a mouthful of pastry, her eyes tinged with curiosity and wariness. After all, they were enemies who nearly cost her life, and not knowing their background always left her uneasy.
Dongfang Mingyue placed down her teacup, gently shook her head, her tone tinged with a hint of helplessness, “Brother Min has already sent those black clothed men’s bodies to the relevant department for identity checks, but so far, there’s no news.”
On the side, Qin Tian listened quietly without interrupting, though his fingers unconsciously stroked the edge of his teacup.
From the white-robed man’s “True Martial Emperor” yesterday, he had already learned the assassins’ origins—the Round Table Meeting.
The Round Table Meeting is not comparable to regional assassin organizations like Shadowmoon Pavilion; its influence spans the entire Nine Great Star Realms, even including Star Realm areas densely populated by the Spirit Race and territories belonging to the Beastman Empire.
More daunting is the organization’s exceedingly long history, founded by the legendary “Round Table Twelve Knights,” and has been passed down for thousands of years, nearly as old as the Empire’s history.
Their method of training assassins is almost rigorous—most of the ace assassins in the core circle are chosen from childhood and undergo brutal training in closed environments. Only those who survive multiple selections and are the top-tier powerhouses can enter the core circle and access the Round Table Meeting’s core secrets.
As for those attackers from yesterday, they were merely “peripheral contractors” of the Round Table Meeting.
Though these peripheral assassins also have internal ratings and can undertake various tasks published by the organization, they will never touch the core circle of the Round Table Meeting, let alone know the true identities of the Twelve Knights.
The only one who might have known more information, the Tier Seven peak killer, had already been preemptively eliminated by the white-robed man, leaving not a single clue.
In other words, even if the relevant department finally uncovers the identities of those black clothed men and confirms their connection to the Round Table Meeting, it’s challenging to derive more information from this clue. Peripheral killers are just deliberate “smoke bombs” left by the Round Table Meeting.
With this thought, Qin Tian frowned imperceptibly.
Since the Round Table Meeting had already set its sights on Dongfang Mingyue, they probably wouldn’t just send peripheral assassins once. The upcoming situation might be even more tricky.
