Chapter 480 - 479: Farewell

The torrential rain had been falling for seven straight days.

Yu Zhizhi stayed in the Holy Tower, spending every day with the Snake Cub.

Noel had visited twice. Word was that things on Chixing were tricky, so he only stayed at the Holy Tower for two hours each time.

The Duke remained busy. He returned late at night several times, only to find the young Rabbit Clan female asleep, holding the Snake Cub. He would stand by the bed for a long while before quietly leaving.

During the day, Yu Zhizhi video-chatted with Sui Sui and learned that its condition was improving.

She was waiting.

Waiting for Lord Shen He to finish his business in Silan City, so she could board his warship and return to Sky Star Territory.

As for whether Little Amon could come with her, Yu Zhizhi had asked tactfully, but the Duke had refused.

The Snake Clan had always been strict with its young. Little Amon could not afford to slack off in the slightest.

Yu Zhizhi had also heard that the mortality rate for Snake Clan pups was extremely high, likely due to their harsh upbringing.

She just hoped that all the Snake Pups could advance successfully.

So that one day, they could be reunited.

On this day, Buli sent a message to Yu Zhizhi through a Holy Tower Guard—

"Lord Shen He has finished his business on Chixing. He will come to pick up Ms. Zhi Zhi and take her back to the warship tonight."

Yu Zhizhi put away the spirit letter.

She looked at the little Snake Cub eating a snack beside her and reached out to stroke its smooth little head.

"Little Amon, I have to leave tonight."

Yu Zhizhi’s voice was very soft.

The little Snake Cub paused its munching. In an instant, its round snake pupils filled with tears. It dropped the egg tart and dove into her arms, whimpering.

"SOB SOB! I don’t want you to go, Mama..."

Yu Zhizhi held him and coaxed softly, "Once you pass your assessment, you can come visit me. The Duke already promised me that as long as you successfully advance, he’ll send you to Sky Star Territory to play for a while."

’A balance of work and play.’

The White Snake cub nodded emphatically. "I’ll work hard!"

’I have to see Mama as soon as possible!’

Right at the appointed time, Shen He’s figure appeared outside the Holy Tower.

Yu Zhizhi said her goodbyes to Little Amon.

She walked over to the Big Shark’s side, and Buli took the luggage from her hands.

Inside were her daily necessities, as well as the handmade toys she had made with Little Amon.

In addition, there were also the practice problems Noel had given her.

"Lord Shen He," Yu Zhizhi called out softly. "Are we leaving tonight?"

The Big Shark walked ahead, his silver-gray hair slightly tousled by the wind. His rich voice was like wine aged in winter. "Yes, we leave tonight."

Matters regarding Chixing would soon extend to the Deep Sea Empire, where another Chixing base would also be established.

Yu Zhizhi followed silently, unable to resist glancing back at the Holy Tower.

On the distant fourth floor, she could vaguely make out the figure of the Little White Snake by the window.

She looked around again, but the Duke was nowhere to be seen.

Shen He noticed her actions.

As they were about to leave the Holy Tower’s grounds, Yu Zhizhi couldn’t help but ask in a low voice, "Is the Duke still at the Chixing base?"

Shen He shot her a look. "Disappointed he didn’t come to see you off?"

Yu Zhizhi quickly shook her head.

She...

’She would never admit it.’

It was just that she hadn’t seen the Duke much these past few days, and she hadn’t said goodbye to him. This afternoon, she had been so absorbed in her parting with Little Amon that she had even forgotten to leave the Duke a letter.

She was leaving Silan City.

Leaving the territory of the Valoran Empire.

The next time she saw the Duke might be a long, long time from now...

Maybe even...

’She might never see him again.’

If her mission went smoothly, she would go straight back to her own world.

’Oh well, I’ll just let fate decide.’

Yu Zhizhi suppressed the faint sense of loss in her heart. In any case, if she had the chance, she could still send the Duke a message.

’Whether he’d reply or not was another story, though.’

Shen He’s gray eyes moved away from the little rabbit’s face. He could tell she was lying but couldn’t be bothered to call her out on it.

He even offered an explanation. "The current situation on Chixing is rather tricky. Especially for the Valoran Empire. Although Weilan has been exposed, our first military expedition there has failed."

Hearing the word "Weilan," Yu Zhizhi’s ears immediately perked up.

’That has to do with Tang Luo Ke!’

"Failed?" She looked up at the man beside her.

Shen He replied, "On the way there, we lost all communication signals, the path of light collapsed, and the entire army was wiped out."

Hearing this, Yu Zhizhi’s heart sank.

Beside them, Buli’s expression was grim.

For Chixing, this was a devastating loss.

They had lost many elite soldiers.

However, for the future development of their planet, they would continue with this experiment.

"Duke Bolan doesn’t have time to see you right now. Besides Chixing, the other old-timers of the Snake Clan have joined forces. They’re extremely dissatisfied with what Bolan has been doing in Silan City." Reaching the carriage, Shen He suddenly bent down and lifted the young female into his arms.

"But I’m different. No matter what happens, I always remember to take you back to Sky Star Territory."

Shen He placed the little rabbit in the carriage.

Yu Zhizhi pressed her lips together slightly. "Thank you, Lord Shen He."

Shen He said, "No need for thanks. Just tell me, am I better than that snake?"

Uh...

Yu Zhizhi looked at him and blinked.

She sat on the soft, comfortable cushion. Night had already fallen in Silan City, and the carriage moved slowly along the quiet streets.

The carriage swayed gently.

Yu Zhizhi lifted the curtain and glanced outside. The long street was wet after the rain had stopped, and the Holy Tower was getting farther and farther away.

The situation in the Snake Clan was complicated, and Yu Zhizhi didn’t know much about it.

’But the Duke should be alright, right?’

’I hope everything goes smoothly for him.’

「Back on the warship.」

Yu Zhizhi went to find the Little Octopus. Its condition had improved drastically. The medicine Noel had prepared was very effective, halting its further mutation.

However, a complete recovery would still take some time.

The Little Octopus was back to its old self, its previous gloominess completely gone. It waved its tentacles excitedly in its pool. "Today, I can control them again!"

The "them" the Little Octopus was referring to were its tentacles.

When it was being corroded by the contamination, its tentacles wouldn’t even obey its commands and could do something terrifying at any moment.

But now, it seemed like everything was back to how it was before.

"That’s wonderful." Yu Zhizhi sat by the pool. She opened the light-blue medicine in her hand and passed it to the Little Octopus in the water.

A soft, sticky tentacle curled around the glass bottle.

Yu Zhizhi noticed the dark patterns on its body. After seeing them for a while, she had grown used to them.

She didn’t find the Little Octopus’s current appearance scary at all.

Every time she looked into its eyes, she felt that it was still the same as before. No matter how its appearance changed, the Little Octopus was still the Little Octopus.

It had such pure eyes.

「Silan City.」

「Chixing Base.」

The Duke gazed at the floating panel in front of him, which displayed all sorts of data.

Billy came to his side.

"Duke, Ms. Zhi Zhi is back on the warship. The warship is scheduled to depart at 10:15 tonight."

There were five minutes left until the warship’s departure.

The Duke’s golden, slitted pupils shifted away from the floating panel. He asked, "Is it ready?"

"It’s ready."

Billy looked at his master.

Although Lord Bolan couldn’t see Ms. Zhi Zhi off personally, he had prepared a farewell gift.