A Filthy World

She quickly composed herself, feigning surprise. "Eh, Hero? What are you doing here?"

"Hmm, this bar in the Commoners' District is quite nice. I'll go have a drink. Miss Athena, what brings you to the Commoners' District? This place is not befitting your distinguished status. You should frequent more elegant settings..."

Keep pretending, you're clearly here to have a secret rendezvous with a woman.

"The milk tea at this shop is pretty good..."

Keep pretending, you're clearly here to spy on me.

The two were saying things they didn't mean, the difference being that one knew everything, while the other thought he was pretending very well.

Qin Chu looked up at the horizon. "It's getting late. I know a nice hotel over there, Miss Athena. Would I have the honor of inviting you to dinner? Or are you planning to spend the whole day drinking milk tea here?"

"I'm sorry, it's not nice to say this, but... drinking too much milk tea really can easily lead to weight gain."

Athena instinctively wanted to refuse, but this was an opportunity to deepen her understanding of Qin Chu. After all, she still knew too little about this man. It would be best if she could wait until Lord Jello's consciousness awakened.

A delicate, pale finger tossed a banknote onto the table. Athena swayed her perfect figure as she walked out of the milk tea shop, a gentle, alluring smile on her face, "Of course, it would be my pleasure."

"Moreover, I am very confident in managing my figure," Athena added.

Women care a lot about their figure, even in front of men they dislike.

The two walked side by side, both with faint smiles on their faces. Neither of them revealed their true thoughts, and their demeanor was out of place in the chaotic Commoners' District.

Once you pass through that barrier wall, the noise stops abruptly, and the air becomes exceptionally fresh.

Whether the food at the restaurant in the Nobles' District was satisfactory is another matter, but the price was definitely outrageous. A single meal cost Qin Chu several thousand Mana, which was by no means a small sum.

A bottle of red wine that is said to have a two-hundred-year history costs more than 30,000 Mana.

"Before we eat..." Qin Chu didn't rush to pick up his knife and fork. "Excuse me!"

Athena, who was preparing napkins, looked at Qin Chu with some surprise. "Why is Your Excellency apologizing, Hero?"

"Um... I was wrong last night, I'm very sorry." Qin Chu honestly apologized for his behavior yesterday.

Qin Chu was apologizing for threatening her with fragments of the First-Generation Hero's Soul Fragment.

After a slight pause, Qin Chu continued, "I know all that. The First-Generation Hero, Jello, was an outstanding person, wasn't he? Many people liked him, and the members of your Hero's Party, who spent every day with Jello, naturally felt the same way."

"So, I overheard some nobles saying that the members of your Hero's Party are very resistant to summoning the Second-Generation Hero, which is me..."

"Therefore, I have absolutely no good feelings towards the members of the Hero's Party, and I'm even a little jealous of them."

"When we went to rescue Benson, Karthus attacked me for no reason, and I almost died from Karthus gun. That made me hate the members of the Hero's Party even more."

"That's why I did that to you yesterday, I'm really sorry." Qin Chu expressed his apology very sincerely.

That idiot Karthus.

As expected, Jello also said that Karthus had attacked Qin Chu before.

So, upon returning to Qin Chu, did he immediately vent his resentment on himself?

Athena cursed Karthus, who was about to be executed, in her heart, but her face was full of gentle smiles. "It's alright. We were indeed in the wrong before, so please don't take it to heart, Your Hero."

"We still need to work together to fight Magic Creature in the future, so we can't let these little things ruin our relationship, right?"

Qin Chu seemed to relax as well. "Hehe, that's true. And after spending some time together, I've also discovered that not everyone in the Hero's Party is a villain like Karthus; there are good people among them."

"For example, Miss Saint Rosweisse is a very gentle person."

"And Miss Ekaterina... Although we had a little misunderstanding at the beginning, we have a very good relationship now."

It's more than just good; you and Ekaterina are practically inseparable every day, aren't you?

This foolish man truly knows nothing; Rosweisse's gentleness is merely a facade, and Ekaterina is only with him to resurrect Jello.

The more Athena looked at him, the more she felt sorry for this man.

From his words, Athena could clearly sense Qin Chu's admiration for Ekaterina and Rosweisse.

No wonder this man sought out Angelica and the bar owner... Perhaps only women of this caliber could satisfy his pathetic ego.

Qin Chu and Rosweisse didn't spend much time together; he mostly talked about Ekaterina, which made Athena inexplicably irritated.

Ekaterina was the first person to sacrifice herself for Lord Jello, so she naturally holds an important place in Jello heart. After that, every time Ekaterina was by Qin Chu's side, she helped Jello recover. If this continued, if Lord Jello were to awaken one day, it would almost certainly be thanks to Ekaterina. Qin Chu's own position in Jello's heart would probably be far inferior to that of Ekaterina.

Athena also hoped that Jello would wake up soon; she simply couldn't get through this ordeal.

She instinctively loathed the man opposite her.

Unfortunately, even as the meal was nearing its end, Jello's consciousness never resurfaced.

On the other hand, Athena herself knew that this was inevitable, a necessary condition for Jello's recovery... Otherwise, who knew what accidents might happen during those decades? Lord Jello was so fragile now; any accident could prevent Jello from ever being resurrected.

Each additional day brings an additional day of danger.

Athena was torn between two conflicting emotions: Jello's resurrection, Qin Chu whom she loathed, Ekaterina's sacrifice, and that woman's place in Jello Gerald's heart...

She kept pouring herself drinks, her cheeks flushed.

If Qin Chu were to continue interacting with ordinary noble ladies, would it accelerate Jello's awakening of consciousness? Athena suddenly thought of this, but... she quickly shook her head. Lord Jello hadn't mentioned this before, only saying that he, Ekaterina, and she could...

Given Jello Jero's gentleness, if this method were truly effective, he wouldn't have needed to sacrifice Ekaterina; he could have simply sent Qin Chu to find those noble ladies.

Perhaps this is the bond that formed between her and Ekaterina, as members of the Hero's Party, through their long time spent with Jello.

Now, Lord Jello only has them left!

If they are unwilling to sacrifice and make sacrifices, then Lord Jello will never be able to be resurrected.

"Hero Excellency, may I take another look at that Soul Fragment?" Athena suddenly asked, then she remembered that the Soul Fragment seemed to have merged into Qin Chu's body.

To everyone's surprise, Qin Chu readily took out the Soul Fragment: "Of course."

Upon seeing the Soul Fragment again, Athena's expression suddenly changed in shock. The Soul Fragment was covered with dense, spiderweb-like cracks, and the sensation that Lord Jello had felt on the Soul Fragment had become extremely weak.

Qin Chu scratched his head a little embarrassedly, then quickly said as if he remembered something, "Don't misunderstand, I didn't intentionally damage this thing."

He didn't cause any damage; he simply poured his Starflame Battle Aura into it, causing the Soul Fragment to crack from the inside.

Athena didn't suspect that Qin Chu had deliberately sabotaged it. Whether it was crushed or smashed, it wouldn't leave such even cracks; it looked more like it was formed naturally...

"I don't know what happened. After you left yesterday, I woke up to find myself like this."

Athena's face was unusually gloomy, which was definitely not a good sign. After thinking it over, she could only think of one possibility: Jello's remnant soul had been overdrawn too much yesterday.

Athena will never forget how much pain Jello endured when his consciousness was restored.

It was obvious that Lord Jello was already forcing himself to stay afloat at that point.

If it weren't for saving himself, Lord Jello wouldn't have had to endure such harm.

For a moment, Athena felt both happiness and regret.

She wanted to make amends.

Qin Chu secretly observed Athena's expression. "Miss Athena, if you want it, then you can have it. Anyway, it's of no use to me."

Athena shook her head and returned the Soul Fragment to Qin Chu. She couldn't be sure if something bad would happen if the Soul Fragment and the remnant soul were separated too far apart, so it was best to be careful.

Moreover, it seems that Lord Jello's remnant soul needed the assistance of a fragment of his soul to seize control of Qin Chu's body.

Taking a deep breath, Athena finally made her decision. With only them left for Lord Jello, she had to make a sacrifice for Jello.

She stood up, exuding a stunning allure. "Hero, I think I'm a little drunk..."

"I'm a little tired. There seem to be rooms upstairs. Could you help me to rest there?"

Finished the last chapter today. Although it's only four chapters, it's more word-for-word than yesterday's.

Chapter 131 A Dirty World

(Please vote for me!)

When a beautiful woman makes a request, Qin Chu cannot refuse.

After all, Athena was already quite drunk. If we left Athena here, it would be terrible if her figure and face were to fall into the hands of someone with ill intentions.

The thought of that scene is terrifying.

As an elegant gentleman, Qin Chu simply couldn't bear to watch Athena encounter such danger, especially since he was the one who invited Athena to dinner. If something were to happen to her, he would feel extremely guilty.

Therefore, both morally and logically, Qin Chu must protect Athena's safety.

Seeing Athena's delicate cheeks flushed, Qin Chu stood up and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Of course, beautiful lady, it's what I should do..."

I waved to the waiter, paid for the meal, and was given a comfortable room.

Qin Chu completely ignored the waiter's suggestive gaze. He was only doing this for Athena's safety, not for the dirty thoughts the waiter had.

He's a good person.

Athena seemed to have drunk too much; her full body swayed precariously, as if she couldn't even stand up straight. With Qin Chu's support, half of her body leaned against Qin Chu.

At this moment, Qin Chu kept his eyes down, looking straight ahead, like a true gentleman.

His upright demeanor even made Athena, whose cheeks were flushed, somewhat doubtful. Was this really Qin Chu? Based on her understanding of Qin Chu, he shouldn't be acting like this, right?

I've made it so obvious, yet this guy still hasn't reacted at all?

Does that mean I'm not even as good as Angelica, the bar owner, or even as bad as Ekaterina, that rude female gorilla?

Athena was fine losing to anyone, but losing to Ekaterina was the one thing that made her particularly unhappy!

The door creaked open, and Athena flinched.

"Miss Athena, please rest well. I'm going back now."

After escorting Athena to the door, Qin Chu did not enter the room. As a gentleman, he could not casually enter a lady's room.

Qin Chu turned to leave, but a small, fair hand grabbed his wrist.

Athena knew what was going to happen next.

Knowing this only intensified her fear; a surge of intense regret welled up within her, and she felt an overwhelming urge to burst out of the room and run away...

She was afraid, she was terrified...

This person is not Jello; he is Qin Chu.

Her fingers were clenched tightly, and she suppressed her fear with great willpower. She knew she couldn't run away; if she did, Jello's revival would become a distant prospect.

The Soul Fragment have already cracked; she must restore Lord Jello as soon as possible.

Endure, you must endure it. Just a little while longer, and the nightmare will end.

Athena no longer had the strength to speak.

After tidying his clothes, Qin Chu picked up Jello's Soul Fragment from the bedside table and put it back into his storage ring.

Before I knew it, it was already late at night.

It's a bit chilly.

Walking down the deserted streets, a gentle night breeze blew, and Qin Chu felt refreshed and invigorated.

Thinking of Athena, Qin Chu couldn't help but curl a mocking smile. This woman probably still thought she was sacrificing herself for Jello, and was just indulging in self-pity?

The premise is that the woman still has the ability to think.

Some of the pent-up anger in my chest was released, leaving behind a feeling of emptiness.

Gazing at the city shrouded in the hazy night, Qin Chu narrowed his eyes slightly. What would this city look like in the near future?

Broken walls and ruins, corpses strewn across the fields, rivers of blood flowing?

He didn't know that he had given everything for this city and this continent, that he had sweated and bled countless times, walking the line between life and death, but he had not received any kindness from this world. This already rotten world repaid him with deadly poison and swords.

Thud... Thud...

In the silent streets, only Qin Chu's footsteps echoed.

"Saya, we're on the right path, aren't we?" Qin Chu asked abruptly. Only in front of Saya and Antia would Qin Chu shed his thick disguise and reveal his true self—a truth and vulnerability he had never shown even in front of Angelica.

This was also a rare moment of relaxation, which was extremely precious to both Qin Chu.

Saya's figure emerged from behind Qin Chu, her two slender arms encircling Qin Chu 'Qin Chu neck, clinging to his back like a koala, just as always.

She didn't answer Qin Chu's question, but gently stroked Qin Chu cheek with her slender hand. After a few seconds, Saya's voice finally reached Qin Chu's ears. "What is right, and what is wrong?"

Saya knew every thought in Qin Chu's mind.