He could no longer see

The next day, Chu Mu remained unsettled.

His meeting with Kafka last night had changed the course of his life.

He had become an Awakened and gained the power of the Eyeless!

And he now had the chance to board a spaceship and travel among the stars!

Returning to the Sea of Stars had always been Chu Mu's dream!

He had come from the Sea of Stars in the first place, and only by returning could he unravel the mysteries surrounding him!

Kafka had given him that chance.

Granted, the woman struck him as mysterious and inscrutable, and everything she said sounded like a mixture of truth and lies.

The part about her job and family had been complete nonsense!

Chu Mu was now fairly certain that this woman and her accomplices belonged to some criminal group in the Sea of Stars!

Most likely, they were Interstellar Pirates.

Chu Mu had once fantasized about joining an Interstellar Pirates ship, starting out as a low-ranking crew member.

After all, the Sea of Stars was vast. In a remote star system like Jarilo, the odds of encountering a Company merchant ship were far lower than those of encountering Interstellar Pirates.

Most merchant ships followed fixed routes. They would not waste energy jumping to unrelated star systems.

Only Interstellar Pirates would venture into such backwater systems!

So Kafka being part of a band of Interstellar Pirates was something Chu Mu could accept.

Judging by her cryptic, mystical talk, she was probably the pirate ship's priestess, assuming such a position existed aboard it.

As for why she had sought him out, perhaps some Aeon had given these pirates guidance.

So far, Chu Mu had encountered two gods directly: Abundance and Elation.

Neither of them seemed remotely normal!

Including that fallen eyeless god, that made three.

Why had these Aeons sought me out?

What had I gone through before coming to Jarilo?

He would never find answers to those questions sitting in the Underworld's Library.

Chu Mu had only one choice: head into the Sea of Stars!

Suspicious as Kafka was, at least she had shown no ill intent so far.

To be honest, Chu Mu did not particularly care about ill intent.

He was already accustomed to this world's malice.

So what if Kafka was a woman full of wicked schemes?

Hers was the only starship on Jarilo-VI. Who knew when the next one would come? Even if another arrived, it might not land on the surface, much less visit Belobog's Underworld.

In essence, Chu Mu had no other choice.

Once he had thought it all through, he made up his mind.

He would wait until noon tomorrow, until the Supreme Guardian chose a successor at the Orphanage.

If she chose Xiao Bu, everyone would be happy.

If she did not, he would tell Xiao Bu about his earlier plan and let her decide whether to assume someone else's identity and join that family in the Upper District or stay in the Underworld.

If Xiao Bu stayed in the Underworld, Chu Mu would negotiate with Kafka.

In Chu Mu's view, any terms were negotiable. It was only a question of whether the price was right.

Just as when he had negotiated with the mine foreman back then, why had the other children earned only six Winter City Shields while Chu Mu earned ten?

Simple: Chu Mu was willing to risk his life! He dared to enter the most dangerous mine tunnels when no one else would!

That was Chu Mu's advantage!

His greater advantage was that he was not timid. He dared to negotiate with those adults!

To survive in this dark world where the strong preyed on the weak, the most important thing was to recognize your own advantages!

What advantage did Chu Mu have over Kafka? She was the one asking him to come aboard, not the other way around!

At worst, if negotiations broke down, Chu Mu could still use his power to accomplish a few things in the Underworld.

There were things he had to do before his next attack!

Even now that he had gained a special ability, Chu Mu had not let his guard down about his illness.

That pain that struck straight at his heart was the only thing he feared!

Chu Mu had not told Kafka about his illness. If he boarded her ship, he might suddenly die one day during their journey.

But that was precisely why, beneath the shadow of death, he wanted to do certain things, fulfill certain wishes, and resolve the burdens weighing on his heart.

Returning to the Sea of Stars was one of his wishes.

But his little sister, Xiao Bu, was the one he could not let go of.

Every little moment from their more than two years together welled up in his heart.

He did not know whether he was imagining it, but Chu Mu heard a soft call:

"Brother Mu..."

Chu Mu froze for a moment before realizing how close the voice was.

"Xiao Bu, you're here," Chu Mu said softly.

He turned toward her voice, but he could no longer see his little sister.

Black gauze covered his unfocused eyes. Even now, Chu Mu had not told Xiao Bu that his vision had been deteriorating.

Still, Xiao Bu had guessed something, though at most she suspected that Chu Mu's eyesight was not as good as before.

She had no idea that her brother was already blind!

"Brother Mu, a really pretty lady came to see us. She's in the director's office now." Xiao Bu's voice sounded strained. "The director sent me here to find you. That lady is willing to adopt you."

As she spoke, she took Chu Mu's hand and whispered:

"Brother Mu, you can finally leave this place. I... I'm so happy for you."

"Silly little sister, if you're happy, why are you crying?" Chu Mu reached out and wiped the tears from Xiao Bu's cheeks.

Although he could no longer see, there were some people whose faces you could see even with your eyes closed.

My silly little sister is crying.

"Brother Mu, I'm not." Xiao Bu gripped Chu Mu's hand tightly. "I really, really don't want to hold you back anymore. After you leave, I'll be sad, and I'll cry, but I don't want you to turn down another chance because of me."

This was not the first time Chu Mu had turned one down!

"You've grown up, Xiao Bu." Chu Mu patted her head.

Suddenly, he took Xiao Bu's hand and headed for the door:

"Let's go together and meet that lady."

Inside the director's office, Kafka was having a pleasant conversation with the Old Director and Natasha.

Natasha said admiringly:

"I never imagined you would already be the chief administrator overseeing Kliperburg's internal affairs at such a young age, Ms. Fuka. The Supreme Guardian must hold you in very high regard."

"It is my honor to serve the Supreme Guardian." The woman calling herself Fuka wore a solemn expression, then sighed. "But precisely because I have devoted my youth to this noble cause, I don't want to sacrifice even more precious time preparing for pregnancy and childbirth. That is why I am so eager to adopt a child now. You understand how I feel, don't you?"

"Ms. Fuka, you are a noble person," Natasha said admiringly, her voice full of kindred appreciation.

Was Natasha, who had decided to devote everything to the welfare of the Underworld, not just such a person herself?

The Old Director beside them asked with concern:

"Ms. Fuka, would your husband object to adopting a child? I'm sorry, I don't mean to offend. We simply care a great deal about the environment the child will grow up in with their new family, and Chu Mu is the most outstanding child in our care..."