A brief silence fell over the research room, broken only by the low hum of the instruments.
Du Busi frowned, clearly shocked by the news of the empty national treasury. He subconsciously rubbed his chin, thinking of a solution.
The Heaven Dou Empire was already less resource-rich than the Sun Moon Empire, and now it has been completely drained.
this...
This is going to be difficult.
Just as Du Busi was pondering, Xuan Ziwen's eyes were filled with anxiety and anticipation.
A calm, completely undisturbed voice broke the silence.
"This problem is easy to solve."
Toji spoke up. He seemed oblivious to the serious expressions on Xuan Ziwen and Du Busi, his tone as calm as if he were discussing what to have for dinner.
"Hmm?" Xuan Ziwen and Du Busi looked at him at the same time.
Toji's gaze fell on Xuan Ziwen's face, and there was no difficulty in his deep eyes, only an almost self-evident certainty:
"We just happen to be going to the Sun Moon Empire." He paused, then clearly uttered two words, "Incidentally."
Following that is the clearer and more impactful second half of the sentence:
"They directly looted the Sun Moon Empire's warehouse in Mingdu."
"Rob... rob the Sun Moon Empire's treasury?" Xuan Ziwen was completely stunned, his mouth slightly agape and his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.
He thought he had misheard, or Toji it was a joke.
That's Mingdu!
The core capital of the Sun Moon Empire!
The defenses were as formidable as an iron fortress!
Robbing the national treasury?
This idea was so outrageous that it exceeded the limits of his imagination as a scientific researcher.
However, looking at Toji's expressionless face, which exuded absolute confidence and a sense of entitlement, and at the ease in his calm eyes that suggested he was simply borrowing salt from a neighbor...
Xuan Ziwen's heart, heavy with the weight of materials and debts, suddenly began to pound violently.
An indescribable surge of heat, a mixture of absurdity, excitement, and immense temptation, rushed to my head.
"Pfft... Hahaha, good, good, good!" Xuan Ziwen was stunned at first, then burst into a louder, more cheerful, and even slightly hysterical laugh than before.
He slapped his thigh hard, laughing so hard that tears almost streamed down his face.
"Rob the Sun Moon Empire's treasury?! Hahaha, Toji, your idea... is brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"
He pointed at Toji, laughing so hard he almost fell over. The fatigue of the past few days seemed to have been largely dispelled by this crazy and audacious plan.
"Fine, then I'll wait. I'll wait until you bring back the Sun Moon Empire's mountains of gold and silver. When that happens, I'll make you even more awesome Soul Tool —a hundred sets of them, fucking!"
After the burst of laughter, Xuan Ziwen felt as if a huge boulder that had been pressing on his chest had been lifted.
He forcefully wiped away the tears of laughter, and his face regained a gambler's excited glow:
"It's settled then, Toji, my life and my research materials for the rest of my life depend on you taking this trip."
He said no more, as if afraid the other party would change their mind, He Caitou was equally stunned by the plan:
"Let's go, Caitou! Your teacher has a renewed motivation. Before they go to buy the goods, let's go over the optimal solutions for those stalled problems again."
Without waiting for Du Busi and Toji's response, Xuan Ziwen hurriedly grabbed He Caitou, who was still processing the shocking news of the plundering of the national treasury, and quickly disappeared behind the shimmering instruments deep within the dimly lit research room, leaving only his excited voice echoing:
"A life with plenty of materials... just thinking about it is exhilarating!"
Inside the research room, only Du Busi and Toji remained.
The expression on Du Busi's face was extremely interesting, from the initial shock, to the astonishment when Xuan Ziwen laughed wildly, and then to the present moment...
A complex expression, a mixture of absurdity, passion, and a hint of eager anticipation.
He abruptly turned his head to look at Toji, who remained calm and composed beside him, his voice involuntarily rising, filled with disbelief:
"Boy, you just said... you really want to rob the Sun Moon Empire's treasury?"
Toji he met Du Busi's probing gaze, he nodded without the slightest hesitation, his tone calm yet resolute:
"That's right."
He paused, then added, as if stating a perfectly simple fact:
"Since Teacher Xuan needs the materials, let's go and steal them."
When Toji returned to Zhang Lexuan's home.
When Toji pushed open that familiar wooden door, still carrying a hint of the warmth of daily life, a completely different, warm and comforting atmosphere rushed towards her.
The hustle and bustle of Heaven Dou City was shut out from outside the gates.
The living room, though not large, was lit by a warm, orange light.
Father Zhang was carefully carrying a plate of freshly cooked, steaming hot food out of the kitchen, a satisfied smile on his face.
Mother Zhang greeted Zhang Lexuan Di Qiu'er, who were sitting on the sofa, with a smile, and stuffed freshly washed, juicy fruit into their hands.
The air is filled with the enticing aroma of food and the fresh sweetness of fruit, creating the most comforting scent of home.
Di Qiu'er held a plump, purple grape in her hands, taking small bites, her bright eyes curving into crescent moons.
Zhang Lexuan quietly peeled an apple, her movements practiced and graceful, a gentle smile playing on her lips.
On the small sofa opposite them, the two stunning beauties, Ice Empress and Snow Empress, displayed completely different postures.
Ice Empress casually crossed his legs, holding a bright red fruit in his hand, and unceremoniously bit off most of it in one go, not caring at all that the bright red juice got on the corner of his mouth.
Snow Empress, on the other hand, was much more elegant. She sat upright on the edge of the sofa, picked up a crystal-clear ice jade fruit with two slender fingers, and took a small bite. Her movements were naturally cool and noble. Occasionally, she would raise her hand and gently cover the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand. Her demeanor was impeccable.
"Hey, you two." Toji helpless voice rang out as he stepped into the entryway. "Didn't I tell you not to stray too far from me?"
His gaze fell on the Ice Empress and the Snow Empress.
Upon hearing this, Ice Empress rolled her eyes dramatically, swallowed the remaining vermilion fruit in a few bites, and mumbled, "Tch, you're really meddling. You're as strong as a monster now, and our range of movement has expanded several times over. Can't we even enjoy a little freedom?"
"We're all stuck to you all the time, aren't we tired of it? Don't we get to enjoy some of the pleasures of human life?"
As she spoke, she reached out to grab the largest melon in the fruit platter.
Snow Empress gently put down the half-eaten Ice Jade Fruit, elegantly wiping her fingertips with a handkerchief. Her beautiful eyes flickered as she looked at Toji, a faint yet captivating smile playing on her lips. Her voice was as clear as ice striking jade.
" Bing'er is right. You should focus on climbing your throne and don't worry about us all the time."
" Bing'er and I are here to assist you in ascending to Godhood. The stronger you become, the freer and safer we will be."