Before returning to the Luofu, Stelle had actually imagined scenarios of encountering Borisin.
According to the reversal setting, Stelle guessed that the originally brutal and bloodthirsty Borisin might very well have turned into a peaceful vegetarian race, thereby reaching some peace agreement with the Xianzhou. Being able to stand openly on the Xianzhou would already be pretty good.
But she hadn't expected that her imagination was still too limited. At the very least, she had never once tried pairing the words "Borisin" and "domestic pet" together.
A Borisin this big, and you're calling it a pet?!
Foxians raising Borisin... This gave Stelle a strong sense of déjà vu like "a polar bear riding Qin Shi Huang."
"Sigh, you really should brush up on some basic common knowledge," Dan Heng shook his head helplessly. "Forget it, it's not your fault. After all, the worlds in the galaxy are as numerous as the stars in the sky—you can't possibly know every race inside and out. Just learn as you go."
Stelle scratched her head, feeling a bit awkward.
At that moment, Sunday stepped forward and said: "It's fine, Miss Stelle. I don't know much about Borisin either. How about we buy one to raise? As long as you're willing to understand, no matter what it is, it'll become very simple."
Stelle shook her head in refusal without even thinking: "I'm not raising one."
Who in their right mind would raise something like that?
For some reason, the Borisin she had just seen wasn't an exception. Looking around, the entire Starskiff Haven was full of Borisin figures everywhere: pet Borisin, acrobatic Borisin, Borisin barbecue...
"It's so weird. Last time we came to the Luofu, I didn't see a single Borisin. How come there are so many this time?" Stelle said, somewhat puzzled.
March 7th reached out and pointed above everyone's heads: "Probably because of that."
Stelle looked in the direction she was pointing and saw several airships floating in the sky, with banners hanging from them that read: Welcome to the Yaoqing Sightseeing Group Visiting the Luofu.
"The Borisin industry is one of the specialties of the Yaoqing Xianzhou. I heard that the Yaoqing's general has also been invited to the Luofu this time to watch the Wardance Ceremony, so setting up some related specialty welcomes makes sense," Dan Heng touched his chin and said. "It's just that there are so many in number... that does seem a bit unusual."
"I've heard of the Yaoqing's general—the one called the Grand Marshal of Triumph, Feixiao, right?" Stelle laughed.
Dan Heng nodded: "Yes, it's this fierce person who led troops to storm the Borisin homeworld single-handedly. Stories about her vary widely. It's said that besides the official title of Sky-Faring Commission General, the people of Yaoqing prefer to call her the 'Three-Five General.'"
"Three... Five? What does that mean?" Stelle asked.
Dan Heng shook his head: "Unclear."
— "Ah, it's the seniors from the Astral Express!"
While the group was talking, a blond boy noticed them too. Judging by his appearance, it was unmistakably Jing Yuan's disciple, Yanqing.
"Yanqing? What a coincidence? You wouldn't happen to be here specifically to pick us up, would you?" Stelle laughed.
Yanqing scratched his head: "Uh... I'm here to pick up my teacher and the others. I just happened to spot you all and thought I'd say hi."
The moment Yanqing mentioned Jing Yuan, Stelle suddenly felt a bit depressed: She'd heard those three had gone to Penacony, but during this time, she basically hadn't seen them at all. Wasn't it just a free vacation? Did they really have to rush like that?
Were credit points really that important? Look at her—she wasn't interested in credit points at all; they were just a string of numbers.
"In that case, we'll wait with you then. We've got nothing to do right now anyway, and later we can all go find a restaurant to catch up over a meal," Stelle said.
Hearing this, Yanqing immediately looked troubled. "Uh... maybe not? To be honest with you, during the time my teacher and the others were in Penacony, they haven't had any income at all. They... they probably can't afford to eat out anymore."
"No problem, I'll cover the meal expenses," Sunday stepped up in time, smiling.
The instant Yanqing saw Sunday, he suddenly froze—not because he heard a stranger generously offering to treat him to a meal, but because this face was simply too deeply etched in their memories.
"Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-You, you're Mr. Sunday, the CEO of the Penacony Group, ranked in the top ten on the Galactic Forbes Rich List?" Yanqing said excitedly. "I'm Yanqing, and my master has always admired great figures like you!"
"My deepest apologies. I'd heard you walk with a gold powder special effect, but I didn't notice just now and failed to recognize you... Anyway, it's truly an honor to meet you."
Sunday humbly waved his hand: "No worries. Anyway, I'm no longer the Group's CEO now. I'm just a hitchhiker on the Astral Express these days—treat me like a normal person."
"Did Mr. Sunday just say he'd treat us to a meal? With your wealth, Mr. Sunday, eating ten Luofu roast ducks in one go wouldn't be an issue, right?"
"...What kind of thing is that?"
— "Yanqing! Your master is here!"
At that moment, a familiar voice came from nearby. Jing Yuan and the others were standing not far away, smiling and waving to the group: "Yo? The Express folks are here too? Long time no... Wait, Mr. Sunday?!"
In the blink of an eye, Jing Yuan appeared in front of everyone, solemnly grabbing Sunday's hand: "This brother here, I see your features are extraordinary. I always feel like we're kindred spirits at first sight. I'm Jing Yuan—very pleased to meet you!"
Sunday: "Hahaha, no no..."
Stelle irritably kicked Jing Yuan: "Hey, old Jing, have you fallen into a money pit or something? You went to Penacony without even saying hi to us, and now that we're face-to-face, you still don't greet us—what's that about?"
Jing Yuan dry-laughed twice: "My sincerest apologies. Have some understanding for this old man who's a few hundred years old. A place like Penacony is something I never even dreamed of in my lifetime, so getting carried away for a bit is normal, right?"
Yanqing: "Played? Teacher, didn't you say you were going on a business trip? These past days, you kept nagging me to go work a job."
Jing Yuan: "Ah haha... Old friends rarely get together like this—don't just stand here. The sun's strong; come come come, I sold my likeness rights for a good price the other day. Today, I'm treating you all to Luofu roast duck and soda bean juice. Everyone together!"
Yanqing: ...
— "Awoo!"
At that moment, a wolf howl suddenly rang out from nearby. Everyone looked toward the sound and saw, amid a crowd, a Borisin chained with an iron leash howling at the sky, letting out a hair-raising roar.
"..."
After the wolf howl, the originally noisy street suddenly fell into an eerie silence. The pedestrians all looked blankly at the Borisin that had abruptly started howling, utterly baffled.
Crack—
The Borisin struggled fiercely and actually snapped the chains binding it. Under the terrified gazes of the passersby, it leaped up, climbed on all fours onto a nearby building, and roared to the heavens: "All Borisin compatriots, unite!"
"The Borisin will never be slaves! Awoo awoo awoo—!"