Chapter 24: Off You Go!

After work, Xie Jianxun passed by the entrance of the Fat Lady Cake Shop and hesitated for a moment.

He had only paused for two seconds when Mrs. Liyada, all smiles, poked her head out and called to him: “Sir, we’ve got fresh-baked Sandthorn Jam Sandwich Cakes today?”

Xie Jianxun stopped in his tracks and quickly glanced at the price tag.

Good, original price.

He flashed a smile and politely said to the fat lady, “Thank you, but I have no plans to indulge in sweets today.”

The fat lady didn’t give up right away. Instead, she stepped aside to give Xie Jianxun a better view of the shop. It turned out the bakery had installed a new glass display case that gleamed brightly.

“We’ve got bread in a brand-new flavor today too—from a fresh shipment at the Transport Port, the latest and greatest.”

A group of kids came charging past Xie Jianxun, whooping and hollering as they rushed into the shop.

Xie Jianxun wavered, struggling to refuse: “No, no, ma’am… I…”

The fat lady glanced around, lowered her voice sympathetically, and said, “You fixed my old man’s Gravity Cane, remember? Tell you what, I’ll quietly give you a buy-one-get-one-free deal…”

Alex emerged from the bathroom after a satisfying cold shower, towel wrapped around his head. He jumped at the sight of the enormous paper bags stacked three heads high on the counter.

“Good lord, what the hell is that!”

He lifted his drooping eyelids and peered inside. Once he saw what it was, he relaxed and called out, “Xie, I’m eating your bread.”

“Oh—”

A response came from the storage room. Moments later, Xie Jianxun stepped out, grabbed a piece of bread for himself, and let the soft dough and sweet jam take over his brain.

As he munched, he mumbled, “It’s been so long since I had sweets at home…”

Alex got straight to the point: “Broke?”

Xie Jianxun: “Our butler fired the dessert chef because he always used three times the sugar, saying it’d give me heart and brain vessel problems at a young age.”

Alex: “…”

Xie Jianxun commented, “That dog of a man! Cakes are supposed to have extra sugar to taste good!”

The young inn boss took a big bite of bread and thought calmly to himself that three times might still be a bit excessive.

Footsteps approached from outside.

Basero, the young Captain, burst in grabbing his hair and immediately shouted, “Alex, big news! You can’t just sit this one out…”

He spotted Xie Jianxun nearby and abruptly stopped.

“Hey, Little Rose! Off work early today?”

Basero quickly switched gears and greeted him. “Couldn’t catch you here in Slieberlich at this hour before.”

The little waiter’s voice was soft: “Good evening, Captain Basero.”

“Mind if I borrow your boss for a sec? Be right back.”

Basero hooked his sturdy arm around Alex’s neck and dragged the young boss into the adjacent small room—probably to discuss something important.

Xie Jianxun watched them go, then reached into the bottom of the kraft paper bag, rummaging until he pulled out a large Sandthorn Jam Cake.

He took it back to the storage room and glanced at the door.

He wondered, where had One gone? Hadn’t seen him all day?

…

City Lord’s Mansion.

Compared to the beginning, the Middle-Aged City Lord was no longer quite so afraid of the Great Star Pirate in his residence.

Ever since that day when Huo Jing contacted his fleet, the man had mostly holed up in the assigned guest room. He sometimes vanished, but caused no trouble.

He seemed to just laze around in hibernation, showing no interest in him or Golden City.

When the City Lord first realized this, he breathed a sigh of relief.

He had considered calling the guards to capture Huo Jing once the crisis passed.

But then he thought better of it—this wasn’t just a crisis; it was an opportunity.

As one of the Federation’s infamous Great Star Pirate groups, Huo Jing and his “Siphon Whale” undoubtedly controlled vast resources, including those from unregulated zones.

And the Desert Planet was precisely such a barren frontier.

They traded some goods with neighboring planets, but it was barely enough for basic city development—no room for expansion.

If he could strike a deal with Huo Jing, using his fleet for trade…

But pirates had seen it all.

Would they even care about his meager offerings?

Then he thought of the Golden Fruits—a specialty unique to them, unavailable on surrounding planets.

Golden Fruits always sold well on the market, at premium prices.

Pirates might not have access to them.

Better to offer them proactively than risk discovery and plunder, then negotiate a deal.

Confidence swelled in his chest; the City Lord felt it was entirely feasible.

He straightened his posture, knocked on the guest room door, and entered to find the young, long-legged man sprawled sideways on the sofa, legs propped on the armrest, staring vacantly out the floor-to-ceiling window at the sky.

After hearing his pitch, Huo Jing lowered his legs and smiled enigmatically.

The City Lord got excited, thinking it was a go: “Then I’ll send over a small plate of Golden Fruits tonight…”

“What do you take pirates for?”

Huo Jing cut him off, eyeing the City Lord’s stunned face before glancing at his neck. “Do you think we’d play nice like some obedient Federation merchant, seeing this as a sweet deal?”

“I’m not interested in you,” Huo Jing repeated. “If I want something, I could just take your head—this whole planet would be mine. Easier than trading, no?”

City Lord: “…Yes.”

Before the dejected City Lord left the room, a light remark floated after him: “Since you mentioned it, bring a plate of Golden Fruits. Let me taste them.”

Xie Jianxun waited a long time, but One never returned.

He asked Alex, who said One had only asked for half a day off and left the inn, without saying where.

Xie Jianxun temporarily covered One’s night shift, leaning on the table by the window, ready for any guest requests.

After serving a table, he keenly noticed the storage room door in the hallway seemed slightly ajar.

He remembered closing it tight before.

When did it open?

Had One come back?

Xie Jianxun hurried to the storage room door and peered in excitedly: “One!”

To his surprise, the makeshift bedroom was empty, just as he’d left it.

Bedtime came, and Xie Jianxun lay alone on the bed.

The 1.2-meter bed was really only fit for one.

But after sharing it with One these past days, he’d forgotten the feel of his 2.3-meter bed at home. This little one felt too vast and empty.

The young man hugged the soft quilt, rolled over glumly, and nearly tumbled off the edge.

He rubbed his nose and rolled back, thinking that if One were lying there, he wouldn’t roll off no matter what.

With that thought, he drifted into sleep.

In his dream, it was that snow-falling manor again. Little Xie Jianxun pressed against the window glass, the cold freezing his nose red, but he couldn’t tear himself away.

The butler stood behind him, asking indifferently what outside could possibly attract him.

The little master said softly that the snowflakes falling looked just like that silver, sparkling painting in the basement.

Then arms reached from behind, scooping him up and carrying him back to the warm fireplace.

Those were divine patterns.

The butler lowered his eyes, heated some milk, and fed the knee-hugging little master bit by bit.

The coals in the fireplace crackled faintly, a slight smell wafting out.

Xie Jianxun smelled it hazily and felt something off.

His eyes wouldn’t open; he curled up, burying his head in the quilt to escape the foul odor in the air.

Suddenly, an external force pounded on the door, making the flimsy old wooden door of the storage room thud repeatedly.

Finally, someone seemed to hold their breath and kicked the door hard.

“Xie Jianxun! Get out! Fire!!!”

In that instant, like a fish leaping from water, Xie Jianxun jolted awake from the dream.

He scrambled off the bed without even putting on shoes, slipped into his slippers, twisted the door open, and stumbled out to see a crowd gathered in the first-floor lobby, lining up to flee through the front door.

People wore robes or were half-naked, faces anxious, glancing toward the stairwell.

An incongruous thought flashed through Xie Jianxun’s mind: He’d never seen so many guests before—thought business was bad, but turns out a bunch were holed up upstairs!

The staff at the door shouted for him. Xie Jianxun ran over, sweating profusely, and asked anxiously, “Mr. Larry, what’s going on?”

The employee pointed hurriedly at the stairwell: “Fire upstairs! Boss woke me and told me to evacuate guests here while he ran up!”

Xie Jianxun: “The fire department?”

Employee: “Called the City Lord’s Mansion—no answer! Damn it all, what the hell!”

Xie Jianxun’s vision went black.

He’d always heard the City Lord’s Mansion was inefficient, but hadn’t noticed. Now at crunch time, they dropped the ball—eye-opening.

He took a deep breath and saw thick black smoke drifting from the stairwell—chaos upstairs was clear.

Before he could act, the employee grabbed him.

“Wait, Little Xie, you planning to go up?”

Xie Jianxun: “Only three of us staff. You’re evacuating guests; I can’t just stand here while Alex handles upstairs alone! Don’t worry, I won’t charge into the fire—if smoke gets thick, I’m out!”

The employee hesitated, then let go, watching Xie Jianxun dash up the stairs.

“Al, Alex—”

Xie Jianxun used a handy wet towel as a face mask over his mouth and nose, muffling his voice.

A shadow brushed past him. Xie Jianxun sensed something and turned to grab it.

But it sped away, vanishing around the corner in a blink.

Xie Jianxun paid it no mind, assuming it was a fleeing guest.

Guests were mostly evacuated; hallways quiet. So why hadn’t Alex come down?!

He passed the second floor, reached the third.

Heading to the fourth, a surge of black smoke made him step back instinctively. He saw Alex staggering down the stairs.

Visibility was poor, but Xie Jianxun saw the boss’s face full of grief and numbness, clutching something in his arms.

No time for questions. Before Alex could miss a step and fall, Xie Jianxun steadied him.

Alex snapped back, as if just noticing him.

“Xie Jianxun? What are you doing here? I told you to evacuate outside!”

He yelled loudly, almost aggressively.

Xie Jianxun yelled back, matching volume: “You’re the only one up here—who else would I look for?!”

Alex: “I don’t have legs? Can’t walk myself?!”

Xie Jianxun: “Off you go!”