Chapter 293 - 292: Endless EchoesInitially, the Garden of Recollection intended to transact only with Stelle. However, upon discovering Bochang''s ability to see through illusions and his use of the Super Flashlight, which left no hiding place for the Messenger...

    The girl wearing the peculiar mask changed her stance, including Bochang in the deal.

    Nevertheless...

    Regarding material possessions and Light Cones, Bochang remained indifferent. Himeko, Welt Yang, and others shared this sentiment. It was only Stelle who expressed interest in trying it out.

    After some negotiation,

    Himeko reluctantly agreed to let the Messenger stay aboard the Astral Express.

    Stelle played the primary role here, decisively opting to test the waters with a single transaction.

    She stood still, unmoving.

    Meanwhile,

    Bochang casually informed Welt Yang about Luocha''s involvement, even mimicking their words:

    "You know, there''s always me on Xianzhou! I can easily..."

    Welt Yang''s forehead veins bulged as he responded, "Alright, alright, so Luocha is indeed the mastermind behind the scenes. If you knew this, you should have contacted us sooner."

    His gaze towards Bochang held a hint of reproach.

    "Well... it happened suddenly, and just after I discovered it, Luocha confronted me." Bochang scratched his head.

    Currently, only a few individuals possessed teleportation rings: Welt Yang, Dan Heng, and others.

    For now, none of them had received one yet.

    In the sudden encounter, even notifying Welt Yang and Dan Heng would be futile.

    It was more practical to directly summon Bailu and Fu Xuan, or perhaps Stelle.

    However...

    Fortunately, Bochang didn''t summon any of them; otherwise, if devoured by the terrifying entity within the coffin, the situation could have been dire.

    Even with all his trump cards played, Bochang barely managed to survive against that monstrous creature.

    If it were Bailu, Fu Xuan, or others instead...

    They might not even get a chance to activate their teleportation rings before being instantly defeated.

    It''s a harsh reality.

    "Hmm... But I am curious, why did Luocha target you? Similarly, the Stellaron Hunters also approached you out of nowhere last time." Welt Yang frowned slightly, choosing not to mention Phantylia.

    After all...

    Bochang had repeatedly tricked her, making retaliation expected, but Blade and Luocha''s motives were less clear. What could they possibly gain from this? Just to invite a beating?

    "I''m not entirely sure," Bochang cautiously responded.

    Welt Yang didn''t press further, opting to speculate instead.

    Perhaps there was something about Bochang that intrigued them.

    Upon reflection...

    Bochang indeed possessed numerous intriguing artifacts, making him quite the tempting target for petty thieves—it was perfectly normal to attract such attention.

    The Astral Express was gradually departing from Xianzhou Luofu.

    From here, one could still see countless star ferries dancing amidst the starry sea, heading towards distant horizons with no apparent end to their journey, perhaps forever roaming without pause.

    Xianzhou Luofu''s voyage had concluded.

    The next stop for the Astral Express would be Penacony—a prison planet once used by corporations to exile criminals.

    At least, that was its purpose during recorded times.

    However...

    After the Stellaron Crisis erupted,

    this planet embraced the Homologous Aeon.

    It is rumored to have been transformed into an incredibly prosperous Dreamland now.

    Most matters concerning the Astral Express at Xianzhou Luofu were resolved.

    Once the conductor was ready, everyone could prepare for the transition jump to Penacony.

    Everyone was busy.

    March 7th, Qingque, Himeko, and Serval had gone off to play mahjong.

    Bochang returned to his room, where Herta mannequin remained idle, sitting motionless on the chair.

    Hesitating briefly, Bochang decided against playing with the mannequin.

    "Since there''s nothing else to do, why not check on Jingliu?" he thought.

    With this idea in mind, Bochang opened his storage pouch and stepped inside.

    As long as nobody locked the pouch from outside, it was quite simple to exit.

    Light from the external environment streamed through the circular opening above, illuminating the entire storage space.

    The storage space inside the pouch was quite limited—only about ten cubic meters. Simplifying the calculation, it resembled a cylindrical chamber with a diameter of roughly 2.5 meters and a height of two meters.

    With the circular opening above, it felt like being at the bottom of a well.

    Upon entering, Bochang saw Jingliu lying on her back, her spread white legs seemingly welcoming him in a ceremonial gesture. He stroked his chin, assessing their surroundings.

    Jingliu appeared to be reaching for her frost sword, almost close enough to grasp it—just one centimeter away.

    Noticing Bochang''s approach, Jingliu quickly withdrew her fingers and activated the Earthbound Prison skill, controlling only the internal space of the pouch. A pale red glow sealed the entrance, preventing any sound from escaping.

    "Jingliu, you can''t escape," Bochang declared. Taking two steps forward, he lifted Jingliu''s chin and tossed the frost sword aside.

    Trapped by the immortal-binding cable and demonic seal mouth gag, movement proved exceptionally difficult for this woman with white hair and red eyes. It was unclear how long she had struggled just to reach the point where she could barely touch the frost sword—a distance of slightly over a meter. And now, even that effort was discovered by Bochang.

    Feeling despondent, Jingliu defiantly stared at him with her crimson eyes.

    "You seem rather dissatisfied, don''t you?" Bochang observed. "Would you like me to release you for another round?"

    Jingliu''s eyes lit up, and she immediately nodded.

    The corner of Bochang''s mouth curved upwards.

    "I was just joking with you. If you think I''d release you that easily, dream on. I''m not foolish," Bochang teased, observing Jingliu''s gaze, seemingly ready to spit fire.

    Continuing, he said, "Now, honestly tell me about your plans with Luocha, and...why did you target me?"

    Jingliu rolled her eyes.

    With her mouth gagged, preventing drool from flowing uncontrollably was already quite an effort for her. Demanding speech under these conditions seemed truly challenging.

    Realizing this, yet still cautious about removing the demonic seal mouth gag, Bochang feared losing control over Jingliu. Given her strength, if she managed to destroy his pouch, it would be far from amusing.

    Instead, Bochang commanded the immortal-binding cable to loosen its grip, freeing one of Jingliu''s hands.

    Similar to the Vow Spear bound by blood oath, the cable responded instantly to Bochang''s thoughts, allowing him various ways to restrain his captive.

    As soon as Jingliu gained freedom with one hand, she attempted to remove the mouth gag, but Bochang swiftly intervened.

    "Disobedient, aren''t we? Then don''t blame me for getting angry."

    Bochang seized Jingliu''s wrist.

    Applying slight pressure, he left a red mark on her delicate, pale skin.

    Jingliu frowned deeply, the pain continuously stimulating her brain.

    Seated cross-legged, Bochang ordered the immortal-binding cable to wrap Jingliu tightly like a caterpillar...

    He promptly placed her across his lap. Sёarch* The novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Jingliu struggled, but with both her hands and feet bound, she couldn''t muster much resistance. Although this position was less humiliating than before—allowing her to close her legs—it still...

    Fostered an ominous feeling within Jingliu''s heart.

    Without warning, Bochang lifted the fish-tail skirt at her back. His large hand raised high and then forcefully descended.

    The sound of slaps echoed incessantly.