Sanctuary Paradise

Chapter 819 Major
"Ah, yes, we meet again, Major?"

As her words, as light as cotton wool, fell, Xin Lailai, who was at the entrance, looked at the unusually familiar figure in front of her and smiled as she revealed the other person's identity.

"Haha, it's been half a year. The Actor Sir is still as intriguing as ever. Oh, perhaps it would be better to call him Black Sword Sir now?"

"To be honest, I was quite shocked when I learned Black Sword Sir's true identity. I never expected that the actor Sir who fought alongside us and the Black Sword Sir who gave us so many headaches were actually played by the same person?"

Inside the command center, a short, stout man with glasses, sitting in a tiered seating arrangement resembling a gladiator's box, smiled and chatted casually with Xin Lailai as if meeting an old friend. He then came to her side and looked together at the giant 3D galaxy projection in the command center.

"Neither of us. I never expected that you, Major, would become a guardian of Watchtower Paradise after that, and it seems you've achieved quite a bit. Come to think of it, I'm still not sure which title to use to address you, Major?"

"Haha, a name is just a code name. Black Sword Sir can call me whatever he likes. Besides, in terms of achievements, Black Sword Sir's reputation in this world is much more resounding than mine."

The short, stout man with glasses grinned, walked to the bar counter where people rested, and casually mixed a cocktail with a slightly dreamy hue amidst the clinking of glasses and bottles. He then looked at Xin Lailai and asked with a smile:

"Black Sword Sir, how about a drink? I'm quite confident in my bartending skills, which I've honed over the past six months."

"Then I shall respectfully comply?"

Xin Lailai smiled, calmly sat down next to the short, fat man with glasses, took the wine glass, and slowly tasted the drink he had mixed. A strange look appeared in her eyes.

"How is it, Black Sword Sir?"

"Very good. I didn't expect that you, Major, would have such a talent for bartending?"

"Haha, it's just a hobby to pass the time during the expedition. In the end, the quality of the drinks used to make the drinks is more important than the cocktails themselves!"

"Just like a war, even the best commander will never reach his true potential if he doesn't have an army that allows him to fully utilize his abilities. What do you think, Black Sword Sir?"

The short, stout man with glasses smiled and raised his wine glass to his eyes, staring at Xin Lailai through the crimson liquid. A chilling light shone from his round-framed glasses.

"Black Sword Sir, I've heard a lot about you. Without a doubt, you're a more valuable talent than many people realize. I'm sure some outstanding people around you have already discovered this, haven't they?"

"But even so, I still want to ask, Black Sword Sir, are you... interested in becoming a Watcher?"

A voice, as light as cotton yet resonant and captivating, fell, causing a hint of surprise in Xin Lailai's eyes. She clearly hadn't expected the other party to try and steal her away so openly. However, she still shook her head slightly and calmly said:

"Unfortunately, I feel that the identity of Pioneer is more in line with what I want now, so I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, Major. On the other hand, I'm a little curious about you, Major. Why would you suddenly have such a thought?"

"Hehe, it's just a trivial intuition. Although Black Sword Sir himself may not realize it, in my opinion, compared to being an explorer charging at the forefront, war, which allows Black Sword Sir to fully unleash his skills, is the most suitable destiny for you!"

"However, since Black Sword Sir has no intention of coming, as a friend I cannot force him. Therefore, let's toast to the friendship between Black Sword Sir and me, shall we?"

The major spoke, gently tilting his wine glass. His reflective glasses illuminated Xin Lailai's face as he smiled and asked her a question. Xin Lailai, her eyes slightly lowered, gazed at him for a moment before returning with a gentle smile and saying:

"Of course, for our friendship!"

Ping!
The crisp sound of glasses clinking rang out. The two men exchanged a smile, downed their drinks in one gulp, and then the major spoke:

"Then I eagerly await Lord Black Sword's performance in this war?"

"On this point, I share the same view as Your Excellency, Major,"

Faced with the praise, Xin Lailai simply smiled and responded, glancing at the exit beside her, and said:

"In that case, I shall take my leave now?"

"Of course, Black Sword Sir, please take care."

As soon as she finished speaking, Xin Lailai nodded slightly, then stepped into the spatial portal behind her and vanished from the spot. The major, sitting at the bar, watched this scene with narrowed eyes, focusing on the spot where she disappeared. After a long while, he smiled, put down his wine glass, and said with some regret:
"What a pity, it seems we missed an opportunity that bordered on madness."

The short, stout man with thick eyes muttered to himself, glanced down at the empty wine glasses on the counter, thought for a moment, then, as if he had just remembered something, suddenly chuckled softly:
"Well, with this friendship, even if we're separated by a certain distance, there's a chance that the madness might be contagious, right?"

A frenzied murmur echoed from the command room. At the bar, a short, stout man with glasses smiled and adjusted his glasses. The aggressive, almost beast-like gaze in his eyes flashed briefly in the reflection of the lenses.

"This is truly something to look forward to, Black Sword Sir."

"You, whom Lord Jia Yi says is surely caught in a whirlpool... what kind of blood-pumping disasters and accidents will you attract for me?"

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Meanwhile, on the other side.

[Authentication complete. Pioneer Black Sword, No. 83112. Welcome to Living Capsule D-001. Current living capsule mode: Comfort]

"Lai Lai, look! The rooms here are so big! They have all sorts of functions, it feels almost like a private room in the amusement park!"

"Indeed, in terms of specifications, even if you moved those eternal-level hotels from the void here, their configurations would probably only be around this level."

Inside the enormous living cabin, which resembled a luxurious suite under the starry sky, Xin Lailai looked around at the area that would soon serve as their private quarters for the foreseeable future, nodded slightly, and revealed an unusually satisfied look in her eyes.

Bedrooms, activity rooms, game pods, kitchen, dining room, bar, training room, laboratory...

In terms of configuration alone, for people like them who don't really expand the functionality of their private rooms in the park, this living pod labeled 'single-person' is in some ways even more luxurious than their actual private rooms in the park.

It must be admitted that while the Expedition is the most dangerous of all world progression types for the Pioneers, the benefits it offers are truly impeccable.

Not only will they receive one-on-one guidance from nuns upon arrival, but they will also enjoy VIP-level treatment throughout their journey. They can move freely in most areas of the world fortress, just like having a green card, and they will even have an absolutely reliable legion to assist them in case of any unexpected events.

"Speaking of which, Lai Lai, what do you think was the major's real purpose in coming to us just now?"

"If I'm not mistaken, he's probably after the 'danger' we pose, right? I don't know where he got the information, but given his personality, I think this is the only thing that could excite him like this."

Xin Lailai answered in her mind, calmly stating her judgment of the major's purpose.

They were invited to become guardians. At first glance, it might seem like they were just appreciating their abilities, but with the discerning eyes of dozens or even hundreds of seasoned cunning veterans in the chess game illusion, they could immediately tell that it was merely an excuse used by the major to conceal his true purpose.

What truly moves them is something 'invisible' that exists within them and can only be touched by those around them. Given their war-mongering nature, the only thing that could excite them so much is something like the Crimson Remnant, a 'danger' that can bring them an unparalleled war experience.

To put it bluntly, they just want to experience the thrill of being on the brink of life and death.

It might sound a bit outrageous, but considering the other party's personality, it's actually quite normal. Everything that happened in the Hellsing world was enough to prove just how terrifying their fanaticism and obsession with war really were.

"Hmm... that's probably true, but I always feel like Lai Lai, you're really easy to be liked by strange people."

"There's no other way. At least from the outcome, being on good terms with a guardian is definitely beneficial to us. And on the bright side, if we encounter any tricky troubles in the future, we can probably easily ask him for help."

Xin Lailai checked the condition of the living pod in front of her while communicating in her mind.

Just as Ling Yuzi said, upon closer reflection, they had indeed been quite 'welcomed' by all sorts of strange things along the way, and he had long since gotten used to it.

Whether they are fanatical war criminals or perverts who enjoy the feeling of being near death, as long as the other party can become their help without crossing their bottom line, reputation is up to them. At worst, it can be considered as balancing the number of normal people and perverts in their contact list.

Moreover, based on his actual experience, extreme characters like majors, although they can be seen as ultimate villains most of the time, can still produce the positive effect of "evil people will be punished by evil people" if used in the right direction.

Just like the current expedition, if their target is a normally developing civilization or world, then the world fortress they are currently in and the opposing Blackthorn Legion are definitely extreme evil forces spreading fear and madness; but if the target is changed to various worlds suffering from the corruption of the abyss and powerful abyssal creatures, then the opposing legion is definitely the light of righteousness, the kind that no amount of ink can smear.

"It's a pity I couldn't bring Xiaobai here. Otherwise, Xiaobai would probably be very excited to see so many high-tech products."

"There's no way around it, the expedition is too dangerous. But with Xiaobai's talent, he might have the opportunity to directly participate in or even lead the design of the world fortress in the future."

After thoroughly inspecting the entire living pod and confirming that there were no problems, Xin Lailai finally breathed a sigh of relief. She casually pulled over a hover chair, sat down, and opened the brand interface to check the expedition supply shop that she hadn't had time to look at before:

[Note: The Pioneer has been detected opening the Expedition Supply Shop. As this is the Pioneer's first time using it, we will now begin explaining the Expedition Supply Shop rules.]

1. The Expedition Supply Shop can only be used during the Expedition progress. All items are exclusively for the Overwatch faction and have unique value. Players must determine what to exchange for themselves.

2. The Expedition Supply Shop can only be accessed using supply quotas, and these quotas only refresh when the Expedition progress is initiated; no other means of replenishment are possible…

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20. All items in the Expedition Supply Shop are for Expedition exclusive use and may not be sold or discarded in any way. They may only be transferred in the Paradise and Void Tree under special class notarization.

The current available expeditionary supply quota is 318 points.

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1. Tier α Expeditionary Combat Suit (External Equipment)

Energy Reserves: 0/100000 points (Tier 3 Standard Strength Mana)

Energy consumption rate: 100~3000 points/minute (Tier 3 standard strength mana)
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Temperature adaptation threshold: -270.45℃~6312.63℃ (third-order world layer data)
Maximum pressure withstandable: 509.34 MPa (third-order world layer data)

Maximum propulsion speed in a vacuum environment: 30.16 km/s (third-order world layer data)

Description: The nanobots made of Tamis Steel are a general-purpose interstellar combat suit developed based on extraordinary technology. It is controlled using ψ language technology, does not need to be equipped in the equipment slot to take effect, can be driven by consuming mana, has a self-repair function, and can greatly improve the wearer's combat and survival capabilities in interstellar space.

Exchange Price: 100 points/item

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2. Expanded Expedition Potion slots (plug-in type, branding function)

Maximum expansion limit: 3 (current tier limit)
Potion Category 1, Dragon Blood Potion: After use, within 10 minutes, True Strength, Stamina, and Agility +10 points (if exceeding the current rank cap, they will be converted into "temporary attribute bonuses" at a 2:1 ratio), Nerve Reflex Speed ​​and Dynamic Vision are increased to the current tolerance limit, All Conventional Resistances +30 points, Body Defense +300 points, Health +3000 points, Damage Taken is reduced by 30%, Damage Dealt is increased by 300%, Healing Received During This Period is Reduced by 99%, and 300 points of True Health Damage will be taken per second. After the effect ends, All True Attributes of the user are reduced by 10 points and the user enters a "Severely Weakened" state (this effect cannot be exempted).

Potion Category 2, Blood Demon Potion: Upon use, for 10 minutes, maximum health increases by 10000 points, healing received increases by 100%, and an immediate "True Shield" equal to 300% of maximum health is gained. Afterward, 1% of maximum health is lost per second, and a "True Shield" equal to 10% of maximum health is gained. The maximum cumulative value of the "True Shield" is 1000% of maximum health, and its strength is equal to the sum of all resistances and physical defense. While the shield is active, the user is completely immune to the "Near Death" status negative effect and is considered to be in the "Near Death" state for the entire duration. After the shield ends, the user's maximum health is reduced by 50%, and the user enters the "Severe Weakness" state (this effect cannot be exempted).

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Potion Category 9, Abyss Potion: Upon use, the user will enter an "Abyss Transformation" state for 30 minutes, during which they will be completely immune to "Abyss-type" debuffs/corrosion/instant death/execution effects, gain "undying" level regeneration ability, and can kill abyss creatures to restore health/mana/soul energy, and continuously accumulate true attribute buffs (this buff can break through attribute barrier limits, accumulating up to 20 points). The user can manually end the state. After the end, the user will suffer "super-huge" abyss erosion judgment and 1-3 "instant death" effects depending on the specific duration (this effect cannot be exempted).

Description: This is a potion supply permission developed based on the branding function. It can be replenished in the shop after each expedition progress is started. The replenishment price is 50% of the slot expansion price.

Exchange Price: 20/40/60 points (Slot Expansion Price)

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20. Highly Concentrated Magic Energy Crystal (Energy Material)

Energy reserves: 100000/100000
Description: A highly efficient energy crystal condensed from a large amount of mana, it can be used normally in the erosion environment of the abyss and cannot be extracted by conventional means.

Exchange rate: 1 point

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(End of this chapter)