Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 17

The poet from Neo Venice, Storron Wright, once lovingly sang praises of his homeland. “My blue mother star, may I sleep for a thousand years in her watery embrace, then turn to dust and drift until the stars fall silent.” These words later became his epitaph, engraved on the mobile island where his body was buried. The island, controlled by a computer, drifted along the ocean currents and was programmed to self-destruct after a thousand years, fulfilling the poet’s wish.

This act was seen by outsiders as “the romantic obsession of the Neo Venetians”. However, Alois always thought it was a terrible joke, devoid of any romance. But when he finally set foot on the artificial land of the ocean city, he had to admit that these people, who embraced dark humor, were indeed quite romantic.

Especially when, after leaving the port, they boarded a small gondola for sightseeing, and the man renting out the boat winked playfully, saying, “Couples get a discount,” Alois felt the romantic spirit of the water people even more deeply. He almost wanted to rush up and give the man a tip, though he didn’t have a penny on him.

Joshua seemed to have noticed this serious problem as well. “I should have asked Joanna for an advance,” he said nonchalantly while finding the bank’s location on the gondola’s built-in satellite map and steering the boat towards their destination.

“What are you doing? Are you going to rob the bank?” Alois was horrified and tried to stop his reckless action, but the assassin pushed him back into his seat.

“Calm down,” Joshua said, sitting next to him. “I’m an assassin, not a robber.”

“You’re an assassin and a pirate,” Alois corrected. The part-time pirate glanced at him, and he wisely kept his mouth shut, avoiding further argument.

The gondola passed under a vine-carved arch bridge, lowered its flight altitude, and merged into the traffic above the canal. Holographic advertisement boards of various kinds stood on the buildings along the canal. Alois noticed that half of the ads promoted the new model “Bard” of the “Phantom of the Opera” series, while the other half played music videos of the galactic diva Camilla. The melodies of “Eighth Galaxy Hymn” and “Sound of Silence” intertwined as the dark blue-haired girl danced and sang in the light.

“What’s going on?” Alois wondered. “Is Camilla releasing a new album? The last one came out less than six months ago…”

Joshua also looked at the galactic diva on the advertisement board. “Do you like her?”

“She used to be my dream girl.” Alois took out his communication terminal and logged into the superlight internet to search for news about Camilla. The boat fell silent for a moment. “Why aren’t you saying anything?” Alois asked as he reviewed the search results on his terminal before finally clicking on Camilla’s official website.

Joshua remained silent. Alois glanced up to see him standing with his arms crossed, gloomily staring at Camilla’s music video in the distance. “Don’t you like her?” the young man asked.

“No, I do,” the assassin replied, but his face showed no sign of “liking”, instead looking as if Camilla owed him money.

…What’s his problem now? Alois grumbled internally. So moody, I can never figure out what this guy is thinking.

He decided to ignore Joshua and continued searching for information. The website had a big red headline: “Galactic Diva Camilla’s Galactic Tour Concert! Standard Date May 26th, Coming to Neo Venice!”

“Wow!” Alois was so excited, he almost threw his terminal. “Look, Joshua! Camilla’s concert! It’s the day after tomorrow! We’re so lucky to have come just in time!”

Joshua seemed uninterested. “Do you want to go?” he asked casually.

“Of course. I’ve never been to one of her concerts live!” Alois checked the concert tickets, disappointed to find they were sold out, with scalpers reselling back-row tickets at exorbitant prices.

“The galactic diva is really popular…” He turned off the terminal, sadly resting his head on the boat’s glass, using the street’s holographic images to console himself.

The gondola ascended, leaving the traffic, and landed on the bank’s helipad after circling a “No Honking” sign. Joshua jumped out of the boat and strode into the bank. Alois followed closely behind, afraid the assassin might actually rob the place in a moment of madness.

Fortunately, Joshua wasn’t as reckless as he feared. He simply walked up to a self-service terminal and entered a series of account numbers and passwords. “Your account has been frozen,” the screen displayed.

“Tsk.” Joshua entered another series of numbers, and this account wasn’t frozen. He then tried five more accounts, four of which worked, one was frozen.

“Not bad.” The assassin reported two of the active accounts as lost and applied for two new bank cards.

Alois moved closer. “I’m surprised your accounts still work after you’ve been captured.”

“Personal property is sacred and inviolable,” Joshua said, taking the two new cards from the terminal. “And I never put all my eggs in one basket.” He put one card in his pocket and handed the other to Alois.

“What… what’s this for?” the young man asked, puzzled.

“Didn’t you want to go to the concert?”

Alois was stunned, feeling something warm spreading in his chest. “No, it’s okay.” He looked down and stammered, “I can’t buy the tickets, so I won’t go.” He handed the card back to Joshua.

“Keep it.” The assassin pushed it back and then pinched Alois’s cheek. “Your pocket money.”

“…Huh?” Before he could react, he was dragged out of the bank.

“Is this really okay?” Alois asked, holding the card.

“Yes.” Joshua frowned, half dragging, half pulling the young man into the gondola and shutting the door with a bang, starting the engine.

“I… I’ll pay you back later?”

“No need.”

“I’ll owe you for now?”

“Shut up.”

“I’ll definitely pay you back…”

“Shut up!”

“I…”

Joshua turned Alois’s face and kissed him roughly on the lips, biting as if in punishment, then quickly pushed him away.

Alois finally quieted down. His cheeks burned, unsure how to react, so he pretended to look at the galactic diva on the advertisement board outside. The blue-haired girl danced like a star sprite, but all Alois could think about was the unexpected kiss. Fortunately, the gondola was on autopilot. Otherwise, there might have been an accident, he thought distractedly.

Ten minutes later, they arrived at Neo Venice’s bustling commercial street. Nearly a hundred arch bridges, varying in height, connected the buildings along the canals like silver threads. The crowded streets were filled with people, and the mix of Neo Venetian accents and Camilla’s songs filled the air.

The gondola landed on the highest helipad in the commercial street. Joshua swiped a card to pay the fare and pulled Alois into the nearest R&P store.

“This place is expensive! Are you sure?” Alois whispered.

“It’s not your money,” the assassin said calmly.

“…Can’t I feel bad for you?”

“If you’re so bored, why not care about galactic peace instead?” Joshua pushed him towards a shop assistant. “Help him pick out some clothes.”

The shop assistant smiled politely. “What style do you prefer, sir?”

Joshua looked Alois up and down. “Anything decent.”

“Do I not look decent now?!”

The assassin walked with another assistant to a counter. “If you look decent, then a baboon could run for the Federation parliament.”

“You…” Before Alois could retort, the assistant interrupted. “This way, sir. Casual wear is quite popular right now. These new arrivals are perfect for you…”

An hour later, the assistant had selected three outfits. After some comments from Joshua, he picked two sets and paid without hesitation, not even blinking at the price. Alois sat stiffly on the sofa, holding the bag with his old uniform. In the past, seeing the price tags on R&P clothes would have made him walk out immediately. It seemed the famed assassin Mourner was indeed wealthy; being a pirate surely didn’t do him justice.

The communication terminal rang. Alois took it from around his neck and found a message from Joanna.

“Meet at the White Shadow Casino at 6:30 tonight. Urgent, must attend.”

Joshua had just finished paying. “Did the captain message you?” he asked.

Alois held up his terminal. “Did she message you too?”

“Yes.” The assassin put his terminal back in his collar. “Let’s go. We don’t have much time.”

The assistant opened the door for them, bowing. “Please visit us again.”

Alois stood up and followed Joshua. “Your outfit looks familiar.” He looked at his own new clothes. “It’s the same as mine!”

“You’re very perceptive.”

…Are these matching outfits?

“Jo… Joshua, I…” Before he could express his gratitude, Joshua took the bag with his uniform and tossed it into a nearby trash can without looking.

“Hey! The captain will cry if she finds out!”

“Then don’t let her find out.”

Captain Joanna Begrel’s aesthetic taste, still as unique as ever.

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