My avatar is becoming the final boss

Chapter 142 Xia Pingzhou's Heart, Dinner Party, Royal Court Team (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
In the early hours of July 22, the smuggling boat had already docked.

Xia Pingzhou kept his eyelids closed, and for some reason, his face felt slightly itchy. When he opened his eyes, he found that it was Ayase Origami who had scratched his cheek with the edge of a piece of paper.

He awoke from his drowsy sleep and saw Origami Ayase slightly turning her head, gazing out of the cargo hold.

Following the gaze of the girl in the kimono, he turned to look out the window. The first rays of dawn illuminated the gray sea, bringing a glimmer of life to the port of this small country, where several fishing boats were moored along the shore.

"Have we arrived?" He looked at Origami Ayase.

"We've arrived," Ayase Origami said expressionlessly. "Little cat, don't you want to get off the ship?"

"Why do you say that."

Cats like to eat fish.

"There are fish not only in the sea."

After disembarking from the ship, he and Origami Ayase headed straight for the local airport, and soon boarded a plane bound for Venice. In the first-class cabin arranged for them by the hacker, Xia Pingzhou encountered a figure that surprised him greatly:

—Jack the Ripper.

Today, Ripper is still wearing his black and white school uniform, with long black hair hanging down his back, reaching his waist.

She was quietly fiddling with her phone, her eyes lowered. On the screen was an old-fashioned game called "Ninja Slicer," where a swipe of her slender finger made the watermelons on the screen burst open one after another.

"Number 2?" Xia Pingzhou murmured, turning to look at Ayase Origami. "What's she doing here?"

"Can't she be here?" Origami Ayase said slowly, getting up and finding an empty seat to sit down.

[Hacker: Number 2 said she didn't like being crammed together with people, so she took a different human smuggling boat.]

[Xia Pingzhou: The auction is over, why are you still listening to me 24/7?]

[Hacker: We haven't confirmed who the mole is yet, but the leader said it's possible we don't have a mole at all, and that the black pupa's ability is just rather unique.]

Xia Pingzhou sat down next to Ayase Origami while looking at the information. The first-class cabin was empty, with only Xia Pingzhou, Ayase Origami, and Jack the Ripper present. It was obvious without even looking that it was the work of a hacker. With this kid's skills, it wouldn't be difficult for him to prevent other passengers from booking first-class seats.

Without looking up, the Ripper said, "Newcomer, don't you want your heart anymore?"

“If you hadn’t said anything…” Xia Pingzhou said expressionlessly, “I would have thought you were going to refuse to pay me back.”

"How could that be?" The Ripper girl raised an eyebrow. "If I stay here and don't leave, someone will get angry with me."

"Who?"

"Who could it be? It's hard to guess..." Ripper glanced at Ayase Origami out of the corner of his eye.

After she finished speaking, a throbbing heart appeared on her right hand.

As the heart disappeared from her palm, Xia Pingzhou was slightly stunned. His chest seemed to fill out again, no longer empty but with a heartbeat that he could hear. For a while, he felt that the heartbeat was coming from the other side of the world, and he would have auditory hallucinations in the middle of the night.

At least her heart is back... Xia Pingzhou thought, so now he only needs to consider how to improve his strength, and then, if possible, kill her before the Ripper reaches the third tier.

Xia Pingzhou was silent for a moment: "I understand. You went to Venice to collect the heart of the new member."

The hacker had previously told him in a text message that he would meet the new member of the group, number 5, in Venice, who would take over Lan Duoduo's position; and the purpose of the Ripper appearing on this plane was self-evident.

It seems that even during the troupe's "holiday period," newcomers must abide by the rules and temporarily entrust their hearts to the Ripper for safekeeping.

"Otherwise what?" Jack the Ripper lowered his eyes, his finger sliding across the screen. "The captain is quite concerned about traitors now, not as casual as before."

"But... what if you are the traitor?"

"If you want to fight, just say so. There's no need to make excuses." The Ripper glanced sideways, casting an unfriendly look at him.

Xia Pingzhou didn't seem to care and quietly sat down next to Ayase Origami. Although his expression was blank, his behavior subtly conveyed the idea that "you have to consider the owner before you hit a cat."

Since Oda Takikage's death, Ayase Origami has been reluctant to speak, even when her two closest friends in the Phantom Troupe are around.

Xia Pingzhou didn't dare to interrupt her. The kimono-clad girl beside him remained silent and plain-white, either looking down at the haiku collection or glancing at the glasses case in her sleeve.

He thought that Oda Takikage was more like family to Ayase Origami than a butler, and that this was probably the first time in her life she had experienced the feeling of losing a family member.

But after he killed the Ripper and used the thread in his hand to lead the Brigade to the Salvation Society base, the second unit had no value to him anymore... If he destroyed this unit one day, would she come looking for him all over the world?

Soon after, the plane took off. Xia Pingzhou pressed his fist against his cheek and slowly closed his eyes in the turbulent cabin, synchronizing his consciousness with the perspective of the No. 3 aircraft.

The rumble of the engine faded away, replaced by a sense of stillness as we were submerged in the sea.

With a "whoosh," Agubaru opened his eyes from the seawater, looking out through the crystal ball.

In the bedroom, Caesar was already awake. He stood in front of the wardrobe, changed into an elegant outfit, smoothed his perfectly styled white hair in front of the mirror, then returned to the bedside and whispered to the little shark in the crystal ball:

"We're going to a dinner party soon, Agubaru. This is my first time attending a royal dinner party."

"Why? Haven't you been there before?" Agubaru asked.

Caesar shook his head: "No, I'm not feeling well, and my father won't let me go."

"Then why is it possible now?"

“Father is ill,” Caesar smiled. “Now my two older brothers are making most of the decisions.”

"Then I'll go with you."

“That’s what I was thinking too. I’ll panic if I go alone, but I won’t if you come with me.” After saying that, Caesar took a deep breath.

He closed his eyes, as if preparing himself mentally, then opened them and quickly walked out of the bedroom with the crystal ball in his hand.

“Let’s go, Ikar.”

The butler named "Icarus" had been waiting in the dimly lit corridor for some time. He glanced at the crystal ball Caesar was holding and said respectfully, "Your Highness, there's no need to bring the Nobel Shark to the dinner party."

“Icarus, I want to take it with me. It will make me feel more at ease.” Caesar lowered his head. “Otherwise, I’m afraid I’ll be too nervous to speak. And think about it, if no one talks to me, at least I can chat with it.”

Ikar remained silent for a moment, then nodded: "Alright then."

With the help of the steward, Caesar left the floating castle. The steward, Iker, crushed a common-level wonder fragment—"Moving Staircase"—at the edge of the floating island, and a suspended staircase immediately appeared in the dim sky.

Caesar stepped onto the floating staircase and walked towards the palace with the butler. With each step they took, the front of the floating staircase extended by one meter, while the back contracted by one meter.

Agubaru silently observed the dome.

As Caesar said, the whale's miniature garden has only twilight and night, and this is twilight. Under the blood-red sky, schools of fish swim like birds, and the tides crash against the transparent whale's belly, breaking into white waves.

Sometimes, you can see shipwrecks, jellyfish, and huge marine creatures on the seabed through the whale's belly.

Before long, the butler led Caesar to the palace, and they crossed the marble steps.

The guards at the palace entrance nodded and bowed to them, glancing at the crystal ball in Caesar's arms with surprise. They exchanged glances, their eyes filled with mockery, as if laughing at the sickly prince's low mental age, for bringing toys to such an important occasion.

Caesar casually brushed past them, walked through the brightly lit corridor, and entered a magnificently decorated hall where all one hundred members of the royal family were gathered. It was a monthly feast, and Caesar had finally managed to attend one.

From childhood to adulthood, he had always wanted to attend a dinner party with his two older brothers, but he could never get his father's permission.

Caesar, holding the crystal ball, looked up and saw an extraordinarily long and wide rectangular dining table, around which sat many elegant and noble figures. As he entered, the royalty cast strange glances at him.

"Isn't this the Third Prince?"

"I haven't seen him in a long time."

"He's been hiding in his castle and hasn't come out, so how could we possibly see him?"

"I've never seen him attend a dinner party before. What's the occasion?"

What was he holding?

"The Nobel Shark seems to have been a birthday gift from the king to him."

"This silly prince is indeed extraordinary... Just like everyone said, he's kept in the castle every day, and although he's twelve years old, he only has the mind of a seven-year-old."

A murmur of discussion filled the hall. Caesar, holding the crystal ball, strode forward with an air of nonchalance, glancing at the eldest and second princes sitting at the far end.

The eldest prince, Lorenzo, had an effeminate face with slightly sunken eyes and a high nose bridge. He had a gentle demeanor, like a wise scholar.
The second prince, Cosimo, has a more aggressive appearance than the eldest prince. He has handsome and upright features, and at first glance, he looks like a peacock standing among chickens, but his temperament gives people a sense of distance that makes him difficult to approach.

What they have in common is that they both inherited their father's blond hair and blue eyes, which is quite different from their younger brother's white hair and blue eyes.

Lorenzo gave him a gentle smile and waved to Caesar from a distance; Cosimo, on the other hand, took a sip of his drink and didn't even glance at Caesar.

Unexpectedly, Caesar was not seated near his two brothers, but instead pushed to a corner of the table to sit with unfamiliar royalty.

He blinked, glanced at his two older brothers, and found that they were ignoring him, so he had no choice but to sit down quietly in the seat that had been assigned to him.

He placed the crystal ball on his lap, looked down at the little shark inside, and seemed to feel much more at ease.

"Then I'll head back now, Your Highness the Third Prince," the steward said before leaving the main hall where the banquet was being held.

"I'm so nervous, Agubaru. I wish my brothers would sit next to me..." Caesar muttered softly.

“It’s alright, I’m here,” Agubaru said softly.

Caesar took a deep breath and slowly raised his head from the crystal ball. A hundred pairs of eyes were staring straight at him, most of them wearing fake smiles, their gazes devoid of emotion or tinged with sarcasm, like a group of hypocrites.

"I really want to escape." Caesar lowered his eyes and stared quietly at the little shark in the crystal ball.

“Didn’t you say this was your first time attending a royal dinner?” Agubaru said. “What a pity you skipped it.”

“But my brother and I live so far away. I just want to talk to them.” Caesar paused. “But I can’t talk to them like this. I don’t know anyone else.”

"Alright, stop complaining. Are those people from the Royal Court team?" Yagubaru asked.

Caesar paused, then followed Agubaru's gaze and saw seven figures walking in from the entrance. Their expressions were indifferent, and their eyes exuded a murderous aura.

Yagubalu spotted Li Qingping among the group immediately, because Li Qingping was the only one wearing a black suit, unlike the others in the royal court team who wore white robes with the "White King's Scepter" insignia.

Li Qingping was expressionless, like a crow standing among a flock of pigeons.

Caesar's eyes lit up immediately: "Li Qingping!"

Hearing someone call his name so loudly in this situation, Li Qingping was taken aback.

She then raised her head, slowly met the Third Prince's gaze, gave him a slight smile, and then sat down with the other six members of the Royal Court team at the remaining seats at the dining table, filling the last vacancy.

"Are these the Royal Court team members?" Yagubaru thought to himself, his gaze sweeping over the six people around Li Qingping. "I should think about how to take them down one by one."

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(End of this chapter)