Starry Sky Railway: No one understands the Amber King better than me.

"He's a damn fool, he knew it wouldn't be that simple."

Potio's expression was slightly serious, but it didn't change much.

If one shot doesn't kill you, then fucking fire another one. If two shots don't kill you, then fucking fire ten more!

His fingers quickly reached for the revolver, but at that very moment, a purple-gold light dispelled the smoke, and Potio's pupils contracted.

All around, there was no trace of the explosion; everything was perfectly intact.

This isn't a dream, it's the real-life Daydream Hotel. And...

The cowboy looked around. With such a huge commotion, he had been prepared to fight his way out of his family's territory and have a fierce gunfight, but the corridor was quiet, as if nothing had happened.

"Is it your precious one playing tricks?"

Upon seeing the tall young man appear before him, Portio had already reached for the gun handle. But he found his hand, which was gripping the trigger, suddenly freeze.

It wasn't just his fingers that were obstructed; rather, his entire hand and even his body began to feel as if they didn't belong to him. He looked down and saw a faint glow emanating from the metal structure of his body.

"My darling, what did you do to me?"

Potio grinned, revealing sharp teeth, but there was a hint of genuine wariness in his smile.

"Just a little safety precaution." Lin Yuan walked up to him, opened his hand, and six bullets lay quietly in his hand, without any signs of being fired.

"Looks like the intelligence was wrong. You're some kind of juggler?"

Potio squinted, the red crosshair flashing rapidly in his pupils. His cowboy philosophy led him to change the subject while simultaneously trying various methods to break free.

Unfortunately, after a while, all their efforts were in vain.

“You’re not just some ordinary corporate dog you’ve got.” He no longer spoke with sarcasm, but stated the facts.

"I am Lin Yuan, Director of Crisis Affairs at Interstellar Peace Corporation."

Lin Yuan slowly and deliberately announced his name.

"Cowboy, as far as I remember, we don't seem to have any grudges, or even have we ever met? What, did someone put a bounty on my head and you accepted the job?"

Upon hearing this, Potio suddenly raised his eyebrows and spoke with disdain.

"You? No, compared to my target, you're just a gimmick. Let me tell you the truth, you're a damn crisis affairs director. You think I don't know who you are? You're Oswald's dog."

"Oh? It seems someone told you I'm from the market development department?"

Lin Yuan's eyes flickered slightly.

"So, what do you think that little revolver can do?" he chuckled.

"You need to practice more, cowboy."

Hearing the other party's nonchalant tone, Potio remained silent for a few seconds, then suddenly grinned:

"Fine, you win. Kill me or torture me, give me a quick death. But don't even think about getting a single word out of me. My bones are harder than the rocks of your faith."

"I didn't intend to kill you." Lin Yuan waved his hand, and the light faded from Potio's body.

The mechanical body was back under control. Potio wiggled his fingers, but didn't reach for his gun again; he wasn't an idiot who didn't know when to back down.

"What do you want? Buy me a drink?" He dusted himself off and straightened his cowboy hat.

Lin Yuan stepped aside to make way: "Come in and let's talk."

Portio hesitated for a moment, his intuition telling him that if this young man wanted to make a move, he wouldn't need to lure him into the room. So he strode inside.

Lin Yuan closed the door, cutting off all external prying eyes. He walked to the bar in the room, poured two glasses of Asdna Oak, and pushed one of them across the room.

Portio didn't sit down; instead, he stood up, grabbed his glass, and downed it in one gulp.

"Just tell me, what do you want me to do? This beating around the bush is disgusting."

"Do you have a grudge against Oswald Schneider?"

Lin Yuan asked the question directly.

"Heh, what, you're going to protect your master now?" Potio slammed the empty glass on the table.

"You have no idea about the company politics and the structure of the marketing department, and of course, you don't need to."

Lin Yuan took a sip of wine and lowered his gaze.

"To put it simply, my position in the market development department is no different from Oswaldo's, but he holds the supervisory position. As long as he's in that position, I'll always be somewhat hindered. So let's be frank..."

Lin Yuan raised his cup.

“Cowboy, we actually have a common enemy.”

"You want me to kill him?" A look of surprise flashed in Potio's eyes, then he grinned. "You think he's so great? Go ahead and do it yourself."

"Heh, use your brain, Cowboy. It's not as simple as you think. First, as fellow executives in the company, if I were to take action, it would definitely trigger an internal war within the department, affecting the entire company and even the universe. You definitely don't want to see that happen."

Secondly, since you have a grudge against him, it's only natural for the patrolling knight to seek revenge; no one can find fault with that. Thirdly…”

Lin Yuan paused.

"You can't kill Oswaldo."

"You fucking look down on me?" Potio suddenly stood up, his fists clenching.

“It’s not that I’m looking down on you, it’s just the truth.” Lin Yuan remained unmoved.

"Do you think someone who can reach the P47 position in the company can be dealt with by a few guns and cannons? You should treat him with the same planning and preparation you would use to hunt down a Commander."

Potio's teeth were grinding together, but he didn't argue; he truly had no confidence whatsoever.

"But I can give you a chance, a chance to face him. A chance for you to give everything, to use your ruthlessest methods, to make him disappear forever. A fair trade, how about it?"

Lin Yuan raised his eyes, his gaze intense.

.........

Chapter 306 The Hunter and the Wine

Pottiou remained unfazed by Lin Yuan's offer to trade.

"What do you want?" He's not a fool.

"I want you to owe me a favor, whether you succeed or not."

Lin Yuan said leisurely, "Don't worry, I'm not asking you to be my lackey. I just like making friends."

Potio remained silent for a long time, the red crosshair in his eyes flickering as if he were calculating and pondering.

Finally, he lowered his hat brim, hiding his sharp gaze beneath it: "My darling, why should I believe you? Just because of a few words of your nonsense?"

"Just look at this bottle of wine, it's a collector's edition." Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow.

"Or, you could try it yourself?"

Potio's fingers twitched twice, but he resisted the urge to draw his gun.

"If you, my darling, betray me, I guarantee that no matter the cost, you'll be the next one lying in a coffin. Tell me, what kind of opportunity are you talking about?"

"Opportunity is simply waiting patiently."

"You bastard, are you kidding me?!" Potio's hand was already gripping the gun handle, but it froze in mid-air.

"I actually have a good relationship with all the hunters, whether they are the Heavenly Generals of the Immortal Boat Alliance or the hunters themselves, we get along very well."

Lin Yuan looked at the other person indifferently.

"I even recommended an interesting guy to join your Sea Patrol Rangers once, I don't know if it was successful or not, his name is Osius."

"Hmm?" Potio's expression suddenly changed, and Lin Yuan took in his reaction.

"I never expected that he would actually join you. Congratulations!" Lin Yuan's face showed genuine joy.

"So, for the sake of these people, I'll let bygones be bygones when you pointed a gun at me earlier. But I hope you'll think things through next time. Otherwise, you can only pray that no one wants to avenge you."

Lin Yuan put away the wine glasses and utensils, assuming a gesture of seeing the guest off.

"As a hunter, one should know that thorough preparation is necessary before hunting. I will contact you when the time is right, Ranger. I hope you will always be prepared."

After a moment of silence, Potio gave Lin Yuan a deep look, then turned and left.

After taking two steps, he suddenly turned back and grabbed the wine bottle that Lin Yuan had placed on the bar.

"Lin Yuan, right? Ha, a big shot. For the sake of this bottle of wine, let's call it a day. Oh, by the way—"

As they reached the door, Potio suddenly turned around: "How did you know from the start that I was a Sea Patrol Ranger?"

"Of course... your allies told me." A smile appeared on Lin Yuan's lips.

"His precious confidante, is he trying to profit from both sides?"

Then a muttered sound of gritting teeth faded into the distance, abruptly ending with the sound of the door slamming shut.

"Is this wine really that good?"

Lin Yuan's gaze fell on the bar.

..........

"I offer this cup, the ticket to the cemetery, as a tribute to you, nameless traveler. To the dead and the dying."

At the bar, Gallagher pushed a glass of liquor that looked like it was burning with fire over his shoulder; it was a special cocktail he had prepared for the Trail Blazers.

After receiving their family's commission, the nameless passengers on the Star Train split into two teams.

Walter from Team One encountered Huang Quan and joined forces with him.

The rest of the group encountered Gallagher, who claimed to be a sheriff, while investigating clues at the Dream Border.

Of course, after the conversations and probing along the way, everyone realized that this was definitely not just a simple sheriff from a hound family.

However, after the wine tasting, Gallagher still fulfilled his duties as sheriff, explaining to everyone the suspicious points regarding the previous murder case.

Hearing that every word the other person spoke seemed to carry a deeper meaning, Himeko suddenly spoke after he finished:

"Now, let's talk about the story of Mikhail."

“You are very perceptive,” Gallagher said calmly.

"The Starry Sky Train also received that music box, right? Or rather, every force invited to the Harmonious Music Festival received that music box. Do you know what secret it holds?"

"A message: To take in the impossible things in dreams, to find the legacy of the watchmaker who was the father of Pinocchio, and then to answer: Why does life sleep?" Himeko narrated.