Chapter 95 - 92: Employee File

Chapter 95: Chapter 92: Employee File

As Daji flew anxiously, her hand performing a sealing technique as she waved it rapidly toward Jiang Chaosheng.

Soon, the dark clouds in the sky gathered once more, and a torrential rain began to fall.

The pressure on Jiang Chaosheng instantly vanished. His mind relaxed, his strength gave out, and he plummeted from the sky.

He caught a light, fresh scent.

He opened his eyes to see the worry etched on Daji’s face.

He was in Daji’s arms.

A warmth spread through Jiang Chaosheng’s chest.

Before taking charge of Antique Shop Zero, he had been a man of flesh and blood, yet he lived like an unfeeling machine.

After taking charge, he was meant to become indifferent to the world, yet he suddenly found himself developing feelings.

Jiang Chaosheng felt a pang of unease and pulled away from Daji’s embrace.

Daji was at a loss.

"My Lord..."

Jiang Chaosheng averted his gaze, looking toward a spot on the open sea.

"Someone is drowning. Bring him and all his men back to the Sea Train."

"Understood!" Daji replied. She handed the Compass to Jiang Chaosheng and flew toward the spot he had indicated.

Jiang Chaosheng entered the Sea Train.

With the purified Compass in his possession, the helm in the train’s bridge felt surprisingly light.

Jiang Chaosheng could now control the Sea Train.

A thought crossed his mind.

A knock sounded on the door to the bridge.

Jiang Chaosheng said,

"Come in."

A mature, blonde-haired, blue-eyed train attendant entered and said respectfully,

"Captain, how may I be of service?"

Jiang Chaosheng studied the female attendant.

The professional smile on her face seemed a little more genuine.

’She’s no longer just a program running on a fixed set of parameters.’

’The emotional intensity of the Sea Coachman can influence the attendants.’

Jiang Chaosheng murmured to himself,

"If that octopus monster and I weren’t the Sea Coachmen, if we were just ordinary humans, I wonder if the attendants would act more normal?"

He knew the answer himself.

When it came to empathy, he and the previous Sea Coachman were about the same.

Jiang Chaosheng held out his hand, and a small booklet materialized in it.

This, too, was an ability of the Sea Coachman.

Two words were written on the cover of the booklet: Employee Files.

Jiang Chaosheng began to flip through the files. When he got to the first page, he glanced at the attendant before him.

"Conductor Bailista, from Eros. Joined in 1918."

The conductor’s posture became even more deferential.

Jiang Chaosheng continued flipping through the files.

Olot, from Iceland. Joined in 1920.

Family:

Father: Archy Clyde.

Occupation: Blacksmith.

Mother: Giselle Roland.

Occupation: Seamstress.

...

Mororilla, from Meiqi Country. Joined in 1920.

Family:

Father: Lian Shalivan.

Occupation: Sheriff.

Mother: Adele Turner.

Occupation: Sheriff’s Secretary.

...

Muraoka Reiko, from East Sakura Country. Joined in 1955.

Family:

Father: Murakami Kojirō.

Occupation: Singer.

Mother: Ogura Nami (Deceased before employment.)

Occupation: Dancer

...

Jin Yingxiu, from South Korea. Joined in 1955.

Family:

...

...

Jiang Chaosheng reached the last page.

The contents of that page made him raise an eyebrow.

’How... is there someone who hasn’t even been hired yet?’

Jiang Chaosheng read the last page carefully.

Bai Tasha, from the Xia Kingdom. Pending employment.

Family:

Father: Bai Juzhi.

Occupation: Special Agent.

Mother: Andoruya (Deceased).

Occupation: Teacher.

...

It wasn’t hard to tell that this "Bai Tasha" was of mixed heritage.

An image of a girl, around fifteen or sixteen years old, surfaced in his mind.

There was only one girl on the entire train with blonde hair and blue eyes.

’A special agent?’

’What a strange yet familiar profession.’

’Most people only ever see special agents in movies.’

’The typical impression of a special agent is someone agile and skilled, always pulling out some unbelievable high-tech gadget during a mission.’

"I guess Investigators count as special agents, right?"

Jiang Chaosheng mumbled,

"What a coincidence."

...

「The Great Western Sea, in an undisclosed location.」

Dozens of Ghost Hands extended from behind Yang Xiao, each one dragging a Cleaner Fish that was about to sink into the depths.

He bobbed on the surface, swimming desperately in one direction while yelling incoherently.

The sight was both comical and absurd.

From the sky, Daji watched the scene below with an indifferent expression.

’Fifty-two Corpse Ghosts with their consciousnesses sealed.’

Her gaze fell upon Yang Xiao, and she made out the heart-wrenching words being screamed from his raw, raspy throat.

"Sir! GLUG GLUG... Wait for me! GLUG GLUG..."

"You... GLUG GLUG..."

"Don’t you cry! Because! Your smile is here! GLUG GLUG..."

Daji frowned and murmured to herself,

"And here’s another simpleton?"

’So this must be the person My Lord wanted me to save.’

Daji descended, her delicate feet touching down lightly on the surface of the water.

A stack of yellow Talisman Paper appeared in her hand, and she fanned them out before her.

Each piece of Talisman Paper landed precisely on the forehead of a Cleaner Fish.

In a mere instant, the Cleaner Fish all opened their eyes. With their senses restored, they immediately began swimming for the surface.

Fortunately, Corpse Ghosts were immortal. Had they been ordinary creatures, they would have drowned long ago.

Two of the Cleaner Fish hoisted Yang Xiao out of the water.

Yang Xiao gasped, taking in huge gulps of air.

Daji stared in astonishment at Yang Xiao’s stomach.

It was bulging high, as if he were pregnant.

’Heaven knows how much seawater he drank.’

Yang Xiao looked at Daji.

’She’s so beautiful,’ he thought. ’Standing barefoot on the water, glowing faintly... She’s like a Goddess!’

’I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before...’

Yang Xiao remembered and exclaimed in surprise,

"You- You’re that chick that Sir subdued!?"

"Chick" was a rather unpleasant term.

However, upon hearing Yang Xiao’s words, a shy blush crept up Daji’s lovely cheeks.

Yang Xiao grinned foolishly and gave a thumbs-up in the direction of the Sea Train, his face full of admiration.

"As expected of the Master! To be able to capture a great beauty like you!"

Daji grew even more bashful, her beautiful eyes so soft they seemed about to overflow.

’This simpleton... how is it that the more I look at him, the more I like him?’

As soon as Yang Xiao finished speaking, his face turned pale. He bent at the waist and began to vomit violently.

’God knows how much seawater I drank!’

’Fucking hell... I’ve had about enough of drowning.’

’It’s terrifying when you think about it.’

’If I’d lost my strength and sunk into the deep sea, especially since I can’t swim...’

’That would be the most horrifying torture imaginable!’

’Because you’d be drowning in the deep sea forever, unable to even die!’

Daji elegantly extended a finger and flicked it lightly in Yang Xiao’s direction.

Yang Xiao’s round, bulging stomach deflated at a visible rate.

Daji tilted back her pale neck, her expression once again cool and aloof as she parted her red lips.

"You have a sweet mouth, child."

"How did you get hurt? Who did this to you?"

"I will seek justice for you on my Lord’s behalf."

She looked for all the world like a cool, domineering matriarch about to go settle a score for one of her own.

Yang Xiao gave a wry smile.

"Forget it. They’ve already gotten away."

"I can only blame my own lack of skill; I wasn’t able to stop them."

Yang Xiao never complained that his enemies were too strong; he only ever got angry at himself for being too weak.

Daji looked Yang Xiao up and down.

"For a mortal, reaching your level of skill is quite impressive."

"If you were to open your Spiritual Aperture and learn some auxiliary Magic, that glove of yours would surely become much stronger."

Yang Xiao blinked.

"Spiritual Aperture? Magic?"

The terms were completely foreign to him.

He’d only ever heard such things mentioned in xianxia dramas.

’This Fox Demon in front of me must know Magic.’

’If I learn Magic, will I be able to handle that giant bride and the kid in the Tang suit?’

He hated feeling powerless.

The feeling was like a viper, sinking its fangs into his heart and injecting the deepest venom.

After a moment of thought, Yang Xiao immediately said to the two Cleaner Fish holding him up,

"Hold me steady."

The Cleaner Fish nodded.

Yang Xiao braced his arms on the Cleaner Fish, lifted his legs out of the water, and tried his best to get into a kneeling position on the surface of the sea, bobbing his head down in a kowtow.

"Matriarch, your beauty is peerless! Sir, may you live for a thousand generations! I wish the Matriarch and Sir a long life together! May the Matriarch and Sir never be parted for all eternity!"

Unfortunately for Yang Xiao, his education was limited. Though he yelled the words with great gusto, his praises sounded like something a grade-schooler would come up with.

Daji froze for a moment.

’Matriarch?’

Daji’s face grew even redder. The more she looked at Yang Xiao, the more she liked what she saw.

’This is the first time since I awakened that someone has acknowledged my relationship with my Lord, isn’t it?’

’This child not only looks clever, but he’s also such a sweet-talker!’

’Give him time, and he’ll surely achieve great things!’

’With this boy to assist my Lord, the future is surely secure!’

Yang Xiao secretly raised his head.

He saw that his flattery had made Daji’s face blossom into a radiant smile.

’Hmph!’

’Who says your Brother Xiao isn’t smart?’

’Your Brother Xiao is a genius!’

’I’m definitely going to learn this Magic!’

Daji walked over to Yang Xiao and placed her pale palm on his forehead.

"In addition to Opening the Spiritual Aperture for you, I will also teach you the art of Shrinking Inches."

"If you encounter a powerful enemy, even if you cannot defeat them, you will be able to escape."