QT: Against My Will-Chapter 620 - 11.04 - Daddy’s Office - Undercover Mr. Jelly
Bing Shi stepped inside her husband’s office together with Xuan Mu.
The aquarium stretched nearly the entire length of one wall. The water was so crystal clear that it seemed like an extension of the room itself. The vibrant corals and swaying plants within added a touch of vivid life to the somber office.
"Madam," the shark inside the tank used its fin to wave at her. Baby Shiro’s body was a tapestry of metallic scales that glinted subtly under the aquarium’s illumination.
Bing Shi playfully blew a flying kiss towards Baby Shiro, pairing it with a casual, yet elegant wave of her hand. "Hey there, my cutie shark."
Xuan Mu pointed at a peculiar feature of the aquarium. Hidden within its ornate frame was a small, almost imperceptible panel.
Bing Shi pressed it according to his directions, activating the remote.
The aquarium began a subtle, mesmerizing transformation. The water’s surface rippled unnaturally, and the once-solid glass panel of the tank slowly became translucent, revealing a portal to another world.
Stepping through this portal, Bing Shi and Xuan Mu entered a space vastly different from the dark, brooding office they left behind.
Upon entering, one was immediately enveloped in an ethereal ambiance. She couldn’t discern its size and a subtle illumination emanated from no discernible source, casting a gentle light that danced across surfaces with a life of its own.
The architecture of the office was an eclectic fusion of styles – from ancient to futuristic. Thick pillars carved with intricate, otherworldly designs stood alongside sleek, modernist structures. These pillars appeared to support not just the ceiling, but the very sky above, which was a canvas of ever-changing hues, reflecting distant, unknown galaxies.
At the center of the office was a desk. It appeared as a piece of living art, crafted from a material she had never seen before. Around the desk, the air seemed to thrum with a latent energy, as if the very space was alive.
The office was not devoid of technology; rather, it was integrated so seamlessly into the environment. Holographic displays floated in the air, responsive to the slightest gesture, showing information that bridged realms and dimensions.
Instead of conventional shelves, the artifacts of unknown origins and mysterious purposes were artfully showcased within hexagonal panels that adorned the walls, each radiating a sense of power.
As Bing Shi and Xuan Mu moved through the room, the hexagonal panels seamlessly replaced themselves with another set of artifacts from his reserves like a living exhibition.
In this space, time itself behaved differently. Clocks, if they could be called that, didn’t mark hours and minutes, but rather ebbed and flowed with a rhythm that mirrored the pulse of the universe.
The air was infused with a fragrance that was both comforting and exotic, changing subtly to reflect the mood and thoughts of those within.
Bing Shi’s eyes danced with wonder as she hopped around the space, each leap taking her to another marvel. "Did you design this place to make your visitors faint from your greatness?" she asked, cautiously avoiding any contact with the artifacts that seemed almost too precious to touch.
In this office, the impossible and unattainable was simply the unexplored. It was a sanctuary for thought and a nexus of powe.
Xuan Mu, standing by the morphing desk, touched one of the floating screens, which rippled like water under his fingers, "If I wanted to impress, I would have made the ceiling a little higher."
"..." Bing Shi looked up. The section of the sky-like ceiling shifted, revealing a view of a distant, sparkling nebula, its colors swirling in a cosmic dance, "Is it alright to show this to me?" she asked, unable to hide her admiration while aware of the significance of such revelations.
He joined her in looking at the nebula. "Each discovery, each moment of wonder, it feels incomplete without you by my side to experience it with me," he admitted.
"Mm, I remember how we used to dream about figuring out the world together," she said, her voice tinged with nostalgia, "But never to such a degree."
"To explore, to discover, to marvel together," he said softly, "that’s the journey we’ve decided to embark on, right?"
It was clear that their passion for exploration was not just about the destinations they reached, but the journey they shared.
"Right," Bing Shi’s gaze lingered on the unmistakable dark circles under her husband’s eyes. "Is something troubling you?" she asked, stroking his back.
For such an omnipotent man, he should at least try to cover his dark circles, shouldn’t he?
Xuan Mu ran a hand through his hair, a weary gesture belying his usual composure. "It’s nothing major," he replied, though his voice carried a weight of undisclosed troubles. "Just the usual task of hunting for a hiding needle in a cosmic haystack."
As a Proxy, Xuan Mu’s role was anything but conventional. He was tasked with forging pathways into uncharted realms, places that remained hidden from the HQ’s extensive surveillance. The ultimate objective was to get access to more souls, a task as critical as it was daunting.
These realms were not just unknown territories; they were domains that were often ruled by entities akin to deities, the very creators of universes. Those supreme beings could create a galaxy with a snap of their fingers or a casual shrug.
Most souls would be reborn within the realm where they died, but there were few instances where a soul would be reborn in a new realm. This was the reason why the HQ preferred to make their hosts go through a transmigration process instead of making them travel across the universe with an immortal body.
After all, there was a chance of discovering a completely new realm! Even though the host’s soul would probably be bound to that universe forever, it was enough for their system to establish a connection with the HQ.
But as always, the problems were the powerful overseers that would have wiped out the HQ’s influence if they knew of its existence.
After Xuan Mu had learned of the HQ’s basic operations, he had to tailor a cultivation technique to look for higher realms with more powerful souls. The ones their hosts were usually reborn to were more than often cluttered with ’trash’ according to the HQ.
So far, Xuan Mu had only entered two such realms successfully. Whenever he was ’fortunate’ enough to discover one, accessing it was another circus act. To successfully blend in and remain undetected, he had to access these realms without alerting their omnipotent overseers. Before Bing Shi came back to life, he was in the process of ’entering’ another realm.
His most unconventional strategy involved a simulated death and rebirth. He relied on his soul’s innate talent to remember everything despite having its memories wiped out.
But now, a fragment of his soul seemed too fragile to exist in that realm. It was squashed effortlessly like a bug before it could reach a required cultivation level and establish a connection with him. XMWB73478 was forever gone.
Bing Shi noticed his discomfort and began to massage his shoulder. "Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked.
Xuan Mu leaned into her touch, feeling the strain of losing a part of himself, "Hmmm," he murmured, "Just enjoy yourself. Seraphine still didn’t master her guitar and violin skills, did she? Why don’t you continue with your practice? I’ll be a bit busy with cleaning..." after his traces, "for a while, and won’t be able to accompany you as Edward...for a while."
With Bing Shi’s return, entering new realms and finding new methods on how to resurrect her was no longer pressing him. The chase after the third realm was something he had already started and tried to halt, yet the intensity of his past endeavors, akin to a long-burning flame, remained inextinguishable.
"We’ve decided to keep Lu Kai hidden inside of Nathaniel, as a backup plan in case we need to escape," he explained.
"I understand," Bing Shi put more pressure onto her massaging, "Shall I take charge of picking up gourmet treats for your pets? They can’t just eat regular food, could they?"
Xuan Mu turned slightly, his eyes locking with hers, "Handling tasks like feeding our pets and caring for our son during these times is something we’re adept at. Ru Quan and Ziek will stay by my side to help out."
He continued, "Just because I can’t accompany you, doesn’t mean I don’t get to meet you. I never want to go through the pain of missing you again."
In a swift, fluid motion, he reached out, hooking her by the waist and pulling her onto his embrace, "You’ll always be connected to this space... to me. No matter if it puts you in danger or not, I’ll see you whenever I wish, and hear your voice whenever I need."
His words were an assertion of his desire to keep her within his reach.
Bing Shi’s grin broadened, clearly pleased with what she heard. She hugged him back, "Yes, sir!"
╔═══ Author’s note ════╗
Just a glimpse of Xuan Mu’s modus operandi.
He is the complete opposite of his wife when it comes to interacting with other people, isn’t he?
He only cares about his pets, his gadgets and his family...and probably his alter egos too?😱
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