69 Chapter 68. (1/2)

(POV Sanji)

When I finally opened up the last door I was mentally exhausted. The sequence where there was a slight hope towards it being the last door only to find out there was another door behind it was killing me.

When I opened the hundredth door there was nothing behind it, the path continued forward. Not far away there was a bright light. When I stopped to recover my sanity everyone behind us caught up and Bob, the guard, walked in front of me and declared, ”we're here.”

Luckily for me, it seems nobody from the group saw the idiotic series of doors that were lined up for me to open and they only saw me walking forward down an open passage.

My wife really liked to play tricks on me, but she at least let me keep my dignity in front of others.

When everyone walked into the light at the end of the tunnel what came into view were four very long tables extending from one end of the room to the other. If one thought that was as expected, I definitely expected it as well, but what I did not expect was the table's height.

There were no chairs and a large crowd of people were sitting with their butts planted on the ground eating what looked to be a prisoner styled meal.

Bob gave a curt explanation, ”this is the cafeteria, we cut costs on chairs since fights would break out all the time and they would always be destroyed. We found low tables were sturdier and also easier to repair.”

I looked Bob right in the eye only for him to look away awkwardly like it had nothing to do with him.

On the opposite end of the room there were four banners mysteriously floating above the tables with four different animals painted on each of them. From left to right, there was a dragon wearing a tracksuit jogging, a tiger peeking out from behind a door, a chicken's claw, and an exhausted turtle trying to catch his breath.

They looked like cute drawings a child might draw for their father. It really felt like I knew the backstory this time and I didn't need to ask. I once again confirmed my suspicions, that kid was definitely going to be someone great one day.

On the left side of the room there was a lineup along the wall. At the front of the line there were four old ladies behind a counter scooping out food from large pots and placing them on plates in trays. They would then hand it over to the prisoners one by one.

Below the floating banners at the end of the room there was a small stage that looked like it was used for entertainment purposes during meals. I really wondered what kind of entertainment there would be in a prison, but I decided to leave it as a surprize.

There was also a long line of prisoners lined up between the tables at the very center of the room. It looked like they were also new and had arrived a bit before us. They were still curiously looking around the room just like our group was.

Bob merely motioned for the hundred of us that just arrived to stand in line behind everyone else before he took his leave after he had completed his job. He looked rather joyful and he quickly ran out of the cafetaria clearly exhausted from a long day at work.

Since we had nothing better to do, we just waited in line as instructed. While we waited, there were naturally discussions that went on between those from the Celestial Empire.

”Boss, doesn't this place sort of feel like somewhere someone would hide something of value?” I was of a bit shocked when I heard one of the three stooges randomly blurt that out to Anything is Possible.

”Oh, you mean like the inheritance we're looking for? It does seem rather plausible with how they transported us here.”

When I looked at the crown prince I saw he wasn't paying any attention to their discussion. I only saw his lips moving a bit, but when I really strained my ears I managed to hear what he was mumbling.

”Haaaah. Just when I find such an impressive vehicle that could transform and even have conscious thought, it gets destroyed by stupid lightning out of nowhere. Why must the heavens be jealous of my fortune and take it away every time? Am I actually cursed to never possess one of those divine instruments?”

Eh? The crown prince actually a car enthusiast? He really looked depressed, his eyes were empty like his entire world had collapsed. The only sign of life he had was when he was reading through the automotive magazine in his hands.

Really though, why does nobody believe I'm the one that summoned that lightning? Is it that hard to believe? Do I not look enough like a distanced and refined master, do I need to step my game up?

Even I was starting to get a little depressed, only little Han was there as the chicken soup for my weary and disheartened soul.

I didn't bother to mind it before because I was too frustrated and wanted to act cool at the time, but after I summoned that lightning, I did hear the three stooges off to one side applauding. They asked things like, ”that was a cool party trick, I wonder how he did that. 7/10” ”Maybe his name is Nothing is Impossible. Pfft. 6/10” ”It would have been cooler if the explosion was louder and more imposing though. 4/10. It needs some work, but don't get disheartened young grasshopper.”

I tried to act cool, but in the end my trump card was all downplayed and treated like a cheap trick. Do you have any idea how frustrated I was?! All that effort just to be treated like it was a magic trick. This world was just too cruel. It's really hard to make a living these days when apparently, according to these three stooges, even magicians can call down heavenly lightning as a party trick.

It was like those three clowns could read my mind, just as I was thinking about back then they went and asked.

”Hey boss, by the way, can you also do that party trick like the crazy guy with the ghost wife?”

”Of course I can't. Besides, that lightning probably wasn't even that strong to begin with. What's the point in imitating it? The only reason that lightning worked so well was just because it was the weakness of that transforming vehicle.”

”To mighty cultivators like us, there's no way it would have any effect. I've also seen through everything. It was only thanks to that ghost wife and daughter of his sacrificing themselves to save their pitiful and helpless loved one.”

”That lightning was summoned to smite them out of existence. Yes, his ghost wife and daughter must have sacrificed their lives to save him and all of us from death. We couldn't see them since they were ghosts, but right before the transforming vehicle detonated they had flown over to right above it and brought down that lightning.”

”He had walked forward like that to see them on their way then turned around painfully unable to bear witness to the lightning as they were smitten out of existence. Unfortunately, they must no longer be of this world and he will likely never be able to summon such lightning again.”

”Thus we have nothing to fear from him anymore. They were sacrificed to save the lives of the living. Even I'm slightly moved, who knew ghosts like that existed? Maybe not all ghosts are so bad after all.”

When I heard his explanation behind the sequence of events and my actions I almost wanted to kick the guy off a cliff. I could tell I would never get along with this guy. He even had the nerve to look at me pitifully and he was sniffling a bit to show some sort of fake compassion.

”Hahaha Husband, this is great isn't it? You're now a widower to a ghost wife.”

”My wife, it's not funny.”

”The poor guy is even reminiscing over his times with his ghost wife who is no longer of this world.”

”My second wife and second daughter, it seems I will never see my first wife and daughter again.”

Anything is Possible looked at me with wide eyes and trembled slightly when he heard my words.

”Hahaha. So he was in a polygamous relationship with ghosts and even had a second daughter. Boss it looks like he can still summon lightning.”

Little Han looked at me wide eyed and whispered so only I could hear. ”Venerable master, you have a second wife and two daughters?! Why haven't you introduced me to them?!”

I rolled my eyes and whispered back to little Han, ”of course I don't, but this is a life lesson for you little Han. When you know your enemy has a weakness and misunderstanding about something you must always exploit it.”

His eyes lit up with sparkles in understanding when he heard my words and treated as words of the gospel.

”Venerable master is wise and far sighted as usual.”

Hah. Once again, like I said before, the only chicken soup for my tired and weary soul.

It would be nice if my little disciple was here as well though. I really wonder what she's doing now. My wife said she would arrange for things, but just where is she?

As I felt the urge to ask I probed her a bit, ”my wife, what about Chu'er?”

”Oh that? Well… it will take a bit of time.”

”A bit of time? Why? Can't you just teleport her here?”

”That would be cheating husband, it's a trial by fire.”

”I can naturally just bring her here myself, but she's the one that needs to put in the effort. Don't worry though, things have already been put into motion, and I'm already working on it.”

Why is she being so vague?

”Although, how she gets here will probably be a bit different than how we arrived here.”

”Look forward to it Husband, I'm sure you will be shocked out of you mind.”

I felt like my wife was up to no good again. Is my little disciple really going to be okay with my wife pulling the strings?

I started to feel a bit worried towards what was in store for my little disciple. That smile on my wife's face was not reassuring in the slightest. That was definitely the smile of a troublemaker.

”Chu'er will be okay, right?”

”Of course she will. She is the child who wants to compete with me for my husband's love after all.”

My wife looked strangely happy for some reason.

”Oh Husband, in case you were wondering, I'm only a bit happy because I've never had the chance to compete with another woman over a man before. Though I'm naturally not going to lose to some greenhorn little girl who's yet to experience the hellish training I've gone through with my master. Fufufu.”

It's a bit scary how she can read what I'm thinking so easily. I'm not that much of an open book am I?

”Husband, it's cute how easy you are to read.”