Chapter 10: The Cutest Among the Flowers 2

The interior of the carriage was far more spacious and comfortable than Cynthia had imagined. The lighting was soft, the atmosphere quiet, and the seats felt like floating clouds.

Azathoth located their seats—a relatively private, semi-open compartment. He carefully placed Cynthia on the plush seat by the window before taking the outer seat himself.

Cynthia sat down and immediately smoothed out her robes, which were not wrinkled in the slightest, attempting to regain some semblance of a monarch’s poise.

The train had started silently, its acceleration so smooth that one could barely feel any inertia. The scenery outside the window retreated rapidly; the spaceport shrank in the blink of an eye, and in a heartbeat, the train breached the atmosphere, leaving the window to reveal the boundless starry sky.

Against the backdrop of deep, profound darkness, the vibrant nebulae and the occasional artificial satellite streaking by in the distance formed a magnificent tapestry the likes of which Cynthia had never imagined.

Conquering the stars—something magic could not achieve, yet humanity had done it. Humans were truly a miraculous race; no wonder those gods always favored them.

"My King, what are you looking at?" Azathoth noticed her intent gaze.

"The stars," Cynthia replied softly, her red eyes reflecting the brilliant galaxy.

"In this era, have they truly conquered even the stars?" Her tone carried a complex, indescribable emotion—a mix of shock and a subtle sense of loss, as if she had been swept away by the currents of time.

Azathoth remained silent for a moment before whispering, "Humanity is indeed a race full of creativity and imagination."

*Beep—*

A soft chime sounded at the entrance of the compartment.

An android attendant in a neat uniform stopped there, pushing a food cart. Its face was a smooth metal mask, and it spoke in a gentle voice: "Respected passengers, would you like any drinks or refreshments? This train offers a variety of nutritional supplements, synthetic fruit-flavored drinks, and limited-edition snacks made from natural ingredients."

Its gaze swept across the compartment and finally landed on Cynthia, who looked the most like someone needing care. Its voice seemed to soften by another degree:

"Little one, would you like to try our new Nebula Bubble Berry Milk? It’s sweet, and it even glows."

As it spoke, it picked up a drink from the cart that emitted a faint purple halo, with colorful stars suspended within the liquid.

*Little one...*

*It’s sweet...*

*It even glows...*

Visible, invisible veins seemed to pop out on Cynthia’s forehead.

Azathoth clearly sensed that the aura of the young King beside him had instantly turned dangerous. He was just about to speak up and decline on her behalf.

[Daily Task Issued: Faced with friendly feeding, an excellent "Cute King" should accept it elegantly and adorably!]

[Task Requirements: Personally take the drink and say the designated line: "Thank you, brother/sister, it looks so delicious!" (You may choose how to address them)]

[Task Reward: Cuteness Points +10! Failure Penalty: Random deduction of 20 Cuteness Points! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧]

Cynthia: "!!!"

She looked at the drink clearly meant for an actual child, felt the frantic, pink countdown and the threat of the failure penalty pulsing in her mind, and then glanced at Azathoth, who seemed to be fighting back a smile.

Her small hands clenched at her sides, then relaxed.

Finally, under the patient gaze of the android attendant and the slightly surprised look from Azathoth, Cynthia took a deep breath, reached out with her small hand, tried her best to keep her expression from looking too stiff, and spoke in a voice that was as steady as she could manage, yet remained undeniably childish:

"Thank you, it looks..." She paused, almost gritting her teeth as she forced out the words, "...so, so, de-li-cious."

With that, she quickly grabbed the cup of Nebula Bubble Berry Milk, the cold, icy sensation traveling from the cup to her palm.

[Ding! Daily Task completed! Reward: Cuteness Points +10. You’re amazing, Host! The look of grievance mixed with restraint is off the charts! Bonus reward: Cuteness Points +5! Current Cuteness Points: 167/200 (Lv1)]

Cynthia held the glowing drink with a blank expression, feeling her dignity as a King leaking away with every passing second.

The android attendant seemed to detect the customer's satisfaction and left happily.

Azathoth watched his King clutching a drink that stood in extreme contrast to her aura. She was enveloped in a low-pressure mood, yet because of her adorable appearance, she looked entirely unthreatening—more like a ruffled, fluffy kitten.

He coughed lightly, suppressing the smile at the corner of his mouth, and suggested in a serious, low tone: "My King, snacks made from natural ingredients are indeed rare in this era; perhaps the taste is worth a try?"

Cynthia snapped her head up, glaring at him with a murderous look.

Azathoth immediately fixed his gaze straight ahead, as if he hadn't said a word.

The train sped through the silent sea of stars, heading toward Star City.

"Attention, passengers. This train is arriving at its final destination—the Star City Central Hub. Thank you for choosing the services of the Shattered Star Group. We wish you a pleasant journey in Star City."

A soft, female broadcast voice echoed through the carriage.

The train began to decelerate, smoothly merging into a stream of guiding light leading to the main structure of Star City. It glided silently into an incredibly spacious, brightly lit platform.

The platform was bustling with crowds, and android attendants were busy guiding passengers out.

The carriage doors opened quietly.

Azathoth stood up first and carefully reached out his hand, intending to pick up Cynthia.

Cynthia avoided his hand and nimbly jumped off the seat herself. She did her best to straighten her back, attempting to project an air of independence and majesty.

Azathoth did not insist; he simply followed silently half a step behind her, like the most loyal of knights.

The large and the small moved with the flow of people out of the train and into the Central Hub hall, which was as grand as a palace.

The ceiling was so high it was almost impossible to see the top. Holographic billboards displayed various products and service information that Cynthia could not comprehend, and the air was filled with unfamiliar scents.

Cynthia stood in the endless stream of people, looking up at everything filled with a futuristic feel. Her red eyes reflected the rapidly flowing light-bands of information and the faces of strange races.

She, the former Demon King of the Abyss, truly felt her own insignificance and the shifting of the era at this moment.

[Attention! Qualifiers, the epic item "Eternal Holy Grail" has appeared in the Lost Ruins. Location of the Lost Ruins: Star City Central Hub.]

The Main System Oracle suddenly issued an announcement. Then, the Eye of God appeared, and countless pillars of teleportation light illuminated the Central Hub. Cynthia and Azathoth were among them.

With a flash of white light, the high-tech hall before Cynthia’s eyes instantly transformed into a dilapidated, ancient city.

[Live broadcast started. Qualifiers, please strive to survive and become gods as soon as possible.]

As soon as Cynthia's live broadcast icon lit up, countless viewers flooded in.

"The kid is back in the Path to Godhood trial? Didn't the last one just end? Why go in again? Is the Oracle starting to push the kids too hard?"

"So scary! Good thing I’m not a Qualifier!"

"Mwah~ Mwah~ Little baby, take care of yourself~"

"Damn! It’s blowing up! There are Diamond-level Qualifiers in this trial field! And more than one!!!"

"Really? Then I have to switch favorites. Kid, sorry, but I still love you."

More than half of the people in the live broadcast room left, and the popularity plummeted. However, Cynthia remained unaware of this, strolling through the ruined streets.

[Ding! 8 days, 9 hours, 37 minutes, and 56 seconds remaining for "Cute King" Development Task 2.]

The prompt from the Cute King Development System was like a cold needle, piercing through Cynthia’s momentary daze upon arriving at the ruins. Her footsteps faltered, and an expression of disgust appeared on her exquisite face.

"I will do the task, stop bothering me."

No sooner had Cynthia finished speaking than a terrifying pressure descended from the sky. She looked up sharply, only to see a rift flickering with purple electric arcs appearing in the lead-gray sky.