1

“Ugh.”

Sunlight illuminates through the window in a dark room. The entryway’s curtain is half open followed by a couple of visitors outside backs turned, chatting inaudibly.

One of them entered the room when the latter walked away. “Ah, you awake,” Selina walks in, sitting on the bedside “How does it feel Mei? Feeling alive again?”

Mei rubbed her eyes. She lifted herself from the bed partially. “It hurts,” said Mei, her eyes focused on her abdomen where she let her hands feel the center of pain coming from her left lumbar. “Is this how it is supposed to feel coming back?”

Selina leans closer to Mei, assisting her to lean against the wall, and placing a pillow behind her back. “You don’t remember?”

Mei muttered in decline and coughed from the soreness of her throat.

“It’s now noon. Kilian woke up just an hour ago after a knee reconstruction. He was brutally hurt, losing a quarter of his blood trying to stop you from losing control,” said Selina, offering her some water.

Mei drank a sip, soothing her soreness. “How is he?” Mei’s arm shook while placing the cup back on the table beside her.

“He is fine. He is about to have lunch with everyone and the generals of the four.”

"The Four!!?" Mei exclaimed. She attempted to leave the bed. Only for Selina to grab her hand, stopping her abruptly from leaving the bed.

"My bad. The former four. Jianke and other groups don't exist anymore. Just us, Hong An."

"I won't believe it till I see it," said Mei.

"Then walk with me," said Selina, lifting Mei from the bed. "You are unbelievably spirited."

Mei limped as both walked towards the entryway. Selina offered her a cane, which she declined. The two went out of the room. Out of nowhere, he is greeted by Detsu, who is bandaged around both of his hands. Under his ragged gi was also wrapped in bandages.

"Can't be." Mei was stunned, staring at Detsu.

"Surprise right," said Detsu, not amused by her presence. "Kilian is waiting for you two. Let's go." He opens the door of the clinic. Sunlight shines through the opening, briefly blinding Mei's new eyes. Detsu pulls out sunglasses from his inner pockets. He immediately put it on her. "There. That should help stabilize your fresh eyes." He turns away, leading the two towards the cafeteria.

"I haven't looked at the menu. What's special today?" Mei asked.

"More rice bowls. This time, there is fish as the main entree."

"God, I hate fish," said Selina, almost gagging from the word.

"It's salmon, though."

"What a relief."

The sun was much brighter today, which is unusual for Jinsu. All blue sky and no overcast. Detsu pulled out his pair of sunglasses.

They walked for a couple of minutes, and Mei insisted on letting her walk. Selina reluctantly lets go of her slowly while keeping a distance.

Mei didn't tumble this time, but her right leg was still limping the further she walked. "I think I'm ok right now," she said.

The three were then met by Kilian, who walked out from the cafeteria hall's main entrance across the hallway. He walked fast for somebody who just had a knee reconstruction.

"Oi, you shouldn't be sprinting!" Selina yelled.

"Ah, give me a break. I can’t lay down all day, you know that,” said Kilian, disregarding all her concerns. “Anyways, you're right on time. Let’s eat and fill up that new body of yours.” He sprinted back to the entrance, leaving the door open as he walked inside.

Selina sighs loudly like she gives up, “He’s crazy. He doesn’t give up either, taking the maniac option if possible.”

“I mean he did the whole final part of the fight with his knees wrecked, so I can’t say any more than that,” Detsu added. “Come on. Others are waiting.” The three-headed to the cafeteria hall. Behind the door are all crowded occupied tables scattered across the wide hall.

Holy moly. Mei can’t believe how much has changed in the cafeteria with the vast crowd. The mezzanine is also packed as the kitchen had to relocate above, leaving the first floor’s partial space, the pathway for the waiters to bring it out. She along with the two scramble for Kilian’s desk as told by Detsu. “When was the upper level built?”

“Last week,” said Selina, bracing Mei through the crowded walkways. “This is the new norm now until one day it expands once more.” She sees Kilian already upstairs on the balcony, waving at the three. That annoys Selina more due to the fact he went up and down the stairs at least once.

Once reached the bottom of the stairs, Detsu headed up first, leaving Selina and Mei. Mei insisted Selina let go once more and grabbed the railing of the stairs. Looking from above, she can see a uniform organization of the tables. By the outfits, she distinguishes Jianke, Khong, Lang, and Tiequan apart. “Where’s Hong An?”

“All of them…They just haven’t got the new uniforms yet. Supply is unstable right now,” said Selina.

The two-headed upstairs, seeing Kilian sitting at the large roundtable with everyone else waiting for her.

“Where’s Huo?” Mei asked.

“We don’t know. She disappeared in a flash. According to Kilian, she is suspected to be captured by some Yue Empire’s spy team. No more further information,” said Fredrich, sipping a shot of whiskey. “You must be Mei Zhan. Excluding downstairs, we all heard your stories before your first death.”

“First…death…that’s how they called it now?” Mei muttered.

“Something the matter?”

“No nothing…nice to meet you all,” Mei Zhan greets Fredrich.

Kilian led Mei to the seat next to him on his left while Selina sat down beside him to his right. All sat down along the roundtable. Counted to be sixteen, waiting for the menu. Vivian came with the stack of menus, perfectly tossed to each of the occupants. They all hold their menus. Vivian pulls her notepad suggesting drinks to begin with.

All ordered ice water.

“One Jägermeister too,” said Kilian.

“That’s a digestif. We need an apéritif as well,” Dirk said. “I’ll order…a bottle of Gin, please.” He nodded and looked at everyone else around the table. All shook their heads, finishing ordering drinks.

“Ok, so Water for all and a bottle for Jagermeister and Gin?”

Everyone nodded simultaneously. Vivan departed and headed back to the kitchen.

“I didn’t know you were a drink enthusiast. Are you really from Jinsu?” Drik asked.

“How should I know? I don’t even know where I came from. Haven’t made any progress recovering my past,” Kilian shrugged.

“Sounds bizarre,” Markus said. “Gain anything since we were out of town?

“Unfortunately not in terms of memory. I know how to drive and me leading Hong An of my own accord isn’t coincidental at all,” Kilian said. Vivian arrived with the drinks along with a fellow waiter. “My combative skills and physique ain’t just random either. I theorize this is what I could look like before as it already stopped reforming at least more than a week ago.”

Dirk poured a couple of shots of gin, sliding one to Kilian on the lazy susan. He reached his arms towards the center, grabbing one. Dirk and Markus stared at the shot glass reaching towards Kilian, he chugged all of it swiftly under no hesitation. The two jaws dropped as the two poured theirs next and stared at Kilian simultaneously. “What?” Kilian noticed the two.

“Are you still in your head?”

“Yeah,” Kilian waves his hand aggressively to the two. “This ain’t the first time I drink you know.”

Once Markus finished pouring his shot glass, he looked at the bottle’s statistics, revealing fifty percent volume of alcohol at the bottom of the label. “Dude this is a lot and you don’t feel a thing,” Markus said.

Kilian shook his head. Selina leaned her left hand towards his chest, “Yeah, I don’t feel a scent of alcohol in his system,” she said, taking a sip of ice water.

As about to request seconds, Vivian arrived from behind ready for the orders. Kilian requested the first specialty. Everyone else looked for a minute. All conclude a request for the double group meal ten. She obliged, writing the number down, and went back to the kitchen once more.

The table sat all chit-chat about Klaus's siblings' trip while Dirk and Markus, being persistent, continued the alcohol conversation with Kilian. Almost forgetting, Kilian requested a second shot, gesturing to the glass bottle. Markus slides it towards him. He roughly poured the Gin, overfilling the shot glass.

“STOP!” Both yelled.

Kilian's eyes turned to the two before looking at the table, where he overfilled the shot glass, spilling on the table. “Whoops. Man, you two are so over the top,” he said, putting the bottle back on the lazy susan. He sipped and chugged the remaining. “That’s it. The bitter ain’t the trouble. I’m satisfied.”

||Alcohol effect Countered||

He leans back on his chair, leaving the two in chaos as they both banter about who can handle the amount of alcohol. He turns to the left where Mei Zhan isn’t talking to anybody, messing with the vinyls on her neck and observing her arms. “You ok?”

Mei turns to Kilian and lifts her shaken hand. “I’m ok but this disturbs me,” she said. She gripped her right hand with Kilian seeing it stopped. Once she lets go, her hand shakes again. It’s not violent or rapid but noticeable. “I don’t know what these symptoms are unless it’s how it is after being reincarnated.”

“Maybe it’s case-by-case. I was able to adapt quickly to Klaus’s body before it transitioned to a different identity. I didn’t get those symptoms. Maybe because you got all entirely new while I took over a former body…I guess you could now join us for training. Maybe that could help.” He suggested she try everything she had optimized during the session. Maybe with Selina and a few others to get their judgment and reactions on what solution can fix her.

She slightly smiled following the suggestion. Then she asked what happened earlier since she couldn’t remember. “It was five versus one, quickly downgraded to three. Your reincarnation is supposedly unpleasant as it seems the malicious power coming from the ragged conical hat coincidentally triggered after being observed by the four,” said Kilian.

“Then what happened?”

“Thinking for the worst, we scrambled to the training site and I tossed it from the hill, striking a blast towards the hat midair. All who were there except Benson, join in the matter. Ivermi noticed something wrong and she was correct. A black silhouette rises within the plume of smoke and the rest is history.”

“That still doesn’t explain exactly what caused it, unless it was,” Mei said before getting interrupted by Kilian, saying it was him. He pointed towards her left abdomen, telling her that’s how the battle ended. “Oh. Well, that is tragic and mean.”

Kilian nudged his shoulders considering there was no choice as it was about to destroy the training site’s invisible barrier. “The one important and forever unsolved is that you are now alive and finally back on the surface permanently till death.” He gives her a light stare mimicking how she gave him a while ago during the reunion of her with Huo and Selina.

“Why are you doing that?” she muttered, disturbing her slightly.

“Payback from during the reunion,” Kilian said.

Both played it off and awkwardly banter only for the food to arrive. The crew grew to six more waiters and waitresses as Vivian held the first specialty that Kilian ordered. She begins by giving him the big plate of rice with combinations of various meats and exotic salmon along the left side of the dish.

The waiters and waitresses began filling up the table and the last main part of the lunch was a whole hot pot. Scorching hot as the invisible aura of heat spurted out across the circumference of the table. The waiter placed the hot pot at the center before departing.

“Hey, Vivi, why not join us for lunch since you are his butler.”

“I don’t want to interrupt your gathering, I appreciate it but I politely decline.”

“I don’t mind. You have been here for more than two weeks, you are welcome to join.” Kilian smiled with his friendly eyes. She reluctantly accepted and Viven stood grabbing a chair across, placing it in the space beside her. “Here, come sit. Get yourself a drink first and join,” she said, tapping the table.

Vivian eventually returned with iced coffee, gracefully sitting beside Vivien. “Thanks, I mean it,” Vivien said.

“Ah, don’t mention it, we both are Vivs, this is the perfect opportunity to embrace it.”

The two chatter to their hearts while Fredrich can’t hold the urge to bring in the business conversation. “How would the government be organized?”

“I’m thinking of an empire state,” Kilian said while taking a small sip of the hot pot soup. “You want to discuss this now?”

“I can’t hold it till then,” Fredrich said.

“I’ll give a brief answer then. After tons of proof and experience of the failures of the five groups handling Jinsu, it’s no mistake I propose a new empire under the name of United Jinsu.” He stood grabbing a few veggies with his chopsticks.

“A whole empire, just this town?”

“No remember the land beyond the main part of town up near the intersection towards the main road to the Yun Empire. United Jinsu will expand there under the new jurisdiction proposal.”

Roland eavesdropped on the conversation, “What do you want to do with the ruins of the four palaces?”

“Last question till in the office. To be honest I don’t know. I haven’t decided. A military site would be nice…anyway let’s eat and savor our meals like there’s no tomorrow.”

As the first floor grew louder, piling up the tables, The occupants of the roundtable upstairs sparked a laugh and banter with each other while enjoying the spectacular cuisines entering their mouths.