A Chemist's Interstellar Saga

Chapter 211: Mysterious Card
Chapter 211: Mysterious Card

As Arix looked at Kellan, his face twisted in anger, she didn’t need any clues—she knew Kellan had discovered everything.

At that moment, Arix felt that the Kellan standing before her, smiling but furious, was way scarier than the insectoid they had fought earlier. Terrified, she hesitated to speak. Her lips quivered as she carefully said, ”Kellan, can we please talk this out? Please don’t be mad at me, okay?”

Kellan narrowed his eyes and let out a cold laugh. He then reached out and pinched Arix’s cheeks with both hands, saying, ”Now you’re scared? Where was all that bravery when you jumped through the wormhole?”

With her cheeks squeezed, Arix mumbled pitifully, ”Big Bwo... I’m sowwy... I won’t do it again...”

Luckily for Arix, Kellan didn’t have the heart to keep teasing her. After a sharp snort, he released her cheeks and said, ”If you ever try something like that again, I’ll make sure you get grounded.”

”I won’t, I won’t,” Arix quickly nodded, clutching her sore cheeks with both hands, terrified Kellan might start up again.

Finally satisfied, Kellan gave Arix a pat on the head. Then, he turned his attention to the three beds nearby, his expression a mix of amusement and annoyance. ”Stop pretending to be asleep. If you’re awake, get up. Especially you, Drexel—your eyes are open! Are you trying to make it obvious you’re awake?”

As soon as Kellan spoke, Deanna and Drexel, who had been lying on the beds, awkwardly sat up. Drexel, feeling the heat of embarrassment, coughed and asked, ”Kellan, what brings you here?”

It was only then that Arix realized all three of them had been awake the entire time. So, they had just been watching her get scolded by Kellan.

Arix glared at the trio, her eyes full of betrayal. ”Don’t you feel even a bit guilty for throwing me under the bus like that?”

Drexel noticed the accusatory look from his sister, but compared to their terrifying big brother, throwing Arix under the bus seemed like the safer bet. He felt a twinge of guilt, but he knew there was no way he could stand up to Kellan. Besides, the worst Arix had to deal with was a little cheek-pinching, but if Kellan turned on him, Drexel knew he’d be in for way worse.

And as if to prove Drexel’s point, Kellan didn’t disappoint. He landed a solid knock on Drexel’s head.

”Ouch, ouch, ouch! Kellan, I’m sorry! I won’t do it again!” Drexel cried out in pain, apologizing loudly before Kellan could even say a word, hoping for some mercy.

His exaggerated yelps were so over-the-top that anyone who didn’t know the situation might think Drexel was being seriously mistreated.

Take, for example, the two Alliance soldiers stationed outside the door. They immediately jumped to conclusions and earnestly began advising, ”Sir, please, let’s talk this over calmly. They’re just kids—violence won’t solve anything.”

”Yes, sir, it’s the interstellar era now. That old-fashioned parenting style is outdated,” the other soldier added, nervously trying to persuade Kellan.

Kellan first shot an annoyed glare at Drexel, then replied to the soldiers outside in a calm tone, ”Thank you, I’ve got it under control.”

After calming the Alliance soldiers outside, Kellan decided to let his overly dramatic younger brother off the hook. He shook his head and walked over to where the Deanna siblings were sitting.

Drexel, having narrowly avoided further trouble, instantly stopped his fake cries and made a cheeky face behind Kellan’s back.

Arix, rolling her eyes at her childish brother, turned her curious gaze toward Deanna. ’What’s Kellan planning now? Is he going to give Deanna and Marceau the same ”affectionate” treatment we just received?’

Excited by the possibility, Arix raised her eyebrows and let a mischievous grin spread across her face. She even stretched her neck a little, eager to see the drama unfold.

But to her surprise—and disappointment—Kellan didn’t scold Deanna and Marceau at all. Instead, he smiled warmly and spoke in a gentle tone, ”You must be Deanna and Marceau. I want to thank you for saving my troublesome sister and brother. On behalf of the Kering family, I give you my sincere gratitude.”

”No big deal, sir. We did what we should,” Marceau replied in his usual cool, detached manner.

”You’re too kind, really. It was just our duty,” Deanna quickly responded, waving her hand with an awkward and slightly nervous smile.

After witnessing how Kellan treated his siblings, Deanna found Kellan a bit intimidating.

Kellan, unaware of Deanna’s nervousness, assumed they were just being modest. After expressing his gratitude, he casually took out two cards from his Space Button and handed them to the bewildered Deanna and Marceau.

”Kellan, are these... what I think they are?” Deanna asked, her voice tinged with disbelief as she began to understand what the cards meant.

Kellan looked at the young girl, who was around the same age as Arix, and thought about the tough times these siblings had likely faced. His tone softened as he replied, ”Yes, they are.”

But instead of being thrilled, Deanna silently touched the card, then resolutely handed it back, saying, ”Thank you, but this card is too valuable. You should take it back.”

Marceau, following Deanna’s lead, quietly returned the card as well, without saying a word.

Kellan was taken aback by how quickly they gave the cards back. He knew these cards were worth as much as two Supergiant-Class mechas, something that would be incredibly valuable to the siblings. Yet, they weren’t swayed by temptation and returned them without a second thought.

...

When Kellan confirmed that Deanna and Marceau weren’t just being polite, he fell in silence for a while.

Kellan didn’t rush to take back the cards. Instead, in a brotherly way, he reached out and gently patted their heads. With a sigh that carried a touch of sadness, he said, ”Keep them. These aren’t from me. They’re from the military.”

”The military?”

Deanna and Marceau exchanged confused looks, then turned back to Kellan, clearly puzzled.

Kellan nodded, but the confusion only deepened. They knew that helping stop the insectoid invasion on Planet Waste would earn them some merit points, but nowhere near enough to snag two official Alliance identity cards.

If they were regular folks trying to immigrate to the Alliance, maybe those points would’ve cut it. But coming from Planet Void? They’d need at least 5 million merit points each to get those cards. Together, that meant a whopping 10 million points.

Even stopping the insectoid invasion would only bring in a few hundred thousand, maybe a million tops.

No matter how they sliced it, they couldn’t wrap their heads around why the military would hand over two identity cards worth that much.

Deanna, being the more outgoing of the two, looked up at Kellan, confusion clear on her face. ”My brother and I didn’t do anything special. Do you know why the military gave us these identity cards?”

Kellan just smiled and didn’t answer. Instead, he glanced over at Arix. That one look made everyone in the room shift their gaze toward Arix too.

Arix was caught off guard.

”Me? What does this have to do with me?” Arix, who’d been quietly observing, suddenly found himself in the spotlight, pointing at herself in surprise.

Seeing Arix’s bewildered expression, Kellan’s smile grew wider. He explained, ”Because you saved Arix.”

The room fell into stunned silence. Even Arix, still pointing at herself, asked in disbelief, ”I’m worth that much? Saving me is worth 10 million merit points?”

”Yep,” Kellan replied, a rare playful tone in his voice.