Infinite Cosmic Cafeteria Chapter 77: The Commission

Translator: Stellar Novels Editor: Stellar Novels

“Why did you choose us?” Ma Lu asked curiously. “Weren’t you already with other hunters?” He nodded toward the scar-faced woman. “Why not ask them for help?”

“Lord Dein has served as The Giant Screen’s Chief Judge for twenty years. He despises evil and has put many people behind bars, some even sentenced to death, so he has many enemies.

“When he’s in the city, there are marshals to protect him, but once he leaves, he and his family are constantly in danger. That’s why Miss Mei Meilu dyed her hair—Judge Dein’s silver hair is too famous,” Hook explained. “Captain Wang Zhen is a good person, but her team is too mixed right now, with members from five different hunting groups. She’s just a temporary leader and can’t make everyone listen to her.

“I don’t know if any of Judge Dein’s enemies are among them, so I’d rather trust the descendant of Captain Li.

“Besides, I’ve heard of the Double Sunflower hunting group. You’ve been making waves recently—every time you go out, you don’t stay long, but you always manage to hunt rare prey. Your group may be small, but you’re strong. If you’re willing to protect Mei Meilu, it would be ideal.

“Judge Dein only has one daughter, and he will surely remember your help today. If you ever encounter trouble in the future, you can always seek Judge Dein’s assistance.”

After finishing, Hook looked nervously at Bocchi. Even though they were only a few miles from The Giant Screen, the young bodyguard knew that the real challenge was just beginning.

Returning to the city safely wouldn’t be easy, especially since neither he nor Mei Meilu were hunters. Without strong allies, when true danger struck, they would likely be the first to fall behind.

“My group and I can offer you some protection,” Bocchi said. “Judge Dein is someone I respect, but we don’t need a commission. As the captain, my priority is to ensure my team’s safety first. We’ll help you as much as we can within our abilities.”

Hook felt slightly disappointed. This wasn’t the response he had hoped for, but he couldn’t find a more reliable or stronger ally than the Double Sunflower hunting group, so he nodded and said, “Thank you.”

Ma Lu stayed silent, listening quietly from the side. Decisions like this were usually made by the captain. However, if it were up to him, he would have accepted the commission immediately.

Even though he and Bocchi shared the same strategy of prioritizing their team, accepting the commission verbally would have meant earning extra pay for protecting Mei Meilu and gaining the gratitude of a Chief Judge—a very profitable deal.

What if the commission failed, you ask? Well, that would be treated as if nothing had happened.

By then, Mei Meilu and Hook would most likely be dead, and no one could hold him accountable for a failed commission.

Compared to the honest and straightforward Bocchi, Ma Lu felt that his moral standards still needed improvement.

Since traveling to other planes where laws no longer bound him, Ma Lu had been letting loose more and more. His already low ethical baseline found new depths to sink to.

Especially after clashing twice with Black Horn, Ma Lu even started thinking that looting might be more profitable than hunting.

No wonder the protagonists in those cultivation novels always start by killing and stealing treasures—the profits are simply too tempting.

And plundering from Black Horn gave Ma Lu no guilt whatsoever. The last time, when a blueprint for equipment dropped, it sparked new fantasies. What if he looted from Sang Lu next?

Ma Lu had reflected on himself—was there really no other way to solve the problem besides taking out Sang Lu?

It seemed there were other possibilities, but Ma Lu had given up on thinking further.

His mind was filled with thoughts of what good items might drop if he dealt with Sang Lu, and he was even dreaming about it at night.

Moreover, eliminating Sang Lu would essentially spell the end for Black Horn. They could also sell off the large batch of motorcycles and equipment they had previously confiscated, raking in another fortune.

Once this job was done, Ma Lu reckoned he could take a few months off, without having to hunt under the scorching twin suns anymore.

Then he could just buy ingredients from the market, spend the rest of his time strolling around The Giant Screen, enjoy some drinks, visit a massage parlor, and get a desert spa. Wouldn’t that be perfect?

But as the saying goes, people plan, and fate laughs. Just as he arrived, he encountered a beast tide, so dealing with Sang Lu would have to wait.

After Hook and Mei Meilu left, Bocchi asked, “What are you thinking about?”

“Oh, I was thinking about how you all risked getting stuck outside the city to come find me,” Ma Lu replied casually.

“Well, you are the deputy captain of Double Sunflower. We couldn’t just leave you behind, and I made it clear before we left that anyone who felt it was too dangerous didn’t have to come, but no one backed out in the end.”

“You all are making me feel like I owe you one,” Ma Lu scratched his head.

“It’s nothing; you’ve saved me before too,” Setta said as he came down from the sand dune, overhearing their conversation.

Mai Mai added, “You’ve always been the core of our team, using your Roguelike ability to watch over us. Now it’s our turn to look out for you, and you stayed for us too, didn’t you?”

“Ah, mainly because I thought this was a rare chance, and I wanted a good hunt,” Ma Lu said honestly.

His bold words eased a lot of the tension in Bocchi and the others.

Mai Mai, feeling energized, chimed in, “Exactly! No matter how many beasts there are, they’re just prey waiting to be hunted by us! There’s no need to fear them. Let’s go for a proper hunt!”

“Yeah!” Setta, at the age where youthful energy burned brightest, was immediately fired up. Even Senqi couldn’t help but lick her lips.

After a brief rest, Wang Zhen approached again to discuss entering the city with Bocchi. Gate No. 3 would reopen in fifteen minutes.

This was the perfect time to move—not too early, not too late. As long as they could reach the city walls, they could enter immediately.

However, more beasts were gathering outside the city, and the closer they got to the walls, the denser the creatures became.

Near Gate No. 3 alone, there were over a hundred Vampiric Long-Tailed Weasel. They had already drained the blood of those killed earlier by the Golden-Spotted Leopard and now roamed the outskirts of the city like zombies, desperately seeking new prey.

Besides that, Ma Lu also spotted a few Grey-Spotted Leopard, slithering Horn-Bellied Black Speed Snake, Ground-Splitting Porcupines, and various other beasts whose names he couldn’t even recall.

What was strange was that despite the sheer number of animals gathered together, including some natural enemies, they only occasionally clashed and never engaged in large-scale fighting among themselves. This sight was indeed rare.

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