Watching Jackie Chan look as if the sky was falling, Victor couldn't help but curl his lip.
"Hey, hey, Brother Jackie, can you just chill for a second?"
He walked over and nudged the nearly petrified Jackie Chan with his elbow, a "you're overreacting" expression on his face.
"Demons are like weeds; you cut one batch and another grows back. Can you really afford to worry about them all?"
He rubbed his chin, his eyes darting around with a calculating glint as he began to scheme:
"Besides, look, with Holy Lord's mess, we... uh, mostly you, have been running around like crazy, and how many talismans did you actually get?"
"This new Bansha that popped up sounds like she has a much bigger fortune! Atlantis! The Lost Kingdom! Think of how many treasures must be there!"
Victor grew more excited as he spoke, slapping Jackie Chan's shoulder so hard the dazed man nearly stumbled.
"So, brother, you've got to open your mind! Don't always think about how to stuff them back into Hell; that's exhausting. We should think about how to... squeeze some benefits out of them!"
He leaned in close to Jackie, lowering his voice with a sly "you know what I mean" smile, as if imparting some profound life experience:
"Anyway, looting one demon's estate is one thing, looting two is another—it's not shameful! We might even strike it rich!"
Jackie Chan was stunned by Victor's shocking theory of "Demon Economics," his mouth hanging open, unable to utter a word for a long time.
He looked at Victor's calculating, eager eyes, then at the gourd in his hand that was almost drained... and suddenly felt that compared to this guy with his bizarre way of thinking, the demons... didn't seem so scary anymore?
At least he could somewhat understand the logic of a demon.
But Victor? This guy was a completely unpredictable entity of pure chaos!
Jade's eyes sparkled as she listened, her head nodding like a chick pecking at grain. She felt Victor's words spoke directly to her heart!
Adventure, treasure hunting, taking from the bad guys, and getting rich! Now that was living!
Enid, on the other hand, helplessly facepalmed, feeling both amused and headache-stricken by her boyfriend's ability to turn any crisis into a business opportunity.
Wednesday had an "as expected" indifferent expression, as if she had long anticipated Victor would think this way.
Victor didn't care what others thought; he tucked the gourd into his coat like a precious treasure and patted it.
"Alright! Since we've picked up a 'Hidden Quest,' we definitely need to explore this cruise ship properly!"
He waved his hand with high spirits.
"Let's go, babes! And you, little tag-along!"
He tucked the protesting Jade under his arm again and led the group away from the wrecked exhibition hall, swaggering past the still-questioning-life Jackie Chan.
Jackie Chan was left alone amidst the shattered display cases and the shadow of the "Water Demon," standing bewildered in the wind.
He began to seriously consider whether he should look into a career change.
Like... opening a children's martial arts school? Teaching kids to punch at least wasn't life-threatening... Meanwhile, in Hell, Bansha, who had vaguely heard Victor's "looting the estate" theory through their residual connection, was boiling with rage, her countless tentacles lashing the scorched earth of Hell frantically!
"Shameless! Greedy! Despicable human! I'm going to turn him into raw sashimi!!"
Curse Blue stood by, silent.
He began to suspect that the reason the Eight Demons were sealed by the Immortal Sages back then wasn't because of a lack of strength... but because... their brains weren't as twisted as humans'?
Having dealt with the disturbance in the exhibition hall, Victor's group had just stepped out the door when they ran into Captain Erica hurrying over with several crew members.
Dracula followed behind. Though he tried his best to maintain the poise of a vampire noble, the slight upward curve of his lips and his bright eyes were impossible to hide.
"Hi, Captain Erica!" Victor waved to them with a grin, his tone relaxed.
"Don't worry, the little trouble in the exhibition hall has been taken care of by yours truly."
"Really?"
Captain Erica clearly breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, a grateful and bright smile appearing on her face.
"Then I really must thank you, Victor! As expected of the child raised by Mr. Dracula, you're truly reliable!"
Victor raised an eyebrow, keenly catching the hidden meaning—she seemed to be praising him, but the real focus was on praising Uncle Dracula.
He immediately turned and winked at Dracula, giving him a mischievous "men know what's up" look.
Dracula received the signal and cleared his throat uncomfortably. A very faint blush appeared on his pale face, but his back straightened instinctively.
"Well then, Count Dracula," Captain Erica turned to Dracula after handling the official business, her tone natural and warm, "I'll see you later."
"See you later, Captain Erica."
Dracula nodded elegantly, his voice eight degrees softer than usual.
Once Captain Erica led the crew into the hall to handle the aftermath, Victor immediately nudged Dracula with his elbow and pinched his throat, mimicking Captain Erica's tone exaggeratedly.
"Ooh~'See you later'~ Count Dracula~"
Dracula was a bit embarrassed by Victor's teasing and pulled him to a slightly quieter corner, his noble composure completely replaced by anxiety.
"Victor, you have to help me!"
Dracula lowered his voice, a rare sense of helplessness in his tone.
"She... she just said she wants to have a drink with me later and chat... I, I don't know what to do! I haven't... haven't been on a solo date with a woman in over a hundred years! You're definitely more experienced than I am!"
Dracula's gaze pointedly drifted to Enid and Wednesday standing side-by-side near Victor.
"Me?" Victor blinked, then puffed out his chest, his face full of "who else but me" confidence.
"Oh! That's right! Of course it's me! When it comes to this, I'm an expert! Don't worry, Uncle Dracula, leave it to me! I'll tailor-make a flawless 'Captain Conquest Plan' for you!"
Watching Victor thump his chest and take full responsibility in front of Dracula, Enid and Wednesday could no longer hold it in.
Enid covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter, her azure eyes curving into crescents.
Wednesday, however, let out a cold, blunt sneer, offering a biting commentary:
"He actually dares to ask Victor? This is the height of desperation, equivalent to inviting an arsonist to lead a forest fire prevention seminar."
Even Jade, still tucked under Victor's arm, couldn't help but mutter softly:
"He's doomed."
However, at this moment, Dracula seemed to have grabbed onto a life-saving straw, completely oblivious to the "lack of confidence" around him.
He just looked at the "experienced" Victor with anticipation and blind trust.
Victor was already rubbing his hands together, his eyes shining as his mind began to rapidly churn out all sorts of unreliable "romantic" ideas, ready to show off his skills.
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