Chapter 252: Chapter 252: Hu Tao: “You’re Not Going to Kill Me to Keep This Quiet, Are You?”

“Watch this!”

Breaking into someone else’s system and giving it a bath—

It sounded absurd.

And yet, that was exactly what Su Ran was doing at this very moment.

Originally, his goal had been to search for the vanished consciousnesses of Kitsune Saiguu and the others.

But helping out a little on the side didn’t hurt.

After all, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was an old friend of Makoto and Ei.

Saving her wasn’t a problem.

Standing farther back, Keqing and Hu Tao quietly stepped closer, watching Su Ran remotely cleanse the World Tree.

They didn’t really understand what the World Tree was—

But they could tell that reviving a god who had been “dead” for five hundred years was an incredible feat.

Inside the World Tree, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata clearly felt the forbidden knowledge being gradually erased.

And yet, her own consciousness showed no signs of being wiped out along with it.

That filled her with gratitude toward this unseen benefactor.

He wasn’t just saving the World Tree—

He was saving her as well.

The only strange thing was that this benefactor seemed a bit shy, never revealing himself.

Rukkhadevata could only gaze upward, hoping for a response.

Any dissatisfaction she had felt earlier about the intrusion had long since vanished.

However, that gratitude didn’t last long.

Because once the corruption was fully removed—

She realized the World Tree was being used.

After cleansing it, the benefactor had begun using the World Tree to search for something.

This made her anxious.

The World Tree was far too important.

Even the smallest change could have massive consequences for all of Teyvat.

“Um… that’s not allowed!”

If she were the one using it, that would be fine.

For Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, searching the World Tree was as natural as eating or drinking.

She would have gladly helped this life-saving benefactor.

But bypassing her entirely and using the World Tree so roughly—

That wasn’t acceptable!

What if it broke?

Unfortunately, before she could do anything—

An invisible hand flicked her forehead.

Bonk.

The Greater Lord, who now looked exactly like Nahida, was sent flying.

After getting back up, she clutched her forehead, lips pressed tight, staring pitifully toward the World Tree.

On the space station, Su Ran crooked a finger at Raiden Makoto.

“You’ve got a chance to see Greater Lord Rukkhadevata directly. Want to go meet her?”

“T-That… maybe not,” Makoto said hesitantly.

She had been looking forward to seeing her old friend again.

But after watching Su Ran treat her so roughly…

Makoto felt a little guilty.

What if Rukkhadevata thought she was responsible?

She definitely didn’t want to take the blame.

“Then that’s a shame,” Su Ran shrugged.

He leaned back in his chair and stretched—

Only for the back of his head to bump into a tablet.

“Yah!”

The sharp sound made him turn in surprise—

And he locked eyes with Hu Tao.

The accidentally struck Hu Tao froze, not daring to make a sound.

The two of them just stared at each other.

Not only Hu Tao—

Keqing had been spotted as well.

But Hu Tao’s presence surprised him far more than Keqing’s.

Keqing had wanted to come up here for a long time.

But Hu Tao?

He had never discussed this with her.

So who let her in?

“…That was my doing,” Raiden Makoto admitted, lowering her head guiltily.

Unlike Ningguang, she wasn’t particularly cautious.

She hadn’t looked too deeply into Hu Tao—

And never realized she was just a curious troublemaker rather than a proper candidate for the station.

Bringing her up here meant she bore a fair share of responsibility.

“I—I was just curious, that’s all…” Hu Tao said nervously.

“You’re not going to… kill me to keep this quiet, are you?”

She crossed her arms over herself, staring at Su Ran in terror.

At first, she really had wanted to come see this place.

But no one told her she wasn’t allowed!

And when she came up, no one said “unauthorized personnel are forbidden.”

If she’d known earlier, she never would’ve come!

Ignorance should count for something, right?

Someone stronger than the Geo Archon—

She absolutely could not afford to offend him.

“…”

Even Su Ran was momentarily speechless.

He had considered many possibilities.

Even anticipated people wanting to come up here.

But Hu Tao?

She was never on the list.

In his mind, Hu Tao had always existed completely outside politics and economics.

She didn’t look like someone aiming to do great things.

There was no reason she’d want to board a space station.

The moment she arrived, the vibe of the entire station felt… off.

Everyone else here was either talented, or someone special like Raiden Makoto.

Hu Tao wasn’t special in that sense.

Calling her “talented” only meant she was quirky and unconventional—

Not the kind of talent the station actually needed.

But she was already here.

Sending her back down now wouldn’t change anything.

“Killing you to silence things would be overkill,” Su Ran sighed.

“Besides, Hall Master Hu, you already lost yourself to me. If I killed you, wouldn’t I be the one taking a loss?”

He rubbed his temples.

There wasn’t really a suitable punishment for Hu Tao.

But her intrusion highlighted a real issue—

The station’s security awareness was still lacking.

When he had gone to Herta Space Station before, he’d been detected the moment he arrived.

If Asta hadn’t realized who he was, he probably would’ve been treated as an intruder and forced to fight the station’s guards.

Hu Tao’s arrival was a wake-up call.

Security needed to be strengthened.

Sure, the surrounding area was crawling with Swarm creatures—

But what if someone bypassed them?

Insects relied on instinct.

Against advanced technology, instinct wasn’t always reliable.

“Well,” Su Ran said casually, “Since you’re an uninvited guest—but you’re already here—how could we not show some hospitality?”

He turned to look at Ningguang.

Wasn’t this exactly the kind of situation the station master was supposed to handle?

Surely he wasn’t expected to deal with this personally?

What was Ningguang’s role otherwise?

“Leave it to me,” Ningguang replied smoothly.

“I’ll make sure Hall Master Hu is well taken care of.”

She understood perfectly that the responsibility had been pushed onto her.

But she didn’t mind.

This was her job.

Just like at Herta Space Station— things like this were never handled by Herta herself.

Still—

Bringing Hu Tao to Su Ran in the first place…

Maybe that was what she needed to reflect on.

Why had she hesitated so much earlier?

In the end, she’d made the trip for nothing—

And might’ve even lowered Su Ran’s evaluation of her.

———————————

Pat reon Advance Chapters: patreon.com/YonkoSlayer

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep