"Hey, Kallen — you're actually doing what he said? Aren't you usually so proud? Where did your self-respect go?" A-Bing couldn't help making a mocking remark when he saw Kallen genuinely giving Rulu a back rub. Kallen seemed not to hear him at all and continued to focus single-mindedly on the massage.

  "It seems this power works on Kallen, but why doesn't it work on A-Bing?" Rulu thought to himself. Just a moment ago, he had used the Spiritual-power he had obtained from the green-haired woman to try to control both Kallen and A-Bing.

  "Let me try again." Rulu concentrated harder, directing most of his attention toward A-Bing, and fixed his gaze on A-Bing's eyes. In a commanding tone he said: "Go get me a gss of water."

  A-Bing's expression went bnk. "Sure," he murmured, and walked over to the wooden table nearby, picked up the water jug, poured a gss, walked back to Rulu, and handed it to him.

  "Hey, A-Bing, what are you doing? Does Rulu really need you to pour his water?!" Kallen looked at A-Bing with a puzzled expression. The moment Rulu shifted his attention onto A-Bing, she had stopped the back rub, and she seemed to have forgotten entirely that she had just been kneading his shoulders.

  "This time I could control A-Bing, but I lost control of Kallen — even though I was controlling her just a moment ago. That's strange. Could it be… that this power can only control one person at a time?"

  Rulu turned this over in his mind and released his Spiritual-power control over A-Bing. A-Bing shook his head, looked at the gss of water in his hand with confusion, and then drank it himself.

  "That's not going to cut it. I need to test this more. Getting back into the Concession with Nana depends on this power — if I can't figure out how it works, that's going to be a problem." After a short pause, Rulu looked over at Kallen again and said: "Hey Kallen, my legs are a bit sore. Come give them a squeeze, would you?"

  "Huh? Rulu, are you… serious?" Kallen blinked and stared at him with a strange expression, as though she were seeing him for the first time.

  "It has no effect on Kallen again — but I was only controlling her this time?" Rulu grew even more puzzled. He turned to A-Bing: "Alright, A-Bing, you come and massage my feet then."

  A-Bing shot Rulu a gre and said with some irritation: "What did you say? You want me to massage your feet? Do you think I'm your servant? If you keep talking nonsense like that, Ultra-capable or not, I'm going to hit you."

  "It has no effect on A-Bing this time either — but it just worked on both of them a moment ago. Could it be… that this power can only be used on the same person once?" With that thought in mind, Rulu said to the two of them: "Forget what I just said — I was joking. Though it doesn't seem like a very funny joke."

  A-Bing said indignantly: "That really was a terrible joke. Don't pull something like that again, or I'm going to get genuinely angry."

  Kallen let out a breath of relief and patted her chest: "Exactly what I thought — why would you ask me to do something like that, Rulu? We're not that close. Please don't say things that create that kind of misunderstanding again."

  "Alright, alright, I got it." Rulu said offhandedly, while his mind continued turning over the workings of this Spiritual-power.

  Since Captain Guan had not yet returned, the three of them continued to wait in the cave. After a while, a piece of news from the radio caught all their attention:

  "And now another special report, also reted to the terrorist attack in Blue Sea City several days ago. Following the death of the former Governor in the attack, the Sanctuary has announced its decision to dispatch the 536th Imperial Prince of the Sanctuary — His Highness Prince Suwen — to serve as the new Governor of Blue Sea City.

  According to reted sources, His Highness Prince Suwen is already over eighty years of age — an advanced age by ordinary standards, but still considered retively young within the Sanctuary. Many of the Emperor's children who remain by his side are over a hundred years old, and some have already surpassed two hundred. The Emperor himself is older than the Sanctuary Empire. In a few days' time, His Highness Prince Suwen will officially arrive in Blue Sea City to assume the post of Governor…"

  At this, A-Bing couldn't hold back: "What the — are these Sanctuary people monsters? Living hundreds of years just like that?!"

  Kallen sniffed with contempt: "Hmph. I don't believe for a second they can live that long. They must be lying, to make people think they're impressive."

  A-Bing said: "But I've heard so many people say that Sanctuary members are immortal. And you don't have any proof they're lying either, Kallen."

  Kallen had no comeback for that. Then a thought struck her and she looked toward Rulu: "Actually, Rulu, you seem to know a lot about the Sanctuary. You tell me — are the Sanctuary's people really immortal?"

  "Well… I don't actually know that much about it…" Rulu had little desire to discuss the subject and gave a vague, dismissive answer.

  "You definitely know something. Won't you tell me? You look a bit tired — let me give you a massage." Kallen pleaded, sliding her stool next to him and sitting down. She grabbed his thigh and began squeezing hard.

  "Not so hard — ow — that hurts — stop — stop! Fine, I'll tell you." Unable to shake Kallen off, Rulu gave in and began:

  "Immortal isn't quite the right word. But within the Sanctuary, there are indeed certain special methods that allow people to live without aging. Even someone who is a hundred or two hundred years old can look no different from a person in their thirties or forties — or even younger."

  "What — that's actually true?!" Kallen was astonished. She brought her face close to Rulu's and stared into his eyes at close range: "So those Sanctuary people really are that powerful — they can achieve eternal life and eversting youth. Does that mean… they're like gods?!"

  "Kallen, don't put your face so close. And you're almost drooling."

  "Don't change the subject — keep talking." Kallen wiped the corner of her mouth and grabbed Rulu's shoulders, shaking him repeatedly.

  "Well… calling them gods would be going a bit far. The truth is, the people of the Sanctuary are Ultra-capable, just like you, Kallen — not fundamentally different from you or me. Most of them don't have Psionic powers as strong as yours or mine. The reason they can live so long is simply that the Sanctuary's environment is very special. The moment they leave the Sanctuary, their lifespan is no different from an ordinary person's — within a few decades, they rapidly age and die."