Xyrin Empire
Chapter 577: The Queen Who Is Just a Bystander

Chapter 577: Chapter 577: The Queen Who Is Just a Bystander

The Queen of Gotaque Free Kingdom wants to meet us?

This wasn’t too unexpected—when a massive force, claiming to be from the XXX Federation Government Army, suddenly appeared in our territory and wiped out a large number of invaders occupying our colonization star in a blink of an eye, anyone would be unsettled by such an upheaval. But, for the Queen herself, who’s been heard of but never seen, to come in person? Now, that’s intriguing.

To be honest, I don’t think my charm has reached the level where I can hook up with palace princesses from billions of light-years away (as per Jie En’s friendly tip, this Queen is indeed a young maiden not yet married). A suspicious fleet suddenly showing up within the kingdom, and instead of sending a decree or an envoy, she is coming herself—doesn’t it seem like a downgrade? Or has the cunning Queen discovered some earth-shattering secret of the New Eden Federation?

Also, speaking of our Unmarried Queen, while it sure sounds thrilling, it’s a pity she holds no attraction for me—the Queen I already have at home provides enough entertainment and could eat up a third of any African country’s food harvest alone. Bringing another would surely bankrupt my treasury!

The plan to personally travel to the Big Nebula region was slightly modified. I too was curious to see what makes this Free Kingdom Queen so special. Certainly, I couldn’t leave—a squad of Protos warriors was sent to investigate on our behalf. With Lilina’s calamitous prowess, even a blind, deaf, and mute person could sense her apocalyptic aura anywhere, let alone a specialized Reconnaissance Forces. As long as communication with Lilina was restored, everything would be manageable.

The departure of the Protos Scout Force didn’t alert the Free Kingdom’s army. They executed a super-dimensional ejection within the Light of El, and in this delicate period, as an Otherworld army that had descended from the sky and was about to welcome the Queen, we needed to avoid any potential misunderstandings.

On the Jetas Planet, we had been staying for two days. During this time, aside from giving the Federation Army’s spaceship a brief respite so the over two thousand unfortunate bruised and injured could recuperate, my more important task was to accompany the slightly overexcited Qianqian and the lively Visca exploring around. This alien world was unlike any world we had visited before. First, it was a high-tech plane, which thrilled Qianqian—who had always dreamed of being an astronaut piloting spaceships (how did this girl describe in her third-grade essay her plot to "Pilot an interstellar warship, annihilate the evil Mars People, then rule over the Solar System and become the Queen of the Universe"?)—and then, this was a place where cultural and technological evolution was beyond astonishing. Jie En’s hemming and hawing about the local situation further fueled the exploratory enthusiasm of the two wildly curious girls, who almost daily dragged me through streets and alleys, trying to uncover any Men in Black who might have stranded among the aliens...

Since I was free anyway, I might as well join Qianqian in her madness—doing so; I actually stumbled upon some interesting situations.

First of all, the populace of this world isn’t limited to humans—I mean those humanoid beings that resemble Earthlings.

Around here, humanoid species make up about fifty percent of the total population (which is quite a high percentage if you know just how many intelligent species have gathered on this planet), but the remaining fifty percent are some, at least to us, somewhat odd-looking aliens. I told myself this couldn’t be easy, with Earth languages having unified the multi-universe already, yet in the Otherworld, we actually still get to see real aliens. Lucky us, I guess, that somewhere up there, someone still takes their job seriously. Aliens, well, there isn’t much to say about them; after a few momentous years, Qianqian and I have encountered a wide array of bizarre creatures. Not going too far, just look at Durotar—how many there look human? Look at Teldrassil, Thunder Cliff, Dark City; in all these places, how many could you find that look like people? Strictly speaking, the mentioned areas might as well be called alien territory, especially with Protos natives in the New Eden Federation. Aliens aren’t really a novelty to us, but the aliens in this world have some features that are particularly noteworthy.

Their varieties are just... um, talking about this might appear a bit rude, but from what Qianqian and I have seen, the number of different "races" living in the Jetas Capital alone amounts to dozens, with skin colors and facial features of all sorts, and heights ranging from 0.9m to 9.9m. I always thought Azeroth’s ecosystem was chaotic enough, but this world takes it to another level, with dozens of alien species mingling together, really feeding Qianqian’s curiosity. Recently, she’s taken to merging with aliens for a photo op, which has become her biggest hobby these days. For a time, the rumors about the "Selfie Witch" in the capital set the residents on edge, thanks to Qianqian being way too cheerful, having no concept of time, and having the ability to manipulate it, which led to more and more alien students wandering the streets early in the morning claiming they’ve lost big chunks of their memories...

By now, I understand why General Jie En remains so calm when he sees Zeratul hanging out with us—it’s a world rich in species diversity.

This universe is comprised of a considerable number of aliens from different planets, different civilizations, and different technological levels, forming the main citizen body of some countries—a true Cosmic Era, which perhaps explains why the fleets we encounter resemble Civilian Corps cobbled together like something you’d see at a DIY convention. After all, it might still be using the Medieval European system of knightly military service. Those poor knights, burdened with noble titles majorly in name only, have to provide their own weapons and armor when it actually comes to battle. If Jie En and those pirate subordinates’ ships were gathered in this manner, it’s easier to understand why they can parade more than twenty different types of ships—okay, this explanation remains rather far-fetched. It seems unbelievable that an advanced interstellar civilization doesn’t grasp the concept of standardized equipment, but who can give me a more reasonable explanation? As of now, Jie En wouldn’t dare to remark on anything...

That’s just my problem; whenever I encounter something bizarre, I always feel compelled to dig deep for a reasonable explanation, and if I can’t find one, I’ll just whip up a makeshift one. It’s almost like a kind of paranoia, making me always feel like a particularly philosophical philosopher. In this respect, Qianqian is much more relaxed than I am; if she can make sense of something, she might not even think about it, let alone the things that don’t make sense. Look how happy she is now, almost having swept through half the city’s pastry shops with Visca...

Speaking of Visca, that’s another thing, but Qianqian, are you really sure your stomach can digest those pastries made from who knows what?

"Pandora, aren’t you going to join your sister and play?"

Again, helplessly, I turned my head to look at the "pseudo" Loli clinging to my arm like a semi-fixed equipment, silently following along without a word. I knocked on her head and said,

"The feeling is quite good— Gosh, Pandora’s 1.2 meters height is just perfect for knocking on the head. The arm relaxes at a comfortable thirty-degree angle, making it satisfying and effortless to knock..."

"No."

In her non-combative, non-war-declaring, emotionless state, Pandora’s responses were really concise.

"Hogging Big Brother, opportunities are few."

After another moment of silence, Pandora finally nodded affirmatively, her soft little face unconsciously rubbing against the back of my hand, her grey eyes gleaming with a sense of superiority as she looked ahead at Visca, who was haggling with an alien as thin as a pole over what seemed to be a street food stall, very clearly feeling victorious.

Such a cheap victory, eh? Your reinforcements were merely a skewer that managed to capture Visca’s attention. But to have such a street food stall (I really don’t know what else that stall could be) in the highly developed alien capital city—has the profession of urban management vanished along with the advancement of civilization?

"Big brother! Try this!"

While Pandora was still savoring the "fruit of victory" she had easily won due to her sister’s relinquishing, the latter had finally gotten her hands on the food she and Qianqian had queued up for ten minutes. Holding up a bizarre, smoking cylindrical object, Visca’s face, as adorable as Pandora’s, was filled with joy, her red cat-like eyes nearly squinting into thin lines. Just as I casually stroked Visca’s head and took the "food," Pandora’s arm tensed up beside me, and a faint voice reached my ears: "Careless... I lost..."

...Are you two competing in building rapport?

"Hoo-hoo— Ah Jun, Visca saved that especially for you!" At that moment, Qianqian also bounded over holding a skewer of the same thing, her mouth half-full of the "grilled" item that I wasn’t sure was edible, "This food is so weird. It looks like meat but tastes like apples. That pole-like guy said the real way to eat this is to soak it in Bamobamo sauce then eat it raw, but to cater to the many humans here, he invented this grilling method. The taste hasn’t changed much, but the smell when heated is a bit choking..."

Luckily, there are no urban managers on this alien planet, or that pole-like guy would’ve been finished by now.

Watching Qianqian eat so much without getting a stomach upset, I gave the uniquely flavored alien barbecue a try. Indeed, it had the texture and appearance of meat with the taste of apples. If this were on Earth, it would definitely be considered artificially flavored. But here, it counts as a rare local specialty. Bowing slightly in front of Visca’s puffed-up little face, I stuffed the barbecue into Pandora’s mouth, and sure enough, the competition between the two competitive little girls flipped again.

I certainly won’t admit I have a mischievous delight in teasing Lolis!

"By the way, have there been any new findings about that Ghost Energy Ring Mountain that our agents discovered during the landing operation?"

After wandering around with a group of crazy little girls for two whole days, I felt that if I didn’t bring up something serious now, even Pandora would completely switch into tourist mode.

"Qianqian didn’t even care about the stuffed feeling in her mouth, immediately raised her hands excitedly, ’I deployed more probes, discovered...’"

"Swallow it before you talk!"

"Umm," she quickly gulped down the ’barbecue’ that probably couldn’t even be digested by humans, patted herself on the chest, and said, "There’s no way I’d forget such interesting thing! I sent a bunch of probes over, but none of them could get close to the central area of that circular mountain; it’s all guarded now."

Even the probes made by the Xyrin couldn’t get close? The technology in this world is truly unimaginable—how did they develop it?"

"I and this dumb sister of mine have some guesses," Visca, licking the grease around her mouth, glared at Pandora, slightly annoyed, "I think that area might have been bombarded by weapons carrying Ghost Energy, like the Star Wave Energy missiles, because the explosion wasn’t fully complete, which caused a lot of energy remnants and turned it into an Energy Well for those low-level civilizations. Dumb sister thinks a crashed Imperial spaceship might have leaked out its Energy Furnace, causing the formation of the Ghost Energy Circular Mountain. So, Brother, who do you think is right?"

Am I supposed to just make a gesture so you two will start fighting right here?

Both scenarios are just speculations. When the traces of the imperishable trash from Imperial Army appeared again in the Otherworld, I knew that the shameless Imperial Army had prepared another damn mess for us all over again; so any speculation is possible.

"What about the Star Ring? Found anything?"

I looked up at the sky. From this position, I could see a vague silvery shadow slowly moving westward. The Star Ring was positioned at the equatorial belt of the Jetas, but its own propulsion system seemed still operational, making the entire ring move back and forth within a thirty-degree angle—it was a major spectacle on the surface of Jetas Planet.

"I also launched probes, but the guards there are even stricter than around the Ghost Energy Circular Mountain," Qianqian’s voice was very discouraged. For this girl with an immense curiosity, launching probes had always been her favorite entertainment in the New World, yet facing constant obstacles in this place renowned for its peculiar technology, especially the highly advanced detection technologies, really frustrated her, "After all, it serves as the power station for the entire planet..."

"A confirmed Planet Shield Generator, different from what the Empire uses," Pandora, after finishing her barbecue, reported like a robot, "but it was damaged, and those humans only know how to use it as an energy source. What a waste."

Damaged?

I suddenly had another guess—could this damaged Shield Generator be connected to that suspected assault point or crash site of the circular mountain?

Ergh, too many guesses, I can’t sort them all out.

Just as Qianqian discovered something interesting and was pulling me to lead the way, the communicator General Jie En gifted us suddenly buzzed.

"Hello, the owner is currently busy hanging out with a girl. Please leave a message~~~" I casually picked up that oddly shaped ellipsoidal communicator, ready to hang up after dropping off a line—most likely, it was another introduction to this scenic "Spring-like all seasons" capital city or some new attractions. The honorable General must be too idle these days; he’s almost switching to tourism now.

They’re likely better than these two generals turned tourists by my side...

"General (this is a title I’ve made up for myself, sounds imposing, right? It’s a pity Jie En could never remember the grander title of General Ma of the Border Cavalry), please hurry to the military and governmental center of the Colonization Star, we’re in trouble!"

Well, sightseeing time is over, and it looks like my trouble magnet wasn’t activated these past few days. Instead, it’s been saving up to do me mischief.

Dragging Qianqian and a pair of somewhat downcast sisters, I rushed back to the military and governmental center, that ostentatiously rakish forty-five-degree leaning tower. I immediately noticed that security here was brought up a level; armed guards were everywhere along with patrolling robots and endless warning lasers, and... Jie En, sitting in a chair, sighing deeply like Hamlet.

Poor old man, grappling with military politics at his age. But it seems that this edge-of-the-Universe pioneering planet of the Free Kingdom functions like this, a military-government amalgamation. Why? Because besides soldiers, there are only miners here—who cares about politics?

"The Queen’s ’Victory Glory’ fleet has been attacked in the Oblique Star Belt, all hands are trapped!"

That’s the explosive news Jie En gave me the moment we met.

History has proven time and again that a formidable name doesn’t help in war. Battles aren’t won by scaring people off with just a name. Think of Spain’s Invincible Fleet and then think of the besieged "Victory Glory." It’s the same thing. Even Gray Wolf has "wolf" in his name but still can’t beat Pleasant Goat. There was a kid in my fifth-grade class who always made girls cry; he was called Nangong Batian...

I digress.

"Okay, okay, your Queen is really good at causing trouble. Her coming here was a mistake." I sat carelessly on the awkwardly tilting chair in the office, blatantly ignoring Jie En’s scowling face. I left one thing unsaid: Was the only purpose of Her Majesty coming here to get kidnapped for a plot twist?

"The Queen has guided us to survive in this perilous Universe to this day. Without her bravery and foresight, we would have been long destroyed by war or fallen to the shepherds’ hunts!"

Jie En, who usually appears very benign, also had his moments of agitation. It seems that the renowned Queen’s authority is indeed exceptional in this Kingdom. I can only imagine the severe repercussions if someone in front of a Xyrin Soldier would dare to utter "your Emperor is an idiot," so—

"Alright, I was just speaking off the cuff, so, a rescue mission, correct?"

After all, I have a rather favorable impression of this old gentleman, whose strict yet seemingly offbeat personality could cause me no small irritation if provoked.

However, during all this time, I haven’t spotted a single image of Her Majesty within the Free Kingdom, which is truly odd. In China, you wouldn’t only find images of an interstellar civilization’s Queen; a mere Mayor’s speech would be publicized everywhere.

"I know this is a bit much, you aren’t citizens of the Free Kingdom," Jie En said, aware that he needed help, and sank back into his seat rather listlessly, "but the nearest Kingdom garrison to the Oblique Star Belt is right here, and we need your powerful warships. The Queen is in immediate danger!" (To be continued, for further information please visit www.qidian.com, with more Chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

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