The Record of Unusual Creatures - Chapter 398
Chapter 398: Stowaway
Lanina looked at Y’zaks excitedly and began to talk incoherently. Y’zaks waved at her and said, “Calm down and tell me what happened. How did you survive? How did you find me?”
The demoness smiled tearfully. Vivivan never thought demons could have such complex emotions. Lanina held her hands together tightly, as if by doing this, she could prevent herself from passing out. “I-I was flung into an adjacent dimension by a spatial storm when Osidian Throne collapsed. I hid in there for a long time, and managed to escape the pursuit of the Holy See’s forces and later on the demons.
She walked towards Y’zaks, and Hao Ren immediately noticed thatshe was actually limping. It looked like she was injured.
Y’zaks’ furrowed his brows. “What happened to your leg?”
Lanina looked at her leg in trepidation. “It was all my fault. I got lost somewhere, then got hit by a giant metal ship that came down from heaven. My leg still hurts.”
A thought suddenly crossed Hao Ren’s mind as he recalled the moment. “Wait a second, did you say you were hit by a giant metal ship? Where did it happen?”
The demoness gave Hao Ren a confused glance; she was wary of the stranger. Y’zaks then nodded at her and said, “He owns this place. Just answer what he asks you.”
Lanina could not make out what he meant. She just looked at Hao Ren fearfully and answered every question he asked. “I can’t exactly recall where it happened. All I remember is, it was a planet with a big ocean, much like this place, and the giant metal ship looked like…”
After Lanina recounted what had happened, Nangong Wuyue and Y’zaks had a weird expression on their faces. Hao Ren reached into his Dimensional Pocket and took out a piece of deformed metal, which had a scratch on it. He compared the metal piece and the lower body of the demoness, then the penny dropped. “Ah, it was you!”
The demoness was perplexed. “What?”
“Apparently, you were the one who kicked down my daughter’s courier pod with your side kick.” Hao Ren’s mouth twitched as he looked at Lanina. “But, from the looks of it, your kick was just a natural reflex. You’re still limping.”
Lanina appeared clueless. She had no a clue what the stranger was talking about, or why these humans were not afraid of demons. Y’zaks knew this subordinate of his was a little feeble-minded, so he patted the sofa, motioning her to sit down. “Tell me about your journey. Do you know how far you’ve come? This is another world altogether.”
Lanina sat down respectfully and faced Y’zaks. They were immediately surrounded by a bunch of busybodies. As her eyes scanned her surroundings, she said, “I hid in an alien dimension and dodged their pursuit. When I finally got out, a month had already passed and the spatial dimension’s exit had shifted to a spot near the lava canyon. I kept myself updated with news of the war on the way back to the battlefield, then I learned…”
“That we had lost the war, right? Don’t worry, there’s nothing you can’t say,” Y’zaks said carelessly. “Did you find out about my whereabouts?”
“Yes, I did. I learned that you were headed towards Blackiron Peaks, so I went straight there. But then I had an accident on the way and got lost. When I finally arrived in Blackiron Peaks, I only knew that you had been captured and brought to the Demonic Plane. I followed your trail and eventually found your location in the Demonic Plane. However, just as I was about to get you out of the prison…”—Lanina paused for a while as though she had difficulty in telling them what actually happened—”I saw a woman in the shape of a spirit appearing just outside your cell. She then obliterated the Demonic Foundry entirely and disappeared with you in a flash of white light. My King, who was that woman? Was she our ally?”
“She called herself Tawil, a deity who has the ability to reincarnate infinitely. The spirit you saw was just her ray of thought,” Y’zaks explained to his former subordinate. “She took me simply because I was a weirdo, she was curious. The white light was the gateway to other worlds.”
Lanina looked at Y’zaks in astonishment. “A deity? My King, didn’t you hate things like that?”
“I only despised those deities who fought for their own self-interest in the confines of their own small bubbles.” Y’zaks widened his mouth in derision of the self-proclaimed “gods” in his hometown. “So, you came here through the white light too? But then again, that’s impossible. I went through a transit and the immigration check at the World Gate was very strict. How did you stow away?”
Lanina did not know what “stow away” meant, but she had a rough idea on what to say. “With the help from a bunch of green, gnome-like creatures…”
“Green creatures? Gnomes?” Hao Ren chimed in at once. He did forget his true identity as an inspector of the Empire. He had to watch out for stowaways. He needed to collect as much intel as possible of those who crossed worlds without first reporting themselves.
Lanina nodded and said, “When I went through the white light, I found myself in a strange place with self-operating machines. They were like alchemical equipment, but much more advanced, and they were everywhere. Then, there was a glass hall where strange races traversed…”
Y’zaks explained to Hao Ren quietly, “It’s the hall of a small sub-hub in the docking station. She jumped into the white light before it disappeared and got flung in a different direction.”
“I lingered in that strange place for several days.” Lanina pulled her together. “The people there understood the demonic language, so communication wasn’t a problem. I met Geeste Sparkplug, a gnome who told me that he was from Suicide Transporter. In exchange for a demonic gem, he sold me intel on the whereabouts of a higher demon, who had just left the place a few days earlier…”
“Then you stowed away on the gnome’s commercial ship, right?” Hao Ren smacked his head. He had learned of a gnomish transporter with imperial background. It was famous in multiple worlds for its ideology: “Any business is welcomed as long as it doesn’t land us before the fire squad.” They probably took advantage of a loophole to smuggle this demoness of unknown origin via the civilian route. The empire would not blink an eye at small smuggling cases. “How did you get yourselves sent to 800 light years away? The gnomes must have known Y’zaks was sent to the Solar System.”
The female demon lowered her head slightly. “…Because of a small problem. I was lost in space. I’ve learned the magic required for space survival and warp jumps, but I’m not good at directions.”
Hao Ren recalled the note that Raven 12345 left behind. He looked at the aide-de-camp, who appeared to be pretty trustworthy, and recalled her saying that she was lost. He turned and asked Y’zaks, “Is she directionally challenged?”
“Let me do the introductions. She was my military strategist.” Y’zaks raised his hand, pointing at Lanina. “She was good in battle, but only battle. Direction-wise, yes. And it’s pretty serious.”
Lanina looked up and said, “I’ve improved!”
“You even get lost on a one-way street from Augite Hall to the Obsidian Throne.” Y’zaks glared at Lanina. “And you told me you accidentally walked in the other direction! Who would believe that?”
He then waved his hand and sighed as if he had seen through the vanity of life. “Let it be. I don’t care how you survived. The most important thing is, you’ve arrived here safely. Please stay here in peace.”
Lanina suddenly got to her feet and looked at Y’zaks in disbelief. “My King, won’t you follow me back?”
Y’zaks replied, “What for? Let bygones be bygones. After all, I’m pretty happy here.”
“But, your magnificent—”
“Magnificent plan? There will always be someone willing to carry it out. Perhaps a human who is smarter, or any other Tom, Dick and Harry. As long as the civilisation remains, there will be someone who is interested in the truth of the world. But it doesn’t concern me anymore.” Y’zaks flopped himself on the sofa and sighed again. “I’m not your king anymore. I’m now Wang Daquan, who is having a good life here.”
Lanina was dumbstruck, looking at the dejected version of Y’zaks. She could not believe that this was the demonic king who had once defeated all other races and reshaped the landscape of the world. She glanced around haplessly and realised that no one could help her. Then something crossed her mind.
“Wait a second, My King! The princess may still be alive!”
Chapter 399: I’ll Go With You
“The princess may still be alive!”
The demoness knew what was in Y’zaks’ heart. When she broke the news, no one was as shocked as Y’zaks. After a long while, Y’zaks stood up slowly. “Is it true?”
Seeing this, Vivian knew there was more than meets the eye. She poked Hao Ren on the arm and asked, “What’s going on?”
“Biggie had a daughter,” Hao Ren answered. Although he was just as shocked, he managed to recover and explained to the others. “Supposedly, when Biggie lost the war, his daughter fell into a spatial dimensional gap…”
“The princess may still be alive… maybe.” Noticing that Y’zaks’ eyes were exuding a strange emotion, Lanina instantly became timid. “When I was looking for you, I heard news of the princess. It was said that the forces of the Holy See were searching for something in the Obsidian Plains. The Royal City is the only valuable thing in the Obsidian Plains, but the entire Royal City had been swallowed by the gap, so…”
“So, the Holy See may have been looking for Y’lisabet?” Y’zaks’ face was radiating with emotion—it was an excitement no one had ever seen before. He jumped to his feet and rubbed his hands in anticipation, like he was waiting for a lottery draw. “Very likely, very likely indeed. As the Obsidian Plains are in a demonic dimension, the only reason the various races of the Holy See would linger in that space was to look for someone of importance… They had to be looking for Y’lisabet!”
Lanina quickly played down the speculation. “It’s just a possibility. They may be looking for the princess, or they may also be looking for the energy source of the Royal City. You and I know that it was a thing of interest to them…”
“No, no, no! They must be looking for Y’lisabet.” Y’zaks’ pupils were suddenly dilated and a heat wave radiated from him. He looked scary as hell. “They must be looking for Y’lisabet!”
So, Hao Ren finally knew the name of Y’zaks’ daughter, which was strikingly similar to the name Lil Pea had. It was Y’zaks who gave Lil Pea her name. “I see, you named Lil Pea ‘Elizabeth’ in remembrance of your daughter.”
Y’zaks did not seem to be bothered by what the others were saying as the news of his daughter’s survival had totally occupied him. He walked in circles anxiously before grabbing Hao Ren’s shoulder. “I’m going back! I’m going to get my daughter!”
Then, he turned around and walked off. Hao Ren remained stunned for a while before he came to his senses. “Hey, stop! Where are you going?”
Y’zaks, who was already at the doorway looked back, and to everyone’s bewilderment, he said , “Back to my hometown!”
“Are you planning to walk back to your hometown just like that?” Hao Ren stared at Y’zaks, who appeared lost. “Your daughter is in another world! You think you can go home like you’re going to buy soy sauce in the supermarket across the street?”
“Umm… you’re right.” Y’zaks finally came to his senses. He turned back and came up to Hao Ren, grabbing him by the shoulders again. “You’re an inspector, you can get me past the World Gate. Send me home…”
Hao Ren looked down at his own shoulders. His Steel Membrane Shield was rippling with a faint glow and its capacity bar was falling. He tried frantically to get away from the Y’zaks’ massive grip. “Stop it! Sit down! With your current state of mind, I wouldn’t dare get you a World Gate pass!”
Y’zaks stepped back obediently and placed his butt back on the sofa—it was the first time he had ever heard Hao Ren speaking in such a loud voice. Lanina’s jaw almost dropped to the floor; she had never seen her boss so submissive to a human. She was even more fearful of Hao Ren. But whatever it was in her mind, she was definitely mistaken.
Hao Ren stared at Y’zaks, who was sitting on the sofa and rubbing his hands anxiously. He patted Y’zaks’ on the shoulder twice with all his might, trying to get him to come his senses. He then twisted his mouth and said, “I know what you’re thinking. I’m happy to hear that your daughter may still be alive too. But, do you have a rescue plan?”
Y’zaks took a few deep breaths and finally calmed down somewhat. “I don’t know. It’s been a year. Even Lanina’s left the place for months. I can’t imagine what has become of my home town. If Y’lisabet could survive in the spatial dimensional gap, she should be alive. The child is smart, and good at hiding. As for the rescue plan, I’ll have to get back there first, and then figure it out. I don’t have a clue on the situation there, or whether the forces of the Holy See are still in the Obsidian Plains.
“If what Lanina said is true, they must still be there. They won’t leave before they find what they want.” Hao Ren looked at Y’zaks. “So, you plan to go in just like that? Or, do you plan on hanging missing person notices all over the world, telling everyone that you’re looking for your daughter? By then, even your ‘own kind’ would come after you, what more the Holy See.”
Lily began to catch up with what they were talking about. She muttered, “Then you’d be hung up and beaten again…”
That was of course, unacceptable to Lanina. She glowered and banged the table. “My king is invincible!”
Hao Ren wanted to stop her, but it was too late. He just managed to mutter, “Oh my… tea table…”
The tea table broke in half. Lily stuck her tongue out and said, “This time, it’s not my fault.”
“Never mind. I will just make a claim from the operating budget.” It appeared to have become a norm, as Hao Ren did not harp on about it. Y’zaks on the other, did not appear to have a negative opinion about what Lily had said. “Lily’s right, I’m too emotional now. I’ll screw things up if I go in blindly.”
“I’ll go with you.” Hao Ren exhaled. “You won’t have peace if you can’t go back to take a look. Two is better than one, at least you’ll have someone to watch over your shoulder.”
“I’ll go too!” Lily jumped to her feet excitedly. “Maybe I can find some good food there!”
Vivian smiled warmly. “Biggie’s a good man. I would’ve been dead in Athens without him, so count me in.”
Nangong Wuyue looked at each of them, shrugged her shoulders and then said, “Well, since I’m the only healer in the team, I’ll go with you anyway.”
Having a bunch of true friends in his time of need, Y’zaks was almost tearful. He could not thank them enough. Hao Ren gave him a pat on his back and said, “Don’t mention it. So can you please lower your body heat now? The sofa’s going up in flame…”
Feeling embarrassed, Y’zaks kept his heat under control. He then looked at the broken tea table, and forced a smile. “I still have some treasures back home. I can retrieve them and bring them back here, you know, at least it’ll be enough to pay the rental…”
Lanina looked on, flabbergasted. She could not fathom what had happened during the past one year between her boss and these strange “humans”. Nonetheless, she still knew what she needed to do; she got to her feet and bowed before them at once. “Thank you for your help. I—”
“Don’t say the T word.” Hao Ren waved her off. “Everyone here could not care less about your past. As long as we stay under one roof, we always help each other out.”
Lanina stood still. Hao Ren glanced at the demoness and finally figured out what was wrong with her this entire time. “Can you get that towel off your horns?”
It was only then that Lanina realised, a damp towel had been wrapped around her horns for God knows how long. She pulled it down at once. Lily scratched her face and muttered, “Why do I have a feeling that this demoness is from Shanxi?”
Hao Ren took the MDT out. “Compile what happened here today and send the report to Raven 12345. I guess she has to know what happened.”
Even before they departed, Hao Ren had already anticipated that this operation was not going to be just another adventure. They would probably be dragged into the conflict between the demons and the Holy See. Hence, he had to prepare for the worst.
One thing was obvious—if you were to bring Napoleon back to France in 1816, would anyone believe that you were just helping him look for his family?
Chapter 400: Orientation Problem
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The whereabouts of his daughter was the single most important thing to Y’zaks. He could not wait to pack up and go home that night. But once he calmed down, he realised that he needed a plan. He had to brief Hao Ren and the rest about the situation in his hometown, prepare them for battle, find a disguise, carry out some recce, and allow Lanina to recuperate from her injury.
Lanina was different from Y’zaks. Judging from her physical appearance, she was not as skilled a fighter as Y’zaks. She was hit by a spacecraft and she injured her leg in the process. It had yet to recover and the wound was starting to show its sequlae. Without advanced medical attention, the injury would likely linger on. Luckily, Hao Ren had all the medical facilities she needed right down in the basement.
Hao Ren as well as Y’zaks brought Lanina down to the basement and pointed at a row of silver white caskets. “Pick one and lie inside. After 30 minutes, your legs will be healed. And tonigh, you’ll have to put up with Vivian here. The rooms upstairs are all full.”
The four ascetics had occupied the last two rooms since they came. Vivian was the only one who slept in the basement, which was pretty large. Hao Ren only needed to add an extra bed down there and it was good to go.
The demoness was astounded upon seeing the silvery white devices. She blinked her eyes in amazement. “So, you’re a necromancer?”
Hao Ren replied, “…Just do as I say. Questions aren’t really necessary. I just have a unique aesthetic style.”
The demoness lowered her head and laid herself in the nearest hibernation pod. The pod shut and started performing a biophysical scan on her body before coming up with treatment options. Hao Ren let out a sigh of relief and said, “Dang… Looking at her is so stressful.”
“Stressful?” Vivian, who was packing up on the bed nearby glanced at Hao Ren curiously. “What stress is there with a maiden?”
Embarrassed, Hao Ren replied, “There’s something you may not know. I find Lanina weird. She’s pretty no doubt, but theoretically I shouldn’t have gotten that love-at-first-sight kind of feeling. I don’t know. Every time I look her in the eyes, I almost lose myself.
Hao Ren was very honest with his feelings towards Lanina. He confided in Vivian as he found his feelings unreal and unnatural. He did not think they were real. Vivian just frowned and scoffed at him. “I see, that’s your cup of tea; someone literally horny with sheep hooves, and a whip-like tail. Your taste is pretty unique, eh? Are you judging people just by their faces and boobs?”
Hao Ren quickly explained, “No, no, no. You’re mistaken. It’s got nothing to do with appearance. But honestly, I think you look prettier than her…”
Y’zaks came to his rescue and explained, “That’s normal; Lanina is a succubus; seduction is herinborn talent.”
Hao Ren was startled. “Succubus? This is a succubus?!”
“Yup. I don’t know if there are any succubi in this world. In our world, female demons like Lanina are succubi,” Y’zaks said as he nodded. “They’re good at seduction and they draw their power from the spirits of male creatures. They like to play with feelings, but sometimes they do get involve in serious relationships with male humans or other humanoids for a while. They are one of the demon races whose mind is stronger that the body. That’s the uniqueness of succubi in our world. However, Lanina is a little extraordinary. She’s not interested in seducing others and has never really practiced her skills. What you encountered a while ago was simply her aura exuding inadvertently. The fact that you could resist her seduction just now, means that you already have a pretty strong will power.”
Hao Ren was astonished “Whoa! If that’s how it felt with an inadvertent show of power, how much stronger are true succubi?”
“The strongest ones can brainwash people with just a glance , and make highly trained warriors be willing to die for them with just a single word. However, their powers only work on male targets, and the effects are temporary, Y’zaks briefly explained. “In fact, their seduction ability is just a survival skill and not their strongest ability. In my hometown, succubi are valued for their brains; they’re smart. And as long as their masters are strong enough, succubi will be loyal to them. Many demon commanfers or kings use succubi as strategists. What’s more, succubi are good weapons against beings like humans, thus making them even more valuable.”
“Ahh, so that’s why Lanina became your military strategist?” Hao Ren suddenly became interested in the demonic ecosystem of Y’zaks’ hometown. He thought of the strange attitude Lanina had towardsY’zaks—it looked like she almost worshipped Y’zaks. He suddenly realised that he had cracked the secret. “Wait a second… judging from Lanina’s mental state and her reluctance to seduce others, could it be that she has feelings for you?”
“That’s bullsh*t.” Y’zaks’ face suddenly turned serious. “I adopted Lanina since she was a kid. I treat her almost like my own daughter. I knew she liked the art of war, so I made her my strategist. Back in my hometown, we don’t practice the hanky panky.”
Hao Ren still thought he had cracked it. “You still don’t see it. The maiden obviously worships you—she’s almost fanatical. She even discarded her seduction ability. Isn’t it because she has someone in her heart?”
Y’zaks spread out his hand. “She likes women!”
Hao Ren’s jaw almost dropped to the floor. Meanwhile, Vivian who had been a spectator suddenly jumped up from her bed. She hit the ceiling and broke into a swarm of falling bats. When she finally collected herself back to her original shape, she stared at Y’zaks. “What did you just say?”
“I said, Lanina likes women,” Y’zaks sounded like he was about to cry. “I don’t know if my teaching went wrong somewhere or she was just born that way. The truth is, she avoids males and she’s tucked away her talent for seduction. To make up for her regressing talent, she began studying magic and combat techniques.”
Then, Y’zaks helplessly pointed to where Lanina was lying down. “She’s the only succubus in history who’s devoted herself to honing her physical strength…”
Hao Ren chimed in quietly in his mind, It’s because she grew up with a poor diet.
There was a drastic change on Vivian’s face before she lunged towards Hao Ren and grabbed his shoulder. “You want me to share a bed with her tonight?”
Hao Ren began to see ghostly images because Vivian was grabbing him and shaking him like a dog. “Hey, let go… That was just an initial plan…”
Vivian released her grip, her face almost green. “Why is it that I always end up meeting with weirdos?We have enough of them here already.”
“Please don’t be prejudiced against her.” Hao Ren waved his hand. “Besides, where is she going to sleep if not with you? You have the largest room here. The rooms of the other girls can only fit one person.”
“Just let her mess with Doggie!”
“Please don’t mind it. It’s not like you don’t know Lily; she’ll wreck the whole house if things go wrong.” Hao Ren glanced at Vivian then continued, “To be honest, I still think that this is the best place—after the long struggle you’ve had with Hessiana, you may have already learned enough defensive techniques…”
Before Vivian could say anything, the hibernation pod suddenly chimed. The pod began to slowly open and Lanina sat up.
The demoness got out of the “casket” lithely and walked around. She was delighted to find that the injury on her leg had completely healed. Even her entire body had been tuned back to its peak performance level. She bowed down joyously and thanked Hao Ren. “Thank you for your help. You’re the kindest human I’ve ever met… Umm, is there something wrong?”
She noticed the strange atmosphere.
Hao Ren quickly shook his head and said, “Oh, it’s nothing. We were just discussing about the upcoming operation.”
Meanwhile, Vivian was not that subtle. “Lanina, may I ask you a question about your sexual orientation?”
“Sexual orientation?” The succubus had no clue of what Vivian’s highly sophisticated vocabulary meant—Vivian had it forcibly translated into the demonic language. No translation plug-in could make up a non-existent term in the demonic language and feed it into Lanina’s brain…
Vivian had her arms in akimbo as she said, “I’m asking whether you like men or women. I heard you like women.”
Cold sweat trickled down Hao Ren’s forehead. Little did he expect the usually reserved Vivian to be so crude. She was obviously desperate.
True to Lanina’s nature as a succubus, there was not much reaction on her face. She just shook her head in confusion. “Who said I like women?”
Vivian’s facial muscles immediately relaxed until she heard the second part of Lanina’s words, “I just don’t like men…”
Vivian’s face immediately turned green again…
Chapter 401: A Gift
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
After all was said and done, Lanina had to sleep in the same room with Vivian. There were simply no rooms left to accomodate the demoness, only Vivian’s room had space. Hao Ren actually had no issues sleeping together with the succubus, but that would have probably gotten him murdered…
Vivian reluctantly accepted the arrangement after Lanina assured her that she was not a lesbian. It took a while before the vampire decided to trust her. Besides, if Lanina was a true blue lesbian succubus, she would have already struck by then… Going by how a succubus operated, sleeping in the same room or not did not actually matter.
Hao Ren thought that Y’zaks probably sucked at being a father figure to Lanina. He did not even know the orientation of the succubus he adopted. Then again.. trying to dig you own step-daughter’s sexual orientation was probably not something a father should have done. Forget it, logic just did not hold water in situations like this. In fact, it was impossible to find someone with an intact worldview in this household anymore. Hao Ren had long given up trying to figure out his tenants for fear of being driven insane.
The next morning, Hao Ren was not awakened by his cat, or his beloved daughter. The moment he opened his eyes, a vicious-looking face was starring at him, and his heart almost stopped beating. The large face even spoke to him. “You’re awake? Let’s go then. We need to speak with the goddess…”
Hao Ren moved sideways to avoid Y’zaks’ intense gaze as he leapt out from his bed. Pointing at the man, whose face could force a city to surrender, her shouted, “Are you nuts?! You nearly killed me with that face of yours this early in the morning!”
Y’zaks tossed Hao Ren his clothes with a nonplussed look and said, “I’ll wait for you outside. Let’s go meet the goddess.”
Hao Ren knew that Y’zaks’ mind was totally occupied with thoughts of his daughter surviving it was impossible to talk sense into someone that determined. Hao Ren quickly changed as he mumbled, “Everything was so peaceful yesterday… Wait, let me have my breakfast first! Don’t give that look! It’s not like the goddess is going to run away. Plus, it’s going to take some time applying for the World Gate’s navigation permit.”
Y’zaks nodded as he left the room.
Vivian had just laid breakfast out on the table when Hao Ren exited his room. Rollie was already waiting to be fed by the table. Lil Pea was on Rollie’s head and she reacted happily the moment she saw Hao Ren stepping out of his room. She waved at him excitedly with her tail, slapping the cat’s head. It was a subconscious act, but Rollie could only endure the hits, fearing that if it did not abide by the wishes of the fish, it would get beaten even more…
Hao Ren looked at the duo and suddenly became envious of the cat. He could not even stay at home for the New Year. He had to go on harrowing inter-dimensional adventures. Rollie on the other hand, had an almost sedentary, yet regimented lifestyle with a side of being beated by Lil Pea. So, aside from a bruised pride, there was little to worry about…
Lanina had fully calmed down after her initial elation of seeing Y’zaks again. She was now seated quietly by the table, awaiting orders. Her at-attention posture was so different from what one would expect of an alluring succubus. She was still in her slightly worn armoured bodysuit, which emphasised her well-proportioned body. Vivian had thought of looking for a change of clothes for the succubus, but none of the ladies at home couldmatch her voluptuous proportions. After looking around for abit, she had nothing to how but the wounded prides of the ladies at home.
Hao Ren stood before the dining table, his face bearing the pride of a household head. He bent down to pick Lil Pea up and clearedhis throat to deliver his first speech on the first day of Chinese New Year. Before he could even speak, Vivian preempted him. “Buns or pastries?”
Hao Ren coughed dryly. “Buns will do, buns…”
It seemed like the super serious demeanour did not really suit him at all.
The four ascetics had already left the house early in the morning, but the table was still filled with people. It was almost like a happy reunion dinner of sorts. Lanina staredin amazement at the scene before her, especially at Y’zaks, who was chomping down on a big bowl of rice. It was only after a good while that she began to touch her chopsticks. Hao Ren noticed this and asked her as he fed Lil Pea a small sheet of paper, “Not used to human food?”
“Uh.. it’s not that…” Lanina was at a lost for words. The atmosphere was just too different from what she had expected. She looked at Y’zaks. “My Lord, have you been living here since you disappeared?”
“Yes.” Y’zaks looked up to respond. “Why? Anything wrong?”
Lanina shook her head. “Nothing… it’s… good…”
“If that’s the case, quickly eat up. We’ll be reporting to the goddess once we’re done with our meal,” Hao Ren said as he tossed Rollie a couple pieces of meat. “I still have to ask her what’s her deal with throwing you down like that; face first not to mention. Say… your horns are okay, right? It cracked the cement floor last night.”
“They’re fine, they’re fine.” Lanina felt that she could barely keep up with Hao Ren most of the time and it took a her a few moments to process what he said. It was then that she realised something. “Wait a minute, goddess? What goddess?”
“The one in charge of this universe.” Hao Ren still had an odd sense of pride when he mentioned his boss. “All the worlds in this universe are under her watch. I’m her assistant. Oh… going by your world’s tradition… I’m a pope of some sort…”
Lanina immediately became confused. Even though she was from a different world, and did not understand the customs of Earth, she could not understand the customs of Earth, she could still tell that the bunch before her was a group of bumpkins. Lily alone was the personification of a country bumpkin with the gluttnous wolfing of her food. No pope worth his salt would suffer the presence of such uncouth behaviour.
She threw Hao Ren a perplexed look. “You’re not joking are you?”
“Seeing how you’re looking at me, can I even?”
“….Are the churches in your world that incompetent?” Lanina spoke bluntly like a true demon. “Even I know how a pope in my world looks like. Him aside, even the cardinals and bishops… have a bigger sense of grandeur than you.”
Hao Ren frowned as he heard that. “It’s because they need a false sense of grandeur for them to do their work, otherwise they’re no different than your common man. But, I’m the real deal! So, I don’t need that pompous charade.”
Y’zaks then coughed lightly, and that prompted Lanina to shut up and eat. Hao Ren could not even imagine the countless whys that were currently bouncing about in her head. The succubus was still seeing things based on her own perspective. It was clealy going to take her a long time to be accustomed to the pace Hao Ren and his group were at.
Wait until she sees Raven 12345. Hao Ren was sure he did not need to worry about that. Her worldview would be so thoroughly destroyed, no amount of mending would be able to restore it.
Y’zaks hounded Hao Ren to get going the moment he finished his meal. To stop the anxious demon king from accidentally smashing a hole in the wall due to his haste, Hao Ren could only nod and get the MDT to open the teleportation gate to heaven. But as he was about to leave, Vivian called out to him, “Wait! I have something for you.”
Hao Ren looked at the vampire quizzically as she ran down towards her room in the basement and brought out a snowy-white scarf. Her face was all smiles. “Happy New Year! This is for you!”
An unknown warmth suddenly welled inside him and he was touched. This was the first time he had ever gotten something from a lady. As he received the scarf, he did not know how to express his gratitude. That machine-gun mouth of his could only stutter dryly, ” Uh… th-thanks… Happy New Year to you too…”
Vivian felt a little embarrassed. “I don’t have anything nice to give you… As you know, I can’t afford any presents and I can only make one with my household skills. Come, let me put it on you.”
Hao Ren felt a comforting warmth as Vivian put the scarf on him. He also smelt something fragrant. But before he and Vivian could dwell in the slightly romantic atmosphere, Lily bounced towards them. “Hey, hey! Mr. Landlord, that’s also my New Year’s gift to you! The fur’s mine…”
“Alright, alright, your contribution isn’t forgotten.” Vivian turned around and glared at the husky. “If you really such good intentions, I could make a few more hair tonics then? Then you can have enough fur for all if us…”
Lily rolled her eyes. “What for? I gave Mr. Landlord my fur because he gave me a roof to live under and food to eat, unlike you.”
Vivian pursed her lips. “When you have shelter and food, you sure do your bloodline proud…”
Hao Ren smiled and waved goodbye before leading Y’zaks as well as Lanina into the portal.
Chapter 402: Off We Go
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The white light from the portal faded and the three of them arrived in the garden of the floating mansion. But as Hao Ren lifted his head, the scene before him shocked him. “Oh, what the flying f*ck… Who did that?”
Raven 12345’s mansion was a wreck again. The last time he visited, there was only a hole on the roof, but now half of the roof was gone, and there were holes all over the second floor of the mansion. A crystal curtain hung limply over a broken window pane, and looked like it was about to fall off any time as it swayed in the wind. The left corner of the mansion had disappeared altogether, almost as if it was sliced clean off. The mansion literally lost one-fourths of its original size.
A group of shiny formless beings were floating around in the air and they were coordinating with the automated machines to patch the wrecked mansion. It appeared that the latest fight was worst than the time Raven 12345 drove her space shuttle into the roof of her house.
Even Y’zaks was astonished by the scene. “…What happened here?”
“Are you sure this is where the ‘goddess’ lives?” Lanina swallowed hard and judged things based on her own knowledge. “Could it be that your religious warfare has gone to a stage where the gods are fighting themselves?”
“Meh, it’s probably that crazy old witch’s own doing.” Hao Ren shrugged as he recovered. “Don’t worry, she’ll get it patched up on her own sweet time. This is the third time seeing it happen. As long as the dimension is in tact, she’ll be alright.”
Hao Ren was right in that regard. As he led the two demons to the main door, Big Bluey appeared before them. The cerulean elemental creature nodded at Hao Ren and led out a string of vibrato sounds as a signal for the three to head in.
The three were led by Big Bluey into the battle-scarred hallway and ruined main hall. Hao Ren realised that the current destruction was worse than the shuttle incident by order of magnitudes. Not only was the second floor almost fully destroyed, even the first floor bore scars of destruction.
As he stepped into Raven 12345’s office, he saw the crazy goddess. She was sitting behind her desk, which was missing a corner. Her clothes also bore several burnt holes as she lay half-dead on her chair, still pulling a mischievous face.
This time around, even Hao Ren could not remain calm. He gasped. “You…”
As the word left his mouth, a crystalline shelf fell from the wall and crashed onto the floor. It seemed like the place was really just a thread away from being a ruin of war…
“Yo, Hao Ren, you’re here,” Raven 12345 greeted Hao Ren nonchalantly and noticed Y’zaks as well as Lanina behind him. “Oh, and these two are doing well, I suppose? Did you feel my grace when I reunited the both of you? Hahaha, aaaaa—ouch… that hurts… Go get something to sit on. There should be a couple of chairs by the wall that are still intact…”
Hao Ren looked at the goddess of his universe. “So, you lost your inter-celestial war?”
“Nope, it was almost a draw, but I just lost out a bit to that sword technique.” Raven 12345 could still talk bullsh*t at times like this. “Pfeh, it’s just a sword. I told her I’d return it. Scorpie sure is impatient.”
Hao Ren knew what was going on the moment he heard the word “sword”. It was that long-legged lady who came by the other day in a fit of rage. She was the one who went, “Where’s my bloody sword?!”. Other than that, Hao Ren could not imagine how Raven 12345 would end up in such a sorry state. As a premier special agent on Raven 12345’s side (this was self-proclaimed), Hao Ren suddenly felt pressured, especially after boasting about how omnipotent Raven 12345 was. He was more pressured now after witnessing her current state. He smiled stiffly at the crazy goddess. “Uh… Boss… the one who came looking for you, was it someone holding a grudge? Or, was she an enemy goddess?”
“We can’t be enemies if we’re on the same side,” Raven 12345 quickly corrected Hao Ren. “But, we’ve been rivals for many years now. A few years back, I borrowed her sword to play, but I never thought she’d be so salty about it. Oh yeah, since you’ve already met her, the one you saw the other day was an Armoured Scorpion, nicknamed Scorpie. She’s a military officer of the Empire, and holds the same rank as me. Her serial ID is ZK12580; she’s a five-digit senior figure. Her other name is Hydra, but you’d do well to remember her serial ID. For us, there’s not much difference between a name and serial ID.”
Hao Ren tried his best to carve it into his memory. This was his first time encountering a Xi Ling Celestial other than the Raven “series”. From what he heard, the long-legged lady was also a “mass produced” goddess. It seemed like all entry-level gods or goddesses among the Xi Ling Celestials had serial numbers. The mere thought of the Empire’s might made him shudder; just the fact that governing gods and goddesses were mass-produced and had serial numbers. He accepted the fact that the higher he worked his way up the ranks, the more he would encounter of the Celestials, and he was rather intrigued by it. “So… she’s a goddess governing a universe as well? Is it okay for her to leave her post just like that?”
“No, Scorpies don’t govern worlds.” Raven 12345 was satisfied with Hao Ren’s reaction to the revelation, and a wry smile appeared across her face. “With that stupidity of theirs, they can’t even govern their own house, much less a universe. I’m the intellectual type and as such, I was charged with governance as well as administration. When it comes to Scorpies… Well, what little intelligence they have is used for combat. By your standards, she’s probably a goddess of war?”
As she spoke, Raven 12345 pointed towards the bump on her head. “How else would I have been defeated. I earn my dues with my intelligence… Yeow, yeow… Ouch! That hurts. That b*tch… she smashed her sword on my head with the psionic field activated. Healing is going to be a b*tch…”
At least she could now admit to being defeated. She was still putting up a front earlier.
Cold sweat started to form across Hao Ren’s forehead and he felt that it was unwise to dwell on this topic any further. Who knew what the lunatic goddess would say next to destroy whatever image she had left. He then pointed at Lanina. “That aside, she’s part of your handiwork?”
“Yep.” Raven12345 nodded. “I noticed that she had been lost for a couple of months, and she was about to veer into a neutron star’s field of gravity. I simply couldn’t watch any longer, so I helped her out. But I was busy at the time, hence after dumping her at your place, I couldn’t say hi. However, the note on her was from me.”
Lanina then found out that the she was sent to Earth by this lady before her. While she was still doubtful in many ways, she subconsciously had on an expression of gratitude. She was bumbling about in space for months using unreliable demonic teleportation magic to make her way through space. Being alive today, it was all down to her luck.
A few hours before she arrived at Hao Ren’s place, she was still tumbling about in a system a few hundred light years away from Earth. She suddenly blacked out and the rest was basically a blur.
So now she knew it was Raven 12345’s intervention.
“I saw the note.” Hao Ren nodded. “You already knew that Lanina was being ‘smuggled’ into this universe, and you knew about her intentions as well as Y’zaks’determination to go home. All of this happened by your will, right?”
Raven 12345 raised one of her eyebrows and looked at Hao Ren. “Some things are better left unsaid. This is just a small matter in a faraway land. I don’t know anything. Understand?”
Hao Ren laughed. “Alright, I’m just telling you, I’ll be away for a while. Going back to Y’zaks’ old place to look for his daughter.”
Raven 12345 rubbed her chin. “You’re an Inspector. You may very well get dragged into the local conflict because of who Y’zaks is. It won’t be a small scale fight like your previous times. You’ve thought of this I take it?”
Hao Ren nodded. “Yes, so I want to let you know, and find out how far I can go.”
“Good. That means you’re more professional now.” Raven 12345 stood up and gave Hao Ren a satisfied smile. “This is also a good time to let you do something more significant. I have three requests; one, violence for self-defense is permitted, but you may not escalate that to a war. You are going to save someone, not eliminate a race or a civilisation; two, this is your personal endeavour, so you will need to do it yourself. I cannot interfere; three, if sh*t really hits the fan, no half-arsing! See it till the end! You going out there means you’re representing me…”
Hao Ren found the first two requests were par for the course, but the third one stunned him. That was indeed her way of doing things.
Lastly, Raven 12345 added, “Oh right, one more thing—it’s the most important one too. This is not an official mission, so there will be no funds. Use your own.”
“…”
Ten minutes later, Hao Ren led Y’zaks and Lanina out of Raven 12345’s ruined office. As they were about to step into the teleportation portal, Lanina could not help but ask, “…Can we rely on that ‘goddess’?”
“Well, nothing we can do even if she’s not reliable.” Hao Ren wanted to spit venom but he was exhausted, so he let out a resigned sigh. “Eh.. well, let’s look at it this way, we got her consent for this and what’s left is to see what awaits us. We are going to save someone, and with our combat strength, I think it’s more than enough.”
He then pumped himself up and slapped Y’zaks by the arm. “Lets go home and gather the lot. Off we go!”