Chapter 2 Storytelling
Unlike the scorching heat outside, the Royal Palace was cool, with its thick walls and dome successfully blocking the blazing sun.
The steward leading the way walked slowly, with the man in black robes following behind him, surveying the palace's layout.
The walls are adorned with bas-reliefs, from which one can vaguely discern a ferocious celestial beast. In addition, the walls are hung with portraits of emperors from various dynasties, as well as famous works of art and crafts from each era.
Seeing that the man in black robes was interested in the Palace of Roy, the old butler smiled and straightened a lamp stand, explaining, "When humans first immigrated to this star system, the Palace of Roy was the fortress for all the surviving humans during the most dangerous time."
“But now…” The butler stopped speaking, his steps halting before the portrait of the last emperor.
This emperor died 230 years ago, and during those 200-plus years, no next emperor appeared in the Royal Palace.
In the empire, the royal family gradually shrank into a symbol of honor.
At this moment, the man in black robes who had been silent suddenly spoke up, continuing what the steward had just said.
"The walls of Roy Palace are coated with the highest-strength explosion-proof coating, capable of withstanding the high-intensity bombardment of thirty energy cannons. Even under the combined attack of three S-class star beasts, it can still hold out for more than fifteen hours. However, this is only simulated data."
This series of data shattered the sadness that had just risen in the butler's heart. He stared at the black-robed man behind him, clearly unable to accept that a child of this age was talking about energy cannons and three S-class star beasts.
And the word "however" that follows seems to be full of regret.
Perhaps seeing that the butler was too shocked, the man in black robes added, "That's what they teach in school."
The butler chuckled awkwardly, "I never expected schools to teach this these days..."
The butler continued leading the man in black forward, noticeably more restrained after their earlier conversation. However, he couldn't resist becoming a tour guide as they passed certain objects.
"This sculpture is the work of the master sculptor Maros, who lived five hundred years ago..."
The man in the black robe wasn't particularly interested in what the butler was saying, but he glanced at some of the decorations a few more times as he passed through the corridor.
It's not that these decorations are particularly valuable, but rather that these artworks are missing hands or feet, as if they have been damaged by unruly children, making them look eerily distressing.
After following the steward for a while, passing through the long corridors that circled the entire palace, the man in black robes stood outside a room.
The room was very spacious, with dark mirrored tiles on the floor, making one feel as if they were in the universe.
The man in black robes glanced around and noticed a thick wool rug carelessly tossed aside by the door. Outside the door, there were also some items piled up, seemingly original decorations from the room.
Judging from their scattered positions, it's easy to see that these items, which had been lying quietly in the Royal Palace for many years, recently suffered a terrible thrashing and were kicked out by someone.
The room felt unnaturally empty. Looking further inside, a man was leaning against a soft couch by the window, fiddling with a star beast figurine.
The comfy couch was very large, and most of the man's body was sunk into it, obscuring his figure. However, his two long and powerful legs hanging down made it easy to tell that he was a tall and strong man.
His fingers, long and slender, gripped the ornament. It was unclear how much force he used, but with a "crack," the star beast ornament instantly became crippled.
Two of the three horns on its forehead were gone, making it look just as pathetic as the decorations outside.
In the instant the two horns shattered, the man in black seemed to hear the sound of a heart breaking from the butler's chest.
The man clearly hadn't expected the thing to be so fragile, and stared blankly at the fragments in his palm for a moment. Then he smiled and looked up, politely apologizing to the butler, "I'm so sorry, I broke something again."
The butler's lips trembled, but he still bowed deeply: "Your Highness, you are the master of the palace. The things in Roy Palace are your personal belongings. You do not need to apologize to anyone."
The man, who had just been looking embarrassed, lazily said "Oh," stretched out his arm, and unceremoniously threw the crippled star beast in his hand into the garbage shredder.
housekeeper:"……"
The garbage disposal started up with a "click-clack" sound, and the old housekeeper felt he might need to take a vacation.
"So, what are you doing bringing such a short, dark-skinned guy here?"
After throwing away the trash, Levi finally had the leisure to glance at the person behind the butler.
He didn't stand up when he asked the question; his golden-brown curly hair, which fell to his shoulders, was somewhat disheveled, like the mane of some kind of beast.
This Crown Prince has a face that could easily bewitch someone; he has a high nose bridge, deep-set eyes, and long eyelashes that practically form eyeliner. So much so that when he squints at you, it's impossible to clearly see the color of his pupils.
The butler, still reeling from the destruction of the artworks, could only force himself to explain, "Your Highness, since you were feeling bored, this young gentleman came to Roy Palace to perform for you after seeing the Cabinet's announcement."
"Performance?"
Levi seemed intrigued and sat up from the couch. Two strands of curly hair fell across his forehead; he casually brushed them aside with little effect, so he simply let them be.
Levy, half-bowed, looked at the man in black and asked, "Little dwarf, what do you want to perform?"
This prince was really tall. Even sitting on the low couch with his upper body bent over, he was still about the same height as the man in black robes.
Such a physique, even without deliberate expression, exudes a sense of oppression. However, the lazy smile that perpetually graces his face adds a touch of eerie friendliness.
Although upon closer examination, this smile seems to harbor ill intentions.
The housekeeper also asked, "Do you need any equipment or assistance?"
Unexpectedly, the man in black did not answer. To be precise, he had fallen into silence ever since he stepped into the room and saw Levi.
There seemed to be some emotion brewing, but the heavy black robe concealed everyone's prying eyes.
Seeing that he didn't answer, Levy laughed again: "Then let me guess, is it a staged robbery or an assassination?"
When he said the last word, the corners of his mouth curved into a deeper smile, revealing a hint of unintentional excitement, which made the butler next to him nervous.
However, after glancing at the man in black robes, Levy felt rather bored and went back to sleep.
"Forget it, with your height, it'll probably be a bit difficult." He waved his hand lazily and said, "Butler, give him some supplies and send him out."
"this……"
The butler turned and looked suspiciously at the man in black. He and Burke had initially thought this was someone Levy knew, but Levy's attitude now suggested otherwise.
Despite being rejected three times in a row, the young man shrouded in black robes remained undeterred.
After listening to Levy's words, the man in black robes lifted his foot and walked in one direction.
The butler thought he was going out, but saw him walk to the round stool in the corner, kick the heavy mahogany stool to the spot directly opposite the low couch.
The man in black robes walked over and sat down. Unfortunately, the stool was quite high, and his legs were still dangling as he sat down.
Ignoring these details, he raised his head, his cool voice emanating from beneath his black robe:
"There was no robbery, no assassination. I just need you to tell me a story."
This series of actions and words made Levi, who was lying on the soft couch, raise an eyebrow and reach for the mirror next to him to look at himself.
"What are you looking at?" the man in black robes asked.
"Let's see if I've become a child again." Levy tossed the mirror aside. "Otherwise, why would anyone tell me fairy tales to lull me to sleep?"
"..." The man in black robes remained silent, seemingly holding his breath.
However, the effect was obviously not very good. After holding it in for a while, he impatiently blurted out: "Listen if you want, or shut your ears."
This kind of forceful, condescending attitude is a bit arrogant...
The steward was stunned, fearing that the prince would grab the child and throw him out the window.
Levi was also taken aback, his eyes slightly opening to reveal a patch of icy blue.
But this guy's reaction was unusual. Instead of getting angry, he seemed to have heard something very interesting and laughed, revealing his canine teeth: "Since you're so fierce, I'll reluctantly listen?"
The palace was quiet, and no one spoke for a moment.
The man in black robes sat on a soft stool facing the sofa. He was thin, but his back was habitually straight, like a sharp military knife.
He was clearly trying to force others to listen to his story, but it was as if he had dug a hole for himself. He sat there upright for several minutes without saying a word, and the story he was supposed to tell was nowhere to be found.
Levi stretched out his hand and waved it in front of him, teasingly asking, "Hey, need me to teach you how to say it?"
Two words emerged from beneath the heavy black robe: "Shut up."
His Highness the Crown Prince remained as languid as ever, seemingly unperturbed. He clicked his tongue and muttered in a low voice, loud enough for everyone to hear, "Short guy with a big temper."
For some reason, the usually calm man in black robes showed signs of anxiety, but he finally spoke under Levy's gaze.
-
That was the first time Qin Chu had ever heard that the empire had a crown prince.
Chapter 3, First Story (1)
Qin Chu woke up in the virtual world and asked bluntly, "Tell me, what is this mission? Why is it rated so highly?"
"Ding! Noah, Imperial Military Operations and Logistics System, Unofficial Member of the First Legion, ID: 215929007, at your service..."
Qin Chu frowned and interrupted the electronic voice in his ear: "Noah, get to the point."
"Yes, sir," the electronic voice replied smoothly. "This mission is of the highest wartime importance level in the Empire, and you do not have the right to refuse. For the sake of mission success and security, we must wait until you are fully immersed in the virtual world before we can inform you of the mission details."
Knowing the system's verbose nature all too well, Qin Chu urged again, "What exactly is the mission?"
The timing of this Imperial mastermind rebellion was impeccable. It activated a forced lock-on while most people were in their sleep pods browsing the StarNet, and managed to evade the nighttime administrators.
By the time someone realized something was wrong, 80 percent of the empire's ordinary population had been locked in the virtual world.
After such a major incident, Qin Chu, who was stationed at the Imperial Frontier, rushed back to the Imperial Capital Star. He received this mission as soon as he got off the spacecraft. He took the military's independent system Noah, broke through the mainframe's blockade, and entered the virtual world.
"The mission the council has given us this time is to 'rescue the Crown Prince of the Empire'," Noah said.
"When has the empire ever had a crown prince?"
Qin Chu sat up in bed, frowning as he looked around.
“Two weeks ago,” Noah offered this comical answer. “Please don’t ask me why the previous emperor, who died 230 years ago, had a son two weeks ago. As a still-developing artificial intelligence, I cannot answer that.”
"Thank you, but I'm not foolish enough to ask that question." Qin Chu asked Noah to retrieve the information on the Crown Prince.
This information was excessively simple, containing only names and ages. It also noted that this prince, who appeared out of nowhere, had studied at the Empire's highest military academy.
Qin Chu glanced at it again, because although he wasn't currently in the capital, he was still the nominal principal of the Supreme Military Academy. However, judging from the timeline, Qin Chu hadn't graduated from the academy when the Crown Prince enrolled.
"Where are the photos?"
The photo section of the document was empty. Noah replied, "There are no photos. This is what the Cabinet scanned the documents for me."
Noah had barely finished speaking when Qin Chu sneered, "Eighty percent of the Empire's population is imprisoned, and the Star Beast Tide is about to arrive this quarter. The cabinet spent a week discussing it, and all they came up with was a mission to rescue this Crown Prince, without even providing a single photograph?"
"Sir, please calm down," Noah reminded him. "You are currently attached to a data body in this virtual world. This data body is a senior high school student. To ensure you are not late, I suggest you get up immediately and leave for school in five minutes."
Although he was very dissatisfied with the mission and often wanted to twist the heads off those old fogies in the cabinet, General Qin, as an excellent imperial soldier, quickly got up to wash up.