"General, this is the report we just received from Chaos City."In an encampment within a valley, a black-robed man quickly walked into the centermost tent, and pa.s.sed a long wooden bamboo tube to Seuss.
Seuss opened the seal on the bamboo tube and pulled out the letter within. As he read through the contents of the letter, his brows gradually began to furrow.
The black-robed figures in the tent immediately began getting nervous as they focused their eyes on Seuss.
A ball of black flames abruptly ignited, incinerating the letter and bamboo tube in Seuss"s hands as he instructed, "Pack your things; we have to go to Chaos City immediately."
…
At the border of the Roth Empire, in army barracks. Sean looked at the map on the wall, and asked, "Have the Cheetahs discovered anything of late?"
"Your Highness, we did receive some news, but they were all determined to be false in the end. We still haven"t discovered Alex"s whereabouts," Quine said in a low voice. "However, the Cheetah responsible for keeping an eye on Louis, Bertley, hasn"t delivered his monthly report yet. I"ve already deployed people to investigate the situation, but the reason is unclear for now."
"Louis?" Sean"s brows furrowed as he recalled the saber-wielding knight who seemed to be constantly by Alex"s side. He was renowned for battling like a madman with no regard for his own safety, and was extremely loyal to Alex.
"It"s unlikely that he was the one who saved Alex, but Bertley"s disappearance does need to be thoroughly investigated. Situations like this haven"t commonly arisen in the past few years," Sean said.
"Yes." Quine nodded in response.
"Did you receive any news on what Josh is doing?" Sean asked.
"According to a secret report from our spy in the Asuras, they don"t appear to have found Alex, either. Seuss should currently be on his way to Chaos City; this information was delivered to be 10 days ago," Quine replied.
"Interesting. Alex was once able to make the entire continent aware of his location, yet now, he"s able to make the entire continent oblivious to his whereabouts. This Alex really can"t be underestimated." Sean chuckled coldly.
Quine bowed his head even lower and didn"t reply.
Sean"s smile receded as he turned to Quine, and remarked, "I"m going back to Rodu in 15 days for His Majesty"s birthday celebration. Have you gathered everyone I asked for?"
"Everything has been prepared. I"ve already deployed people to keep an eye on the medicine masters who are refining the Longlife Pills." Quine hesitated momentarily before continuing, "Your Highness, I have a question."
"Go on," Sean prompted calmly.
Quine looked at Sean with a perplexed expression, and said, "Your Highness, your influence within the military is currently unmatched, and the seven armies in the northern region all answer to your commands. Even if His Majesty were to abdicate and pa.s.s the crown to the second prince, there"s no way that the Magus Tower will be able to stand up against the seven armies of north, so you"ll be able to easily defeat the second prince. Regardless of whether His Majesty pa.s.ses down the crown to you or not, you"ll still become the king, so why would you refine Longlife Pills for the king at a time like this? Also, even if—"
"Insolence! Is this something for you to discuss?" Sean"s expression immediately darkened.
"Please forgive me, Your Highness!" Quine fell to his knees, and didn"t dare to raise his head.
"Remember this: as long as the king still sits on that throne, he will continue to be the king of the Roth Empire. No one can take the crown away from him, and anyone who"s tried in the past is dead." Sean looked at Quine with a derisive sneer, and said, "Also, as long as the king lives on, he will remain the most influential figure in the military. Even among the seven armies of the north, at least three of them would turn against me should I stage a rebellion. Do you still think I have any chance of victory now?"
Quine bowed his head even lower, his forehead drenched with cold sweat.
"You may go now. If you find any more information about Alex, make sure to report it to me at the first possible opportunity." Sean dismissed Quine with a wave of his hand.
"Yes." Quine rose to his feet, and quickly disappeared from the barracks.
"When are you going to die, old man? Everyone"s waiting for you," Sean murmured to himself as he stood in front of the map of the Roth Empire. His finger slowly traced along the northern region down the map before landing heavily on the word "Rodu".
"Josh and those old b.a.s.t.a.r.ds in the Magus Tower are also waiting. However, ever since Kra.s.su left the Magus Tower, the pressure on my side had been alleviated significantly. If he could side with me… Perhaps it"s time I sent someone to Chaos City."
…
Beef contained an abundance of iron, and these micronutrients were extremely well preserved within a medium steak. As such, after eating a portion of steak, Babla"s complexion had already returned to normal, and there was even a hint of redness on her cheeks, giving her a very healthy and radiant look instead of the previous sickly pallor.
Is that it? Babla looked at the empty plate before her, and was still craving more.
Her resentment for half-cooked beef had been completely dispelled, and she had even developed a decent level of immunity to the taste of blood. She felt that even if she were to see blood again next time, her reaction would be far less p.r.o.nounced.
Mag just so happened to also put down his silverware. He turned to Babla as he asked, "Are you full?"
"I am." Babla nodded in response. The steak had evoked within her an incomparable sense of satiety, and also provided her with a vast amount of energy. She looked at Mag, and hesitated momentarily before saying, "It was very delicious."
"Then hurry up and go to bed. You have to get up for work tomorrow," Mag said with a smile. It was rather difficult to win praise from this princess.
"Alright." Babla stood up and went straight upstairs.
"Ugly Duckling, wake up! Wake up!" Amy squatted down and began to slap Ugly Duckling"s fat cheeks, alternating with her right and left hands. However, Ugly Duckling didn"t show any reaction.
Mag placed the plates and silverware in the dishwater before emerging from the kitchen, and said to Amy, "It might be drunk. Let it wake up on its own tomorrow."
"Alright. I"ll take it upstairs to bed, then." Amy heaved a resigned sigh before dragging Ugly Duckling behind her by the tail and walking up the stairs.
Mag looked on as Ugly Duckling"s face slid along the smooth floor before being dragged up the stairs with its head thudding into each and every step, and he couldn"t help but smile as he shook his head. Moderation when it came to alcohol consumption applied to both cats and humans. Otherwise, the situation would always end badly.
After taking a bath, Amy placed Ugly Duckling on a nearby chair with a disdainful expression. Tucking Amy into bed, Mag soon lay down on his own bed before opening the ice cream cake experience bag, and entering the test field for the G.o.d of Cookery.
The ice cream cake was an extension of this ice cream range. In this world, the concept of birthday existed, but it was up to him to instill within everyone the habit to eat birthday cakes.
Mag felt like that would be a great business opportunity, and there was no better way to promote the concept of a birthday cake than to offer one to the king of the Roth Empire on his birthday.
Mag suddenly discovered that he was thinking more and more like a businessman.
Soon after Amy and Mag both fell asleep, orange light suddenly appeared over Ugly Duckling"s body as it lay on the chair.
Its body slowly expanded and became round as if it were a balloon that was being inflated. All of a sudden, a pair of white wings sprouted from its back. It gently flapped those wings, upon which it rose into the air like a big round mandarin and flew in a circle around the room.
Ugly Duckling, which still had its eyes closed, suddenly sneezed. It then began to rapidly deflate like a punctured balloon, whizzing wildly around the room before diving headfirst into Amy"s little bed.
"Meow?"
Ugly Duckling opened its eyes with difficulty. It caught sight of Amy"s face before closing its eyes again and settling into a more comfortable position to sleep in.