Felix handled his affairs at lightning speed. Now, it was just him and his secretary in the office.
He set the last document aside before removing the governor medal from his lapel and placing it gently on the desk.
The secretary took a step forward. “Sir–”
He paused as Felix looked up at him.
“Be direct. I’m in a hurry right now.”
He glanced at the time. There was still more than 10 minutes to go.
The secretary stared at the medal. He would have sighed and rolled his eyes dramatically a few days ago. Now, he missed it already. “It was an honour to work with you, sir. The pleasure was all mine.”
Felix might have lost in the political arena, but his first move after that was to protect his subordinates. The secretary might have come to this remote planet with every intention of returning to the Central Planet one day, but he had never regretted following Felix for a second.
Felix did not tease him or use a gentle tone to say things to piss the secretary off. Instead, he was frank, “I would have taken you with me if possible, but even my life no longer belongs to me now.”
The secretary remained silent. If he had to sum up his present understanding of Grantz, the only words that would come to mind were ‘powerful’ and ‘fearless’.
Yet completely entrusting one’s life to another party, especially an almighty ruler…
The secretary couldn’t imagine anything good coming of it.
The secretary looked up and diplomatically stated, Grantz is an imperialist nation. You aren’t familiar with their practices, sir. It’ll be hard to adjust. Surely we can–”
Felix patted him on the shoulder before he could finish. “If you really think about it, I’m the one reaping the biggest benefits from this deal.”
He pauser, “It’ll probably be that baldy taking charge after I leave. He may be on bad terms with me, but he’ll be neutral towards you. Also, bring that girl I mentioned to you before on board and build a good relationship with her… You’re still young. You’ll be able to leave this place one day.”
“May we cross paths again someday. Maybe we’ll be coworkers next time.”
With that, Felix made his leave. The secretary turned and followed him out instinctively. He watched Felix disappear down the corridor.
A staff member came to quietly greet Felix once he arrived at the port. “It’s the mothership marked with the Grantz insignia, Commander Felix.”
Felix didn’t correct the term of address. He just nodded and hurried over. As soon as he reached the docking area, the mothership’s hatch opened automatically. He paused briefly before boarding.
The illuminated arrows in the corridor guided him all the way to the command centre.
The door opened as soon as Felix drew near.
The command centre resembled a palace more than anything. The degree to which comfort was prioritized in each design detail aligned with Felix’s notions of personal motherships.
He bowed slightly. “Greetings.”
A paused. “Felix, at your service.”
He discreetly took in the sights.
Norton was looking out the window from the sofa. Meanwhile, Ye Muo walked over. The young prince had the typical Grantz features. His exquisite eyebrows and eyes especially resembled his father’s.
Theodore had changed into a white shirt, but his skin was paler yet. His hair was so light a shade that it appeared translucent, making him look somewhat inhuman.
Still, the way he trailed behind Ye Muo like a little sidekick actually made him seem more alive.
Ye Muo came over to greet Felix, “My name is Ye Muo. I also go by Xavier. Feel free to call me either.”
Norton finally glanced over like a lazy lion when Ye Muo approached.
Ye Muo seemed rather excited, even jumping up and down a little. “We’re a quartet now!”
The journey was a little lonely when it was just him and Norton before.
Felix’s tense nerves relaxed a fraction. He still remembered where Theodore had emerged from. Now, with Ye Muo’s two names, their powerful abilities, and their mysterious homeland…
It seemed like Grantz had far too many secrets.
Before him stood a genuine emperor and prince.
Ye Muo was already arranging a room for Felix. “You can stay here. Everything inside is brand new and yours to use as your wish. If you need anything, there are supplies in the warehouse you can access via the system.”
Felix hovered at the doorway. The room was spacious. To be honest, even his previous bedroom paled in comparison. “Thank you, Your High–”
His gaze paused on the bedside lamp. If he wasn’t mistaken, the lampshade seemed to be made of a thin, translucent insect carapace. Due to its glistening appearance and rumoured abilities to nurture psychic power and repel insects, it always fetched an astounding price on the black market. Also, were those insect crystals inside?
Ye Muo sobered up as he traced Felix’s gaze. See? He knew not everyone could accept insect-derived decorations.
Ye Muo, who could hold grudges sometimes, recalled the grotesque king insect specimens that had horrified him when he first arrived at the Grantz palace.
He ran over to Norton, placing his hand on the back of the sofa as he leaned in. “There aren’t any more king insect specimens in the palace now, right, Father?”
He continued before Norton could answer, “I was so scared that I couldn’t sleep well at night back then.”
Norton stroked his hair all the way back. “No, not anymore.”
The specimens that had once been in various palaces had either been auctioned off or moved to storage.
Felix watched on with a complicated expression. It was like seeing a lion swish its tail to comfort its cub. Norton’s tone with Ye Muo was so different than when he spoke to Felix.
……
Meanwhile, Lakely was a man of his word.
Things didn’t go as smoothly as he had hoped, however. It took him a long time to get in contact with the shipping company.
There was only one shipping route from the Alliance to Grantz. Looking at the galactic map, the route extended a long way off from the Alliance border through dangerous territory with no detours to seek temporary refuge in.
Due to the significant risks, private motherships likely couldn’t use this route. Travelling with a fleet was non-negotiable.
Additionally, due to the general lack of interest, the route remained closed to the public.
However, there seemed to be an uptick in traffic lately. As a result, Lakely eventually managed to contact a mothership fleet thanks to his connection to the Keller Federation.
After all, this route was developed with their help.
The only fortunate thing was that the departure port was on a nearby planet. However, time was tight and they were set to leave that afternoon. Lakely only had time to grab his portable space and his holomind before rushing to the port.
A crew member was already waiting at the port for him.
“Are you Lakely?”
Though it was phrased as a question, the crew member was already approaching him. “Follow me. We’re about to depart.”
“Okay, got it.”
Lakely trotted behind the crew member. The mothership took off almost as soon as he boarded.
He paused, “Are we really in such a hurry?”
The crew member gestured for him to move to the side. “Yes, our scheduled takeoff time was close approaching. If you had been five minutes later, you wouldn’t have made it.”
As he opened the partition leading to the corridor, he said, “I don’t know if anyone mentioned it to you, but since there are so many passengers on board, there aren’t any private rooms available, just standard seats. Not exactly ideal for long distance travel like this, but there’s nothing we can do about it.”
Lakely nodded. “Yes, the person in charge told me the conditions weren’t great so I came prepared. I can sleep in my seat. Still, are there really so many passengers? I had no idea. Besides, the tickets were such a pain to–”
Lakely stopped in his tracks at the sight before him.
The staff noticed and also stopped. He lowered his voice, “What’s wrong? I thought you knew about the conditions?”
It took Lakely a few seconds to muster a strained response.
There was actually quite a bit of space inside, and conditions were decent. The seats were spaced fairly far apart. There were even areas for activities and exercise.
However, why hadn’t anyone told him that all the other passengers were soldiers?!
Almost every seat was already occupied. The soldiers sat quietly with their backs pencil straight. Their heads turned in unison upon hearing the commotion. Their uniforms were in an unfamiliar style, and the insignia on their chests wasn’t that visible from this angle.
A man who looked like an officer stood up and approached. He nodded to the crew member. “May I ask what’s the matter here?”
The crew member also straightened up instinctively. He politely filled the officer in, “Please don’t mind us, sir. There’s just another passenger who joined at the last minute. He’s a tourist that didn’t notify us in advance. My apologies.”
The officer turned to Lakely and smiled. “A tourist? You don’t see one every day.”
Lakely was staring at the insignia on his chest, a familiar pattern of intertwined swords and flames.
These were Grantz soldiers!
Lakely didn’t recognize them at first since they weren’t in their combat uniforms. However, Grantz uniforms were quite stylish no matter the occasion.
The crew member tapped Lakely on the shoulder, startling him back to his senses.
“Huh? Sorry, I spaced out there.”
The officer adjusted his cap. He looked at Lakely and slowly stated, “As I was saying, it’s quite rare for someone to want to visit Grantz. There’s an empty seat next to me, if you don’t mind, that is.”
Lakely was overjoyed. “Really?? That’s great, thank you! You’re so kind.”
The officer paused for a moment, “You’re welcome.”
He had deliberately extended an invitation because he suspected Lakely of having ulterior motives, but now he was not so sure.
The crew member bid them a swift farewell.
Lakely relaxed as he followed the officer to their seats. “I was just startled when I walked because there were so many of you.”
He said sincerely, “Besides, I’m really curious about Grantz. You guys are so strong. I liked you guys from all the way back during the resource tournament. I was racking my brains for a way to learn more about Grantz. It’s so great that you guys are willing to take me with you! Don’t worry, I’ll go wherever you go. I don’t have any particular itinerary in mind.”
The officer sat down and touched the edge of his cap again. He hummed softly.
Lakely was already enthusiastically pulling stuff out of his portable space.
“Want something to eat? I brought a lot of snacks. Oh, it’s okay if you don’t want any. Want this instead? It’s great for taking photos. This is my address. You can come find me next time you’re here.”
Since they were so kind to him, how could Lakely not repay the favour?
