Chapter 16: The Newly Born King

Chapter 16: The Newly Born King

The king had his first psychic link with Lord Xi Yena.

This was news that thrilled all Ita tribe members aboard the starship, as it meant that after over a month of space travel and carpet-like searching, they were starting to approach the king's vicinity! Once close enough, Lord Xi Yena could send out the exact coordinates of the psychic link!

El repeatedly and shamelessly followed the hurried Xi Yena, "Is it true? Lord, can you describe that voice again?"

Xi Yena’s forehead tensed for a moment, while El, oblivious, lost all his usual arrogance and tsundere behavior in front of aliens, completely absorbed in the mindset of nearing the supreme yet timid nearness of the king.

"Oh my! I can hardly believe it, you said the king's voice is very soft, but the Ita Book records the king as tall and cold. Could it be because our king is still in his early stages?" El babbled on, his face showing deep concern. He started to speak incoherently, "The king told you he has nothing to eat, what do we do, brother Lord, if the king wishes to eat me, I will offer myself immediately—ah!"

El Xi Yena was suddenly pinned against the wall by his brother’s psychic force. In the cockpit, Xi Yena, with a slight frown, went over, “Where are the coordinates now?”

Inside the vast cockpit of the starship, the pureblooded Ita tribe members were all flushed, ready for the king to occasionally link with them too.

"Lord, we are currently in the Mistral Super Constellation, J51 star, near alien territories. This area is full of chaotic alien domains and lower-level planets. Alien lords rarely manage these small places, leaving them to fend for themselves!"

It indicated that the alien lords rarely interfered with the small asteroid where the king might reside.

The king’s situation was both dangerous and safe; he wasn’t born and securely served in the Roland Violette Garden but landed on a lower-level alien planet, making all the Ita tribe members of the First System anxious. However, the unknown alien monster lord had not detected the king’s presence, which relieved the Ita people.

They were eager to fly to the king’s side immediately, to bring the slender boy back to the Ita Empire.

Xi Yena issued a series of search orders in the cockpit and provided a potential coordinate direction for the first time. Each day of space travel consumed countless expensive resources, but they didn’t care, sparing no effort to find the king.

El, holding his aching head, floated in hazily. Xi Yena turned to look at him.

Before El could speak, Xi Yena coldly said, “I’m not a qualified servant.”

El paused, looking at his serious and composed brother whose white eyelashes drooped, his ice-blue eyes filled with indiscernible sorrow.

“I should present all the best things to that child, let the king know his nobility and greatness, and meet him immediately with the most perfect form and the most devout spiritual belief,” Xi Yena breathed deeply, his furrowed brows showing no sign of relaxing, “The Ita tribe has never had a king in his early stages lost in the outside world; I can’t imagine the king's loneliness and pain. Perhaps he is still hungry, while I am indulging in luxury.”

El instinctively tried to comfort, “Lord…”

Xi Yena only spoke so much when it concerned the king. He passed by El, his voice cold and mournful.

“You are of the Xi Yena family. If you are lucky enough, you too will hear such a voice. Just by hearing him speak, you’ll want to offer your entire body and soul.”

……

After noticing the stars in the sky getting brighter, watching the stars on the psychic sea at night became Yun Huai’s joy.

He often did this in Lu Lin'an's nest, but this was the first time Yun Huai felt a subtle connection with a star.

He truly felt its existence in his world.

At one moment, Yun Huai sensed a very cold breath, like white frost blowing past his ear. But having his own big snowy mountain, he didn’t feel cold, instead sensing a kind of kinship.

The feeling was fleeting, and Yun Huai couldn’t capture it again. He simply walked back and forth alone along the shoreline.

Yun Huai thought of Lu Lin'an again, a very hot and possessive monster. He comforted him, largely because he could effectively cool down Lu Lin'an.

Having grown accustomed to eating Lu Lin'an, the thought of the taste of the two-coin meal replacement made Yun Huai painfully grimace.

But he had no other choice; before the Ita tribe really attacked, he still needed basic thrift and survival.

Yun Huai thought this and planned accordingly, but the next morning, when he got up to wash the faces of more than ten war robots and opened his door, he was surprised to see a familiar figure at the door.

It was Lu Lin'an, who had returned.

But this time, he was without his conspicuous large wings.

He still had two long swords hanging side by side at his waist, which Yun Huai had never seen unsheathed.

With a complex look in his eyes, Yun Huai looked up to see Lu Lin'an casually sitting on the stairs, creating a posture that allowed them to see eye to eye.

“Good morning, here, breakfast.”

Lu Lin'an said, pulling out a boxed dairy fruit juice from behind. Yun Huai had only seen this packaging from afar in the high-end windows at the spaceport, bought occasionally for enjoyment by wealthy spaceship owners. He had never tasted it himself.

Yun Huai's stomach growled twice, but he didn't reach out to take it. He pursed his lips and looked at Lu Lin'an, “I thought you wouldn’t come back.”

Lu Lin'an tilted his head, “What gave you the impression I wouldn’t return?”

Yun Huai: “Because I coldly rejected you, and you are a proud person.”

“Sometimes, not so proud.”

“？”

Lu Lin'an again offered him breakfast, “Like now, for instance.”

Unable to argue with him and with the war robots behind him showing signs of wanting to attack Lu Lin'an, Yun Huai had no choice but to ask the monster blocking his doorway, “How much is this? I’ll go get the money for you.”

Lu Lin'an paused for a moment before saying casually, “It’s free.”

Yun Huai frowned, “You definitely paid for this.”

Lu Lin'an: “But the shop owner really didn’t charge me. He gave it to me after seeing my wings which I couldn’t retract in time.”

Yun Huai: “…………” Hoping the person is okay.

Lu Lin'an added, “I just brought it to you. You can consider it a free gift from me too.”

Unable to resist him and in a hurry to send the war robots to their interviews, Yun Huai reluctantly accepted the item.

Thinking it wasn’t Lu Lin'an's blood and wouldn’t cause an unbreakable food addiction, Yun Huai planned to taste it first and pay later, especially since he had been hungry all night.

Seeing Yun Huai about to drink, Lu Lin'an even inserted the straw for him.

Standing at the door, Yun Huai held the dairy fruit box, gulping down a few sips, his fair cheeks adorably puffing up. Lu Lin'an watched him motionlessly and noticed Yun Huai's gaze, asking, “How does it taste?”

Yun Huai honestly responded, “...It’s delicious.”

Only then did Lu Lin'an smile, his unique features transforming. When not smiling, he resembled a top predator that sent shivers down one's spine, but his smile accentuated his handsome features, his golden eyes seemingly able to hold the entire universe.

The dairy fruit box was indeed delicious, and Yun Huai detected a few familiar flavors, similar to Lu Lin'an's blood that he had tasted before. But he didn’t think much of it, assuming the box was intact and attributing his thoughts to his craving for Lu Lin'an.

In just that short delay, sounds of movement began outside the low, flat residential area.

Most residents here minded their own business, rarely paying attention to what happened in front of others' homes.

Previously, Yun Huai enjoyed this unobserved and peaceful life, but this morning was different.

A conspicuously large package, Lu Lin'an, was squatting in front of his door. Even though Lu Lin'an was sitting a few steps down, passersby from the K420 community still glanced over cautiously.

Yun Huai took a deep breath and pulled out a silver coin from his pocket, handing it to Lu Lin'an, “Thanks for the breakfast. I’m taking the robots for a bar interview today, then off to work at the spaceport. I’ve retracted all my psychic power. Once your nesting period is over, please leave K420.”

Lu Lin'an glanced at him, “You’re going to the bar? Shall I accompany you? We could also shop for clothes at the spaceport mall. I found a place last night.”

Yun Huai: “……”

Do you selectively listen to what I say?

Frowning, Yun Huai pushed the silver coin towards him again, and Lu Lin'an finally accepted it, albeit with a reluctant expression.

Yun Huai ignored him, turning to let the fully equipped war robots come out.

Each was wrapped in old fabric by Yun Huai, with only their pairs of ghostly white, piercing eyes visible.

Lu Lin'an raised an eyebrow, chuckling at the sight of these subdued Ita tribe machines.

The famed interstellar killing army now had this stifled appearance.

Most modern aliens likely wouldn’t recognize the Ita war robots from four hundred years ago, only fearing them for their legendary destructive power. Wrapping them up was a clever decision, at least preventing triggering planetary alarms for their frightening appearance before reaching the bar.

But Lu Lin'an's laughter didn't last long.

Because he realized Yun Huai was leaving with the robots without inviting him to join.

The man's expression briefly froze, a tingling heat rising on his back. Suppressing the urge to destroy, Lu Lin'an reluctantly crossed his arms and followed behind Yun Huai.

Thus, in the rarely visited K420 residential area, an unusual scene unfolded.

A wrapped-up, seemingly small and frail youngster followed by a group of mysterious, nearly two-meter-tall robots, with a taller, handsome man with a slightly annoyed expression trailing behind.

Unlike Yun Huai, who was cautious and guarded when stepping out, Lu Lin'an had no concept of keeping a low profile, boldly walking through the streets and alleys with a demeanor and appearance completely out of place in K420.

Yun Huai was aware of the eerie quietness behind him, another reason he previously didn’t want Lu Lin'an to follow. His presence was too conspicuous. Regardless of Yun Huai's cold demeanor, rejections, or indifference, Lu Lin'an would still reappear before him.

And this person didn’t have a fearful brother who could be summoned away with just a communication.

Perhaps, it really would only return to normal after his intense nesting period of longing and courtship ended.

……

The robot bar was usually busiest at night, and there were few people when Yun Huai arrived.

He stood again in front of the bar, greeted by the same little robotic spider.

The spider politely spoke, “I remember you, beautiful youngster. What brings you here this time?”

Yun Huai gestured towards the robots behind him, “Is the owner in? I have some very obedient robots here looking for work at the bar.”

The 'obedient' 0781’s eyes flickered slightly.

Yes, they needed to be obedient, not to add any more trouble or burden to their young king, whose life was already difficult.

Such large robots were rare commodities in K420. The little spider’s eight eyes quickly scanned the robots behind Yun Huai and then hoisted itself up, stating, “You may pass, but no drinking!”

Yun Huai: “...Oh, okay.”

He stepped inside the interstellar bar for the first time, instantly noticing a few robots in a corner clinking their energy drinks, along with some citizens of K420.

Yun Huai glanced over and then redirected his focus, leading the robots further inside.

The rhythmic yet daunting sound of mechanical friction drew the attention of the sparse daytime crowd, who mistook the newcomers for a small military unit.

But before Yun Huai could speak, a loud exclamation erupted from a corner.

“—Is that you?! You’re alive after disappearing in the abyss!”

Yun Huai turned slightly to see the tentacle man who had knocked him unconscious and thrown him into the abyss pointing at him, as if seeing a ghost.

He didn’t want to engage with them or argue, treating enmities lightly, but couldn’t escape his disaster-prone nature.

Behind him, the war robots began making creaking mechanical noises. Although Lu Lin'an had dismantled all their attack systems, their formidable combat skills remained.

Without the king’s command, they dared not add “trouble” for him.

However, not everyone thought or obeyed in the same way.

In the backlight of the bar's entrance, Lu Lin'an, leaning against the wall, played with a mechanical spider, twirling it on a thread in the air. Hearing the loud voice, he shifted his gaze from Yun Huai to the corner where several lower species gathered.

Yun Huai watched as Lu Lin'an’s hand, playing with the mechanical spider, slowly rose. The war robots in unison stepped back, but Yun Huai couldn’t intervene in time.

Lu Lin'an flicked his index finger forcefully, and in the next second, the tentacle man pointing at Yun Huai’s entire arm twisted unnaturally in the air.

It kept flailing as it fell.

Lu Lin'an’s action was so swift and fierce that the man stood frozen for three seconds before his scream erupted.

But his scream was short-lived. Yun Huai watched in horror as the man’s head and arm spun several times in the air like his limb, his neck twisting into a grotesque angle. No blood spilled, and after a brief pause of disbelief, his large body slumped down lifelessly.

He was dead.

Just like that, simply.

Lu Lin'an had killed the tentacle man without even inquiring about his crimes, but he was too intelligent. Perhaps he had already discerned that Yun Huai had been bullied by these people and cast into the abyss.

The youth, with slightly parted lips, turned his gaze toward the man at the door, only to see Lu Lin'an idly playing with the little spider.

A bit mischievous, somewhat wild, but more so, a chillingly absolute control over life, frighteningly indifferent. He hadn't even dignified the man with a word, killing him as easily as one would pluck a bothersome weed from the roadside.

"Sorry, couldn't resist," the man tilted his head slightly, his voice laced with a comforting smile for Yun Huai. “Continue what you were doing. Once this is over, we’ll go to the spaceport and buy you clothes.”

Author’s note:

Don’t underestimate the twisted Lu Lin'an just because he’s love-struck! QAQ

AG-0781: Why did you even provoke him?!

——

Setting Explainer: The above description showcases one of Lu Lin'an’s psychic powers, the Spatial Cube.

*Spatial Cube: Segments a person’s space into a 3D cube-like structure. The captor only needs to twist their fingers in the desired direction, and the trapped space fluctuates instantly, causing everything within it – heads, arms, etc. – to twist instantly (which is why making Lu Lin'an angry can really get you twisted into a pretzel!)