Chapter 78

Chapter 78

Lu Danjiao was sent aboard the Starship.

The adjutant wasn't an idiot either.

It was better to accompany the young prince on his journey than to remain in the Royal City and incur the wrath of His Majesty.

The adjutant inquired, "When did you sign up for the Young Innovator's Great Invention Competition, Young Prince?"

With his chubby little hands propping up his cheeks, Lu Danjiao's mind had already flown to his own mature and kind father, who was currently being courted by a cunning wolf.

He didn't respond to the adjutant, only remaining silent, occasionally sighing.

Adjutant: "Young Prince?"

Danjiao snapped back to reality. "Oh, I participated."

Adjutant: ?

The aide could only speculate that he must have applied for it while he was away on a business trip to Emperor Star.

Lu Danjiao accessed the Star Network.

After reassuring his friend earlier that he was fine, it was now time for the official handover with his companion.

Turning to the aide, Danjiao said, "Stay here for now, okay?"

The aide felt as if his heart was pierced with countless holes.

The little prince had become distant from him.

He was no longer allowed to follow along.

Following Agent Two's provided route and plan, Little Pang Qiu arrived at an isolated corner.

Two little balls of flesh crouched in the alcove, whispering secretly to each other.

—Just like their first encounter on Wu Star.

The young prince was thrilled. "Danjiao, listen to me..."

"We are indeed twins," the young prince said. "If you could enter the inner court, it proves that you must have the blood of the Huo family."

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to get in with the aide holding him.

As he spoke, his eyes sparkled, and his voice carried a cheerful tone.

Lu Danjiao, however, didn't seem surprised.

Lu Danjiao covered his face with his chubby little hand. "...I already knew."

A rare expression of joy was visible on the young prince's face. "Lu Wei is also my father."

Lu Wei was also his father!

His super favorite Lu Wei was his biological father!

"Uh-huh," Danjiao nodded.

—– The terrifying Demon Sovereign was also his father.

Sob, sob, sob, sob, sob.

The two little balls of fluff had vastly different reactions to gaining a new parent.

It was an incredibly fortunate event for the young prince, as evidenced by the softening of his expression.

Lu Danjiao mostly felt pain, but he was genuinely happy about them being brothers.

"Did you always stay in the Royal City?"

Huo Nian nodded. "I did go out occasionally, but not often. Apart from the cub hunts, I would sometimes travel to distant planets."

Lu Danjiao's mouth dropped open. "So you've been to far-off places too? Dad and I usually just play around locally."

"But I was very happy on Wu Star."

The young prince added, "When he was with Father Lu."

Both youngsters agreed that their life on Wu Star had been joyful.

After all, a father was not the same as a father.

Lu Danjiao bared his teeth playfully, "We grew up on different planets!"

Now they knew for sure that they were each other's twin, unrelated to any cloning conspiracy theories.

This meant they didn't have to worry about His Majesty harming Lu Wei.

Danjiao propped his chin up, "But how did Father get lost back then? And why did they separate us?"

The young prince replied, "I've heard some legends suggesting it was the nobles of that time, but they're no longer in power. That clan seems to be absent from the Royal City now."

The young prince couldn't quite say whether they were absent from the Royal City or the world itself.

Prince Pudge pondered, "Should we still keep this from our father?"

"..."

It was better not to talk about this topic, for it made Lu Danjiao break into a cold sweat.

In a hushed tone, Lu Danjiao continued, "The devil already knows."

He added, "Didn't I mention that Dad went missing? The one who took Dad away is him."

The young prince fell silent.

Indeed, this was something their father would do.

Growing anxious, the young prince asked, "Then what's happening now? Did Father break Lu Wei's dad's legs?"

Little Pang Qiu burst into tears. "Dad is being held captive, and the devil won't even let me see him. He said we'll both receive a lecture when you return, and that my good times are over."

Young Prince: !!

Their father wouldn't forbid them from seeing their dad, would he?

The young prince clapped his hand on his forehead. "Suddenly, I remembered that there's a family rule hanging in the bedroom."

Danjiao peeked in. "A family rule?"

Although the rule had never been enforced, the young prince had an exceptional memory and could recall its content after just a brief glance.

The young prince recited, "It says: 1. Fat Boy must undergo morning training, studies, martial arts practice, and evening training daily; 2. Fat Boy is not allowed to occupy the Queen's leisure time; 3. Fat Boy can only engage in recreational activities with the Queen on Sunday afternoons."

Lu Danjiao was flabbergasted!

It was a shocking revelation.

Danjiao's defenses against Pang Qiu crumbled.

"What?! Are you sure you didn't misremember?"

The young prince nodded solemnly. "It hangs in the main hall, I'm absolutely certain it says that. But since the Queen has gone missing, this rule seems to have never been put into effect, though it still remains in the hall."

So what now?

Is this the family rule that gets enforced when Father returns?

Upon closer thought, it was clear who this rule was aimed at.

Probably when Mother and Father were still together, that wicked Demon King had already set it in place. At a time when they hadn't even been born, he had already considered them foes!

And then he would take over Father for himself!

How terrifying. There were actually people like that.

Even children weren't safe from his schemes.

Danjiao wept and pounded the ground. "No—this can't be true."

The young prince replied, "Then we won't get to see Lu Wei Dad even after we go back."

Could Little Fatty Ball endure this? He had been with Lu Wei since birth and had spent two and a half years living that way!

Lu Danjiao raised his arm. "We must resist!"

The young prince pondered earnestly, "Father is very cunning; he probably won't let his guard down easily."

Lu Danjiao snorted coldly, "I have a good idea if we target Father!"

The young prince was eager to hear the details.

Danjiao raised his hand, "We need to act properly."

The young prince caught on quickly, "That's how you tricked Lu Wei's father into taking a bath with you and feeding you, right?"

Lu Danjiao nodded, folding his arms, "You just have to be alluring and act coquettish towards Father; he falls for that."

The young prince clenched his fist against his lips.

He got it.

It meant pretending to be a 'green tea' – someone who acts innocent and charming.

He had pretended before too.

And he learned: those who dare to cry are the ones who gain their father's affection.

Drawing from the "senior's" experience, the young prince shared, "But this trick won't work on Father. He'll see through it in an instant."

Lu Danjiao's face fell instantly. "Devils don't fall for coquetry."

No!

It could be said that the Big Tail Wolf himself was skilled in manipulating Fatherly tactics, hence his aversion to them using the same approach on him!

Lu Danjiao declared resolutely, "That's why we need to resist and protest!"

The young prince shook his head. "You didn't spend much time with Father in the past few years, so you don't know that resistance is even less effective than being coquettish."

As a country bumpkin, Danjiao indeed didn't have much knowledge about demons. However, he had always been free to act wildly in the attic since he was young. Protests had always worked for him.

The young prince advised, "When it comes to dealing with Father, one must be more cunning."

Neither too soft nor too hard was the way to go.

Danjiao, filled with hope, asked, "What is it?"

The young prince replied with a solemn expression, "It's hard to say, because most of the time, Father actually knows, but it depends on whether he's willing to let me do it or not."

Lu Danjiao: "..." So there was no way out!

"He definitely doesn't want us to get close to Dad. How despicable, even guarding against his own child!"

The young prince rubbed his cheeks and said, "But things might be different now that Lu Wei Dad is here. Perhaps he has a way to deal with Father."

Lu Danjiao nodded in agreement like a little chick, "Yes, Dad wouldn't want to be separated from me."

The young prince lowered his eyelids, and his irises seemed particularly dark, "We have to win Lu Wei Dad over."

As he spoke those words, Lu Danjiao felt as if a devil was speaking.

－No wonder he had been raised by the terrifying Emperor; even his manner of speaking had a hint of similarity.

This gave Lu Danjiao some renewed confidence. With the young devil prince still in his care, there was still a chance for victory.

"Daddy, we must succeed!"

The two little plump balls hid in the corner, holding a lively exchange of experiences.

From a distance, they resembled two large mushrooms.

Given that their father now knew they were twins and was still angry, it was impossible for them to get close to Lu Wei. Thus, Huo Nian didn't rush to switch places.

Danjiao asked, "Aren't you going back?"

The young prince chuckled. "We can go back together."

Danjiao realized that made sense.

Anyway, the devil was currently on high alert against them, so he wouldn't allow either of them to see their father.

Yet, Agent Two offered a new perspective:

The young prince said, "If we go back together, we can give Lu Wei's father a fright."

Lu Danjiao seemed to see the devil's wings behind the other party: "Dad has amnesia, huh?"

The young prince pondered, "He's only guessing now. He's heard of me but doesn't know who I am."

Danjiao nodded, "Did Dad realize we switched last time?"

The young prince spoke with a calm tone, "Probably not."

"So Dad still doesn't recognize you." Danjiao slapped his forehead.

The young prince suggested, "You can say that you know me, that we're friends, and then appear together to give him a shock."

Danjiao thought for a moment; if two identical babies showed up, their father would definitely be astonished.

"Okay!"

The young prince averted his gaze.

- Actually, there was still something he hadn't mentioned.

That was: using Danjiao's words to evoke sympathy for himself, which would likely make Lu Wei's father love him more.

Unlike Danjiao, he hadn't been by Lu Wei's side since birth; the feelings Lu Wei had for him were surely more unique.

There was no need for him to continue discussing this with Danjiao.

...

The Juvenile Invention Grand Prix.

Lu Lan was on a mission!

As the sole participant from the Z galaxy, his presence was immediately the center of attention.

He had already been interviewed by the program prior to the interstellar live broadcast on the Star Network.

Danjiao handed over responsibilities to his playmate, "I'm off!"

The transformed young prince replied, "Alright."

They had hatched the "Scare Dad Silly Plan," and considering that Lu Wei might be watching the intergalactic live broadcast, the young prince decided to disguise himself.

The cub donned a hat and a pair of oversized sunglasses that concealed most of his face, leaving even Danjiao unable to recognize him at first glance.

In the waiting room, Lu Danjiao was under the intense gaze of other cubs and their agents.

These people were likely curious about what the cub from the Z-star system looked like.

Hmm, most of them were looking with a sort of "country bumpkin" gaze.

But Danjiao was used to it and didn't mind in the slightest.

The adjutant, on the other hand, was highly displeased, shooting back disdainful glares to defend his young prince's honor.

In his heart, he secretly scoffed at these "hicks" who didn't even recognize their own young prince.

The rule for the finals was to create an invention using the provided materials.

Although there were separate divisions, all the cubs' scores would be combined for an overall ranking at the end.

Lu Danjiao was seated beside a young one, and he greeted the child politely and amiably.

However, the young one merely glanced at him without responding.

Danjiao: "..." Ouch.

Before the child could speak, the aide chimed in, "Your young one seems rather impolite."

The adult accompanying the child responded, "How would I know if your kid isn't here to try and forge connections?"

Those words made the aide want to chuckle. He wondered when their young prince would ever need to "forge connections."

After the adult finished speaking, they ignored them.

Then, Danjiao started feeling a sense of familiarity.

That face seemed quite recognizable.

On the first day, the cubs were not competing but were informed of the available materials so they could plan their projects for the next day's creation contest.

The Material Zone.

The cubs had to rely on their memory to note down the required materials from a staggering variety of thousands. It was an intellectually demanding task.

Lu Danjiao took a quick glance at the materials and already had a clear idea in mind.

The whole process took less than ten minutes.

Logically, ordinary cubs would need at least half a day to plan their projects here.

This scene was broadcast live.

[How can this cub go through the materials so quickly? It can't be more than ten minutes yet, right?]

[Did they give up? Otherwise, they wouldn't leave this early.]

[Pretentious.]

Amidst the flurry of activity, all the candidates were diligently scribbling away, memorizing information and strategizing which materials to utilize and which to discard.

Yet, one individual stood out from the crowd.

Not only the spectators, but also the other examinees couldn't help but cast curious glances in his direction.

Upon closer inspection, they realized it was the youngster from the Z star system.

[This kid seems to be the one from the Z star system.]

No wonder, he must have thought the finals would be as trivial as playing house in the Z galaxy, right?

It's amusing, how did such a person even qualify for our finals?

Although these were merely comments from the audience, they echoed the thoughts of many present.

Unaware of the opinions of others, Lu Danjiao finished examining the materials he desired and proceeded to register his choices with the examiner.

The examiner kindly recorded his selections, and Danjiao was then free to leave.

Right in front of the adjutant holding the registration form, he asked curiously:

"Little Prince, why did you register under the name... Lu Lan?"

Danjiao brushed off the question nonchalantly: "Your identity is what you make of it when you're out and about."

Adjutant: Is that so??

"Is 'Lu' your surname?"

Pang Qiu casually replied, "Mm-hmm, I wanted to take after the Queen's surname."

Adjutant: "Huh?"

So why had he suddenly entered this competition and used an alias?

During the break, Danjiao and the disguised Little Prince continued to seize the moment to plan their "Operation: Win Father Back."

The two of them were engrossed in their discussion.

Taking a break to grab a drink of water, he was suddenly cornered by a youngster.

—It was the very same one who had ignored him.

The youngster was accompanied by his guardian.

"Swap me the Radiant Starstone you picked for yours."

The other party made their intentions clear with concise words.

The rule in this competition was that materials were claimed on a first-come, first-served basis. Some were in limited quantities, with only one available. Lu Danjiao, being the quickest, held the advantage.

Danjiao glanced at him and replied firmly, "No, I need it too."

His decisive answer left the youngster's expression sour.

The guardian chimed in, "After all, your Z-star system is just here for show. It's already an honor to be on the Sart Planet. You won't end up using those materials anyway, so why not let someone who truly intends to compete have them?"

In other words, Lu Danjiao had merely picked the materials haphazardly and was now causing trouble by snatching away precious resources from genuine competitors.

The adjutant immediately took offense. "What are you implying?"

The guardian shrugged nonchalantly. "I didn't say anything wrong."

Knowing that their conversation wouldn't be recorded, the guardian became even more audacious.

"Our contestant is a royal cub from the Sart Planet. This competition is essentially meant to boost his reputation. If you agree now, you'll save yourself from a lot of unpleasant procedures."

In the Royal City, the adjutant had to keep a low profile, but outside, he could act with impunity. He chuckled at the guardian's words.

"The eleventh prince of the Sart Planet, born to a servant. He's never been taken seriously since childhood and has always been overshadowed by his older brothers. It's understandable that he needs this to prove he's not a negligible figure."

The prince's face flushed with anger. "You! How do you know all this?!"

The guardian's expression shifted. "So what if I do? He's still a legitimate prince! Do you dare provoke us on Sartian soil?"

The adjutant chuckled softly. "Hmph."

Humiliated, the prince cub, unable to contain his childlike temper, grabbed Lu Lan's hand, determined to take him to the examiner for registration and material exchange.

Pang Qiu, the plump one, didn't expect the sudden ambush and, despite attempting to dodge, ended up having his arm caught. He promptly flung the other party away.

He had made the fragile prince cub cry.

This time, the guardian was hopping mad. "You country bumpkins from the Chasing Star System dare to make a noble cry? The royal family won't let you off lightly!"

Lu Danjiao, ever the instigator, genuinely added fuel to the fire. "Seems like I used too much force. Didn't expect you to be so delicate, getting thrown away with just a flick."

The prince cub: "…"

He cried even louder.

Despite this, the adjutant remained unmoved.

Seeing their calm demeanor, the guardian grew more cautious.

Upon closer inspection, they noticed something peculiar.

—That adult had a strikingly familiar face.

A silent young figure unexpectedly stepped forward, his tone indifferent:

"Who do you think it resembles?"

This youngster was wearing oversized sunglasses, obscuring his face.

Yet, the question he asked was as if he knew what the other was pondering.

"..."

Resembles whom?

The tone of his voice seemed eerily familiar.

The guardian gave him a closer look.

His expression shifted dramatically.

—Goodness, this face bore an uncanny resemblance to an official from Emperor Star.

Several years ago, the nobles from their region were invited to the Emperor Star's Prince's full moon celebration, and that was when he caught a distant glimpse of him.

The person before me is the adjutant of that sovereign.

Suddenly, memories long thought lost resurfaced.

"Aah..." The arrogant one immediately fell silent.

After offering that gentle reminder, the young prince vanished back into the crowd.

Lu Danjiao had lived on Wu Star for a long time, where the people were relatively simple and he seldom encountered arrogant and unreasonable nobles. Therefore, he tended to believe that everything could be negotiated amicably.

But he was different. He had seen too much favoritism and disdain.

Reasoning often fell on deaf ears; some individuals could only be swayed by authority or force.

The adjutant's gaze remained fixed on the youngster who had just spoken, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.

It was the prince cub's louder wailing that eventually drew his attention back.

The aide folded his arms and asked, "You remember now?"

His tone was calm, not quite an accusation, yet it carried an even more imposing presence.

Upon realizing who this person was, the guardian immediately put away their arrogance.

"I-I didn't expect the young prince of Emperor Star to attend such an event."

Their respect was impeccable, not a trace of the previous arrogance remained.

The aide lifted his chin and said, "Our young prince's hand is red from being held. How do you plan to address this matter?"

The guardian took a look and found that Lu Lan's hand wasn't red at all; instead, their own prince had lacked the strength, resulting in a abrasion on their own hand.

"…Yes."

Gathering his courage, the guardian urged, "Prince, please stop crying and apologize."

Prince: ?? Wasn't he just a country bumpkin from the Z-star system?

In the end, not only did the young prince apologize obediently, but he also compensated them with precious jewels and gold. The prince's attempt to intimidate had backfired, leaving him with a scrape.

It could be said that he had learned an early life lesson.

This was Lu Danjiao's first time witnessing such an incident of power being exerted. "Whoa."

—Outer space is so dangerous; Wu Star is much better.

They were all just country folk in their own way.

The aide didn't relax but kept glancing, intentionally or unintentionally, at the cub who had spoken up in the crowd.

Despite the hat and sunglasses, the aide felt a strong sense of familiarity.

From the figure to the pattern of speech, everything seemed recognizable.

The aide's eyebrows remained knitted in thought.

After walking some distance, he couldn't bear it any longer.

The adjutant strode briskly towards the crowd and squatted down in front of the cub.

"Little one, would it be convenient for you to take off your sunglasses?"

The disguised young prince: "... No."

Seeing him turn towards his own companion, Lu Danjiao bared his teeth and chased after him, "Adjutant, what are you doing!"

The adjutant was curiously frustrated, "Why are you, a little cub, wearing both a hat and sunglasses?"

The young prince ignored him and turned to leave.

But the adjutant swiftly caught hold of him.

"I'm an affiliated official of the Emperor Star's royal family. I'm not a bad person."

"...”

Adjutants were typically untouchable on foreign planets – it was an Emperor Star tradition.

Observing that the youngster ignored him and tried to leave, the adjutant promptly restrained him.

The young one had surprising strength and was skilled in combat, managing to wriggle free in an instant.

The adjutant's heart skipped a beat, then he swiftly lifted the youngster's sunglasses with his backhand.

In that moment, a pair of exceptionally beautiful and familiar eyes were revealed.

Adjutant: ????

He thought he must have been mistaken, so he rubbed his eyes.

By then, the youngster had readjusted his sunglasses, and Lu Danjiao caught up.

The two youngsters bore an uncanny resemblance.

Coupled with the face he had just seen...

Adjutant: !!!!

"Not... the two of you?!"

That meant – there were currently two identical youngsters standing before him.

The adjutant recalled in detail; one had to examine their faces closely to discern subtle differences in features and demeanor.

Huh?

The adjutant nearly suffocated, on the verge of collapsing.

It all made sense now – why the young prince seemed ordinary at times and explosively lively at others.

There were clearly two of them!!

Two young princes!