Chapter 121: Who Is Joking with You?

Chapter 121 Who’s Joking with You?

In the public starzone, a certain mech squad from the Gesen Empire spoke with blatant arrogance, even laced with mockery.

Saint Cas? What the hell is Saint Cas? Talking that trash here is utterly useless.

What’s the point of your dying husk of Saint Cas struggling to cling on? Better cut your losses and slink away now—maybe you’ll save some face.

They spoke again—"You call this mining equipment? Is this even a place you belong? You gotta be kidding me—"

The mech had already landed beside the small robot and raised its foot to kick.

They zeroed in on one that looked clumsy, its movements completely uncoordinated—an easy target.

Xiao Chuzao, holding a joystick: ?

Finn sidestepped casually, stepping away from the doorway.

Though he was solely responsible for the little one and constantly on edge...

These guys were just too weak.

And since they weren’t directly attacking the child, the guardian couldn’t care less—if the little one’s toy was about to be wrecked, he’d have to handle it himself, right?

"Back off! This is neutral space, and there aren’t even any beasts around!"

The starship cannons of Saint Cas were raised, their nerves on edge. They’d already screwed up too many times in front of Chu Zao and Finn, not to mention that provoking Saint Cas was one thing—but now they were provoking the Crown Clan.

On this point, they would not yield.

Hearing Saint Cas’s words, the Gesen Empire’s mech pilots thought to themselves.

Exactly—

For some reason, beasts never came to this area, making them hesitant to explore. Only recently, as the Gesen Empire grew more stable, had they dared to search bit by bit—only to stumble upon Saint Cas’s starship.

How bizarre—why would Saint Cas be here?

The Gesen Empire was vast, the largest and most prosperous empire in this sector of the galaxy. Under the premise of "entertainment to death," the entire empire carried an unhinged, party-hard vibe.

Meanwhile, Saint Cas had been pushed further and further to the fringes of the hunting zones, now far removed from the Gesen Empire.

Generally, Saint Cas knew better than to mess with the Gesen Empire.

Not to mention, Saint Cas had nearly exhausted itself just to develop mechs—their technology was barely passable at best, and their starship cannons were even worse. Against the Gesen Empire’s heavy mechs, they probably couldn’t even scratch the armor.

Thus, the Gesen Empire’s crew was swaggering with confidence, landing one after another to begin the cleanup operation.

No one paid any attention to the incoming cannon fire.

And just as predicted, the mechs intercepting Saint Cas’s cannons came back clean, further confirming that their firepower was just for show. But as the smoke from the cannon strikes slowly cleared...

The next moment—the Gesen Empire’s mech squad froze.

The mech that had just landed to kick the small robot now looked like it got skewered by an immense force, its power core crackling as a gaping hole appeared.

As if stunned, the pilot inside went dead silent.

The members of Saint Cas were just as stunned.

That was—that was the Gesen Empire's heavy mecha!

They turned to look at Xiao Chuzao, who had dropped the controls.

Above his soft black hair, the golden crown swayed gently, gleaming. Chu Zao didn’t even lift his head, his right hand gripping the bow as he fired off a shot without even aiming toward the side. The arrow shot through the starship hatch Finn cleared, striking the mecha.

They had said it from the very beginning.

For the sacred Longlived race of the Crown Clan, whose off-the-charts destructive power was unmatched, these mechas were nothing more than tin cans—total pushovers.

"L-Little Highness?!"

Before they could even finish speaking, Chu Zao was a blur—gone before they could blink, he had already appeared right in front of the mecha.

His honey-colored eyes calmly glanced at the beat-up little droid of the Saint Cas.

The person inside the mecha hadn’t even processed what had happened yet.

Chu Zao’s arrow was already aimed point-blank at their head.

Just from the screen—the menace was palpable.

What?

What was this?

What had just happened?

The person still hadn’t managed to react—his mecha had already lost power, pinned beneath Chu Zao’s foot.

Hearing Chu Zao speak, his usually gentle and soft face devoid of any smile—

"You think this is a *joke*?"

Who allowed you to touch these little robots?

His eyes glinted as he played with their terror, amplifying their fear to its peak.

The opponent had completely lost their mind, frantically trying to raise the mecha’s cannon to take Chu Zao out.

But how could a dead-in-the-water mecha possibly be faster than Chu Zao? Drawing the bowstring, the tail of the arrow ignited with black flames before he released it—KABOOM!!

Clearly, there was a reason the Crown Clan was feared.

In many cases, the Crown Clan showed no mercy.

And Zao Zao, who had been back with the Crown Clan, had been taught well by Hale and Amos—Hale had once remarked that Zao Zao’s current abilities were overqualified to lead Saint Cas and even surpass it.

The Gesen Empire’s mecha squad, which had not yet fully landed, jerked to a stop, gaping in panic at the scene unfolding below.

"What the hell is going on?"

"What’s happening? What is that? That glowing weapon wreathed in black fire—"

"I don’t know, is that a freaking *bow*? But how? How could an arrow crack our armor??"

Amidst the chatter on the comms, Chu Zao raised his bow with one hand, his wings flaring wide behind him—though he didn’t take flight—as he gazed at the mechas looming in the sky.

Across the feeds of the Gesen Empire’s mecha squad—

The dust still hadn't settled, shrouding the surroundings in a layer of haze.

Those honey-colored eyes shone brilliantly through the gloom, instantly terrifying everyone and silencing the comms. Frozen in terror, not a single one of them remembered to report back to the Gesen Empire.

At that moment, Chu Zao drew his bowstring toward the sky, and amidst the haze, flames burst forth.

They screamed in panic.

"Aim—aim at him, fire!!"

But these attacks—they were no match for Third Uncle's, right?

Chu Zao released the bowstring, muttered softly.

"Too... slow."

Finn watched from afar, listening to the explosions and the sound of mechs crashing down.

He rested his chin in his hand.

"When he's serious, he really does look just like Amos—?"

And when provoked, he looked scarier than Amos.

Not to mention, this little one was good at reading people.

So death—would come when fear was greatest.

If one had to say, it was hard to say who the real tyrant was.

Only now did the members of Saint Cas's sacred territory, who had never really understood the power of the Crown Clan, start to realize something was wrong—

They had even had their little meetings, pondering many things.

Was their homeland struggling too? Would sending their fleet be too much?

Saint Cas's sacred territory had already considered much on behalf of Saint Cas, walking on eggshells, afraid to ask questions.

Only now did they understand the innate arrogance of the Crown Clan.

Most beings in this star system simply couldn't hope to match the Crown Clan in terms of power.

They were just starting to understand it, bit by bit.

And they had no idea that the Crown Clan's past suffering was solely because the corruption was their one weakness.

Chu Zao stormed back angrily.

Only after stepping through the starship's door did he look their way again.

"Get what you needed? Looks like we lost a lot of bots."

Chu Zao grumbled.

"Who attacks first and asks questions later?"

This star system had no idea what the Crown Clan was. No one realized what kind of powerhouse the sacred territory would become. They were used to looking down from above, pushing the beast threat down the chain.

So this was the first time Chu Zao had encountered humans who attacked without hesitation.

"N-not yet—"

Lai Qing finally spoke mumbly.

"We’ll keep harvesting now."

Chu Zao nodded.

He glanced at the mech wreckage outside.

"Inform this cocky Gesen Empire not to provoke us again. Saint Cas’s pride isn’t up for grabs. If there is a next time, they will face even harsher retaliation."

Of course, Chu Zao remembered getting even with the Gesen Empire, but clearly, Xiao Chuzao was more eager to deal with those cocky monsters.

Lai Qing quickly responded, "Understood!"

At this moment, he spun around, dizzy, exchanging glances with the other council members. They all looked shell-shocked, totally blindsided by everything that had happened.

That feeling of being at a loss.

Lai Qing barked at them to keep mining while he earnestly began drafting the formal warning.

Meanwhile, Chu Zao looked back at the battered little robots behind him.

In a place no one could see, Xiao Chuzao pouted, cheeks puffing.

Great. Toys wrecked.

His wings folded behind him, the snow-white feathers all puffed up from his earlier anger. Chu Zao seemed to realize something and turned to look—unable to believe his eyes—

Xiao Chuzao turned back again, then whipped his head away.

Crap—his wings were a disaster!

As he grew older, he hardly ever cried these days or felt extreme distress, so his wings usually stayed neat with just a little tidying—something Xiao Chuzao could manage.

But if they got ruffled, Chu Zao was still clumsy and couldn’t fix them properly.

Daaad!!

At this age, still spoiled by his parents and not very skilled at grooming his feathers, the Little Crown Clan screamed inside for his father.

In the end, he gave in and reached out to smooth them, but the mess barely budged. Frustrated, Chu Zao pulled his wings forward, trying again to straighten them.

The results were minimal. Eventually, irritated, he considered yanking out the stubborn feathers that refused to stay in place.

He paused briefly.

Pulling out feathers—Dad’d skin him alive for that.

Third Uncle wasn’t good at grooming feathers either and would hurt Zao Zao—not the kind of pain from plucking them himself. Finn had some restraint, but not much, so when he tugged at Xiao Chuzao’s feathers, it was a throbbing pain. After one experience, Chu Zao never let Third Uncle touch his wings again.

Annoyed, Chu Zao gave his little curls a shake, along with his small wings—

Finally, messy-haired Zao Zao decided to leave it be for now—tucking his wings away, if he couldn’t see it, it didn’t exist.

Nearby, Chao Huangmu itched to step in but bit his tongue.

Preening feathers was something Chao Huangmu had never done before.

But he thought he could give it a try—

Yet before he could even speak, Xiao Chuzao had already tucked away his ruffled wings.

Chao Huangmu: "..."

Too late—already gone.

You snooze, you lose!

In the end, Chao Huangmu slumped in disappointment.

The starship soon collected the required minerals and began its return journey.

It was already way too late.

Normally, Chu Zao should have been asleep long ago.

But too much had happened these past few days.

Chu Zao hadn’t gotten a decent rest.

It wasn’t until Finn pushed Chu Zao to go rest, and stood guard nearby.

Only Chao Huangmu and the members of the Sacred Territory remained in the command room.

Chao Huangmu had always kept a low profile, mostly just doing whatever Chu Zao said.

Now, the young man with a beaming smile placed a pile of shiny gems and metallic pieces on the table, counting them one by one before stuffing them back into his space button with satisfaction.

This was practically a daily routine for Chao Huangmu.

Lai Qing had already sent out the official notice and turned to look at Chao Huangmu.

"So—"

Chao Huangmu looked up, appearing very approachable.

"Hm? What is it?"

"No, no big deal..."

Lai Qing paused, then hesitated before speaking. "Their Highnesses’ power..."

Chao Huangmu could probably guess what they wanted to say.

Though Chao Huangmu himself wasn't very emotional, he had spent his whole life reading people, so he knew exactly how to react appropriately in most situations, getting it pretty close.

Now, Chao Huangmu simply gave a reassuring smile.

"No need to worry."

The handsome, cheerful young man still carried a boyish charm.

"All Saint Casians know that as long as His Majesty or the princes are here, everything will be fine."

"There's... no need to worry."

Chao Huangmu said.

"Especially with Zao Zao being that strong."

Honestly, I'd rather just hope nothing goes wrong on the way back.

Chao Huangmu thought to himself—after experiencing it firsthand, he was also at a loss for words regarding His Highness Finn's uncanny luck.

However, the return journey indeed went smoothly, which even made Finn, who had started doubting himself, wonder if he was just biding his time for disaster.

After the ore was refined, the substances used for treatment were extracted, just barely scraping by in time.

Although there was a large quantity of these drugs, their actual effectiveness was limited. This region primarily focused on developing mechas, paying little attention to pharmaceutical research.

Thus, recovery was extremely slow.

Day by day, time passed, and the official Survival Contest was approaching.

The official Survival Contest was divided into two stages.

All nations and regions in this star system were busy preparing for this do-or-die game deciding next year's fate.

Naturally, the Gesen Empire also received the formal admonition from the Saint Cas Sacred Territory.

However, Lai Qing did not directly pin the disappearance of the Gesen Empire's mecha squad on themselves, so the empire's higher-ups, who had already done shady things during the warm-up matches, didn't even consider that possibility.

The dispatched mecha squads were not elite forces—they were cannon fodder for the empire. Occasionally, they might stray into dangerous zones and be snatched up by passing Monster Commanders.

This was something that happened from time to time, and they were used to it by now. Naturally, they assumed the squad, which had sent no distress signals, had gotten lost in pollution and was eventually eaten by Monster Commanders.

Thus, the Sacred Territory's warning letter seemed a total joke to them.

"They know?"

Emperor Yakai of the Gesen Empire sat on his throne, silently watching his ministers discuss below. He held a scepter embedded with a red gem, narrowing his eyes as he observed everything around him.

"They've figured it out. Didn't Ji Yuan taunt them before leaving? Yet the Sacred Territory's mecha pilots still returned alive, so it's normal for them to realize we were targeting them."

"Oh, that makes sense. I was going to say, what was the point of Ji Yuan's mockery? Why tip our hand and risk it? But thinking about it, it's clear from earlier that we were targeting the Sacred Territory."

"So this warning letter is because of that?"

"Don't make me laugh. What does the Sacred Territory think it is? Equating itself with the great empire? These clowns are dreaming."

"Look at the timing—it's been days since then, and we're only receiving it now. Seems like they spent a long time quaking in their boots before daring to send a mere warning letter in protest. Hahaha, pathetic, really. I don't think it's even worth discussing."

"You're right. Just toss this warning letter aside. Acknowledging them would be giving them too much credit."

"Your Majesty, your thoughts?"

Emperor Yakai, seated on the highest throne, skimmed his ministers, then looked away.

He stared blankly outside.

"Sacred Territory? I wasn't even thinking about them."

"Hahaha, His Majesty's summary is spot on."

"Indeed, the Holy Land has completely lost its presence. And Saint Cas? I recall they once called themselves the Holy Land of Saint Cas long ago, but hasn’t that name been abandoned for ages? Today, we see it again."

"Toss it away—" Someone glanced at the warning letter, casually discarded it, then turned to Emperor Yakai and asked, "What’s on Your Majesty’s mind?"

"What am I thinking about?"

Emperor Yakai lowered his head, propping his cheek lazily on his hand, golden locks falling across his face with a hint of cruelty.

"I’m thinking about which one to deal with next year. Should we target a newly formed settlement, or get rid of the Eastern Alliance?"

"That’s true. The Eastern Alliance may appear weak on the surface, but they’ve been secretly currying favor with the Holy Land. It’s quite irritating."

Meanwhile, the Eastern Alliance was also discussing countermeasures.

They were just as confused by the events unfolding in the Holy Land.

Yet, at the last moment, they contacted the Holy Land, attempting to seek cooperation. The Eastern Alliance also hoped to help the Holy Land during the Survival Contest—whether to avoid becoming a target themselves or out of genuine goodwill, they made their intentions clear.

The Holy Land responded enthusiastically.

However, the Eastern Alliance noticed something.

Since the last Pollution Tide, the unease that once gripped the Holy Land had vanished.

It was as if they had gained stability, stabilizing at last.

This left the Eastern Alliance completely baffled.

Meanwhile, the Holy Land was also preparing—

After controlling small robots, Chu Zao attempted to handle a mech, hoping to confuse the enemy and scout the beasts’ movements.

But it was still awkward.

The mech lumbered awkwardly, and Finn faced the same issue.

Chao Huangmu, who was adept at handling basic mechs, adapted quickly.

In the end, he couldn’t help but sigh—the Crown Clan truly seemed like a race all brawn, no finesse.

At the same time,

After days of grueling journey,

In the tainted wasteland beyond the barrier,

Countless beasts were scattering in terror.

A colossal winged creature flapped its ragged wings, weakened by its inability to escape the pollution and its distance from the barrier, occasionally letting out guttural snarls.

A battle-scarred starship, ravaged by pollution power, finally discovered an area where the pollution was faint.

The emblem of the Saint Cas Group Army was also slightly damaged.

Inside the starship, everything was operating smoothly.

"Your Majesty, we appear to have traversed the contaminated sector and arrived in an uncharted star system with an unknown civilization. Relevant data is being retrieved, and the location of Little Highness is also being further pinpointed."

Amos watched the lively little dot representing the cub bouncing around on the screen.

"Proceed. Ignore these beasts for now."

Amos raised his hand, gripping the Psychic Sword. In that instant, killing intent surged.

"Yes!"

Meanwhile, the annual cutthroat survival tournament in this star system officially began.

Countless broadcasting drones took flight—observing as the Gesen Empire made no attempt to hide their intentions, landing and immediately searching for the location of Saint Cas.

On the Saint Cas faction's side—Chu Zao clumsily fumbled with the mech controls, excitedly chatting with Finn, who was just as cramped and miserable inside the mech.

"Uncle, this is kinda fun."

"What’s fun about it—" Finn muttered. Energetic kids think everything’s fun, but adults had more to consider—"Don’t go too far. In here, Uncle can’t keep up with you—really, it’s all because of you, Zao Zao—"

He couldn’t shake the feeling that the recent smooth days were just the calm before the storm.

Then Finn saw a mech provided by Saint Cas, painted with the Saint Cas emblem, circle around him and strike a silly pose—the little mech looked clunky and awkward, moving in jerky motions.

While no one was looking, Xiao Chuzao quickly said, "It can even dance."

Finn: ...

Chao Huangmu "froze": ...Ah, adorable.

Finn lowered his head to examine it—then spun in a circle too.

Well, gotta say, it’s actually fun.