Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Being assigned such a thankless task on a small planet like Larenha was tantamount to exile, so whether one was diligent or not seemed hardly to matter.

With the leader absent, the subordinates grew even more lax, likely not even bothering with a perfunctory guard duty, having all gone home to sleep soundly.

By the time the Emperor learned of the escape and came to demand accountability, it would be far too late.

Nair Inan’s prison experience was a case of both downfall and triumph, all thanks to a male.

…

“Where are the others?”

Hearing the Heir Apparent’s question, Damon stepped forward to explain, “Heir Apparent, Yannick is in the control room piloting the ship. Only four of us came on this vessel. Some of the others are at the temporary base, while the rest, like us, are searching various remote planets for your whereabouts.”

Their ship was in poor condition. High-level planets like habitable worlds or tourist destinations required permits, and unregistered ships couldn’t enter.

Only ordinary planets like Larenha weren’t too strict about foreign ships, allowing private vessels to land as long as the occupants didn’t break any laws. The planetary authorities would turn a blind eye and wouldn’t expel the ship.

After chatting for a while, the group, who had been taking turns piloting the ship day and night without rest, finally relaxed and began to feel exhausted. Nair Inan noticed their fatigue and dismissed them to rest.

Early the next morning.

Lu Cian’s internal clock woke him up. As soon as he regained consciousness, he instinctively got out of bed, only for his feet to land on a plush carpet.

At first, Lu Cian didn’t react. He took two steps before suddenly shuddering, all sleepiness gone in an instant.

In prison, the floors were always cold metal. Every time he woke up feeling groggy, Lu Cian would place his feet on the icy ground to shock himself awake.

This time, instead of chilly metal, he felt warm, plush carpet. His first thought was that he had been kidnapped!

Then he reassured himself—with Brother Nan, such a powerful figure, sharing the room, how could anyone sneak in and kidnap him without a sound?

Lu Cian opened his eyes wide and surveyed his surroundings, staring in silence at the room that was countless times larger than his prison cell.

His thoughts were a tangled mess; he had no idea where he was.

Was he out of prison already?

Lu Cian scratched his head, but he hadn’t felt anything the night before.

Had someone drugged him, making him unaware?

Or was this all just a dream?

He pinched himself. “Ouch—” The force was a bit much, so the pain was intense.

Just as Lu Cian was still puzzling it out, the room door suddenly opened.

Seeing the familiar figure walk in, Lu Cian slowly relaxed.

“Brother Nan, where is this? Did you bring me out?”

He wondered silently—had Brother Nan completed his sentence and used his influence to get him out too?

After all, his charges weren’t that serious. If anything, he was the victim.

So, with enough money, he could probably be bought out, right?

Thankfully, Blair had already visited him in prison a couple of days ago. Otherwise, if he came today and found him gone, who knows how worried he’d be?

Nair Inan had come in to bring Lu Cian food.

Damon and the others were fugitives, so the food they provided was rough—boiled beast meat that tasted awful, though the flatbread was passable.

When Nair Inan woke up and went to the ship’s mess hall for breakfast, he saw what they were eating and realized they’d had it worse than him recently.

After his arrest, even though the biggest threat was gone, the royal family had for some reason cracked down on all major checkpoints, even rationing the sale of nutrient paste.

Nutrient paste wasn’t expensive. Compared to beast meat, it was far more convenient.

But now, bulk sales were banned. Only public channels and specially licensed companies could purchase large quantities. Private sales were prohibited, and even ordinary companies buying nutrient paste as staff meals risked being arrested as traitor collaborators.

Beast meat had fewer restrictions, but cooking it required hauling a cooler during their escape—otherwise, it would spoil quickly.

Under the Empire’s tightened dragnet and strict prohibitions, Nair Inan’s subordinates couldn’t buy nutrient paste in bulk and had to purchase tiny batches here and there.

But this was only a stopgap measure—there was never enough nutrient paste.

Eventually, they found an alternative: a fruit that could be ground into flour and stored for long periods. When needed, they’d mix it with water, roll it into small balls, flatten them into cakes, and either roast them over fire or boil them in water to make a filling mush.

It didn’t taste great, but staying alive came first now. As long as it kept their stomachs full, that was enough.

Nair Inan didn’t answer Lu Cian’s question. Instead, Lu Cian noticed the items in his hands and his attention shifted.

A plate and a bowl—the plate held a few flatbreads, while the bowl contained a noodle soup with dough drops. Lu Cian asked, puzzled, “What’s this?”

Nair Inan set them on the table. “Breakfast.”

Lu Cian nodded and sat down. “Yeah, I know it’s breakfast, Brother Nan. I’m asking what it’s made of. Why is it completely odorless?”

Nair Inan: “Dunno.”

Lu Cian: “...Brother Nan, you really are a man of few words.”

Assuming this was Brother Nan’s home, Lu Cian wasn’t too worried. It’d all make sense soon enough.

Once he got familiar with the surroundings, maybe he could even visit Blair and Rocco.

Wait—no, he should say, “understand the local situation.”

He knew how to behave well. He wasn’t the type to screw around.

Without spoons or chopsticks, Lu Cian washed his hands and picked up the flatbread to eat.

The moment he took a bite, Lu Cian felt his tongue had been poisoned.

He nearly spat it out but remembered how scarce food was here. Wasting it would be shameful.

Lu Cian forced himself to swallow.

“What is this? It reeks, and it tastes even worse!”

Lu Cian couldn’t believe anyone could mess up ingredients like this and still serve it to others.

“Who made this? This is a culinary war crime! Brother Nan, tell whoever cooked this to stop. I’ll take over the kitchen instead.”

Nair Inan was waiting for Lu Cian to say this, so he only took one bite of his breakfast.

After all, missing one meal was no big deal for him.

Adhering to the principle of not wasting food, Lu Cian still forced himself to finish the remaining meal.

Once done, Lu Cian felt like he'd survived an ordeal.

"Brother Nan, is this your home? Can you show me around?"

This time, Nair Inan was unusually agreeable and stood up to give Lu Cian a tour of the spaceship.

Stepping outside, Lu Cian still didn’t realize it was a spaceship. Seeing doors just like his own lining the hallway, he marveled at how large Brother Nan’s home was.

After walking for a while, the view suddenly opened up, and a tall, burly insect-man with a composed demeanor approached them. The insect seemed about to speak but was stopped by a gesture from Nair Inan.

"Brother Nan, is that your relative?" Lu Cian asked.

"No."

Lu Cian suppressed a sigh—his Brother Nan remained as terse as ever, never wasting a single word.

"Brother Nan, your home is huge, but why are there so many sleeping areas? Do you have a big family or something?"

"How come there aren't any windows? I haven’t seen any so far. Is this a villa or a high-rise?"

"We haven’t come across any other sections along the way. Is this entire huge space just one giant reception hall? It’s so strange."

"Brother Nan, where’s your kitchen? I haven’t seen one yet."

Nair Inan cut off Lu Cian's chatter and replied, "This isn’t my home. It’s a spaceship."

"A... spaceship?"

Lu Cian gaped.

Anyone waking up to find themselves not in prison but on a strange spaceship would be surprised.

Moreover, after walking around, Lu Cian found it hard to believe this was the interior of a spaceship—its layout might as well have been a prison.

Everything was made of cold metal walls, the silver-gray reflective surfaces giving everything a sterile gleam on his face.

"Brother Nan, is this really a spaceship? I can’t tell at all!" Lu Cian still couldn’t fully believe it.

If he was truly on a spaceship, that meant he had already left planet Larenha—and he didn't even get to say goodbye to Blair!

Would Blair think something had happened to him, that he'd got himself killed?

Lu Cian tugged at his hair in frustration. Why did he keep getting "killed off" without his consent?

Nair Inan took Lu Cian to the control room, where a large screen showed live feeds from outside the spaceship from all angles.

When faced with the vast, boundless expanse of space, Lu Cian froze like a statue.

Holy shit, is this the universe?

The universe wasn’t just darkness—it truly had the postcard-perfect starscapes, just like in images.

But actually being in space fell flat compared to the beauty, mystery, or awe of those online pictures. Instead, Lu Cian only felt a crushing weight of emptiness.

Those dazzling lights and romantic vistas didn’t relax him. He felt as though he were trapped in a dark cage, where he could be snuffed out like a bug.

Perhaps it was too vast, too alien, too overwhelming—Lu Cian only felt his own insignificance, leaving him with nothing but the void pressing in.

He struggled to suppress his discomfort and get his head straight.

Once he recovered, Lu Cian was still excited. Watching an insect at the control panel, hands blurring across the console with dizzying speed, left him completely awestruck.

Lu Cian didn’t dare disturb the insect—what if pressing the wrong button caused a navigation error? He'd be the one paying for it.