Chapter 398: Stowaway
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Lanina looked at Y'zaks excitedly and began to talk incoherently. Y'zaks waved at her and said, "Calm down and tell me what happened. How did you survive? How did you find me?"
The demoness smiled tearfully. Vivivan never thought demons could have such complex emotions. Lanina held her hands together tightly, as if by doing this, she could prevent herself from passing out. "I-I was flung into an adjacent dimension by a spatial storm when Osidian Throne collapsed. I hid in there for a long time, and managed to escape the pursuit of the Holy See's forces and later on the demons.
She walked towards Y'zaks, and Hao Ren immediately noticed thatshe was actually limping. It looked like she was injured.
Y'zaks' furrowed his brows. "What happened to your leg?"
Lanina looked at her leg in trepidation. "It was all my fault. I got lost somewhere, then got hit by a giant metal ship that came down from heaven. My leg still hurts."
A thought suddenly crossed Hao Ren's mind as he recalled the moment. "Wait a second, did you say you were hit by a giant metal ship? Where did it happen?"
The demoness gave Hao Ren a confused glance; she was wary of the stranger. Y'zaks then nodded at her and said, "He owns this place. Just answer what he asks you."
Lanina could not make out what he meant. She just looked at Hao Ren fearfully and answered every question he asked. "I can't exactly recall where it happened. All I remember is, it was a planet with a big ocean, much like this place, and the giant metal ship looked like..."
After Lanina recounted what had happened, Nangong Wuyue and Y'zaks had a weird expression on their faces. Hao Ren reached into his Dimensional Pocket and took out a piece of deformed metal, which had a scratch on it. He compared the metal piece and the lower body of the demoness, then the penny dropped. "Ah, it was you!"
The demoness was perplexed. "What?"
"Apparently, you were the one who kicked down my daughter's courier pod with your side kick." Hao Ren's mouth twitched as he looked at Lanina. "But, from the looks of it, your kick was just a natural reflex. You're still limping."
Lanina appeared clueless. She had no a clue what the stranger was talking about, or why these humans were not afraid of demons. Y'zaks knew this subordinate of his was a little feeble-minded, so he patted the sofa, motioning her to sit down. "Tell me about your journey. Do you know how far you've come? This is another world altogether."
Lanina sat down respectfully and faced Y'zaks. They were immediately surrounded by a bunch of busybodies. As her eyes scanned her surroundings, she said, "I hid in an alien dimension and dodged their pursuit. When I finally got out, a month had already passed and the spatial dimension's exit had shifted to a spot near the lava canyon. I kept myself updated with news of the war on the way back to the battlefield, then I learned..."
"That we had lost the war, right? Don't worry, there's nothing you can't say," Y'zaks said carelessly. "Did you find out about my whereabouts?"
"Yes, I did. I learned that you were headed towards Blackiron Peaks, so I went straight there. But then I had an accident on the way and got lost. When I finally arrived in Blackiron Peaks, I only knew that you had been captured and brought to the Demonic Plane. I followed your trail and eventually found your location in the Demonic Plane. However, just as I was about to get you out of the prison..."—Lanina paused for a while as though she had difficulty in telling them what actually happened—"I saw a woman in the shape of a spirit appearing just outside your cell. She then obliterated the Demonic Foundry entirely and disappeared with you in a flash of white light. My King, who was that woman? Was she our ally?"
"She called herself Tawil, a deity who has the ability to reincarnate infinitely. The spirit you saw was just her ray of thought," Y'zaks explained to his former subordinate. "She took me simply because I was a weirdo, she was curious. The white light was the gateway to other worlds."
Lanina looked at Y'zaks in astonishment. "A deity? My King, didn't you hate things like that?"
"I only despised those deities who fought for their own self-interest in the confines of their own small bubbles." Y'zaks widened his mouth in derision of the self-proclaimed "gods" in his hometown. "So, you came here through the white light too? But then again, that's impossible. I went through a transit and the immigration check at the World Gate was very strict. How did you stow away?"
Lanina did not know what "stow away" meant, but she had a rough idea on what to say. "With the help from a bunch of green, gnome-like creatures..."
"Green creatures? Gnomes?" Hao Ren chimed in at once. He did forget his true identity as an inspector of the Empire. He had to watch out for stowaways. He needed to collect as much intel as possible of those who crossed worlds without first reporting themselves.
Lanina nodded and said, "When I went through the white light, I found myself in a strange place with self-operating machines. They were like alchemical equipment, but much more advanced, and they were everywhere. Then, there was a glass hall where strange races traversed..."
Y'zaks explained to Hao Ren quietly, "It's the hall of a small sub-hub in the docking station. She jumped into the white light before it disappeared and got flung in a different direction."
"I lingered in that strange place for several days." Lanina pulled her together. "The people there understood the demonic language, so communication wasn't a problem. I met Geeste Sparkplug, a gnome who told me that he was from Suicide Transporter. In exchange for a demonic gem, he sold me intel on the whereabouts of a higher demon, who had just left the place a few days earlier..."
"Then you stowed away on the gnome's commercial ship, right?" Hao Ren smacked his head. He had learned of a gnomish transporter with imperial background. It was famous in multiple worlds for its ideology: "Any business is welcomed as long as it doesn't land us before the fire squad." They probably took advantage of a loophole to smuggle this demoness of unknown origin via the civilian route. The empire would not blink an eye at small smuggling cases. "How did you get yourselves sent to 800 light years away? The gnomes must have known Y'zaks was sent to the Solar System."
The female demon lowered her head slightly. "...Because of a small problem. I was lost in space. I've learned the magic required for space survival and warp jumps, but I'm not good at directions."
Hao Ren recalled the note that Raven 12345 left behind. He looked at the aide-de-camp, who appeared to be pretty trustworthy, and recalled her saying that she was lost. He turned and asked Y'zaks, "Is she directionally challenged?"
"Let me do the introductions. She was my military strategist." Y'zaks raised his hand, pointing at Lanina. "She was good in battle, but only battle. Direction-wise, yes. And it's pretty serious."
Lanina looked up and said, "I've improved!"
"You even get lost on a one-way street from Augite Hall to the Obsidian Throne." Y'zaks glared at Lanina. "And you told me you accidentally walked in the other direction! Who would believe that?"
He then waved his hand and sighed as if he had seen through the vanity of life. "Let it be. I don't care how you survived. The most important thing is, you've arrived here safely. Please stay here in peace."
Lanina suddenly got to her feet and looked at Y'zaks in disbelief. "My King, won't you follow me back?"
Y'zaks replied, "What for? Let bygones be bygones. After all, I'm pretty happy here."
"But, your magnificent—"
"Magnificent plan? There will always be someone willing to carry it out. Perhaps a human who is smarter, or any other Tom, Dick and Harry. As long as the civilisation remains, there will be someone who is interested in the truth of the world. But it doesn't concern me anymore." Y'zaks flopped himself on the sofa and sighed again. "I'm not your king anymore. I'm now Wang Daquan, who is having a good life here."
Lanina was dumbstruck, looking at the dejected version of Y'zaks. She could not believe that this was the demonic king who had once defeated all other races and reshaped the landscape of the world. She glanced around haplessly and realised that no one could help her. Then something crossed her mind.
"Wait a second, My King! The princess may still be alive!"