Interstellar Survival: Invasion

Chapter 145: Royal Schemes

Chapter 145: Royal Schemes

As I walked, I saw numerous refugees. Many of them had built temporary shelters right under the eaves of bigger buildings. Every single building was squeezed full of refugees. While I was observing them, they were also observing Nyx, who was following behind me. Fear covered their faces at the sight of Nyx. After all, interstellar creatures were a species on Akko that had never been conquered. It was incredibly surprising to see one following me.

I couldn't help but feel somewhat smug at their expressions. I lifted my head proudly and walked in a spirited manner. From my initial observation, tens of thousands of refugees and soldiers had been gathered in the upper zone of Milk City. After walking about 30 minutes through the cramped streets, I arrived at a comparatively large thatched building in the city center.

"Halt! What is your business here, soldier? Who is this person with an interstellar creature?" asked the soldier on duty at the door with vigilance. Instantly, all the weapons around the building were aimed at me and Nyx.

The young soldier hurriedly jogged forward and explained my situation and request to the soldier on duty. Perhaps I was already somewhat famous, but the soldier merely looked at me for a bit after hearing my name and told me to wait. He then entered the building to report my arrival.

"Where is Canyue?" I heard the voice before anyone came out.

Shortly after, Baron Sisse appeared before me.

"Canyue! You can't imagine how happy I am to see you again!" said Baron Sisse as he rushed forth and grabbed my shoulders.

I was just as excited. After all, I had wanted nothing more than to meet Baron Sisse again at a place other than the battlefield.

"Where is Prince Arude?" I still remembered my mission.

"Don't worry. He's waiting inside. Come, let's go," invited Baron Sisse cheerily.

At that moment, the baron noticed the interstellar creature behind me.

"Good heavens. How did you tame this fellow?" asked the baron with a gasp. "In the history of Akko, not a single person has managed to tame this animal. Good thing you are the tamer. At least that makes the miracle easier to accept."

"I got lucky. I rescued it while it was in trouble, and we became friends," I explained. I couldn't help but feel somewhat smug about my achievement.

"This big fellow needs to wait outside. If it goes in, it will probably crush the whole building with its size," said Baron Sisse.

I walked up to Nyx and rubbed its neck while speaking softly, telling it to wait for me outside. It seemed to have understood me; it picked a random corner outside the building and lay down on its belly. I was about to turn around and enter the building when I saw the young soldier who had escorted me here looking at me with a gaze filled with worship.

"Baron, do you have any gold coins on you?" I asked in a low voice.

"I still have one imperial gold coin. Do you need it? That's the last I have," said the baron reluctantly.

"I need to borrow it. I'll pay you back," I said.

The baron did not hesitate to take out a gold coin and give it to me.

With the gold coin in hand, I walked to the soldier and handed it to him, "Soldier, thank you for your help. If fate allows it, let's fight together one day!"

The young soldier accepted the coin in excitement and thanked me repeatedly. Finally, I was ready to enter the thatched building with Baron Sisse. The building looked small, but there were still three checkpoints inside, with one manned machine gun per checkpoint. I followed the baron to the innermost room. With one glance, I saw Prince Arude and Prince Gede.

"Prince, I finally found you!" I said in excitement after seeing Prince Arude.

The two princes appeared happy to see me as well.

"Canyue, I knew you would appear. Although the world outside had turned into a sea, I had still strongly believed that," said Prince Gede.

"Yes, the entire planet has been submerged in water. Even now, the storm is raging outside. It was very difficult to come here. Are the lower levels of Milk City completely flooded?" I asked.

"Sigh. It's worse than that. The furious torrents caused numerous landslides. A lot of our tunnels have been blocked," said Prince Gede.

"Fortunately, you have enough space at the upper levels. There are at least tens of thousands of survivors here," I consoled Prince Gede.

"We still need to thank you for buying the 12 hours of ceasefire. During that time, I was able to pull back my entire army from Goldsteel City and set up three new defensive lines in Milk City. I also moved the common citizens into the city. However, I did not expect the disgusting empire to unleash a storm just to avoid suffering the same disastrous losses they suffered at Goldsteel City," said Prince Gede furiously.

"Are there any updates on the other armies?" I asked.

"At present, we have lost contact with all friendly armies. The environment outside is too harsh and most of our high-tech equipment was destroyed during the battle at Goldsteel City. Thus, we have not gotten any chance to leave and reconnect with the other armies," said Prince Gede.

I was about to ask more questions when Prince Arude interrupted me.

"Canyue, why did you return? How is the situation outside? How is my brother? Can you tell me?" asked Prince Arude.

'Looks like the prince is more concerned about his competitor,' I thought to myself.

I proceeded to tell them about King Xido's request, my encounter with Prince Toruse, the establishment of the 7th Armored Division, how I tamed Nyx, and my journey to the upper levels of Milk City.

However, I left out Prince Toruse's illegal coronation to avoid invoking their anger. Everyone was engrossed in the story I told. After all, what I had experienced were things anyone could be proud of for a long time to come.

"Do you mean that you have an army waiting outside?" asked Baron Sisse after I finished.

"Yes. They're right above Mount Maiden. However, the mountain is blocking our signals, so I can't contact them," I said.

"The terrain itself is blocking the signals. However, we do have a place where signals can be sent outside. I can take you there," said Baron Sisse.

"But this place is flooded. How are we supposed to let them into the upper levels of the city? The time tunnel is no longer there," I said.

"There is a tunnel underwater. I can have someone send them the coordinates that can guide them here," said Baron Sisse.

"Baron, can you have Intelligence Officer Aden send a message on my behalf to Zhang Bao'er? I still have something I need to discuss with the prince," I requested.

The baron immediately ordered Intelligence Officer Aden to carry out the request.

"Prince, can we go somewhere private? There is something I need to tell you in private," I said to Prince Arude.

Prince Arude looked at Prince Gede and received an affirmative gesture. Seeing that Prince Gede had agreed, Baron Sisse led us to a room at the back of the building before leaving.

"What is it that you can't tell me in front of the others?" asked Prince Arude before I could say anything.

"Prince Arude, we are all aware that in King Xido's will, you are first in line to the throne. I want to ask if there is a clause among your laws allowing an heir to inherit the throne during wartime," I asked directly.

"Wartime inheritance? Are you telling me that Toruse had taken the throne during wartime?" asked Arude in shock.

"I don't know if it is official. I'm not sure," I said.

"I did not expect him to be so brave. Yes, there is such a law. If a king leaves Akko during war, it means that the king has abandoned his people. Thus, all direct members of the royal clan will have the right to inherit the throne. However, my father is not an ordinary king. It's too risky for Toruse to do something like that," said Prince Arude. There seemed to be an even deeper meaning to his words.

I did not expect that Prince Arude was more concerned about the danger of what Toruse did than the succession. "Prince, why do you say that King Xido isn't an ordinary king?"

"As a king capable of flirting with both the empire and the league, my father is most definitely not someone incapable. He also has a large personal army, to the point my uncle, Prince Gede, is afraid of him despite having a powerful army. Toruse is courting death by ascending to the throne illegally. He won't be able to defeat the king," said Prince Arude with a sigh.

"Perhaps Prince Toruse thought that King Xido's army had been wiped out by the empire. With the massive storm all over the planet, Akko needs a leader to lead the resistance. That might be why he made such a mistake," I tried explaining for Toruse.

"Both of you underestimate this action. Must an army of my father stay on Akko? Did you not notice that there were very few soldiers around during the battle at the palace? That is not normal. If so, where are the soldiers?" asked Prince Arude.

I gave it some thought and slowly understood what Prince Arude meant.

"I believe that Royal Father is still observing things. Between the empire and the league, he has yet to decide on which side to support. It is foolish for Toruse to make a move for the throne at this time," said Prince Arude.

I looked at the frail young man before me in astonishment. No wonder he was King Xido's first choice for the throne. His intelligence and maturity were much better than Prince Toruse's. He was able to see things very clearly.

A bark pulled me back from my thoughts. I saw that Prince Arude's fero canine had crawled out from under the bed in the room.

"My father had probably asked for your help in taking us to him because he was worried about this law. How would Toruse face Royal Father afterward?" said Arude in a deeply worried manner.

"Everything is done, and there is no changing it. I need some time to think of a way to hide what Prince Toruse did from the king," I said as I shook my head.

"It will be too difficult. A lot of the soldiers under Toruse's employ are the king's spies. It is almost impossible to hide a secret this big. Those people are all on your ship, right? Unless..." hinted the prince without finishing his words.

My heart trembled at the implication. The prince was suggesting that I silenced all witnesses. It was obvious that a regular person would not be able to assume the role of the ruling class easily.

Only someone with an absolutely ruthless heart would be able to do well in the ruling class. For Prince Arude to reach such a conclusion at such a young age, his level of cunning was definitely far above that of an ordinary person. However, I would not be able to bring myself to do such things. Seeing that I was deep in thought, the prince was about to say something when Baron Sisse's voice came from outside the room.

"Canyue, your soldiers have arrived. They're waiting for you at the lobby," said Baron Sisse.

"Canyue, do not tell anyone here about what Toruse did. That might implicate me as well," Prince Arude whispered before we left.

I nodded at him in agreement, and we stood up to follow Baron Sisse to the lobby.