Star Odyssey

Karthika was stumped when he heard Nightqueen Qiuyu’s words, but then he recalled what Lu Yin had just said to him. Could it be that coincidental? “Has Mu Rong arrived?”

“How did you know?”

“Lu Yin mentioned that Mu Rong and Ling Que would definitely show up, and that we’d have run out of luck when that happened.”

Nightqueen Qiuyu’s eyes flashed with a cold light as even some random junior had dared to guess at the actions of an Enlighter. When had a Limiteer kid ever dared to be so brazen? However, it was time for them to make use of him since the Daynight clan had no one else who could help them break out of their current situation. “Just go with what I told you to say and bring him into the conflict.” 

“But he may not necessarily be on our side. Him participating may not necessarily benefit us,” Karthika replied.

Nightqueen Qiuyu grew impatient. “I know, but we have someone who will talk to him. You can just leave.”

Karthika thought about it before replying, “Alright, I hope that your decision is the correct one.” He then disconnected from the call and looked towards the palace. His expression revealed his reluctance. It had only been a short while, but he, an Enlighter, was already being forced to go back on his word. 

However, everything they were doing was for the pyrolyte, so he had to endure it. He condensed his voice into a line of sound that directly entered Lu Yin’s ears.

Lu Yin had just returned to King Zishan’s residence, intending to rest for a while and also ponder over his dilemma about how he should take care of Hai Qiqi. But then, he heard Karthika’s voice. He was initially mildly startled, but then his lips curled up. “It sounds like some incredible brat has arrived at that place. Is it Mu Rong, Ling Que, or perhaps even both? It’s interesting, but unfortunately, I’m destined to not participate in this event.” 

He had long since weighed the pros and cons regarding his participation in this contest for pyrolyte. Even if he managed to seize a bit of pyrolyte ore, it would still ultimately land in someone else’s hands. The best outcome for Lu Yin was if it landed in the Sea King’s hands, as he could then exchange it for the Sea King’s promise to protect the Great Yu Empire. From that point forward, Lu Yin would be labeled as a part of the Sea King’s Dome, and he would no longer be allowed to participate in the disputes between the powers of the Innerverse and Outerverse. He would be forever restricted. This was not something that he wanted, and it would also cause him to offend the other powers, like the Daynight clan, Sword Sect, and Wen Family. Thus, the gains did not make up for the losses. 

And that was what he considered to be the best outcome, as the worst would be if he obtained nothing at all while still offending the various powers. He would be forced to plead for the Sea King’s protection, which would still lead to him still being branded as someone under the Sea King. Additionally, he would be restricted—possibly for forever—in the Starfall Sea. He would also be forbidden from ever participating in a dispute between the powers of the Innerverse and Outerverse. 

No, even that was not the worst outcome. The worst would be if the Sea King also abandoned him, in which case he would be completely alone. 

The Great Yu Empire had long been Lu Yin’s greatest weakness, as Nightking Yuanjing had threatened the empire in order to slowly extract benefits from Lu Yin bit by bit. Lu Yin would not give anyone else a similar opportunity. 

Beep beep beep beep!

His gadget sounded with a notification, and Lu Yin looked at it only to see that Nightking Yuanjing was actually calling him. He was left speechless. If this old man was contacting him right now, then the Daynight clan was somehow connected to Karthika. It was very likely that the Daynight clan was revealing their intentions with this move. Could they be facing such a bad situation that they would actually ask him to act? 

He accepted the call, and Nightking Yuanjing’s image appeared on the screen in front of him. The old man looked solemnly at Lu Yin. “Little Yin, why didn’t you look for Grandpa to help you with Karthika? Are you treating Grandpa like a stranger?” 

Shameless! Lu Yin scolded inwardly.

“Shameless!” the Ghost Monkey said.

“Grandpa Yuanjing, where’s this coming from? It was just that Karthika is an almighty Enlighter, so Little Yin did not want to trouble Grandpa.” Lu Yin pretended to feel wronged.

Nightking Yuanjing sighed. “Grandpa just caught wind of this matter, and I immediately contacted the Divine Grade Hall to have Karthika move away. I never thought that an almighty Enlighter would personally threaten a junior! It’s truly embarrassing.”

Lu Yin did not reply, and he only gazed appreciatively at the old man.

Nightking Yuanjing paused, but then looked at Lu Yin again. “Little Yin, just relax. Grandpa promises you that such a thing will not happen again. Grandpa has promised to protect the Frostwave Weave, so I will go the full way. Rest assured, you can do your own things, and Karthika will not dare to come here again.” 

“Thank you, Grandpa Yuanjing.”Lu Yin immediately showed his gratitude.

This was all just a bunch of frivolous nonsense, as Lu Yin was already accustomed to talking in circles with Nightking Yuanjing. In any case, Lu Yin did not want to go to Planet Pyrolyte, and on the other hand, Nightking Yuanjing was more anxious than anyone else to have Lu Yin participate.

Sure enough, it didn’t take long before the old man couldn’t restrain himself any longer. “Little Yin, do you know what’s going on at Planet Pyrolyte?”

Lu Yin nodded. “I’ve heard.”

“Do you want to head there? If you wish, Grandpa can have my clan’s spacecraft fetch you.”

Lu Yin shook his head and replied with palpable agony in his voice. “Little Yin appreciates Grandpa’s goodwill, but Little Yin is tired of fighting, and I do not wish to participate. Senior Sea King has also instructed Little Yin not to participate in this conflict.” 

When Lu Yin mentioned the Sea King, Nightking Yuanjing’s face grew much more serious, as he suddenly recalled that the Sea King's Dome did not seem to participate in disputes that involved the powers of the Innerverse and Outerverse. If the Sea King had told Lu Yin not to participate in the conflicts on Planet Pyrolyte, then did that mean that Lu Yin was close to being officially recognized as the Sea King’s son-in-law? Yuanjing did not know if this situation boded well or bad for the Daynight clan, but he knew that it meant that he would no longer have the leverage to threaten this kid from now on. 

Since the Sea King had gotten involved, Nightking Yuanjing’s prepared speech could no longer be used. From his perspective, Lu Yin definitely would not dare to disobey the Sea King’s orders, as who did not wish to become the Sea King’s son-in-law? There was no way that this kid was an exception to that desire. 

Helpless, Nightking Yuanjing simply spun out a few more lines before disconnecting the call.

The capital of the Great Yu Empire, and even all of Zenyu Star itself, could only keep Hai Qiqi occupied for a few days. After that, she grew bored, and she desperately looked for Lu Yin.

Lu Yin looked at her reluctantly. “Zenyu Star is so big. You’ve already been everywhere?”

Hai Qiqi rolled her eyes. “I already played everywhere around here. Now I want to go out.”

“Where?”

“Planet Pyrolyte! I want to fight! I want to break through! I want to fight! I want to make friends!”

Lu Yin could understand the first three, but he instinctively glanced at Hai Qiqi’s mouth when he heard her final comment. Make friends? Hehe, you’ll only make enemies!

“Eh, Lu Yin, what are you planning on doing? That shameless old fogey already left, so why aren’t you heading towards Planet Pyrolyte?” Hai Qiqi started to argue with him since she was discontent with the current situation. 

“I’ve already told you about the cruelty of the universe multiple times. Even with the protection of the Sea King's Dome, it still might not be safe. Do you want to gamble the countless lives of those in the Great Yu Empire just so that you can go to Planet Pyrolyte?” Lu Yin asked.

“Who says that the Sea King's Dome can’t protect this place? I’ll contact Second Brother right now and have him use the Sea King's Dome’s name to protect the Great Yu Empire. No one will be willing to make things difficult with my Sea King's Dome just for some small empire at the fringe of the Outerverse. Do you think that I’m stupid?” Hai Qiqi was unhappy. 

Lu Yin looked at Hai Qiqi seriously. She wasn’t stupid, as there was indeed no one who would be willing to offend the Sea King's Dome for the Great Yu Empire. However, he didn’t want the Great Yu Empire to be branded under the Sea King's Dome’s umbrella, so he had to complete his lie. “Qiqi, do you know who I would end up offending if I go to Planet Pyrolyte?” 

Hai Qiqi waved generously. “It doesn’t matter. My Sea King's Dome will take care of it.”

Lu Yin was speechless. At this moment, he felt that there was a striking similarity between Hai Qiqi and Lulu. In a certain sense, her confidence had reached the absolute limit, and it certainly belonged to an unrivalled level. 

“Regardless, I’m not going to Planet Pyrolyte, and you aren’t allowed to either.”

Hai Qiqi gritted her teeth. “I’m going to tell Father that you have a few mistresses.” 

“Are you going to help me look for them?” Lu Yin rolled his eyes.

Hai Qiqi was furious, and she started breathing heavily, but then, she sighed. “I really envy you sometimes.”

Lu Yin was completely caught off guard.

“You’re like a corpse floating through space, without any lofty goals, merely satisfied with the present. In fact, you’ll lose even more by acting like that.” Hai Qiqi stared at Lu Yin. “Father does not like people who have no motivation. Actually, you had some chance to become his son-in-law, but the more you hold back, the smaller your chance.”

Lu Yin shrugged. “Don’t worry. I won’t hold myself back, but I can’t participate in this contest at Planet Pyrolyte.”

Hai Qiqi snorted and turned to leave.

“Don’t think of running away. I’ve already sealed the entire planet.”

Hai Qiqi was furious. “Drop dead!”

As he watched her leave, Lu Yin’s face fell. He actually wanted to participate in this contest more than anyone, but what choice did he have? As soon as he headed to that planet, the Great Yu Empire would be recognized as the Sea King’s territory, and any pyrolyte that he managed to obtain would be sent to the Sea King’s Dome as a betrothal gift. He would offend numerous other people while obtaining nothing for himself at all. There was simply no point in him heading there.

If he actually wanted to become the Sea King’s son-in-law, then he would immediately head there and use the gathered pyrolyte ore to curry favor with the Sea King and Hai Dashao. Then, he would become even more famous throughout the universe and stand a much greater chance at becoming the Sea King’s true son-in-law. However, Lu Yin did not want this, which was fine, but he could not just shed this status. 

If he did not become the Sea King’s son-in-law, then he could not excessively offend strong powers like the Daynight clan. In which case, he might not be able to get his hands on very much pyrolyte even if he did head towards Planet Pyrolyte.

The entire matter was a problem, so Lu Yin decided to simply not participate.

He looked up at the sky. The powers in this region of the universe were clear. The strong grew stronger while the weak could only barely scrape by. This situation would not react well to an abrupt rise in Lu Yin’s strength. If the day came where the Innerverse was no longer able to touch the Outerverse, Lu Yin would be able to act as he wished. But unfortunately, this was not the case.

There was no sun on Planet Pyrolyte, so the planet’s sole light source was the dark-red soil beneath the surface.

Zhuo Daynight did not know how long she had been unconscious for. She had put on her ring armor before losing consciousness to prevent herself from being torn apart by the subterranean creatures on the planet. 

To the Limiteers on Planet Pyrolyte, ring armor was useless since its defenses were worthless against those true geniuses of their generation. No one would put on ring armor during battle, as it essentially offered no defense and only served to limit their mobility. 

But its usefulness could not be overstated for injured persons.

When Zhuo Daynight awakened, she saw a green pair of eyes that emitted a savage radiance. Her face turned deathly pale as she tried to get up. She discovered that she had been encircled by strange underground creatures and that there were bite marks on her ring armor. These creatures could actually harm her ring armor, and Zhuo Daynight dared not imagine what would have happened to her if she had not put it on. It was likely that she would have already become their food.

She coughed and clutched at her chest; her injuries had recovered slightly. She took out some star crystals from her cosmic ring and began to absorb the energy, as only by restoring her star energy would she be able to preserve her life.

The creatures surrounding Zhuo Daynight began to flee in all directions as soon as she woke up, and most buried deeper underground.

Zhuo Daynight supported herself against the dry, dark-red wall, and then started walking away from where she had awakened.

The ground occasionally shook, though it was impossible to know if it was due to a battle or an earthquake.

She walked out of a tunnel and looked up. Everything around her was barren, and not a single individual could be seen. Zhuo Daynight raised her hand and activated her gadget, but unfortunately, it had been ruined. Luckily, she still had her pyrolyte detector, so she could look for a nearby pyrolyte mine, which would most likely already have people there. 

However, now was not the time to look for pyrolyte. First, she needed to be able to protect herself.