"So, that's how it is. Then why didn't King Panshi plant a Shaba Dome in the Eternal Palace as well?" Dream Jia asked curiously.
"Because, it is said that the Shaba Dome is a sacred tree bestowed upon King Panshi by the gods. There is only one, making it unique. As for why King Panshi planted the Shaba Dome in the Fragrant Nebula Palace, it is said that he officially declared himself king there, so he chose to plant the sacred tree in the square of the Fragrant Nebula Palace," Captain Tie Zhu answered proudly.
"So, if the Shaba Flower representing King Erl didn't wither, it means King Erl is still alive, right?" Dao Lao asked next.
"At least from the intelligence we have obtained so far, His Majesty the King is still safe," Captain Tie Zhu nodded in response.
"Intelligence? Didn't you just say that the Mastanians have completely occupied the Eternal Star Body, and according to the ceasefire agreement between your two sides, all the Eternal Mo Star people were driven to the Nebula Body?" Dream Jia asked.
"That's correct. But in fact, not all Eternal Mo Star people evacuated from the Eternal Star Body before the Mastanians' amnesty deadline expired. There were still a few guards in the Eternal Palace who managed to evade the Mastanians' hunt and hide in the palace. Although they couldn't rescue King Erl, they managed to confirm his situation and then successfully use the teleportation array set up in the palace to escape back to the Nebula Body."
"According to their report, His Majesty the King and his entourage ministers were imprisoned in the King's Hall of the Eternal Palace after the Mastanians broke into the palace. During this period, the Mastanians did try to take over His Majesty and his party, but due to His Majesty activating the protective shield, the Mastanians were unable to succeed in their plans. Therefore, both sides have been deadlocked in the hall, with one attacking and the other defending. Judging from the condition of the Shaba Flower, although the standoff between King Erl and the Mastanians is still ongoing, the situation for King Erl and his party is very grim," Captain Tie Zhu explained. His tone became noticeably anxious towards the end.
Learning that King Erl's protective shield could withstand the Mastanians' attacks for so long indeed surprised Hao Yun and the others. However, considering that the royal family of Eternal Mo Star not only received recognition from the Divine Spirit Realm but also ruled the planet designated by the Divine Spirit Realm as a logistics supply base during the war, it was not surprising even if they possessed several powerful divine artifacts.
So Dream Jia continued, without dwelling too much on the matter, "By the way, Tie Zhu, is the teleportation array you mentioned one of the ways to return to the Nebula Body from here?"
"Yes, it is, sir. If we can infiltrate the Eternal Palace and rescue the trapped King Erl and his ministers, the King can use the teleportation array set up in the harem to take us back to the Nebula Body. However, since those few brave warriors used the teleportation to leave, we have had no information about the situation inside the Eternal Palace. Therefore, the task of successfully rescuing King Erl and returning to the Nebula Body safely is unimaginably difficult," Captain Tie Zhu replied with concern.
It seemed that even with the support of the three Divine Spirit Realm priests for capturing Mold Energy, Captain Tie Zhu still did not hold an optimistic attitude towards continuing the rescue mission. Hao Yun and the others could understand Captain Tie Zhu's concerns. After all, they would face the Mastanians who controlled Mold Energy. However, despite knowing the extreme danger of this mission and the low probability of success, Captain Tie Zhu and his team had never shown any intention of retreat, which further added to Hao Yun and the others' admiration for the courage of these Eternal Mo Star people.
"Other than the King, who else can activate the teleportation array inside the Eternal Palace?" Dream Jia asked.
"Besides the King, only the Queen can activate that teleportation array. And because it's the duty of those few guards to guard the teleportation array, they happen to be equipped with a one-time key granted by King Erl, which can activate the teleportation array in emergencies, allowing them to use the teleportation array to escape the Eternal Palace."
"In fact, the teleportation devices in both the Eternal Palace and the Nebula Palace were provided by the Divine Spirit Realm, and besides these two teleportation devices in the deep recesses of the two palaces, many other teleportation devices on Eternal Mo Star were also set up like this. The purpose is to facilitate the travel of the officers and soldiers stationed on the Eternal Star Body and the Nebula Body during the war. Unfortunately, except for these two teleportation devices set up in the two palaces, all the other teleportation devices were damaged in the Great Explosion."
"Of course, considering that the Mastanians would definitely station a large number of guards there after occupying the Eternal Palace, even if Her Majesty the Queen can activate the teleportation array in the Eternal Palace, she wouldn't blindly use it to rescue King Erl in uncertain circumstances. After all, if the rescue mission fails due to an accident, the teleportation array will be exposed. Therefore, Her Majesty the Queen has not agreed to directly enter the Eternal Palace through the teleportation array to rescue King Erl but has regarded this plan as a last resort under extreme circumstances," Captain Tie Zhu explained.
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"Of course, in fact, we still have another way to return to the Nebula Body, which is to forcibly break through the Rainbow Tunnel. However, considering that the Mastanians have heavy defenses there, even with the three Divine Spirit Realm priests, I still strongly advise against this method," Captain Tie Zhu said, changing his tone.
This naturally went without saying. Due to the limitations of the black hole energy on Hao Yun and the others, coupled with their lack of more information about the Destroyer Black Gate, they dare not make too much noise now. So after weighing their options, Dao Lao looked at the flames outside and asked, "Tie Zhu, can you still determine the direction and find the location of the Eternal Palace now?"
"Yes. The Eternal Palace is in that direction. If it were in the past, it would take about a week to walk there on foot. But given the current situation here, if we walk forward for another three or four days, we will enter the outer guard zone of the Eternal Palace. The Mastanians are sure to station heavy troops there, so walking is no longer a wise choice," Captain Tie Zhu pointed confidently in a direction outside the cave and said.
To be honest, in terms of the size of the Eternal Star Body, they aren't really too far from the Eternal Palace now. So, after hearing Captain Tie Zhu's explanation, the faces of Hao Yun and his companions couldn't help but show expressions of relief.
Seeing this, Captain Tie Zhu smiled and said, "Actually, I don't hide it from you three. The reason we chose to land near here, besides this place being suitable for a landing, is also because this area was one of the landing points we selected for this raid. And the reason we could appear so accurately in the airspace above was because we were all transported here by the teleportation array. Otherwise, we wouldn't have had the chance to either forcibly cross the three layers of out-of-control arrays in the sky with just that warship or fly over the Eternal Star Body."
"Another teleportation array? Why didn't you use it to teleport your troops directly into the palace and launch a surprise attack? Also, why couldn't you use it to escape?" Hao Yun frowned, puzzled.
"If we could, we would have done it already. But unfortunately, due to the limitations placed on Her Majesty the Queen's power by the chaotic energy of the black hole, her teleportation technique, whether in terms of distance or capacity, has been severely restricted. Therefore, Her Majesty's teleportation can only send our few ships back to the previous airspace. And after using this spell, Her Majesty needs a long period of adjustment to recover her strength before she can cast another teleportation spell and send another batch of commandos into the airspace of the Eternal Star Body. As for us, the people who have already come here, due to the influence of the black hole, our communication systems are not functioning properly. So, without being able to confirm our location, Her Majesty naturally can't use the teleportation array to bring us back," Captain Tie Zhu explained with a bitter smile.
"I see. Who would have thought? Your Queen actually has such powers? It seems that the Divine Spirit Realm must have provided you with a lot of high-end equipment!" Dream Jia teased.
"Hey! Her Majesty the Queen has more than just that level of power! After all, our Queen is also a priest!" Captain Tie Zhu waved his hand towards Dream Jia and proudly revealed the truth.
"What?! Your Queen is also a priest?!" Hao Yun and the others exclaimed in unison.
"What kind of priest is she? Uh, cough, I mean, what does she look like? Is she like you—like this? Or—is she—?" Dream Jia couldn't suppress her curiosity, her eyes shining as she gestured towards Captain Tie Zhu's appearance. Hao Yun and Dao Lao also followed Dream Jia's rhythm, nodding eagerly, their expressions filled with anticipation.
Intermarriage between priests from the upper realm and creatures from the lower realm? Although this was not strictly forbidden by the Divine Spirit Realm, because of the vast difference between priests and creatures from the lower realms, as well as the unknown risks such intermarriage might bring to oneself, and the small but existing minor effects on the timeline of the lower realms, intermarriage became one of the biggest taboos among the divine spirits.
Of course, without considering the above issues, and given the current situation of Eternal Mo Star, where they could indeed disregard the above issues, Hao Yun and his companions still held a favorable attitude towards this matter. At the same time, they admired the queen, who seemed to have quite the personality.
Captain Tie Zhu regretted revealing the true identity of Her Majesty the Queen so easily, not because he couldn't publicly announce Her Majesty the Queen, but because the people he informed were also priests from the Divine Spirit Realm. It was just that the intense curiosity burning in the eyes of the three priests immediately made Captain Tie Zhu conclude that their focus on this matter must have gone off track.
So, Captain Tie Zhu hurriedly wiped off the black lines on his head and explained, "Uh—things are not as you three imagine. Her Majesty Queen Antanilis is indeed a priest from the Divine Spirit Realm, and Her Majesty the Queen looks the same as you three. Her Majesty the Queen is not a humanoid reindeer, nor is she any other humanoid creature. In fact, after Her Majesty the Queen came to Eternal Mo Star, she has been wholeheartedly assisting His Majesty the King in resisting the Mastanians' attacks. The King and Queen were attracted to each other's talents and temperament while fighting side by side, which eventually led to them becoming a couple. The King and Queen have achieved a happy ending through a healthy relationship, not like what you three imagined."
"Tch! How do you know what we're thinking? What we're thinking is perfectly healthy, okay? We're just concerned— you know? Hey! It's actually quite romantic for two completely different beings to come together. Hehe!" Dream Jia smirked, unable to suppress the gossip fire burning in her heart.