"Um, isn't this a bit inconvenient? Your Majesty, why don't you go ahead and eat? Don't worry about me; I'll find something to eat later!" The female officer hesitated and refused politely, glancing slightly at Dao Lao and the others. This officer named Helf, although not exceptionally beautiful, possessed an exceptionally noble demeanor, especially enhanced by her military attire.
"Oh no, not at all! It's no trouble! Besides, the more, the merrier at dinner, right? Ah, speaking of food, just the mention of it makes my unruly stomach growl incessantly! Perfect timing to taste the cuisine of the Eternal Star!" Before Yan Chaozhu could speak again, Dao Lao interrupted eagerly, swallowing audibly and revealing his unabashed foodie nature.
Hearing Dao Lao's words, Helf relaxed slightly. She nodded lightly and said to Dao Lao and Dream Jia, "Given the intense situation of the war, we can only provide simple meals for the two priests. Please don't blame us—"
"Alright, alright! No need for so much formality! Let's all go and eat, and I'll also introduce Dream Jia to the use of Phoenix Thorns." Yan Chaozhu interjected with a smile, cutting off Helf. Dream Jia, who had always been interested in Yan Chaozhu's weapons, nodded in agreement beside him.
The dining place was set in a small reception room just outside the Queen's sleeping palace. As Helf had mentioned, the dinner was very simple, consisting mainly of healthy and natural foods. However, thanks to the excellent quality of these natural ingredients, the seemingly simple dishes possessed an extraordinarily pure and delicious flavor, prompting Dao Lao and Dream Jia to praise them repeatedly as they ate heartily.
During the meal, Yan Chaozhu also informed Dao Lao and Dream Jia about Helf's background. Her full name was Helf Wind, and she was actually the cousin of the King of Erl. Despite her young appearance, she served as the Minister of Internal Affairs at the Palace of Eternal Admiration.
According to Yan Chaozhu's introduction, Helf's father had originally held the position of Minister of Internal Affairs at the Palace of Eternal Admiration. However, due to the casualties suffered by her family members, including her father and siblings, during the battle with the Mastanians after the Great Explosion, the young Helf had no choice but to inherit this hereditary position left by her father. Fortunately, with Yan Chaozhu's strong support and her own exceptional talents, Helf quickly adapted to the position and made significant contributions. This was also why Helf held Yan Chaozhu in such high regard—not only because of their hierarchical relationship and Yan Chaozhu's relationship with her cousin, but also because Helf considered Yan Chaozhu as dear as a sister.
In addition to introducing Helf's background, Yan Chaozhu also gossipingly discussed Helf's love life with Dao Lao and Dream Jia. It turned out that Helf and Tie Zhu had grown up together since childhood. They were inseparable childhood friends, and their deep affection for each other had blossomed into a passionate love affair.
The reason why Helf and Tie Zhu referred to themselves as clandestine lovers was due to the significant class difference between them. Helf, as a member of the Wind royal family, and Tie Zhu, who had risen from being a foot soldier to a general solely based on his father's ability, faced great social obstacles to their relationship. Yet, in reality, their relationship had long been an open secret within the palace.
The reason why everyone in the palace avoided discussing their marriage was twofold: firstly, because the war on Eternal Star had been intense, it wasn't the time to discuss their marriage; secondly, because everyone enjoyed teasing them with innuendos.
It was only now that Dao Lao and Dream Jia finally realized why there had been such a strange and awkward atmosphere when Tie Zhu met Helf earlier. That guy Tie Zhu hid things too deeply! When they saw him next time, they would definitely have to straighten him out!
"This wine is really good!" On the other side, Hao Yun praised after downing the red spirit in his cup. Having fought two battles in succession, Hao Yun had expended a great deal of energy. To relieve the pressure of being trapped alone on the Eternal Star, Hao Yun decided to use excessive eating and drinking to adjust his overall physical condition.
"Haha! If Sir Hao finds it delicious, then have a few more glasses! This wine is brewed according to our exclusive secret recipe from Eternal Star. Many priests have praised our fine wine after drinking it!" King Erl said with a smile, and personally filled Hao Yun's cup again. Hao Yun sat back in his large chair, belching slightly, and waved his hand to indicate that King Erl should not pour any more wine—he was too full to drink anymore.
"The roasted meat is cooked to perfection. Hmm, the taste of these fruits is also extremely delicious! Ah, how comfortable life is for you upper-class people! Even though the outside world is in turmoil, it doesn't affect the peaceful and prosperous life here at all!" Although Hao Yun ate with satisfaction, he still couldn't resist mocking such extravagant living.
"Oh my! Sir Hao, you're exaggerating! The Mastanians aren't as bad as you think! After all, people always progress! Besides, what you see is just a change in ruling ethnicity on Eternal Star. But as you can see, the people here still live in peace and prosperity." King Erl explained again, waving his hand to dispel any misunderstandings about the Mastanians.
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"Heh! You expect me to believe such nonsense? You're definitely here to defend them, aren't you?" Haoyun pointed at the appearance of King Earl, reminding him of the fact that he had been transformed into a puppet by the Mastanians.
"Hahaha! Indeed, my current demeanor is a bit unseemly! It's truly embarrassing for me in front of you!" King Earl responded, not at all offended, but rather jovially agreeing.
"But you're quite special. Once the physical body of King Earl was completely occupied by the Mastanians, it should mean he's dead. His spirit and consciousness should have vanished. Yet why do you look so... 'normal'?" Haoyun continued, genuinely curious.
"Hahaha! That's because I am still King Earl! I haven't died, nor has my spirit or consciousness perished. I've just taken on a different form of existence. Furthermore, my existence proves what I said earlier was not false. Although the Mastanians have occupied the Eternal Star Body, they never intended to completely destroy it. They also hope to coexist here with us, the people of Evermoor." King Earl continued to sway as he spoke. It seemed he had drunk quite a bit.
Seizing someone else's land forcefully and claiming it's for coexistence with the indigenous people? Such nonsense could only be spoken by an aggressor trying to justify themselves. Haoyun naturally wouldn't believe even a single punctuation mark of it. Moreover, during his conversation with King Earl, Haoyun also discovered something peculiar about the king. Haoyun could distinctly feel that he had been conversing with two personalities of King Earl, each displaying different emotions. However, Haoyun knew now was not the best time to seek answers. Judging from King Earl's increasingly erratic eyes and swaying body, he was thoroughly drunk and could collapse under the table at any moment.
"Ah? Ah! Your Majesty, are you alright?" Haoyun leaned forward, waving his hand in front of King Earl's eyes.
"I-I'm fine! Just a bit dizzy! Well, Lord Haoyun, how about we stop drinking for today? Let me rest up, and we can continue tomorrow?" King Earl struggled to gesture, then without waiting for Haoyun's response, he signaled to the guards on either side to help him leave the dining hall without looking back.
What a character! He looks so tall and imposing, yet his alcohol tolerance is so poor! Haoyun sneered inwardly but maintained a respectful smile, waving goodbye to the departing King Earl. Since the host had passed out, Haoyun knew it wasn't appropriate to continue sitting there. So, after having a bit more to eat, Haoyun followed a team of guards to retire to a suite designated for hosting dignitaries.
Being stranded deep in enemy territory, Haoyun naturally didn't dare to sleep. In addition, Haoyun's physique had undergone two enhancements, enabling him to function normally even without sleep for several days. Therefore, Haoyun spent the entire night in a state of vigilance and alertness. Of course, to pass the long night, Haoyun didn't just sit idle. At times, he walked around the spacious room, searching for possible secret doors or any other valuable clues. Sometimes he stood by the window, admiring the night view of the estate, still brilliantly illuminated despite the late hour. It was during this time that Haoyun noticed the number of guards in the estate hadn't decreased, but rather had increased compared to daytime.
It seems King Earl is afraid I might cause trouble under cover of darkness here in the estate? Haoyun thought.
At present, Haoyun had no intention of causing trouble. So he paid no attention to the increasingly stringent surveillance within the estate, choosing instead to return to the large, comfortable double bed, lying down again. He closed his eyes, sinking his consciousness into the Mold Spirit Energy Tracking System, reviewing the various data recorded by the system since his arrival at Evermoor, as well as the charging status of the Earth Yin Spirit Realm Battle Armor.
Ten point three percent. With several modules heavily charged with divine energy depleted, the armor's energy level had finally increased to ten point three percent. Honestly, the remaining energy of the battle armor was not much by current standards, but it was also not little. As long as this energy could ensure Haoyun endured the Mastanians' attacks for ten days, it was already very good news. As for what would happen after ten days, Haoyun could only continue to think of ways to find an escape route for himself. After all, with the protection provided by King Earl for now, Haoyun didn't need to activate the armor's protective shield yet, which further extended the time he could hold out until Dao Lao and the others returned to rescue him. Thinking of this, Haoyun's anxious mind was somewhat relieved. Finally, Haoyun had the mood to carefully examine the Earth Yin Spirit Realm Battle Armor through the system, trying to figure out what Countess had done to his armor.
"Huh? What's this?" Just as Haoyun had completed another round of testing on the battle armor through the system, he was pleasantly surprised.
Because, after the Mold Spirit Energy Tracking System completed a comprehensive inspection of the Earth Yin Spirit Realm Battle Armor, a command appeared suddenly in his system interface, requesting Haoyun to enter a password. According to the system prompt, Haoyun only needed to enter the password to unlock this command and activate a hidden function embedded in the Earth Yin Spirit Realm Battle Armor.
"Password? Where could there be a password?" Haoyun couldn't help but frown, racking his brain for any previous scenes where Countess had either directly stated or hinted at the existence of any password.
"Thud! Thud! Thud!" The heavy knocking on the door pulled Haoyun's consciousness back to reality. Haoyun realized he had spent an unknown amount of time in deep thought, so much so that it was already bright outside.
It should be noted that the "bright outside" on Evermoor was a completely different concept from the "bright outside" in Haoyun's hometown on Earth. On Earth, every morning, the sun would rise, gradually illuminating the entire land with brilliant sunlight. However, due to the chaotic flows of black hole energy and the omnipresent defensive arrays enveloping Evermoor, there would never be sunlight illuminating the land here even after it was supposed to be morning. So the so-called "bright outside" here simply meant the vast stars provided relatively higher visibility light for Evermoor at what was supposed to be dawn.
As soon as Haoyun opened the door, he saw King Earl standing outside with a team of guards, waiting for him. King Earl's spirit and energy seemed good now, indicating he had rested quite well last night.