Fifteen Days Later (Y1010年 07月 18日)
“Julius?”
Julius’ eyes opened up and saw Míngyuè holding a slip of paper.
“Oh, hello. What’s up with you today?” He asked, taking a relaxing exhale after meditating.
“I got a letter…It’s from Königin Gertrud. Empress Cai received it during the last tour days after invading Yúnlán.”
Julius grabbed the sealed letter. “Who gave it to her?”
“Actually, she created a small and trusted group of undercover cultivators, and one cultivator from the group took the messenger. She interrogated and mercifully decapitated him once all the information was given to her. Afterward, that one cultivator took the role.”
“That’s good to hear,” Julius said, standing up from the floor. He tore the tape off, opening the folded paper. “Did anybody read this?”
“Empress Cai did.”
Julius nodded and began reading the letter.
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If this letter reached Emperor Julius, please have him read the letter from the beginning to the end.
Throughout this total chaos, I was never briefed on the matters of this conflict between The West Cai Dynasty and us Renos when it erupted. Unfortunately, when the news was revealed to me, that was when I learned the power of my trust was on the brink. My trusted generals all acted on their own accord, hid it from me, took over the South Cai Fishing Village without my consent, and fabricated my name onto the letter that refused to give it back to you. By the time you arrive, it’s the generals you will have to deal with. I hope we can talk somewhere in private to find a compromise solution to end this madness. It would be the best for both of our nations and the people.
If I received a response, I would get Hilde Georgine to organize our meeting, and the three of us can go forward with diplomatic options.
Please read this letter and send one as soon as possible.
Königin Gertrud.
Kingdom of Renos.
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“She wants diplomacy?” Julius asked, turning to Míngyuè. He felt suspicious after reading the entire letter.
“Hey, that’s what you read out loud. I’m appalled by it, too.”
“Renos might not be directly Kriegshan, but they have the same ancestors and backgrounds. What I’ve learned from being stuck for a year in the Underground Tournament is that these people don’t surrender. If they do, they have true guts because Kriegshan culture sees that as an embarrassment. Fighting to the end is their belief, which I think is an absolutely bizarre thing to do if all the options are off,” Julius said before walking to his executive desk. He sat down and pulled out a blank piece of paper. His hand darted across the paper, writing his response in bold ink. “Empress Cai and Father Kang just returned, right?”
Míngyuè stood beside his desk, watching him write. “Yes. They came back about fifteen minutes ago.”
“How much army have they got in return?”
“They haven’t given me the numbers yet.”
“What does it look like to you, then?”
“If my eyes don’t deceive me, it looks like twenty.”
Twenty thousand. Julius stopped writing. “Have them both meet me immediately, please.”
“Of course,” Míngyuè said and departed The Emperor’s Compound.
Julius returned to finish his letter, writing the last paragraph. The fact that someone from Renos or raised within Kriegshan culture could offer a diplomatic solution was unheard of. The thoughts about Solomon, Victoria, and Celeste reconsidered the idea to be possible, but it was still very low. Hence, he finished the last sentence before hearing the door knock. “Come in!” Julius folded the letter and put it in a sealed envelope.
Father Kang, Empress Cai, and Míngyuè entered. He gestured them to the couches, and all four sat down. Julius, holding the envelope, looked at Empress Cai. “Here’s my response letter. I heard you have a whole undercover team, and I thought the one being the messenger could send this back to Königin Gertrud.” He handed the sealed envelope. She grabbed it, putting it in her virtual inventory.
“What was in the letter?”
“Surprisingly, diplomacy.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Father Kang asked.
“Diplomacy. She wanted diplomacy; no more wars.”
“That’s bullshit…All of this for the sake of saying no war? Sure, peace is optimal, but the Raid of Longyue, many innocent casualties, the battle at the swamp, and South Cai Fishing Village. And immediately making peace after that? No, that can’t be legitimate. Not in all the decimated lives.” Father Kang’s voice was amped. Julius can’t blame him for the casualties he lost during the Raid of Longyue. It wasn’t like his family clan survived and came out clean.
“That’s what I told Míngyuè earlier. I don’t believe this, and my experience in the Underground Tournament says the same thing. They don’t surrender. In fact, they keep going until the end. Celeste, Solomon, and Victoria are the few rare exceptions, and those three had told me before about the livelihoods of these countries. We still lack the knowledge about Renos, but Kriegshan itself was horrific.”
Empress Cai offered her opinion, leaning up closer to everyone. “I think we should keep the war on the table. No matter how prepared we are, we need to deal with Renos first. That’s our track to reach Kriegshan. Otherwise, we have to deal with them again in our territory, and I don’t want that to happen again,” she said without expressing her frustration from the battle at the swamp.
“How many soldiers do you have? Míngyuè said you two have each brought back around twenty thousand.”
Father Kang looked at Míngyuè. He pulled his right thumb and raised his hand up. “Good guess, but it is significantly more than that.”
Míngyuè’s eyes widened. “Are you serious? Way more? Forty?”
“More.”
“Fifty-five?”
“Still far, keep going.”
“Yinhai. What did you guys do in these twenty days? Seventy?”
Father Kang laughed and felt a little amused, calming his stress. “I’ll tell you. About a hundred-fifty thousand.”
Empress Cai, too, smiled and raised her arm like a student waiting to be answered. “I brought back two hundred thousand, but your guess of twenty thousand was accurate because we only took some units directly to the capital. The rest are at Longyue’s borders and various states as a defense.”
Míngyuè turned her attention to Julius. He shrugged, non-verbally expressing that this wasn’t what he expected either, but not surprising. Hence, he spoke. “If the population numbers of our empire are true, not only that is a lot, but that barely accounts for a low percentage of our people.”
“I thought that wasn’t legitimate data,” Míngyuè responded. “So, you are telling me there are at least one billion of us residing in this land?”
“Yes, I believe it. The world I was born in had two countries with over a billion residents living there. The only difference is that we have a bigger land area than those two countries combined,” Julius said, summoning a YYG box. “But now, since Father Kang and Empress Cai returned, The Moon Empire is more united than ever has been for a long time in history. That’s what matters more, and since we are all here, we can discuss our plans right here.”
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One Day Later (Y1010年 07月 19日) → Noon.
Julius strolled around the open lot of what used to be District Two, now accompanied by forty thousand soldiers. He presented his proposal to them with his almighty and coherent voice that reached every single one of them over fifteen acres of land. Empress Cai and Father Kang’s efforts at bringing three hundred fifty thousand soldiers had made logistics more convenient. New intel supported that the army of Renos was smaller than expected, and it was confirmed twice thanks to Empress Cai’s undercover team's repetitive procedures. Hence, Julius had the forty thousand soldiers convened on the flat land as they were chosen to lead the campaign against Renos.
The revenue gained from the state’s debt being paid to the central government was allocated for the military budget. Hence, there was no worry about hiccups or disruptions. Julius stood tall in his Heian 1 (黑暗一) form, which allowed him to see everyone with his eyes. That was also a demonstration of his power to them, as the majority were new individuals who had never met or heard from him before. He strolled around back and forth at the center of the crowd and gave them the knowledge to catch up to the current times. He then told the soldiers how their home states censored and disconnected them from everything that had happened these past two months. Afterward, Julius allowed them to have a break. The soldiers had stood for two hours straight without uttering a word, so he let them talk it out with each other, keeping the moral level stable.
He went back to the front of the crowd, joining Father Kang and Empress Cai. The two were sitting in their chairs, facing the soldiers. Julius sat in his chair, and Father Kang turned, asking him. “What do you think?”
“I don’t know who trained them, but they all have knowledge of cultivation. Their qi is straightforward,” Julius commented. “You and she said these men were all from those ten states, right?”
“Yes, sir. Also, are you considering that suggestion I offered?”
Julius sighed. “Yeah, I think that would be best, but Solomon won't do all of this alone. Unless you two are about to surprise me again.”
Empress Cai, who was talking with Daiyu, joined in the latter’s conversation. Her ear must have heard because she answered: “Father Kang and I have assembled an armory team. He handles boots, gloves, and weapons. I’ll handle the main clothing.”
Daiyu summoned a few poster-sized boards and handed them to Julius. He grabbed it, finding a variety of designs drawn like a blueprint.
“My goodness. How long did it take y’all to draft all of this?”
“Three days.”
“I guess you two don’t sleep as much anymore, huh?”
Father Kang and Empress Cai shook their heads simultaneously. Julius carefully read through the drafts. Each board had five design sets with unique implications. He could tell who made some of these proposals. The red theme had to be from Empress Cai, while the black theme with shoulder plate augmentations was from Father Kang, referencing the Kang’s Family default cultivator outfit. However, there was one problem. The first board wasn’t that suitable on the battlefield. It made sense in the aspect of being in ceremonial events but wouldn’t express the right message in war. Hence, he summoned a pen and marked the good things about each design. Afterward, he put the first board leaning on this chair, and the process repeats for the last two boards.
Daiyu, Father Kang, and Empress Cai looked concerned because Julius was silent. He was the whole time, and it didn’t take long to review the last two boards. By the time it was finished, he quickly handed it to Daiyu.
“Do you have anything to say?” Daiyu asked.
“They’ll look good, but the issue is that all of them had a different and inconsistent expression throughout. Funny is that each had something that was so well inputted.” Julius then gestured to Empress Cai and Father Kang to come up. He pointed to the board. “Take all the marks I made and create one new design that has all of those suggestions. Then bring it to me once it’s done.” He handed one of each to the three, and Julius stood up, resuming the presentation.
The rest only lasted for fifteen more minutes until the presentation concluded. It was time for lunch. Julius could tell they were hungry, as he had felt gentle fluctuations of qi from the crowd.
“We are going to eat here,” Julius announced. “You guys stood long enough, and the reward for it is you can sit and enjoy your lunch here. And not to worry, they’ll be arriving shortly.”
The soldiers scattered throughout the lot, becoming more spaced out. Julius sat back in his chair and looked at the five black and orange orbs in his virtual inventory. He summoned one out, gripping it. Nobody knew this stack of orbs he received before leaving Level Three. Do I really have to use these? Julius thought, questioning the willingness. Will this be like how Alyssa and Zhengyu arrived? He still doubted it because this was literally how to get back to Earth, which was not only a sudden revelation but where it was created. He may never know, but it was worth the try soon. Julius heard footsteps from his left coming up, prompting him to turn. He found Empress Cai standing next to his left armrest. She pointed to the orb he was holding onto.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
“What is that spherical void you’re holding onto?”
“Some of y’all were interested in going back to Earth, where I was born, right? Well, supposedly, this orb I received before we departed Level Three will get us back there.”
Empress Cai hummed. “How does it work?”
Julius put the orb back in his virtual inventory, standing up. “I throw it at an open spot, and it should summon an entryway to get us there. Kind of like how the grand doors get us into the Tower of the Merit Universe.”
“Have you asked Alyssa?”
“No, actually. Now that you mentioned it, I should ask her. Good timing, since she’s actually coming too.”
“Then ask her once we eat.”
Vroom!
“Perfect timing…They’re here,” Julius said as five pickup trucks arrived. Father Kang stood from his seat, walking up to the two.
“You build more?” Empress Cai asked.
Julius nodded. “I built one. I gave Han some advice, and he could create so fast that I haven’t been able to catch up with the details.”
Father Kang stared at the convoy. “When did you build this?”
“Twenty-one days ago. The car I’m driving to replace my dead truck took five days to make. Afterward, it got quicker to build,” Julius said, pointing to the convoy of trucks. He then turned to Father Kang. “I haven’t built any after. This was all Han. Are you impressed?”
“From improving carriages into your vehicles. It sounds like an upgrade to me.” He smiled, then headed down the platform, teleporting right to where the trucks were going to enter. Julius watched him, directing the trucks where to park.
“You want to drive one?” He asked Empress Cai.
“Maybe later when there’s nobody around.”
The five trucks parked, and all doors immediately opened. Han exited from the first truck. Jing exited from the second truck’s driver’s seat. Mother Elaine, Helda, and Solomon exited the following three trucks. Each truck was full and a five-seater. Other than the driver, four from each exited. Julius had brought cultivator master chefs and hired a few extra cultivators who specialized and studied culinary works. They were well organized. All five trunks looked full, but it was only barrels and a few metallic tables. The cultivator chefs took everything and brought it to an empty spot near the platform. Twelve tables and five were reserved for each master chef. They all wore black coatings and heavy suits that were colored like charcoal. Also, a newsboy-like cap with distinctive stripes. All five had nine stripes, indicating their highest rank. Empress Cai had told him about these kinds of chefs before, which was during Julius’ first day. They are definitely martial artists by heart who love cooking food.
Empress Cai and Daiyu stepped down from the platform, joining the chefs. Julius looked further ahead to see if there was anybody left before he joined in with the rest. He specifically went to the chef and table that handled all the rice first. His rice dependency could never cease.
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One Hour Later.
Julius finished his meal and walked over to find Alyssa standing alone with Victoria. Ever since the Battle at South Cai Fishing Village and the defeat by Solomon’s brutality, Alyssa had become more reclusive. She recovered fine but appeared to be lost. Her first impression of the hospital’s operating room to now was as if these were two different people. She had said she didn’t want to go back, but one observation from Julius here assumed that she might want to go home. She and Victoria were talking to each other, only stopping when he arrived.
“How’s the food?”
Alyssa had a plate of sliced cake and bits of cream on her face. Julius gestured to her cheek. Victoria handed her a napkin. Alyssa quickly wiped it off, not even attempting to smile, but felt a little down. Julius turned to Victoria, communicating telepathically. “Has she been like this often?”
“I have only known her since she first arrived here, and I’ll tell you…Yes. And it’s a little concerning. Was she ever like this back then?”
“Heck no. Yinhai, she was the one that got me here in the first place.”
“Why are you two staring? It’s startling me out,” Alyssa muttered, finishing the slice of cake.
“Oh, uh. Nothing. Anyway, how’s the food?” Julius asked.
“I love the cake more than the lunch,” she said while her mouth was congested with all the flour and cream.
Julius nodded, but he looked down momentarily. He wanted to ask her directly if she was okay. However, he wasn’t prepared for that yet, so he asked a different question. “Your parents aren’t here…Did they not make it with you?”
She aggressively sighed, throwing the plate to the floor. Her voice uttered right when the plate shattered. “I wished I knew what happened. We got separated and knocked out. By the time I woke up, I was in that damn tent next to Xavier, and you came inside. Why are you asking me this?”
“You were never like this when we first met. Where’s the boldness, taking a stance, and the wrath you brought at the hospital?”
“I’m sure you didn’t come to me to talk about this,” Alyssa said.
Julius’ eyebrows raised, looking around as if he was missing something. “You’re really not the same person I met…Anyway, how did you and your dad get to Earth?”
“We can summon doors…But the doors were destroyed after we arrived back. That was the last of it,” Alyssa answered while not looking happy. It was almost as if she wasn’t in the mood to talk to Julius at the moment, but only Victoria.
“Ok, well, never mind then. I thought you had something about Earth travel,” Julius said, not telling her that he already read her mind. She wasn’t lying. It was indeed gone. Hence, he backed away, returning to Empress Cai. This isn’t a good start. She’s not okay. He reflected and wondered if this was related to her parents. As disconnected as Alyssa was, Julius felt he owed her father and mother for saving him after being impaled by the Adler beast.
He went to the crowd, teleporting to a cluster of them where Empress Cai was interacting with fellow women cultivators. They were laughing joyfully like children. One of them saw Julius approaching, and she gestured to him to join. Empress Cai offered him water, which he declined. He found them verbalizing silly thoughts like college students in the club chit-chattering. Julius glanced at all the five women cultivators in the group. They looked like southern Americans. A variation of a blonde or brunette and blue eyes with the proper and unique accent, reminding him of the people he met with his marine comrades while fishing in the deep south.
He then turned to Empress Cai, announcing his reflection. “No, the orb is the way to enter…Her door is gone.”
“Darn, unfortunate. Well, at least the orbs will do us wonders. When are you going to do this?”
“In a few days. I heard the time dilation isn’t the same as compared to the door, where only a day over there is a week here.”
“Do you know the exact time?”
Julius shook his head. “No, I don’t. Let’s pray that it’s the opposite, where barely time here has passed…Once some of us step foot there, we can only buy time.”
One of the five barged into the conversation. She, along with her fellow friends, eavesdropped like a magnet. They heard everything, so she asked: “What’s this place you talking about? Is this a realm?”
Right, I forgot. Not everyone heard my speech a few days ago. The newspaper only began deliveries this morning. “I did a public speech not that long ago. I announced who I was, my plans, and what’s the future of this world,” Julius said, pausing. “…I’m not from here. I wasn’t born here. My parents were, but I’m only a child’s equivalent spent here.”
The women cultivators were pretty excited at that thought, curious about his origins. One asked with enthusiasm: “When will you go? Can we all join?”
Julius shrugged. “In a few days, some of us will leave with me to return to my birthplace to get an extra company that will aid us through this war. I’ll decide who’ll join because it’s a risky move, and I don’t know how much time will pass here by the time we come back.”
The southern-like women cultivators felt trampled. However, one of the five was still enthusiastic and unfazed by that consequence. “I would still like to go.”
“Wow, you really have no fear, huh? I might look into you then,” Julius said.
The four ladies looked at her with a sense of jealousy that Julius’ mind immediately filtered away from reaching his thought process. I’m not listening to this. He turned to Empress Cai, signaling to her he was ready to go back to the Palace. One wave of goodbye to the five ladies and departed from the crowd. Julius headed to Father Kang, telling him he was heading back.
Boom!
Julius launched into the air, releasing a supersonic boom. He flew right to the Moon Palace, leaving behind a trail of smoke.
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Three Days Later (Y1010年 07月 22日) → Morning.
Everyone returned to the empty lot. Julius stood in front of everyone. He turned in a swift, viewing everyone who stood with him. Barely a few hundred, however, it was enough to pass. Earth’s threats were non-existent, as of his knowledge. Xavier’s death has unburdened him. Mother Elaine, of course, came along. Same with Helda. Father Kang, Feng, and the Skolritters decided to stay behind, except Solomon. He was interested in the technology on Earth, so he had to see it for himself. Celeste was next to Solomon. She remembered the time at the coffee shop with a big lunch. Julius promised to take her there one day, so this was an opportunity not to be missed.
Julius counted everyone almost as if he was a teacher doing attendance, which was one thing he got used to doing since becoming the emperor. It turned out his expectations were off by at least a hundred, and the count was revealed to be only a hundred-thirty-six. Either way, that was enough. Hence, he turned away, summoning an orb called Transport to Dìqiú (地球). He threw it gently ahead. The orb cracked like a window break, opening a flash of a building-sized light.
Empress Cai flashed next to Julius’ hypercar, summoning a huge red barrier. Celeste summoned hers, and the two barriers blocked everything that the light was gushing out.
“You changed your mind?”
“Yeah, I gave all the responsibility to him.”
Julius chuckled. “Father Kang is going to give you an earful.”
“I know. It’s my risky decision,” she said.
The barrier ceased as the light calmed down. Julius heard the sound of the door opening. Hence, he raised his fist, pointing to the portal for others to go. He entered into his hypercar. Empress Cai opened the passenger’s door and sat on her seat, closing the door.
“This feels so nice,” she commented. “What’s the name of this?”
“Dan Mark I…Earth has a lot of stuff, so take notes if you want to.” Julius then pulled the gear stick to drive, pressing on the gas pedal. The D.M.1 launched towards the portal. He saw everyone behind him speed up with the hypercar.
Whoosh!
“Woah,” Julius muttered, finding himself in the air. Then, dropping in a free fall. He turned to Empress Cai. “Use our qi.” Both exerted theirs, spreading throughout the vehicle.
Julius sent everyone a message through to the ones driving the trucks. Afterward, he went dead focused on what was below, using the steering wheel and two pedals to direct the D.M.1. The Skoltor System measured the current altitude to be around fifteen thousand feet, which was already half less than the average airline flight, so he then slammed the gas pedal, tipping the hypercar straight down. Swarming through the accumulated dark clouds, the vehicle passed through quickly. The structure of the D.M.1 detracted any wind pressure or loud noises, making the auditory experience pleasant and calm.
The windshield revealed a city-like look on a map. A bit closer, and Julius recognized it to be Colemond. He let his foot partially off the gas pedal, leveling the altitude. The qi motor was activated and worked with the exterior qi to boost the vehicle away from going downtown. A moment gave him the realization that it was raining. However, the exterior qi working with the hypercar’s structure replaced the need for windshield wipers.
“Where are you going?”
“You remember I briefly mentioned someone I raised almost like my daughter for a while? We are heading there now. This will be the first time you’ll see her.”
“Oh, alright.”
The car descended at a rapid but constant rate. He was going north, passing downtown in a glimpse. When he was closer to Dr. Annia’s house, there was one problem. It would be troubling to drop at the gated entrance. In fact, the ability to do that with a whole convoy was an impossible task. But Julius then remembered how big each of the mansion’s lots were. The car went into a steer, going at a hard turn left and right.
Flash! Boom! Zap!
“What the,” Julius yelped. “What kind of shit is going on there?”
“A commotion. We should go in armed rather than empty.”
“I agree.” He sent another telepathic message as a warning before letting his foot off any pedal. The qi was redirected, pushing the car down faster to land. The D.M.1 decelerated rapidly, and with kinesis, Julius maneuvered the vehicle, aiming it to be like a space shuttle or airplane landing approach. “Here we go…Hang on.”
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205 feet
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142 ft.
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60 ft.
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5 ft.
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Thud.
The rear tires touched the grassy floor. Down. His eyes watched the angle of the windshield’s view directed down, followed by a jolting impact. Julius’ ears could hear the suspension doing the work, easing the vehicle’s landing. That was when he took control of the steering wheel and pedal, entering Dr. Annia’s property. Slam!
D.M.1’s front battering ram slammed through the concrete fence, revealing a few people ahead. Julius went for a hard turn to the left, dodging two people wielding swords. He screeched the tires as it went into a partial drift until it stopped and faced the mansion. Putting the gear stick into park, he turned off the hypercar. His eyes then viewed the scene, recognizing a few familiar faces.
“Who are they?” Empress Cai asked.
Julius turned to her, changing into his old face. “Old friends,” he said and opened the door, letting the rain shower his head.
A flow of multiple qi reached his chest, reading a few. One was traced from Dr. Annia. Wow, she got one. I wonder if that was from her.
“So, you had one too, huh?!” Julius asked in a loud voice, reaching the entire group in Dr. Annia’s backyard. He stepped on the concrete he was certain was never here before but then traced it back to a broad man with smooth, toned skin. He was holding a jacket, and his right arm was a little gray. Julius smiled, knowing exactly who this was. “Agent Marriott…You don’t look like an old man anymore!”
“Son of a bit—”
Julius laughed and nodded. “It is me, jackass.”
Agent Marriot put on his jacket and greeted him, only to be surprised by the difference in height. “What the hell have you done in these past few years? Ow!”
“Oh, sorry.” Julius let his hand go, not accounting for the strength difference. He then looked at the rest. “Long story, but for me, it’s been more than a few years.”
Agent Sleep, with the eyepatch, looked the same as ever, as if nothing happened. That might be a bad thing for some, but in his case, it was a blessing. Next to him was Annia. Those two were the ones wielding their own katanas. He sensed their qi fluctuated away from the blade.
“What the fuck happened to your face?!” Laura yelled as a gust blew her blonde hair across, exposing rain onto her hair more. She then walked up and let her palm touch it. Julius saw her grimace, and Laura jerked her hand away. “My god, it’s nothing…Annia! Come here!”
Why is her qi going mad? Julius wondered as he watched her coming towards him, making her internal qi readings vivid.
“I’ll go check on the others,” Empress Cai whispered into his ear. “They landed not that far from here. You guys have a brief reunion.” She then launched away, rumbling the ground.
Annia and Laura tripped but were saved by Julius’ shield that summoned directly on their backs. “It’s been a while, Annia.”
“A while? We saw each other not even a day ago,” she said, getting up from the shield and touching his face. “Do you feel pain?”
Julius shook his head. “Not anymore. That was a month ago.”
“Ok, I don’t understand what you’re saying. What do you mean, a month? Dr. Annia said she only saw you yesterday afternoon,” Laura said.
“I see…I’ve been in this world called Raal for more than two months. A global war is about to happen very soon, and I came back here so my guys could take notes of the technology and knowledge that existed on Earth. Afterward, we leave.”
“You’re not done there?”
“No, I don’t belong here anymore. I learned my parents’ biological history originated from that world. Why did they escape or went to Earth is still a mystery I’m trying to solve,” Julius answered. “How about this? Let us talk inside while I analyze your soul energy to see if you are compatible.”
"Compatible?"