Arknightcraft Modpack
Chapter 556: Is He Reliable?
"What I mean is—look, this part is white, this part is black, and this here… is yellow."
The Emperor pointed with his short flippers at the white and black fur on his body, then finally at the ring of yellow fluff around his neck. The once-arrogant penguin instantly wilted like a frostbitten eggplant.
After all, being caught red-handed badmouthing someone wasn't exactly dignified. Even for someone who didn't care much about appearances, it was still embarrassing, especially when the person in question was that infamous green-haired lynx with a notoriously bad temper. Who knew what kind of retaliation she might come up with?
"…You're as shameless as ever."
Kal'tsit, who had just teleported to Lungmen with Steven, rubbed her temples. The teleportation left her slightly dizzy. Steven's ability was astonishing—if used militarily, it would be terrifying.
As for the Emperor's earlier comments, she didn't care much. The penguin's lack of restraint was common knowledge. If he weren't one of the legendary Beast Lords, his mouth alone would've gotten him assassinated countless times.
"And you're as young and beautiful as ever—almost untouched by time." The Emperor flattered her before quickly shifting the topic.
"Though I'm curious, what brings the head of Rhodes Island to a humble logistics company like mine instead of tending to your important duties?"
Subtly shielding Mostima behind him, the Emperor already had a guess. The only reason Kal'tsit would show up here was the intel in the Sankta's hands.
What puzzled him was why she hadn't extracted the information back on Rhodes Island. Why go through the trouble now?
The only explanation he could think of was that Kal'tsit had always been interested in the intel, and sending Mostima back was merely a cover. If so… her appearance now might even suggest silencing witnesses.
"You and I both know why I'm here. And stop being so defensive. This concerns both of us. What matters isn't the location—it's the island."
Seeing his reaction, Kal'tsit guessed his thoughts and shook her head, getting straight to the point.
"The energy there is extremely unstable. I've received information that if it explodes, more than half of Terra's land could be blown away. Do you understand why I'm standing here now?"
She didn't hide anything from a Beast Lord like him. This concerned the entire land. Not just Beast Lords—even Feranmuts and gods had a responsibility to act.
Even if they themselves could survive such an explosion, the humans they relied upon would not.
"…I hadn't heard it was that serious."
The Emperor's playful demeanor vanished. His avian face darkened, concern filling his tone.
He didn't doubt Kal'tsit. If there was anyone in the world who never joked, it was the lynx before him. If she said this, she must already have concrete information.
"If I'd known earlier, do you think I'd be here asking her for coordinates now?"
Kal'tsit let out a sigh. She had originally been just as unaware as anyone else. If Steven hadn't told her, she would've assumed it was merely a resource dispute between nations—never something that could escalate into an apocalypse.
"…Do the other old-timers know about this?" the Emperor asked, his tone heavy.
"Not yet. The priority is confirming the situation on-site first."
Kal'tsit shook her head. Her original plan had been to unite the Feranmuts and Beast Lords she knew and discuss how to handle the threat. But Steven's appearance introduced a new variable. Since he claimed he might have a solution, she was willing to trust him once.
"If that's the case, I can give you the intel," the Emperor said seriously, his earlier playful demeanor completely gone. "But you'll have to bear the consequences yourself. Once you step in, it's equivalent to dragging all of Rhodes Island into the spotlight. And if your ties with us old relics are exposed, do you really think that little pharmaceutical company of yours can withstand the pressure from all sides?"
He believed Kal'tsit could rally many Feranmuts and Beast Lords to resolve the crisis. But doing so would expose Rhodes Island entirely. The nations of Terra would never tolerate a medical company with connections to so many godlike entities. The price she'd pay would be far greater than it seemed.
"I know," Kal'tsit nodded. "That's why, for now, I'm not the one solving the problem. I'm just accompanying him to verify whether things are truly as he described."
She shifted slightly, revealing the black-haired young man behind her—Steven, who had been watching the Sankta and the Lupo girls with amused interest.
"At least for now, I'm not worried," she added calmly. "If the sky falls, there's still a shareholder to hold it up."
Steven's reliability at critical moments was something she trusted completely.
"…And this is?" The Emperor frowned.
At first glance, the boy looked utterly ordinary. That was why he hadn't even noticed him earlier. Steven didn't have a particularly striking aura—aside from being a bit handsome, he lacked any of that so-called protagonist's overwhelming presence.
Which made the Emperor all the more curious. Kal'tsit was entrusting a matter of this scale to him?
"Huh? Just a passing shareholder of Rhodes Island," Steven replied with an honest grin. "Saving the world is everyone's responsibility, right?"
The introduction sounded so unreliable it almost hurt.
Only Mostima raised an eyebrow. After the initial surprise faded, she looked as if everything made perfect sense. If it was Steven, nothing would be too outrageous. The boy was just that kind of person—always unpredictable.
"You're seriously entrusting it to someone like—"
"—He's the one behind the incident in Kazimierz."
Kal'tsit cut him off casually.
The Emperor froze mid-sentence.
He knew exactly what had happened in the Grand Knight Territory of Kazimierz. In fact, every Feranmut and Beast Lord across Terra had been intrigued by the mysterious figure capable of manipulating a cosmic phenomena known as black holes (Or the weird light-absorbing wind as the Feranmut and Gods who lack the knowledge of outer space call them).
The problem was that the person vanished after the event.
No matter what methods they used, they couldn't trace even the slightest clue about him.
Kal'tsit's blunt statement that this seemingly harmless boy was the one behind the Kazimierz incident completely challenged the Emperor's understanding of physics.
After a brief pause, the Emperor's expression instantly transformed. When he turned back to Steven, his face was already plastered with an extremely ingratiating smile.
"Ahem—maybe the wind was too strong just now. If I said anything wrong, please don't mind it," he said smoothly. "May I ask your esteemed name, sir? If there's anything this humble one can help with, just say the word."
After all, this was someone who could single-handedly destroy a mobile city. No matter what, getting acquainted with such a big shot could only be beneficial.
"Oh, it's not that exaggerated," Steven replied modestly, smiling at the utterly shameless penguin just as Kal'tsit had described. He pinched his chin and thought for a while before suddenly clapping his hands. "But if there's something you could help me with… hmm… can you top up Q-coins?"
"…Huh?"
The Emperor tilted his head. With no visible neck, the question marks practically filled his entire face. He clearly had no idea what Steven meant by "topping up Q-coins."
"Ah, forget it. Looks like you're not professional enough," Steven sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. "I was hoping you could use your heart to create happiness."
He continued muttering nonsense that only he understood.
"…"
The room fell silent.
"Is he always like this?"
"When he's not acting up, he's pretty normal," came a calm reply. "Unfortunately, he spends most of the twenty-four hours in a day… acting up."
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
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Tn: I updated the story daily, but if you want to see more chapter of this story ahead of time, please go to my Patreon.
Latest Chapter: Chapter 617: A Bold Guess[1]
Link: https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/arknightcraft-160680628[2]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/arknightcraft-160680628
[2] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/arknightcraft-160680628