CHAPTER 1449: INTO THE MYSTIQUE REALM

When Lory returned from the Mystique Realm, she brought Zhao Li Xin along to discuss Girsha’s situation and their new discovery with Lucas, Fargo, and Fredhardt. Lory also brought up how the terrifying Scion transforms into a cute, adorable little boy, with pure eyes, and Lory couldn’t resist snapping a selfie with him on her phone.

They gathered in the study lounge, its warm lighting and quiet atmosphere making it the perfect place for a serious talk. Lucas leaned over, plucked the phone from Lory’s hand, and examined the picture with a raised brow.

"...He’s actually, really cute," Lucas muttered before shrugging.

"Well, at least I’m not disgusted anymore knowing that thing is living inside me. By the way, you said the Scion absorbed my power to nourish himself... does that make me his mother?"

Lory tilted her head. "More like his surrogate mother."

"Ohh.." Lucas make a slow nod.

"Alright, enough of that nonsense," Fredhardt cut in sharply, massaging his temple. "Back to the matter at hand." He turned toward Zhao Li Xin. "You said if we could convince Zalchana to take Girsha’s place in the Oblivion, it would set Girsha free?"

"Pretty much," Zhao Li Xin replied with a calm nod.

Fargo frowned, swirling the amber liquid in his glass before taking a slow sip. He smacked his lips and exhaled. "That... won’t be easy. We don’t even know where Zalchana is right now."

"We also don’t know what Zalchana truly wants," Lory added, casually biting into a chocolate chip cookie. "We only know Theodore Nevaro’s and Alexander Behrenn’s goals, but not so much about Zalchana; we just know she exists, we don’t even know what it looks like or what she’s truly capable of."

Fargo raised a brow. "I think that kind of thing always desires the same thing? You know, the world destruction?" he make dramatic gestures with his hands.

"If that were the case, Alexander and Theodore would have a contingency plan to get rid of Zalchana," Lucas said lazily, leaning back in his armchair. "Besides, nobody wants to rule over a pile of ashes."

Zhao Li Xin spun a small jade wine cup between his fingers, his gaze steady. "That’s why we need to dig into Zalchana’s past. Only then will we know what she really desires." He glanced at Lucas.

Lucas’s lips curved into a wide grin. "Oh, so it’s my time to shine, huh?"

"Guess we’re giving a literal meaning to ’rise and shine,’" Lory joked.

Zhao Li Xin’s expression brightened with curiosity. "May I ask what your innate power is? I know Lory has water, wind, and healing gifts... so what about you?"

"Oh, that?" Lucas glanced at Lory with a reproachful look. "You never told him?"

"I forgot," Lory admitted weakly while munching on a cookie.

Lucas sighed but waved it off. "Well, you’re family, so of course you can ask. At my age, I’ve got no reason to hide it anymore. The thing is, people always mistake my power for something else, and honestly, I’m too lazy to explain." He spoke casually, as though this wasn’t a matter of great importance for the entire kingdom.

"Most people think my power is teleportation—that I can just pop in and out of places as I please. Not entirely wrong... but not entirely true either. My gift is actually ’Time and Space.’"

"Time and space?" Zhao Li Xin’s eyes gleamed with interest.

"Yes. But it comes with limitations," Lucas admitted with a casual wave of his hand. "For ’Time,’ I can either give it or take it away the time from objects, so it’s not work to living things. I can also stop and fast-forward time for about five minutes."

"Give and take time?" Zhao Li Xin tilted his head in confusion.

"It’s easier if I show you," Lory suddenly said.

Lory then summoned one of her broken hairpins and handed the shattered pieces to Lucas. He hovered his hand over them, and before their eyes, the pieces knit themselves together, the cracks vanishing until the hairpin looked brand new.

Lory wagged the hairpin proudly. "See? He can also do the opposite—make it old by taking its time away." She handed the hairpin to Zhao Li Xin.

Zhao Li Xin examined it with fascination. "Impressive. And what about ’Space’?"

Lucas rubbed the back of his neck. "That one’s simpler. I can only move myself, so I cannot bring anyone, and it is only about one kilometer at most. If I want to go farther, I have to teleport several times, and that drains my mana fast." He grimaced, clearly recalling a few exhausting experiences.

"See?" Lory said, grinning. "Not at all omnipotent, right. Every gift has its limits."

Fredhardt sipped his coffee and chuckled. "Even so, it was a lifesaver during the Dark Age War and the King’s Trial."

Fargo nodded. "Yeah. Without His Majesty’s power, where would we have gotten functioning cars or proper shelter?"

Back then, Lucas’s ability had been invaluable, turning broken-down junk into usable vehicles and transformed abandoned house into safe homes. Without him, completing the King’s Trial might have taken over a decade.

"By combining the power of time and space, I also gain the ability to glimpse into the future and the past of an object or place," Lucas continued, explaining.

Lory lowered her head as she sipped her tea. She couldn’t help but feel a pang of foolishness. How could she have ever thought Lucas was oblivious to their fate? With his power, it’s no wonder he had been able to track down Arthea and Djevelskrin on his own.

Her brother had always been powerful and clever. Of course, he would know. She had simply overestimated herself.

"So this way, we will be able to investigate Zalchana’s past," Zhao Li Xin said, pinching his chin thoughtfully.

"We can," Lucas agreed, "However, based on your description about that world, it seems I’m gonna need a lot of mana, which means I’m gonna need Lory’s power to synch with mine, for me to be able to cover the whole area." He nudged Lory’s shoulder, nearly making her drop her cookie.

"Hey!" Lory clicked her tongue.

"Can I join in?" Fargo suddenly asked.

"Unfortunately, that’s impossible," Zhao Li Xin replied calmly. "I use the Mystique Realm to open the rift to Oblivion. It’s easier to connect there since the Mystique Realm is my dominion, unlike in the real world."

"And the Mystique Realm only accepts one person other than its master—with the master’s permission, of course," Lory added, puffing her chest proudly. "Which means me!"

"Then what about Lucas?" Fredhardt asked.

"My brother-in-law shares the same blood with Lory, so it’s not a problem," Zhao Li Xin explained. "The spatial ring recognizes people using their blood. Therefore, it’ll accept His Majesty without issue."

"Oh, yes, I forgot that’s why you were able to move Lucas to your realm when he was unconscious..." Fredhardt gave an understanding nod.

"So, I can’t get inside yours, Li Xin?" Fargo whined.

Lory frowned. For some reason, why does that sound so wrong?

"Stop whining," Fredhardt scolded him.

"But don’t you wonder how it feels inside Li Xin?" Fargo complained.

Fredhardt, completely unaware of anything wrong, spoke in a resigned tone. "I do... but since it’s impossible, we’ll just have to let it go." He turned to Lory. "Princess, make sure to take plenty of pictures while you’re inside your husband."

"I will not!" Lory sputtered in reflex, her face turning red.

Lucas burst into laughter. "Ha! Guess that means I’m the only one who can get inside my brother-in-law—" He froze mid-sentence and grimaced. "Wow. That... sounded really wrong."

"Okay! No one gets inside my husband’s spatial ring!" Lory shouted, cutting off the conversation before it got any worse.

"..." Zhao Li Xin stayed silent, feeling sorry for Fargo and Fredhardt, who both looked far too eager to enter his Mystique Realm.

"Maybe I can work on something..." Zhao Li Xin murmured to himself.

Lory immediately raised her finger like a warning flag and glared at him. "NO!"

Meanwhile, Fargo’s phone buzzed. He quickly answered. "Yo, Jay, what’s up?"

"Hi, Fargy, I’ve got some news to report—" Jay’s words cut off when a scream came through the line.

"Stop talking about getting inside my husband!" Lory’s voice echoed in the background.

Then came Fredhardt’s resigned reprimand. "Lory, remember what the teacher said about sharing."

"SHUT UP!" Lory roar.

Then comes Lucas’ lazy voice, "Lory, is it today the ’time of the month? Too bad I can’t stop or fast-forward that..."

Jay went silent. "...I know is not the right time, but what the he*l are you guys talking about?"

Fargo chuckled. "Oh, we’re just about to investigate something inside Zhao Li Xin, but Lory won’t let us."

"..." There was a long pause on Jay’s end before he finally replied, "I know what you said is not exactly what you mean, but still, I’m glad I’m not part of that conversation."

"Why?" Fargo remained oblivious, while the others continued arguing in the background.