The Record of Unusual Creatures

Charlemagne exchanged looks with his sister.

The situation happened to be a little beyond their expectations.

Awenna never thought things would turn out that way. She had scanned the room for bugs and found nothing. Now, they may or may not have blown their cover. But that was no longer important. They were more worried about the intentions of the mysterious people, and whether the people had anything to do with the pirates.

They were on a “battleship”. That word was bothering Charlemagne.

There were mysterious things in the world like an ancient sorcerer who had been living as a hermit for several hundred thousand years suddenly riding a robotic dragon on the streets, runaway magic-driven soldiers from some unknown ruins, and strange creations that some hermit organizations possessed. Charlemagne previously thought that the silvery-white ship was one such occurrence, but it turned out to be a battleship.

Hao Ren noticed that Charlemagne’s expression had changed. He quickly asked without giving him much time to think, “I don’t know what you think of us, but first, let me make it clear that we are not hostile. Our encounter and involvement in the attack incident were purely coincidental. We saved you by chance from the pirates. We have nothing to hide in this regard.”

Charlemagne’s eyebrows twitched. Are these people not connected to the pirates? Was it really a coincidence? he thought.

However, could they be trusted?

Just as Charlemagne tried to make sense of it, Awenna stepped forward and said, “We are from the Royal Family of Izzo. His Majesty, Berundin is our father.”

Charlemagne quickly chided in a low voice, “Awenna!”

Awenna appeared calm. “My brother, we are on their ship; everyone is on their ship.”

Charlemagne came to his senses and realized that he had overlooked a few things. Awenna knew the situation better than her brother did.

Since the siblings were on board someone else’s ship, which was still flying over the World Scar, they would instantly be at a disadvantage once the shipowner knew about their identities. He was not only worried that the shipowner would hold his crew members hostage, but also that his crew members and passengers would leak their identities—even if it may be unintentional.

Therefore, it was better to be cooperative. Compared with the real secret, both of their identities did not appear to be such a big deal anyway.

Hao Ren was a little surprised when he heard what Awenna said. It never occurred to him that he would end up saving two special figures before he even launched his operation on the planet. But the encounter was only natural for a nosy parker like him. Hao Ren assumed that it was no big deal even if the siblings were prince and princess. Just like any other ordinary girl, the princess probably had to study and do homework, sleep at night, read comics, play games, and maybe sometimes, get a pat on the butt for breaking things at home. That was all the more plausible when the Sun King of Aerym himself had to fight with the husky for a couple of pork ribs every day.

Nonetheless, Hao Ren was still curious about the two extraordinary figures. “The princess and prince of the Ancient Kingdom of Izzo? How could such distinguished people appear on a passenger ship and be attacked by pirates?”

“We are on a secret mission,” Charlemagne said indignantly. Since their identities had been exposed, he did not need to hide it anymore. “Awenna and I are secret envoys sent from Izzo to Dragon Empire, and those pirates—”

Vivian chimed in without waiting for Charlemagne to finish. “It seems that those pirates were not really pirates.”

Charlemagne looked at the woman who interrupted him. “You are right to some extent; those pirates were not what they appeared to be.”

Surprised, Hao Ren looked at Vivian, who waved her hand indifferently. “I have seen enough of such things. Back when the Europeans were fighting for maritime dominance, half of the pirates were state-sponsored. I was almost tempted to become a pirate, but I didn’t manage to become one when the ship sank.”

Hao Ren was struck dumb; it was the first time he had heard of that story about the Countess. Perhaps during his journey back in time, he had left in a hurry and missed the details.

“Ahem.” Hao Ren quickly drew Charlemagne and Awenna’s attention back as they appeared curious. “I got it. You two were secret envoys of Izzo to the Dragon Empire, but the mission was exposed, and someone put a price on your heads. That explains the pirate attack. No wonder both of you act as if you have a persecutory delusion.”

Awenna seemed curious. “What is a persecutory delusion?”

“It means you are paranoid. If someone sneezes, you will suspect that it is a secret code. When you have a meal, you are always worried that people will summon five hundred hatchet hands with the smash of a cup as the signal.” Hao Ren waved his hand. “Talking to such people is particularly tiring because they easily become too suspicious. Back to the topic, are all of you worried that we’re with the pirates?”

“Honestly, I was still worried a moment ago,” Awenna said frankly. “But now, I am starting to think otherwise judging from your attitude.”

“I will treat that as a compliment.” Hao Ren sighed. “So, everyone on board the so-called White Pearl is an envoy in disguise?”

“Not all,” said Charlemagne. “The White Pearl was indeed a passenger ship carrying ordinary passengers. It was just that the envoys had disguised themselves as passengers.”

Speaking of which, the old captain came to mind. Hao Ren asked, “If my guess isn’t wrong, Captain Birken should be an insider.”

“It looks like you have talked to him,” said Charlemagne, who seemed to have no intention of hiding anymore. “Captain Birken is the captain of the White Pearl. He has been flying that passenger ship for more than twenty years and serving the Royal Family of Izzo for thirty years.”

“Long-time asset, eh? I pity the ship and the captain.” Vivian shook her head in regret. “There goes his career and future.”

“What is the purpose of your trip this time?” After listening to their conversation for a long time, Lily could not help but ask.

Charlemagne instantly appeared cautious. It was a secret that only Awenna and he knew. They were surely not going to reveal it. “I am sorry, I am afraid that I cannot say.”

Lily nodded. “It does not matter. I just asked out of curiosity.”

Then she turned and took a drink. She inserted a straw into it and began to blow bubbles.

Charlemagne was stunned.

His Royal Highness was confused. Was that all? She was really just curious? He could not believe it.

“Ahem, don’t overthink it. Really, she was just curious,” Hao Ren quickly said when things felt awkward. “So, are you are going to the Dragon Empire to see the emperor with the dragon soul?”

“Does it concern you?” Charlemagne was even more cautious and defensive than before. “I still do not know who all of you are. If you would like to unravel the kimono, I think it is time that we start with all of you.”

Charlemagne decided not to answer any more questions until he figured out who these people were.

“Oh, we may have overlooked that,” Hao Ren said with a forced smile. He then pointed at himself and said, “We are from the Basilica of the World Tree. You can call me Hao Ren.”

He did not tell them about the complicated background of the Xi Ling Celestials and inspectors. He did not have to because if he did, there would be a lot of explaining to do. That was why he used the Basilica of the World Tree as a cover, which in a way, was not a lie. They indeed came out from the Basilica of the World Tree.

“The Basilica of the World Tree?” Charlemagne’s eyebrows were pulled together. “I have never heard of this sect or organization.”

“We are pretty isolated and have never involved ourselves in the affairs of this world. Even your father, the king, may not know the existence of the Basilica of the World Tree, let alone you,” Hao Ren said frankly. “Therefore, you do not have to be wary of us; we are distant from the world’s affairs.”

Charlemagne did not take Hao Ren’s word in its entirety. However, a reclusive organization that never intervened in worldly things and was named the Basilica of the World Tree was not entirely impossible. The battleship they had may have been jaw-droppingly strange, but it could be a manifestation of the powerful and wealthy background of the hermit organization. Furthermore, the peculiarity of the ship had just shown how aloof these people were.

For a civilization that had yet to enter the space age, a reclusive organization would sound more plausible than an extraterrestrial visitor.

Charlemagne had half a mind to believe the narrative, but he was serious when he spoke, “A reclusive sect? Since you are solitary from the world, why have you come out of isolation now?”

Hao Ren quietly sighed as he could finally get down to brass tacks. “What a coincidence! We are also going to the Dragon Empire to see the Dragonsoul Emperor. We did not expect to bump into the White Pearl, much less know that you two were the secret envoys to the Dragon Empire. As unbelievable as it seems, I think it is fate that has brought us together.”

Awenna finally could not help asking, “All of you are going to the Dragon Empire? What are you going to do there?”

“We are on a business trip.” Vivian mimicked Charlemagne’s tone of voice. “But we cannot tell you the specifics.”

“We have a common purpose,” Hao Ren said before he clapped his hands. “If you don’t mind, why don’t we travel together?”