Chapter 366 – What Is the Final Outcome?
Tu Ran felt inexplicably frustrated. Who would place the stolen Order Cube fragments inside their own body? Wasn’t he afraid of being “gut-searched”?
“How can they be removed?” Tu Ran asked, her voice sharp.
Even though her expression couldn’t be seen, Tang Ying could hear the murderous intent in her tone.
“Kill him… and they’ll come out.”
It was simpler than Tu Ran had imagined, and she felt considerably relieved.
“How can the eight fragments be restored into a complete Order Cube? Just piece them together?” she asked again.
The voice, now weak to the point of almost vanishing, responded: “To combine the eight fragments into one… requires… the same amount of energy that was used when the Order Cube was originally split into eight.”
Tu Ran furrowed her brows. How was she supposed to know how much energy had been used when the Order Cube was split? And how could she provide that much energy?
With the universal answer device in front of her, Tu Ran wasn’t planning on doing the thinking herself.
She demanded, “What should I do? Tell me the simplest way.”
The Hundred-Eyed Elf replied, “…Give the eighth fragment to Hache Bulu. Once he has fused all eight fragments into his body, have him self-destruct. The energy from his self-destruction will be enough to merge the fragments into a complete Order Cube.”
Tu Ran paused. This plan didn’t sound easy…
Just the step of getting Hache Bulu to self-destruct was a challenge. Having absorbed the power from the eight fragments of the Order Cube, which had the ability to unravel the very fabric of the universe, Hache Bulu was now invincible. How could she make him self-destruct so easily?
And self-destruction… Tu Ran still remembered her first encounter with a self-destruct. Just the explosion of a regular orange-eyed tribe leader had such devastating power. Now, with the leader of the Bulu-Sanda tribe involved, the magnitude of the blast was unimaginable.
But there was only one way, and it had to be done. “Where is Hache Bulu now?”
Her [Sense of Direction] could only show her the general direction but not the exact distance.
“He is in the Palace of the Eternal Night City, located near the Green-Eyed Tribe’s territory,” the Hundred-Eyed Elf responded.
Tu Ran asked, “How can I get close to him?”
The Hundred-Eyed Elf replied, “…Your species… your brain hasn’t deteriorated, it’s truly a… miracle.”
Tu Ran: “…” Even in this weakened state, it still had the energy to mock her.
The Elf’s face was smiling.
“Please, this is an individual action. Don’t generalize to the whole race. Thank you.”
Tang Ying, who had been listening, raised her hand to suppress her smile, even though she knew that in this pitch-black environment, Tu Ran couldn’t see her.
Tu Ran, who could see clearly, glanced at her without expression: “…” Honestly, if she weren’t worried about embarrassing her, she would have exposed her awkwardly trying to stifle laughter.
“If I had known, I wouldn’t have spent a fortune asking you. Stop wasting time and tell me,” Tu Ran said coldly.
“You… I’m sorry, your balance has been depleted.”
The sphere made a “thud” as it slammed itself back against the wall, sticking to it like a disk. The faint light disappeared completely.
Tu Ran, who witnessed the entire scene, could only stare in disbelief: “…”
…
With a forceful push, Tu Ran stormed out of the room and found the guide.
He was standing at a counter-like station.
Tu Ran pulled out all eighteen remaining metal boxes from her space and slammed them in front of him.
“Inspect the goods! Exchange the money!”
Her bold display drew the attention of several people, though Tu Ran didn’t try to hide the use of her space power.
In Border City, there was a storage device similar to [Shadow Storage], known as the “Space Pouch.” Prices ranged from several hundred thousand to a few thousand star coins, with the size of the space varying according to the price. Most species that came to Border City could afford one.
The guide’s fingers flew across the cashier interface, his smile so bright it could have rivaled the sun, “One million and eight hundred thousand… Hahaha… As our VIP customer today, we’ll throw in an extra two thousand star coins for you.”
Tu Ran: “…” One million and eight hundred thousand, and you only throw in two thousand? When it comes to being stingy, you’re the experts.
With the money in hand, Tu Ran returned to the room where the Hundred-Eyed Elf was.
One million and eight hundred thousand, enough for her to last eighteen minutes.
Tu Ran tapped her fingers against the wall. The Hundred-Eyed Elf’s body flickered twice, floating up.
Tu Ran couldn’t shake the feeling that the brightness of the Elf had increased slightly. Before, it only illuminated itself, but now it was casting a faint light on a small portion of the nearby wall.
“How is the security around Hache Bulu? If I disguise myself as a member of the Bulu-Sanda tribe, would Hache Bulu recognize me?” Tu Ran fired off a series of questions.
“The ordinary members of the Bulu-Sanda tribe don’t have access to Hache Bulu. Only a few royal family members can approach him in the palace, and he’s quite familiar with those few. It would be difficult for your disguise to fool him.”
The Hundred-Eyed Elf’s condition had improved slightly, and its voice no longer sounded breathless.
“Does he never leave the palace?” Tu Ran asked, unconvinced.
“Tribute. The tribute ceremony happens every three years, and it will be held at the City Lord’s Mansion in Border City. This year happens to be the third year, so the leaders of the three major native species of the Rulers world will attend.”
Tu Ran: Truly, the heavens are helping her.
“When exactly? Who is allowed to enter?”
“One month from now. All worlds that have signed contracts and voluntarily submitted to the Rulers world must send their highest representatives to attend. The world that proves the most loyal in this tribute will be appointed the next Lord of Border City.”
Tu Ran glanced at the two spheres above her, fighting the urge to bite her nails. “Um… Which world do you think I should impersonate as a representative?”
The Hundred-Eyed Elf’s light flickered again, then continued in a long silence.
Though the Elf didn’t have an expression, Tu Ran could clearly feel a sense of disdain.
The Elf’s voice, androgynous as always, spoke slowly and deliberately, “Go find the City Lord.”
Tu Ran had gathered some information about the Lord of Border City in the past few days.
He was from the Wuma Star.
Wuma Star was the first world to submit to the Rulers. Before Wuma Star, any world that caught the Rulers’ attention was doomed. Wuma Star used all the resources of their star to negotiate a path for survival, giving subsequent worlds a choice they never had before.
The current Lord of Border City was Wuma Fenghua, the eldest daughter of the Wuma Star’s Star Lord.
“Find her? You want me to replace her?”
“Your disguise will be seen through by the Hundred-Eyed Elf that follows her. You can’t replace her.”
Tu Ran: “She has a Hundred-Eyed Elf?”
The Hundred-Eyed Elf above her responded, “…She is the eldest daughter of the Star Lord of Wuma Star.”
“Then if she knows of my existence and consults another Hundred-Eyed Elf, wouldn’t she learn everything about our conversation?”
“The Hundred-Eyed Elf cannot see its own kind.”
Tu Ran raised a finger and pointed at it. “But you can see it.”
“Her identity… It’s impossible that she doesn’t have a Hundred-Eyed Elf following her; that’s the tradition of Wuma Star. I haven’t seen the Hundred-Eyed Elf following her.”
Tu Ran lowered her gaze: Fine.
Since she couldn’t imitate or replace her, the only option was brainwashing. The species that ruled Wuma Star were no different from humans, and the hallucination mushroom might come in handy.
Getting close to Hache Bulu was the first step. She now had a vague idea of how to approach this, and the next step— the hardest step—was to follow.
“Does Hache Bulu have any weaknesses?”
“None.”
Tu Ran: “…” That was a heavy blow right off the bat.
“What is Hache Bulu most afraid of?”
“None.”
Tu Ran: “…”
“How destructive is Hache Bulu’s self-destruction?”
“Can destroy Border City.”
Tu Ran pressed her forehead: “…So the price of restoring the Order Cube is the lives of all those in Border City?”
“This is your choice. I only provide the answer.”
Tu Ran took a deep breath, lifting her gaze. The flickering light in the air reflected in her dark pupils, revealing the panic she had been hiding in her eyes: “What is the final outcome? Will the Order Cube be restored? Will Hache Bulu die? Will I… die?”
Hidden in the shadows, Tang Ying paused and looked at her.
She wasn’t as carefree as she appeared. She was scared, too.
The Hundred-Eyed Elf flickered, its light dimming slightly. “Sorry.”
Tu Ran’s heart tightened, and her body suddenly felt as though it had plunged into an ice cave.
“I cannot cross time and see the future.”
Tu Ran: “…” That was quite the dramatic pause.
