".....?!!!!!"
The silence in the Elven Throne Hall was deafening, a tangible shock wave rippling through the King, Queen, Council members, and even the stoic soldiers. Blood Eye, Nioh, and Nicolas, typically unshakeable, found themselves equally stunned, their gazes fixed on Sunny as if he had suddenly sprouted five heads.
"Come again?" The Queen finally managed to articulate, her voice barely a whisper.
"I don’t like repeating myself," Sunny’s voice echoed from the holographic screen, flat and unwavering.
The Queen’s eyes darted to her husband, who was nodding in agreement. She then turned to the council members, a collective wave of affirmation sweeping through them as they, too, nodded their heads in unison.
’Gosh!! Five trillion isn’t a joke!! They are all nodding their heads like lizards!’ Nioh thought, a flicker of genuine amazement crossing his usually impassive face.
"That’s why the King is the best," Blood Eye whispered, a rare hint of admiration in her tone.
"Closing the deal with just one statement," Nicolas added, equally impressed.
The Queen turned back to the screen, a decisive nod of her head. With a flick of her wrist, a shimmering silver crystal, intricately shaped like a lotus flower, materialized in her palm.
"Use the highest Grand of a construction robot, and construct a manufacturing building, a combat manufacturing building," she clarified, her voice gaining strength. "Then infuse this into the construction robot, and it will automatically construct the device that makes the mercenaries." She paused, her gaze settling on Sunny. "But... training mercenaries are expensive; you will have to constantly inject Galaxy Crystals into the device; it must never run dry."
Sunny simply nodded, his expression unreadable, as Nioh reached out and took the silver lotus.
BEEP!!
The Queen blinked, her eyes widening as she stared at the seven trillion Galaxy Crystals that now graced her bank balance, still reeling from the sheer magnitude of the transaction.
"I sent your full payment, for the mercenaries and crystal... For this, we won’t attack the Elves Nation in the future, that’s if you stay out of our way."
With that final pronouncement, the holographic screen vanished, leaving behind only an echoing silence.
"What did he mean by that?" The Queen asked, her gaze turning to Nioh, Blood Eye, and Nicolas.
"It means what it means," Nicolas answered, his voice devoid of any elaboration.
The Queen scrutinized them for a few seconds, then snapped her fingers again.
Whoosh!
A finely crafted bag appeared before the group. "The 165,000,000 mercenaries are in there... All new and no command given. Your King just needs to drop his blood on them, and they’ll automatically be under his control," she explained.
Nioh nodded, his movements efficient as he stored the bag in his personal storage.
"We will have our leave... Remember this, if we walk out from that door, you won’t become our ally in the future... If you want to, you can only become our vassal state."
"...?!"
The Queen was left utterly stunned, her mouth slightly agape, as the three turned in unison and walked away, leaving everyone in the throne hall in a state of bewildered silence.
__
After they left, the King finally spoke, his voice laced with concern. "Hope you didn’t give them the high grand crystal."
"I am not that foolish... With his words, he has other plans... Perhaps, he is attacking another nation. Giving that kind of ruler the grand crystal will only bring doom to this galaxy..." The Queen responded, turning to face her husband.
"But my Queen, if he succeeded and trained millions of Elite Class mercenaries, can we face him?" the old council elder interjected, his voice trembling slightly.
"Hehehe... Then we will use the seven trillion to train all Grand Class... No matter what he is planning, we will crush them," the Queen declared, a confident smirk playing on her lips.
____
[Three-Eye Nation.]
[Throne Hall.]
"My Queen!!"
Jade, her fist striking her chest in a gesture of loyalty, then bowed her head deeply before the throne.
The Lady with long purple hair and three identical eyes, her face a mask of indifference, rose gracefully from her throne.
"Any news from Morgana?" she inquired, her voice calm yet authoritative.
Jade looked up, her expression grave. "My Queen! We gained nothing, and Morgana killed the informant," she reported.
"Oh... Morgana is always bloodthirsty. I just wonder why she is protecting him... And now, that child Josephine said on the galaxy web that Nioh is now her husband’s subordinate..." The Queen sighed, a hint of weariness in her tone. "Even the bounty was taken down by them, and whoever this ’husband’ is, placed another bounty of one trillion for anyone who places another bounty."
"My Queen, what if we place another bounty with a different name?" Jade suggested, a hopeful glint in her eyes.
"It won’t work... The Dark Web’s Master will know we are the one, even he can’t keep a blind eye with such amount... Instead of having more enemies, let’s change our plan," the Queen answered, her gaze unwavering.
"Change our plan? My King, the Beast Nation is the one who sent Nioh! Their action proves it!! I say we attack!!" Jade insisted, her voice firm and resolute.
"Attack?!" The Queen’s expression turned cold, a chilling aura emanating from her. "Don’t forget the other races don’t even know about the birth star!! If they do, what do you think will happen?!"
"But the Artifact is no longer with us!" Jade countered, confusion clouding her features.
The Queen exhaled slowly. "We won’t attack, yet... For now, we must know the strength of the Beast Nation. They might be hiding their true strength; if not! Why would they go against us, the fifth-strongest nation?!" she posed, her gaze piercing.
"This?"
Jade fell silent, lost in contemplation.
BEEP!
She turned as a holographic screen materialized beside her, then addressed the Queen. "I just got new information, Nioh was spotted in the Elves Nation."
"Go and intercept him, but don’t attack... Just find out something important," the Queen commanded, a dismissive gesture of her hand.
Jade nodded, then turned and walked away, her footsteps echoing in the vast hall.
The Queen watched as Jade exited the Throne Hall, then sighed softly.
"Mother, just give me the order, why are you delaying?" A handsome young man with pink hair and three identical eyes walked towards her.
"Not yet..." The Queen smiled, her gaze softening as her son stopped before her. She gently caressed his cheek, a tender smile gracing her lips.
"You are the only one who will have it... I am so sorry for the interruption," she whispered, her voice low.
"Don’t worry, Mum... I am the only one that can match with the artifact! Once we get it back, I will have all its powers... Then the Three-Eye Nation will rise again," he declared, his expression resolute.
"That’s my son," the Queen affirmed, nodding with a pleased smile.
"For now... You just need to hold on, we will get the artifact, and you will absorb its powers... We will have it, no matter what it takes. Even if we have to burn down Planet Zax."
"When you make up your mind, I want to lead the troops," he stated.
She stared at him for a few seconds, then nodded her head. "You will."