Summoning the Holy Sword

Chapter 1127: Returning Home

The space shuttle glided, before landing silently on the tarmac like a piece of origami. The metallic ramp ejected slowly to connect to the jet bridge and the hatch opened.

Looks like I'm finally back…

Rhode sauntered out of the space shuttle, taking in everything with complicated emotions. Be it the towering buildings or pleasant country sceneries on the other side, everything seemed so familiar to him. In an instant, he felt as if it were all from a lifetime ago. He thought he was dreaming. This clear view in front of him became a distinct comparison to the Dragon Soul Continent in his memories. At that moment, the Dragon Soul Continent was slowly becoming indistinct as though it were nothing more than a thrilling dream. On the other hand, this modern city was spreading its arms apart to embrace and welcome his return. At a glance, the familiar scenes around him were as though reminding him silently that this was his true home.

"Your Majesty Rhode, what's wrong?"

Erin's voice sounded beside him. Like some sort of magic, the instant he heard her voice, the hazy sceneries in his head once again became clear. The title that Erin addressed him with made him recognize his identity. He was neither an online player nor university graduate who should be looking for a proper job now, nor an ordinary civilian. Right now, he was the one of the rulers of the Dragon Soul Continent, one of the five Creator Dragons, the owner of the Void Territory, and the Void Dragon.

"I'm fine, Your Highness Erin. Thanks for your concern."

Rhode said, nodding to her and turning around to head down the ramp.

There wasn't anything peculiar ahead of him. There were neither ferocious, fully-armored soldiers nor armored tanks nor special forces clad in black and wielding mysterious weapons, not to mention any guard of honor or important figures donned in expensive suits welcoming their arrival. The entire airport was silent. In fact, this was to be expected since civilians had already evacuated after the terrorizing attacks on the moon. Before the matter came to an end, it was likely that they wouldn't return to the moon through this space airport. Perhaps this was why no one was here. Apart from some service personnel, it was noiseless like on ordinary days.

"You can stay at the hotel temporarily. I've arranged the accommodations already."

At that moment, Orchid Heart yawned, sauntered to Rhode, and said. Frankly, judging from her look, one would think she didn't sleep for days. But in fact, Rhode was aware that she had slept all the way since boarding the space shuttle and had only just woken up.

Why is she so tired though?

"I'm surprised, Senior Heart. I thought there would be a grand welcome ceremony."

"Those higher-ups aren't dumb. Do you think it's beneficial for them to blow up the matter now?"

That makes sense.

Upon hearing her response, Rhode nodded in agreement. Come to think of it, so what if the higher-ups deployed an entire missile force at them? Aside from Lydia and Erin, even Canary, Mini Bubble Gum, and him could comfortably stop the intercontinental ballistic missiles. When that happened, Rhode might not even need to retaliate as the angered Lydia and Erin could probably destroy the city together in minutes. That city in North America was still fuming with billows of smoke. No other cities had the intention of helping them attract the attention of Lydia and Erin. This was why the best thing for them to do was to pretend to know nothing and treat the unknown beings as ordinary people so as to reduce suspicions in other countries. After all, with Orchid Heart around to mediate the situation, it was easier for the higher-ups to approach the unknown beings compared to other countries and this was naturally a good thing. However, it was apparent that the other countries wouldn't think of it this way. If the other countries learned that Rhode's group was related to that country in some ways, they would surely suspect that the country had secret weapons that were beyond their imagination. When that happened, the problem would become much bigger. This was why pretending to know nothing and laying things out in secret was the smartest choice for the higher-ups.

"How's the situation now?"

"They have agreed to all conditions in the joint meeting. Not only will they publicize the 'Apocalyptic Slate' plan, but they will also coordinate with us."

"Wow, that is hard to come by."

Rhode couldn't help but blow a whistle. If it were in the past, perhaps the higher-ups wouldn't treat the situation seriously even if the world was against them. But now, 'a phoenix with its feathers plucked wouldn't be as great as a chicken'. The status of them being the 'boss' of the world was gone and now, they couldn't even lift their heads proudly. Rhode initially thought there would be more troubles… but it seemed like Erin's threat worked well on the politicians.

"So then, what's your request, Rhode?"

"Just like before. When we investigated the base, we learned that their excavation of the slate began after they uncovered certain ruins and obtained essential details from it. Of course, we have to personally head down to the ruins and conduct an investigation ourselves. For that, I will need your help. As for the other…" Rhode paused. Earlier on, he had investigated the situation with his younger sister. The other party's illegal technologies were built on the basis of the slate's energy. In other words, the 'Akashic Slates' were used by them as energy sources, just like how magic crystals were required to activate magic cannons in the Dragon Soul Continent. Without the power of magic crystals, not even nuclear power generators could activate the magic cannons. And now, Rhode had obtained all the five Akashic Slates and only the key was left. In other words, the splendid machines in that unfortunate country had all become scrap metal…

Come to think of it, they were really pitiful as decades of hard work was ruined. The pieces of equipment constructed through spending hundreds of billions of dollars on research and development simply turned into a pile of junk. The painstaking construction of the moon bases was also razed to the ground. Half of their city was sacrificed, as well as tens of thousands of lives. Yes, let's observe a moment of silence in tribute to them.

"… if possible, we hope you will pay attention to a small, ancient relic that should look like a black slate. If you find it, you don't need to bring it back. We have our own ways to retrieve it."

"Okay, I got it."

Orchid Heart agreed and didn't feel strange at all. If her team brought the relic back, it would expose their relationship with Rhode and cause more troubles. That was why she didn't oppose Rhode's suggestion. She nodded in agreement and gazed at him.

"Leader, you've changed…"

"After going through all sorts of challenging experiences, it is impossible for me not to change. But as for you, Senior Heart… will everything be fine?"

Rhode said, before pondering in silence and gazing at the young lady in the military uniform. Honestly, his impression was fixed at her being the older female adult who wore sloppy clothes and stayed up all night doing improper businesses. Right now, even though she had the same dark circles around her eyes, her hair was neatly combed and she also wore a smart uniform like an 'upper-class' senior. This was all too peculiar to Rhode.

"It will be fine after you get used to it. Everyone changes, just like you… yawn…"

Orchid Heart replied and let out a yawn. She waved her hand to three other men in the same uniform and left from the other side.

"Alright then, you guys can go for a stroll. I've given you the phone and contact number. Call me if anything comes up and make sure you keep an eye on the two Highnesses. I don't want them to cause any troubles here."

Just like that, Orchid Heart handed over the most troublesome task to Rhode irresponsibly, before turning around and hopping onto the car. Rhode couldn't help but twitch the corner of his brow while he watched as the black car go farther away.

Look at her go and leave all the troubles to me!

But it was a pity that he had lost his chance for regrets. He sighed helplessly, turning to Erin and Lydia who smiled cheekily and Canary (x2) and Bubble (x2) as though they were twins. He let out a cough for their attention.

"Okay then, let's…"

"Go shopping! Since I made it to this world, we must properly admire the differences between this world and ours."

Lydia interrupted, sizing up the bustling scene outside the window curiously. Meanwhile, the other Bubble standing behind Mini Bubble Gum raised her arms high up.

"Me too, me too. Leader, I want to check out the CD shop, I haven't bought the CD for the latest theme song! And also that MP3… I'm gonna bring everything back this time!"

"In that case…"

"Your Majesty Rhode, you will bring us to watch the scenery, right?"

"…"

Upon hearing Lydia's words, Rhode finally realized that his dreams of heading back to the hotel for a good rest were shattered.

No matter in which world, accompanying women for shopping was the cruelest punishment for Rhode. In the Dragon Soul Continent, he rarely accompanied the young ladies for shopping except Christie. At the very most, he allowed Anne and the other young ladies to go shopping in a group. The good thing about a harem was that the young ladies could find their favorite companions for entertainment and didn't need him to accompany them. In this world, even though Rhode had many girlfriends in the past, only a few of them managed to get him to accompany them while they shopped. Even Canary—he had gone shopping with her less than five times.

But today… he thought he could stand on the balcony of a restaurant, overlook the scenery, be deeply moved by the world, and head back to a bar to hook up with some drunk ladies. However, his plan was completely smashed, only to be replaced by his most painful punishment. Since Lydia had already asked, it was impossible for him to say 'no'.

That was why he grudgingly brought the group of young ladies and began his most resentful exercise in this world: shopping.

One had to admit that Rhode's group was conspicuous. Lydia and Erin were stunning beauties and had unique, distinct, and grandeur presences as an archangel and moon princess respectively. As soon as one glanced at them, one's breath was taken away. The two young ladies wore their initial clothes which were noble, elegant, and eye-catching. No matter how one looked at their dresses, one felt as though the dresses were made out of the context of time in this modern city and were out of this world.

As for Mini Bubble Gum and Canary who were following closely behind them, they were equally mesmerizing. Perhaps they weren't as glorious as Erin and Lydia, but their exquisite faces, as well as their 'twins' who were as though reflections in a mirror also captured a lot of attention.

In comparison, Rhode, who was escorting them in the middle, felt tremendous pressure.

As this was their first trip to this world, Erin and Lydia were incredibly curious about everything they saw. Be it the flickering 'magic crystal signboards' or transparent 'floating devices' outside the 'magic towers', they were all amused by them. They asked Rhode about them along the way, pulling and dragging his arms. After all, apart from Rhode, Mini Bubble Gum, and Canary, no one understood their language.

On the other side, the two Mini Bubble Gums were also a troublesome duo. The projected Mini Bubble Gum craved to buy everything and couldn't wait to bring all the high-tech items back to the Dragon Soul Continent and hole herself up in a room to indulge in them. The real Mini Bubble Gum was nowhere better. Ever since she told Rhode that she wanted to follow him back to the Dragon Soul Continent, she began her preparations as well. It seemed like she would be carrying a lot more than one suitcase this time.

As for the two Canaries, they were much quieter. But for some unknown reason, Rhode felt like the real Canary behaved somewhat differently from his impression. He remembered her as a sweet and lively young lady. But after this one year, he realized that she seemed to have changed. He thought it was his misconception, but immediately detected the differences as soon as she stood beside her projection. Compared to the projection, the real Canary seemed more troubled and was obviously more mature. Even though she continued to present a gentle smile, unsolvable worries were written all over her forehead. Standing beside her projection, it became much more apparent.

Although Rhode had asked Bubble about what happened to Canary over the year, Bubble stammered and refused to tell him. That was why Rhode gave the task to the projected Canary. Since they were technically the same person, they should get along better.

Even though this matter with Canary gave him a headache, he also had other troubles to attend to right now. After spotting the dazzling lineup of clothes in a fashion store, Lydia's and Erin's eyes lit up as they charged into the store. The clothes in this world were odd and amusing to them at the same time. Some could be worn in different ways to make unique combinations, leaving them entertained and feeling fresh. After all, no matter how advanced magic and civilization were in the Dragon Soul Continent, in terms of clothing designs… it was an entirely different matter.

"Your Majesty Rhode, what do you think of this dress?"

Lydia stood before him and lifted the hem of her skirt. She asked with a smile.

Right now, this archangel had taken off her expensive and luxurious long dress and put on a skimpy outfit. She wore a short, close-fitting, bikini-like top that covered her chest and neck and revealed her slender shoulders and snowy, slim waist. Clad on her lower body was a pure, white miniskirt, as well as a pair of clean, white socks that bundled her fair, attractive legs. Paired with a small, exquisite coat, she had the presence of a superstar. She merely stood on the spot, but was so dazzling to the eyes. What surprised one was that even though this outfit was fitting for this archangel's aesthetic view of 'revealing all that should be revealed and concealing all that should be concealed', the onlookers sensed a holy and sublime beauty from her. She was like the bright, dazzling sun that blinded all customers and staff in the store.

"Hmm… that's alright, I suppose."

Compared to Lydia's bold outfit, Erin apparently had a more reserved style. Her outfit was also much simpler than Lydia's. She wore a full-black long dress with sheer lace trim that accentuated her elegant curves perfectly. Paired with pitch-black stockings, she emanated a dark and serene sense of beauty. Unsure if she had bad tastes, she also wore a leather collar around her neck. Ion should never witness this. If not, no one could imagine what would happen!

If Lydia was like an idol at the forefront of fashion and the matching clothes she wore would become a fashion trend, Erin would be on the other extreme end, where she ignored fashion trends, but continued to maintain her own unique charm uninfluenced by fashion.

It was imaginable how conflicting the auras both of them were exuding. Not only were the customers bewildered, but the staff also whipped out their phones and took pictures. After all, it was unprecedented for such glorious models to be around them. If they seized the opportunity and took some pictures, it would be great for remembrance and also for their store's publicity!

Lydia and Erin didn't mind having their photos taken. As 'public figures', they were already used to it. Even though people stood in a circle and gawked, they continued to pick out clothes that were interesting and good-looking to them. The 'onlookers unaware of the truth' were excited, but they didn't know these two young ladies were also the culprits who had destroyed the moon bases and half a city with the rise of an arm.

"Sigh…"

Gazing at this chaotic scene, Rhode let out a helpless sigh. He reached his hand out and patted the enthusiastic Mini Bubble Gum who was enjoying the bustling scene.

"I'll leave this place to you, Bubble."

"Huh? Why? Where are you going, Leader?"

"I need to do something. I'll be right back."

Rhode said, withdrew himself from the crowd quickly, and arrived at a secluded fast food restaurant. It was working hours now, so there weren't many people on the premises. Rhode ordered a cup of cola and sat down in a relatively quiet corner. He retrieved the phone that Orchid Heart handed to him and dialed a number.

Beep———

Shortly after, the call got through and a voice sounded in his ear.

"Hello, this is B&M Company."

"Please get Mr. Arthur on the phone."

"Mr. Arthur is having a meeting right now. May I know who…"

"Please pass this message to him immediately. Tell him that…"

Rhode paused and the corners of his lips perked up into a smile.

"… Rhode has something important to discuss with him."