Chapter 1268: Take One For The Team "Be careful, Zion," Queen Miriamele warned, communicating with the teenage boy through one of his own demons. He had previously sent these creatures through the Domain of the Apocalypse via Erasmus. "Rana is known for her fiery temper, and she also wields the power of fire. If you make a mistake, only your ashes will remain." Although the Queen of Artem couldn’t cross over, it was still possible for Thirteen’s demons to go to Erasmus’s location. Queen Miriamele had nothing to do inside the Inner Palace, so she needed some sort of entertainment. So ever since she received the small black wolf the size of her hand, talking to Zion had become her pastime. "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty," Thirteen replied. "I will do my best not to offend her." "Don’t call me, Your Majesty," Queen Miriamele stated. "Call me Mom." "Okay, Mom," Thirteen replied. He didn’t mind calling the Queen Mom, understanding how lonely she must be. Also, he felt a little guilty since Rhia was now living with his family and calling his parents Mom and Dad. The least he could do was to be polite to Rhia’s mother, who wished nothing more than to hug Zion in her arms. ’When I conquer Artem, I’ll see if I can bring Rhia here to meet her,’ Thirteen thought. ’Although she wouldn’t remember her mother, at the very least, it will make the Queen feel at peace.’ Rhia’s past was a tragedy that even Queen Miriamele didn’t see coming. She was duty-bound to give King Astrion an heir, but nothing prepared her for the fate that her daughter had suffered at the hands of her own father. This was why there was no one she hated more in the world than King Astrion. Even though she knew he was already dead, and Erasmus was merely using his body as a vessel, she still had to control her urge to slap the King to death. There were a few times when Erasmus felt goosebumps from Queen Miriamele’s gaze, not knowing he had almost died a hundred times already during their first meeting. Queen Miriamele even told Erasmus, before he left the Inner Palace, that he should wear a mask every time they met. Otherwise, she might end up killing him by accident. The trip to the City of Lyra didn’t take long due to Cranky’s powers. However, they were forced to detour over the sea to avoid detection by the High Archons. They even stopped at a small island and took an Airship to the continent, playing safe. When they finally saw Lyra City, Thirteen couldn’t help but feel awed as it truly looked like a futuristic city. While flying cars were absent, the skies were crowded with flying vessels, most of which resembled large, multi-seated trucks. In a way, it was hard to tell which one was more advanced between Artem and Pangea when it comes to technology. Both had their advantages and disadvantages, and from what Thirteen could tell, if the two technologies were to merge together, a new era of growth and progress would begin. While Thirteen was fully capable of producing advanced machinery like flying cars and hoverboards, he chose not to, seeing no urgent need for such technology in Pangea’s current state. Also, the God of Wanderers had already turned a blind eye when he made Nautilus, which used advanced technology way ahead of Pangea’s own technology. Everything must follow a natural cycle. Thirteen wasn’t allowed to interfere or speed up the progress relying on the knowledge he possessed from other worlds that had more advanced technologies. After landing at the port, the Thirteen and Cranky didn’t do anything out of place and acted like proper citizens of the empire. The clothes they wore weren’t the lavish clothes that aristocrats wear, but that of working commoners, allowing them to blend in with the populace more easily. Although it took a lot of effort for Cranky to bow to the aristocrats who were passing by on the streets, he endured it for the sake of Thirteen, who was trying to scout Rana’s domain. "I’m sorry, Cranky," Thirteen looked at his protector with an apologetic smile. "It must have been hard for you." As a Celestial, Cranky had attained a Rank that surpassed all others. Making him bow to anyone else aside from Zion was something he loathed. "It’s a necessary sacrifice," Cranky replied. "Don’t let it get to you, Zion." The two of them were currently inside a room that they had rented in an inn near the city’s center. Their first course of action was to gather more information about Rana Avior. Erasmus didn’t glean much information about Rana in King Astrion’s memories since the two of them didn’t see eye to eye. He just thought of her as an annoying woman who liked to get in his way. Queen Miriamele’s understanding was limited to the secondhand rumors her maids brought back from their supply runs beyond the Inner Palace walls. King Astrion did his best to keep Queen Miriamele away from court politics and limited the information she could acquire through normal means. After a few days of investigation, Thirteen finally learned a few more pieces of information about the Celestial. She had two sons and a daughter that she loved very much. From time to time, one of them would tour the streets, accompanied by Archons to ensure their safety. However, even without their guards, the children could wander without problem since no one wanted to face the wrath of a Celestial. Rana always stayed inside her own Palace, doing her duties as the Lord of the Domain. If Thirteen went to see her and request an audience, her guards would likely arrest him on sight and throw him in a cell. Cranky’s proposal was simpler. Beat her up, and force her to submit. Thirteen vetoed this idea since a battle between two Celestials would not only obliterate the city but would also alarm her colleagues that a renegade Celestial had appeared out of nowhere. After many twists and turns, Cranky gave a proposal. "How about you try to befriend her daughter?" Cranky asked. "If she heard that a boy was getting along with her only daughter, she would definitely be curious, right?" Thirteen pondered a bit and thought that Cranky’s idea was sound. "Do you think I can do it?" Thirteen asked. "I’m not good at talking to girls." Cranky blinked at the teenage boy’s words. Thirteen had beautiful ladies as his lovers, so he thought Zion wouldn’t have a problem befriending Rana’s daughter. "Just give it a try," Cranky stated. "We won’t know what will happen unless we do it. I believe this is when Vincent will say something like, ’You should take one for the team.’" Thirteen had no idea what Cranky meant by taking one for the team. But since this was the only choice that they got, he decided to carry on with this plan for the time being. ’Maybe I should have brought Vincent here with me,’ Thirteen thought. ’He’s the expert in befriending ladies.’ The teenage boy didn’t know that he dodged a bullet by not bringing Vincent with him. If the handsome hunk were to seduce Rana’s daughter, things might have turned out pretty badly. In fact, if Vincent were to get in contact with Rana’s daughter, he would almost certainly become the Celestial’s mortal enemy, the kind she wouldn’t even allow to exist under the same sky.