Chapter 1278: Reaching A Fair Compromise Thirteen glanced at the City of Lyra from his vantage point. After leaving the royal palace, he and Cranky quickly left the city to avoid complications. If Thirteen wished for it, Cranky could have subdued Rana in twenty moves or less. However, if he did that, the Royal Palace and parts of the city might have been destroyed. Given how well the Avior Family had treated him during his few days of stay in the palace, he was not inclined to reciprocate their hospitality with cruelty. Not to mention, the fight could lead to the deaths of innocent people, including Carina, her brothers, and her father, as well as the staff of the palace. For this reason, Thirteen risked Rana potentially breaking her verbal promise and thus informing the other Celestials about him. If Rana broke the trust he had given her, then they would be enemies the next time they met. By then, he would no longer hold back in dealing with her. Cranky didn’t say anything. He trusted Zion the most and left everything that required thinking to the young man. If the teenage boy said that now wasn’t the time to act, he’d heed those words and stay put without fail. "What’s next?" Cranky asked as he stood behind the teenage boy, who was looking at the city in the distance. "We wait until tomorrow afternoon," Thirteen replied. Cranky nodded and glanced at the beautiful city in the distance, which might turn into a sea of flames by the next day. ——— Inside Rana’s office... "Mother, are you alright?" Carina asked. "By the way, where’s Zion? Wasn’t he here earlier?" "Zion returned to the city," Rana replied. "What happened?" Carina inquired. "Did the two of you argue? Did Zion insult you, Mother?" "No." Rana shook her head. "Go and play with your brothers for now, sweetheart. I still have things to do." Carina could sense that her Mother felt troubled, but decided not to pry on the topic any longer. She reluctantly left the office and went to look for her Uncle. ’I need to find Zion and ask him if he and Mother fought,’ Carina thought. ’I still want to ask him how he made the toys that he has shown me.’ While Carin was thinking about meeting with Zion, Rana stood up and walked toward the window of her office. From there, she could see the city that she had built from scratch in all of its splendor. The image of the teenage boy that had been inside his office a while ago flashed inside her head. Even when she had tried to trap him, Zion remained calm and showed no sign of fear in the face of a Celestial. That alone was enough for her to admire him. But the thought of the young man being the one responsible for the defeat of King Astrion and the failed conquest of Pangea had made her realize that he wasn’t an ordinary young man. When she saw the Celestial who accompanied him appear, she realized that if the two of them fought, the castle would have been destroyed, and her daughter, Carina, might have died as a consequence. She was thankful that Zion didn’t use her daughter as a hostage against her when she barged into their office. It would have been child’s play for a Celestial to immobilize Carina, and Rana would have been unable to do anything to save her. Because of this, she genuinely believed that Zion had no intention of harming her family. Although they might become enemies tomorrow, she was still relieved that her opponent held a bit of humanity in him. "What should I do now?" Rana muttered. She was left with three choices. The first choice was to report Zion’s appearance to the Royal Family, as well as the Celestials. The moment this news was made public, the world of Artem would enter a state of emergency. Martial Law would be enacted, and the Celestials would move to the capital in an attempt to capture or eliminate the two foreigners who had come to their world. The second option was to sign the contract, which would establish a non-aggression pact between her and Zion. But the downside of signing the contract was that Rana wouldn’t be able to actively attack or hurt Zion even if the latter were to stage an invasion of their world. The third option was simpler. She would ask for a change in the contents of the contract. Rana would promise that she would not divulge Zion’s and Azrael’s existence to anyone, allowing Zion to move freely without fear of his information being leaked to the public. If there were to come a time when the two of them would face each other in battle, both sides would fight without holding back. The third option was the ideal choice for her because it would allow her to fight for her country when needed. She didn’t know if Zion would agree to that kind of compromise, but she hoped that he would reconsider. The next day... Rana had finished her paperwork early so she would have free time in the afternoon. To ensure her family’s safety, she had asked Carina to stay with her brothers in the academy for the time being. Although Carina threw a tantrum, Rana held firm and left her daughter with no way out of her predicament. Her husband also sensed that something was wrong, but Rana assured him that everything was fine. After waiting for a few hours while meditating, she sensed a fluctuation right in front of her castle. She didn’t make any move and simply waited for her guests to arrive. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂 "Have you made up your mind?" Thirteen asked as Cranky put him down on the floor. "Yes," Rana answered. "I would like to change the contents of the contract. Rest assured, I don’t want to fight with you, and I will keep your existence a secret from my colleagues. But if you ever make a move to harm the interests of Artem, I will face you in battle even if I know that he is stronger than me." Rana pointed at Cranky, who stood with his arms crossed over his chest. He was eyeing the Celestial calmly. If Rana were to make any moves against Zion, he would act without mercy and teach the woman that they were people whom she couldn’t mess with. "I see." Thirteen nodded in understanding. "Very well. We will change the contents of the contract." Thirteen had already anticipated this compromise from Rana, and frankly, he was fine with this arrangement. Since she wasn’t part of the Pro-War Faction, he would not make trouble with her for the time being. After showing a new and fair contract, Rana no longer hesitated to sign. "I assume you’ll be leaving the city now, correct?" Rana asked as soon as she finished signing the contract. "Yes," Thirteen answered. "We no longer have a reason to remain here." Thirteen smiled mischievously before carefully storing the contract. Rana then extended her hand for a handshake, which Thirteen readily accepted. "Thank you," Rana said. "I’m glad both of us reached a compromise fair for both parties." "Thank you as well for the hospitality," Thirteen replied. "If Carina looks for me, tell her that I continued my adventure. I promise to bring back stories and more toys for her when I return." "Can’t you stay for one more day to properly say goodbye to her?" Rana asked. "My daughter will be sad if you leave without saying goodbye." "I don’t like goodbyes," Thirteen said. "But I did prepare a letter." The teenage boy handed the letter he had written during his free time to Carina’s mother. "Where will you go next?" Rana asked out of curiosity. "No comment," Thirteen answered. He already planned to temporarily return to the Arcanis Mountains to get the latest information from the Head Researcher, Victor, about the findings they had collected with the Receiver. While he could talk to them using his shadows, he preferred to talk to them personally. Travel was not a problem since they would be using the teleportation runes Thirteen had created outside of the city. His next move would depend on the information the researchers had gathered during their absence. If there was an opportunity, he would like to travel to the capital city of Artem first, and then make contact with Erasmus. It would be easier if he were appointed as a messenger or a servant of the King, which would allow him to go anywhere in the world with the authority that followed his rank.