Chapter 2 Relief Grain

The fleet of the Cloud-Top Palace docked on the periphery of the neighboring void, close to the side of the three golden suns. The temperature here was somewhat warmer than elsewhere, and the distance for the shuttle boats was relatively reasonable.

Shuttle boat after shuttle boat continuously transported the grain shipped from the Cloud-Top Palace from the gigantic vessels to the docking pier of the Neighbor Realm, where numerous slaves waited to haul the grain into the underground granaries.

With a dull thud, a slave collapsed on the side of the pier road. The moisture within his body poured out like a tiny waterfall onto the snow, instantly freezing into a thin layer of ice.

Two of his nearby companions rolled up the man, who had already turned into dry fibers, and placed him into a large basket by the roadside.

"Foreman, it's too freezing. Couldn't you let everyone warm up in the caves for a while and come out to unload the grain only when the grain ships land?" A tall, ragged man asked, cringing and pleading with a foreman who was bundled up like a ball.

The foreman, so bloated he resembled a sphere, didn't even move. With his head buried deep in thick fur collars, he let out a cold snort. "You lazy lot! Can you bear the responsibility of offending the exalted ones? More importantly, the grain cannot be allowed to freeze; it cannot wait a single moment. If you can't stand the chill, just dehydrate yourselves and get rolled up into the dry warehouse—it'll even save on grain. If the grain gets ruined by the frost, we will all die."

The tall fellow lowered his head and helplessly retreated back into the crowd. Everyone huddled together desperately, hoping to maintain their body temperature through this method.

A long string of photoelectric lights appeared in the sky, at first merely an inconspicuous little cluster blending with the myriad stars against the backdrop of the firmament. But in no time at all, that long trail of starlight was moving at high speed, transforming into massive spheres of light that illuminated the earth as bright as day.

Twenty colossal transport craft docked sequentially at the pier. The door of the first vessel opened from within, and a billow of white mist diffused into the surroundings.

The Wood Leopard took the lead in disembarking, waved a hand backward, and a troop of fully armed guards filed out one after another. Clad in heavy armor and wielding long halberds, they immediately dispersed upon leaving the cabin, lining both sides of the pier to establish a perimeter.

The bloated foreman struggled to crawl out of his fur-lined chair, ran over to the Wood Leopard like a roly-poly, and greeted him obsequiously, "Star Lord, it's been a long time! How have you been lately?"

The Wood Leopard glanced at the sphere, cupped his fists in salute, and said sternly, "By order of the Sovereign, I have transported a year's supply of grain reserves for the Neighbor Realm. Hurry up and unload them into the cellars!"

The foreman nodded and bowed, saying, "In our impoverished backcountry here, we lack the lightweight armor of you Star Lords for protection, so we have no choice but to wrap ourselves up like this. We are unable to kowtow to the Star Lord, and we humbly beg your forgiveness!"

The Wood Leopard waved his hand and went to inspect the ranks.

Seeing that the Wood Leopard was walking farther away, the foreman straightened his posture and spat in the direction of the retreating figure. "Good-for-nothing!"

Then he turned around, roared at the huddled circle of slaves, "Stupid wretches! Get to work!" Simultaneously, the whip in his third hand lashed out, its harsh cracking sound shattering the serene night.

As soon as the slaves heard they could begin unloading the grain, they scrambled and rushed into the grain transport ships—not because they were particularly enthusiastic, but because the cabins of the Cloud Palace were warm.

After about the space of two hours, the grain inside the transport ships was mostly unloaded. At this moment, the tall man was supporting a large pack of grain on his back with both hands, while using his third hand to push a thin, small man in front of him forward.

"Big Brother, hurry up. Once we finish hauling this trip, we can go collect a ration of food and have a proper meal with the kids tonight."

The man being pushed suddenly stopped. He dropped the heavy pack from his shoulders onto the ground and, trembling all over, said, "Brother Zhong, I can't go on. Take my share of the grain."

Before the man addressed as Brother Zhong could say anything, moisture began to seep continuously from Big Brother's body. His entire form slowly went limp and collapsed, and before long, he was nothing more than a flat piece of dry fiber.

Brother Zhong shook his head, squatted down, and used his third hand to roll up the fallen Big Brother, tucking him under his armpit. Then, picking up the large pack Big Brother had dropped on the ground with one hand, he flung it backward onto his own back.

Deep within the subterranean palace, Gaona and Ligen were each holding a freshly delivered cucumber and crunching on it.

"These fresh cucumbers are so delicious, a hundred times better—no, ten thousand times better—than the ones grown in our greenhouse." Ligen completely cast aside her demeanor as a queen, ravenously chewing the vibrant, dewy cucumber in her hand.

Gaona nibbled leisurely and said indifferently, "Indeed! The crops from the Cloud-Top Palace are simply better than ours. What a pity that Zhuohua looks down on us; otherwise, why would we still be lingering in this ghost place suffering?"

Thinking of the pain in her heart, Gaona viciously bit off a segment of the cucumber and chewed with force.

"Oh, Sister!" Ligen suddenly remembered something, hurriedly swallowed the mouthful of cucumber, and said, "More and more people are signing up for the fairyland. When are we going to start the drawing of lots?"

Gaona glanced at the bronze clepsydra water clock beside her with absolute confidence and said, "Let's do it tomorrow! Just as well, this shipment of grain from the Cloud Palace has arrived, and everyone will have had a full meal. Tomorrow, we'll let everyone rejoice and, by the way, let them witness those lucky ones with their own eyes so as to expand the impact of this matter."

Ligen nodded, then asked again, "What about our Father King?"

"For now, find someone to keep watch on him and don't let him wander around. To the outside world, just say he has fallen ill and cannot receive visitors. You must not let those old fogies on the outside find out about this, otherwise we won't be able to explain it to the special envoy of the Dark Fiend Emperor."

Ligen said with a totally nonchalant expression, "It doesn't matter, Sister. Once today passes, even if those ministers and generals find out the truth, it will be too late. The Cloud Palace's army has also departed; it will be too late for anyone to come and save Father King."

"How is Leia doing lately? We should also dispose of this pest," Gaona said, casually tossing aside the tiny remaining stem of her cucumber.

"Her? Still the same!" Ligen imitated Gaona, casually tossing her leftover cucumber away. A palace maid kneeling on the ground immediately scuttled over on her knees, picked up the discarded cucumber from the floor, and secretly shoved it into her mouth as she turned to leave.

"I have already drafted a state missive, invoking both our names to ask the Sovereign of the Cloud-Top Palace to arrange a marriage for Leia. If things go smoothly, we will let her pack up and get lost with the fleet immediately," Gaona said.

"Exactly! Doesn't she constantly talk about how wonderful the Cloud-Top Palace is? She goes around lobbying the ministers and generals to abandon thoughts of revenge and wholeheartedly become someone else's mining slaves! This time, we're granting her wish!" Ligen said viciously.