Chapter 384 Uncle Knew the Truth
Lunelle immediately turned toward Sylphra.
The moment she saw her, surprise clearly flashed across her face. Then her eyes shifted, and she lowered her gaze. "I didn't know."
Sylphra let out a derisive laugh.
She certainly changed her tune quickly. And this woman was supposed to be the Holy Sovereign.
Zara rubbed her chin. "That still doesn't let you off the hook. She came from your world, caused a major incident on Earth, and terrified an entire city. Shouldn't the Upper Realm take at least some responsibility for that?"
Lunelle could not help snapping, "You just want money, don't you?"
The last time Zara visited, she had extorted a fortune in treasure and technology from them. By now, the entire Upper Realm knew exactly what kind of person she was.
Zara looked deeply offended. "How dare you slander me like that?
What do you mean, I just want money? Look at my fiancé.
He's one of the wealthiest men on Earth.
Do I look like I'm short on cash? I've suffered severe emotional trauma.
Isn't it only right that you compensate me?
Why does no one around here ever think before they act? "
Lunelle fell silent.
Lucian clicked his tongue. "Tsk."
Aurelion did the same. "Tsk."
Zara glared at them. "Both of you, shut up!"
Lucian and Aurelion fell silent.
Sylphra looked confused. "With power like yours, why would you care about compensation?"
At first, she had assumed Zara kept mentioning compensation because she wanted legendary artifacts or priceless treasures.
There was no way someone that powerful could actually be short on money.
But judging by Lunelle's tone, Zara really did seem to be after cash.
Zara turned to her. "I'm not short on anything. But when you hurt someone, you apologize and make restitution. Even a three-year-old on Earth understands that."
She spoke with such solemn sincerity that someone less perceptive might actually have believed her.
Sylphra fell silent.
Something about that still felt wrong.
Lunelle looked as though she were enduring the greatest humiliation of her life. "What do you want?"
Zara held out her hand. "Lucian, the list!"
Lucian silently handed it over.
Zara unfolded the long document, only to realize that she could not understand half the technical terms listed on it. She cleared her throat and presented it anyway. "Just compensate us with everything on here."
Lunelle was still able to tolerate the jewels listed near the top. But when she reached the technology section, she finally lost her temper.
"Why don't you just admit you're here to extort us?
You actually want our light-source power-core technology?
Are you planning to use it to advance Earth's civilization?
With your primitive technology, it would be useless even if we handed it over!
Do you honestly think you could reproduce it without several centuries of development? "
Zara was about to answer when Lucian stepped forward, his expression cold. "Call it whatever you like. What we do with the technology after we obtain it is our concern. The real question is, do you dare refuse us today?"
Lunelle fell silent.
She looked up at him.
Even in the Divine World, a man as strikingly handsome as Lucian was rare. But his expression was far colder than Zara's. Zara intimidated people through her overwhelming power and her willingness to act, while Lucian possessed a commanding presence all his own.
He really had come along as the professional negotiator.
Zara gave him a solemn look. "Lucian, don't make us sound like extortionists. We're here to seek compensation. Compensation!"
Lucian paused. "Well... Fine. Compensation."
Lunelle turned away and gritted her teeth. "I have the authority to approve some of these demands. For the rest, you'll have to speak to Valerius."
Zara sighed. "You're the Holy Sovereign, yet you can't even make your own decisions. That's kind of embarrassing."
Lunelle fell silent.
This was the greatest humiliation of her life.
Lunelle might have been the most humiliated Holy Sovereign in history.
Not only was her claim to the title illegitimate, but now she had been kidnapped as though it were nothing.
Worse, the airship had an advanced security system, yet it had not reacted at all.
Sometimes, no matter how sophisticated technology became, it offered no protection against overwhelming power.
The Holy Sovereign's sudden disappearance quickly caught her people's attention. Instead of continuing toward the newly risen city, the fleet stopped in Highspire City and began searching for Lunelle.
That was why Valerius first received word that Lunelle had vanished, only to get a video call from her moments later.
Confused, he accepted it.
On the screen, Lunelle looked deeply humiliated. "Sir, someone would like to speak with you."
Before Valerius could respond, Zara's face appeared on-screen. She cleared her throat and greeted him in the most aggravating tone imaginable.
"Uncle, long time no see."
Valerius fell silent.
He had a powerful urge to end the call.
But one look at Lunelle's miserable expression told him she had been captured. Her attendants had also reported that the Holy Sovereign had vanished without explanation, so he already had a good idea of what had happened.
Valerius closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh inwardly. When he spoke, the words came through gritted teeth. "What do you want this time?"
"How can you say that, Uncle?" Zara asked innocently. "Surely you know exactly what you did. I wasn't the one who sent someone to Earth to cause trouble, was I? You're not seriously going to claim you knew nothing about it."
Valerius's hand twitched. He clearly knew what she was referring to, but he denied it without hesitation. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
Zara immediately began criticizing him. "You people are unbelievable. When you need someone, you shove them out front to take the fall. Then the moment they get caught, you pretend they have nothing to do with you. Sylphra, don't you feel betrayed? Aren't you furious?"
The camera turned toward Sylphra.
Sylphra fell silent.
She did not find her current situation remotely dignified.
When Valerius saw her hands bound by the red cord and the equally humiliated look on her face, he knew the game was up.
Even so, he refused to admit anything. "I don't know her."
He did not believe Sylphra would be stupid enough to expose them directly.
"But she's still from your world," Zara said. "People from the other world have been causing trouble on Earth for quite some time. So I'll be direct, Uncle. I'm here to demand compensation for emotional distress."
Valerius's gaze darkened. "Don't push your luck. Stop blaming the Upper Realm for everything. If you continue this, then even if I have to sacrifice the entire Upper Realm, I'll take you down with us!"
Sylphra let out a contemptuous laugh. "If you don't want to admit it, fine, but stop making ridiculous threats.
I'll tell her the truth. When I left the Mistveil Expanse, I brought out an artifact called the Soulbinding Candle.
It can imprison the spirit of any living being.
Whether the victim is a mystic beast or someone from the Upper Realm, they could remain trapped for the rest of their life. "
She looked at Zara. "But you were only trapped for ten minutes. I brought out the body of the Soulbinding Candle. They had its wick."
Valerius fell silent.
That useless fool had actually betrayed them!
His eyes nearly bulged with rage.
Zara, however, understood immediately.
If the candle had trapped her, then Valerius must already have used the wick.
She glared at him indignantly. "Uncle, how could you be so heartless?"