Chapter 969 (1/2)
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Katreina rose slowly from her seat, her lithe tail waving naturally beneath her. The Queen was deep in thought. She maintained her posture for a few long minutes without a word, and then finally, she turned to Hao Ren and smiled. “I’m very happy that you have come to discuss this issue with me.”
“Err…” Hao Ren was taken aback. “It’s only proper, right? After all, it’s your home planet we’re talking about — even if you don’t live there.”
“This is why I find myself surprised sometimes, how there can be such wonderful qualities in a human being like you. You wield great power, and yet your conscience is strong — it’s unthinkable.” Katreina smiled regally and held her gaze on Hao Ren. “Perhaps is it because of these qualities that you came to be the observer and protector of the worlds.”
“Err… Do you mean that it’s not necessary for me to discuss this issue with you?” Hao Ren was beginning to understand Katreina.
The Queen’s tail undulated smoothly as she bowed slightly at Hao Ren — not in greeting, but as a sign of respect and acknowledgement in the culture of sirens. “You have the power to travel between planets. You control the gates and travel routes. You know exactly where Io is, and have used your drones to take over all the travel routes around the planet. Don’t you realize this? You are the one with real control over Io. By usual standards, you are the actual governor of the place. We are but descendants of the planet, and only in name. You do not have to discuss anything with me. It matters not who you wish to relocate to the planet. Just a word from you, and we will have to accept it as fact. No one can do anything against you.”
Hao Ren scratched his head. “If I really did that, you won’t be smiling right now.”
Katreina nodded seriously. “Yes. I would feel regret, and even animosity, against you. Perhaps the sirens will try to exact revenge? It matters not, in the end. The fact will not be altered, since you have actual control over matters. Hence. I find myself… surprised, by your actions.”
“I think you’re underestimating me a little too much there.” Hao Ren spread his arms and said. “What you just said is just so unreasonable.”
“It’s not a matter of ethics, but of human nature.” Katreina smiled. “I rarely visit the surface, but I do know that as rulers and empires repeat their cycle of rise and fall, the only constant throughout is the greed for power and control. Few people could be like you — to be in a position of power, but still insist on following the way of the righteous.”
Hao Ren always thought he had thick skin, but he was now hopelessly embarrassed by the Queen of the Sirens. He did not think of himself as someone so lofty. Everyone wants power, everyone wants control. No one is free from selfishness and arrogance. He remembered himself preening when the Aerym Elves called him Sun King. Nevertheless, the fact that he was now discussing the issue of relocation with the sirens was not a matter of being lofty or righteous, but because he was afraid Raven 12345 would tear a hole in the Void to reach him and kick him in the *ss when she found out he was breaking the rules of relocation again. Hao Ren had to think carefully about whether his body could take a round of abuse from Dear Sister Raven…
Only he was privy to his personal reason, but there was no need to share it, really. Having the respect of the Queen of the Sirens was useful to him. Hence, Hao Ren kept his expression solemn and nodded in agreement. He tried to keep a poker face when he said, “Cough cough, it is only right to be fair to others, or I would not be given this duty… As the protector of so many cultures and civilizations, my personal interests have been long since abandoned…”
Vivian forced a cough. “Cough cough, back to business, back to business!”
Any more from Hao Ren and she might just explode.
Katreina did not doubt Hao Ren’s words, however, because she had seen the man’s ship and his ability to cross between worlds. She believed that Hao Ren was trying to be fair in spite of being in control, thus she nodded seriously and said, “We agree to the relocation.”
Hao Ren started with the script that he had been going through over and over again without thinking. “Of course, it’s only natural for you to have reservations, but we could… Wait, you agree?! Just like that?!”
Hao Ren had prepared a list of reasons to convince the Queen, but now that Her Majesty had agreed to his request so readily, he was momentarily stunned. He stared at Katreina. “Those people on the arks are not sirens, you don’t know them…”
“They can’t live on a planet without land forever, yes?” Katreina narrowed her eyes. “Even if they learn to mine resources from under the sea and use technology to tame the native wildlife, they will never life as comfortably as they would on land. The seas will always belong to the sirens.”
“You are right. The arks will only anchor temporarily on Io until reparation and replenishing works are done. I will be finding a more suitable planet for them in the meantime.” Hao Ren promised. “During this time, they will not be going anywhere. The arks are the only place for them to stay on Io.”
“It will take years until we can return to Io.” Katreina nodded regally. “It’s not a bother to have those people take a rest on our home planet for a while.”