Chapter 22

"I'm free, but why does your father suddenly want to see me?" Rao Ke asked, puzzled.

Ke Enli replied quickly on the Astrolabe, "I'm not sure either."

"Alright then, I'll head over now," Rao Ke said, not pressing further.

Ma Xianjie had been lounging lazily on the beanbag, but now she turned to look at Rao Ke.

"Is the Beast Emperor looking for you about something?"

Rao Ke nodded. "No idea what it's about."

"Then it's probably about that prophecy," Ma Xianjie said, sitting up with a mysterious look.

"What prophecy?" Rao Ke's interest was piqued.

Ma Xianjie's expression turned serious as she began to explain.

Four hundred years ago, the Human Emperor had predicted that a great calamity would strike in four hundred years. If the continent survived it, Kaqisha would usher in a new era.

During his reign, the Human Emperor was diligent, passionate about invention and creation, and actively engaged in diplomacy with all races, earning fame across the continent.

Even the Astrolabe and game cartridges were invented by him.

But two hundred years later, tensions between the Human Empire and the Beastman Kingdom grew severe, eventually erupting into a full-scale war over border disputes.

That war drew in many other races and left the entire continent in ruins.

Races like witches, elves, and dragons chose to retreat into seclusion.

The prophecy gradually faded from memory until three months ago, when the calamity struck and everyone recalled it.

"What happened to that Human Emperor later?" Rao Ke immediately sensed how extraordinary he must have been.

Ma Xianjie's expression turned odd, tinged with regret. "He passed away less than a year after making the prophecy."

Rao Ke's heart skipped a beat. She silently noted this, planning to ask Sesame Paste when she got back.

She continued, "Did the Human Emperor leave any details about the calamity?"

"Other than saying it would last three years and intensify over time, nothing else," Ma Xianjie shook her head.

"Well, since I've got nothing better to do, I'll tag along with you to meet the Beast Emperor," Ma Xianjie said, closing the novel about a phoenix soaring proudly that she'd been reading, and stood up.

Ma Xianjie was in Rao Ke's room in the first place because of those novels. After she'd casually picked up one of the phoenix-themed novels Rao Ke had bought, she'd been completely hooked, and now her daily routine was just coming to Rao Ke to borrow books.

Rao Ke thought that after the next upgrade, there might be bookstores or video stores with related products, and Ma Xianjie would probably go crazy.

"Sure," Rao Ke said, thinking it wouldn't hurt to have company.

After all, even though Rao Ke was something of a social expert, she didn't actually enjoy socializing much, and she had a bit of social anxiety—though her friends said they could never tell.

"Ready?"

"Mm."

Ma Xianjie touched Rao Ke's shoulder, and the next second, both of them vanished from the room.

Rao Ke felt dizzy for a moment, then suddenly found herself in a reception hall.

"Royal Advisor, must you always appear so abruptly?"

The Beast Emperor waved his hand helplessly, and his guards and knights lowered their weapons and the staves they had been charging with magic.

"How is it that the Royal Advisor, who never leaves her residence when invited, suddenly shows up here?" The Beast Emperor teased Ma Xianjie.

Ma Xianjie led Rao Ke to a soft chair opposite the Beast Emperor and sat down, a playful smile on her face. "My child here has business with you, old fox. As her elder, how could I rest easy?"

The Beast Emperor's smile didn't waver. "Do I look like the type to bully a kid?"

And those witches of yours are so petty—I wouldn't dare. If word got out, I'd be hunted to the ends of the earth, he thought to himself.

"Alright, what business do you have with our Keke?" Ma Xianjie tapped the table, signaling him to get to the point.

"We want to set up a teleportation array in the Beastman Kingdom that can connect to KeKe Town," the Beast Emperor said with a serious expression.

"Teleportation array?" Rao Ke looked at the new quest that had just appeared before her eyes.

【Collection Quest: Establish teleportation links with the major races of the Kaqisha Continent

Progress (1/7)

Details: Major races include (Beastmen, Humans, Elves, Witches, Dragons, Dwarves, Goblins)】

"Agree to him. Leave the rest to me—I'll explain when we get back," Ma Xianjie whispered to Rao Ke via telepathy, a smile still on her face.

Rao Ke nodded. "I agree."

The Beast Emperor nodded in satisfaction, his smile becoming warmer and more genuine.

"Now, let's talk about the other terms," Ma Xianjie said, turning to face the Beast Emperor.

The Beast Emperor inexplicably felt a chill run down his spine, realizing he was about to be fleeced again.

The two of them went back and forth for a long time before finalizing the terms.

For instance, the Beastman Kingdom would pay an annual transmission fee of 2 million gold coins, and KeKe Shop would retain the right to establish teleportation links with other races in the future.

"Seriously, are you even the Royal Advisor of the Beastman Kingdom..." the Beast Emperor grumbled.

Ma Xianjie rolled her eyes. "If it weren't for my position, the fee wouldn't be just 2 million gold coins."

"It's getting late; we'll be off now," Ma Xianjie said, and immediately teleported them both away.

In the next second, she and Rao Ke were back in the room.

Rao Ke poured Ma Xianjie a cup of fruit tea and sat down obediently to listen to her explanation.

"Every territory has a corresponding Heart of the Land. The Heart of the Land can control the entire territory and establish connections with other territories," Ma Xianjie began.

"And the Heart of the Land is usually held by the lord, who can issue lord tokens to delegates to manage individual towns."

Rao Ke asked curiously, "Doesn't that make the lord invincible within the territory? What if the lord is incompetent?"

Ma Xianjie smirked. "Impossible. The strongest lord holds the Heart of the Land, not the other way around."

"But how did we veer off track? Ahem!" Ma Xianjie caught herself and returned to the topic of spatial links.

"Lords have the ability to establish spatial teleportation devices with other territories. The Human Empire had connections with other territories before, but after the great war, territories basically cut off contact with each other."

Rao Ke nodded. "But I'm not a lord, am I? Can I really establish a link with the Beastman Kingdom?"

"The edge of the Adventure Forest is unclaimed territory, but KeKe Shop is yours. You should have a Heart of the Land; you can go look for it. It might be weak because the shop's area is small."

Rao Ke nodded and jotted that down in her memo, planning to ask Sesame Paste about it later.

As she listened to Ma Xianjie's explanation, Rao Ke felt more and more like this was like playing a base-building simulation game.

"Alright, time to sleep. Staying up late is bad for your health," Ma Xianjie said, glancing at the time. After making sure Rao Ke was settled, she left the room.

Rao Ke did feel a bit drowsy. She took a shower, changed into her pajamas, and lay down on the soft bed, sinking into a deep sleep.

...

Recently, the Beastman Kingdom announced a major piece of news that shocked the entire nation.

The Beast Emperor declared a partnership with KeKe Shop in the Adventure Forest and the establishment of a spatial teleportation array with it.

After all, since the great war two hundred years ago, no territories had established spatial teleportation arrays, except for the Dwarven Underground, which had set up simple ones with several major territories for convenience. The other territories basically had no contact at all.

So the news that the Beastman Kingdom was establishing a spatial teleportation array with a shop on the edge of the Adventure Forest naturally spread quickly.

The lords of other territories all received the news.

But the Beast Emperor showed no intention of explaining, and the nobles and ministers, for whatever reason, didn't object either.

And so, the time came for Rao Ke to head back to KeKe Shop.

Ke Enli looked at the peculiar vehicle beside Rao Ke, curiosity shining in his eyes.

Since Ke Enli still had important matters to attend to, it would be about a week before he could return to Daylight Town.

"Yeah, what a shame. I wanted to try out your vehicle," Ke Enli said, eyeing the cool, tall SUV with eager hands.

Rao Ke smiled. "When you get back, I'll let you take it for a spin."

Rao Ke planned to drive slowly and enjoy the scenery on the way back, but she couldn't stand the jolting of a carriage, so she decided to drive herself.

This SUV was converted from the food truck.

"Alright, bye!"

Rao Ke waved at Ke Enli, then started the SUV and shot off with a whoosh.

"This vehicle is pretty nice~" Chrisley's eyes lit up. "Can I take the wheel for a bit later?"

"Sure, I'll drive a bit more until we reach the flat stretch," Rao Ke said, glancing at the navigation.

Once they reached the flat area, Rao Ke and Chrisley switched places.

Chrisley excitedly took the driver's seat, gripping the steering wheel with fresh enthusiasm.

Rao Ke sat in the passenger seat, popped open a can of iced cola, and leisurely sipped it while giving instructions.

"Start slow, no need to rush—...!!"

Chrisley floored the gas pedal, and the SUV shot forward like a bullet.

Rao Ke started with guidance and frantic pleas to slow down, but eventually fell silent, just sipping her cola.

She looked like she didn't want to talk, when in reality, she was at a loss.

She'd never imagined Chrisley's driving style would be so wild.

"This is awesome!!" Chrisley was thoroughly thrilled.

They sped along like that, cutting their travel time by three hours, and made it back to KeKe Shop before dark.

And it wouldn't have been that fast, but Rao Ke later recommended flight mode to Chrisley, so they flew the last leg.

"You're back." Xue Jiali happened to be out for a walk with Xue Qiu and ran right into the returning duo.

As soon as Xue Qiu spotted Rao Ke, he abandoned Xue Jiali without a second thought and bounded over, circling excitedly around her feet.

Rao Ke crouched down, smiling as she scooped Xue Qiu up.

"You seem bigger somehow," Rao Ke said, hefting him in her arms.

Chrisley parked the SUV in the carport. "Alright, let's head inside. No need to stand out here."

"I'm planning to throw a little party tonight and invite some friends over," Rao Ke mentioned to Xue Jiali, then pulled out a gift she'd prepared for her from the Space Ring.

"Here, this is for you!" Rao Ke handed the gift to Xue Jiali with a bright smile.

Xue Jiali looked at the girl across from her, her face full of smiles, cat-like eyes slightly curved, looking adorable and playful.

"Thank you," Xue Jiali said, a smile tugging at her lips as she accepted the gift.

"It's nothing. Glad you like it."

Rao Ke just said that, then turned and went upstairs to her room to tidy up and change clothes.

Back in her room, Xue Jiali opened the box to find an exquisite hair pendant and hair clip inside.

She picked up her Astrolabe and hesitated for a moment before messaging her teacher, the Fourth Elder.

"Teacher, do you know what kind of gifts witches like?"

There was no reply as usual, but Xue Jiali calculated the time and figured her teacher would probably finish their meditation in about two days, so an answer would come then.

Xue Jiali looked down at the hair clip and hair pendant in her hands, and the tips of her ears turned red.

That evening, Rao Ke invited the friends she'd made since coming to this world and gave them the carefully prepared gifts.

Because there were quite a few guests, Rao Ke decided to do a barbecue.

"Keke, I heard that a time-space anchor has been established between the Beastman Kingdom and KeKe Shop, and that a spatial teleportation array is set to be built next?" Mo Duoya, seated beside Rao Ke, asked suddenly.

Rao Ke hesitated, then nodded. "Yes."

Mo Duoya didn't say much, just cautioned, "The Human Emperor will have heard about this too. They'll likely send someone over soon. Be on your guard."

Rao Ke nodded. She'd originally only learned of Mo Duoya's identity from Chrisley, but now it seemed Mo Duoya didn't have the best relationship with the Beast Emperor.

Mo Duoya seemed to have simply offered a warning, and after that, she just sat there, eating meat and chatting.

Back in No. 7 Wandering Town, Ailier accompanied Mo Duoya as she handled temporary official duties.

"I hope my dear brother doesn't do anything foolish..." Mo Duoya murmured suddenly, glancing at the papers. Ailier didn't look up, as if she hadn't heard.

At that moment, in the imperial capital of the Human Empire, the Human Emperor was lounging with a beauty in his arms, half-listening to his subordinate's report.

"That old fox Beast Emperor suddenly setting up a spatial teleportation array with some edge-of-nowhere shop... this can't be simple," the Human Emperor said, leaning back against the beauty.

"Send word to Bide to investigate this matter." He accepted a grape fed to him by the beauty, sighed contentedly, and then gave the order in a lazy tone.

"Over in No. 7 Wandering Town..." The Human Emperor paused to think. "Isn't my seventh sister stationed there? Have Bide pay her a visit as well."

"After all, as her brother, I should show some concern." The Human Emperor's smile was inscrutable, his dark aura coiling around him like a poisonous snake.