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Chapter 257 - Clown Prince
🕑 Added 2025-03-04 07:00:06 +0000 UTC"Hmph, so you bumpkin is from one of the backward continents. No wonder your outfit is so tasteless. This prince had only heard about this Cloud Continent from my Grand Tutor before. Didn't expect to see one of you here," Crown Prince Dastan said, his expression dripping with disdain.
"Backward continents?" Leyvi asked, sounding genuinely confused.
"Hah! How ignorant can you be? What does this prince expect from a backward place? Daa hahaha!" The prince laughed mockingly, his voice grating on Leyvi's nerves.
Leyvi took a deep breath, reminding himself to stay calm. He needed to hold back and extract as much information as possible from this insufferable man first. After that, he would bonk him with his metal bat and present his unconscious body to the previous Demonic Caracal. Just kidding, Leyvi thought. He wouldn't actually act on his intrusive thoughts.
It would be nice if Ava were here right now, Leyvi mused. Her interrogation skills would have made extracting information from this so-called Clown Prince much easier—and far less painful for Leyvi's ears.
"Listen here, you ignorant country bumpkin. Etch this into your puny mind. The Howling Kingdom, one of the Twelve Grand Kingdoms, is located in the largest continent in the world—the Protogaea Continent!" Crown Prince Dastan declared, puffing out his chest with pride.
"Protogaea Continent..." Leyvi muttered. This was the second other continent he had heard of. The first one was the Makai Continent, which he had learned about from the space ring City Lord Caterina had given him—the same ring that contained the tier-5 metal bat.
"Daa hahaha! Notice the difference in the names of our continents? Protogaea sounds far more majestic than a lame 'Cloud.' Alright, country bumpkin, your strength doesn't seem too bad. This prince will allow you to be my guard for the time being, until my Royal Guard finds me! Consider it an honor!" Crown Prince Dastan announced, as if he were bestowing a great favor.
"How long have you been here?" Leyvi asked, ignoring the clown prince's ridiculous offer.
"Oi, country bumpkin, watch your language! You are talking to a Crown Prince! Your Royal Highness! That's how you should address me!" Crown Prince Dastan barked, his tone full of self-importance.
Leyvi's mouth twitched. Anda, can I beat this guy now? he asked inwardly, imagining Anda giving him a thumbs-up in support.
Despite the overwhelming urge, Leyvi managed to hold himself back. He was starting to question whether this Mystic Realm was truly a trove of opportunities or just a series of unfortunate events. So far, it had been nothing but bad luck, and the clown prince in front of him was the worst of it all.
"How long has Your Royal Highness been here?" Leyvi asked again, forcing himself to use the proper address.
Although Crown Prince Dastan didn't like Leyvi's lack of enthusiasm, he still replied, "Hmph, this prince arrived here a day ago. Are you done? Now guard me until my Royal Guard finds me."
"A day ago..." Leyvi muttered, deep in thought. That meant the clown prince's group had arrived two days after the group from Cloud Continent.
Suddenly, a chill ran down Leyvi's spine as another possibility crossed his mind. What if I'm the only one who got separated from the others? But he quickly dismissed the thought. No, that can't be right. I'm sure I didn't enter any other cracks in the void tunnel.
"Oi, country bumpkin! Are you listening to this prince or not?" Crown Prince Dastan snapped, irritated that Leyvi kept ignoring him, the Crown Prince.
"Hey, Mr. Clown Prince," Leyvi said, his tone turning serious. "Why don't you tell me if something unusual happened when you were crossing the void tunnel?"
"What did you call me? You peasant, you country bum—"
Thuum!
Before the prince could finish his sentence, he was slammed flat onto his back by an overwhelming spiritual pressure. His eyes widened in shock as the force pinned him to the ground. Despite his outfit being made entirely of tier-5 artifacts, which negated any physical damage, he couldn't move an inch under the immense pressure. He tried to counter Leyvi's spiritual pressure with his own, but it was like a candle trying to outshine the sun. His Qi was draining rapidly, and panic set in. How is it possible for someone from a backward continent to have a Spiritual Cultivator this strong? Shit, if I run out of Qi, I'll be crushed!
Leyvi squatted down next to the prince's face, his expression calm, but his presence utterly terrifying to the crown prince. "Can you answer my question now, Mr. Clown Prince?" Leyvi asked, his tone deceptively mild.
"You... you... what are you doing? Stop! This prince's royal grandfather is the king! He won't let you go if you harm this prince!" Crown Prince Dastan stammered, his voice strained under the pressure.
Thuum!
The spiritual pressure intensified, burying the prince even deeper into the ground.
"Erghh... Wait, wait! This prince will answer!" he cried, panic rising as his Qi drained rapidly to power his spirit artifacts and offset the crushing force.
Leyvi eased the spiritual pressure back to its previous level, waiting silently for the prince's response.
"I'm... I'm not sure what you mean by unusual at first, but now that I think of it, they said that a pulling force would act on us in the void tunnel, leading straight to the Mystic Realm. But there were actually two pulling forces! I got pulled into the bigger crack and ended up here. They said the Mystic Realm would be an underground world, but this is clearly on the surface. Also, we were supposed to gather at the same place, but I appeared alone on a tree, with nobody around. Please let me go now! That's all I think is unusual!" Crown Prince Dastan blurted out, his words speeding up as his Qi neared depletion.
Leyvi recalled his spiritual pressure, satisfied with the answer. The prince's explanation brought him some relief. It seemed he wasn't the one sent to a different Mystic Realm—rather, the people from the Protogaea Continent had been pulled into this one. Leyvi guessed that whatever had happened in the void tunnel had caused additional cracks to open, diverting them here.
Crown Prince Dastan scrambled to his feet the moment the pressure lifted, backing away from Leyvi with wide, fearful eyes. He didn't dare make a sound, too afraid that Leyvi might flatten him again.
For a moment, Leyvi felt a wave of relief, but it was quickly replaced by concern. Now that people from another continent were here, the situation had become even more dangerous for his ladies. If the clown prince's boast about Protogaea being the "largest continent" held any truth, their cultivators were likely far stronger, though the prince himself seemed to be an exception. Moreover, Leyvi doubted that Protogaea's cultivators were more peaceful than those from Cloud Continent. Kingdoms often meant wars, and wars bred ruthless individuals.
Should I use the clown prince as a hostage? Leyvi wondered, his gaze shifting back to the trembling prince. If I threaten them, maybe they'll think twice before acting against Cloud Continent cultivators.
Crown Prince Dastan noticed Leyvi's devious stare and flinched, stumbling backward and falling onto his butt in fear.
Nope. Leyvi discarded the idea. It sounded too tedious. Why should he waste his time babysitting this annoying clown? Besides, he wasn't some kind of hero. The people of Cloud Continent could take care of themselves. All he cared about was ensuring the safety of his ladies. Leyvi turned his gaze toward the towering tree on the horizon.
Crown Prince Dastan felt a wave of relief as Leyvi looked away. He had learned a harsh lesson today. Right now, he wasn't surrounded by his Royal Guards, and he wasn't in the Protogaea Continent, where his influence and arrogance could shield him. Despite being the crown prince, his combat ability was abysmal. He had always relied on his Royal Guards for everything, especially fighting. They were his weapons, while all he carried were defensive artifacts. Being separated from them was a massive inconvenience. If someone from a rival kingdom found him now and decided to kill him, no one would ever know.
What should I do? Can I find my Royal Guards first? He thought.
Suddenly, he saw Leyvi hopping away in the direction of the enormous tree. Shit, shit! This prince can't be alone. I need to make him my ally. He's the only one who can protect me right now. He doesn't seem like the type to kill without reason, and he didn't even rob me. I need to take advantage of that!
"Wait! Wait, country... no, wait, genius Spiritual Cultivator! Don't leave this prince alone! This prince will reward you handsomely for escorting me. No, no, this prince will reward you handsomely just to let me travel with you!" he shouted, scrambling to catch up with Leyvi.
Leyvi stopped hopping and turned around. "Give me the reward first," he said bluntly. So far, he hadn't gained anything since arriving in the Mystic Realm, and this was his first chance to obtain something. Even if it wasn't from treasure hunting, it was better than nothing.
"Daa hahaha! This prince has many valuable items. Just name it! Cultivation manuals, martial skills, spirit artifacts, spirit armor, spirit stones—what do you want? Everything is top quality, straight from my kingdom!" Crown Prince Dastan declared, puffing out his chest with pride.
"If you have all those good things, then why are you so weak? You're already at the peak of the Core Formation Realm, but you can't even beat a Caracal. What kind of Clown Prince are you?" Leyvi asked, his tone filled with sarcasm.
Crown Prince Dastan felt like vomiting blood from the verbal attack, but he forced himself to endure it. Right now, he needed Leyvi's protection more than his pride.
