The Final Odyssey, the fantastical journey of a cat boy

"What does this mean? Why would anyone think you're dead?!" Fish was startled by the answer.

"Hmph, strictly speaking, those bastards naturally knew I was still alive—especially after I presented my imperial seal, my mark of a princess, and my appointment letter to serve as acting governor of the Western Expeditionary Governor's Office," Ange's expression hardened as she said this, resembling a bristling fox ready to snap its opponent's neck at any moment. However, she herself was completely unaware of this. "But those guys actually said it was all a lie."

"There... must be some kind of misunderstanding?"

“Oh, then you’re wrong,” Ange shook her head. “I’d bet ten thousand Imperial dinars that those bastards in Rainfall City know very well just how real these things—and I myself—are.”

Fish was completely bewildered and began unconsciously circling his tail in the air like a cat toy—a habitual action he took when he couldn't understand something: "Then why do they still say it's fake?"

“It’s simple, this is clearly some kind of political conspiracy,” Mint replied. “Under normal circumstances, no one would dare to deny His Highness’s identity and status. Because they know that doing so would ruin their own political future. In other words, when someone does this, it means that something major has definitely happened in Cangtao City—the capital of the Duchy of Fayun.”

"You mean, a coup?" asked Xiaoxing, who was more knowledgeable than Fish.

“Exactly. In short, the port officials in Rainfall City aren’t very bright, which is a good thing for us,” Ange took a deep breath, regaining her calm and elegant demeanor. “If they were cunning enough, they would pretend to welcome us and then set traps in the city. However, those idiots seem to think that with the port guards’ armed security and patrol boats, they can easily take down a few girls like us… Of course, this is the last mistake they’ll ever make.”

Although Ange didn't continue, Fish could easily imagine the fate of the port officials who had underestimated her and her companions—after all, the firepower of the princess's personal arsenal could easily blast away an armored company of a regular army in a direct firefight. Trying to capture her with a small number of port security guards was simply a pipe dream.

"After that, I discussed the matter with my ladies-in-waiting and we decided that it was too dangerous to continue westward and we had to abandon the trip. I originally planned to sneak back to the vicinity of Cangtao City to gather information, but I received a broadcast the next day."

"What did they say?" Fish asked. Although the Wave had a radio, only Moore, Tucker, and a few others would listen to the news when they approached the coast. He himself hadn't heard it.

"A 'transitional council' took over the capital on the very day my fleet 'accidentally' struck the storm. Three officers of the palace guard were declared 'accidentally' dead that day," Ange deliberately emphasized the word "accidentally," "My father, Grand Duke Elron II, abdicated the following day for 'health reasons,' and his position was transferred to my aunt, his youngest sister Susie. I myself was declared to have sunk to the bottom of the sea in the storm... They even ordered three minutes of silence for me throughout the country."

"Wow, that's amazing... I heard that only the most important people get a moment of silence after they die... Meow!" Fish had barely uttered half a sentence when Phoenix Flame's remote control flew over and kicked him in the chin, forcing him to quickly change the subject. "So, this Susie is your enemy? Then I will definitely—"

“I’m sorry, Your Highness Fish, but I don’t think that’s possible,” Mint interrupted Fish. “Because Your Highness Susie is only eight years old this year.”

"Even so... what did you say? Eight years old? Not twenty-eight?!" Fish and Xiaoxing asked in unison.

"Yes, my grandfather had a very strong desire and ability in that area. So his youngest wife became pregnant again six months before he died... Princess Susie is his posthumous child." Ange spread her hands. "Although I've only met Susie a few times, I can assure you she's an honest and kind girl."

"Besides, an eight-year-old child can't take charge of the overall situation," Mint snorted. "His Highness has two younger brothers and six younger sisters. Apart from three who married into other states, the rest disappeared or 'retired' during that time, leaving only the youngest one... You all understand what this situation means, right?"

"So, Elon II's other brothers and sisters don't like being Grand Dukes?" Fish muttered... Then, under Phoenix Flame's control, he reached out and grabbed his cat ears, twisting them hard from side to side.

"Ouch...it hurts!"

"Now I think it's absolutely necessary to get you engaged to Princess Anjie!" Huang Yan said. "A politically clueless idiot like you might get yourself into trouble someday! Let Anjie teach you some common sense, I think that's a good idea!"

"Meow... I understand! You were right!"

To outsiders, Fish's actions seemed utterly bizarre and comical. However, the well-informed Ange and Mint remained silent. After exchanging a glance, Ange continued pointing at the map and recounting her experiences.

"In short, after this incident, I knew that neither continuing west nor returning to the capital was possible. Therefore, I had no choice but to take the 'Lucky Star' north to seek refuge in the direction of the Principality of Penglai," Ange said, pointing to the cluster of islands along the western Pacific coast. "However, en route, the Principality announced that it would arrest us 'fugitives who impersonated the princess in distress.' As a result, we fought battles along the way, killing several groups of mercenaries and pirates—including even armored warriors."

"That's amazing," Xiaoxing said. "To be able to sail this far in such a small boat, even without any battle, is truly remarkable."

"But in the end, we still had to change course to temporarily evade the enemy's superior forces." Ange tapped the map, her gaze landing on the Twilight City ruins, which were once located in the East Asian continent but are now mostly submerged by rising sea levels. "Almost all the commonly used waterways are under enemy surveillance. The 'Lucky Star' is just a small yacht; if it were intercepted by regular warships, it would be doomed."

"And then you decided to take an uncommon route?"

"Yes. In desperation, I finally ordered a risky voyage into Twilight City—many mercenaries and pirates were unwilling to venture into such a place because they feared the chimeras, autonomous weapons, and other monsters roaming the ruins of the ancient city."

"However, perhaps it's the blessing of the ancestors of the Duchy of Fayun, we've only encountered a handful of attacks from autonomous weapons along the way, and haven't seen a single chimera," said one of Ange's personal maids. "Otherwise, even Her Highness Ange and Lord Mint would probably be quite troubled, wouldn't they?"

"Hehehe, that's true." Fish nodded—clearly, this "luck" was actually a result of him and his companions attracting away a large area of ​​chimeras. The thought that his companions' sacrifice had not been in vain suddenly gave him a sense of relief.

"Well, that's the situation anyway. Although I planned to go to the Kingdom of Penglai, it was ultimately just a temporary refuge from the enemy, not a long-term solution," Ange said. "Since Your Highness is on an adventure, you must be searching for some extremely valuable relic, right?"

"That's right." Fish nodded, and then explained in detail the origins of the "Tidal Lightning" warband's arrival here, as well as the matter of the "Akasha Encyclopedia".

"My lord, are you sure what you just said is true?! It seems this is a blessing from heaven!" Fish had barely finished speaking when Ange excitedly grabbed his hand, as happy as a child who had just received a huge handful of candy. "It's...it's the legendary Akasha's Compendium!"

"Uh... is this thing really that important?"

"When it is in the right hands, its value is greater than a fleet, no, greater than a city... and perhaps even greater than a nation!" Ange said with a resolute tone.

"But this is too... exaggerated, isn't it?" Fish muttered. Although he often heard people in the taverns of Oasis City use words like "priceless" to describe the most valuable and rarest treasures from the old civilization era, he had always thought it was just some kind of exaggerated rhetoric.

After all, no matter how valuable something is, it's just an object; how can it be compared to a city?

“I’m not joking,” Ange said immediately after noticing Fish’s skeptical look. “In the Duchy of Fayun, the court has always kept records of the ‘Akasha Compendium.’ So I know very well what it means.”

"Well……"

"Theoretically speaking, the 'Akasha Compendium' is neither a weapon nor can it manufacture anything. However, as long as it is functioning properly, it can allow the holder to search for any device from an old civilization era worldwide, confirm its basic status, and even pinpoint its location—of course, this device must be legally registered in the old civilization era; privately manufactured 'black market equipment' is not included. Even so, scholars in the past estimated that, if used properly, it could retrieve at least 70%, or even more, of the technological products from the old civilization era."

"When used properly... that is to say, it cannot have this effect on people who do not have the relevant knowledge," Xiaoxing deduced.

"Exactly. The search criteria for the 'Akasha Records' are to enter the 'real name' of the search object—that's what we call it in our time; in the past, it was called the 'registered name.' Of course, if you can enter the mysterious code called the 'registration number,' it usually has the same effect. But this knowledge is generally only known to scholars who specialize in studying the old civilization era, and it is often kept under tight guard by various countries. Therefore, even if ordinary people obtain the 'Akasha Compendium,' it won't be of much use."

"Moreover, even if we can find out the location and status, for ordinary adventurers, or even ordinary mercenary gangs, many relics from the old civilization era are located in very dangerous places, making them extremely difficult to retrieve," Xiaoxing continued. "But for forces that can mobilize national-level resources to organize expeditions, or even use regular armies, the information they provide may be invaluable, perhaps increasing the efficiency of collecting relics from the old civilization era by tens or even hundreds of times."

"Well said, little Xing!" Anjie couldn't help but give Xiaoxing a warm hug, changing her address from "Miss" to the more affectionate "little sister." "Now I'm even more determined to make you His Highness's number one concubine—when I'm busy, you can use your intelligence to assist him properly!"

"Hey...wait, we haven't decided on this yet, we can talk about it later! Although...although it's not that I don't like it...uh..." Xiaoxing's face turned red and hot again, like a piece of heated iron, and she looked like she might scramble back into the bushes at any moment. Fortunately, Anjie realized her embarrassment in time and took the initiative to change the subject.

"Ahem, well, anyway, if the 'Akasha Compendium' is here, we'll have a huge bargaining chip if we get our hands on it—whether it's to exchange for military support from allies, to intimidate enemies, or for us to use to find relics from the old civilization era for combat, it will be extremely useful," Ange cleared her throat and continued, "Alright, now, let this be the first step in saving the Duchy of Fayun and finding the mastermind behind this who wants my life."

"Ah, that's right! That's it!" Fish and Xiaoxing quickly applauded for Ange. "But... I have another question."

"What's wrong, Your Highness?"

"The 'Tidal Lightning' warships have two main battleships and one airship. Although we've already captured the smaller 'Wave,' the 'Black Storm' and the airship 'Eye of Surveillance' are still heading towards their destination. And they've already pulled ahead of us by quite a distance. If we let them get there first…"

"Maybe we can use the 'Peregrine' to catch up with them?" Xiaoxing suggested—the two inflatable powered gliders that brought them here were still under autonomous navigation control, patrolling the area. "If I'm not mistaken, it would only take us about an hour in the 'Peregrine'..."

"No," Fish shook his head. Although he knew nothing about politics, his tactical intuition and thinking were very sharp. "We'll likely be shot down."

"Why? We just successfully attacked the 'Wave'!" Xiaoxing asked in surprise. "That ship didn't even notice us..."

“That’s different,” Fish shook his head. “Our attack was successful because it was sudden enough to catch them off guard—but we can’t expect to achieve the same effect against the Black Storm.”