Chapter 11: The Eleventh Iron Pillar

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There was hardly anyone around at this hour, so Shen Junlin got straight to the point. “Boss Qi, I want a box of S-grade suppressants.”

The other man stared at him in astonishment. “That much? They’re not cheap.”

Each box contained three suppressants—not a large quantity, but on this resource-starved exile planet, every single one was extraordinarily expensive.

And now Shen Junlin wanted S-grade suppressants.

“Name your price,” Aivis said impatiently.

Boss Qi’s gaze lingered on Crescent as he praised her incessantly. “The little girl from your family is truly beautiful.”

At that, Crescent pulled the hood of her tattered cloak back over her head.

Boss Qi: “...”

Crescent: “Enough nonsense. Get to the point.”

She was a little hungry again. There had been plenty of coyote meat, but it did not seem particularly filling.

Where should she go to eat later?

The stalls near the city gate all looked rather good.

Aivis probably had no idea that the princess he believed deserved to enjoy the most luxurious provisions in the world was currently thinking about the street stalls by the city gate.

Boss Qi cleared his throat. “Since you’re an old acquaintance, I’ll charge you six hundred thousand for this box of suppressants, plus one C-grade energy crystal.”

Crescent, still thinking about the street stalls, murmured, “Six hundred thousand?”

When she had worked at the black market, her food and lodging had been provided. She earned thirty credits a day and worked every day of the week without rest, making a total of two hundred and ten credits a week.

Six hundred thousand?

If she really bought the suppressants with money, wouldn’t she have to work nonstop for twenty thousand days? And that did not even include the price of the C-grade energy crystal.

She had seen people who could not afford to pay before. They had simply robbed the black market.

A textbook robbery. Since they had run fast, the black-market operators had truly been unable to do anything about it afterward.

In that case...

Crescent rubbed her chin.

“A trivial matter. I’ll pay!” Aivis declared grandly. “My dear, whether it’s money or anything else, I would gladly brave fire and water for you.”

Boss Qi suddenly straightened. He glanced left and right, looking puzzled.

Strange. Why did he suddenly feel a chill? The temperature had not dropped today.

In the end, Shen Junlin paid one C-grade energy crystal, while Aivis paid six hundred thousand credits. Together, they purchased the box of suppressants.

Both men were perfectly capable of paying the entire bill alone, yet neither was willing to let the other settle it.

Clever men understood that this was an opportunity.

Shen Junlin asked the proprietor for a private room. Once the three of them entered and locked the door, they finally opened the box.

The suppressants had to be kept under special refrigeration. Otherwise, the medicinal liquid inside would quickly become inactive. The moment the box was opened, a cloud of icy white mist drifted out.

Each suppressant was about the size of a syringe and came with its own injection port.

Aivis took out one of the suppressants and pulled off the protective cap over the injection port. “Your Highness, please extend your hand.”

Crescent held out her hand.

Aivis raised the syringe and moved to inject it, but—

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Just as the needle was about to touch Crescent’s skin, a layer of tiny blue-green scales suddenly surfaced across it.

“Click...”

The needle bent.

Aivis: “...”

“Your Highness, please relax. Do not resist it.” Shen Junlin picked up a spare needle from the box.

Crescent looked at the patch of skin where the scales had appeared. She narrowed her eyes slightly, and the jade-like blue-green scales vanished.

Crescent said, “Try again.”

This time, it worked. A finger’s worth of suppressant was completely injected into Crescent’s veins.

“How do you feel now? Any discomfort?” Aivis asked nervously.

There had been no precedent for this, and no one knew what symptoms might appear.

Crescent shook her head. “I don’t feel anything. Am I still giving off pheromones?”

Shen Junlin stepped closer to her. He lowered his head slightly, his nose about ten centimeters from her neck.

His lowered eyes were filled with docility, his gentleness resembling that of a great beast delicately sniffing a rose.

“Your scent has faded a little,” Shen Junlin said. “Normally, a suppressant injected into the body will reach its full effect within ten minutes. We can check again after ten minutes. If it isn’t enough, we may need to increase the dosage.”

But five minutes later, someone knocked on the door.

Shen Junlin was closest to it. He went over and opened the door, revealing Boss Qi.

Boss Qi dispensed with pleasantries. “I just received word that Crystal City has been placed under martial law. The bee folk are searching for someone. Every member of the bee race within Crystal City, whether mixed-blood or pure-blood, must report to the Administration Tower and register.”

“What is the deadline?” Shen Junlin asked.

Boss Qi replied, “Before dawn tomorrow. Anyone who fails to register will be sent straight to the underground prison.”

“Damn it. What kind of rule is that?” Aivis suddenly grew agitated.

If he registered, his identity would be exposed.

He could leave Crystal City immediately, but...

Her Highness was still here. How could he leave?

Shen Junlin nodded. “Thank you for informing us.”

Boss Qi patted him on the shoulder. “You’re one of my most important customers. Of course I can’t let you get thrown into prison.”

Shen Junlin seemed to remember something. He called Boss Qi back just as the man was about to leave and whispered a few words to him. The latter nodded. “I’ll have someone bring it over later.”

Having delivered the warning, Boss Qi departed.

The remaining five minutes passed slowly.

Aivis hurried over to Crescent, like a starving wolf that had spotted a fragrant piece of meat, and eagerly inhaled.

Unfortunately, her scent had faded considerably.

“Your Highness is still giving off a scent. I think it would be safer to use another suppressant,” Aivis concluded.

Crescent said, “Then do it.”

And so Crescent was injected with another suppressant.

Another ten minutes passed—

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The scent of Crescent’s pheromones still had not disappeared. She could not smell it herself, but according to Shen Junlin, only a faint trace remained.

It might fool low-ranking bee folk, but it would not escape the noses of high-ranking bee folk.

With no other choice, Crescent injected herself with another suppressant.

Only after all three S-grade suppressants in the box had been administered did the scent of pheromones finally vanish from Crescent’s body.

But no one knew when those hidden pheromones might emerge again.

Aivis was deeply anxious. “I don’t know whether injecting so much at once will cause any side effects. Damn it, what are the people in the palace thinking? They actually abandoned Her Highness in a place like this.”

After pacing back and forth twice, Aivis gritted his teeth. “Your Highness, I have a way to contact people in the central district of Louikai Star. I can have them come and escort you back.”

How could he let Her Highness remain in a wretched place like this?

There were no specialized suppressants here, living conditions were appalling, and the place was plagued by unrest...

“No need!” Crescent turned sharply toward him.

Aivis had previously said that he had brought the patrol soldiers along while searching everywhere to ensure her safety.

Later, the group had traveled from Isaac Town to Crystal City and then searched for suppressants. Along the way, they had never disagreed.

That had given Crescent an illusion—

This red-eyed member of the bee race was no different from an ordinary pure-blooded male bee.

“But, Your Highness...”

“What a fool.” Shen Junlin gave a derisive laugh.

Aivis’s attempt to persuade her came to an abrupt halt. He spoke darkly. “Mixed-blood, say that again if you dare.”

“This is the period of the princess succession contest. What makes you think Her Highness will live more comfortably after you send her back than she does here?” Shen Junlin asked.

Aivis retorted, “Her Highness is powerful.”

Crescent rose from her seat. “I have no interest in becoming someone else’s target. Rather than flaunting myself arrogantly in public, I prefer to make my plans before I act.”

There was no hurry. She could act after she had fully understood the bee race’s current circumstances.

If everyone believed her to be a princess, and only one of the princesses could ultimately survive, then Crescent had to secure that single chance at survival.

“Still, what you said has reminded me of something...” Her eyes were beautiful, long and slightly upturned at the corners. That single glance left Aivis terribly uneasy.

Crescent continued, “Since you can contact the central district of Louikai Star, I doubt your identity is that of an ordinary patrol soldier on this exile planet.”

How many people on the exile planet dreamed of leaving this impoverished, ruined world?

The answer was: countless.

If he could contact the central district of Louikai Star, how could he possibly have no way to leave?

Crescent did not believe it for a moment.

Aivis had failed to grasp the implication at first, but his instincts now sounded an extremely sharp alarm.

Her Highness wanted to abandon him!

The moment he realized this, Aivis panicked. “Your Highness, I can explain. Please, let me explain!”

Remembering that he had just spent six hundred thousand credits, Crescent sat back down in her chair.

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