Capital of Jewel Kingdom:
In one of the residential quarters in the Royal Complex, a young man was walking in the corridor, looking down at the purple carpet with a pensive gaze.
Even though it's 'Royal', it was in fact a building designated to the lowest class of nobility. Even Province officials would disdain staying here.
But Prince Shak, despite being the legitimate son of the current King, was living in such a lowly place.
"Will he be fine? He should be. Yes. He'll be alright." Prince Shak muttered as he walked down the corridor, passing through multiple rooms and gardens.
The walls were painted with tales of the glorious conquests fo the Jewel Kingdom. The ceiling was adorned with records of great men and women that led this Kingdom to its present height.
Every single brick, every single tile here would cause a bloody killing in a civilization like Abyssals, forget Humans.
These were extremely precious materials that only a strong Galactic Kingdom could afford.
Even though it was the lowliest quarters for a royal, it was worth more than the entire planets of the lower civilizations.
Prince Shak crossed the training grounds outside his quarters where the head of the Palace guardians, a Celestial Ranker, was training the Sovereign guards.
Exiting his quarters, Prince Shak entered the shining blue road and headed straight for a Diamond-shaped building in the distance.
On either side of the road, men and women walked past in hurried footsteps. They looked similar to humans except for their skin that literally glowed with different colors under the starlight.
When they caught a glimpse of Prince Shak, they turned their gazes away and whispered with gloating eyes.
'Do they know something? No. This is just the usual mockery. Yes, that's it.' Prince Shak tried to calm down his racing hearts.
But the three hearts pumped against his chest as the ominous premonition in his heart grew with every step he took toward the Diamond-shaped building.
When he finally reached the building, his skin had gone pale to the point it turned transparent and his three hearts were beating like an engine that was about to burst.
'I can't run away now.' Taking a deep breath, Prince Shak looked at the building with a determined gaze.
'Royal Duty Department.'
This was the department that managed the Royal Family and affairs of the Imperial Palace. For the dozens of princes and princesses, they were the direct supervisors.
Despite being limited to royal affairs, they wield a lot of influence across the Kingdom.
While they couldn't do anything openly, their connections with the princes and princesses of the last generation were enough to make them almost impossible to touch.
This morning, Prince Shak received a notification from the Department asking him to report by noon.
A few minutes later, Prince Shak faced an old man in a military uniform. Seated behind his desk, the Senior officer hummed twice and threw a letter.
The force behind the throw caused a small sonic boom and caused a space crack. But the shockwaves couldn't damage even the flowers in the room, much less the sturdy walls.
Prince Shak stumbled back a dozen steps before he stabilized himself. There was a small cut on his palms but he was in no mood to care about the injury.
With hurried breathing, he opened the letter and read the content.
It was a single line. But it caused Prince Shak to nearly cry.
[Prince Shad is missing.]
Suppressing his bursting emotions, Prince Shak turned around and was about to exit when the Senior Officer's voice sounded.
"A Synthetic World has been discovered."
"Huh."
"The Duchies of Ruby, Emerald, Diamond, and Sapphire are tasked to win it. Depending on the situation, it could be gifted to them or owned by the Royal family."
"Isn't it normal that Duchies are sent to retrieve the Synthetic Worlds? Why are you telling me this now, Mr. Darin?" Prince Shak asked without turning around.
"You're also being sent on the mission." The Old Man dropped a piece of news akin to a bomb.
"What?!" Prince Shak turned around with wide eyes and said. "I don't even have a personal entourage. No one except for a personal guard. What am I supposed to do in a Synthetic World?"
The Senior Officer tapped the desk with his knuckles with a face that he didn't give a fuck about the young man's situation.
But realizing that he was, after all, talking to a Prince, he opened his mouth. "Synthetic Worlds don't allow a lot of people in anyways. The constraints are for three people. You, your personal guard make two. The department can lend you a four-path Hybrid. Good luck with your mission."
Hearing the apathetic tone of the officer, Prince Shak felt his blood boil. But he knew this matter was beyond his control and emotions would only deteriorate his already precocious situation.
If his brother was here, this order would've never come down in the first place. But now that he couldn't resist the royal order, he had to negotiate for better resources.
"A four-path Hybrid? That's what Duchies use. I can understand if you want to shame me, but by using a four-path hybrid, you're only shaming the kingdom."
"…" The Senior Officer made a reluctant face but finally nodded. "A five-path Hybrid then—."
"Six-path." Prince Shak said immediately. "It's not my reputation at stake, it's the Kingdom's."
Reputation was important.
The Jewel Kingdom ruled many duchies, which in turn governed many provinces. But the Jewel Kingdom itself was a vassal of the Lumen Empire.
If their reputation took a nosedive, then the neighboring galactic kingdoms would try to take a bite of their pie.
So, even though the princes he had connections with asked him to give a hard time to Prince Shak, the Senior officer relented. "You win."
Breathing a sigh of relief, Prince Shak exited the room when a sudden force pushed him from behind. He tried to grab the red curtains on the pillars but failed as the space around his arm turned solid and prevented his hand from moving.
As he stumbled on the ground, mocking laughter erupted from behind.
Prince Shak didn't look behind and went back to his quarters. He called his only confidante, the Sovereign bodyguard who was training under the Celestial security captain until recently, and selected a six-path hybrid.
Leading his team, he reached the travel area in the Royal Complex and walked into a Teleportation gate without hesitation.
