877 Uninvited Guests
In the endless dark space, a world shone with a gentle green light. There were no stars nearby. This world wasn't in any star system. In fact, it doesn't even seem to be in the Outerspace. It seemed to exist in a dimension of its own.
It was in motion.
The Duchies of Jewel Kingdom had to spend a lot of resources to track down this world.
The reason they found it was because it came into the 'range' in the first place. Once it leaves the range, then no matter how hard they try, they wouldn't be able to find it.
Tracking it was also impossible since these Synthetic Worlds were said to disappear upon monitoring.
In the hostile space outside the boundaries of the Synthetic World, five portals opened and fifteen men and women stepped out.
Adorned in exquisite armor and holding great treasures, they let their outfit do the talking.
The chaotic space currents around them were blocked by the powerful treasures the teams carried.
Each team consisted of three members. A Prince of their Duchy, a Sovereign, and a hybrid.
First, the Sovereign unleashed their senses and confirmed the safety. Even though they had the treasures, it wouldn't hurt to be cautious.
Then, the teams discussed their strategy before facing each other.
Finally, the four teams turned to face the only odd team.
Prince Shak maintained his composure as he stared back at the two princes and two princesses.
Even though they came from a Duchy under his Kingdom and weren't technically princes and princesses, they called themselves such and ruled their Duchy, as if it were a kingdom.
Of course, in front of a prince from the Kingdom, they wouldn't call themselves a Prince or Princess.
"Prince Shak, are you really going to compete with us?" The Sixth Diamond Princess asked with a smile hard to conceal.
Hearing the derision in her tone, Prince Shak felt anger bubbling up and had the urge to fight her on the spot.
Since when did the fake princes and princesses of Duchies mock the prince of a kingdom?
If they did it to the Crown Prince, they'd be beheaded on the spot and their heads would be sent to the Dukes. If the Crown Prince was really mad, then even the Dukes would be implicated.
But he…
Shaking his head, Prince Shak smiled back at Princess Diamond. This surprised the woman with diamond-like skin. She thought he accepted her insult and was about to smile when his next words came out.
"I might not win the Synthetic World but you are the weakest Duchy and have the greatest chance of losing. If you fail, you know the consequences, don't you?" Prince Shak grinned. "You'll be sold off to some old bastard in a far away Duchy as a political tool."
The atmosphere suddenly cooled down and members of the Duchies glared at Prince Shak.
Without backing down, Prince Shak laughed at the 'Princes'. "And if you fail, you'll be sold off to some ugly women as a political tool."
Snorting, the Princes and Princesses turned away from Prince Shak.
Only Prince Shak was the outcast in his place. Everyone else here more or less had backers. Even if they failed here, they wouldn't really be married off as Prince Shak said.
But their status would certainly take a hit.
Every Duchy had more than a hundred princes and princesses. If they couldn't stand out and improve their status, they had a real risk of becoming a nobody.
If that did happen, then they'd be used as political tools for marriage. So, what Prince Shak said wasn't entirely false either.
In fact, the reason they actively pleaded for this opportunity and came here was to make an achievement and stand out from the rest.
Just strength without achievements wouldn't win many friends in the Duchy. They'd have to do something.
Capturing a Synthetic World wasn't very hard. But the benefits were enormous.
The teams reached the entrance to the Synthetic World—a huge silver vortex.
As the representative of the kingdom, Prince Shak's team entered first.
Soon, Prince Shak and three teams found themselves in a huge world filled with greenery.
Beautiful mountains loomed in the distance while serene rivers flowed between the forests. The green grass stretched onto the horizon and the silver sky shone like mercury.
"Prince Shak, you shouldn't worry about us. If we succeed, our status will skyrocket. Even if we fail, we still have chances to prove ourselves." Emerald Prince smiled and waved at his team.
Their figures blurred and the three disappeared.
"If you die here, do they still care?" Ruby Princess smiled mockingly and disappeared with her team.
Sapphire Prince gave him a contemptuous glance and left.
Prince Shak crossed his arms and stood patiently.
"Um, Prince, should we also go now?" Sovereign Alban, the personal bodyguard of Prince Shak and his only confidante, asked with an awkward face.
"I'm waiting for that bitch from Diamond Duchy." Prince Shak shrugged and glanced at the silver vortex.
What he didn't know was that outside the vortex, the three members from the Diamond Duchy were bouncing off the vortex.
"Why?! What's happening? Why can't we get in?!" Diamond Princess gnashed her diamond teeth and yelled.
The Sovereign in the team threw a concentrated lightning bolt at the vortex, only for it to be repulsed back at him at double the force.
"The entrance is rejecting us because the numbers are filled." The Sovereign said with a confused face.
"But only twelve went in. There are three vacant positions!" Diamond Princess cried out in indignation.
"…That's true. The limit is fifteen. Could it be that someone else has sneaked in before us?" The Sovereign expressed his doubts.
"Sneak in?" Diamond Princess sneered. "The entrance has been monitored without fail. How can anyone sneak in?"
The Sovereign shut up. He didn't want to deal with this crazy princess.
'But yeah, how can anyone sneak in when we're monitoring the entrance? Maybe there is another entrance?'
He didn't reveal his thoughts and followed back the princess to their Duchy.
What he didn't know was that his guess was spot on.
Just a few minutes ago, three uninvited guests landed in the Synthetic World through an ancient route.
