"Hmph." Dastan crossed his arms, lifting his chin. "Leyvi, this prince thinks your brother-in-law is simply delusional. In all this prince's experience, no alchemist has ever theorized a formula and gotten exactly what they wanted on the first try. Every single one had to revise their formulas. Not just once, but many, many times."
Victor raised his eyebrows. "Your Highness, just because nobody has done it yet doesn't mean it will stay that way forever. I can be the first one. Why not?"
"Daa—hahaha!" Dastan burst out laughing. "Listen to that, Leyvi. This prince just heard the funniest joke today!"
"Alright, alright, calm down," Leyvi said, stepping in before Victor exploded. "Brother Victor, let's do it like this. I'll give this plant to my wife first. I'm sure she can cultivate it and grow more. That way, you don't have to worry about running out of ingredients even if you fail a few times. How's that?"
Victor frowned. "What I need is this, the bone-like stem. No botanist on the Cloud Continent has ever successfully grown this part, no matter how many times they tried. So far, only the ones found in the wild actually form the bone. Are you sure your wife can do this?"
"Hahaha! Brother Victor, don't worry." Leyvi gave him a wide, confident grin. "Lilian is the best person out there for this task. I'm sure she can do it!"
Victor squinted at him, uncertain.
Isn't that way too convenient? he thought. Your wife just happens to be able to do something no one else on the continent has succeeded at?
He wasn't sure whether to feel reassured… or suspicious.
In the end, Victor nodded. "Fine. I'll leave it to you." Even if the planting failed later, the bone-like stem wouldn't be damaged, so he wasn't too worried.
"Hahaha! Now that everything here is settled, it's time for us to move!" Leyvi declared, suddenly energized. "My panda wife is waiting for me!"
The crown prince stood up as well. "Alright. Since we have more people now, this prince can't use the Crown Rider anymore. Let's change vehicles."
"Eh? You still have more spirit artifacts like this?" Leyvi asked, eyes lighting up with curiosity.
"Daa—hahaha! Leyvi, this prince hasn't even shown half of his collection! Of course this prince has more!" Dastan said proudly. "Come outside."
He exited the Crown War Tank with a dramatic flourish. Leyvi and Victor exchanged glances before quickly following him out.
Once outside, Dastan waved his hand, and with a shimmer of light, another vehicle spirit artifact appeared right beside the Crown War Tank.
It was much lower and smaller than the tank, clearly designed for a completely different purpose. Anyone could tell at a glance that the two vehicles served distinct functions.
"This beauty is called the Crown Royalmobile," Dastan declared proudly. "It's as fast as the Crown Rider, but with more seating capacity! And of course more comfortable."
Tantan's eyes sparkled the moment she laid eyes on the elegant vehicle.
The Crown Royalmobile was a sleek, four-seater spirit artifact that radiated both speed and nobility. Its aerodynamic body hugged the ground, crafted with smooth, flowing lines that curved like a hunting predator caught mid-pounce. The metallic surface shimmered under the light, etched with intricate gold patterns—elegant swirls of authority and power across the flanks.
At the front, a glowing crown-shaped emblem adorned the grille, pulsing faintly with spiritual energy. The roof arched slightly into a panoramic glass canopy, offering an unobstructed view of the sky and letting in a soft ambient light that gave the interior a luxurious openness. Everything about it—its form, its detailing, its presence—exuded velocity wrapped in royal grandeur.
"Hoo… so you did have a vehicle spirit artifact like this," Leyvi said, whistling in admiration. "Why didn't you bring it out earlier? This one looks way more comfortable to travel with than the Crown Rider."
"Hmph, supply the spirit stones then. How many spirit stones did you think this prince has consumed to operate all these spirit artifacts? This prince is super rich, but most of the wealth is not with me. They were left behind in the palace. If we travel like this all the time, this prince's spirit stones will be depleted in four to five years," Dastan complained.
Tantan, perched on his shoulder, stretched out her small hand toward Leyvi, clearly asking him to pay up.
"Four to five years? Hahaha! That is still a lot of time. You don't have to worry about it. We might find a spirit stone mine first. You can farm the spirit stones by then," Leyvi replied, waving it off as if it were nothing.
"Where? This prince doesn't see one yet," Dastan retorted, frowning.
Leyvi smiled mischievously. "Why are you complaining so much? If I said we would find one, then we would. When did I ever lie to you?"
Dastan blinked. Why is he acting like this?? He's acting like we'll find a spirit stone mine for sure. Wait, don't tell me he saw a spirit stone mine somewhere during his worldwide spiritual sense? Tch, that must be it.
The crown prince guessed right. Leyvi had already seen the spirit stone mine when zooming in on the island where Anda was currently located, so he was completely confident they would find one for sure.
"Alright guys. Come into the Clownmobile. We are departing right away," Leyvi called, opening the door and sliding into the seat beside the driver's spot.
Victor quietly stepped in behind him, taking a seat without a word. He just listened to the back-and-forth between the two loudmouths up front.
What a loud pair, he thought, sighing inwardly.
"Dammit Leyvi! It's called the Crown Royalmobile, not the Clownmobile! Don't you dare disrespect this prince's majestic collection!" Dastan shouted indignantly as he stored the Crown War Tank back into his spatial storage.
"Shut up clown prince! You're too loud. Some demonic beasts are coming this way now," Leyvi snapped back.
"Fuck!" Dastan immediately scrambled into the vehicle for safety, eyes scanning the surroundings. "Dammit Leyvi! You're lying again!" he shouted.
Tantan, perched on his shoulder, puffed her cheeks and gave Leyvi an angry glare too.
"Hahaha! Let's go! We are going this direction," Leyvi said with a carefree grin.
And so, Crown Prince Dastan grumbled as he took the controls and drove off in the Crown Royalmobile, steering them away from the mountain range. The rugged terrain posed no challenge to the sleek spirit artifact—the vehicle adapted smoothly, gliding over uneven ground and obstacles with ease. Inside, not even a bump was felt, the ride as smooth as drifting on clouds.
---
High above, a lone cloud drifted in pursuit of the Crown Royalmobile, carrying a small plant nestled safely within its fluffy mass—a Mistletoe. But this wasn't just any plant. It was the demonic plant that had taken over the entire mountain.
"Miss Misty, why don't you just come with your true body? My sky island has a small forest where you can reside. It would be much safer than that mountain. It's too close to the ground. One mistake, and that tree might notice you," Lapin suggested, voice tinged with concern.
"I just met you. How can I trust you just like that? My copy is enough for now. And you don't need to worry about me. I've been around for a long time, so I know how to survive," another voice replied from within the cloud.
The voice belonged to the Demonic Mistletoe. She couldn't speak to Lapin directly, so she used her parasitic ability to hijack the cloud's communication function—effectively speaking through it. It was a clever workaround, and it allowed them to interact as if they shared the same language.
When she first did this, Lapin had been quite impressed. After all, demonic beasts and demonic plants typically couldn't communicate with each other. He even wondered if the Demonic Mistletoe might be capable of taking full control of the cloud someday with her strange parasitic powers.
"Kekeke! It doesn't matter anyway, whether you come to my island or not," Lapin chuckled darkly. "Because it won't be long before that tree finishes its evolution and takes over the world. At that point, we won't be able to escape its detection, even above the ground. Only death awaits us."
The Mistletoe was silent for a long moment.
"...Is it really that dire already?"
Trapped in the mountain range for so long, she had no idea what was happening beyond her limited domain. All she knew was that touching the ground would spell her end—killed instantly by the colossal tree.
"It is. So you better be prepared," Lapin said.
"Be prepared… what can I even do? If the world itself is going to be under its control, then the only way to survive is to leave this world. But how is that even possible? And where do we even go?" the mistletoe questioned, her voice low and uncertain.
"Kekeke," Lapin laughed, but didn't say anything more.
"...What's with the laugh? Do you have a plan in motion already?"
"Kekeke! Of course I do!" Lapin replied cheerfully.
"Does your plan have anything to do with them? Is that why we're following them?"
"Bingo! As expected of Miss Misty. You easily guessed it. But not them—only one of them. Can you guess who it is?"