"Sister Artoria, you can see the entire view of Attilan from here. This is my secret little Base. Besides Lockjaw and me, only you know about it now."
Crystal had Lockjaw use his ability to bring Artoria to the highest point in Attilan. Looking out from the high building, the entire vista of Attilan was laid bare before their eyes. The different lights of various districts, coupled with the sunlight reflected from Earth, made Attilan look like a city from a painting.
"It is indeed very beautiful. The city of the Inhumans has truly opened my eyes."
Seeing such scenery, Artoria was not stingy with her praise. If one could ignore the gazes of those Inhumans, this city was indeed quite nice. However, the faint-hearted better not stay here. Most Inhumans' bloodlines were not pure; after undergoing Terrigenesis, their bodies underwent irreversible and sometimes frightening changes.
"Sister, I know you're leaving, right?"
While she was lost in thought, Crystal suddenly blurted out those words. Artoria was stunned; she didn't expect Crystal to sense her intention to leave so quickly. She hadn't just decided to leave in the last day or two; from the first moment she arrived at the Inhumans' home, she had intended to leave quickly. After all, she didn't quite like the Inhumans' food, but that wasn't the main reason. She had more important things to do—searching for the Infinity Stones was Artoria's primary goal.
"Since you already know, I won't hide it from you. I plan to leave tomorrow, Little Crystal."
Artoria looked at the quiet Crystal, who was radiating an aura of loneliness. Artoria affectionately stroked Crystal's head. Through these few days of contact, Artoria could feel Crystal's loneliness. As a member of the Inhuman Royal Family, she was naturally distanced from ordinary Inhumans, but there was no one her age in the Royal Family—only her brother and sister-in-law, plus the somewhat neurotic Maximus who only thought about usurping the throne. With only those few people, Crystal had no friends.
Regarding Artoria's arrival, Crystal liked this outsider from the very first moment she saw her. After all, Artoria had a beautiful face. These days, if you want to give a little girl a lollipop, you need a certain level of looks; otherwise, before you even get close, the little girl will be crying from fear—how could you even start a conversation?
Crystal had been happy these past few days, not just because she had someone to talk to, but because she could play happily. For the old Crystal, this was unthinkable; previously, only studying could satisfy her empty heart. These past few days were the happiest of her life.
"Can you... not leave? Sister Artoria, can you stay and keep Crystal company a bit longer?"
A pair of soft little hands grabbed Artoria's arm. Crystal looked at Artoria piteously, like an abandoned puppy, her watery eyes seemingly saying that if Artoria didn't agree, she would cry. This gave Artoria a headache; she really didn't want to spend her days comforting children, and more importantly, she had things to do.
"Look, there's a plane."
"You're lying to me again, Sister Artoria. Last time you said there was a UFO, and this time you say there's a plane. As soon as I turn my head, you'll disappear to who-knows-where. I won't fall for your trick."
Suddenly, Artoria seemed to see something and pointed at the sky above Attilan. But Artoria had clearly used this trick once before. Crystal curled her lip and spoke with dissatisfaction at Artoria's 'lie.' If she didn't want to stay, she didn't have to stay, so why lie? Besides, this lie was so unoriginal.
"I'm not lying to you this time, it's real. Quickly tell your Royal Brother."
Seeing Crystal's disbelief, Artoria grew a bit anxious. This was no joke. She could clearly sense the malice coming from those ships jumping out of the spatial nodes. Her intuition told her the newcomers meant no good. Moreover, the design of these ships looked familiar; they were about eighty percent similar to the Kree ship she had acquired from the S.H.I.E.L.D. secret Base.
"There really is! So many ships! I must notify Royal Brother immediately."
Seeing Artoria's expression was so realistic, Crystal decided to believe her one more time. Turning her head to look carefully, there was indeed a large fleet of ships. It looked like a fleet. Crystal couldn't know their purpose, but such a large-scale fleet must be bad people looking to start a war. Thinking of this, Crystal quickly grabbed Artoria's hand, called Lockjaw, and used Lockjaw's power to teleport Artoria and herself to her brother's side.
"Royal Brother, there's..."
When Crystal saw her brother again, he was bound by energy locks made of an unknown material, and his mouth was sealed by something like a mask. Medusa was also being controlled by guys wearing dark green high-tech battle suits. Sitting on the throne was a familiar madman—Maximus.
"Crystal, run! They are the executioners of the Universe, the Kree!"
Seeing the combination of Crystal, the Earthling named Artoria, and a giant dog suddenly appear in the throne room, Medusa shouted loudly at Crystal. She thought that with Lockjaw's ability, he should be able to take Crystal away from this dangerous place. She and Black Bolt were fine, but her sister was still young and shouldn't have to endure things beyond her age.
"Oh!"
The cold and ruthless Kree warriors knew nothing of tenderness. One directly smashed a rifle butt into Medusa. Medusa fell painfully to the floor. If Maximus hadn't specifically created things to deal with the two of them, she and Black Bolt would never have been captured so humiliatingly.
"Finally, I have taken back the throne that belongs to me. This is wonderful."
At this moment, Maximus seemed a bit possessed. He stroked the throne as if caressing a lover, his infatuated look like a big child who had gotten his favorite toy. It was a pity that this man had an extraordinary mind but was a mentally unstable 'crazy person.' What a shame.
"Maximus, for the throne, you actually joined forces with the notoriously infamous Kree in the Universe! You traitor to the Inhumans, do you know how many Inhumans will die because of you this time?"
Medusa, knocked to the ground, looked angrily at the 'crazy person' on the throne. Didn't he know how loud the infamy of Ronan the Accuser was? He was an executioner who had destroyed hundreds of well-known Planets, leaving absolutely no survivors. By cooperating with such a guy, did he want the Inhumans to be destroyed?
Artoria acted as a complete non-entity throughout, observing her surroundings. She was particularly interested in the equipment on those Kree warriors. She walked toward the Kree with great interest, completely ignoring the hesitant gaze of Lockjaw the big dog. It was debating whether or not to stop this person who was acting recklessly. Going over in such a situation was clearly looking for trouble, but remembering the Dragon Might it experienced on the hyperion, its fur stood on end. Thus, it lay on the ground, simply watching the show.
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