"Hahaha. Finally spoken like a true man! So, how are you going to steal it?" Xun laughed as she asked.
"I am sure the location where they keep the orb will be heavily guarded. Openly infiltrating will be equal to declaring war on them. I would keep that as our last resort," Long Chen said.
"As for plan A, I will use a slightly different method. If any complication occurs or the plan fails, we can use force and take the orb when we leave this place. But I hope it won't come to that," Long Chen told Xun as he lay and stared at the ceiling.
"Aren't you making things unnecessarily complicated? There's no need for plan A; I like the second one better. Just thrash them!" Xun tried to convince.
"I am not afraid to fight, but I have two reasons to not declare war immediately. Firstly, Plan A is not only easier but faster than fighting the whole tribe. It won't leave a blemish on our reputation, either," Long Chen replied.
"Secondly, I am unaware of their strength. Without assessing and knowing your opponent, declaring war is like walking to your death. I can escape using Heavenly Demon Wings if I can't defeat them, but I don't want to run away if odds are not in our favor. But if there is a need for it, we will cause an explosion in this place," Long Chen smiled as he said.
"You still have a lot to learn. But I am interested to know how this will end. What is your Plan A?"
"It's pretty simple. Mia's beloved nephew, Alton, will be the key to my success," Long Chen said with a smirk.
"I know that he admires you, but I doubt he'd steal his tribe's orb for you," Xun said to Long Chen.
"Hah! Alton won't be the thief, but he will be the one who steals it," Long Chen said with a smile.
"I don't quite understand your meaning," Xun said, confused.
"You will understand very soon. But now, it's time to get to work," Long Chen replied.
"Tell Prince Alton that I am free to meet him now. Since I promised to talk to him, after I have conversed with the Queen, I'll fulfil on my promise," Long Chen said to the maid standing outside the door.
She was the same maid who had escorted Long Chen to the Queen and overheard Prince Alton's conversation. She immediately left and returned after a few minutes. No sooner had Long Chen opened the door than he saw her standing behind Alton.
'That idiot! Already spoiling my plans. Couldn't he just stay in his room and allow me to come?' Long Chen thought, disappointed.
"Prince Alton, why are you here? I was supposed to meet you, not the other way around," Long Chen asked Alton.
"As soon as I heard you wanted to meet me, I grew so eager that I could not wait and rushed to you," Alton replied.
"It's good. Come on inside," Long Chen invited him in. Alton entered the room, but the maid remained stationary outside as Long Chen closed the doors.
"Have a seat," Long Chen told Alton.
"Master Long, do you like this room? If you don't like it, I can arrange for a better room for you," Alton said as he sat on the chair.
"There is no need for that, Prince Alton. I quite like this place. It is really amazing. I can only imagine how great the royal quarters are if the guest quarters look like this," Long Chen said with a thoughtful expression.
"Of course, they are better! Do you want to see? I have the second-best room in this palace; the first belongs to my aunt. Although I can't bring you to my aunt's room, I can show you mine!" Alton replied with great enthusiasm.
"Sure, let's go then. We can talk on the way." Before Alton could fathom what Long Chen had said, he saw Long Chen already standing at the doors. He hastily got up and caught up to him as they exited the room.
"Prince Alton, you said that Queen Mia has the best room, while you have the second-best room in the palace. Then what about your father and mother?" Long Chen asked as they walked down the corridor.
"They are not in this world any longer. They died a few years after I was born," Alton replied with a sad smile.
"I am sorry for your loss," Long Chen said.
"Thank you. It happened years ago," Alton replied.
"So, you stay in your parents' living quarters?" Long Chen asked.
"No, they resided in the Queen's room. You see, my mother was the queen and she died. Aunt Mia ascended the throne after her, so she stays in that room now," Prince Alton explained.
"We are here. That's my room. Let's get inside," Alton suddenly said, interrupting Long Chen's train of thoughts.
Alton and Long Chen entered the room. Long Chen understood why Alton made this room sound so grand.
Long Chen saw that the room was more like a hall in a small house. Seeing the four doors, he could understand that this main space was attached to four separate rooms. The walls were covered in beautiful murals, making it look regal.
"Let me give you a tour of my room! This is the storage room, where I keep the stuff I collected." Alton opened the first door and showed Long Chen inside the room. The room was filled with shelves and boxes, but Long Chen was disinterested. He had another goal in his mind and he didn't want to waste his time.
"This is my bedroom. And that's my bed and others stuff!" Alton showed Long Chen the second room. Long Chen's praise made Alton even happier.
"I keep my clothes and accessories in this third room," Alton said as he guided Long Chen into the room. After exploring inside for a while, they exited the room and sat on the chairs in the hall.
"Master Chen, what do you think about my room?" Alton asked.
"It is really good. Actually, it is better than mine!" Long Chen said.
"I can get you a room like this if you wish! It's only slightly smaller in size than mine! "Alton said.
"It's fine. I'm quite happy in the guest quarters," Long Chen replied.
"If that's what you want, I respect your wishes. Oh right! Can you tell me more about the legendary place humans live in? There's not any mention about it in any of the records," Alton asked.
"Oh, we humans live in a secret place in your world and don't like to be disturbed, so I can't tell you where that place is. But I can tell you some things about it. There are many countries there: some big and some small; but even the smallest country is larger than your empire," Long Chen supplied some vague information that Alton listened to attentively.
After talking for over an hour, Long Chen left Alton's room and went back to his own.
"I thought you were going there to convince him to steal the orb? You didn't do anything of the sort. Instead, you stole something from him. Why?" Xun asked, perplexed as he watched Long Chen sit on the edge of the bed.
Long Chen looked at her with a smile as he told her…