The blue guy said, "You—you dare to take the pet with you? What are you thinking?"
Lucan said, "Yo, it's not my fault. She refuses to let go of me. Remember, the Lord's wife had also granted me permission."
The blue guy zipped his mouth; his words were unable to reach out. He could not go against either the Lord or his wife. Lucan gazed at the surroundings as many metal plates started flying. A bright light enveloped all of them.
An entrance appeared before them, as all other paths were blocked. The blue guy laughed, and so did the others. Lucan asked, "Did all of you hit your head somewhere?"
The blue guy shook his head and continued laughing.
Lucan sighed as they entered the room.
The laughter ceased. The blue guy walked ahead and placed a hand over Lucan's shoulder. He said, "The Lord is waiting ahead. Move quickly!"
Lucan's gaze shifted forward as he walked in without hesitation. He saw countless creatures, artifacts, and many indescribable things floating in the air. The land was also changing continuously. He took a step, and the land turned into a desert; another, and it turned into grassland; another, a snowy mountain.
Lucan spoke, "Interesting! These are not just illusions; they are real environments changing! It would be great to research this!"
Suddenly, an immense cosmic energy appeared. A huge being was sitting above, and all were forced to kneel; no one was able to rise. It felt like a strong suction pulling them down. Even Lucan was no exception.
The Lord appeared before them. He had one eye, six arms, and two pairs of wings. He was a dark blue color and held a long pole in one of his hands. He was as tall as three blue whales.
He roared, "008, did you succeed in your mission?"
008 spoke, "Lord! I did succeed. This species in front of you is a C-tier one named human."
The Lord grabbed Lucan and placed him on one of his hands. He used cosmic energy to reduce his own size to view Lucan clearly. He frowned, "A mere C-tier? You think my mission is a joke, 008? What does this piece of trash have in it!"
The greenish-grey guy said, "Lord, humans are C-tier, but..."
As he spoke, his head burst, and he died on the spot. All the others started to sweat. The Lord snorted, "Pathetic. 008, you can't even manage your own crew. He dares to speak without my permission! The Lord's permission!"
The blue guy said, "Forgive me, Lord. I thank you for clearing this crap from our crew."
Even though he said so, inside, they all expressed their feelings: Damn, he was a good friend. He was a fool, but I never wanted to lose him. Man, my time with him gave me countless memories; those glorious times will never return.
All of them thought it, but never dared to express it. The Lord asked Lucan, "You have anything to say?"
Lucan said, "Finally, it's my turn! I want a spaceship. I am willing to negotiate; I will do anything in return with mutual benefits for you and me. Also, your actions are simply blinded by pride. I hope you would not act in the same way from now... just for my own sake!"
The other aliens, bowing low, felt: Damn, another victim. He did not even address him as Lord. He is simply courting death.
The Lord's eye reddened as he said, "For a mere C-tier species, you have too much arrogance. You want me to build you a spaceship? I actually like it, 008. You did a great job. This is fun. In my entire life, I have never seen any species talk to me like this. His guts and fearlessness make him unique and interesting. You are allowed to go. Collect your reward from the main guild. Now leave!"
The blue guy felt as if a huge mountain was lifted off his head. Others felt relieved; they had managed to satisfy the Lord, earning a reward and, mainly, their lives back. However, they still felt pity for Lucan.
The blue guy said, "Lord, I have to warn you!"
The Lord's gaze shifted. He used cosmic energy to lift 008 into mid-air. He spoke, "Your mission is over. I ordered you to leave, 008!"
He replied, "Lord! Look at his hands!"
The Lord saw his wife's pet and was stunned. This pet would never go to anybody's hands with the sole exception of his wife. Even he was never able to earn its trust. He looked at Lucan with great shock.
Lucan grinned, "I am also her guest, Mr. Lord!"
The Lord was stunned as he asked, "Trying to fool me by lying? Impossible, 008?"
The blue guy replied, "But he speaks the truth, Lord!"
The Lord's rage rose rapidly. Lucan said, "I just want a spaceship and some knowledge on cosmic energy. Teach me. If you attack me, you are too cowardly to attack the weak! And this cat is the proof!"
The Lord said, "Damn you! My... pride."
But as he was about to kill Lucan, Lucan grinned, "Prideless coward! Hehe! Thinking he is powerful by defeating a weak being!"
The Lord calmed down. If he was alone, he wouldn't care and would kill him on the spot. But many aliens were watching—he could even kill them—but the pet of his wife saw everything, and she can see the pet's vision too! So... Moreover, this news might spread: that the great Lord had attacked a weak being with no strength and killed him! The Lord snorted, "008, explain what he wants."
008 explained the spaceship based on Lucan's design. The Lord laughed. He shifted his gaze toward Lucan and said, "For the spaceship you asked for, a certain material is needed. It is found only on a mountain on this planet."
He showed him the mountain, "If you can break and gather it, I will not only let you live, I will also give you the spaceship for free."
Lucan saw it and smirked, "How do I break it? I need cosmic energy! Or a suitable tool."
The Lord smiled cunningly, "I will teach you cosmic energy and give you four weeks. If you fail, you die! Hehe!"
Lucan agreed immediately. The others saw through the Lord's evil intentions; the mountain he mentioned was not actually for the material in the first place. Moreover, it was impossible to break. Even with cosmic energy, not even the Lord—the strongest one here—had more than a 10% chance of breaking it. Nobody had ever even made a scratch on it. Then imagine Lucan's situation.
Lucan knew none of this. He was pleased that he was going to get a spaceship and learn the cosmic power! All the other aliens were forced out along with that pet. Lucan was the only one left inside with the Lord.
Only the moment these aliens returned outside did they feel safe; they let out a huge sigh of relief. However, another massive aura surged before them. The pet ran forward as a figure emerged from the darkness and asked in a cold tone, "What has happened inside?"