### Chapter 256: Sneaky Escape
So, it turns out they just looked down on us… and for no reason at all, we were being snubbed. Totally bizarre.
“A scholar specifically entered the Desert Realm to study it, but found absolutely nothing—no discoveries, nothing at all.”
“Okay, got it,” Yuliya nodded.
She had roughly grasped the situation.
The Desert Realm must contain something that fiercely attracts monsters, causing them to actually turn their noses up at the Jade Emperor Kingdom!
Yuliya was about to fold her map when suddenly, she recalled something and asked, “By the way, Steven, do you know about the Verdant Empire?”
“I do.”
“Wait! You actually know?” Yuliya was taken aback; she had just asked casually!
The Verdant Empire was where the continental players resided. She had stumbled upon a post on the forum that showcased various red-hot events from other servers. Quite amusing, really.
“What about the Crimson Empire and the Desert Empire?” she pressed on.
“Also know them. The three great empires that Your Highness mentioned have formed a long-lasting alliance with our Jade Emperor Kingdom to fight against other countries or monster invasions.”
“Really now…”
“Actually, there used to be a Frostwave Empire that was part of the five-empire alliance, but unfortunately, it has perished.”
“What a shame…”
Yuliya wore a melancholy expression, similar to Steven’s, but her thoughts went deeper.
Comparing this to Blue Star is a bit too coincidental, isn’t it?
Forget it, I really don’t have time to think about these things.
Steven noticed Yuliya’s pensive expression and felt a twitch in his brow. Things didn’t feel simple.
“Your Highness, you suddenly bombarded me with so many questions today. I have a bad feeling about this…”
“Hmm? Why’s that?”
“Uh… You wouldn’t be thinking of going somewhere, would you?”
Yuliya grinned slyly, “Guess!”
“I…”
cr*p! I knew something was off from the start! This is it!
“Your Highness, where are you planning to go?”
“Guess!”
“The Verdant Empire?”
“Try again!”
With that, Yuliya turned and headed back to her room, leaving Steven there to keep guessing.
Over the next two days, Yuliya wrapped up everything that needed to be done in Emerald City.
In a world without “Nuclear Bomb Little Sister” or “Miss Wind,” only “Princess Yuliya of Radiant Sun” remained.
She arrived at the Royal Palace and greeted Elia.
“Sister, I’ve discovered some clues regarding my heritage and need to go on a long trip.”
“Oh? That’s wonderful!”
Elia was thrilled.
Finding hints about her heritage, regaining memories from a past life, and acquiring stronger power was excellent news for both her and the empire.
“Where to? I can send someone with you.”
“I don’t know the exact location. I’ll manage the arrangements myself.”
“Is it dangerous?”
“It shouldn’t be….”
Just like going home. What could possibly go wrong?
Even if something did, she wouldn’t spill the beans…
She wasn’t a child; she was a mature adult! She could solve her own problems, especially with Sister Tong’s help. No way anything could go wrong.
If worse comes to worst, she’d just treat it as a reconnaissance mission, and if there were trouble, she could just turn back and gather a crowd to brawl!
Whether it was the players or NPCs, she could handle it.
Elia was so busy that she easily let Yuliya’s simple convincing slide, permitting her to go.
When Steven saw the monarch’s approval, he had nothing to say.
If the monarch agreed, what could he do?
They quickly packed their things and set off.
Using the teleportation array from Emerald City, they discreetly traveled to the nearest large city, where they would use a military teleportation array to head straight to the border.
Emerald City didn’t have a military teleportation array that directly connected to the border.
Setting something like that up in the imperial capital would be disastrous if the border was quietly infiltrated—enemy forces could launch a counterattack right into the capital!
That’s also why the Radiant Knight Order couldn’t go directly to Emerald City. They had to go through a teleportation array to reach an inland city and then ride their way here.
So, this was Yuliya’s first time leaving Emerald City to head to a border region that’s completely different from the inland!
Now Steven finally figured out where the little princess was headed.
Holy cr*p! She was going to the Desert Realm!
That was way more dangerous than visiting any other empire.
“Your Highness! That’s not allowed! Absolutely not!”
“Ugh.”
Yuliya sighed.
She knew this would happen, which is exactly why she had kept her plans under wraps until they arrived.
“What’s so not allowed about it? Sister let me come!”
“You definitely didn’t tell the monarch the full story! There’s no way she would allow you to run wild!”
“Since I’m already here, how about you go back and report to Sister?”
“I…”
Would Steven even dare to leave? If he left, the princess would definitely sneak out alone, and that was even worse!
“Hehe.” Yuliya giggled, her eyes gleaming with mischief, “Bottom line, you have to listen to me. We’re already here, and if you don’t follow my lead, I might just sneak off all on my own! Steven might not find me, you know!”
This tactic? It’s called “Using the Emperor to Command the Princes.”
She was holding herself hostage!
Steven was strong enough on his own, and having him along was a good bet.
Yuliya had already scouted the situation in the Desert Realm ahead of time.
As long as they didn’t delve too deep, it was basically just like any normal desert.
Normal deserts might seem terrifying to Blue Star folks, but here in the Jade Emperor Kingdom, a regular desert was really nothing to be concerned about.
Yuliya showed her permit and left the teleportation area, ready to sneak out through a side door of the border fortress.
Suddenly, a somewhat familiar knight approached.
Yuliya froze and immediately ducked behind Steven, clutching her robe tightly.
She never expected to bump into someone familiar here.
Not that familiar, really; it was just Bazel from the Radiant Knight Order, the guy who had been blown up by her nuclear bomb a couple of times.
But even if she crouched down, Bazel was still walking over.
In a place like this, they both stood out like sore thumbs. Everyone else was in knight armor, while they wore robes.
“Excuse me, can I ask where you two are headed?”
Yuliya tugged on Steven’s sleeve, urging him to answer.
“We’re going to the Desert Realm.”
“To the Desert Realm? For what?”
“Uh… doing research.”
Well, that was a somewhat plausible excuse.
So Bazel took a little detour, trying to see who was hiding behind Steven.
As Bazel circled, Yuliya circled right along with him.
Round and round they went, like a comedic performance.
Steven: …
“Who’s hiding back there? Let me see.”
“Uh…!”
Before Yuliya could finish her sentence, Steven stepped aside.
He got it! It was an opportunity to greet someone he knew! Wasn’t this perfect?
Then…
Bazel’s eyes widened in surprise, and he immediately knelt down, “I pay my respects to Princess Yuliya of Radiant Sun!”
