But for Your Sake

"Third Highness, His Majesty requests your presence. Come out."

A guard clad in heavy white armor opened Bai Sheng's cell and spoke to Bai Sheng, who was lying inside pretending to be dead.

Seeing this, Bai Sheng continued to play asleep.

Hilarious. You tell me to come out, and I just come out? Wouldn't that make me look pathetic?

"Your Highness? Your Highness? Are you all right?"

The guard approached Bai Sheng and was just about to check his breathing when Bai Sheng sprang up from the bed and used a grappling hold to lock the guard down.

Those seemingly slender yet powerful arms clamped tightly around the guard's neck, turning his face red from suffocation. His legs locked down the guard's arms, leaving him unable to reach the Greatsword on his back.

Though the guard was tall and powerfully built, he was still no match for Bai Sheng, who had spent years on the battlefield.

"Your... Your Highness... let go... let..."

No matter how the guard struggled, Bai Sheng methodically increased the strength in his arms. Before long, the guard passed out from lack of oxygen.

Once the guard had fainted, Bai Sheng placed a hand against his neck.

Mm, still alive.

He stripped the armor from the guard and put it on himself, then dressed the guard in his prison uniform.

Looking at the tightly shut door of his cell, Bai Sheng felt a little speechless. You called me out, so why did you lock the door?

He found the cell key on the left side of the armor and opened the door.

"Hey, Bai! Bai! What happened over there?"

A small head poked out from the neighboring cell, staring at the opened cell door.

Who else could it be? It was Beleria, who had been chatting with Bai Sheng these past few days.

"I'm out."

Looking at the armored figure before her, Beleria felt that the armor looked utterly out of place on Bai Sheng.

"What ugly armor."

Though she had muttered it under her breath, Bai Sheng still heard her.

"Isn't that right? Trading so much agility for defense—whoever designed this thing must've been an idiot. It's garbage!"

Bai Sheng joined in the criticism. He had spent three days with Beleria, and during that time, she had practically told him everything she knew like a little fool.

Bai Sheng's Golden Eyes could also see through people's hearts. Beleria was as innocent as a blank sheet of paper and had not lied to him. That was why Bai Sheng rather wanted to let her out to help him.

"Do you want to come out?"

Bai Sheng shook the key in his hand and asked Beleria.

But Beleria thought about it for a long time. A huge collar restrained her neck, while her pale wrists were shackled to it. The collar was made of a special material that could somewhat suppress Beleria's craving for blood and flesh—but only when no one was around.

It was instinct. Beleria could not control it, nor could she restrain herself.

Even if she got out, she could only guarantee that she would eat fewer people. She definitely could not promise not to eat anyone at all.

"Forget it. I'd only be a burden if I went out. I should just stay in here. Everyone has shackles; mine are just more obvious."

Beleria pointed at the collar around her neck and shook her head.

Bai Sheng understood Beleria's peculiar nature as well. He considered her a friend, but she could not restrain her instincts, and he could not accept her indiscriminate slaughter of innocents.

"All right. I'll come back to see you."

With that, Bai Sheng left first. He was worried about the people of Kasantiya. Though he had little fondness for this country or this planet, the innocent were innocent nonetheless.

In truth, he and Beleria were rather alike. Debts had their creditors; he could not turn around and persecute others because of that old bastard.

After leaving the prison, Bai Sheng arrived at the imperial palace's treasury.

He had to complain—weren't they afraid that building the treasury right next to the prison would mean it got looted first if there was ever a prison riot?

Bai Sheng shook his head and walked straight to the treasury doors.

"Stop! Who goes there?"

Two guards at the entrance stopped Bai Sheng, two powerful currents of Path Energy radiating from their bodies.

One [The Nihility], one [Destruction]. That old dog knows this place is important, all right.

Thinking this, Bai Sheng said to them, "Listen to me. His Majesty sent me to the treasury to retrieve the High-Grade Locust Type III Hover Missile for the Scorched Earth Operation on the front lines."

For some reason, the two guards allowed Bai Sheng inside as if possessed, harboring no suspicion toward his words whatsoever. Even though the Scorched Earth Operation had ended more than ten years ago, no one noticed that Bai Sheng's eyes had turned golden.

Upon entering the treasury, Bai Sheng once again marveled at its luxurious decoration.

Countless treasures filled the place—curios, weapons, high-tech products, advanced materials, everything one could want. There was even a set of Glamoth Iron Cavalry armor.

"Wasn't that supposed to be Glamoth's secret technology? How did that old bastard get his hands on it?"

Bai Sheng looked at the armor and compared it to Firefly's set. Mm, the difference between cavemen and Trisolarans.

It seemed to be merely an imitation that resembled the real thing in appearance.

Without giving it any more thought, Bai Sheng continued deeper inside. But after he left, the facial armor of that unknown-model Glamoth Firefly armor flickered with a faint pale-blue glow...

"Pandora... Pandora... Where the hell did my Pandora go?!"

Bai Sheng searched through the dazzling collection for his great scythe.

What was this? An Anemoculus? Not important.

A pair of wings? What did that old bastard want with those? Did he want to fly?!

An old videotape? And rainbow-colored? Not this!

Why were there even CDs?!

What was this shiny gold thing? Mora? Currency from some planet, probably?

And what was that? A... dragon soaking in a glass jar?

A next-generation embryo? Useless!

Where the hell was my Pandora!!!

Bai Sheng was on the verge of breaking down. He hadn't remembered wrong! Pandora had been taken from here back then. With that old bastard's personality, he definitely would have put it in here. How could he dare take it out so openly?!

Still unwilling to give up, Bai Sheng searched farther inside. Along the way, he saw all kinds of treasures, even fragments of light arrows from the 〔Path of the Hunt〕, but not his Pandora!!!

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

Bai Sheng felt helpless. Damn it! Pandora was gone! Without Pandora, his combat power had dropped by at least a decimal point!

And he couldn't get in touch with Aatrox either! Over the years, Aatrox had found most of his kin, though they were all weapons, similar to the Greatsword Aatrox had started with.

He had originally left Aatrox outside the planet this time so he could provide support at any moment, but now he couldn't contact him! He was afraid that Aatrox, with that terrible temper of his, would fire one of his kin that had turned into a cannon at Kasantiya.

That cannon truly possessed planet-destroying power! Its might was about on par with the Orbital Cannons they usually used in scorched-earth campaigns to eliminate Stingworm queens. Who knew whether it would be even more powerful in Aatrox's hands?

With no other choice, Bai Sheng activated his spirit puppets and began a comprehensive investigation.

You wouldn't know without checking—but once he did, it scared the hell out of him!

That damn old bastard had turned the treasury into three floors!

Pandora's energy fluctuations were on the lowest level.

Helpless, Bai Sheng cursed the Old Emperor as he ran toward the lowest floor...