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Chapter 219 What Do You Think You're Doing?
"You were lucky last time, lass. I won't be careless again."
Maxima squinted, her expression serious as she spoke.
"Bring it on, Auntie." Kara was also full of confidence. "You're welcome to try anytime. But no matter how many times you do, the result will be the same."
"Hmph, you talk big." Maxima swept her red hair back from her forehead. "I've fought across the galaxy and never tasted defeat. It won't be any different on this tiny Earth."
"There's a first time for everything," Kara said earnestly. "Besides, you've already lost to Orin Vale. 'Never tasted defeat' is a bit of an exaggeration, don't you think?"
"What do you know, you little lass? Once I take him back to Almerac and we're married, there'll be no distinction between us. Losing to His Majesty is just a bit of fun, it doesn't count."
Kara stuck out her tongue. "In your dreams."
"You should try winning against me first before you boast. Take this!"
"Who's afraid of whom? Let's go."
The two's expressions hardened. They moved swiftly, so fast they almost became afterimages...
...as they mashed their controllers.
It was still that same fighting game. On the screen, Kara was still controlling Superman, while Maxima's character was Batman. The two characters were currently engaged in a passionate brawl, fighting fiercely and inextricably.
Accompanied by the letters "KO," Maxima's health bar was depleted once again. The princess's face was flushed red, while Kara made a "Yeah" hand gesture at her side.
"I told you, there's a technique to it," Kara comforted her. "For someone like you who relies more on muscle than brains, it's normal to lose to us high-IQ types. You don't need to take it to heart."
As it turned out, this attempt at comfort seemed to make the princess even angrier. With a cry of "Aaaah!", she violently threw the controller.
*Smash.*
The controller shattered into pieces, leaving a spiderweb-shaped crater in the wall.
The moment the controller left her hand, Maxima realized something was wrong, her expression freezing.
*Oh no, he's not going to make me pay for this, is he?*
She stiffened when she turned her head and saw the homeowner, Orin Vale, had appeared silently in the doorway. Although he didn't say a word, his smiling expression seemed to ask, "Cash or credit card?"
Maxima gave an awkward yet polite smile and said, "All my valuables are on the spaceship I came in, which Sazu flew back. I don't have anything valuable on me to compensate you right now. It seems I'll have to use my body—"
As she spoke, she was about to pounce, but before she could finish, she was blocked by a sheet of white paper in Orin Vale's hand. She looked at it quizzically, confirming that it was just an ordinary piece of white paper, and asked, "What's this?"
"An IOU." Orin Vale handed her a pen. "Write an IOU. While you're at it, add your food and accommodation fees for the past few days..."
"Oh."
Maxima sheepishly picked up the pen and began to sign.
"By the way, can we go shopping later?" Kara asked, poking her head out.
"Go ahead. Why are you even asking me about that?" Orin Vale said.
"I want to go with Auntie." Kara smiled shyly. "But, she's still a hostage, isn't she? I thought it would be better to ask for permission..."
A vein popped on Maxima's forehead. She emphasized, word by word, "It's Older Sister."
"Okay, Auntie."
Maxima: "..."
*A hostage who can go out shopping... that's a new one.*
"Fine, but be back before six in the evening for the negotiations with the representatives from Almerac. You haven't forgotten our plan, have you?"
"I remember, I remember." Maxima nodded repeatedly, patting her chest. "My acting is great, Your Majesty can rest assured."
"I'm not your... ugh, never mind. Just don't be late."
That evening, on Mars.
Orin Vale transformed into a human-sized form and flew down to the designated coordinates on the surface of Mars, waiting for the negotiation representatives to arrive.
The landscape was desolate and rugged, covered in reddish-brown rocks and dust. Gazing into the distance, the faraway mountain range stretched endlessly, like a magnificent scroll painting.
The air was thin and cold, filled with endless solitude. Sand dunes and canyons, shaped by the force of ages, formed a peculiar landscape that was desolate yet possessed a unique charm.
In the DC Universe, humans were not the only civilization established in the Solar System. Mars had also once harbored intelligent life and a highly developed civilization... at least, it once did.
One of the founding members of the Justice League was a Martian. In fact, the lore stated he was the last Martian: J'onn J'onzz, codenamed Martian Manhunter, one of the Justice League's famously overpowered members.
However, it's a well-known feature of American comics that any character's lore is gradually perfected through a long process of creation and adaptation by countless writers. Different writers' thought processes often don't align, so backstabbing each other became a staple behind the scenes of American comic publications.
The "last Martian" setup was similar to Superman's "last son of Krypton." This early lore had long been tossed into the toilet and flushed down the sewers along with the backstabbed former writers. Later on, all sorts of Martian heroes and villains started popping up in droves; they were said to be extinct, but they weren't in the slightest.
Later lore stated that a civilization still remained on Mars, but a simple scan of the planet by Orin Vale revealed nothing.
After a short wait, the representatives from Almerac arrived.
A colossal warship, its surface shimmering with vibrant colors, had a hull like a moving mountain peak. The Almerac alloy gleamed with a metallic luster, flowing with dynamic textures. Countless precision components were tightly integrated, resembling the veins of a planet.
An energy beam projected from the warship to the ground, and several figures emerged from within it.
The one in the lead was Norland, the Almerac representative sent to negotiate.
His gaze quickly fell upon Orin Vale.
The appearance perfectly matched the description brought back by the princess's Maid, which allowed Norland to confirm at a glance that this was the light-wielding thug who had kidnapped their princess.
According to the Maid, this was the guy who single-handedly took down Brainiac's ship...
Norland's throat moved as he swallowed hard. He strove to walk forward with his head held high and chest puffed out, trying to conceal his unease.
"You're the one who kidnapped our princess?" he asked in a cold voice.
"You're the ones who colluded with interstellar terrorists to plot against Earth?" Orin Vale retorted.
Norland snorted heavily and said, "I don't know what it's like on your Earth. But on our Almerac, the most worthless thing is a princess."
"In our Royal Family, we have one hundred and eighty-eight more just like her. One less is no big deal."
"Is that so? Then you certainly won't mind if we do this."
Orin Vale waved his hand, and a screen of footage materialized out of thin air.
It was remotely transmitted footage. The screen showed Maxima tied to a chair, with someone next to her holding a thick rod. Terrifying electric arcs crackled and sparked at its tip.
The princess's face was filled with convincing terror. Watching the enormous electric baton, her body involuntarily shrank back. "No... not again, stop..."
Seeing this scene, especially that ridiculously oversized electric baton, Norland's expression changed drastically.
"W-what do you think you're doing!?"
(end of chapter)
"You were lucky last time, lass. I won't be careless again."
Maxima squinted, her expression serious as she spoke.
"Bring it on, Auntie." Kara was also full of confidence. "You're welcome to try anytime. But no matter how many times you do, the result will be the same."
"Hmph, you talk big." Maxima swept her red hair back from her forehead. "I've fought across the galaxy and never tasted defeat. It won't be any different on this tiny Earth."
"There's a first time for everything," Kara said earnestly. "Besides, you've already lost to Orin Vale. 'Never tasted defeat' is a bit of an exaggeration, don't you think?"
"What do you know, you little lass? Once I take him back to Almerac and we're married, there'll be no distinction between us. Losing to His Majesty is just a bit of fun, it doesn't count."
Kara stuck out her tongue. "In your dreams."
"You should try winning against me first before you boast. Take this!"
"Who's afraid of whom? Let's go."
The two's expressions hardened. They moved swiftly, so fast they almost became afterimages...
...as they mashed their controllers.
It was still that same fighting game. On the screen, Kara was still controlling Superman, while Maxima's character was Batman. The two characters were currently engaged in a passionate brawl, fighting fiercely and inextricably.
Accompanied by the letters "KO," Maxima's health bar was depleted once again. The princess's face was flushed red, while Kara made a "Yeah" hand gesture at her side.
"I told you, there's a technique to it," Kara comforted her. "For someone like you who relies more on muscle than brains, it's normal to lose to us high-IQ types. You don't need to take it to heart."
As it turned out, this attempt at comfort seemed to make the princess even angrier. With a cry of "Aaaah!", she violently threw the controller.
*Smash.*
The controller shattered into pieces, leaving a spiderweb-shaped crater in the wall.
The moment the controller left her hand, Maxima realized something was wrong, her expression freezing.
*Oh no, he's not going to make me pay for this, is he?*
She stiffened when she turned her head and saw the homeowner, Orin Vale, had appeared silently in the doorway. Although he didn't say a word, his smiling expression seemed to ask, "Cash or credit card?"
Maxima gave an awkward yet polite smile and said, "All my valuables are on the spaceship I came in, which Sazu flew back. I don't have anything valuable on me to compensate you right now. It seems I'll have to use my body—"
As she spoke, she was about to pounce, but before she could finish, she was blocked by a sheet of white paper in Orin Vale's hand. She looked at it quizzically, confirming that it was just an ordinary piece of white paper, and asked, "What's this?"
"An IOU." Orin Vale handed her a pen. "Write an IOU. While you're at it, add your food and accommodation fees for the past few days..."
"Oh."
Maxima sheepishly picked up the pen and began to sign.
"By the way, can we go shopping later?" Kara asked, poking her head out.
"Go ahead. Why are you even asking me about that?" Orin Vale said.
"I want to go with Auntie." Kara smiled shyly. "But, she's still a hostage, isn't she? I thought it would be better to ask for permission..."
A vein popped on Maxima's forehead. She emphasized, word by word, "It's Older Sister."
"Okay, Auntie."
Maxima: "..."
*A hostage who can go out shopping... that's a new one.*
"Fine, but be back before six in the evening for the negotiations with the representatives from Almerac. You haven't forgotten our plan, have you?"
"I remember, I remember." Maxima nodded repeatedly, patting her chest. "My acting is great, Your Majesty can rest assured."
"I'm not your... ugh, never mind. Just don't be late."
That evening, on Mars.
Orin Vale transformed into a human-sized form and flew down to the designated coordinates on the surface of Mars, waiting for the negotiation representatives to arrive.
The landscape was desolate and rugged, covered in reddish-brown rocks and dust. Gazing into the distance, the faraway mountain range stretched endlessly, like a magnificent scroll painting.
The air was thin and cold, filled with endless solitude. Sand dunes and canyons, shaped by the force of ages, formed a peculiar landscape that was desolate yet possessed a unique charm.
In the DC Universe, humans were not the only civilization established in the Solar System. Mars had also once harbored intelligent life and a highly developed civilization... at least, it once did.
One of the founding members of the Justice League was a Martian. In fact, the lore stated he was the last Martian: J'onn J'onzz, codenamed Martian Manhunter, one of the Justice League's famously overpowered members.
However, it's a well-known feature of American comics that any character's lore is gradually perfected through a long process of creation and adaptation by countless writers. Different writers' thought processes often don't align, so backstabbing each other became a staple behind the scenes of American comic publications.
The "last Martian" setup was similar to Superman's "last son of Krypton." This early lore had long been tossed into the toilet and flushed down the sewers along with the backstabbed former writers. Later on, all sorts of Martian heroes and villains started popping up in droves; they were said to be extinct, but they weren't in the slightest.
Later lore stated that a civilization still remained on Mars, but a simple scan of the planet by Orin Vale revealed nothing.
After a short wait, the representatives from Almerac arrived.
A colossal warship, its surface shimmering with vibrant colors, had a hull like a moving mountain peak. The Almerac alloy gleamed with a metallic luster, flowing with dynamic textures. Countless precision components were tightly integrated, resembling the veins of a planet.
An energy beam projected from the warship to the ground, and several figures emerged from within it.
The one in the lead was Norland, the Almerac representative sent to negotiate.
His gaze quickly fell upon Orin Vale.
The appearance perfectly matched the description brought back by the princess's Maid, which allowed Norland to confirm at a glance that this was the light-wielding thug who had kidnapped their princess.
According to the Maid, this was the guy who single-handedly took down Brainiac's ship...
Norland's throat moved as he swallowed hard. He strove to walk forward with his head held high and chest puffed out, trying to conceal his unease.
"You're the one who kidnapped our princess?" he asked in a cold voice.
"You're the ones who colluded with interstellar terrorists to plot against Earth?" Orin Vale retorted.
Norland snorted heavily and said, "I don't know what it's like on your Earth. But on our Almerac, the most worthless thing is a princess."
"In our Royal Family, we have one hundred and eighty-eight more just like her. One less is no big deal."
"Is that so? Then you certainly won't mind if we do this."
Orin Vale waved his hand, and a screen of footage materialized out of thin air.
It was remotely transmitted footage. The screen showed Maxima tied to a chair, with someone next to her holding a thick rod. Terrifying electric arcs crackled and sparked at its tip.
The princess's face was filled with convincing terror. Watching the enormous electric baton, her body involuntarily shrank back. "No... not again, stop..."
Seeing this scene, especially that ridiculously oversized electric baton, Norland's expression changed drastically.
"W-what do you think you're doing!?"
(end of chapter)
