Chapter Four: The Cosmic Monster Egg (Part Two)

But as the words left Glutton's mouth, the gigantic egg that had been stuck to his left arm suddenly floated away as if weightless, freeing his arm from its grip. Just as the two were about to cry out in surprise, the egg, which had been levitating about half a meter above the ground, bizarrely settled back onto the earth, returning to its original state as though nothing had ever happened; it was utterly motionless.

The two exchanged glances. Thief smacked his lips and said, “Good grief, did your eyes play tricks on you? I swear I saw that egg float up just now.”

Glutton shot Thief an irritated glare. “Your eyes aren't deceiving you, but you might just be going blind.”

Thief didn’t bother to argue; instead, he circled the giant egg, studying it. After a long look, he said, “Kid, what now? If some cosmic monster hatches out of this thing, and if it decides to kill us, what will we do?”

Glutton pondered and found the concern reasonable. These cosmic beasts were truly terrifying; he couldn’t imagine how anyone had managed to get their hands on this egg. Some cosmic monsters were beyond the reach of any civilization in the current universe. Even an organized fleet, if it encountered a cosmic beast in space, would flee as far as possible. Fortunately, these monsters supposedly possessed intelligence equal to that of sentient races; as long as you didn’t provoke them or approach their territory, they wouldn’t massacre other intelligent species indiscriminately. Yet, they seemed unwilling to communicate with others. Humanity knew of their existence, but understood nothing about them.

After much deliberation, Glutton finally said, “I’m worried too. What if the parents of this egg have some way to track it down? What if these cosmic monsters have some unique method to locate their offspring?”

Hearing this, Thief nodded vigorously. “So what do you suggest?”

Glutton thought for a moment, gritted his teeth, and finally said, “Let’s get rid of it.”

Surprisingly, Thief agreed immediately. “Right, let’s toss it.”

They promptly had a robot load the giant egg onto their airship, flew to the opposite side of the planet, and dropped it into a random jungle from high altitude.

Back at the base, the two finally sat together. Thief, having somehow procured a bottle of wine, grinned as they sat in the room where the magical beast crystal cores were stored. Each held a glass, chatting.

Thief seemed to finally relax after days of busyness. After a sip of wine, he smiled and asked, “Kid, have you thought of any way to get home?”

Glutton’s mood sank. Though these days spent with Thief had been joyful—far happier than life on the Berserker Star—he was still young, and the longing for home always twisted his heart in the quiet of night. He often thought of his parents, worried they’d be anxious for his safety. Of course, the idea of not wanting to return home was a lie.

He sighed, then asked, “How would I have any ideas? What about you? Have you thought of any good plan for me?”

Thief smiled, patting the crystal core chest behind him. “If you want to go home, you’ll have to rely on these.”

Glutton gave a wry smile. It was dirty business. According to Thief’s teachings, they’d have to wait a year or two—until the heat died down—before selling, to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Yet, seeing the smile on Thief’s ordinary face, Glutton humbly asked, “Old man, what’s your good idea? Speak plainly. Didn’t you say we have to wait until things quiet down before we move our loot? The more valuable the goods, the longer we must hide them.”

Thief chuckled. “Exactly. But this isn’t just any merchandise; these are magical beast crystal cores. Wherever you are, you can trade them for money based on their energy value. If we make small exchanges with the right identity, it won’t be a problem.”

Glutton pressed, “How do we do it? Tell me quickly.”

Thief burst into hearty laughter before replying, “Actually, these crystal cores are the easiest things to sell in the Sea of Death. Don’t forget—the Sea of Death isn’t called that solely because it’s the border zone between humans and the Winged Ones. It’s mainly because this starfield is teeming with high-level beasts possessing crystal cores and far more cosmic monsters than elsewhere. This attracts countless human and Winged One crystal-hunting teams to operate here—that’s the true origin of the name.”

He paused, and just as Glutton was about to lose his temper, continued, “The nation controlling the star gate leading to human territory in the Sea of Death—the Gale Empire—has a law specifically for crystal-hunting teams. If a team gathers enough crystal cores, they can apply for passage through the star gate to conduct transactions on Gale Empire planets.”

Glutton finally understood, and asked thoughtfully, “Old man, you mean we form a crystal-hunting team, claim these cores are our own spoils from the planet, and apply to enter the Gale Empire?”

Thief laughed and responded, “Kid, you’re damned clever. No wonder your family made you heir, and no wonder your uncles want you dead.”

Glutton’s mood dimmed. Over these days, he had recounted his story to Thief in detail. Though neither had probed deeply into the true cause, they had deduced much.

Glutton’s journey to the imperial capital had been swift; the route and itinerary were family secrets, arranged by his grandfather and the captain of the family warship. Yet, he was ambushed, which pointed directly to an insider. Without one, such a thing could never have happened. Those who wanted him dead could only be his uncles—they were the sole beneficiaries of his demise.

Seeing Glutton’s spirits sink, Thief realized he’d touched a sore spot. This had been an issue Glutton avoided mentioning all these days. Both were sharp; when Glutton had first shared his story, Thief understood he’d seen through the plot. Since then, both had steered clear of the subject—just as Glutton never asked Thief’s real name or origins.