The Heavenly Martial Empress Returns Chapter 298: Another Otherworldly Energy

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“Wait, they’re created? In my world… I mean, in the Acorn Kingdom, you can usually find these floating cubes everywhere. They sometimes appear in the city or outside; they have many types, shapes, and forms,” Princess Pomelo explained.

“Interesting. And they just spawn out of thin air?” I asked.

“Yes, actually, I have investigated this before with a team, and they reported that they appear spontaneously…” Princess Pomelo elaborated. “However, there are some patterns; areas with high amounts of Wonder might spawn them quicker.”

“…Wonder?” I inquired.

“It is what we call the magical phenomenon of my world,” she explained. “It is a colorful wave of iridescent energy that spreads through everything, changing, shifting, and constantly creating wondrous things: talking flowers, giant pipes that teleport you somewhere, haunted houses full of giggling ghosts, monsters, and even atmospheric and weather changes.”

“That’s very intriguing. So it’s kind of like Mana here… or, I guess, Ki in Murim…?” I murmured. “But even more… I suppose, colorful over there.”

“Yes… I suppose that’s the case…” Pomelo replied. “I never had such power before… But perhaps some of that Wonder Power came with me when I reincarnated after my battle against the Darkness.”

“Hm, I did sense a strange, alien energy inside of you. It seems to have mixed with Mana and Ki,” I explained. “Helping you manifest such power—a power that seems to be a part of your world.”

“Oh… Mana, is that like magic? But what’s Ki?” she asked.

“Well…” 

I gave her a brief lesson about this world: the Tower, Ki, Mana, Magic, and Skills in general, explaining the system and its intricacies. As a human, she grasped the concepts fairly quickly. 

“Can you do something else?” I wondered.

“…I don’t think so,” she said. “For now, this is… all. Is it bad?!”

“It’s good! Don’t worry,” I giggled. “Try making another one so we can test your limit.”

“Okay…” 

She quickly produced another cube and then appeared visibly exhausted, almost fatigued. I promptly touched her head, infusing her with Mana and a bit of Ki, but the sparkly energy was still regenerating on its own. This Wonder Power, or whatever it’s called… I suppose it operates similarly to Primal Power or other otherworldly energies. They’re governed by distinct laws of physics and possess entirely alien origins compared to the more universal Mana and Ki. 

“You don’t mind if I keep it? I would like to investigate this power a bit more,” I said.

“Of course, but that’s all I can do for now. Perhaps if I grow stronger…” she mused. “If I level up or something, I could get somewhere—maybe earn new abilities or be able to create more blocks.”

“I think so too. For that, you’ll have to explore the Tower with us, I guess,” I replied. “We’ll be going there in a few days anyway, so you’re welcome to accompany us if you like… Of course, if you don’t really want to live with us, you could always… well, go on your own.”

“N-No! Please, don’t leave me… I would be so confused and lost!” she asked desperately.

“I’m not abandoning you; I was just saying you’re free to do whatever you want too,” I sighed. “Anyway, I’ll show you your new room and other things, alright?”

“I get a room?!” She beamed with delight. “Oh, Lady Bing Xue, you’re so kind! Thank you so much! If I could, I would make you a strawberry cake!”

“You can bake? That’s nice; we needed someone who could make cakes,” I said. “My wives make really good food, but none of them are skilled at baking sweets like that.”

“W-Wives… Huh? You have… wives?” she wondered. “Many?”

“Ah, yeah… I forgot to explain that—and a lot of kids too,” I said with a smile. “They must be waking up by now.”

“You have kids with other women… W-Wait a second, how does that work? …Ah! I’m so sorry, did that sound rude?” She stammered, covering her face in embarrassment.

“I wouldn’t really like to go into details, but… well, I can shapeshift my body. I’m more… like, made of divine power and light rather than, you know, normal flesh,” I explained. “I think you can guess the rest, right?”

“Y-Yes… I can…” She blushed, looking down in embarrassment. “I apologize for even asking…”

“It’s fine. People get confused the first time; it’s alright,” I shrugged. 

I showed her the room, her bathroom, and other accommodations. As for clothes, I swiftly wove a few items for her using Heavenly Thread, crafted from the wool of Martial Sheep Beasts from the mountains. When my family began waking up, we decided to have breakfast. The kids adored her because she resembled a princess from the fairy tale books or other stories they’d read or watched growing up. Pomelo proved to be a kind woman, especially patient with children. 

“Wow! You’re like a princess from the storybooks!” Kalana exclaimed. “Can I get a dress like yours? Oh! Can I be a princess too?”

“Of course, I think we could ask your mother to make a similar one; she is very talented,” Pomelo replied. “And naturally, you’re already a beautiful little princess, Kalana!”

“Why is your hair so shiny and golden? It’s amazing! It even sparkles sometimes!” Athena said, grooming her hair with her little claws.

“I was born with this hair. Yours is also very pretty, Athena,” she responded with a smile.

“Does that crown have a special magic power of some sort?” Orion asked. “Wait, what are your powers?”

“It does have some sort of protection spell on it… It’s rather ancient; it was gifted to me by the people of the Acorn Kingdom,” she explained.

“Are there any cool monsters where you come from?” Rainbow Eyes wondered.

“Yes, there are quite a lot of beasties…” Pomelo said. “Such as…” 

As we watched her playing and entertaining the kids, we ate breakfast while I discussed recent events and our next steps with my family and friends. 

“So we’re still going to space, right?” asked Merneith. “I know it’s not my place to say this, but I would love to continue visiting the other planets…”

“I would like that too; it’s not an opportunity we’ll get anytime soon afterward,” Yanisse nodded. “But I also know we should do something about the Saurians… I guess the best thing would be to bring them to Earth. Keeping them on Mars, which has nothing for them, would be too much. Also, the ruins of the Martians… I would rather not have them desecrated anymore.” 

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