Faced with Igula's question, Ash did not immediately answer.

Ash leaned his head against the seat's headrest, watching the LCD screen on the back of the chair in front of him, where a boring urban romance drama was playing. Igula glanced at it and lost interest immediately—a series of emotional disputes revolving around a beautiful blonde female lead and a malicious red-haired second female character, all for the male lead, with no artistic value.

Although Igula enjoys understanding different countries' conditions through entertainment works, he does possess some aesthetic sense. Only works that reflect social phenomena to some extent are qualified to play at eight times speed in his eyes. A drama that deliberately downplays social production relationships, emphasizes fairy-tale-like romantic disputes, and focuses on characters' appearance to cater to ignorant young girls has no interest for him.

This type of show was only something Ash could endure watching—but Igula wasn't surprised. After all, even when Ash was on the run from Blood Frenzy hunters after breaking out of prison, he managed to watch more than half of "Mage 100%," demonstrating his ignorance and girlish nature.

"I'm not sure," Ash finally spoke after a long while, his voice somewhat low: "I need to assess the situation first before deciding."

"Interesting. It turns out you have the 'observe before deciding' function. I thought your spinal cord only had a 'charge' command," Igula snorted. "If you could hesitate like this every time you faced death, perhaps we wouldn't be in this situation."

Ash: "But if that were the case, we might still be in Shattered Lake Prison, eating Loofah Pies and watching the Blood Moon Judgement."

"Ash is right," Harvey agreed. "Although not using one's brain is an unbearable flaw for most people, Ash is clearly one of the rare exceptions."

Ash gave the necromancer a sideways glance. "I suppose I'll take that as a compliment."

"So, what are you hesitating about?" Igula asked. "Jiale City is the capital of the Kingdom of Stars. Whether it's the security forces or high-level combat power, it's unrivaled. There are several resident Legendaries. Normally, we should be hiding on the outskirts of the Kingdom of Stars to evade capture, then figure out a way to escape through a Technique Spirit, instead of running into danger."

"As the saying goes, the darkest place is under the lamp, the most dangerous place is the safest place. Maybe Jiale City is more suitable for us to hide..."

"Before you can look me in the eye and lie, you better confess obediently," Igula said coldly.

"Fine," Ash sighed. "I've always wanted to come to the Kingdom of Stars—just like I want to return to the Kingdom of Gospel—but the situation in the Kingdom of Stars was completely unexpected. Do you remember Decree No. 51?"

"Of course," Harvey said. "Those Griffin meteorologists recite Decree No. 51 before they act. I thought it was a unique death announcement in the Kingdom of Stars. But reciting a person's crimes before killing them is quite interesting. The corpses here might bring me some surprises."

"Are you serious?" Igula glared at Harvey. "We're being hunted. The entire Kingdom of Stars is our enemy. We could be in a desperate situation at any moment, and you still want to dig graves?"

The necromancer's eyes lit up, clapping and clicking his tongue. "That's just like you, making me more excited."

The swindler rubbed his forehead. "It seems I can't control this live-for-the-moment Corpse Lover—so Ash, what's the matter with Decree No. 51?"

"You already said it just now." Ash said, "The entire Kingdom of Stars is hostile to us."

"Because of Gospel and Senluo, I thought the local hostility towards outsiders would be no worse than being thrown into prison—I thrive in an environment akin to comfort art installations. Who knew the Stars would be so hostile, killing enemies without leaving one behind? And Decree No. 51 also stipulates that harboring or conspiring with outsiders is a serious crime. Do you know what that means?"

Igula: "It means you want to meet them without tainting their files and you can only choose kidnapping, hostage-taking, or abduction as your preferred crime."

Ash was stunned for a moment, then clapped the swindler's shoulder. "The best decision I made in my life was forcing you to be my jailbreak partner—oh right, that's an option too!"

"Glad to be of help." Igula pushed Ash's hand away. "Receiving your appreciation is just what I deserved."

"But it's also the last resort." Ash said, "If I deem the environment unsuitable, meeting them through criminal means while not affecting their life is an option."

"What if the environment permits?"

"Take her with me," Ash spread his hands. "Or I stay."

Igula and Harvey froze slightly, turning to confirm the cult leader was serious.

"I thought you just wanted to return to the Kingdom of Gospel and eat Liss's food for life," Harvey said.

Ash clicked his tongue. "Why do you make it sound like I'm some kind of parasite father living off his daughter's blood?"

"Aren't you?" Igula asked.

"Of course not, I just want to go back and spend time with Liss. But she's all grown up now. It's unrealistic to keep sleeping with her, so it's reasonable for her to set up a room for me in the palace, right?" Ash said. "I don't intend for my daughter to support me. I just want to continue supporting Empress Yisu."

Harvey looked at Ash and said seriously, "Shamelessness is a flaw for most, but you're a rare exception."

Igula said, "To you, is this person you want to meet more important than Liss?"

"That's not a fair comparison. If I can take her with me, my first choice is to settle in Gospel. Next, if I stay, I'll still find a way to establish a permanent Sky Gate linked to Gospel, to frequently visit Liss." Ash said, "Liss is my family. I can give all my love to her. But I must be with her, because she is my companion to life's end."

"Talking sensibly," Harvey raised a hand. "If you die before me—given our current situation, that's quite likely—I'll accompany you to the end of life and handle your posthumous journey."

"So what?" Ash looked exasperated at the necromancer's interruption. "You want to be my companion too?"

"Once you're dead, you'll be reborn under the necromancer, so he's not only your life partner but also your rebirth mother." Igula sneered, "You should respectfully call him Mother Harvey."

"So Aunt Bojin, Mother Harvey, my plan now is to head to Jiale City and see if we can clear our names or if there's a possibility she'll come with me." Ash said, "Once I determine the situation, I'll decide how to meet her."

"The only problem is we need to take a huge risk. After all, we have to hide and scout in the capital of the Kingdom of Stars. Once exposed, we could face a siege from the Legendary Holy Domain, and this matter doesn't concern you. It's purely my personal issue." Ash looked at them. "If you don't want to risk it for this, I can understand."

"Harvey, are you interested?" Igula propped his left hand on his cheek. "Risking our lives to wander around Jiale City just to see who makes Ash so infatuated?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Harvey said. "Not just me, even the coffin in my space ring is shaking, and even Alice is curious."

Seeing them join his 'Find the Sword Maiden Squad' without hesitation, Ash was moved but also worried: "If we really meet, I hope you'll mind your words and actions, act more normal."

"She's a law-abiding citizen without a criminal record. Don't let her immediately see you as dangerous individuals or perverts. If she dislikes you, it's going to be troublesome... I don't want to be caught in a vortex of conflict between friends and my partner."

"For instance, not mentioning your entanglement with Hanna and Qinna?" Harvey suggested.

"And not bring up your complex and tangled relationship with Silver Lamp?" Igula added.

Ash blinked and nodded heavily. "Exactly!"

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