Gu Rong was carried by the King, arriving at the banquet together.

The nobles, ministers, and socialites with status and influence were all at the banquet, either holding champagne glasses and chatting, sitting in groups of three or five at tables, or gracefully dancing on the dance floor.

The band was playing the famous song Por Una Cabeza, and the scene was lively.

It was already late at night, and the Pharaoh was sailing on the sea under the rainy night, heading towards the Ghost Realm of the Deep Sea.

You wouldn’t know that they were going to the Ghost Realm of the Deep Sea to fight the lowborn, to retrieve the Second Prince and the Ring of Souls. It looked like they were going on vacation.

As soon as King Louis XIII appeared holding Gu Rong, everyone’s gaze turned to them.

The violinist’s hand slipped, and he played a wrong note.

Immediately, the music stopped, and the scene fell silent.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at the King and the Little Prince.

Their gazes were mainly focused on the Little Prince. The Little Prince rarely made public appearances, and even when he did, he was always heavily covered up with a feathered mask.

But at this moment, the Little Prince appeared in front of everyone without any cover.

It had to be said, the Little Prince was fair and tender, chubby, his big eyes shining like glass. He was incredibly cute!

But, why did the Little Prince come out? What was His Majesty the King thinking?

Everyone was puzzled, and they didn’t dare to think about it, silently not making a sound.

The King smiled: “Rongrong has been cooped up in his room, and I was worried he’d get sick. I brought him out to get some air. Everyone, please feel free to enjoy yourselves, don’t be restrained.”

Unfortunately, the four nobles Gu Rong had interacted with while playing the Little Prince, aside from Xiao Lin, were all present.

Hearing the King’s words, their eyelids twitched.

The Little Prince had clearly been running around the ship earlier. Where did he get the idea that he’d been cooped up in his room and was about to get sick?

But whatever the King said was right. They didn’t dare to have any objections.

After the King spoke, the band started playing again, and the scene returned to its lively state.

But everyone was much more cautious, unable to truly relax.

Gu Rong didn’t care about that. His big eyes searched for the captain: [Who is the captain?]

006: [Little host, the captain hasn’t arrived yet, he’s on his way.]

Gu Rong “Oh”, and his attention was quickly drawn to the delicious little cakes on the table.

006: […]

The King had to discuss political affairs with the ministers and asked a few ministers to take Gu Rong around.

The pro-execution ministers were about to take Gu Rong when the pro-reward ministers beat them to it. They weren’t just faster at talking, but also faster with their hands. They picked up the Little Prince in one fell swoop.

Pro-execution: “…”

Damn it!

Gu Rong didn’t care who was holding him. He pointed his little finger at the little cakes on the table: “Rongrong wants to eat little cakes!”

Pro-execution: “Your Highness, Little Prince, your diet has specific requirements. If you eat that, you might get diarrhea. It’s better not to eat it.”

Saying that, he instructed a subordinate nearby to go and get the Little Prince’s dinner.

Gu Rong crossed his little arms, deciding to use the [Hanged Little Ghost] identity card later to sneakily come and eat the little cakes.

Gu Rong sat at a dining table. Four high-ranking ministers were looking after him, not taking their eyes off him for a moment. For a while, no one dared to approach.

The four nobles Gu Rong had interacted with earlier were trying to figure out the meaning of those few code words. At this moment, hesitating for a long time, pretending to pass by, they whispered those few code words.

The first noble: “Hehehe~~”

Gu Rong was holding a napkin, eating cheese. Hearing this, his little ears moved, and he replied in a babyish voice, “Gagaga~”

When that person heard this, his eyes widened. Damn, it really was a code!

Look, the Little Prince even responded!

The four ministers guarding Gu Rong, the two pro-execution ministers already knew about the code words. They were planning to verify it and then find an appropriate time to inform His Majesty the King. Hearing this at this moment, they thought, sure enough, the Little Prince had indeed secretly run out and spread some unclear code words.

But, what did these code words mean?

Another noble came over and whispered, “Yamete~~”

Gu Rong was only focused on eating, and replied perfunctorily, “Gaga~”

The other person: “…”

Wait, why was the code changing?

This wasn’t a test, it was a test. The more they tested, the more confused they became.

006 said: [Little host, pay attention! There are quite a few players here, and they’re all at the dalao (pro/master) level.]

Gu Rong turned his little head.

006 said: [Little host, on your left, the two young ladies wearing flower hairpins who keep glancing over here, one is called Wu Yao, and the other is called Xia Wan. They are top 200 ranked players in the entire server. In the instance, their identities are noble ladies.]

When Gu Rong looked over, the two female players waved and smiled at Gu Rong, showing friendly attitudes, their expressions very calm.

Gu Rong also tilted his snow-white little face and smiled back at them.

Wu Yao and Xia Wan’s eyes immediately lit up, revealing auntie-like smiles.

006 said: [Little host, on your right, there’s a young man from the Miao region with braided hair all over his head and a poisonous snake coiled by his feet. His name is Xie Lingjiu, and he’s the highest-ranked player in this instance, even higher than Mu Xingye, ranked 59th in the entire server. In the instance, his identity is a wizard of the Starsea Continent.]

Gu Rong ate in big bites. His eyes glanced at the black snake coiling on the ground, spitting out its tongue.

Then, his gaze kept drifting to Xie Lingjiu’s head.

Drifting and drifting, he raised his little hand and touched his own wig, then looked at Xie Lingjiu’s braids. His big eyes blinked, looking very curious.

Xie Lingjiu was extremely perceptive. He noticed Gu Rong’s gaze and turned to look over.

Their eyes met.

Gu Rong tilted his little head, pulled at a small section of his wig, seemingly coveting the other person’s braids.

Xie Lingjiu: “…”

Absurd.

006 said: [Little host, there are also two players mixed in among the waiters, and one in the band.]

Gu Rong didn’t have a livestream at this time. What he didn’t know was that from the moment he appeared at the banquet, the other players’ livestreams were flooded with numerous aunties, who started their generous and indiscriminate gifting.

The several dalao players, after all, had seen a lot. They wouldn’t be short of gifts, but they were still surprised by the overwhelming amount of gifts.

This NPC cub… his popularity was very high.

The other several less-known players were both surprised and delighted. Damn, Zaizai was indeed worthy of his reputation. These Zaizai aunties were really stupid and had a lot of points.

[So many dalao players? Did this instance enter a dalao nest?]

[Mu Xingye’s Zaizai-killing livestream has created such a big buzz. It’s obvious he’s planning something big! They’re probably all here to join in the fun.]

[Wu Yao and Xia Wan are probably here to join in the fun. As for Xie Lingjiu, he and Mu Xingye have always been at odds, they fight to the death whenever they meet. You don’t need me to say more, do you?]

—Spoilers are only visible to the audience—

Just then, there was a commotion, and everyone looked towards the entrance.

The captain and Mr. Sen had arrived.

The Pharaoh’s captain, Alpha, was an old general in his fifties. He had a white beard, a strong build, a weathered face, and looked very kind.

The Pharaoh was originally a warship, and Alpha had only ever commanded warships.

This was his last voyage, and after this, he would retire.

As for Mr. Sen, he was the designer of the “Pharaoh.”

The Pharaoh warship, originally named “Sen’s Black Goat,” was the greatest genius designer Jameson’s tribute to the “undefeated” General Nicholas of the Starsea Continent.

Nicholas’s nickname was “Black Goat,” and the Black Goat symbol was still imprinted on the hull of the Pharaoh to this day.

Jameson had both legs amputated and was in a wheelchair.

And the young man pushing him was in a suit, handsome and extraordinary, with fair skin, a faint smile on his thin, red lips, his temperament aloof and difficult to approach. It was Lin Xuezhu.

As soon as Gu Rong saw Lin Xuezhu, he let out a “huh” and stared straight at him.

Why did Doctor Uncle become Doctor Big Brother?

Lin Xuezhu’s current identity was not Dr. Lin from The Mental Hospital. His clothes and appearance were more youthful, more in line with his actual age.

Gu Rong was a little unsure if the person in front of him was Doctor Uncle.

Until Lin Xuezhu looked over from afar and nodded slightly with a smile.

Gu Rong’s eyes lit up, confirming that this was Doctor Uncle, his little face excited.

006 said: [Little host, Lin-dalao‘s identity in this instance is Jameson’s direct disciple, with the prospect of inheriting Jameson’s legacy and mantle. His status is also very noble.]

[Ahhhhhh, Lin-dalao makes a grand entrance, applause!! [Gifts points]]

[Why does Lin-dalao always do so well? He always gets good scripts, playing NPCs with high status and position!]

[Hahaha, I suspect that if Jameson’s age wasn’t so different, Lin-dalao would have directly replaced Jameson’s identity, instead of being his student.]

[Although Lin-dalao has only been through one instance, those who have seen it know that he is a reserve big boss. Except for his fame, he is a big boss, and the kind whose strength is unknown, making him impossible to deal with.]

[Hehe, seeing Lin-dalao, I feel relieved. Let’s see who dares to bully Zaizai!]

–

Jameson spent almost all of his time in his own room. Because he was disabled, he rarely showed his face.

Hearing that the Little Prince had come to the banquet, he asked Lin-dalao to push him over.

Captain Alpha also came for the Little Prince.

Unlike the pro-execution ministers who intercepted the “Little Prince’s code words,” the captain had already received a secret report and learned about Gu Rong’s three code words.

He also couldn’t figure out what those three code words meant. The key was that the two people who received the code words received slightly different versions.

One was “Hehehe,” and the other was “Gagaga.”

As soon as his subordinate reported that the Little Prince had come to the banquet, he followed.

Everyone saw that not only had the Little Prince shown up tonight, but even the captain and Jameson had appeared. They were surprised and shocked.

What was going on today? What happened?

006: [Ding, congratulations to the little host for completing the task, reward 10,000 points, and obtained Captain Alpha’s favorability +50%.]

006: […]

Just said that the Little Prince’s task was too simple, it’s normal for the points to be low. This was basically a freebie!

–

When Xiao Lin stopped Mu Xingye and Zhao Minghai’s actions of using Gu Rong as bait to fish for sharks.

Mu Xingye and Zhao Minghai were demoted to the fifth class.

Although Mu Xingye was dissatisfied, Xiao Lin was a high-ranking NPC, and unless necessary, there was no need to offend an NPC.

He could have killed Xiao Lin, but there were too many people present, and he couldn’t kill them all. He didn’t want to become a wanted man on the first day.

Mu Xingye finally sneered, threw the little cub on the fishing rod to Xiao Lin, smiled coldly, and left, indicating that this matter was not over.

Anyway, there was no hurry. The instance had just begun, and he had plenty of time to play with that little cub.

Zhuang Yu and Shen Hanxiao both breathed a sigh of relief.

The two had prepared to be cannon fodder, but maybe even if they were cannon fodder, they wouldn’t necessarily be able to save Rongrong.

As soon as Gu Rong was in Xiao Lin’s arms, he was controlled by the system to fall asleep. To the others, it looked like he had fainted from fright.

Xiao Lin was stunned, looking at the soft little dumpling in his arms. This was clearly a carbon copy of the Little Prince. It was Zaizai, no doubt!

He didn’t expect Zaizai to really be on the ship. The Little Prince would say those things to him, presumably, he had also seen Zaizai.

But the news that Zaizai was on the ship had to be kept secret for the time being.

Xiao Lin handed the sleeping Gu Rong to Zhuang Yu and Shen Hanxiao, not revealing that he knew Gu Rong.

Zhuang Yu took Gu Rong and held him in his arms: “Thank you, Major Xiao.”

Xiao Lin’s face was serious, and he never smiled. At this moment, he also looked expressionlessly at the two, then looked at Gu Rong in Zhuang Yu’s arms, and then turned and left with his subordinates.

Shen Hanxiao touched his chin and thought: “Something’s wrong. This Major Xiao seems to have a high status. He must have seen the Little Prince. Shouldn’t he be surprised to see this kid who looks exactly like the Little Prince?”

Zhuang Yu pondered: “It is indeed strange, but we should still send Rongrong back first.”

Shen Hanxiao nodded.

The two could only send Gu Rong back to the lower-class cabin first.

As soon as they returned to the lower-class cabin, Old John was anxiously looking for Zaizai.

As soon as Zhuang Yu and Shen Hanxiao appeared holding Gu Rong, Old John rushed up angrily, grabbed Gu Rong, and reprimanded, “How dare you come to the lower-class cabin to steal the cub? Do you really think we lowborns are easy to bully!”

Zaizai’s uncles and grandfathers also swarmed up, waving their fists at Zhuang Yu and Shen Hanxiao.

Shen Hanxiao quickly waved his hands to explain: “Everyone, don’t misunderstand, we came to return the cub! Are you Grandpa John?”

Zhuang Yu said: “Rong… Let me explain. Zaizai accidentally got lost outside, and we just brought him back.”

Old John held the sleeping cub, clearly not believing: “Zaizai was sleeping in the room, how could he get lost outside?”

Gu Rong, in standby mode, also vaguely opened his eyes and explained, “Big Brother and Little Brother are good, they didn’t steal Zaizai!”

Zhuang Yu and Shen Hanxiao spread their hands innocently.

Old John looked at the two’s attire, third-class citizens. He hmph-ed. Even if they weren’t cub-stealers, there was no need to interact with them.

He carried Gu Rong back into the room and slammed the door shut, shutting Zhuang Yu and Shen Hanxiao out.

Zhuang Yu and Shen Hanxiao looked at each other and couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

–

At the banquet.

King Louis XIII led Gu Rong and introduced him to Captain Alpha and Jameson.

Everyone was secretly observing the situation. The captain and Mr. Sen were both old subordinates of General Nicholas. Why would His Majesty the King take the initiative to introduce them to the Little Prince?

Captain Alpha and Jameson both looked at Gu Rong, their eyes filled with complex and difficult-to-understand emotions.

Seeing Gu Rong, they thought of General Nicholas. Gu Rong was simply a miniature version of General Nicholas.

Gu Rong, however, secretly looked at Lin-dalao, his little face beaming.

Lin-dalao sized up Gu Rong’s attire, his gaze pausing on his pale golden curls for a moment, and raised an eyebrow.

Someone suggested: “The Little Prince rarely makes an appearance. Why not take this opportunity to ask His Highness the Little Prince to perform on stage? It would also boost our morale for going to the Ghost Realm of the Deep Sea to fight the lowborn!”

The King didn’t immediately agree, but lowered his head, looked at the little dumpling in his hand, and squeezed his chubby little hand, like a stress-relieving toy.

Gu Rong raised his little head, his little face looking cute at the King, and said, “I can dance the Happy Clapping Song.”

The King: “…”

Gu Rong was only two years old. Before the apocalypse, he hadn’t started kindergarten, but he had danced along to the early childhood song Happy Clapping Song on TV.

Everyone, after a moment of silence, applauded, welcoming the Little Prince to perform on stage.

Gu Rong wasn’t shy at all. Just as he was about to dadada run onto the stage, Captain Alpha personally carried him onto the stage.

Everyone let out a sigh.

The King’s expression didn’t change, but his eyes darkened slightly.

Gu Rong said in a tender voice, “Thank you, Captain Grandpa!”

The first time they met, he knew to call him “Captain Grandpa.”

This touched the old captain very much. The captain choked up a little and said, “You’re welcome, good child.”

The 50% favorability was no joke. The old captain was so moved by the cub’s “Captain Grandpa” that he wanted to bequeath the Pharaoh to him.

The band played the melody of the Happy Clapping Song. Gu Rong stood on the stage. As the music started, he began to clap his little hands, turn in circles, and stomp his little feet, perfectly in time with the rhythm.

It had to be said, he danced quite well, cutely, and very adorably.

The audience couldn’t help but smile, and some even chuckled.

Hearing the laughter, those who were originally able to hold back couldn’t anymore, and the laughter grew louder.

Gu Rong was clapping his little hands. At this moment, he furrowed his little face, stomped his little feet, and said angrily, “If you laugh again, I won’t dance anymore!”

Although he was young, he didn’t like others laughing at him.

Everyone immediately stopped laughing. They originally just thought His Highness the Little Prince was cute, but His Highness the Little Prince was performing on stage, and they were laughing below, it did seem like they were making fun of him.

However, the Little Prince had no deterrent power and was instead even cuter.

But no one dared to laugh out loud anymore, mainly because they were afraid that if they laughed, the Little Prince would really stop dancing.