Chapter 1850: Chapter 1850: Joy's Deduction

Although Joy's question came off lighthearted and casual, Zen had a hard time finding the words to answer her.

He had no clue whether or not Laquisha had gone anywhere other than the Divine Refinement Forbidden Land. As the Princess Royal of the Han Clan, what she said and what she did were under the scrutiny of many. If Zen were to make up a story on the spot, he was afraid that Joy would see right through him in an instant.

Noticing the embarrassed look on Zen's face, Joy said indifferently, “I think Laquisha knows something—something important like your true identity. Over the years, I've never seen her leave the Floating Island. She's never even travelled to the Han Clan's ancestral land. In fact, the only time she left the Floating Island was to go to the Divine Refinement Forbidden Land. I can only deduce that if you met her before, then you could only have met her in the Divine Refinement Forbidden Land.”

Her eyes flickered with two rays of pale purple light, as though there were two worlds flowing deep within. She was attractive and resonated a curious beauty. Such powerful warriors at high levels of cultivation always had their unique and incomparable charm. “Divine citizens living outside the Floating Islands aren't qualified to enter the Divine Refinement Forbidden Land. Only the descendants and disciples of the wealthy clans on the Floating Islands can enter. You just joined the Han Clan, and thus, I know you aren't from any of those wealthy clans.”

Joy's analysis made Zen's heart jump from his chest to his mouth. If nothing else, he had to admit that she was very clever. She had a unique way of analyzing so many situations with such simple information.

“Most likely, you come from a Holy Being's universe,” continued Joy, now staring at Zen. “And all living creatures that come from the universes must be led by the members of the Jiang Clan, and all names on the list will be registered in the Hall of Holy Beings. I remember that the 833rd rule of the Ruling Slate was activated not long ago, and the punishment for stowaways was triggered, but the matter remained unsettled. The Hall of Holy Beings had sent people to investigate, but no results came from such. This is all very strange.”

She narrowed her beautiful eyes and glared at Zen with growing interest. She looked like a smart, sly fox. With a meaningful smile on her face, she went on to say, “Harold has been acting very reckless recently. I don't like that brat very much. Ever since Mike lost his status and his Floating Island, he's done nothing but lead the Luo Clan members to cause trouble in other clans, relying on the Everest Spirit Mountain. And last time, he nearly got into a fight with me, too. This time around, they even dared fight with the Jiang Clan, with the purpose of forcing the clan to withdraw all their members from the universes. I guess his master, Mike, might have something to do with it.”

Now it was Zen's turn to stare at Joy, and his face grew completely gloomy. Although he tried hard to cover his emotions, his heart was beating very fast in his chest. He had no idea what he was about to face. He felt like a lamb being put up for slaughter in front of Joy, and whether or not she was going to kill him was completely up to her.

“I'd say you're from the Evolutionary Universe, and everything was arranged by Mike. Am I guessing correctly?” Joy asked, as she slowly walked toward Zen. A strong fragrance greeted his nose as she approached. Although the fragrance was heavy, it wasn't enough to make people feel tired. Instead, people would be fascinated by the smell and thought it was attractive. For Zen, he couldn't help himself but sniff it out again and again.

She raised her hand and gently grasped onto Zen's chin. “From the very beginning, I just felt that this was all very strange. It's just impossible for a talent like you to emerge from the divine citizens. I mean, it would have been hard for even the wealthy clans on the Floating Islands to have trained a talent like you. Perhaps you're that woman's child, not an ordinary divine embryo. More importantly though, your surname hasn't been changed. You still use the Luo surname. That is why I've come to the conclusion that you're Mike's son.”

“That woman? What woman? What do you mean by that?” Zen asked in a dry, flat voice. Joy had just said that he was possibly the baby of some woman and that he wasn't an ordinary divine embryo. Did Joy know who his mother was? In the past, Zen had obtained a few clues that indicated his mother was still alive. He and Yan weren't merely created by Mike, and they did have a mother. Now that his guess had been confirmed by Joy, his curiosity was piqued of course, and he had to ask her more questions.

“You don't have to ask so many questions,” said Joy with a light and friendly smile.

Zen's face was still gloomy. He hadn't expected Joy to guess what had happened with just a few words about Laquisha. And did she say that even Harold had tried fighting her? Could this mean that Joy was actually standing on the Luo Clan's opposing side? Zen had too many questions swimming in his mind. This was only one of several possibilities, but it definitely wasn't good news.

“What are you going to do?” Zen asked anew, frowning slightly. This time, he didn't even call her “Master,” now that he knew she might actually be an enemy.

Joy's eyes flashed suddenly and she turned around; the cunning expression on her face left just as quickly as it came. She changed from a sly woman to an innocent girl, with eyes wide open. "Take it easy. The world is so boring! At that time, Mike wanted to make the world more interesting. I was looking forward to it, but he failed. What a pity!

But I know what kind of person he is. He's the type of man who will never give up, not until his death stops him. That said, it's safe to say that he's almost dead now, but he has yet to give up. Alas, I do see a shimmer of new hope," she said with her lips curled upward.

Upon hearing her speak, Zen was in no way relieved. Warriors like Joy were far too smart, and Zen couldn't quite figure out exactly what was on her mind.

For this reason, Zen tentatively asked, “You said you saw new hope. Did you mean me?”

With a shrug of her shoulders, Joy didn't admit it, nor did she deny it. She just continued staring intently at Zen, looking him up and down. There was still a strange feeling coming from her eyes, as if she had been reluctant to let Zen leave, or as if she wanted to say something more.

This kind of feeling was confusing, and Zen couldn't figure out what this Demi-holy Being meant.

The two stared at each other for a short while, although it felt like a few hours. A voice coming from outside the palace disturbed them. “Master Joy, Princess Aleyna wants to see you.”

The Han Clan's Holy Emperor only had two daughters. Both of them were born in recent decades. The elder princess was Laquisha, and the younger princess was Aleyna. 𝐑𝘈ＮỐ𝐛ÈⱾ

Joy cast a reproachful glance at Zen. “I don't know how much talent you've inherited from your father, but in terms of attracting girls, the apple didn't fall far from the tree. You're just like him.”

Aleyna and Laquisha had a good relationship with each other. They should have come here and visited Zen together. However, they were visiting in turns, and Joy could only come to the conclusion that there had been a misunderstanding between the sisters, that they weren't as close with one another as they had been in the past. And that misunderstanding might have something to do with this young man who called himself Thad.

Joy remembered that it was almost the same time for Aleyna and Laquisha to enter the Divine Refinement Forbidden Land. Aleyna should have gotten to know Zen in the Divine Refinement Forbidden Land, too. The only reason she came here alone must be that she had developed a girlish crush on Zen, just like her sister had. 'I wonder what the Holy Emperor will think if he finds out both his daughters have fallen in love with the same guy!' Joy thought to herself.

With a slight pout, Zen said nothing. A girl in a blue dress, who had been standing for a while now at the palace gate, suddenly ran into the hall. Her smart eyes twinkled. Upon noticing Joy, Aleyna greeted her with a casual nod and then jumped toward Zen. “Hi, Z...um...Thad!”

She stuck her tongue out and clamped it between her front teeth. Zen's real name had nearly slipped out of her mouth due to her carelessness.

“I'm so curious about your real name,” Joy said, her tone now strange.

Aleyna blushed. She touched her face with her hand in embarrassment and cast an apologetic glance at Zen. She feigned innocence and murmured, “Real name? What do you mean? His name is Thad Luo and you know that!” Of course, she couldn't expect that her cover would only make Joy more suspicious.

Joy, on her behalf, wouldn't expose what she knew in front of Aleyna. Instead, she just nodded her head in order to demonstrate her agreement.

“Thad, thank you so much for helping Kelsey and me a few days ago! Someday soon, I will thank you by inviting you over to my place.” Aleyna was much bolder in character than Laquisha. While speaking, she winked at Zen secretly, indicating that she had a lot to talk to him about.

However, Zen remained expressionless. He was still feeling disturbed by what Joy had said earlier and was in no mood to fool around with this girl.

Aleyna, however, was unable to grasp Zen's thoughts from the expression on his face. She shook Joy's hand and acted like a spoiled child. “I have something to tell Thad. Aunt Joy, would you please leave us alone for a while?”

No more than four people in all the Han Clan would ever dare to speak to Joy in such a way.

Joy spoiled and doted on both the Holy Emperor's daughters very much, but this time, she refused her. “Thad has something else to do. I'm afraid he doesn't have time for you today!”

Disappointment etched itself onto Aleyna's features at Joy's words, but she quickly adjusted it. After all, Zen was now here, on the Han Clan's Floating Island. There would be plenty of chances for her to meet him in the near future. With a smile now, she looked at Zen again and said, “By the way, I have something for you, to say thanks!”

And at that, she clapped her hands together briskly.

Like magic, she pulled a huge table out of her Sumeru Space. As she waved her hand a second time, cups and bowls wondrously appeared atop the table. All kinds of precious dishes spread out, a few of which Joy herself had never even seen.

Once Aleyna left, Joy fixed her eyes upon all the dishes splayed out the table and said with a smirk, “That little girl is just so thoughtful! You know, some of these dishes are very precious. Collecting them is quite the task.”

Before she could finish her sentence, a voice from the gate rang into their ears. “Master Joy, the clan head's daughter, Kelsey Han, has requested to meet with you.”

As she took in what she just heard, the corners of Joy's mouth twitched in surprise before pulling into a tight line. Did this girl come here to meet Thad, too?