July 24th, noon in the Whale Terrarium.
In the Crystal Ball, Yaguba opened his eyes.
Through the glass, he looked at the window of the bedroom, where a blood-red sky was reflected in his vision. Flying fish, carried by the sea breeze and fluorescence, drifted across the sky like a galaxy.
After a long while, he turned his head to look at the interior of the bedroom.
Cezar was sitting at the desk, his eyes lowered, reading a book titled "World Oddity Annals."
"Yaguba... What exactly are you?"
Amid the rustling sound of fingers brushing against the pages, the white-haired, blue-eyed boy suddenly began to speak.
"What are you talking about?" Yaguba replied, "I’m Yaguba, not ’someone’."
Cezar didn’t respond.
Yaguba blinked, quietly observing his expression.
He always felt that Cezar seemed like a different person today, reserved and calm. After all, his closest one died in a cruel manner, filled with resentment, tormented by a sense of powerlessness. Even the weakest of boys would experience some change in their temperament.
But that’s still not enough... If the Third Prince wants to survive, he will have to lose more.
When I finally reveal my fangs to this world, will Cezar stand by my side and together with me smash the Whale Terrarium to pieces? Yaguba wondered.
"Yaguba, did you tell Yikar to steal the fragments, right?" Cezar said while flipping through the book pages, "The security team’s investigation records say Yikar stole a total of over twenty Anecdote Fragments... and these fragments have all disappeared, vanished without a trace."
He paused: "The only thing I can think of is that those fragments are hidden inside your stomach."
Looks like he’s naive, not foolish... thinking of this, Yaguba calmly said:
"I only mentioned that if he had time, he could feed me a bit, and not risk his life doing those things."
"Yikar chose to die on his own accord."
"You mentioned," Cezar said softly, "he wanted me to wake up, right?"
"Can I trust you, Yaguba?" Cezar asked after a moment of silence.
"You don’t need to consider that question. Without me, you’d already be dead." Yaguba said flatly, "Three nights ago, the Second Prince opened the Floating City’s security barrier and placed an assassin in your bedroom."
"What happened to the assassin?"
"Dead, I tossed him into the sea."
"Really?" Cezar asked, "Your target is the Anecdote Fragments in the Royal Court Hall, right? You approached me for those fragments."
Yaguba didn’t care, flicking his round tail.
He thought to himself, my target is to swallow the entire Whale Terrarium, mere fragments are too small to belittle me.
Seeing Cezar silent, he continued, "What are you thinking?"
"I have been wondering why Father the King, despite always being in the Royal Palace, would contract the black plague. Furthermore... in the entire Whale Terrarium, only Father the King was afflicted with the black plague, while no one else showed similar symptoms."
At this point, Cezar’s fingers paused while turning the pages, his gaze lingering on a page in "World Oddity Annals." This page detailed the generational oddity "black plague" with text and illustrations.
He said softly, "I just didn’t want to believe it before."
"It’s your two brothers." Yaguba said, "It must be that they collaborated with the Black Death Sect Leader ’Bernardo Edward,’ poisoning the King. They want to kill you while the King is bedridden, so they can seize the throne."
"But from the start, I’ve always not wanted to vie for the throne with my brothers," Cezar said word by word.
"None of this is up to you." Yaguba stated.
Cezar lowered his gaze, remaining silent for a long time.
He said, "Yaguba, travel the world with me. There are all kinds of Anecdote Fragments scattered around the world. Even generational oddities, I can find for you. You don’t need to dwell on the things in the Royal Court Hall, it’s very dangerous."
Yaguba paused: "Well, that’s nice. But do you really think you can travel the world?"
Cezar seriously replied, "If I explain to my brothers and swear never to return once I leave the Whale Terrarium, considering brotherly bonds, they should spare me... Even Father the King, despite fondness for me, should give up the thought of having me inherit the throne after seeing my long absence."
He paused: "That way, Father won’t get entangled."
Yaguba helplessly said, "That’s just wishful thinking. Why would they bet on you not coming back? And why bet on you being incapable of returning stronger, strong enough to surpass the entire Royal Court?"
"No matter what you say, I’ve already done so." Cezar calmly stated, "Just now, while you were asleep, I sent a message to my brothers using the ’Pigeon Messenger.’
"You’re really foolish." Yaguba remarked, "I believe even if you explain clearly, they won’t let you go."
"How about a bet," Yaguba sighed, "The First Prince and Second Prince will soon send another batch of assassins, probably tonight."
Cezar remained silent for a while, then lifted his head: "Fine, I’ll bet with you."
"What if they don’t want to spare you?"
"Yikar is already dead, and Father has been tormented as such... If I voluntarily leave here and my brothers still won’t let me go, then..." Cezar paused, his head lowered, his white hair covering his face.