Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again.-Chapter 567: Please, don’t propose!

The King jumped from his seat. "Southern part! That is enemy territory. Where exactly did you go? The Gorge trench?"

Sunshine shook her head vehemently. "The Abysal forge your highness."

The King relaxed visibly and took his seat. "And here? Have you been in my kingdom before?"

Sunshine’s heart did a somersault. "N-no, Your Majesty. I’m pretty sure I’d remember that."

"Have we met?" he pressed, his voice dropping into a suspicious growl. "Are you a spy? You have the look of a spy. I am not sure, but you look familiar." He rolled his finger, resting a part of his head against his fist, with a bored look on his face. "Turn around," he commanded.

Sunshine frowned but still did as he instructed.

"Now pose--legs akimbo! Hmm. Try the heroic stance."

Sunshine remained confused as to why the poses were necessary.

"Let’s see a dramatic swoon." He ordered.

Nine sniggered.

Sunshine glared at him, but still obediently swooned like a bad actress on a national stage. She wondered for a moment if she had accidentally aroused a romantic interest in the king!! "God, I hope not," she mumbled. Maybe, if he looked like the heroic figure she had pictured in her mind, she would be flattered, but he was ancient. And he had a pot belly! If he tried to forcefully keep her here as his concubine, she would have to escape, no matter what the council thought.

"Try running across the room and returning?" He requested.

Sunshine looked at Vortan and he nodded.

It took her a minute to run to one end of the room and return.

The king shook his head. "No, that’s not it. Why do you look so familiar?" he muttered. "Have you done business here before? Are you the one that sold me that questionable seaweed honey smoothie? Is it that I have seen you in my dreams?"

Sunshine shook her head, praying that he was not about to propose. "Your Majesty, I assure you that I have never done business in your empire before. I have never even set foot here before today so no, I did not sell you that smoothie."

The king sighed, belly wobbling. "Why were you in the Abbysal forge? Only dangerous wild creatures live there."

Sunshine could see her own nervous reflection staring back at her on the polished floor. Why in the world was he still questioning her?

The King sat atop a throne, looking down at Sunshine with the kind of amused pity one usually reserves for a puppy trying to climb a flight of stairs.

Vaelor glared at Sunshine. "Is something wrong with your mouth human?" He asked. "Answer the King when he asks a question."

"I was looking for Spikers, Your Majesty." She replied stiffly.

The room went deathly silent for exactly one second.

Then, the King exploded. He didn’t just laugh, he cackled.

He leaned back, his massive chest heaving, his webbed hands slapping the arms of his throne. "Spikers! She wants Spikers!"

The other males in the room joined in, their deep voices echoing off the walls.

Even Nine, caught up in the infectiousness of it all, let out a snort. "Spikers? Sunshine, you can’t even find your wrench half the time!"

Vortan’s head snapped toward Nine, his eyes narrowing into two icy slits. The look was so sharp it practically cut Nine’s laugh mid-air. Nine immediately turned his gaze to his shoes, suddenly very interested in the stitching of his suit.

The King dabbed at his shimmering eyes with a silk cloth. "Oh, this surface dweller is amusing. That is the most delicious joke I’ve heard in a long time. A ’futile mission’ is an understatement. It is a death sentence."

Sunshine didn’t flinch. She lifted her head, her chin tilting up just a fraction. "My first mission was futile," she said, her voice steady. "I barely made it out alive."

The King’s laughter began to taper off into a smirk. "As expected."

"But" Sunshine continued, "I went back. And on the second visit, I managed to reach them."

The King’s smile didn’t just fade; it dropped like a stone in a trench. The warriors around the room forgot their protocol. Necks craned, and heads that were supposed to be bowed in royal presence snapped up to stare at this tiny, short female and human at that!

"You are serious?" the King asked, his voice losing its humor and gaining a dangerous edge.

"I would never lie to a King," Sunshine replied. "I like my head attached to my neck, thanks."

The King leaned forward, his massive shadow falling over her. "If it is true, then tell me... what is the color of the Levias marrow extract? What does the lifeblood of the deep-sea creature look like?" He tested her.

Sunshine didn’t hesitate. "It’s orange. Like a sunset trapped in a bottle."

The King froze. He stared at her for a long beat, his oil-slick eyes searching her face for a twitch, a blink, any sign of a bluff. He found nothing.

"It is indeed orange," the King whispered. He suddenly stood up, his massive frame looming, and began to clap. It was a slow, heavy sound that filled the hall. "She did it! A female... a weak, air-breathing surface dweller reached the Spikers and harvested marrow!" He let out a cheer that sounded like a whale’s song. "Incredible!"

But just as quickly as the celebration started, the King’s brow furrowed. He sat back down, his expression turning serious. "But why? Why would you risk becoming sea food? Why did you want the Spiker?"

"To save my people," Sunshine said, her voice softening with genuine emotion. "Back on Earth, we’re struggling. This marrow extract... it has uses we’re only beginning to understand. It’s medicine. It’s hope for us."

The King leaned his chin on his hand, studying her. "You speak of ’your people’ with the weight of a mountain. Tell me, surface dweller... are you a ruler?"

Sunshine thought of fortress four and the survivors who looked to her when things went sideways. She shrugged slightly, a small, tired smile playing on her lips. "Something like that," she said. "I’m mostly the one keeping my people alive but of course I am not as mighty as you are your highness."

Something like that?" he roared, shaking his head. "Of course you cannot be! I am a great ruler. I rule over this vast, infinite sea, over cities of pearls and armies of the deep. You?" He looked at her small frame, chuckling like she was the funniest joke in the galaxy. "You are just a tiny spark from a dry planet. But I still cannot underestimate you since you caught a Spiker. How impressive, human female."

Sunshine gulped, the fear of a possible marriage proposal waiting in the dark returned. She regretted telling the truth, just to prove she was not weak!