System's POV

"You sure have many requests as of late, Thirteen," Laplace Demon said as he fixed the glasses on his face with his middle finger.

"… You wore glasses so you could have an excuse to give me the middle finger, didn't you?" Thirteen asked in curiosity.

"Of course not. I just feel like wearing them today."

"You wore them when I requested a meeting?"

"That's right."

Laplace Demon and The One had been busy cleaning up the aftermath of the war in the Cygni Continent.

It wasn't easy opening a portal in the Valbarra Archipelago to send some reinforcements to help Thirteen during his war.

They had to break a few rules that they had set beforehand, so mending it took considerable time and power.

Thinking that the pathway they had created between the Valbarra Archipelago and Pangea might become useful in the future, they decided not to close it completely.

Instead, they had added a function to the monument, which the locals of the archipelago treated as a site of pilgrimage.

Wanderers could visit Solterra anytime, but those from Solterra cannot go to Pangea.

This was the rule they had established in the past, and the portal that Thirteen's monument in the Valbarra Archipelago could now open was the only exception to that rule.

"Let me get this straight," Laplace Demon fixed his glasses with his middle finger for the second time. "You want us to grant permission for Camazotz, Zapar, Erasmus, and Cranky to cross the sea to head over to Antares, right?"

"Right." Thirteen nodded.

"And you're asking this knowing that we have placed restrictions on each continent, preventing any Jinn that was Rank 3 or higher from leaving it, right?"

"Right."

A sigh escaped the demon's lips as he looked at the teenage boy, who seemed confident that his request would be approved.

"And what makes you think that I'll give them clearance to do this?" Laplace Demon inquired.

"It's because we are only three arcs away from the ending," Thirteen answered.

"What are you talking about?" Laplace Demon blinked. "Sorry to disappoint you, but we're not living in some kind of fictional world. Give me a good reason why I should allow you to take two Majin Princes, a High Archon, and a Celestial to Antares, instead of saying a bunch of nonsense.

(A/N: *Gasps*)

Thirteen smirked. "Because if you don't let them, the next few chapters will be nothing but filler."

Laplace Demon gave him a deadpan look. "… You do realize that talking like this makes me want to deny your request out of spite, right?"

"The readers will riot," Thirteen replied firmly. "Do you want riots, Laplace? Because that's how riots happen."

"… You little brat." Laplace Demon rubbed his temples, clearly torn between amusement and irritation. "Fine. Drop the nonsense and tell me the real reason."

Thirteen finally turned serious and said the real reason behind his request.

"It's because I need manpower to take over Artem," Thirteen said in a serious tone. "I've been a System for a very long time, so I know that the final battle will not be in Pangea but Solterra.

"If I manage to get the cooperation of the Artemians and the Chandreans, the final battle that will decide the fate of the worlds under the management of The One will have a higher chance of surviving.

"Laplace, this is the only time we can do this. While the barrier between the worlds is thin, I must get a foothold on Artem. Everyone's future depends on it."

The One, who was listening to the conversation, was also taking the teenage boy's words seriously.

The reason they had erected barriers on each continent was to prevent the Jinns from leaving and attacking the other continents where the Wanderers lived.

Agreeing to Thirteen's request might sound simple, but it was actually tricky to execute.

It was a law that had been imbued into the world of Pangea itself. This meant that if they decided to agree to Thirteen's request, they had to lower the barriers on all the continents at the same time.

If the Jinns in Antares noticed this change, they might use this opportunity to travel to the Sirius Continent and wreak havoc on the most populated place in the world.

Also, just as Thirteen had assumed, the moment the Majin Princes and Princess appeared in Cygni, similar beings had also crossed over to Antares.

This was the reason why he decided to bring Camazotz, Zapar, Erasmus, and Cranky with him. Only if he had all of them with him could he intimidate the other factions.

Of course, Thirteen knew the intricacies behind the barriers, so he needed to gain the approval of Laplace Demon and The One to make it happen.

If not, he would have no choice but to head to Artem with only Camazotz, Cranky, and the Leventis Family to support his endeavors.

Although there was a chance that they would be able to conquer Artem, it would take far too long to do it.

And, Thirteen knew that time wasn't on their side.

His instinct as the System of Cannon Fodders understood that he only had a few years at most before the final battle would be sparked in Solterra.

"How long will you be in Antares?" Laplace Demon asked.

"I don't know." Thirteen admitted. "It will depend on the negotiations."

"There's a chance that the Jinns in Cygni would take this opportunity to leave it, you know?" Laplace Demon stated. "You might be allies now, but there are still those who harbour malicious intent and are only biding their time."

"I know." Thirteen nodded. "But I truly can't go to Antares on my own. It's just not possible to convince Jinns unless you use force to make them submit."

The Jinns followed the law of the jungle. Only the strongest had the say in anything.

This made the Kingdom of Valoria unique—they were able to hold their neutrality in a world where conquest was a very normal thing.

"Give us three days to think about it." Laplace Demon finally relented. "We'll see what we can do."

"Thank you," Thirteen replied.

He felt a little relieved because Laplace Demon didn't downright reject his proposal. This meant that they would find a way to send Cranky and the others to Antares with him to act as backup.

Of course, their priority was the safety of the Wanderers.

If they couldn't find a way to do Thirteen's request while maintaining the safety of Pangea, they would turn down his proposal no matter how much they wanted to help him.

Thirteen understood this as well, so he left the Celestial Realm and returned to Casimir City.

Three days later, Laplace Demon came to find him and told him the verdict of the God of Wanderers.

"You can only take Cranky with you," Laplace Demon said. "Since he is now a Paragon, he can break some laws of the world. I'm sorry, but bringing down the barriers poses too much of a risk at this point in time."

"I guess I will have to improvise when I get there." Thirteen sighed. "Thank you for everything Laplace. I'll also need your help once I manage to conquer Artem."

"Just hearing those words is already enough to give me a headache." Laplace Demon pinched the bridge of his nose. "However, remember this, Thirteen. We are on your side."

"Really?" Thirteen arched an eyebrow. "Will you take my side even if I fight against Gods?"

"… Just do things in moderation okay?" Laplace Demon coughed lightly.

"No promises."

"I knew you'd say that."

Laplace Demon sighed before returning to the Celestial Realm.

He knew that Thirteen and his father, Deus Ex Machina, would have their final showdown.

But no matter how much they thought about it, they didn't think that Thirteen stood a chance against his father if he were to fight the System God at full power.

After his talk with Laplace Demon ended, he informed his lovers, his grandfather, as well as those who were part of his inner circle that he would be leaving Cygni in two days to head to Antares.

"It's too bad I can't accompany you, Thirteen," Camazotz said. "But since Kamrusepa can cross over to that side, she will definitely take care of you in my place."

"It is quite regrettable indeed," Zapar commented. "I would like to see what kind of Jinns are present in the other continents."

After doing some small talk with his two allies, Thirteen went to look for Siri and found her in Mikhail's room.

"We're leaving in two days," Thirteen said. "I hope that you'll be ready to guide us by then, Siri."

"Understood." Siri nodded before glancing at Mikhail, who looked a little sad that she would be away for a time.

Mikhail lowered his guard whenever he was with family or with his lovers, allowing them to see his real expression.

Clearly, the relationship between him and Siri had progressed since the young lady asked to become his lover, to which Mikhail agreed .

Since he didn't want to take more of her time, Thirteen left to spend time with his lovers before going on another long journey.

The moment the teenage boy left, Siri hugged Mikhail tightly and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Take care of yourself when you return, okay?" Mikhail said before kissing Siri's forehead. "I'll miss you."

"Then, let's make it worth our while," Siri replied and kissed Mikhail's lips.

When their kiss ended, she held Mikhail's hand and led him to the bedroom, where they would create memories that would last them until their next reunion.

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A/N: We are having a very strong typhoon right now, and I'm getting power interruptions. Only one chapter for today, and I'll post regular chapters tomorrow when the weather is more favorable.