While there were many women in the House of Han, there were few who really had a say in things. Phoebe and Emily were among those few. Back then, during Han Shuo's absences, the two of them held a great deal of authority. Even old Stratholme and Ayermike had to respect their opinions.
But since Han Hao's arrival, things have taken a slightly different turn. Thanks to his amazing power and the respect of Bollands, Sanguis and Gilbert, he had quietly become another leader in the House of Han. Phoebe felt a little unhappy that her position had been taken away from her.
Stratholme, Bollands and Gilbert remained silent and watched as Zovic left, tacitly accepting Han Hao's instructions and authority.
Feeling a little annoyed, Phoebe looked at Han Hao and said, "Ossora probably just didn't notice because he was worried about his subordinates, or because he was exhausted from all the fighting. He couldn't have deliberately caused us trouble, could he?"
Emily and Fanny seemed to agree. The women usually got on well together, so it was natural for them to be on the same side.
"Your abilities aren't even close to his level yet, so it's not surprising that you don't know how powerful the senses of an Overgod are. Even if Ossora had been badly injured, his sense should have been able to detect hidden dangers. There's no way he wouldn't have a clue," Han Hao said calmly, not at all bothered by the woman's anger.
After some thought, he decided they shouldn't dwell on the matter. He turned to Bollands, Sanguis and Gilbert. "Gather the core members of the household. We need to stick together in times like this."
"Okay!" Bollands left immediately to carry out this order.
"Han Tu, the five of you should also get ready. The moment anything happens, transport everyone as quickly as possible to the control centre of the formations in Pandemonium. That's where the defences are strongest. You will be able to use the Yuan energy in Pandemonium to block outside attacks. Even the Overgods won't be able to break through as long as Pandemonium's energy reserves are not depleted," he continued without even looking at Phoebe.
The five elite zombies did as they were told without question. It was as if none of them cared about Phoebe's anger. Instead, they saw Han Hao as their leader and did as they were told, ignoring the women's opinions.
"I'm afraid Zovic won't be able to handle it properly. I'll have a look myself," Han Hao said before turning back to Phoebe. "You should also make some preparations. It's best if you go to the control centre immediately. Even though Pandemonium is huge, it is the safest place." Han Hao turned and left immediately.
"I don't see the slightest trace of what he was like before!" Lisa said with a bitter smile.
During their time at the Babylon Academy on the Profound Continent, Little Skeleton had been ordered by Han Shuo to enter Lisa's room at night and give her a severe beating.
Ever since Gilbert had revealed Han Hao's identity as Little Skeleton a few years ago, Lisa had often been reminded of that night. She had always tried to see if Han Hao was the same as before, but apart from the seven bone spurs on his back, she could see nothing resembling his former self.
"He's really transformed! I didn't think a necromancy creature could grow to this point," Fanny said with a sigh. She had known him since he was Little Skeleton, but she had never imagined it would come to this.
"Hmph, he's arrogant and doesn't know his place. I really don't understand how Bryan raised him like that!" Phoebe snapped.
"Ugh..." Stratholme, who hadn't left, felt a little uncomfortable. "He saved us, you know, so you can trust his judgement in such matters. Phoebe, Bryan treats Han Hao like his own son. I don't think he's going to like you calling him an undead creature."
"Bryan really does see him as his son!" Ayermike added. He suddenly seemed to remember something. "Hm... you've all been with Bryan for so long... why haven't you gotten pregnant yet?"
The moment he said this, the women's faces went dark. They looked a little uncomfortable. Stratholme glanced at Ayermike as he thought, "The women can't be jealous of Han Hao, can they?
The more he thought about it, the more plausible it sounded. They hadn't been able to produce an heir for the House of Han for so many years, yet Bryan adopted a madman like Han Hao as his son. As women, they must have found this rather odd.
Stratholme suddenly laughed uncomfortably as this occurred to him. The women were acting this way because of their personal problems.
"Don't tell me Bryan has... problems..." Ayermike asked cautiously. If the women weren't to blame for not getting pregnant, then surely the man was... The question made Phoebe and the others blush. They didn't know what to say.
"Ahem..." Stratholme said, "In terms of age, I think Ayermike and I can be your grandfathers. You can be honest about it. If the problem is with Bryan, perhaps we can find a way to rectify it. This is no small matter, for it is of vital importance to the future of the House of Han! We must take it seriously!"
"Where is your imagination taking you?" Emily snapped. She glanced at Stratholme and Ayermike as she stammered, "It's... it's just... Bryan doesn't want it... he said... he said he wouldn't impregnate us until he'd dealt with all the dangers and threats!"
The moment she said this, the two men understood the situation. Given Han Shuo's power, he could easily control every single part of his body. It would surely be a piece of cake for him not to give any of the women a child.
"I see... Then I guess we'll be waiting for a while. When it is all over and we are safe, it should work," Stratholme said. He felt that this matter was easier to resolve than he had imagined.
"We... we've been waiting a long time. It's been almost a century since we came to Elysium. I wonder how long it will take to make sure all possible threats are neutralised?" Phoebe complained. She seemed rather annoyed about the matter.
"Um... We'll talk to Bryan about it when he gets back. It might just work out, you know," Ayermike said, seeing how longingly the women looked at him.
Surprised and delighted, the three women said, "Really?"
"We'll do our best... I promise..." Stratholme hurriedly gave Ayermike a mischievous smile.
"Thank you very much!" the women said in unison. Ayermike and Stratholme were their seniors, after all. If they talked to Han Shou about it, they might be able to change his mind.
Han Shuo had struggled through thick and thin over the years while they stayed lonely in their rooms, desperately wanting a child of their own in which to place their hopes. Still, they couldn't bring themselves to talk to Han Shuo about it, thinking he would know what they wanted. They hadn't expected him to let their wish go unfulfilled for so long.
"We'll try our best!" Ayermike suddenly found Phoebe and the others rather pathetic. They'd left their families on the Profound Continent to come to Elysium, yet they hadn't been able to spend much time with him here.
Suddenly, a sharp, hissing whistle came through the holes in the walls. The women, who had been shyly discussing matters of procreation with the two elders, were startled and put on grave faces. "This whistle only sounds when the strongest enemy approaches the underground palace. We only heard it once during a drill when the palace was first built. What's going on?" Phoebe asked.
"Go! To the control centre!" Startholme said urgently. He knew this was a crucial time. No one would dare blow the whistle as a joke. There was definitely an emergency at the palace.
"Could Han Hao have been right?" Lisa wondered worriedly.
"Now is not the time to think. Protect yourselves first!" Ayermike shouted. He pressed a button near the whistle and a stone door opened. One by one, they quickly stepped through the door.
...
"Zovic, retreat!" Han Hao said as he stood in front of a cave entrance with his bone spear in his hand. He looked at the lightning-covered Hegemon, Regis, and shouted, "Ossora led you here, didn't he? Where is he?"
Regis giggled without answering his question. He shot out a bolt of lightning that filled the entire cave, leaving no room for Han Hao to escape.
Han Tu, take them all away!" he shouted before driving the bone spear into the cave walls, causing the earth to collapse and block the path between him and Regis. At the same time, his bone spear emitted a fierce glow that formed into a white bone shield in front of him.
"Let's go!" Han Hao said as he pulled Zovic with him.
With Regis around, Isaiah, the Hegemon of Earth, would definitely be nearby, if not inside the underground palace. Han Hao knew they were in for a terrible battle, so it wasn't the best time to mess with Regis.