The robot went back after sending Cillin, Hadar and White Night away from the mountain range.
Just like the giant viper had said earlier, a s.p.a.ceplane was parked in ready for them. They used it to fly back to the landing site.
When they first came to the mountain range, their journey was smooth because the giant viper had acted as their carrier. But without the giant viper to act as deterrence, their s.p.a.ceplane easily caught the curiosity of several flying animals. It would be a bad decision to kill any animals on this planet, so they tried their best to move out of their way.
It took them a while to return from the mountain range to the landing site, but instead of leaving the planet immediately, they rested for a bit and made conversation with each other. The three of them would be cooperating with Kensa from now on, and although their responsibilities were different they were ultimately managing Black Viper as a whole.
Cillin and Hadar were different from White Night and his kind, so neither of them would be sticking their hands in his business. Cillin's main responsibility was academics, so he would be dabbling in that a lot from now on. Still, what should he do with the RAS if he accepted his post? Should he hang up his nameplate in both organizations?
Also, Cillin couldn't understand their confidence in him. Was Guan Feng and the giant viper's agreement really worth that much? Even if they were, there was no chance of him not returning home once he found a way to return to GAL. What would happen to his responsibilities when the time comes?
Kensa became a lot friendlier after he learned that all three of them were acknowledged by the giant viper. It was him that made Cillin realize that the giant viper's opinion mattered a lot to the royal family and the current leaders of Black Viper. The giant viper's long lifespan granted it exceptional intelligence, and the smarter the animal, the more trustworthy their instinct became. At the very least, those who were chosen to lead Black Viper had never proven themselves to be untrustworthy or traitorous. Black Viper was able to maintain their mystique as the strongest underground force for the past one thousand years.
Moreover, there were three people leading Black Viper. Cillin's role was important, but it wasn't like the organization would collapse overnight just because something had happened to a leader. The remaining two leaders were capable enough to handle his part even without royal interference, and they were backed by the Mist Bodhisattva Royal Family.
After resting for a moment and communicating for a bit, Kensa finished what he came here to do and applied for departure. It wasn't a mistake. Even the future emperor of the empire and the three leaders of Black Viper must apply for permission to depart before they were allowed to get on a s.p.a.ceplane. But before they left, a flying robot slightly bigger than the one that carried them away from the mountain range had arrived before them.
“These are the King viper's gifts to you three,” the flying robot said while producing a tray. Above it were four sets of clothes made from the viper's shedded skin.
The giant viper was unique and incredibly long-lived, so its shedded skin was very resistant towards radiation, corrosion, cold and heat. It could also be used as a bullet proof vest, and it was beneficial towards the human body. It was a rare and precious treasure to say the least.
The skin was compressed and processed in a way that it felt thin to touch. However, not even Cillin could tear it apart without exerting some effort.
The clothes were meant for Cillin, Hadar, White Night and Kensa. They were also tailor-made to fit them perfectly.
Honestly, Kensa was a bit shocked by the VIP treatment. After all, no such thing had happened during the last time he was here. One should be thankful that the giant viper had deigned itself to speak with them already, much less create clothes out of its own skin for them! At the very least, none of emperors who came before him had ever received such treatment.
Kensa didn't believe that he was the reason the giant viper had decided to make an exception today; he would've received the gift during the first meeting if that was the case. Therefore, the giant viper must be very satisfied with the quality of Black Viper's current successors…
Everyone was aware how valuable the snake skin outfit was, so they carefully put it away and tried to give their thanks to the robot. But before they could say anything, the robot surprised them and produced a ball and several unique-looking scales. Even more surprising was the fact that these gifts were meant for Wheeze.
Wheeze had mentioned about wanting a ball while they were travelling towards the mountain range earlier, but it didn't think that the giant viper would actually grant its request. It played with the ball for a bit and found it satisfactory. The scales were incredibly heavy and resistant towards its bites and scratches. Wheeze nodded in satisfaction after testing them for a bit.
“These are pretty good. Please tell the giant snake I said thank you!” Wheeze wrapped its tail around the ball before pus.h.i.+ng the scales towards Cillin for safekeeping. It was a sight that caused a twitch in everyone's eyes.
“What are these scales for?” Kensa asked Wheeze.
“To trim my claws and teeth, of course!” Wheeze answered matter-of-factly.
Everyone: “...”
How incredibly wasteful! It might just be the first cat in the universe to receive a thousand-year-old viper scale just to trim its teeth and claws!!
After the goods were delivered, the robot didn't say anything after receiving their thanks, nor did the giant viper try to speak with them through video. Naturally, the group of four had no reason to force such a communication to happen either, so they simply said a few words to the robot before leaving on the s.p.a.ceplane.
When the s.p.a.ceplane started entering s.p.a.ce, all four of them could see the viper above the mountain range; the only creature large enough to be visible from this height. The reason they hadn't spotted it the first time around was probably because it was hanging inside the mountain range.
The giant viper slithered back into the mountain range after the s.p.a.ceplane had vanished from sight completely. With their departure, everything on the planet returned to normal once more. The giant viper was a thousand years old, and its scent drove the animals crazy. It was why a commotion broke out every time it left its lair. It was only when the big fellow returned to the mountain range did the rest of the animals on the upper level of the food chain emerge from their hideouts.
When the group of four returned the s.p.a.ce fortress and switched back to their s.p.a.ceplane, they felt as if a burden was lifted off their shoulders. It was because they couldn't help but feel a solemn pressure when they were inside that special s.p.a.ceplane. This was evident from the fact that Kensa and Hadar became a lot more chatty about their time at the empire after getting on their previous transport.
Wheeze didn't stay with the quartet since it was busy playing with its new toy. In the past, any ball Cillin bought for Wheeze would “retire” after just a couple of hits, but the snake scale ball was way st.u.r.dier. Ignoring the fact that Wheeze wrecked a couple of instruments while it was playing, the return journey went mostly without a hitch.
Kensa felt deeply impressed with Guan Feng and Gu Changan's judgment as he watched Wheeze rolling together with the ball on the floor. He finally understood why they gave the gray cat special treatment; it was all to curry favor with the black viper. If Wheeze hadn't been present during the meeting, the giant viper probably wouldn't have gifted them a snake suit. He might be the prince and future emperor of a galactic empire, but even he didn't dare to waste a thousand-year old snake skin on mere clothes.
They flew back to the planet where they had taken their initial test. The three leaders had known about the results since a long time ago, which was why Guan Feng had summoned some of the VIPs in Black Viper for a meeting. However, Cillin was disappointed to learn that Xi Kai had left for an emergency. A couple of leaders were absent from the meeting due to various reasons as well. Still, almost everyone who was called were gathered in the meeting room to declare and witness Cillin, White Night and Hadar's takeover as the new leaders of Black Viper. Kensa was one of the witnesses as well. Of course, their area of responsibility was different from one another, so each of the official succession would take place at a different time. After the meeting was over, the three successors would speak with the former leader they were going to succeed. For example, Cillin would be consulting Guan Feng on the deeper aspects of his responsibilities, and Guan Feng would explain to Cillin some of the issues he should watch out for.
