On the Ark.

"You guys are pretty lucky." A deep, gruff voice rang in Lin Ye's ears. "You just happened to run into the Fourth Princess's engagement ceremony."

Lin Ye turned his head and looked at the Iron-Eating Beast standing next to him, wearing a mask and sunglasses, completely covered from head to toe.

"Why are you dressed like this?" Lin Ye asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Afraid of being recognized? Have you forgotten who I am?"

"What identity?" Lin Ye couldn't recall it immediately.

Are you kidding me?

"Oh..." Lin Ye remembered, leaning back slightly, "I almost forgot you're an international movie star."

"Hey, keep it low-key." The Iron-Eating Beast waved its hand and said, "Don't make a fuss, I don't want others to know. Is it just my imagination? I always felt that what you said just now didn't sound like a praise, but rather like sarcasm."

"No, no, no," Lin Ye shook his head repeatedly. "How could I dare to mock an international movie star?"

"Your words are even more sarcastic now, aren't they? Believe me or not, I'll kick you." The Iron-Eating Beast rolled her eyes, but Lin Ye couldn't see her because she was wearing sunglasses.

"Speaking of which..." Lin Ye looked at the Iron-Eating Beast with some suspicion, "You and we aren't from the same travel agency, are you? How come you came down together? You haven't finished enjoying your luxury package at Fubo Temple yet, have you?"

“Hey, that kind of thing doesn’t matter,” said the Iron-Eating Beast. “I just came out to relax and have some fun. Now I find that following you guys is obviously more fun than staying in the temple, so what’s the point of staying in the temple? Maybe I can meet another divine beast if I follow you.”

Lin Ye was speechless: "Where are there so many mythical beasts to encounter..."

"Oh, just an example. And it would be great if I joined. I can't be of much help here, but I can in Los Angeles." The Iron-Eating Beast took off its sunglasses and winked at Lin Ye. "You probably wouldn't want to stay in that cheap hotel booked by this travel agency, would you? I can book you the best suite in the best hotel in Los Angeles."

"How good can it be?" Lin Ye was somewhat dismissive.

"Perhaps the fourth princess, who is about to hold her engagement ceremony, lives across the street."

Lin Ye thought about it and found it quite interesting. Although he didn't know this so-called Fourth Princess, living opposite a princess did seem like a very prestigious thing. It would be even better if he could take some photos to remember the occasion. That way, he wouldn't just have seen goddesses, female demons, goddess beasts, and female deep-sea warriors in this world, but also a real princess. That would broaden his horizons in another way.

Thinking this way, Lin Ye realized he simply couldn't refuse the Iron-Eating Beast. Besides, even if he refused, it wouldn't make a difference. The Iron-Eating Beast had paid for the travel agency itself, so even if he disagreed, could he talk to the travel agency about it? It was simply impossible. He just didn't know how long the Iron-Eating Beast would stay with them. It couldn't possibly follow them all the way to Rhodes Island, could it?

With this in mind, the group boarded the tour bus again. They sat directly in the last row. Lin Ye placed Messiah on his lap, let Nian sit next to him, and then discussed the rest of the itinerary with Warfarin. Although Nian's appearance had somewhat disrupted their plans, they couldn't forget the purpose of their visit.

“Changing the destination is perfect. I don’t want to go to any nunnery,” Warfarin said. “I looked it up online, and there’s a huge library in Los Angeles. I’ll go there and do some research.”

"Wow." The Iron Eater looked at Warfarin with great admiration. "You're on vacation and you're thinking of going to the library. Is this what researchers are like? You're really dedicated."

Warfarin frowned slightly: "Why does your sarcastic tone sound so much like Lin Ye's?"

Lin Ye, innocently taking the blame, said, "What does this have to do with me?"

Skadi, sitting in the far corner, glanced at Lin Ye and Nian, who was sitting next to Lin Ye, but said nothing.

"Hey, I found a picture of the fourth princess of Yan Kingdom online!" Grani said excitedly. "She's so beautiful, let me show you."

Warfarin glanced at it.

"Is it just my imagination?" Warfarin murmured. "I feel like she looks a bit like someone."

Lin Ye sneezed.

Chapter 543 Ying Li

"Your Highness," an aged voice rang out, "Prince Haoguang arrived in Luo City at seven o'clock this morning. He said he wants to see you."

Ying Li slowly opened her eyes, raised her head, and looked at the old man sitting in the driver's seat through the rearview mirror.

“What’s there to see?” Ying Li said. “The engagement ceremony hasn’t even started yet.”

“But he is, after all, your fiancé.” The old man smiled and looked up at the stunning woman sitting in the back seat in the rearview mirror. “It is only natural to meet your future wife before the engagement ceremony.”

"What? Are you worried that my photos are heavily edited, so you want to check out the goods beforehand so you can return them if they don't match the description?"

The old man said with a hint of helplessness, "You're telling this kind of joke again. You are the fourth princess of my Great Yan. Who would dare to look down on you? Not even the crown prince of the Eastern Kingdom."

"Maybe," Ying Li said calmly, "but I still don't want to see him. I can just find some excuse to turn him down."

"This……"

"Isn't it easy to find a reason? Just say I'm too shy, and because I've been thinking about marrying into the Eastern Kingdom all night, I'm too excited to sleep, so I've been suffering from insomnia and my mental state is not good," Ying Li said sarcastically. "Isn't it easy to come up with several reasons like that?"

“Well… then so be it. Indeed, meeting at the engagement ceremony might be more effective,” the old man said. “Next is the invitation from His Highness the Second Prince. He will arrive in Luo City tomorrow. He said he misses you very much and hopes to see you at the Prince’s residence tomorrow.”

"not see."

The old man was even more troubled: "Your Highness, you can choose not to see Prince Haoguang, after all, he wasn't your fiancé before the engagement ceremony. But the Second Prince is your brother, it seems a bit... inappropriate for you to avoid him..."

Ying Li glanced at the old man and asked, "What is it?"

The old man dared not continue speaking.

“A brother who wished I would marry into the Eastern Kingdom and then die there,” Ying Li said. “He used me to gain the Eastern Kingdom’s support for his succession to the throne, in order to fight against his elder brother who was gradually losing favor with the Emperor. What a good brother he is.”

"Your Highness!" the old man had to speak up, "You can say these things to me, but you absolutely mustn't mention them to anyone else. Your marriage was personally arranged by His Majesty. If your words reach His Majesty's ears, then..."

“I know that very well, you don’t need to say more,” Ying Li said. “I will obediently marry into the Eastern Kingdom. As for my eldest and second brothers’ affairs, they are none of my business. I neither want to get involved nor can I get involved.”

As she spoke, Ying Li felt a bit suffocated, so she rolled down the car window to let the wind from the roadside blow in, which made her feel a little better.

The old man also fell silent, and after letting Ying Li calm down a bit, he slowly spoke.

"Your Highness, there's something I've always wanted to say, but I don't know if I should."

"You should have known whether you could say such a thing when you asked it," Ying Li glanced at the old man and said, "Go ahead and say it. I've already said so many outrageous things, what else can you say?"

"Your Highness is not a rebellious person. On the contrary, in my heart, Your Highness is the most reasonable person. Neither the First Prince nor the Second Prince can compare to Your Highness in this respect. Your Highness's willingness to marry into the Eastern Kingdom is the best proof of this..."

"Stop beating around the bush, just say what you want to say."

“This is not just me beating around the bush; these are my heartfelt words,” the old man sighed. “Your Highness, I know that among all the princes, you and the Third Prince are the closest. It is precisely because of the Third Prince’s matter that you have fallen out with His Majesty and the Second Prince.”

Ying Li, unusually, did not refute the old man's words, but simply listened in silence.

“But Your Highness, the Third Prince is indeed very special. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been hidden away in the deep palace for decades,” the old man said. “I cannot go into the specific reasons, but Your Highness knows that the Third Prince…”

"Alright," Ying Li interrupted the old man. "What's the point of bringing up someone who's been dead for five years? Besides, he's a taboo subject for Father and Second Brother. Even I can't mention him. If you don't want to die, you'd better forget about him."

“Of course I know. But just as Your Highness treats me like family and is willing to tell me everything, I am also willing to speak frankly with Your Highness,” the old man said. “If Your Highness does not wish me to bring it up again, then I will not say it.”

Ying Li gave a faint "hmm".

After the car drove for about ten more minutes, Ying Li suddenly spoke up: "I know how everyone sees him. A cowardly, withdrawn fool, trapped in the deep palace for more than ten years, even the palace maids can bully him and call him a stupid prince in private."

"Your Highness..."

“But so what?” Ying Li’s voice gradually changed. “No matter how dull, stupid, or cowardly he is, he is still the one who treats me like a little sister the most. He is the kind of person who would save even a piece of candy for me… If I have a brother, it should be, and can only be, him. Not the one who outwardly acts as the closest to me but actually wants me to marry into the Eastern Kingdom for personal gain.”

The old man didn't look up at the rearview mirror because he knew Ying Li too well and knew that her eyes should be red at this moment.

The Fourth Princess would never lose her composure under any circumstances, unless the Third Prince was mentioned.

Thinking back to his experiences in the palace more than a decade ago, this was not something difficult to understand, and even he felt a pang of heartache.

“Very well, Your Highness.” The old man sighed softly. “We will not go to see Prince Haoguang, nor will we go to the Prince’s residence to see the Second Prince tomorrow. Young girls in Yan Kingdom regard the days before marriage as their last freedom, and so do you. Just tell me where you want to go and what you want to do.”

Ying Li subtly wiped her eyes, then said softly, "Even so, I am, after all, a princess, and cannot be too willful. Do you remember the Starlight Hotel?"

"remember."

"The white fungus and lotus seed soup there tastes quite good," Ying Li said.

“Alright.” The old man nodded. “We’ll go there.”

……

"The white fungus and lotus seed soup at this hotel is really good," Shi Tie Shou said, showing everyone on his phone.

"Hey, is it really okay not to go with a tour group?" Grani asked.

"Hey, it's no big deal," said the Iron-Eating Beast. "With a native Yan country like me, why would you need to join a tour group? But if you really want to join, that's fine, but you should stay somewhere nice. I've already told Lin Ye that we'll be staying here for the next few days, and I'll cover all the food and lodging."

Iron-Eating Beast originally thought her boldness would be praised by everyone, but she didn't expect that everyone was still talking about the Fourth Princess.

"Sigh, I always feel that this fourth princess looks a bit like Lin Ye," Warfarin said.

Lin Ye glanced at Warfarin: "That's because you Westerners all see Easterners as having the same face, okay?"

"Those are all unfamiliar, clueless foreigners. Do I look like a clueless foreigner to you?"

"You can remove the word 'like'." Lin Ye rolled his eyes.

Grani then said, "The marriage between the Yan Kingdom's princess and the Eastern Kingdom's crown prince... it's quite interesting to think about. I wonder what the engagement ceremony will be like."

“It’s bound to be a grand affair,” said the Iron-Eating Beast. “This is the wedding of a princess from the Yan Kingdom; the occasion can’t be small.”

"Really been waiting!"

"Don't forget why we came here. Stop thinking about having fun! We still need to contact the local pharmaceutical companies... Ah, Nian, don't bite into the sausage! Are you a dog?!"

"How come the sausage is cooked again!" Grani exclaimed.

"Ahem, that's not important. By the way, I saw the First Prince and Second Prince of Yan on the news, but why isn't there a Third Prince? Or is he also a princess?" Lin Ye quickly changed the subject.

"The Third Prince has died young," the Iron-Eating Beast explained.

While everyone was making a ruckus, Skadi looked at the photo of the Fourth Princess on her phone, and then looked up at Lin Ye's profile.

"They really do look somewhat alike," Skadi thought to herself.

……

……

Author's note: I wonder if all those princes have confused you guys, but I don't think so.

As for those who say that the plot of Lin Ye being a prince is cheesy, well, I can't help it. That's how I originally intended to write it, and it's also to fit the book's premise. Furthermore, the Yan Kingdom in this book is a heavily modified version of my own creation; it doesn't allude to any specific political faction, and Lin Ye won't become an emperor. Within the context of the entire book, this volume is just a larger side story, that's all.

Chapter 544 Brother and Sister

Half a day later, the bus arrived in Los Angeles.

Before this, Lin Ye had always thought that Lungmen was the most developed and modern city in Terra. But after arriving in Los Angeles, a city whose modernization was in no way inferior to Lungmen, and whose scale was several times larger, the highways outside the city, the elevated highways and subways within the city, and the airplanes and airships under the blue sky all proclaimed the city's prosperity. It gave Lin Ye the illusion of having traveled back to some major cities in his previous life.

"This is Luo City after all," the Iron-Eating Beast said with a hint of pride, arms crossed. "Luo City served as the eastern capital of Yan Kingdom for a period of time, so its scale goes without saying. And most importantly, Luo City is also a mobile city."

Grani was also surprised: "Los Angeles is a mobile city? But it's so big!"

“Because it’s divided into four parts,” Warfarin, who was well-read, said. “Los Angeles has four main Originium-powered engines and eight secondary Originium-powered engines. In the event of a natural disaster, Los Angeles will be divided into four parts to avoid the disaster. In this world, only Chang’an, the current capital of Yan Kingdom, can do better than this.”

Even Warfarin, who has lived for hundreds of years, couldn't help but sigh at this.