Chương 61: Robert’s Planet

Before we knew it, we were back at the portal, ready to be transported to the last planet that had been explored during our solo missions. It was the planet that I had travelled to, the planet that had been thriving with a community of Hoppers all united under one goal: to claim the planet. It was the planet that had suffered from deceit, a planet that should have been claimed many years ago by demons that had lived under the guise of ordinary civilians without a single care in the world.

And I had exposed all of its truths. Well, coincidentally, I did. When the smoke dispersed, an ordinary, mundane portal room was revealed, identical to the ones on Theo's planet, Maya's planet, Planet 501 and Planet Earth. Nothing new to see there. Ben pointed to the ladder at the far end of the room, and eventually, we embarked on the treacherous climb up to the surface. Clack, clack, clack. Clack, clack, clack. Not a single word was said during the journey up.

I couldn't tell whether the silence was due to feelings of awe, fatigue or an unwillingness to speak. Still, since I seldom spoke anyways, I just kept my mouth zipped shut. Clack, clack, clack. We soon reached the surface as silent as ghosts. And that was when the silence was broken.

"This just looks like an ordinary planet." Unsurprisingly, it was Ben who broke the seemingly unending silence. He turned his head from left to right, but all he could see was a forest that was akin to the one on Theo's planet.

"Isn't this basically Theo's planet?" Of course, people who haven't been on this planet before would have similar thoughts to Ben, because it isn't obvious initially where the town and the cliffs were. After all, the portal room was under a fairly tall hill.

"You're right," Theo added.

"Robert said that there was a whole town and impressive cliffs on this planet, but I don't see them anywhere." Since this was my planet, I wanted to speak and point out that we were on a hill, but I couldn't muster the strength to open my mouth and make noise. However, luckily, there was someone else who had been on this planet before, and he was willing to share his expertise.

"We're on a hill," Daniel blurted out.

"We need to descend the hill to get a better view of the town."

"But we've done so much walking already!" Maya wailed, clutching the crown on her head with both hands.

"My feet are gonna get tired!"

"This is the last planet," Theo replied in an attempt to reassure Maya.

"Once we return home, you can lie down on your bed all you want." Maya sighed. I didn't pay attention to the conversation and had already started descending the hill. And that was when the town and the primordial cliffs came into view.

"I still don't see anything!" Ben shouted incessantly.

"All I see are trees and grass. I hope Robert hasn't been lying to us about what he saw."

"Shut your mouth. Robert would never lie about things this significant. Your attention span is abysmal. Just have some patience for once."

"Theo, you can't be giving me lectures on… oh my gosh." That was when Ben saw it for the first time. Below the hill, in the distance, was a settlement. Despite it appearing diminutive initially, Ben was about to realise that the size of this settlement was tantamount to that of a medium-sized city.

"That's the town," Ben said without realising that it had been said aloud; his mouth was agape.

"It's just in the middle of nowhere," Maya added.

"This looks like something from Planet Earth, just an isolated, sad town with nothing around."

"In its heyday, there would be people flocking from all directions, walking to and from the town to the caves, completing missions. Now, there's no one." Daniel's statements evoked nostalgia inside my brain. Since I was an introspective person, I left my thoughts and feelings inside my brain without the need to speak. After all, speaking was not my forte.

"Thousands of people lived in this town for years?" Theo, who had asked that question, was dumbfounded. What he was looking at was the shell of a settlement that had bustling societies, a vibrant community and hectic streets. Sure, it was hard to believe when the first time you see this place is when everybody's left. However, the image of its narrow, cramped streets and all the people that had lived there was never going to leave my brain.

And now, we were just lone explorers who had discovered this abandoned town and wanted to inspect it purely out of curiosity.

"Let's go down there," Maya said, pointing at the town with her finger.

"I want to get a closer look. Is this seriously a ghost town?"

"From here, it looks like everybody's left. I mean, what's the point of people staying here when the planet's already been claimed?" Upon hearing Daniel's remark, Maya zipped her mouth shut. It made sense; there was no need for other Hoppers to stay on a planet which wasn't theirs. We continued walking down the hill, taking in the natural beauty this planet had to offer.

I could finally admire the vast collection of biomes present in just one small area; there was a forest, tall cliffs and marshy land near where the town was built. And that was when they saw it. The cliffs, in all their glory, and the caves that took people into the unknown, mysterious interior of this monumental natural structure.

"Oh my gosh." Theo wasn't able to contain his astonishment. In his eyes, the cliffs were as tall as the tallest skyscrapers in a modern city. The multitude of caves the cliffs had on offer were even more breathtaking in his view.

"I can't believe I'm seeing the caves in person."

"To think that this is all free and in our backyard," Ben said.

"As long as Robert is with us, we can stay on this planet as long as we want."

"Wait, do you want to live here?" Theo asked suddenly.

"What? You seem more intrigued by this planet than me."

"That's true. It's impossible to hide your astonishment when you see something like this. This is true natural beauty. To think that a place like this exists on a planet that isn't riddled with the irremediable wounds humans have created over the years fills my heart with a sense of relief." Ben was speechless; to think Theo could open up like this and share his thoughts was something he thought would never happen in this world. He thought it required an alternate universe for that to happen.

It was the same story for Maya and Daniel. They couldn't speak - their jaws dropped, and no matter how much they tried, any attempt to close their jaws was futile.

"Welcome to Planet 505," I muttered when I was shrouded in silence.

"Take a look." As we walked, the sheer beauty of this place, which couldn't compare to the forests on Theo and Maya's planets, encapsulated us inside a little box where we harboured nothing but feelings of awe and disbelief. Contrary to Planet 501, these planets actually had life, visible signs of happiness and even some sort of emotion. The mind-boggling allure of this planet was impossible to refute. It could be universally accepted as a beautiful planet.

"This is the planet that's had the most failed missions out of all the planets? That's crazy." Theo continued speaking, spewing out all of his thoughts.

"To think that people lived here and witnessed the beauty of this planet every day. In a way, I would want to do that."

"Yeah, you would like to do that when there are no other Hoppers around," Ben added.

"Shut your mouth. Let me think in peace." Soon, we had completely descended the hill and ended up just a few hundred yards away from the town. It was gated, but there were no guards standing at the gates patrolling the area. Instead, replacing the guards, there were some overgrown weeds. It was impossible to tell how much time had passed since Daniel and I last left this planet. It could have been days, weeks, months, or even years.

Spending eight years on this planet could be akin to spending just one on Planet Earth. After all, time flowed differently on each planet. Not every planet had the same cycles and orbit as Planet Earth.

"You said that people guarded this place at one point, right?" Theo asked, directing the question at me and not Daniel. In response to the question, I nodded lightly.

"To think that people guarded this place with their lives… it's absolutely astonishing."

"Shut up, Theo!" Maya bellowed abruptly.

"We don't all need to hear your thoughts! We've got our own thoughts! We're not soulless ghosts!"

"OK. My bad." Without another word being uttered out of anyone's mouth, we carried on, entering the town without the intervention of any guards. After all, the town was open to anyone on the planet now since guards were non-existent. And instantly, Theo was captivated by his surroundings again. The tall buildings which contrasted the buildings back at home, the materials people used to build such structures, and the time it took for people to build stuff like this.

All of it left Theo in awe, unable to fathom how people were this dedicated and determined to claim what appeared to be a measly planet on the surface. The abandoned road we walked on had shops, houses and what appeared to be hotels. In its heyday, this street would be bustling with people going about their usual business, but now, these people were nowhere to be found.

"To think they built all of this in vain…" Theo's words trailed off. One moment, he was staring at the left, where there were signs that succumbed to the wrath of the weather, and the next, he had averted his gaze and was staring at what was to the right of him: houses. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The streets were poorly paved, and weeds were protruding out from the ground.

Some of the tallest ones reached our knees already, making me think twice about how much time had passed on this planet since everyone left.

"To summarise, it's a ghost town," Ben said curtly, staring in all different directions.

"There's no one here."

"You can go into the shops and houses if you want," Daniel said.

"There is no one else here. However, I wouldn't recommend it. The ceilings might fall at any point since these buildings don't look sturdy at all. Besides, this town never had laws."

"Yeah, and that's perhaps why everyone is so ruthless and despicable here," Maya added, harbouring a tinge of hostility and indignation.

"People never bothered to finish the society by creating laws. They're too guilty, and unfortunately, that is something they cannot fix." Daniel remained silent, unable to refute those words. We continued walking, surrounded by dilapidated three-storey buildings that had fallen into disrepair. Cracks were beginning to show on the walls, signifying an undeserving end to these derelict buildings. At least they had served their purpose.

At least they managed to house the Hoppers that had stayed and attempted to claim the planet.

"If you carry on walking," Daniel explained, "you will get to something that will blow your mind away. It is something that will never disappear from the town." Clack, clack, clack.

"Ouch!" Maya fell forward, almost tumbling onto the ground. The crown on her head was only inches away from falling off; Maya fixed it and frantically brushed a few strands of hair away from her eyes.

"Seriously? There are potholes on these streets?"

"Haha." I couldn't help but laugh, despite the fact that the same thing had happened to me during my solo mission. Nevertheless, it was hilarious seeing someone else suffer from it.

"Stupid pothole," Maya murmured as we continued. Clack, clack, clack. I turned my head to the left. I thought I caught a glimpse of the old hotel that I had stayed in during my solo mission: a building painted yellow with a white door and proper windows, a building that looked more well-presented than the others, a building that stood out amongst the crowd of rundown, poorly-managed buildings.

However, I couldn't stop, since the others didn't seem willing to stop and listen to my monotonous monologue about a hotel building. Clack, clack, clack.

"It should be in the distance. You'll be able to see it soon." Clack, clack, clack.

"Oh my gosh." Suddenly, the long chain of buildings that seemed to stretch for miles ended, revealing what appeared to be a town square in the distance, welcoming us with open arms.

"To think something like this existed." Theo, Ben and Maya, who had never seen the contents of this planet until now, were shell-shocked. Their collective feelings of astonishment, awe and bewilderment had united to form one giant ineffable feeling. What they were staring at was an overgrown flat space devoid of any buildings where people could sit, enjoy a meal or just get away from the hustle and bustle of the formerly jam-packed streets. Billboards that hung on buildings were decaying, losing their colour.

Weeds were protruding from the ground. I could finally marvel at the dedication and perseverance of the Hoppers that had resided on this planet for a decade; despite all of their efforts to make this town a bustling, thriving society being in vain, they had still produced a landmark. The fate of this place and all of its man-made beauty was unknown, undetermined. And I finally stumbled upon something that I had missed when I was last at the town square. It was a tall statue that seemed to penetrate into the clouds.

The rocks used to create the statue were weathered, and the patterns were already fading. There was an inscription on one side, but that had already faded due to age. It was by this statue that we all gathered, taking in the beauty of this town and all of the countless hours that it took to make it the place that it is today.

"I can't believe I am a Hopper," Theo said, breaking a seemingly awkward silence where everyone just stared into the distance.

"If I never accepted that question, I would never have seen sights like these that blow my mind away." Ben nodded, unable to refute Theo's words.

"I can't believe we get to see such places," he said dreamily, staring at the billboards and the buildings beyond.

"We definitely made the right decision. This is the best I could've asked for. Every minute, every hour, every moment of being on another planet is one to cherish. And that's why I love being a Hopper."

"Don't forget all the cool stuff we've gotten from our missions!" Maya chimed in, lowering her head and pointing at her crown.

"Even if we don't get massive rewards like this crown, I'll be satisfied with just mana crystals. At least I get something that's worth keeping for the rest of my life."

"Agreed." Silence ensued. However, it was soon broken by Theo again.

"Do you remember the time when I asked you guys about whether you want to be Hoppers? I was reluctant back then. I didn't know what being a Hopper entailed. I thought it was all just killing and bloodshed, but now I realise that's not the case. It renders that conversation back at the restaurant futile." Ben and Maya just smiled at Theo's words. Daniel's face depicted a blank expression.

"Cherish the moment," Theo continued.

"All journeys have to come to an end. If they don't end, you can't call them journeys. They start, and soon, they have to meet their inevitable end. That's how the world works."

"That means we'll soon see Cayman's wicked face again when we return."

"Ben, just shut up." At Maya's snide remark, Ben closed his mouth.

"Be grateful for this opportunity that has been bestowed upon us. Be grateful for all the missions that we have gone on, and be grateful that we've each managed to claim a planet. Be grateful that luck has been on our side so far." Theo's words dug deep into our chests. It looked like he was about to start shedding a wave of joyful tears. He was truly grateful for this unprecedented opportunity, and in truth, so was I. I just couldn't muster the courage to say it aloud.

"We are living a life far from our wildest dreams. We are living a life that not even astronauts can live. This doesn't feel real." As Theo continued speaking, his words got more touching and poignant. He was sharing how grateful he was with the rest of us, and he was sharing all of his thoughts with us. Daniel, on the other hand, seemed as though he couldn't fit in. His face was pallid, devoid of any colour, and his gaze was unsettling.

It was because he was the only person in this group who couldn't show off a planet.

"Let's get going," he said in an awkward voice.

"We still have cave 33 to explore." Ben shot up once Daniel finished his sentence, ready to rush towards the intended destination.

"Wait a bit," Maya said, trying to halt Ben's hasty actions.

"I want to relax for another five minutes." Maya was lying down on the ground with both hands behind her head. Despite this, the crown on her head still didn't fall; it was nestled safely, cushioned by her soft, luscious hair. However, after just a few more seconds, she also shot up, brushing all the dust from her clothes and adjusting her crown.

"Let's go to cave 33," she said bluntly. Daniel sighed. Soon, we were back on the road, walking towards the back gates of this enigmatic ghost town. Maya pestered Daniel with questions about the solo mission, which Daniel answered with a hint of indignation in his voice. Clack, clack, clack.

We continued walking past shops that had either been boarded up or left to rot, hotels with signs that had seen better days, and houses, some of which had doors that were left wide open, welcoming any intruder with a desire to enter. Soon, the terrain of the land changed drastically, indicating that we had left the town. The back gates were also falling apart, suffering from the damage of the natural weather, such as wind and rain.

The long chain of buildings that had stretched from the edge of the town square was no more. Soon, we found ourselves walking on marshy land. One wrong step and you could be stuck in a bog for life.

"The caves look even more imposing from here," Ben said, letting his mouth drop.

"The entrances look larger than when we were on the hilltop. They now look more scary."

"What do those numbers mean?" Maya asked, pointing at the numbers engraved onto the stone. The odd numbers were on the right and the even numbers were on the left.

"Every cave has a number," her brother responded.

"Before, Hoppers were given cards which assigned them to a cave. They would complete all of the missions inside that cave, and they were not allowed to enter any other cave and complete the missions there. That was the method of deception those villains used to try and claim the planet. Luckily for us, they weren't quick enough." Maya's face hardened at the mention of 'deception' and 'villains'. Well, she had to understand someday that some Hoppers exploit their power and use it for villainous reasons.

"Can I go into that cave?" Ben asked Daniel, pointing to the cave with the number 25.

"I'm just curious." However, Daniel shook his head.

"We're staying together until the end. We're all going into cave 33." Soon, after we rounded a bend, a cave with a significantly larger entrance than the rest appeared in our vision. This entrance had more jagged edges, and the abyss that it carried on its back seemed to redefine the word 'darkness'. If all the other entrances were bushes in a forest, then this cave entrance was the tallest tree, penetrating past the leaves and leaving a mark on the forest.

If all the other entrances were ordinary civilians in a country, then this cave entrance was the king. In other words, the reason for this was simple. We had arrived at cave 33. As we climbed the stairs that led to the grand entrance of the cave, Theo, Ben and Maya's mouths dropped, almost to the point of falling off and causing irrevocable damage to their bodies. They were speechless. There was nothing they could say. Clack, clack, clack.

We were as silent as ghosts when we walked into cave 33, just nonchalantly holding our mana crystals so that we could see. Despite there being an absence of burdens being placed on our backs, just by entering the cave, we felt a palpable sense of tension lingering around, refusing to leave. It filled us with chills that travelled around our bodies. Clack, clack, clack. It didn't take us long to stumble upon the first landmark.

"Oh my gosh." Theo couldn't help but break the silence as he shone his advanced mana crystal at the pile of corpses on the ground. It was impossible to discern what animals they were since they were mostly a heap of bones. Maya dropped the crystal she had been holding and covered her mouth with both hands. Right next to the rotting animal corpses lay a human corpse with half of its flesh missing. Its bones were exposed to the eerie sense of dread that filled this cave to the brim.

Where there was skin, there were also cuts that had leaked blood. All of that had dried up.

"These are the remains of the guys that failed the mission," Theo said, meticulously examining the human body.

"This is the result of human deception." This didn't feel like a brief respite anymore; the mood had completely turned sour just because of a human corpse.

"Rest in peace, fellow Hopper."

"Did you take us here just to see this?" Ben asked Daniel with brazen indignation.

"We were having a good time in the town, and now you want to ruin the mood by showing us the dead bodies of our brethren? Go to hell."

"Don't be too harsh on my brother," Maya said, reprimanding Ben but in a light way. Still, Ben hung his head and muttered, "Sorry."

"L-Let's go," I said abruptly once everyone else had offered their respects to the dead Hopper.

"There is treasure deep down somewhere. I promise. Let's carry on." An awkward silence followed once we left the dead Hopper behind. Clack, clack, clack. Clack, clack, clack. We continued walking, only stopping when Ben and Maya saw traces of loose mana crystals being exposed due to the decaying state of the dead beasts. And soon, we saw a speck of yellow light in the distance, similar to that on Maya's planet.

"That's it," I said in a quiet voice.

"That's where the treasure is." Ben and Maya were ready to run towards the room, but Theo and Daniel stopped them and told them that in a cave like this, injuries were prominent, and getting injured only meant carrying more burdens. As a result, we leisurely strolled towards the room where all of the good stuff was. It was just like I remember it to be. A mystical room packed with secrets and mysteries. There were jewels everywhere that came in many different colours: red, white, purple, blue, green, you name it.

It was more than a rainbow of colours. The foul mood instantly lifted at the sight of such jewels.

"Oh my gosh!" Maya screamed in a shrill voice.

"They look so beautiful. I want to take them all so badly! I want my own arsenal of crown jewels!" In response to Maya's sentiment, I said, "Take them. But you can't take them all. Take a few." Maya's eyes instantly lit up, filling with moisture.

"You are literally the best, Robert!" Meanwhile, I saw Theo silently comparing some of the jewels to the necklace he had earned on his planet and Ben thoroughly studying some of the jewels on the other side of the room. Maya had already put on some of the necklaces that matched the extravagance of the elegant crown on her head, as well as some of the bracelets and rings. That reminded me of something: the jewellery I took last time was still somewhere in my inventory. I opened my inventory and pulled out the loot.

Just by holding them in my hands prompted a system window to pop up. [Owner's Jewels] Level: advanced Description: these are the jewels that the owner of 'Planet 505' wears. They are used to show other Hoppers that you are the rightful owner of the planet. One of a kind. They consist of the Owner's Necklace, Owner's Bracelet and Owner's Ring. When all three are worn on the body, the owner sees an increase in power. Wow, I thought to myself. Although I don't like jewellery that much, this will be very helpful.

One by one, I put on all the jewellery. And soon, another system message appeared. [All of your traits have increased by 5 points!] Nice. At least the description didn't lie to me.

"Take whatever you want," I called out, showing no signs of being socially awkward.

"Don't take everything. Once you've taken what you want, we're heading back." In return, I got nods from Theo, Ben and Maya. Although we wanted to stay on this planet for longer and explore the rest of the town, we still had a duty to uphold. The duty to be Hoppers and to claim planets. The duty to fight using the skills that we have gained. The duty to keep out evil and help the Hopper society flourish and grow.

And finally, the brief respite that we had earned after our burdensome solo missions had come to an end. However, we didn't care that much since we weren't going back to Earth empty-handed. When we reached the portal, the only emotion that permeated the air was happiness. Earth was calling for us, and we were finally going to respond. And when we returned, there was a system window waiting for us, ready to be revealed. [One unread message.]