Ling Ye’s expression went blank in that instant.
Cheng Xuan watched Ling Ye’s face.
His vitality was rapidly ebbing away.
“No need to blame yourself, Ling Ye, this is the ending a teacher ought to have, I have to go report to His Majesty Clansis—neither His Majesty Amos, nor the next emperor of Holy Cas…need to worry.”
“The members in the future plan have always been compared to the Crown Clan, desperately struggling to catch up—some have fallen behind, but I’m quite glad that, even with my unpopular and awkward temperament, I didn’t stray completely from the path—Ling Ye, there are things we can do on our own.”
Amos’s expression remained calm, hardly moved.
He simply couldn’t understand Cheng Xuan, nor did he like such a scheming man.
It was just that dislike aside, because of Cheng Xuan, and because of the confrontation between Holy Cas’s future plan and the Crown Clan, the Hymn Organization let its guard down and acted a bit rashly, resulting in a strike—after all, although the Crown Clan had dealt with one of Hymn Organization’s senior members, as well as some middle-level members, after that, it became much harder for Holy Cas to encounter high-ranking figures from Hymn Organization.
So even towards this plan he’d never taken seriously, Amos could still keep a considerate margin.
Cheng Xuan also knew that, just for this, regaining Amos’s trust would be extremely difficult.
He lowered his eyes, looking at Amos with utmost respect: “Your Majesty Amos—the Ninth and Tenth Army Groups should have laid a net outside…please have all Holy Cas warships open their information receivers—”
Amos turned to look at Cheng Xuan.
Plenty spoken by the Crown Clan was never on the surface, but that didn’t mean they were in the dark.
“Getting the Hymn Organization’s trust, being able to make them act so rashly, there’s one more thing—”
Cheng Xuan slowly closed his eyes.
“The precondition for winning trust, is for them to think I have something I absolutely wouldn’t give up. Special implanted comms that could restrain me. Of course, I also left a little trick, enough to restrain them as well, triggered the instant my heartbeat stops. After that, a contact from Hymn Organization told me…”
Cheng Xuan’s voice was already intermittent, growing faint.
The beating in his chest was gradually fading.
“Her codename is ‘Gentleness.’”
One of Hymn’s seven high-levels—one of the Seven Virtues, ‘Gentleness.’
*
“Glad we left fast.”
On a starship, right before Holy Cas moved in full and chaos was brewing, they silently slipped away.
This was a specially made starship; for the Hymn Organization, which also boasted countless labs in the interstellar, escaping as long as they weren’t locked on was relatively easy.
A tall woman stood before the command platform, gazing at the star chart and the Holy Cas region trailing behind their ship.
She gave a cold laugh: “The Crown Clan really is sharp and acts fast, but that’s all. The act of stealing the power of gods—Crown Clan is merely a panicked, patching-up thief.”
“Ma’am, are we going to the Holy Chalice Clan next?”
“No, no need.”
The tall woman stretched out her hand, draping her cloak resting on the seat over her arm, and pulled out a necklace from it, putting it on.
“The operation against the Holy Chalice Clan is going smoothly—this time, I did get a bit hasty. After seeing those small Holy Chalice clansmen sent out, I just can’t stand the thought of these ageless kinds stealing the power of gods and existing for so long—”
A gentle smile curled her lips: “I want the gods themselves to judge them for their crimes.”
“The Holy Chalice Clan certainly has a keen sense for catastrophe, and they’ve hidden for hundreds, thousands of years as ageless kinds. We already found their weakness, yet their clan chief still managed to protect so many, even sent out their young clan chief.”
“That’s right, so when I told that kid there seemed to be trouble in his clan, he didn’t believe it—haha, but isn’t this what the Holy Chalice Clan always does? I just had him use his own Holy Chalice to check and it worked out fine—if you want the Holy Chalice Clan to contract a plague targeted at them, you need to witness their Holy Chalice.”
Gentleness walked out from the shadows of the command station, her pink dress puffy and adorned with bows. There was no sign of rebellion or impatience on her anymore, just endless smiling—the northern Free Federation’s true princess, Zhi Yan, who’d always disliked and been annoyed with Xi Jin.
“Stupid and hilarious, that little Holy Chalice was awfully proud, but also dumb. No matter how much Holy Cas protected, no matter how much the elders in his clan paid attention, if you’re dumb there’s nothing to be done, he’s finished. Though it’s thanks to the Inquisitor distracting the firepower that it’s a bit dangerous this time.”
Gentleness slowly donned her cloak: “Really underestimated the Crown Clan—originally I just wanted to test if that old man was truly so sincere, forget it…wiping out a small Holy Chalice was an unexpected windfall.”
She was very cautious, especially upon arriving in Holy Cas territory; she made ample preparations beforehand, and ensured she could get away smoothly however things unfolded—be it this hidden starship, the Inquisitor, her other body doubles, or the trump cards in these high-levels’ hands.
Still, it almost went awry.
“How decisive, how arrogant—”
Crown Clan.
Gentleness sat back down—too lazy to return to the Free Federation she’d joined after being ‘attracted by the gods’ and which had gradually been devoured by her, a dangerous place now.
She decided to head for the Hymn Organization’s mobile base.
Leaning against her chair, she closed her eyes and lightly hummed a song—thinking about the little Crown Clan member she’d seen at the banquet.
Such a pity she hadn’t managed to take care of that little one—
“Check on that old man, did he escape? Where is he now? Splitting Holy Cas was even harder than I imagined…that old man, useless as expected, the people of Holy Cas are all beguiled now, all good-for-nothings, cut off from the Crown Clan, they…can’t do a thing, but if we get in touch, might still be useful.”
Gentleness wasn’t frustrated at her plan failing, just smiled faintly, her voice gentle, eyes narrowed—with only malice leaking through.
Those lost in high places, obstinately following step by step the dead emperor.
Pathetic and pitiful.
Working for a hundred years, from Clansis to now, and the Crown Clan still never took notice. But with Cheng Xuan’s ability and sharpness, escaping should be quite easy.
—He won’t die that easily anyway.
She’d thought after all those years, with all his efforts, Cheng Xuan would have some say in Holy Cas. She’d even carefully arranged a double insurance of trust, you could say his life and death were both in the Hymn Organization’s hands—absurd to think about now—
On the instrument receiving signals from Cheng Xuan, the device suddenly began to vibrate violently with a heartbeat’s cessation.
“What’s wrong?”
Gentleness shot upright.
“That guy, that guy must have done something, ma’am, we have to leave at once, our stealth system is being compromised, emergency repairs will take several minutes—”
But for them, those few minutes were absolutely critical, possibly fatal.
Gentleness’s eyes widened slowly—
On the screen, the detection radar started blaring—[Marked by unknown radar, please confirm safety].
[Locked by unknown radar, attention!]
“Where are we?! Request assistance immediately, land at the nearest spot! Purge all files and data, abandon ship—”
Gentleness was on her feet, her face instantly turning grave.
“Is that a Holy Cas warship?”
They’d left fast already, but how could it catch up so far? And—lock on so quickly?
Could it be…that old man—
The only thing that could make their starship receive an active signal was Cheng Xuan’s death. Every link built with Cheng Xuan had been tested; they confirmed his sincerity, showed their own as well, but the one thing that couldn’t be tested—if Cheng Xuan died.
Maniac.
Gentleness stared at the screen.
She saw, at the edge, a starship’s crest just entering their detected range—a Holy Cas little crown insignia.
Dimly, she seemed to hear a faint sigh.
From the previous generation of Holy Cas’s imperial era, from those now able to threaten everyone—that tyrant—amidst this starry chessboard, they declared—
‘Check. Mate.’
*
Holy Cas Imperial Planet.
After the chaotic purge.
Those parasites hidden under King Clansis’s future plan had all been controlled and dealt with.
A few families were spared for now, with His Majesty Amos willing to painstakingly investigate, giving them a new chance.
It wasn’t yet past midnight.
The moment Councilor Cheng Xuan’s heart stopped, Holy Cas’s fleet outside locked in on a starship exposed for just a blink, shrinking the net rapidly.
They forced that vessel into wild flight—where once their shadow couldn’t be caught, now, even with stealth reactivated, as long as grabbed once, they’d be tagged for good.
Amos was en route to meet up with the little cub.
Hymn Organization’s senior figures required extra caution in handling.
Anya was close by and had gone to block them off.
Amos had likewise assembled his squad and was ready to move.
Once you had their location, they couldn’t get away.
After thinking it through, the always-ultra-concerned patriarch still decided to bring Little Chu Zao along.
No matter how tight everyone else’s guard, Amos just wasn’t at ease not watching his cub himself—after all, the last time something happened to Little Chu Zao was precisely because he’d let down his guard with Hymn and went off to deal with a berserk beast.
It was almost an exact repeat of last time.
Amos’s sensitive nerves were being plucked, one by one.
Little Chu Zao was standing with Frey.
He was watching Lien, who was still huddled in the corner.
After saying that, Lien’s face flushed fast. He wanted to retreat, but despairingly found himself already pinned in a corner.
The cub was standing before Lien with big eyes wide open.
His little halo shimmered overhead, small wings unfurled behind him, looking much more energetic now—
“Grandpa Planner, why are you blushing again?”
The tiny cub, soft and adorable, asked curiously, peering at Lien’s ears and cheeks.
“No, no reason—also, don’t call me Grandpa Planner!!”
Lien was a bit flustered, looking left and right. He even glanced at Frey for a help cue.
Frey was supposed to be the most reliable of this Dwight generation, but right now Lien realized—this kid was just watching for fun, too.
What’s with that? Is he that entertaining to tease?
First they found him, fine, but why, why, why…
Lien’s halo flickered above his head as black mist formed around him. In the shine of light, sometimes a hint of silvery black could be seen—that was Lien’s psychic weapon.
The mist swirled up, not the least bit aggressive, but rather retreated inwardly to encapsulate Lien entirely.
That mist stopped just as it nudged up to the little cub’s face.
It fully cocooned Lien, suiting his wish to become a sullen mushroom.
But—
There was a key problem.
Frey realized it in that instant, too.
Little Chu Zao was right at Frey’s side, and Frey had him block off Lien with nowhere to run. At that moment the black mist billowed—the cub’s little nose twitched.
A little…fragrant.
Just after fixing a psychic coronet, holding back a ‘hunger’—or, fending off the urge to snack—the cub stared at the mist.
Zao Zao didn’t want to eat that badly—
Zao Zao really could control himself.
But, but, but—
The cub opened his mouth unwittingly.
Why was Grandpa Lien’s psychic weapon so deliciously drifting right into his mouth?
By the time Little Chu Zao realized it, he was already crunching away, chomp chomp chomp.
Frey: …
Lien hadn’t realized a thing.
He just felt a sudden chill along his back, and then, there was the brittle, icy sound of crunchy chewing.
Lien: …?
The black mist slowly drew away to the side. Lien raised his eyes, looking over.
He saw a mist with a jagged missing edge, instinctively twisting and writhing, while the cub in front, cheeks puffed up, was crunching—yes, that sound was coming right from his little mouth.
What was he doing?
Lien and Little Chu Zao stared at each other.
Little Chu Zao paused a second, swallowed that mouthful of peculiar psychic force.
He couldn’t help but eye the mist circling Lien again.
“He ate it, didn’t he??? He ate my psychic force, didn’t he???”
Lien finally grasped what had just happened, jumping on the spot.
The little cub, big honey-colored eyes, belatedly realized it too—after all, you can’t put a ‘candy’ to a cub’s mouth, have them instinctively eat it, and then turn around and ask why they did, right?
“Zao Zao just…?”
After that initial craving subsided, it was like there was something extra in his tummy.
The coronet above his head was swaying happily—another branch was sprouting out.
Given the moment, all a five-year-old cub had to do was open his mouth.
Then the cub thought about it: “It was Grandpa Lien who brought it to Zao Zao’s mouth. Baba never lets Zao Zao nibble on psychic force.”
That black mist going straight to his lips—more considerate than even Amos.
Lien: …
Lien clutched his head, staring wide-eyed, looking stunned.
Why?
Why did this cub’s eyes glow, why could he find him, speak in his mind, grip his ‘brain’, and chew on his psychic force?!
Is that even right?!
Isn’t that a problem?!
There must be something wrong with Amos’s child, right?!
Before he could organize these words, footsteps sounded nearby.
Amos, following Frey’s directions, stepped in.
The place was so hidden, he glanced at Lien in the corner.
“What’s wrong?”
Amos was a bit baffled, asking offhand.
Little Chu Zao immediately turned at his voice, little wings behind fluttering in excitement—like a fledgling welcoming a returning parent.
“Baba—”
The cub reached out and was picked up.
Amos checked his child over, confirming there wasn’t a single problem, and settled the cub in his arms, patting his little hand—warm, soft, not cold at all.
“Not sleepy tonight?”
Amos asked, glancing at Frey.
“The warship is ready, the Hymn Organization leader’s location has been pinpointed, ready to depart.”
“Yes.”
Frey answered right away.
Little Chu Zao nestled in Amos’s arms, inhaling a familiar scent. A bit of tension lingering since earlier slowly faded as he buried his face against Amos, lifting his head to show just half his face, bright eyes watching Amos.
“Baba, Zao Zao’s not sleepy, can Zao Zao go too?”
“Yes, Zao Zao will go with Baba.”
Amos ran his hand over the cub’s soft curls.
Deciding the little one wouldn’t be sleeping anytime soon, he fished a candy from his pocket.
“Candy!”
Little Chu Zao’s eyes went wide, his small body perched in Amos’s arms, little hand reaching for it.
Lien stared dumbly—
Never mind why Amos just had candy in his pocket.
Lien suddenly shot up, taking several steps to stand before Amos.
He swore, this was the closest he’d approached anyone since leaving Holy Cas.
“He, he, he ate my psychic weapon!!! Amos, what is wrong with your kid? He ate my psychic weapon!!”
He had to shout, had to roar, had to prove he wasn’t the one being weird!
Come on, act surprised!
Amos really did look surprised a moment, glanced down at the little cub.
The soft, warm little thing who’d just gotten the candy was tugging at the wrapper. Hearing Lien’s words, he glanced at Amos.
Little Chu Zao spoke in a soft voice.
He squiggled his arms to illustrate.
“Grandpa Lien’s psychic force just…floated over, then floated right into Zao Zao’s mouth.”
The cub’s voice was tender and childish, the description vivid in its innocence.
But to Lien, having just had his psychic force nibbled—such realism was a bit horrifying.
“He only eats at very specific times.”
Amos looked at Lien.
His voice was so calm, so calm Lien froze a moment.
Oh, that’s all—?
What do you mean ‘that’s all’?!
Hey, hey, hey—
Lien was utterly at a loss for words.
Then, just then, he saw Amos draw his psychic longsword.
Lien: …?
The dark mist around him thickened instantly.
Facing the current top fighter in the Crown Clan, Lien did feel a whiff of threat.
It wasn’t like he meant harm, just afraid the cub would get a tummy ache—it couldn’t possibly go that far…
—By the way, why did Amos’s sword’s hilt seem to have a few notches?
Then, Lien watched Amos flip the longsword and hand it to the cub.
Still wrestling with the candy wrapper, Little Chu Zao instinctively cradled Amos’s psychic longsword—
Next moment, Lien saw the answer to why Amos’s sword hilt had notches.
He heard that all-too-familiar, tooth-aching crunch.
With a crisp snap, the sword gained another bite mark.
Lien: …??????
Lien was dazed.
He looked to Amos, to Frey, at the little cub—so is he the abnormal one here?
Lien fell into deep self-doubt.
Then Amos spoke up.
“Lien, Frey will stay here; you, Frey, Meilun, Kaman, handle the aftermath—”
“No, Hymn Organization leader, is it?”
Lien caught on fast, raising his head to Amos, voice instantly turning gloomy again.
“Those stinking bugs in the sewers—I want to witness their end myself.”
To toy with Clansis’s plan—that was something Lien would not permit.
Then Lien caught sight of the cub in Amos’s arms.
The little one blinked his big eyes at him—then, once again, crunch.
Lien: …
Oh, maybe it’s just the world that’s not normal, after all?!
*
On Holy Cas’s warship.
Everything was ready, the ship set to launch on command.
Little Chu Zao finally bested the candy wrapper, popped the candy in his mouth, trailing after Amos like a little tail, swaying as he went.
Lien hid around a corner, watching the cub stealthily.
It was a very fast ship; after bursting through Holy Cas’s atmosphere, it would accelerate at max speed, then begin extreme space-time jumps.
So soon, the cub would be tucked into a special device for travel.
Before that, he could roam freely for a short while.
There weren’t many crew on board.
In this tense air, quite a few were quietly watching the little one trotting after Amos.
But soon, tagging along, Little Chu Zao grew curious about everything nearby.
He was still in his fluffy pajamas.
With a head of little curls, looking extra soft, fuzzy; the little cub did a round of the room.
At that moment, there was a faint sound from outside the door.
The cub looked over curiously.
Amos did too, but soon realized who it was.
The command chamber doors were open, and as it was nighttime, someone entered silently—the corridor lights undisturbed, a bit dim.
Little Chu Zao blinked his big eyes: “What’s that sound?”
He lifted his foot, toddled curiously toward the door.
Amos, from behind, said casually: “You’ll regret it if you go.”
Regret?
Regret what?
Would Zao Zao regret it?
The cub had reached the door, and hearing this, looked back at Amos curiously, then poked his head out from the doorway—
Waiting beyond was Feeney at a distance, and closer, Feiman, hand outstretched, ready to ‘face-to-face’ greet the cub.
With his ‘cool’ but kiss-ready aunt so close, the cub got startled.
He spun around at once with scrambling, wobbly steps, even stumbling twice.
Baba was right—
He regretted it, regretted it!
Little Chu Zao, poking his head out, didn’t hesitate at all—
He bolted.