SS 84: Side Story 3

The Kirates clan, always about giving and plundering.

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Years later, the war between the Alliance and the Empire temporarily halted. Neither side could bear the negative effects brought by the war, such as the loss of talents, consumption of resources, and social instability. The struggle for power between these two forces ultimately ended with the Imperial army occupying 32 planets. The Alliance seemed to have suffered heavy losses, but the planets left were those that believed in the Alliance. The planets the Imperial army acquired were originally using the Imperial language, which the Alliance found difficult to assimilate.

Both sides needed to recuperate. The Imperial army’s marshal, Laurie, and the new Prime Minister of the Alliance signed a ceasefire agreement, marking the end of the decade-long war.

During these ten years, the Atavist Independent State developed at an incredibly fast pace. Taking advantage of the conflict between the two sides, it annexed all the unattended mining planets near the primitive star into its territory, and numerous outstanding talents emerged during this period.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Atavist Independent State, originally named Unicorn, renamed himself to Jiao Yunike, which translates to “Unique Horn,” merely changing the name without altering its original meaning. He said that many Atavists felt inferior about their dominant atavist traits. He wanted to change this mindset, proud of his horn that was unlike any other, completely unique.

This horn allowed him to read other people’s emotions and silently convey information, easily discerning the bottom line of the Empire and the Alliance in diplomatic negotiations, securing the greatest benefit for his side. His contributions to the Atavist Independent State were a source of pride.

The first president of the Independent State, Feng Lan, also liked to show his tail, displaying his emotions through it, whether happy or angry. He appeared to be very straightforward and was dearly loved by the Atavists. In the early days of the nation, many Atavist children would hang from the president’s tail, being gently caressed by him as he told each child to grow strong and become a pillar of the Atavist Independent State.

The marshal of the Atavist Self-Defense Forces, known as Clown, was a reptilian Atavist covered in scales, which made him look somewhat terrifying, but he was actually very humorous. Why he was called Clown was unknown to others, who only dared to address him as Marshal. Holding similar respect in the military was General Lind, who used to be a space pirate and came to the Independent State with warriors and supplies. He was also one of the founding heroes of the nation. The reason he was a general instead of a marshal was because of his poor scores in moral thinking! Teacher Green Dragon would not let him pass, and after many attempts, he finally passed the military commander-level examination. By the time Lind became a brigadier, the academically excellent Clown had already become a marshal.

Who is Teacher Green Dragon? The Minister of Education of the Independent State! The entire Independent State, including the president, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the marshal, the general, and even the guardian deity of the Independent State, Feng Lianzhu, were all taught by Teacher Green Dragon. He was the only enlightenment teacher for the new generation of seedlings. If anyone was most popular in the Independent State, it was definitely Teacher Green Dragon, even the president was afraid of him!

Since Teacher Green Dragon said Lind did not pass the exam and could not be promoted to brigadier, Lind had to stay up late every night memorizing topics to pass the moral education class.

The Minister of Information Security of the Independent State was quite simple; he continued to use his name from the orphanage—Dolphin 66. The doctor who delivered him changed his information out of sympathy, allowing Dolphin 66, who was supposed to be sent to the science academy for secret research, to survive. He liked the number 66 given to him by the doctor and did not want to change it.

Everyone who came to the Independent State had their own thoughts; some changed their names, and some did not. Regardless of the choice, it was a matter of personal freedom.

Yes, this was their freedom. They were not assigned numbers by others but chose their own names freely.

The Atavist Independent State was still weak, but during the ten years of war between the Empire and the Alliance, they had already cultivated many outstanding talents, and there would be more in the future.

Having two major forces nearby was both a crisis and an opportunity for them; they would strive to grow.

In the future, they would have many planets, but the primitive star… no, Kirates Star would definitely be the capital of the Atavist Independent State. They would forever be grateful to the cosmic heavyweight species—Pang Kirates—for bringing life to this planet.

The wind on Kirates Star gently blew, dispersing the long hair of Feng Lianzhu in the bamboo forest. He slept soundly, his lips slightly curled as if he were having a pleasant dream.

A small golden dragon crawled out from his embrace, turning into a man wearing a gold robe identical to Feng Lianzhu’s. Taking advantage of Feng Lianzhu’s deep sleep, he picked up his dark hair and gently placed a kiss on it.

The black hair slipped through his fingers, and Pang Kirates’s gaze gradually settled down.

Having met Feng Lianzhu for over a decade, he was still obsessed with this face, never tiring of it, just like when they first met.

When they first met, Pang Kirates was just a lazy dragon who loved to eat and refused to study, willingly sharing his brain with Feng Lianzhu to help him learn.

At that time, he did not realize how terrifying it was to share his brain with others so casually. He simply acted according to his desires, never caring about the consequences.

This was the most daring, adventurous, and correct decision he made in his ignorance during his youth. When their brains were connected, he saw the person who had always been exchanging tasks with him. Dressed in green, standing in front of the profound eyes of a giant dragon, he sighed slightly, his eyes expressing worry.

Had they met in reality, Pang Kirates might not have noticed this kind gesture of concern. Fortunately, they were connected through their brains, allowing Feng Lianzhu’s emotions to easily transfer over. That warm, kind, and always protective feeling lingered in Pang Kirates’s mind.

Subsequently, he discovered that a significant portion of his debt had been repaid, and Feng Lianzhu’s points had dropped to zero. This person, who had always advised him to be frugal with his points, willingly used his own to help him pay off his debt.

The Kirates clan never needed charity from others, especially from such a weak, easily crushed semi-life form. If it weren’t for needing his help to study, Pang Kirates would have crushed him underfoot, warning him never to look down upon a Kirates!

He should have done so, but… but when he saw that face in the waters of Bamboo Valley, the warm concern that flowed from his sea of knowledge into his heart made Pang Kirates find that face increasingly attractive, so much so that he thought no one else could possess such beauty.

Only that person, named Feng Lianzhu, a stubborn, strong, and positive online game NPC, who sighed while tirelessly and without complaint helped him complete tasks, could own such beauty.

Pang Kirates was somewhat foolish then, yet he understood the essence of right and wrong. He knew that Feng Lianzhu’s tasks were simpler than his own, that he had caused much trouble, and that it was only right for Feng Lianzhu to spend all his gold coins, but Feng Lianzhu did not.

He did not scold him, blame him, or use his gold coins. Rolling in a pile of gold coins, Pang Kirates thought of Feng Lianzhu.

The powerful Kirates clan, by instinct, only knew of giving and taking. They endowed planets with life energy and, years later, collected interest, feeling no guilt even if it led to a planet’s demise, for they had given first and were merely reclaiming what was theirs.

The rest, if they liked, they would take, without needing anyone to give it to them.

But Feng Lianzhu, with his not-so-strong body, protected Pang Kirates, a young dragon who had lost his mother’s clan’s protection and was in his weakest period, worrying about him encountering strong enemies, shielding him from all possible dangers.

Unconsciously, Pang Kirates’s willful thoughts turned to whether Feng Lianzhu would be unhappy, whether he would praise him, or whether his capriciousness would implicate Feng Lianzhu, causing them both to be punished by the system.

His happiness, anger, sorrow, and joy were all tied to Feng Lianzhu, and he relished it.

Feng Lianzhu thought that Pang Kirates had not absorbed any ancestral memories, but that was not the case. Before binding with Feng Lianzhu, he had received a portion of them.

He saw the destruction of the Kirates clan and those countless unfeeling eyes. He knew that after receiving the ancestral memories, he would lose his emotions and his fondness for Feng Lianzhu at this time. He would feel threatened by this person who had shared his brain and would eliminate him.

Pang Kirates did not want to do this. The mature self, still retaining emotions, told himself that he did not want to lose Feng Lianzhu, even if it meant giving up years of ancestral memories and powerful psychic strength.

In that instant, the adult Pang Kirates knew he had always been deeply attracted to Feng Lianzhu, regardless of the nature of their relationship—be it familial, friendly, or romantic. He needed Feng Lianzhu, wanting him by his side for eternity, never to be separated even in death.

Thus, he made a choice in less than ten seconds of wisdom: to monopolize this person for a lifetime, entrusting his life to him.

The adult Pang Kirates, shrinking into Feng Lianzhu’s embrace as a little golden dragon, no longer possessed the same powerful psychic strength as before, but he still remembered the feeling of entrusting everything to him—it was possessiveness.

The Kirates clan has always only known giving and taking. Since I have given you life, ancestral memories, psychic strength, and wisdom, I will take everything from you.

I belong to you, and you belong to me. This is the giving and taking of Pang Kirates.

After losing the ancestral memories, he became naive, ignorant, and learned little, but he was clear about that feeling, never forgetting it.

He granted life energy to the people in the game world to tell them that since the life energy was given to you, the Feng Lianzhu you created is mine, with no debts owed.

His anger towards Teacher Green Dragon, a mere artificial intelligence, was also to ensure that Feng Lianzhu’s attention was solely on him.

What Feng Lianzhu felt for him, Pang Kirates was unclear. His feelings for Feng Lianzhu during his youth were unknown, but in the moment of adulthood, instinct told him it was an obsession meant to bind for a lifetime.

They shared brains, psychic power, and ultimately life. Whatever the nature of their feelings, they were stronger than any.

What Feng Lianzhu did not know was that when Pang Kirates first came to the Gold Coin Mountain amusement park to fetch him, he had the authority to download the videos of Feng Lianzhu’s time in the game world, sneaking a look before the system disappeared.

He witnessed countless love and hate stories alongside Feng Lianzhu, not ignorant of them.

Usually transforming into a small golden dragon to act spoiled, now as a mature and strong man, Pang Kirates stared at the sleeping face of Feng Lianzhu lying on the gold coins, using his golden sleeve to brush away the mosquitoes that flew close.

Taking advantage of his ignorance, he leaned down and whispered in Feng Lianzhu’s ear, “It’s love, it always has been.”

—The End—

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Author’s Note:

Lalalala, with this all the extras are concluded.

Once again promoting my new work “Even the Demon Lord Wants to Know,” starting on December 19th, love you all (づ￣3￣)づ╭?～