CH 103

"Stupid robot, I almost broke my back!" Zhang Bao'er roared from the floor.

Old Du hurriedly went over to help Zhang Bao'er up. He was fine.

"I had no choice. If I did not activate the leap, all of us would have been crushed by the atmosphere. You were unlucky because your seat was facing the wrong way, resulting in you facing stronger momentum," said Dodo.

"Nah, he's just fat," said Domo.

I stood before the window and gazed at the frozen planet. Slowly, we drifted away from Amoeba.

"I wonder where they will go in the future. Perhaps I will never get to see Bulu again," I muttered.

"We don't know that for sure, but don't worry. With Amoeba's speed, it will probably take tens of thousands of years to leave the Orion Constellation. It won't stay, but it won't go far either," Dodo comforted me.

I was slightly consoled by Dodo's words.

"Everyone, our mission has been completed. Time to return to Eternal," said Lifu.

Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

"Yeah, it has been quite a while. I should also go back home and see if anything has changed," said Master Crystal.

"Let's return to Eternal, then. Dodo, make the flight arrangements," said Zhang Xingxing.

Having been given an order, Dodo immediately prepared for the return trip. As we were already at the outer fringe of the Betelgeuse System, we only took several minutes to reach Eternal.

Looking at the bustling trade centers and Planet Eternal, which was full of life through the window, I couldn't help but lament the cruelty of those harsh planets. I was also reminded to further treasure these livable planets. A massive battleship suddenly appeared from stealth. Then, someone from the ship spoke through our communicator.

"Welcome back, explorers. We have been waiting for a long time. Please be still. We will initiate the docking procedure immediately," said the voice from the communicator.

Then, a small shuttle flew out of the battleship and approached us.

"Since the mission has been completed, we shall part ways here. I hope we can meet again in the future, and I also hope to get a chance to fight alongside all of you again," said Lifu as he nodded at everyone.

After experiencing life and death together, we had developed a sort of brotherhood. Thus, Lifu and Snow shook our hands one by one as they bid their farewells.

When it was my turn to shake hands with Lifu, he whispered into my ear, "Don't worry. The events on Amoeba won't be leaked."

I nodded gratefully, believing that this officer would keep his promise. 

Clanking sounds came from the docking bridge. Several minutes later, three armed individuals in golden armor entered the ship.

"Lifu, welcome back. How was the mission?" asked the leader.

"Holde, I did not expect you to personally come," said Lifu in surprise.

"I have been waiting for a few days," said Holde.

Lifu nodded at Snow, and Snow took out Bulu's clone.

Holde nodded in satisfaction upon seeing Bulu's clone. One policeman behind him stepped forth and stored the clone in a transparent chest.

"Adelan sacrificed himself," said Lifu.

Holde blanked out slightly before saying, "Every warrior of the empire needs to be ready to sacrifice themselves. It is a supreme glory to be able to sacrifice for the empire."

The policeman walked to Holde with the clone. Holde observed the clone for a bit before a satisfied expression appeared on his face.

"As decreed by His Majesty, all Interstellar League warriors involved in this mission shall be granted an audience with His Majesty," declared Holde.

"We need a short rest. We can go tomorrow," I said.

Holde looked at me with an odd gaze before nodding in agreement. Lifu followed Holde out of Fearless. Just before he stepped through the door, he expressed his appreciation for us, who had fought alongside him, yet again.

"Where do we go now?" asked Zhang Bao'er after the imperial police left.

"Go to my place first. It won't be too late to head to the palace after a discussion," said Master Crystal.

"Sure. We'll do as suggested by Master Crystal," said Zhang Xingxing.

Dodo did as told and navigated to Master Crystal's home. We passed through all the checkpoints smoothly. Before long, we arrived at Master Crystal's home. The glide-type shuttle we had taken here previously was still silently parked in the same place.

At Master Crystal's place, everyone acted like they were back in their own homes. We lay down randomly on the floor while Amethyst and Dodo started preparing dinner. Instead of constantly being alert, we all went into a vacation mindset.

"Canyue, I have some suggestions for your visit to the palace tomorrow," Master Crystal suddenly said.

"Please go on, Master," I replied respectfully.

"Emperor Fille IV is someone with lofty ambitions beyond what an ordinary person can imagine. From what I know, the empire is not afraid of the Interstellar League's attack. Rather, I suspect that the empire even intends to gobble up the Interstellar League," said Master Crystal.

"I can see that the emperor is ambitious, but is the empire strong enough to defeat the Interstellar League's powerful fleet?" I asked.

"On paper, the imperial army might be slightly inferior to the Interstellar League, but from the information left by the prophet, I believe that the emperor had concealed a part of his military strength," said Master Crystal.

"And the secret is probably hidden in the Imperial Golden Book," I said.

"That's probable, but it won't be so simple either. Anyway, the Imperial Golden Book has returned to the emperor's hands. Getting it again is basically impossible. For now, you should accept a compromise and try to figure out the emperor's next plan before thinking of what to do," said Master Crystal.

"I can accept a compromise, but we will definitely not participate in anything we consider unjust," I said firmly.

"That is the main reason I wanted to talk to you. What is just? What is unjust? A proper judgment can only be given after everything is over. The Storm race has been waiting patiently for tens of thousands of years. Have any innocents sacrificed for our sake? I believe the answer is yes. But for our ultimate goal, some sacrifices are needed," said Master Crystal.

"I can accept the need for sacrifices, but I definitely won't accept anything traditionally considered unjust," I said stubbornly.

"My suggestion to you is to judge the hour and seize any opportunity you get. When contending against an entity as powerful as the emperor, don't hesitate to take a step back when necessary. So long as it doesn't go against your values, do not let your anger get to you and keep you stubborn," warned Master Crystal.

"Thank you for the reminder, Master Crystal. I understand. I'll take the big picture into consideration and make necessary compromises," I said.

"Alright. Also, don't even mention me. It will only bring you unnecessary inconvenience. The emperor won't ask about me anyway, as Wind has done what needed to be done," said Master Crystal.

After the conversation with Master Crystal, a slight nervousness welled within me when I thought about the coming audience. By the time we finished our talk, a sumptuous dinner had been prepared. Amethyst and Zhang Bao'er started singing, Domo started dancing a peculiar dance of the Jidos, and even the usually serious Old Du started shaking his body and enjoying the celebration.

It was a rare moment of leisure and joy. Everyone was fully immersed in the relaxation, leaving all our hardships and troubles behind. Alas, a joyful time always felt fast. In the blink of an eye, the night passed and the sky was bright again. I hopped off my bed, ready to face a new challenge. Zhang Xingxing and the others were already waiting in the courtyard. Everyone was fully armed and ready for the audience.

"Titan, Amethyst, Domo, Sarje, and Master Crystal do not need to come with us. Horde mentioned yesterday that the audience is only granted for Interstellar League members," I said.

"Great. I was afraid that the appearance of Brightlings might bring some unwanted consequences," said Old Du.

"Also, everyone needs to take off their equipment. Leave it here with Master Crystal. We need to take it all off before the audience anyway. If we leave it here, Titan and the others can still make use of it in case something happens to us," I said.

"Don't worry. After capturing a rare creature that the empire had never been able to catch, the empire will recognize your ability. Perhaps you will receive even more important missions. He won't make things difficult for you," consoled Master Crystal.

With all preparations in place, the four of us, coupled with Dodo and Dondon, walked toward the shuttle outside.

"We will use this shuttle. Fearless will be left here for now," I said.

"Go. I will keep an eye on everyone," said Master Crystal.

We entered the glide-style shuttle. This time, Zhang Xingxing and I acted as pilots. Zhang Xingxing entered the imperial palace's coordinates, which we had obtained previously. With the destination set, the shuttle's massive wings spread out.

"With such massive wings, the flight must be really smooth," said Zhang Bao'er.

"Yes, it will be a comfortable experience," I said.

I had barely finished my words when Zhang Xingxing activated the flight mode. The massive wings pulled back, and the shuttle shot straight up into the sky at a 180-degree angle. The massive thrust instantly caused everyone to be unable to breathe.

"What bullshit plane is this? What a terrible flight experience," Zhang Bao'er cursed.

I stopped myself from bursting with laughter, not wanting to further provoke Zhang Bao'er. The shuttle flew straight to outer space before fanning out its massive wings. It then started gliding toward the palace. Zhang Bao'er, who was furious moments ago, found himself mesmerized by the beautiful view outside the window.

"The water on this planet is rather scarce compared to Blue, but the planet's population is also less dense," said Dodo.

"Every planet has its own unique ecosystem. In terms of overall technology, I feel like the Divine Empire surpasses the league," said Old Du.

The shuttle flew according to a fixed air route. It glided along, and soon, an imposing palace appeared before our eyes. An alarm blazed as three air defense drones appeared around us.