VAP - Chapter 125
Chapter 125: The Marshal's Journey is the Sea of Stars (21)
It was supposed to be an exam waiver, but going through the motions was still necessary.
After the assessment, Yue Du walked out of the examination hall with a group of fellow Sentinels from her year.
“—This is way too hard.”
“The people under the Marshal are all cut from the same cloth. That combat drill just now was a classic example of ‘beat them to within an inch of their lives’!”
“My brother told me the Silver Lion Legion’s exam wasn’t meant for humans, and I didn’t believe him. Now… sigh.”
Listening to the discussions of the students nearby, Yue Du glanced over at Ying Wei.
The girl wore a serious and earnest expression, deep in self-reflection.
She was the protagonist, after all. Talented and hardworking, she wouldn't be defeated by the Silver Lion Legion's intern assessment, no matter how rigorous it was.
But Ying Wei was clearly a perfectionist. If she made even the slightest mistake during the combat test, she would review it on her own, practicing it over and over until she was certain she wouldn't make the same error again.
From a personal standpoint, Yue Du quite admired that about her.
The assessment results came out the next day.
The passing rate hit a new low. Only four Sentinels made it through: Yue Du, the two second-seat students, and a girl named Zhou Wen, whose Quantum Beast was a tigress.
In comparison, the Guides fared better. Although the number of applicants was only half of the previous year's, one more person passed.
The legion members who came to get them finally looked at Yue Du with less resentment.
Interning with the Silver Lion Legion was undoubtedly one of the highest achievements a military academy cadet could attain. As they boarded the starship to Cadina Star, most of the others were contacting their families to share the good news and say their farewells.
Yue Du didn't have many people to contact.
Yue Yao's parents were the same as ever. It seemed that as long as their daughter became a Sentinel and was accepted into the military academy, which gave them bragging rights, that was all that mattered. They didn't care about her actual experiences.
For the past two years, Yue Du had spent all her holidays on Cadina Star. The house on the capital's satellite star had long been empty, yet that couple remained completely oblivious.
Suddenly, her optical computer bracelet lit up.
It was a short message from Sheng Xuejiu.
“The Empire sent people over. Can't get away, so I can't pick you up. Annoying.”
It was concise and direct, so much so that she could almost picture the other woman squinting impatiently through the screen.
Yue Du let out a soft laugh.
Ying Wei, who was sitting beside her, asked, “Is that the Marshal?”
Yue Du was a little surprised. “Yes. How did you guess?”
“You only smile like that because of her. I'm used to it by now.” Ying Wei turned her face away, pouting.
Yue Du: “Is that so…”
Had she smiled? Yue Du herself hadn't even realized. She turned off her optical computer, leaned back in her seat, and gazed out at the deep, dark expanse of space.
After they arrived on Cadina, the few legion soldiers who had picked them up departed, leaving these fledgling recruits in the care of their superiors.
Interns from other military academies across the Federation had also arrived at the same time. These new recruits, none of whom had ever set foot on a real battlefield, gathered together to await further instructions.
“All Guides, with me. Sentinels, head to the Sentinel dormitories over there and get settled. Assemble in front of the training grounds at two p.m.”
A slender man in a standard-issue military uniform announced.
Yue Du recognized him. He was one of Sheng Xuejiu's Guide generals, named Dean, who had gotten engaged to the Marshal's adjutant, He Yin, just last year.
He clearly recognized her as well. After assigning the interns their quarters, he walked straight up to Yue Du and said, “The Marshal said you're to stay with her. She's still in a meeting, you can go on back.”
Enduring the shocked and increasingly thoughtful gazes of the students around her, Yue Du replied calmly, “Understood, Lieutenant General Dean.”
Yue Du made her way to the Marshal's residence with practiced ease.
Her identity was verified, and the mechanical door slid open. A small ball of fluff immediately crashed into her, burying itself in her arms and wagging its tail.
It was Sheng Xuejiu's long-haired cat.
Well, the reason she called it a long-haired cat and not something else was simply because Yue Du had no idea what kind of creature to classify it as—she couldn't just name it something like “Giant Feline-Bodied Winged Beast,” after all.
Yue Du stroked the cat's fur a few times and looked around the room, finding Sheng Xuejiu absent.
She probably went to the meeting herself and left the cat here to wait.
Yue Du tried to set the cat aside to free her hands and remove her uniform jacket, but its two small front paws clung on tightly, refusing to let go. It was hard to believe its true form was that of a massive beast.
She sighed.
The White Deer appeared silently and stood to the side. After numerous battles, the beautiful, snow-white creature had grown more composed and majestic.
Only then was the cat finally willing to move, claiming the White Deer's graceful back as its throne. Shaking her head, torn between laughter and exasperation, Yue Du handed her jacket to a housekeeping robot and watched the two Quantum Beasts, who hadn't seen each other in a long time, share an affectionate reunion.
Sheng Xuejiu returned quickly.
Having just come from a major meeting, she was dressed formally. Her military uniform was immaculate, adorned with an aiguillette on her shoulder and a chest full of precious metal medals that symbolized her glorious military achievements.
She looked so stately, all that was missing was a bright red cape draped over her shoulders.
The first thing they did upon meeting was share an urgent, satisfying embrace. Yue Du felt, in a daze, that the Marshal was just a humanoid version of her long-haired cat—even the way she pounced was exactly the same.
“For the next six months, you'll be staying here,” Sheng Xuejiu said with satisfaction, her eyes locked on Yue Du. “I'm grateful for the internship system. Turns out the rules made by those old fossils are good for something after all.”
Yue Du said, “…Honestly, the way you're looking at me makes me feel like you're going to keep me here after the six months are over.”
The Marshal, looking every bit like someone who would abuse her power for personal reasons, was unconcerned. “I'll have a legitimate reason. A large-scale Zerg invasion, for instance?”
When the conflict on the border escalated, graduating cadets were obligated to end their studies early to reinforce the front lines—that was also part of the regulations.
After indulging in some closeness to soothe their skin hunger, Sheng Xuejiu slowly unfastened her elaborate attire. She tossed the aiguillette, medals, and jacket aside, letting the robot diligently collect them, leaving her in just a simple white shirt.
As she undressed, she told Yue Du about the day's events.
“Among the people who came was my brother. My biological brother,” Sheng Xuejiu said.
Yue Du: “Perhaps I can assume he's a scumbag?”
Sheng Xuejiu spread her hands. “Assumption confirmed.”
Yue Du: “…”
As expected. Whenever the host's blood relatives were involved, there was bound to be a real piece of work.
As mentioned before, Marshal Sheng was a hybrid of a Spiral Star native and a human. And where did that half of her Spiral Star blood come from? The Imperial royal family.
What do you call having the backstory of a protagonist but the fate of a villain?
This is it!
The relationships involved were rather complicated and couldn't be explained in just a few words. In short, all one needed to know was that Sheng Xuejiu's biological father—the Emperor of the Empire—was a scumbag, while her biological mother, who had died young, was a beautiful, weak, and tragic Guide from the Federation.
The Emperor had two legitimate children and several illegitimate ones. The visitor this time was his publicly known eldest son, Dax.
“The Empire is rather interesting. Their military has been monitoring the Federation's garrisons and noticed that the movements at the border command were different from previous years. They actually managed to follow the trail and guess what I'm planning. They even approached me privately to seek an alliance. I suppose they have some grievances with the Federation.”
Yue Du frowned. “Does he know about your background?”
“No, nobody knows. The Emperor probably assumed long ago that I died with my birth mother.” Sheng Xuejiu shrugged. “In a way, he's not wrong. The original ‘Sheng Xuejiu’ did die that day. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here.”
What the Marshal wanted to do was simple: oust Yubulaji and take control of the Federation. To that end, the deployment of her border troops and her wartime strategies would naturally change, so it wasn't surprising that she had attracted attention.
Anyway, she didn't care whether the Empire knew or not in the first place.
Yue Du mused, “I've considered how the Empire might react if they found out… The most likely scenario would be for them to sit on the sidelines and watch the fight. After all, helping you would bring them no benefits and could easily attract trouble. The potential losses would far outweigh any gains.”
But from the looks of it now, the Empire's contact with Sheng Xuejiu was quite proactive.
Could it be they thought Sheng Xuejiu would be a hands-off leader after rising to power, which would benefit them? Or were they trying to gather evidence of her move against the president to use as leverage against her in the future?
Yue Du listed several possibilities but didn't reach a final conclusion.
Sheng Xuejiu said dismissively, “Don't bother with them. Dax can't change anything, and I have no intention of paying him any mind.”
Of course, those weren't her exact words, but the general meaning was the same. Dax had been rebuffed but hadn't given up; he was still looking for a chance to properly lobby her.
Yue Du was still worried. “I'll look into the Empire's side again.”
“Investigate now or later, it's all the same. Trust me, it'll be useful eventually. This mission is to take control of the Federation; who knows, the next one might require me to become the Emperor.”
Yue Du also felt things were heading in that direction, but experience told her never to use normal logic to predict the Main System's actions.
With their business discussion concluded, Yue Du unconsciously relaxed. Suddenly, she felt Sheng Xuejiu toying with her hand.
She stroked it over and over, tirelessly feeling the knuckles beneath the smooth skin and tracing circles around the small, round bone protruding from her wrist.
As she did this, she lifted her eyes and revealed a self-satisfied smile.
The implication was far too strong.
Yue Du flexed her wrist. “The intern Sentinels are supposed to assemble at two p.m.,” she reminded her. “Lieutenant General Dean's orders. It's already one.”
The Marshal paid no mind to what the Lieutenant General had said. Her fingertips were already tracing a path up Yue Du's forearm as she lowered her voice. “Then don't go. The Marshal has special orders for you, intern.”
The curtains drew themselves shut. The robot was in another small room, its programming requiring it to remain motionless in a corner after completing its chores, so there was no risk of it suddenly appearing and ruining the mood.
Quantum Beasts faithfully reflected their masters' emotions. The long-haired cat was happily licking the base of the White Deer's antlers before moving on to its snow-white ears.
Its soft, fluffy tail was raised high, wagging at a frequency that could almost rival a husky's… Was this some kind of pseudo-feline?!
The White Deer, lying in a corner of the bed, gently turned to groom the cat in return.
In truth, at a time like this, having two animals with such a distinct presence in the room always felt a little awkward, even if one understood they were just manifestations of their own psyche.
But that feeling wouldn't last long.
By the time she was pressed against the full-length dressing mirror, Yue Du was already feeling dizzy. Only one thought spun round and round in her data hub:
What is this, a sudden casting couch scenario?!
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