VAP - Chapter 127
Chapter 127: The Marshal's Journey is the Sea of Stars (23)
The Federation’s supreme leader had changed.
From the slick Yubulaji to the renowned military Marshal, Sheng Xuejiu.
On the side of the Spiral Star Empire, no one was surprised by this, save for those who were truly politically oblivious.
Frankly, in terms of power, the military completely crushed the Federation President's faction. Although factors like the Parliament still had influence, as long as Sheng Xuejiu had the will, it wasn't impossible for her to take his place.
More than the final outcome, the process by which the Federation Marshal seized power was the Empire's main point of concern.
The Empire, Baicheer Palace.
Baicheer Palace, located on the central planet of the Spiral Star Empire, was the residence of the Empire's successive royal families and its center of power.
And at this moment in Baicheer Palace, the Emperor was silently listening to his eldest son, Dax, speak, his own expression unreadable.
“…No wonder Sheng Xuejiu rejected our offer of assistance before. It turns out she had already won over the Federation's Speaker. We underestimated her!” Dax said indignantly.
Just moments before, he had spent a full three minutes describing to the Emperor the Federation Marshal's dismissive attitude toward him, his words filled with aversion.
Dax was a Sentinel.
His Sentinel instincts made him feel a strong aversion to Sheng Xuejiu, who was also a Sentinel but on the opposing side. He could still put on an act in her presence, but when facing the father he so admired, this ill feeling was completely undisguised.
The Emperor listened to his complaints impassively. Once he determined that all the useful information had been conveyed and the rest was just meaningless venting, he interrupted him, saying slowly, “Dax, you've lost your composure.”
Dax immediately fell silent, murmuring, “Father.”
“I can understand your feelings, but you should know that now is not the time to be focusing on the Federation Marshal,” the Emperor said.
Dax lowered his head. “Yes, the most important thing right now is the Zerg's movements… I apologize.”
The Emperor smiled.
“On the battlefield against the Zerg, the Federation is always on the same side as us. I am glad to see you've managed to adjust your emotions, my child. Ah, Terence, you're here.”
Dax stiffened and suddenly turned his head.
He saw a blond young man—his full-blooded younger brother—standing right behind him, wearing his usual insincere smile.
The imperial royal bloodline was characterized by blond hair. The identical shade of the father and his two sons proclaimed their lineage.
Dax and Terence were the Emperor's only two legitimate sons, and the only Sentinel and Guide of their generation to inherit the blond hair. Yet their relationship was worse than their relationships with their several illegitimate half-brothers.
Because they were each other's greatest competitors.
Terence walked over quickly, first bowing to the Emperor, then asking in an intimate tone, “Father, were you and Big Brother discussing the Federation Marshal?”
The Emperor said, “You and your sharp ears. Go on, what are your thoughts?”
Terence said cheerfully, “No particular thoughts, really. I just feel that… I used to say Sheng Xuejiu only knew how to fight and didn't understand politics, but now it seems I was a poor judge of character. This move of hers was far more brilliant than anything those people in the Federation could manage.”
The Emperor mused, “And so?”
“With the Zerg attacking on a large scale, cooperating with the Federation as we have in the past is a certainty. It's just that, I think even without the Zerg, there's no need to treat Sheng Xuejiu as an enemy.”
Dax couldn't help but retort sarcastically, “Without the Zerg, why should we tolerate the Federation? It was those outsiders who migrated from the far side of the universe, occupied our star system, and crudely imitated our abilities!”
Terence replied, “But we also gained their advanced technology. It's mutually beneficial; there's nothing wrong with that. Besides, the research institute concluded that the environment of the Spiral Star System is what creates these abilities. It was inevitable that the outsiders would evolve Sentinel and Guide constitutions; it has nothing to do with them personally.”
“Considering things from the outsiders' perspective—is this your loyalty to the Empire, Terence!”
“It is precisely because of my loyalty, for the sake of maximizing the Empire's interests, that I think this way!”
Seeing the atmosphere between the two grow increasingly tense, the Emperor intervened. “Both of you, stop.”
They both looked up at him at the same time.
“You are being too extreme. Your brother's words make more sense.” This was directed at Dax.
After saying that, the Emperor turned to Terence. “Your idea is good, but too idealistic. If the Zerg threat were to disappear, the Empire and the Federation would be natural adversaries. Even if you were willing to coexist peacefully, Sheng Xuejiu might not agree.”
Terence said, “There will be a way, trust me, Father. I am a Guide, after all.”
The Emperor said nothing, but the other person caught the implication, his eyes widening.
Dax said in disbelief, “…You're joking.”
Terence said with a beaming smile, “Perhaps. But who knows? To be honest, I'm quite fond of the Federation Marshal's hair color.”
Light golden hair, which perfectly matched the Empire's aesthetic.
Not to mention, Sheng Xuejiu was such a powerful Sentinel. The strong always attract attention.
On the Federation's side, the newly appointed supreme leader, Sheng Xuejiu, was unaware that such a discussion revolving around her had taken place.
She was with Yue Du, looking through the files related to the Zerg Mother.
The mission issued by the Main System was to kill the Zerg Mother within two years. To an ordinary person, this was simply an impossible task.
Because no one had ever killed a Zerg Mother; forget killing one, no one could even get close.
The Zerg Mother was the sole reproducer of the Zerg. The Zerg themselves were predators, numbering in the tens of millions, who spent all their time finding nutrient-rich food for their Mother and would protect her safety with their very lives.
Their reach extended to numerous small star systems outside the Spiral Star System, and they kept the Zerg Mother well hidden. The Federation had previously dispatched special teams to follow the retreating Zerg, but lost the trail every time. Presumably, the Empire had similar experiences.
To this day, no one had ever seen the Zerg Mother's true form. Her condition could only be inferred from the movements of the other Zerg.
Recently, the Zerg had become highly active as a whole, their desire to prey so intense it was practically overflowing. This indicated that the Zerg Mother's condition was different from usual.
She was going to “reproduce.”
This wasn't the usual reproduction of birthing countless Zerg, but the kind that would gestate another Zerg Mother. Once this process was complete, the old Mother's life would come to an end.
Yue Du pondered this, swiping the light screen. The page changed to a speculative drawing of the Zerg Mother's appearance, sketched by a Federation researcher.
It had ferocious mouthparts, a massive body, and cold, scarlet compound eyes.
It was less a speculation and more a product of imagination, since no one had ever seen the Zerg Mother's true face.
Yue Du mused, “The System's positioning function can't be used, and the Zerg home world won't have any human technology, so I have no way of finding the Zerg Mother's location. This mission is harder than the first main quest.”
Sheng Xuejiu leaned against her shoulder and said casually, “We can still kill her even if we can't find her.”
Yue Du turned to look at her, a question in her eyes.
Sheng Xuejiu didn't keep her in suspense. “There are only a handful of planets where the Zerg nest could be,” she said directly. “Anyway, we can use antimatter cannons whenever we want now. We might as well just load them onto a starship and blow up the planets one by one.”
Yue Du: “…”
Wasn't that method a bit too simple and crude!
Of course, that method was not feasible.
The large-scale antimatter weapons capable of destroying a planet were fixed installations on the capital star. They were limited in number and extremely dangerous. Even if they could be mounted on a starship to destroy the Zerg home world, there was no guarantee it wouldn't cause other collateral damage.
And—
“Even the psychic barrier of a Zerg King can completely block photon rays. Who knows if the Zerg Mother has an even stronger one? It's not a safe bet.”
Sheng Xuejiu sighed. “The research institute speculates that thing is as big as a mountain. If even an antimatter cannon can't destroy it, then we might as well give up. She's already won.”
But Yue Du said, “There's another possibility.”
Sheng Xuejiu met her gaze and raised an eyebrow. “You're suggesting we use psychic power?”
Yes, psychic power.
About seven years ago, Sheng Xuejiu had captured a juvenile Zerg King alive. The research institute studied its defense mechanisms and discovered that while the Zerg King's psychic barrier was strong enough to resist energy rays, it could be pierced by psychic power of the highest caliber. And… its psychic core wasn't very strong.
In other words, as long as a Guide could pierce the creature's barrier, they could easily scramble its brain.
A Zerg King's psychic power corresponded to the highest level.
So, what level would the Zerg Mother's psychic power be?
This wasn't Yue Du's primary concern for now. What mattered to her was, “This brings us back to square one. We have to find the Zerg Mother first.” Otherwise, psychic power couldn't be used for automatic targeting or long-range attacks.
“Sigh.”
The two of them sighed in unison.
Was it difficult? Not really. The Main System wouldn't issue a mission that was beyond their capabilities. At most, it would be a mission Yue Du was unwilling to accept.
If she refused, it wouldn't force her; it would just withhold her points or hastily eject her from the small world. It felt like it was trying to stir up trouble but was too cowardly to make a big scene.
This mission wasn't difficult either, just troublesome.
The trouble of having to track the Zerg forces themselves.
Having reached the end of the Zerg Mother's file, Yue Du casually turned off the light screen. “I've read the military's reports on tracking the Zerg home world before,” she said. “It said none of the trackers ever returned, and those who did couldn't remember anything.”
“In a few days, once the situation has completely stabilized, I'd like to give it a try.”
Sheng Xuejiu said, “I'll go with you.”
Yue Du replied, “Don't be ridiculous. One only hears of foot soldiers tracking the enemy; who's ever seen a Marshal go tracking in person?”
The Marshal argued righteously, “But the purpose of the Marshal's tracking is to find the Zerg Broodmother. This is king against king, general against general.”
…It was impressive that the host could come up with such a reason.
Yue Du hadn't intended to refuse anyway, so she readily agreed. The Marshal was satisfied and, very soon, at a time when the Zerg were eyeing them covetously from the outside and the internal situation was still somewhat chaotic, she was being intimate with her partner.
Before they could find an opportunity to start tracking, the Zerg made a major move.
They abandoned Cadina Star, seemingly shifting more of their forces toward the Empire.
Yue Du's rational analysis was that this was due to the biological instinct to seek advantages and avoid harm. No matter how low the Zerg's intelligence, they knew that with Sheng Xuejiu in charge, the Federation was not to be trifled with.
The Empire grew anxious.
Consequently, Sheng Xuejiu received a request for a meeting from the Empire, expressing their desire to discuss sending reinforcements. The envoy was the Second Prince, Terence.
Sheng Xuejiu's first thought was: Troublesome.
“If they want to request support, a simple communication or an online meeting would suffice. Isn't sending someone in person superfluous?”
Yue Du suggested, “Perhaps they feel it's more formal this way?”
Sheng Xuejiu said, “Whatever. Just tell them that every bit of energy must be conserved for the battlefield. Decline the visit. We'll communicate online.”
The Empire didn't seem to give up easily. After another round of back-and-forth, they reluctantly settled on a holographic conference.
The Empire's Second Prince, Terence, was a baby-faced Guide. Compared to his fierce-looking older brother, Terence was far more approachable and was said to have many supporters within the royal family.
The moment she saw him, Yue Du felt something was off.
For a System who had once worked as an agent, the ability to read people and observe their expressions was a basic requirement. Otherwise, how could one negotiate?
Terence conveyed his request to the Marshal, asking for reinforcements amounting to nearly a third of the Silver Lion Legion. He added that if the Empire were to be breached by the Zerg, the Federation would also face a crisis.
As he spoke, his green eyes never once left Sheng Xuejiu.
Yue Du: “…”
She took another careful look and understood what was going on.
The Empire's Second Prince was said to be an outstanding Guide with a perfect record, and he was also the highest-ranking Guide in the Imperial military. From the looks of it, was the Empire proposing a political marriage?
Yue Du gently nudged the Marshal's arm with her elbow.
Sheng Xuejiu smoothly linked her arm through Yue Du's, turned her head, and asked sweetly, “What is it, darling?”
The blond prince opposite them shifted his gaze to Yue Du's face, a look of assessment flashing in his eyes.
Yue Du met his gaze and said calmly, “If you are hoping for support from the soldiers of the Silver Lion Legion, I'm afraid you will not get your wish.”
Terence said, displeased, “I believe I was speaking to Marshal Sheng.”
Yue Du replied, “As it happens, I am the Marshal's adjutant, responsible for expressing our position when the Marshal doesn't wish to waste her breath.”
Yue Du was, in fact, currently Sheng Xuejiu's adjutant.
He Yin had stepped down a year ago. Sheng Xuejiu had appointed her commander of another legion, and Yue Du had taken her place.
Sheng Xuejiu had even thrown a special farewell party that day. There was more “party” than “farewell” to it, and after everyone else had left, it devolved entirely into a celebration—a physical one.
Terence said, “The Marshal hasn't expressed an opinion. How do you know she doesn't wish to speak?”
Under the table, Yue Du lightly tapped the side of Sheng Xuejiu's military boot with the tip of her foot.
Sheng Xuejiu's expression remained unchanged, though she raised an eyebrow slightly. “I forgot to introduce her. This is my fiancée. We are of one mind, so her meaning is my meaning. I trust you understand.”
Terence: “…”
Yue Du smiled. “Now, shall we continue our discussion?”
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