Several days later, at the military hospital.
“When you woke up for the first time, you were crying and looking for me.”
Jiang Jianming was propped up by a soft pillow behind him, half-leaning on the bed in the treatment cabin, his face full of confusion. “…What?”
Meanwhile, His Highness Ryann had moved a chair to sit next to him, holding half a bowl of rice porridge, carefully blowing it cool before feeding it to him.
“You were crying and looking for me when you first woke up.”
——At the same time, he confidently recalled the scene on the starship to him.
Obviously, combining “you cried” and “you were looking for me” into “you were crying and looking for me” would cause a great deal of expression error, but His Highness didn’t care.
Jiang Jianming’s eyes widened slightly, and he firmly denied. “What? Impossible!”
Ryann: “Really, why would I lie to you? When I rushed over to ask you why you were crying, you said it was because you missed me.”
Jiang Jianming: “Impossible…I don’t remember.”
Ryann: “That’s just you don’t remember.”
Just as Jiang Jianming was about to argue, his mouth was fed another spoonful of porridge.
He was extremely weak at the moment, and the overdose of tranquilizers made him dizzy and nauseous. He vomited whatever he ate in the past two days and could only sleep drowsily in the medical fluid. It wasn’t until this morning that his condition improved a bit, and he could barely swallow some bland food.
Because of this, Ryann didn’t dare to feed him too much, and put the porridge away after feeding him less than half a bowl.
“You were angry with me,” he said expressionlessly, “I’ve been coaxing you, but you didn’t respond at all.”
Jiang Jianming: “…You can’t just make things up because your memory is unclear.”
He complained with a frown, and Ryann just lowered his head and laughed, shaking his head and saying, “I won’t tease you anymore.”
During these few days at the military hospital, time seemed to slow down unusually.
The reason Jiang Jianming resisted the hospital the first few times was simply because he didn’t want to expose his chronic crystal disorder. Now that everything that should be said and shouldn’t be said has been said, he no longer had a reason not to be hospitalized.
After all, in his current state, he really couldn’t do anything other than lie in bed.
His Highness Ryann’s crystal bones were excessively worn out and should have been hospitalized for observation by rights, but he ended up hanging around Jiang Jianming’s side every day.
Jiang Jianming was both amused and helpless, so he quietly told the doctor to put all the necessary medicine in his own ward, and he would figure out what to do.
It wasn’t clear who was watching whom for treatment, but it seemed like they were mutually nurturing each other again.
After stabilizing a bit, the Emperor and the chief came to see them again.
“Little Excellency, when did you start having unclear memories?”
The chief asked, “At the end of the Battle of Lan Xishi, you commanded the fleet to drive the Crystal Cult out of the empire. Do you remember that?”
“Very vague, I hardly have any impression now.”
Jiang Jianming said in a low voice, then frowned and turned his head to look at the side—
Ryann and Lin Ge were glaring at each other coldly. These two people didn’t know what was going on, but they were particularly at odds recently.
Jiang Jianming: “Your Highness, this matter…you didn’t say it, how could you directly seize Admiral Celine’s command? What was the situation then, don’t you have a clue?”
Ryann glanced at him. “You told me you were sober.”
Jiang Jianming: “…”
You believe whatever is said to you!?
Ryann saw the look of difficulty on Jiang Jianming’s face and added another sentence. “You looked very sober, even when you were discussing tactics, you were so sober that it was hard to believe.”
Jiang Jianming was annoyed. “What sober…by the second half of the fight, I was almost unconscious.”
“Impossible.”
Ryann said decisively. “You were clearly very excited.”
“Excited…excited?”
Jiang Jianming was confused, what kind of description is excited!?
Then he saw His Highness raise an eyebrow. “Originally, you were in the treatment cabin, but halfway through the fight, you insisted on going to the command seat, and we couldn’t stop you.”
Jiang Jianming: “…?”
The chief and the Emperor quietly exchanged glances, probably understanding what was going on.
Jiang Jianming was in the dark, and after arguing with Ryann for a while, he ran out of breath first, closed his eyes and leaned back with a dizzy head..…This time, his body was really badly damaged.
But Jiang Jianming himself didn’t feel regretful. Originally, he was suffering from chronic crystal disorder, and every day was one day less, and his physique would become weaker and weaker.
In another year or two, he wouldn’t even have the capital to go crazy, and he might not even have the physical strength to operate a mecha. Instead of letting the flame of life slowly wear away, it’s better to burn himself happily now.
Of course, there were always people who wouldn’t let him seek death like this.
With a soft sound, the built-in infusion needle of the treatment cabin popped out and pierced into the patient’s thin arm.
Ryann withdrew his hand from the button and said indifferently to the Emperor and the chief. “Go back, he needs to sleep.”
“Please wait, Your Majesty.” Jiang Jianming was struggling with fatigue to say something serious, “About the Crystal Cult, I…”
Before he could finish his sentence, he started coughing. Lin Ge couldn’t stand it, frowned and patted Jiang Jianming on the back, saying, “Wait until you’re better before you talk, or our Little Highness will bite someone.”
Ryann immediately brought him some water, and Jiang Jianming took a couple of sips with Ryann’s hand, closed his eyes and rested for a while before suppressing the cough, his voice hoarse. “Listen to Your Majesty. Then write a report and send it directly to the military department.”
He turned his head and thought for a moment, then said, “But there is something that might be important, please listen to me say a sentence.”
“I met the Archbishop of the Crystal Cult over there, his name is Gaius; the one who acted against us was another bishop, I’ve seen him in the Glorious Cathedral before, his name is Su.”
Jiang Jianming said seriously, “But later, only Laurent was brought to see His Highness. In the past few days, I heard from His Highness about what happened later, it seems that the Archbishop and the Bishop of Destruction did not appear afterwards, I’m a bit worried.”
Lin Ge nodded, “Understood, Zhen will inform the military department to pay more attention to the movements in the Far Star.”
…Far Star.
This phrase tugged at his heartstrings.
After the Emperor and the chief left, Jiang Jianming was somewhat lost in thought, casually pinching Ryann’s fingers, and after a long time, he finally said, “I don’t know where General Xie is now.”
The policy decided at the military meeting at that time was to let Xie Yuduo’s expeditionary fleet retreat after reaching the Crystal Nest, without rashly going deep.
Counting the days, it should be about time for communication to come.
Ryann sighed lightly, “Don’t worry, I’ll tell you when there’s news…rest.”
His Highness leaned over, carefully propped Jiang Jianming’s shoulder, and kissed the corner of his eye.
The action was very light, making the latter laugh and say it was ticklish.
……..
After the smoke of gunpowder dissipated, this long winter was finally blown away bit by bit by the warm wind.
With the fine spring rain falling, the ice and snow melted, and the orioles flew and the grass grew.
In fact, these days were quite dangerous for General Xie–of course, the general himself, who was far away in the starship, didn’t know.
But in the public opinion of some of the empire’s ministers and generals, Donna Sekt’s compliance with Laurent’s coercion to blow up the energy station of the high-dimensional blockade barrier almost became a handle to attack the general himself.
That was, Xie Yuduo usually acted high-profile, young and high-ranking, and had a poisonous mouth, and many people didn’t like him. The empire had always been very strict about the crime of treason, and there may even be a crime of joint punishment. It was only thanks to the protection of the old marshal Chen that he was taken out of this mess.
Donna Sekt’s situation was undoubtedly tragic. Although she was pardoned to some extent, she was still sentenced to ten years in prison. This sentence would be a long ten years of mother-daughter separation.
When Jiang Jianming’s physical condition was barely able to go out, he would occasionally look at the window thoughtfully.
One day when it was drizzling, he took advantage of His Highness going to the palace to do something, asked the hospital for an electric wheelchair, and also took an umbrella, and went out alone.
Jiang Jianming went to the Sekt’s mansion to visit the girl who was left behind.
Xie Yinxing’s grandfather…the old Sekt family head suffered a huge blow, and it seemed that he had aged a lot in just a dozen days.
He led Jiang Jianming to Xie Yinxing’s room, sighed sadly, “Since her mother was taken away, little Emilia has locked herself in the room for a week.”
Jiang Jianming pushed the door open, and the light outside shone into the room.
The girl was seen hugging her knees, shrinking herself in a dark corner of the bedroom, her hair messy, like a broken doll that had been abandoned.
“Mom is not a bad person.” Xie Yinxing raised her red eyes, her voice hoarse, “Mom did the wrong thing to protect Xingxing.”
“It’s all Xingxing’s fault, it’s Xingxing…who took the bad guys as good guys, why did they take mom away, they should take me away.”
Jiang Jianming didn’t say a word, just hugged the girl into his arms.
“No, no,” Xie Yinxing shrank back, sobbing and shouting, “I…I know! I know elder brother was killed by the enemy to save Xingxing…why did you come to see me!?”
Jiang Jianming knelt on the floor, forcefully pulling her, not letting her run away.
He knew that this girl was sensible, since she knew he was injured, she wouldn’t struggle too hard.
“Xingxing,” he said, “Xingxing, stop making a fuss. Listen to me. Where is your little gun?” The girl looked up blankly, she mumbled a few words with her nose, and stammered, “I don’t know, maybe…lost…lost.”
“Your mom will come back.”
Jiang Jianming ruffled her messy hair and said calmly, “Madam Donna’s situation is special, she was coerced, and tried to resist in the middle, under normal circumstances, she should be commuted.”
“No matter if it’s five years, eight years, or even ten years, your mom will always come back to you.”
He reached out his hands again and straightened the girl’s rolled collar, “The important thing is, by then, what kind of world do you want your mom to see, what kind Xingxing?”
“Will there be bad guys around us ten years later?”
“If there are bad guys who want to force your mom to do bad things again, can the Xingxing of ten years later protect her?”
Xie Yinxing was stunned for a moment. Jiang Jianming said lightly, “I have been injured, and I am also a disabled person, my body will not be as good as before.”
“Your gun is very good, and you are a new human. If you want to join the army in the future, can you come to be my personal guard?”
Before leaving, Jiang Jianming gave her a pen from his pocket.
That was actually a tactical pen used in the Golden Sun Wheel Army, not a new crystal weapon, it was just a small thing. What’s rare was that it was engraved with the emblem of the Golden Sun Wheel, the color was between gold and copper, and it looked very handsome.
“Consider it,” he said with a smile.
On the way back, it started to drizzle again. The cold seeped into his bones, and Jiang Jianming was shivering so much that he could hardly sit in the wheelchair.
He knew that he probably wouldn’t live to see Xie Yinxing grow up.
He only hoped…
Ten years later, there would be no more bad people around the child.
The wish was silent, only the spring rain was tapping a sad tune on the windows of millions of homes.
Even though the flames of war had been extinguished, the wounds brought by the war could not be washed away for a long time.
That day, when Diana came to visit, she was dressed in a black dress, her face covered with a layer of black veil, a classic mourning outfit, subtly blending with the quiet and bright atmosphere of the hospital.
When she walked into the ward, she took off her veil. The exposed eyes were red and swollen, her face pale, as if she had been seriously ill, her complexion was even worse than Jiang Jianming’s, who had almost lost his life.
She came very suddenly, without any prior notice, and Jiang Jianming was completely unprepared. He was surprised and invited her to sit down, while trying to get up from the bed.
“Jiang, don’t get up.” Diana hurriedly stepped forward, her hands holding Jiang Jianming’s wrist, letting him lie down, and whispered, “I heard you were seriously injured… I’m sorry I didn’t come to see you until today, are you feeling better these days?”
She seemed to have matured a lot all at once. This young lady used to hide behind her brother and cry, rarely speaking so seriously.
But Jiang Jianming could see her repression.
Diana hardly dared to look at him directly, just kept talking.
She said that Audrey’s frozen hibernation surgery was narrowly successful, and she would soon be sent to the Black Shark Base. It was a cutting-edge technology, and it was safer at the base.
She said that her brother’s two secrets were now completely exposed, gender and race… mainly the latter, which had caused quite a stir in the world.
She didn’t dare to face it, only knew that it was very noisy, and unbearable remarks were flying all over the sky.
She said that she couldn’t support the Lance family. She heard that in a few days, the people of the Glorious Dominion would come over and negotiate with the empire to take over this ancestral property.
Originally, after both parents died tragically, it was the young Audrey who had been maintaining control of the family with her talent and perseverance all these years.
Now that this pillar had collapsed, the high-rise building had collapsed. From now on, the Lance family would no longer be the Lance family.
After Diana finished saying these things, she took a breath, and there was a serene smile in the corner of her eye.
She stared at Jiang Jianming, bit her lip, and held her dress with her fingers. After a few seconds, she gently said, “So…that’s it, there’s probably no use staying in the family, so…”
“You should have guessed it,” she nodded, “Yes, I’ve decided to enter the Black Shark Base. I came here today to say goodbye to you…”
Before the word “goodbye” was spoken, a tear suddenly fell from Diana’s eyes and slid down her cheek.
Jiang Jianming was stunned.
“I’m sorry…” Diana suddenly panicked, she kept wiping her tears with her hands, but the tears just wouldn’t stop, “I…I can’t cry, I can’t cry…but, I…I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
Jiang Jianming sighed softly, took a tissue from the side and handed it to her, “There’s nothing wrong with crying, everyone cries.”
Diana sniffed, and her soft body began to tremble.
Jiang Jianming opened his arms to her, and Diana, just like before, threw herself into his arms.
Gradually, she began to sob quietly, her crying grew louder, and finally turned into a loud wail.
“I…I don’t have a brother anymore…”
Her hands tightly gripped Jiang Jianming’s shoulders, she gasped for breath, and cried out in despair, “Jiang, I…I don’t have a brother anymore…I don’t have a home anymore…I’m alone!!”
This time, Jiang Jianming didn’t comfort her. Sometimes comfort was necessary, sometimes it seemed superfluous.
He let Diana cry in his arms for a long, long time, until the girl calmed down, and then she hid in the bathroom, washing her face while sobbing.
“That, Jiang, this…”
When Diana came out hesitantly, she took something out of her bag, her eyes red, “I don’t want it to be taken away by the ruling territory, if you can use it…”
It was a pair of cross sword handles.
They didn’t have a sword body, only handles.
“This is my brother’s crystal bone weapon, a pair of knight swords, named ‘Blood of the Moon Goddess’.”
Diana said softly, “Ah of course, it’s definitely not made by my brother, don’t be angry, it is…it’s something passed down in the family.”
“I don’t know swordsmanship, and I don’t dare to fight. If my brother was here, he would definitely choose to give it to you, you take them.”
“Don’t,” Jiang Jianming smiled bitterly with a hint of helplessness, shaking his head, “If you give me this thing, I will only hand it over to the empire.”
Diana slumped her shoulders in disappointment, holding the pair of sword handles, “But…”
“There are no buts. Since it’s Audrey’s important thing, of course it should be held by her sister.”
Jiang Jianming lightly patted Diana’s back of the hand, “Besides, why did you choose to freeze Audrey? Isn’t it because you hope she can wake up?”
“If she recovers in the future, opens her eyes, and finds that her sword has been given away by her own sister, and gets angry and freezes back into an ice cube, what will you do?”
Diana broke into a smile through her tears, feigning anger, “That’s not true, my brother never treated you like a human.”
Then, Jiang Jianming pulled her to look at some data on crystal particles for a while, until Ryann came in and ordered him to take his medicine and rest.
“So…before I leave,” Diana said in a soft voice as she walked out of the ward, “Can Jiang come to see me off?”
Jiang Jianming nodded with a smile, “It would be an honor.”
…….
During his bed rest, Jiang Jianming wrote a report on the Crystal Cult and the crystal particle race.
He re-investigated some corroborating data, pondered the wording, revised it repeatedly, and finally wrote a report of seven to eight thousand words and handed it in.
He didn’t know how much truth the empire’s high-level officials had grasped, perhaps his painstaking efforts were not worth mentioning in the eyes of some people. But at least this was his stance.
As a prince, and having just experienced such turmoil, Ryann was naturally busy.
He couldn’t even rest in the hospital for long, he was constantly shuttling between the palace and the military department every few days.
But every night, the prince would definitely return to the hospital to spend the night with Jiang Jianming, not disturbing him, just sitting by the lamp watching him type and write.
Only when he saw that it was time or that he was showing signs of fatigue would he forcefully put him into the treatment cabin to sleep.
“…Speaking of which.” The window was shrouded in the gauzy night, Jiang Jianming stopped typing on the virtual keyboard, and suddenly looked at the crystal bone ring on his ring finger.
“This thing is quite strange, after releasing the crystal bone, it actually ran to my ring finger on its own.”
He curiously asked Ryann, his eyes soft in the light, “How did you do it?”
Ryann had just brought him a cup of hot milk, and he huffed, “You ask me, who am I to ask?”
But he suddenly took out a chain of special material from his jacket pocket, which was just like the one Jiang Jianming used to string the ring before.
“Broke your necklace before.”
Ryann pulled Jiang Jianming’s palm over and gently placed the chain in his palm, “Here, don’t owe you anymore.”
“Thank you.” Jiang Jianming was somewhat surprised, he was thinking about getting another chain to string the ring.
He tightened his fingers, thought for a moment, and suddenly asked, “Your Highness, did anyone see it at the time?”
Ryann knew what Jiang Jianming was asking, he was asking if this taboo crystal bone ring had been seen by the imperial soldiers. He immediately answered, “No.”
Jiang Jianming said unhappily, “…Your Highness.”
Ryann: “I said no, it’s no. There was none before, and there will be none later.”
Jiang Jianming closed his eyes and sighed, he turned off the virtual screen, drank the hot milk, and turned off the bedside lamp.
In the dimness, Ryann’s arm came around him. Then, he was kissed tenderly on the lips, it was a comforting warmth.
……
The day Diana and the base leader returned to the Omega Alien Star, Jiang Jianming and Ryann went to see them off.
Diana was no longer wearing black clothes and a black veil.
She had changed into the white research uniform of the Black Shark Base members.
What was even more unexpected was that she had cut her hair, just like Audrey’s short hair.
Only Audrey had a neutral and elegant temperament, whether in men’s or women’s clothing, short hair would always look heroic.
But Diana was naturally cute, but now she was wearing a deadpan expression, cutting her hair to this hairstyle made her look somewhat out of place.
She looked like a once beautiful and delicate doll, whose hair had been cut off with a snip.
But her mental state seemed to be better, she told Jiang Jianming that if he needed anything in the future, he could find her at any time.
The aircraft was parked behind them, they were going to board the base’s starship. The base leader put his hand on her chest and bowed slightly, “Little Excellency, we’re leaving. Please take good care of yourself.”
Diana followed behind the leader and also said, “Jiang, take care.”
The leader turned to the prince, “Your Highness, please take good care of Little Excellency.”
Ryann: “You don’t need to tell me.”
They turned around, boarded the aircraft, and closed the door. Jiang Jianming watched the aircraft ascend and go far away, gradually becoming smaller in the blue sky.
Just like that, they left. The next reunion, who knows when and where, and what the situation will be.
Ryann also looked up at the aircraft, holding his hand, and casually asked, “Are you feeling better these days, what do you want to eat for lunch?”
“Hmm…” Jiang Jianming said absentmindedly, “Anything is fine, you can go back and peel an apple.”
“…” Ryann said coldly, “Do you think I like peeling apples?”
Jiang Jianming: “No.”
Ryann: “Your tone is too perfunctory, like throwing a bone to a dog, expecting it to play all day.”
On the branches by the road, a few new flowers bloomed. The light pink petals were hanging with last night’s rainwater, and when the east wind blew, they glistened.
TN: This is me(translator) apologizing, “I’m very sorry”, there are a few inconsistent translations that I only noticed now.
Crystal Chaos=Crystal Disorder
Distant Star=Far Star
Sedative=Tranquilizers
Space Pirate=Space Bandit
I’ll try to be careful next time and make the translations consistent. Thank you.
