“Could the Little Excellency recover completely!?”
Xie Yuduo suddenly stood up.
He had no idea how the ring Jiang Jianming was wearing became the key, but at least he heard the chief’s last few sentences clearly.
In the surge of emotions, he even forgot to ask about the content he didn’t understand, and just choked repeatedly. “That’s… that’s great, that’s great…”
Ryann, on the contrary, took a long time to come back to his senses.
He was stunned for a while, then asked. “How long will it take?”
Sylph: “Nobody knows that. I’ll take him back to the base for protection and observation.”
“You’re taking him away!?”
“Once the enemy attacks, the First Fortress will be the frontline. Omega Alien Star is safe, and the base also has more professional equipment.”
“Oh, that is indeed better, Your Highness.” Seeing Ryann’s face turn gloomy again, Xie Yuduo quickly pressed on his shoulder.
“Having hope is always good. Think about it, maybe in ten days or half a month, the Little Excellency might wake up, right?”
Ryann: “Then I…”
I’ll accompany him to Omega Alien Star.
These words were about to slip out, but got stuck in his throat.
The rumbling wind seemed to be in the distance. Ryann suddenly fell silent. He got down from the bedside, not even putting on his outer clothes, and shuffled to the window of the ward in his cotton slippers.
He looked outside and saw the scarred Black Iron Fortress.
Repair soldiers were rushing to fix the broken walls on special flying vehicles. Further away were the mechas lining up to board the starships. The originally scheduled day for returning home had been delayed by one day, so the mechas were only now boarding the ships.
“…”
The Crown Prince withdrew his gaze expressionlessly, his pale golden eyelashes covering his green eyes.
He couldn’t leave, couldn’t get away… he knew this just by thinking about it.
The frontline couldn’t do without the strongest combat power of the Super S-class crystal bones, and the empire couldn’t do without the rallying power of the Crown Prince.
It was he who had insisted on going to war, telling Old Marshal Chen that this was the best opportunity, saying that since he hadn’t died completely, he wouldn’t admit defeat. It was also he who insisted on revealing the truth within the range of the Far Star military. Now they had finally dealt a heavy blow to the Crystal Cult, but there were still too many hidden dangers.
Archbishop Gaius was still at large, the problem of the Lava Space Bandits wasn’t solved; even beyond the scope of humans, as long as the Crystal Nest wasn’t destroyed, this racial war would continue for one more day.
He wanted so badly to stay with Jiang Jianming, counting the rising suns and falling stars in the base, waiting for his lover to wake up with the rest of his life.
But how long would it take? A month, a year, or ten years?
He could afford to wait for Jiang Jianming, but the situation couldn’t wait for him.
As His Highness quieted down like this, both Xie Yuduo and Sylph understood clearly in their hearts.
This was… a necessary separation.
“Your Highness,” Sylph gently persuaded, “It’s just a short time apart. He waited for you for three years, you waiting for him isn’t unfair.”
“I know.”
Ryann raised his face, again showing a pair of calm green pupils, “When are you planning to leave? Now? I’ll send you off.”
But he immediately shook his head, saying in a harder tone. “No, let’s delay it for another day. You leave tomorrow, and I’ll return to the country tomorrow too. This way, the fleet can escort you for part of the way. Let’s settle it like this.”
After saying this, he lay back on the bed, turned his back to the two people, covered himself with the quilt, and closed his eyes motionlessly.
****
On the same morning, news of the victory at the front line reached the empire. After blurring information related to the truth about crystal particles, it was quickly made public.
Due to the extreme distance between Far Star and the empire’s nine star cities, and the harsh space environment, the military personnel in the three fortresses were almost completely disconnected from the empire’s civilians. Any situation at the front line was first reported to the military department, then to the emperor, before being communicated to the public. If anyone dared to leak information privately, they would face a military court.
–Of course, when Jiang Jianming was still a military academy student, he knew the latest military news even faster than the military department, as the rules didn’t apply to a certain little highness. That was a different matter.
This time, the public only learned about the fierce battle at the First Fortress when the cause and effect of the Alpha Alien Star battlefield were announced.
The story of hundreds of wounded soldiers sacrificing themselves with the enemy to avoid burdening the main force spread instantly through the streets.
[This is a heroic, brave, and great victory, and therefore inevitable.]
–Wrote reporter Yang Xiaozhen.
For a moment, the people celebrated.
First, innocent civilians were bloodied in attacks within the empire’s borders; then, the imperial army pointed their swords at Far Star, wiping out most of the Crystal Cult’s forces.
This indeed gave a thrilling sense of “those who offend our empire will be punished, no matter how far.”
At the same time, the military department subtly included a sentence in their release: [His Highness the Crown Princess was seriously injured and in a coma, sent to the Black Shark Base for treatment.]
After the wave of victory celebrations subsided a bit, public attention began to turn towards Jiang Jianming… and then exploded.
This was inevitable. Although Jiang Jianming had tried to keep a low profile, the various titles he bore were simply too extraordinary.
A Crown Princess of common birth, the only disabled human officer in the Silver Big Dipper, holding dual ranks in the Golden Sun Wheel and Silver Big Dipper at just over twenty years old, yet destined for a short life due to chronic crystal disorder, even loved by Her Majesty the Emperor…
How could he not attract attention?
“Disabled humans are indeed still not up to it.”
This kind of statement quickly gained the upper hand.
Where there are supporters, there are naturally objectors. Various parties argued heatedly on the Intelligence Network, with people constantly getting banned for violating prohibited words or extreme speech, but the disputes intensified.
“They’re all Silver Big Dipper, how come when crystal humans die, it’s called sacrificing for the country; but when it’s a non-crystal human, some people start mocking!? This is discrimination and an insult to the soldiers protecting our country!”
“…But His Highness Jiang’s military ranks and merits… to put it bluntly, aren’t they all because of His Highness Ryann…”
“How much has he done? The capital’s unrest, the star city attack, and the space bandits and Crystal Cult in Far Star… When has he not made achievements? How can there still be such malicious speculation!”
“No one’s disrespecting him, it’s just regrettable that his actions exceeded his own abilities. Like in the myths of Old Blue Mother Star, that giant who died of thirst chasing the sun?”
“Actually, we non-crystal humans don’t need to speak up for Jiang Jianming too much. He crossed class boundaries himself and doesn’t care about us anymore, he won’t even come to the protection association for a look.”
“He’s either in the army or in the hospital every day, what more do you want from him…”
At Kaios Military Academy.
Several young boys and girls sat under the shade of a tree.
“Alright, Brother Kevin, Senior Jiang is just seriously injured, didn’t sacrifice his life. Look at how you’re crying…”
Kevin sat to one side with a gloomy face, his eyes and nose tip red. After experiencing a series of events starting with Laurent’s betrayal, this young man had clearly become much more composed.
He turned off his wrist device, no longer looking at those irritating discussions. “Don’t you find it strange?”
“It’s one thing that Senior was once an ordinary person, but now he’s both a colonel in the military and the Crown Princess of the royal family. How is he still being discussed on the Intelligence Network like some entertainment celebrity? Is no one managing this?”
“Uh…” The chubby boy Isidore scratched his head.
Kevin: “Moreover, regarding this battle, don’t you feel the information given by the empire is too vague?”
“This kind of thing, they probably can’t reveal too much to us civilians anyway,” said the girl with braided hair named Lulu in a low voice. “When His Highness Ryann disappeared for three years back then, it was all unclear too.”
The small, thin boy Asou timidly said, “Wasn’t it said to be because of the Crystal Cult faking his death?”
Kevin shook his head. “In three days, Her Majesty the Emperor has something to announce to all citizens of the empire. Guess what it is?”
The chubby boy: “Hehe, I know this one! The autonomous dominion has finally returned its autonomy, right? Last time when Aslan was attacked, they didn’t send troops. That won’t happen anymore in the future.”
Kevin: “Then why do you think the autonomous dominion would give up their autonomy for no reason?”
The young boys and girls were all stunned for a moment, then looked at each other in confusion.
“Brother Kevin, then… what do you think?”
Kevin pursed his lips, looking towards the distant teaching building.
Once, he always felt that studying at Kaios as a poor student involved too much bitterness and unfairness.
But now he had a kind of premonition: those peaceful daily routines might become a luxury. Something…
“Something is about to begin—no, perhaps it has already begun.”
****
White Jade Palace.
While the public was in heated discussion, more than a dozen high-ranking imperial officials and generals personally named by the emperor were secretly gathered in holographic form.
Like an undercurrent unknown to the public, these high-level officials learned the secret of crystal particles ahead of time, but only three days before the common people.
After the meeting, Chen Hanke and Lieutenant General Luther walked on a small path at the military headquarters.
The white hair of the two old men was bathed in the spring breeze.
“In three days…”
Luther said with a bitter face. “Sigh, this subordinate is still very worried, Commander-in-Chief.”
Old Marshal Chen leaned on his cane and said slowly, “Turmoil is certain, it’s just a matter of whether we can contain it. If we can stabilize within half a month, it will be a great victory.”
Announcing the victory at the front line to the public, then putting the entire empire into a state of war, turning the White Bird Plan from covert to overt, and launching a major counterattack against the Crystal Nest—these were things that had been decided from the beginning.
Now that the soldiers at the front had completed their task, the rest was up to them.
Luther spoke again, “However, Her Majesty’s methods truly make this subordinate admire. The Little Excellency… no, His Highness Jiang’s matter, when it’s reversed, the citizens…”
Old Marshal Chen hummed and shook his head. “Her Majesty? Her Majesty is just venting.”
…Just now, when receiving her subjects, the female emperor seemed to be surrounded by ominous dark clouds, her madness seemingly even more intense than usual.
She laughed, saying that simply announcing it like this wasn’t enough. The people were used to peaceful prosperity, and might find it difficult to empathize.
The heroic sacrifice of the Silver Big Dipper soldiers was tragic enough, but the fortress was too far from the empire. Life and death had no real sense of impact. People would just repost a few memorial messages on the Intelligence Network and move on.
Something was still missing, something closely related to the people, something that could stir up intense emotions, preferably something that could leave a deep, bloody mark on their hearts.
To ignite enough grief, hatred, and anger, so that the entire empire, from high officials to the poor, could wholeheartedly support this war.
“Isn’t it just perfect? All those merits he’s earned, including this time’s ‘severe injury and coma’…”
The female emperor smiled coldly, emphasizing those four words heavily, “Because it involves crystal particles, the cause and effect couldn’t be made public all along. It’s quite unfair to him, isn’t it?”
“First let the citizens criticize freely, then reveal the truth. Remember to tell everyone that His Highness Jiang hid alone in the Stele of Heroes preparing to commit suicide on the eve of victory—let them all be properly moved.”
What kind of being moved was this? It was clearly psychological torture.
The group of high-level officials in hologram form didn’t dare to make a sound.
Old Lieutenant General Luther shook his head, thinking of how Jiang Jianming once believed he didn’t have long to live, so he avoided public activities whenever possible, never behaved like a Crown Princess, and even dared to mock himself in public to avoid having a halo.
He clearly just wanted to die quietly, hoping his death would bring as little pain as possible to the empire.
Now look at this. The emperor had exposed all his old secrets.
When His Highness Jiang wakes up again… seeing the changed empire, who knows what he’ll think?
