“There is no particular reason. It’s just that I think, there will never be a more suitable time to go on such a trip again.”
In the command room of the Silver Big Dipper armed starship, Xie Yuduo smiled and stretched out his hand to stroke his hair.
The communication device dedicated to interstellar long-distance communication flashed a small green light beside him, casting a little light in the corner of his eyes, like a firefly.
“That day, Little Excellency, you opened the Crown of the Golden Dawn. The fortress analyzed the mecha’s video and some built-in data, and got a lot of things.”
“Including His Highness’s travel route, images of battles with raging alien creatures along the way, and even some methods of passing dangerous space territories…..These materials are too precious, enough to support a new expedition.”
“His Royal Highness Ryann stubbornly went to the Crystal Nest back then. I don’t believe there is no reason. There must be something in the Crystal Nest. What’s more, the Silver Big Dipper is the silver spear pointing to a Far Interstellar Space, with the First Fortress as its spearhead, the forefront of human territory. This is our mission.”
Xie Yuduo cast his gaze outside the starship’s porthole, he propped his forehead and sighed, his eyes dimmed by three points, “…but.”
“Now that the supporters of the shrinking faction are progressing and becoming powerful, and the ‘Lava’ space bandit group is becoming stronger again, the possibility of Silver Big Dipper sending troops for an expedition once more will only become smaller and smaller. This may be the last chance… the last.”
In the Prime Minister Laurent’s mansion, the wind blew through a corner of the dark and quiet corridor.
Jiang Jianming was completely stunned, his throat seemed to be blocked by a bloody smell, and he was unable to speak or think.
——So the major general is acting first and reporting afterwards. Choosing to send troops directly from the First Fortress, and wait until the starship departed before relaying the news back to the empire.
Letting him see such a video like someone’s last words again.
“Think about it, the alien creatures are rampant, and the second and third fortresses are there to wipe them out; the space bandits will attack again, and there is the Golden Sun Wheel guarding the empire.”
On the other side of the projection, Xie Yuduo was still smiling at himself, “But when it comes to exploring the Far Interstellar Space and exploring the Crystal Nest thing… If the first fortress bids its time, no one in the empire will want to go there anymore.”
Speaking of which, he quickly waved his hands, “Oh, of course, of course, there is the Little Excellency who is willing, I know.”
Jiang Jianming couldn’t smile. The fireworks in the distance stopped, and the depths of his pupils became pitch black.
“I’m not prepared to take a big risk, and I’m not planning to go deep into the Crystal Nest. No matter whether I get useful information or not, I will withdraw when I judge that the resistance to moving forward is too high, and control the loss within an acceptable range.”
Xie Yuduo continued, “But the situation in the Far Interstellar Space is changing rapidly, and no one can tell what will happen. I just thought, before I leave, I must at least…..tell you.”
“…….”
Jiang Jianming exhaled silently, and the temperature in his body seemed to have also been taken away.
He stood alone by the corridor and listened to Xie Yuduo’s babbling, there was no joy, anger, sorrow and happiness on his face, he just felt that there was a heavy weight on his heart, which made him out of breath.
Jiang Jianming clearly understood that if Xie Yuduo made a mistake in his judgment by sudden unauthorized deployment of troops like this, if the major general ended up worthlessly dying in the universe, it would lead to “what a mistake the first fortress did”…
Then “Xie Yuduo” would become a sinner of the empire.
A sinner who would be engraved in history and whose name would be flogged over and over again.
The major general himself must know the pros and cons, even so, he still made this decision with consciousness.
“If in case, just in case, I couldn’t come back.” Xie Yuduo understated, “I also hope that you and His Highness can come to the fortress, my mechas, weapons and equipment are still barely worth a little, they are worth a good owner.”
At this point, the video was almost at the end. In the projection, Xie Yuduo stretched out his hand as if to cut off the video, but his expression showed a hint of hesitation.
He withdrew his hand awkwardly and said that there was one more personal matter.
“Actually...cough, I have a daughter.”
Xie Yuduo lowered his head and curled his mouth into a smile, “I don’t know if Little Excellency has met her before. Her name is Emilia, and she looks very cute.”
Jiang Jianming had never seen a major general with such an expression, this…this was an expression of a most ordinary young father.
“If I’m really buried in the sea of stars, my wife may not necessarily let the child know. But if one day, Emilia will cry for me, please help me comfort her, just say…”
Xie Yuduo furrowed his brows and thought for a moment, and then gently and sadly said in a low voice, “Just say, your father has become a small star.”
The video ended here, the projection went black, and the major general’s face disappeared.
Jiang Jianming still stood there in the original position, not moving for a long time, as if standing like a lonely statue.
He raised his eyes as if he had just lost his soul, and looked at the night sky in the distance with disappointment.
Even though he knew in his heart that the Alien Alpha Star could not see in the night sky of Aslan Star City, nor could he see the Far Interstellar Space.
A sense of exhaustion washed over his limbs. Jiang Jianming leaned weakly against the pillar behind him, and raised his wrist to cover his eyes.
How did things turn into such a chaotic situation?
The truth of Ryann’s death still remains unclear, and Garcia still refuses to accept the crown prince position due to unknown obsessions.
The traitors lurking in the empire could not be found out, there’s no clues to the mysterious forces behind the space bandits, the missing real crystal ores could not be found, and the proposal regarding the non crystal race was rejected…
He himself vomited blood and had a fever every now and then, and he didn’t know how long this broken body could last. Now, even Major General Xie has gone to the Crystal Nest.
Let alone whether he can bring back useful information, it is even uncertain whether he can come back alive.
He has already done his best to move forward, but for heaven’s sake, nothing seems to be going smoothly.
Jiang Jianming closed his eyes and smiled bitterly, wondering: can he still really be able to go on these days?
Why not just reward him with a bullet.
As a result, in the next moment, he suddenly heard footsteps approaching quietly.
Jiang Jianming immediately turned his head and opened his eyes…
Then he saw a black muzzle of a gun pointing directly at him.
“Bang~!”
The tender and sweet voice broke the silence of the corridor.
A beautiful little girl about eight or nine years old was standing outside the railing of the corridor. She was wearing a gorgeous navy blue dress, but she held a small pistol in both hands, and uttered the onomatopoeia for shooting in a mischievous tone.
Jiang Jianming turned around and looked over, she hid the gun behind her back, blinked her pure like black grapes eyes, and stuck out her tongue playfully. “Hee hee.”
Jiang Jianming frowned and recognized the girl. At the beginning of the banquet, she was held in the hands of Madame Donna and held in the arms of Prime Minister Laurent.
“…Emilia?”
Unexpectedly, the girl raised her delicate eyebrows and puffed out her chest angrily. “My name is not Emilia von Sekt, I am Xie Yinxing!”
“My father is Xie Yuduo, he is the general of Silver Big Dipper, a great hero who protects the empire!”
Xie Yinxing looked up with sparkling eyes and said, “Big brother, some people say that you are also an officer in the Silver Big Dipper army, is that true? Then have you met my father?”
“…Of course.” Jiang Jianming looked steadily at the little girl in front of him, “He is the general leading us.”
This is Major General Xie’s daughter, he thought to himself. This innocent and lovely girl didn’t know that her father was heading to the other side of the sea of stars, and she didn’t know how dangerous this expedition was. Just like most people in this empire who lived comfortably, they knew nothing about the distant crisis.
Regardless of the fluffy dress she was wearing, Xie Yinxing lifted her calf crookedly, and easily climbed over the guardrail of the corridor.
She jumped to Jiang Jianming’s side, like a lively elf. “Big brother, can you tell me about father?”
“For example…What does father usually do in the fortress? What is life like in Silver Big Dipper Fortress? By the way, big brother, have you ever been on a battlefield? Have you ever fought alien creatures and space bandits?”
Xie Yinxing asked a barrage of questions, her eyes were full of bright longing, then she pouted again. “It is rare to meet people from Silver Big Dipper outside. At home, my mother forbids me to ask about my father, nor does she allow me to learn from father either.”
“Obviously, she always couldn’t help but talk about father herself…afterwards, she just sulks on her own.”
Jiang Jianming remained silent. Maybe Madame Donna’s feelings for Major General Xie are also very complicated.
He cast his eyes on Xie Yinxing’s hand. “You’re carrying…”
Xie Yinxing quickly took two steps back, hugged the small pistol, and stared in anger. “It’s mine.”
She raised the gun at Jiang Jianming, licked her lips, and squinted to aim, “In the future, Xingxing will also go to Silver Big Dipper, and go to the battlefield with father!”
Jiang Jianming frowned, and was just about to speak up.
Suddenly, Xie Yinxing’s face changed color and she cried softly.
“Ah!”
A cluster of palm-sized red gold crystals pierced out of the air, and hit the pistol with a clang.
Xie Yinxing couldn’t bear such a great force, and the gun flew out of her hand, drawing an arc.
“Your Highness?” Jiang Jianming turned around in surprise.
At the other end of the corridor, a slender figure appeared at some point. The pistol landed in Garcia’s outstretched palm, while his other hand was holding an apple that was bitten twice.
His Royal Highness looked over with a cold expression in his eyes, and the platinum curly hair hanging down his back was shining under the moonlight.
Xie Yinxing took a step back in fright, but soon glared angrily. “Give it back to me! It’s mine!”
Jiang Jianming stopped the little girl who was about to rush up with sharp eyes and agile hands, and asked in a low urgent voice, “Why are you here?”
Garcia walked over and with a casual expression, stuffed the apple into Jiang Jianming’s hand. “You’re past the time limit.”
At the second when he passed sideways, the prince suddenly pressed his shoulder, and exerted force with his five fingers.
Garcia lowered his head to cover his cold eyes, placed his lips next to Jiang Jianming’s ear and said in a low voice, “This girl is playing with a real gun.”
Jiang Jianming’s temples twitched slightly.
Garcia’s soft curly hair swept across his cheeks and earlobes, and the fingers on his shoulders tightened in anger. “At this distance, as long as she pulls the trigger, you will be shot. Jiang Jianming, where’s your vigilance?”
Jiang Jianming took a deep breath silently. Only then did he get out of the dazed state after receiving Xie Yuduo’s message.
He patted Garcia’s palm and softly said, “This is Major General Xie’s daughter.”
“………”
Garcia glanced at Xie Yinxing again, but the coldness between his brows did not dissipate, “It doesn’t matter who she is, I’m talking about your problem.”
After he finished speaking, he turned to Xie Yinxing who was staring at him angrily, and shook the gun in his hand. “Where did you get this?”
