Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Baisha, pinching the fluffy cheeks of the black panther, instinctively released her hold and turned back upon hearing the Emperor and Wei Li returning to the guest room.

The Emperor still looked somewhat displeased.

Baisha: "..."

Hadn't Wei Li spent so much time preparing the Emperor mentally? Was His Majesty still not accepting the reality?

She wasn't a fool. When Wei Li had followed the Emperor out earlier, she could roughly guess the nature of their conversation.

Cecil Roning would certainly not easily accept her, this niece who appeared out of nowhere. And Wei Li, as the Head of the Secretariat and the Emperor's adviser, probably spent the time earnestly persuading the Emperor to keep her — from their previous conversation, it seemed Wei Li greatly admired her mother, the elder princess, and was loyal to the royal family, unwilling to see the royal bloodline cast adrift.

As for the Emperor not yet appointing an heir, Baisha had never even considered it.

For her, finding a place to belong was already difficult. If the Emperor truly restored her royal status and allowed her to enjoy the privileges of the royal family, it would be like winning the lottery, a stroke of extreme good fortune.

Under someone's roof, one must bow their head. The Emperor, being the de facto ruler of the Ares Empire, pleasing him and changing his attitude towards her would undoubtedly be beneficial for her future — a decision Baisha could make without much thought or hesitation.

Since it's about pleasing an elder, she definitely needed to appear more obedient.

She promptly let go of the black panther and, smiling at the Emperor, whose expression bore a hint of displeasure, greeted him, "You're back, Uncle."

At that moment, Cecil Roning's expression was a mix of emotions.

His brows furrowed slightly, his expression still somewhat stiff, but his tone was much softer, "…In the Empire, you mustn't touch someone's spirit body casually; it can cause harm."

A spirit body is a manifestation of pure spiritual power. Not only is it an extension of the people of the Empire, but it also intertwines with their lifetime of honor and glory, not to be treated as a pet.

Besides, some animal-shaped spirit bodies may look adorable, but they remain one of the Empire's formidable sources of strength. Attacks from spirit bodies are not to be taken lightly.

Cecil Roning instructed her, as a member of the Ares Empire's royal family, Baisha should learn to respect others' spirit bodies and be wary of them.

"…This time, it's not the young princess's fault." Jilun took the blame, defending Baisha, "I let my spirit body play with her to cheer her up, seeing her in low spirits."

Cecil Roning cast a cold glance at Jilun: "As a major of the Empire, you should be more mindful of your conduct, not behaving in a frivolous and indulgent manner."

Wei Li: "..."

Calling Jilun frivolous and indulgent?

Was this some kind of imperial joke?

Wei Li sighed softly, speaking to Cecil Roning before things could take an even stranger turn, "Your Majesty, have you forgotten our conversation just now?"

The Emperor snorted coldly, extending his hand to the captain of the guard, "Bring me my sword."

The captain bowed, instructing a soldier to bring a sword case wrapped in black velvet. Inside lay a long sword, about ninety centimeters, radiating cold light. The handle was wrapped in intricate gold wire, and the back plate of the hilt was engraved with the Empire's emblem — a slender and beautiful mythological bird, known to the people of the Empire as the "Mysterious Bird," soaring high amidst thorns. The curved guard was decorated with blue mother-of-pearl, depicting the bird's tail feathers, vibrant and dazzling.

The captain presented the sword with both hands.

Baisha: "?"

What was this stance? Was Cecil Roning planning to cleave her, the royal misfit, with a single sword strike, or did he intend for Baisha to spar with him, passing his test to earn her royal status?

But the Emperor didn't draw the sword.

He picked up the velvet-wrapped sword, pointing the tip towards himself and the hilt towards Baisha.

"Kneel on one knee," the Emperor commanded.

Baisha, sensing what was to come, solemnly complied.

The cold hilt touched Baisha's shoulder.

"Today, I, Cecil Roning, as the sovereign of the Empire, acknowledge your royal bloodline." The Emperor's deep, ocean-like eyes seemed to ignite with a fierce flame, his voice empowered with spiritual force, each word resonating with a commanding power that compelled one to suppress all distractions and heed only his decree, "From this moment, you are a member of the Roning family."

"I convey to you a sacred teaching from our ancestors: Glory bestowed upon you is as intense as fire. Power and desire inevitably bring blood and pain, while nobility and salvation are not without their costs — your being is the sword, cutting through the thorny path of fate to glimpse your true self."

The Emperor leaned forward slightly, handing the long sword to Baisha, his tone becoming gentle.

"Perhaps, you need a new name."

"How about 'Angelica' or maybe 'Lilani' sounds good too..."

Seeing the Emperor about to get lost in indecision, Baisha quickly took the sword, saying, "I think my current name is good enough, Your Majesty."

The Emperor frowned, "Your current name would seem quite peculiar in the royal genealogy."

Baisha firmly protested, "I don't want to be called 'Angelica', just thinking about it makes my skin crawl."

"Forget it," the Emperor gave up, "When your mother reappears, let her officially name you."

...But who knows if such a day will ever come.

Baisha gripped the cold long sword tightly. She indeed received the desired royal status, but it brought with it immense confusion.

She didn't know what to do next.

"Your spirit body experienced a rampage, materialized but not fully formed," the Emperor helped Baisha to her feet, his pale hand withdrawing immediately after she steadied, "You need to awaken your spirit body quickly."

The awakening of a spirit body should be a natural process, but Baisha's current state was clearly abnormal. Her spirit body, underdeveloped yet, had forcibly manifested to protect her during a dangerous moment. In such a situation, she urgently needed to replenish a great deal of energy to fully form her spirit body.

"I will take you to a special place that can help your spirit body 'hatch' smoothly," Cecil Roning said slowly, "Once your spirit body is normalized, I will formally bestow upon you the title of princess."

Baisha was slightly taken aback.

He presented a cherished passionflower brooch to Baisha, his tone carrying an almost imperceptible, slight nervousness, "This once belonged to your mother... and is my gift to you upon our meeting."

The pure sapphire of the brooch shimmered gently, reminiscent of someone's gentle, firm gaze.

Baisha suddenly felt somewhat overwhelmed.

She pursed her lips, hesitating for a moment, then took the brooch from Cecil Roning's palm.

Cecil Roning slowly exhaled.

As the youngest child of the former emperor and the current ruler of the empire, he rarely had to please anyone growing up. As for his family, his parents shared a deep love, providing him with a stable and sincere familial bond from a young age; his sister, two years his senior, was unconstrained by nature, growing up with him in playful brawls. They were not just close siblings but also comrades who could easily trust each other with their backs.

But this child in front of him was different.

She was still so young, like a fledgling yet to spread its wings, clumsily stumbling into this world, needing his care and guidance as an elder.

Cecil Roning knew well that a stable familial relationship starts with sincerity and trust. He always believed in "actions speak louder than words", and to earn Baisha's trust, he must learn to be a qualified uncle.

Starting with making Baisha accept him.

After an intense internal struggle, Cecil Roning, with a resigned expression, said to Baisha:

"Would you like to see my spirit body? If you want, you can also touch it."

Baisha, who had just grasped the brooch, nearly lost control of her expression: "..."

Why so sudden?

Baisha, who had just relaxed, tensed up again: "Uh, no, that's alright. I know Your Majesty's spirit body must be very majestic—What I mean is, the spirit body is a symbol of Your Majesty, so I should respect it just as I respect you..."

Cecil Roning noticed Baisha's reluctance.

Keeping a straight face, he shot Jilun a commanding glance and said to Baisha, "Then as you wish."

With the matter concluded, they prepared to leave the guest room. Cecil Roning asked Baisha to follow him back to Youdu Star.

Youdu Star is the Emperor's residence.

After becoming a princess, Baisha could also have her own star system as her fief. However, considering her minor status, her current privileges were at the Emperor's discretion.

At that moment, Wei Li brought up something Baisha had mentioned earlier: "Your Majesty, the young princess still has some unresolved matters in the Federation."

The Emperor glanced at Baisha, seemingly understanding her thoughts, and nodded in agreement: "I'll give you half a month to finish what you need to do. In half a month, I expect to see you on Youdu Star."

Half a month might seem long, but with the speed of the imperial fleet, even constantly transiting through various jump stations, it would take a full three days to travel from the Federation to Youdu Star. Factoring in the round trip, it would consume about a week.

That left her with just a week to resolve the mess caused by the Federation's interrogation and to say goodbye to her companions.

Pressed for time, Baisha didn’t want to waste a second: "Can I depart immediately, Your Majesty?"

The Emperor, seated on the sofa, lethargically propped his chin: "Call me 'uncle'."

Baisha: "...Uncle."

"Considering you corrected yourself promptly," the Emperor lounged on the sofa, his silver hair cascading over his shoulders, his deep blue formal attire shimmering subtly, highlighting his exquisitely pale profile, "you may go. Leave your sword with Wei Li for safekeeping, and remember to wear the brooch I gave you."

Baisha realized that her uncle, when displeased, took on a demeanor, posture, and tone more befitting a lofty emperor.

What should an emperor be like? Towering above everyone's will, appearing unaffected by others, influencing them instead.

But was that really the case?

A spark of insight prompted her to lower her tone, "Uncle, it's not that I don’t want to return to the Empire with you, which is surely a thousand times better than the Federation. I want to go back to the Federation because I can't swallow this humiliation..."

"I definitely can’t handle this alone. Uncle, you're the Emperor, you'll surely help me—right?"

The guest room fell into a moment of eerie silence.

Wei Li discreetly observed the Emperor’s expression. It seemed unchanged, but Wei Li, having followed him for years, could tell from the subtle tension in his shoulders and the slight narrowing of his eyelids: the Emperor was very pleased.

"Indeed," said the Emperor, "You should personally claim retribution from them."

"I'll assign three fleets from 'Po Jun' and the soldiers to you, along with the 'Xi He' on a diplomatic mission to the Empire. Though their primary role is your protection, I don't mind if you use them as leverage in your negotiations with the Federation," Cecil Roning said. "Jilun, I entrust you with the command of these fleets. Go and inform Berlin that for the next week, you and he are under the command of my niece. You must cooperate fully with her, using all means necessary to achieve the outcome she desires."

Jilun respectfully responded, "Yes."

Wei Li did not interfere.

Though it might provoke a dispute between the Federation and the Empire, if it wasn't for their timely rescue, the royal family of the Empire could have perished at the hands of the Federation. This was a grave humiliation for the Empire, and Cecil Roning's insistence on claiming retribution was justified.

The Emperor had now placed the power of vengeance in her hands; it was up to her to decide.

Under Jilun's command, the fleet raided Black Reef Star, rescuing Baisha and leaving Federation territory on the same day, while Berlin, as the diplomatic ambassador, had to stay behind to face the Federation's accusations.

"This is a blatant provocation!"

The head of the Federation's military, Gong Zhili, slammed his fist on the table.

This time, he was arguing face-to-face with Berlin, surrounded by a circle of Federation officials. Gong Zhili eagerly expressed that the Empire's actions were a contempt of the Federation, aiming to stir up hostility among the officials against the Empire.

"Your fleets destroyed two jump stations, causing hundreds of casualties in our military, and even some high-profile criminals escaped amidst the chaos, posing a serious threat to the Federation's security," Gong Zhili said coldly. "Firing upon Federation citizens on Federation territory is a severe violation of our national sovereignty!"

To put it bluntly, the situation was indeed severe.

But who was Berlin? He wasn't going to let Gong Zhili dictate his thoughts.

"Then, we should ask what the military here has done. We came with intentions of peace talks; why would our fleets bomb Black Reef Star amidst a dust storm? Releasing or killing those Federation prisoners, what benefit would that bring us?" Berlin sneered, his tone elegant yet sharply pointed, "Moreover, I suggest the military conduct a thorough investigation. Those so-called escapees may have already turned into charred corpses—according to our soldiers, many prisoners in the dark prison died before our fleet landed. Perhaps the jailers, seeing Black Reef Star about to fall, ordered the execution of those prisoners. That can hardly be blamed on our Empire."

Gong Zhili's brow furrowed, ready to retort, but Berlin preempted him.

"Let's get back to the point, shall we? Not everyone knows why we forcefully landed our fleet on Black Reef Star, right?" Berlin projected a document onto the central screen of the meeting room with a sly smile, "It's because your military was secretly interrogating an Imperial citizen there. A young one, whose spirit body hadn't fully formed yet."

"The Ares Empire is known for its valor in battle, and has never been subjected to such treatment. Look at what your military has done. Activating machines to concentrate spiritual power, sending people to forcibly breach the child's spiritual defenses. Mr. Gong Zhili, you accuse our Empire of trampling on the Federation's sovereignty, but when the Federation was engaging in these despicable acts, did it ever consider the ethical ramifications, or the diplomatic relations between our two nations?"

Berlin's stance was clear: you acted inhumanely first, and now you dare to accuse us of not playing by the rules?

The document Berlin shared had everything needed. Many senior officials outside the military were shocked to see it:

"Gong Zhili, as the head of the military, how could you allow such a thing to happen!"

Gong Zhili closed his eyes slightly, deep wrinkles creasing his face. He spoke rigidly, "I only approved an interrogation of a potential spy."

"Spy," Berlin scoffed, "A spy who tried to enter the Federation's Central Military Academy but didn't discreetly switch her genetic samples during testing? Listen to yourself. Does your excuse even hold up?"

"Still, you shouldn't have allowed the fleet to attack Black Reef Star," Gong Zhili insisted stubbornly, "Your actions directly caused casualties among Federation citizens."

"Gentlemen, in my view, it would be best for both our nations to step back," Berlin suggested magnanimously to the Federation officials, "The movements of the Empire's fleet are very secretive, and Black Reef Star is a territory the Federation has never disclosed publicly. If we escalate the conflict over this dispute, Federation citizens will undoubtedly start probing into Black Reef Star..."

Black Reef Star, used for torturing criminals, was not something that would reflect well if made public.

This was the reason for the officials' hesitation.

Black Reef Star was an extremely remote planet. Berlin's defense was entirely valid. If pursued, the taboos broken by the Federation were also severe mistakes. The fact that people were rescued in time without causing serious consequences was a fortunate outcome in an unfortunate situation.

"...Enough."

The man seated at the head of the table suddenly spoke up.

He was plain in appearance but had a well-defined face and an aura of profound depth and steadfastness. As soon as he spoke, his voice wasn't particularly loud, but everyone instinctively quieted down, listening intently to his words.

"Gong Zhili, as the head of the military, you abused your authority, disregarded the opinions of most of your commanders, and forcefully interrogated an Imperial citizen. Did you think we were unaware of this?" the man said, "Someone has already reported the details of this incident to the Federation's Council of Representatives. In this matter, even if all your actions were for the Federation, your conduct was undeniably over the line."

"Moreover, Mr. Berlin, please understand the Federation's necessary measures to eliminate all potential threats."

"That young Imperial citizen, in her efforts to enroll in the Central Military Academy, has caused quite a stir over the years, and she's not easy to handle. Although she might not know her true identity, her attempts to join the military academy, touching the Federation's military power, coupled with her rare double-S grade spiritual power in the Federation... it's normal for her to attract some suspicion."

Berlin raised his eyebrows slightly, about to speak, when he glanced at a new message on his light computer, a flash of surprise in his eyes. Then he looked up again, smiling, and said in a tone half wistful, half ironic:

"Indeed, because the Federation was unsure of her identity, and even she was uncertain of her own origins, such a dramatic coincidence occurred..."

"Gentlemen, the situation has escalated. Because the person you interrogated is not just any Imperial citizen—she is also the blood of our Imperial royal family, a distinguished member of the nobility."

The faces of many Federation officials changed.

A member of the Imperial nobility!

"How is this possible?" Gong Zhili's face turned ugly, standing up somewhat uncontrollably, his hands pressing on the conference table, veins bulging, "She's just an orphan... How could she be of the Imperial nobility!"

This meant her spiritual power might be far beyond just double-S grade.

Every Imperial warrior with strong spiritual power was trouble for the Federation, let alone a member of the nobility!

This unripe, naive member of the nobility had not been properly utilized by them; they had forcibly interrogated her, and yet failed—allowing her to leave the Federation unscathed!

She was a member of the nobility allowed to maintain a private fleet, one who regarded the Federation's military as a thorn in their side... The trouble she could bring was not just limited to the bombing of Black Reef Star. This even involved the dignity of the ruler of the Ares Empire and the Imperial Emperor's attitude towards the Federation.

Some junior officials looked like they were about to faint on the spot.

A Federation diplomat, sweating profusely, asked, "A misunderstanding, this is all a misunderstanding! What can we do to make that member of the nobility and the Emperor of the Empire forget this unfriendly incident?"

If the one interrogated had been just an ordinary Imperial orphan, this negotiation might have needed careful consideration. But now... for the Federation to hope that the Empire would forget this incident is a blessing in itself!

Despite the Federation lowering its stance, they still harbored resentment, accusing the Empire of lacking martial virtue: How could you lose track of a member of the nobility? Who's the more outrageous one here?

A slight curve formed at the corner of Berlin's lips.

"Want the Empire to forget this incident?"

"That's easy to arrange. After all, our young princess, who has suffered so much, is already en route back to the Federation. Instead of proposing terms to us, why not communicate directly with her?"

Berlin broadcasted the signal from his light computer to the screen.

A silver-haired, blue-eyed girl with a cold demeanor sat in the control room of a starship. The transparent windows behind her showed the dark expanse of space and the densely packed black starships reflecting metallic glimmers—

Among them, several starships were all too familiar to the military personnel.

"...Is that 'Po Jun'?" someone involuntarily began to tremble, "That's the Emperor's personal guard!"

The fleet 'Po Jun', almost undefeated on the battlefield!

The Federation officials suddenly felt as if they had stepped on a mouse and accidentally provoked a tiger in return.

"Young princess," Berlin greeted Baisha with a smile, "The Federation's military has already apologized for the wrongful interrogation and wishes to inquire what compensation you require. Feel free to make your demands."

Federation military officials: "..."

What does it mean to 'feel free to make demands'?

Some, hot-blooded, wanted to challenge Berlin's arrogance, but the presence of 'Po Jun' made them forcibly hold their tongues.

As long as they don't draw the nightmare that is 'Po Jun' to the Imperial capital, everything is negotiable.

Baisha raised her eyebrows slightly, revealing a friendly smile, as if the conflict between her and the Federation's military had never existed: "In that case, I won’t hold back."

"I have three conditions."

"First, within the military, many must have voted in favor of interrogating me, right? I want those generals who voted 'yes' to be demoted three ranks. And during joint operations against the star bugs with the Empire, they should be unwelcome and not collaborated with by the Imperials."

The frontlines are the best place to earn military honors. Baisha's intention was to make it difficult for them to climb back up the ranks.

"Second, I want a personal apology from the head of the military."

"Third... I've taken a liking to a few small planets in the border star systems. Don't worry, they are not prosperous planets, just ones with some small rare mineral veins. If the Federation is willing to give me those two planets as a gesture of appeasement, I think I'd gladly accept."