“Chapter Eighty-Seven”

"Chapter Eighty-Seven"

"After the intense discussion, the Emperor’s study shifted into casual conversation mode."

"Baisha and Ji Lun found seats near the black tea table, while Wei Li personally brought them a steaming pot of red tea."

"'Your Highness, how have you been feeling lately?' Wei Li asked Baisha about her experience at Tianquan Military Academy, his tone as gentle as an ordinary elder's."

"'Feeling pretty good,' Baisha picked up a cup of tea, glancing in her uncle's direction, 'Just that there’s not enough time.'"

"Cecil Roning caught the hidden meaning in Baisha’s words and chuckled subtly, 'Since you’re so busy, why not give back the chip I gave you earlier?'"

"Baisha: 'No.'"

"Cecil Roning: 'Hmph.'"

"Ji Lun, though not quite understanding the nuances of the niece and uncle’s conversation, acted as if he was accustomed to it. Pretending not to hear or see, he quietly thanked Wei Li for the tea and then silently sipped his drink on the side."

"Wei Li, after a moment's thought, understood the matter of the chip. He knew it was left by the Grand Princess for the Emperor, and now passed on to Baisha, essentially returning to its rightful place."

"'Your Highness, your performance at Tianquan Military Academy has been outstanding. You'll likely participate in the upcoming joint military exercise with the Federation,' Wei Li smoothly changed the subject, 'Do you plan to vie for the position of overall commander?'"

"Baisha slightly bowed her head, recalling her battles with the Grand Princess in the chip, and said, 'I haven’t decided yet.'"

"'Your Highness, there's something I'm not sure if His Majesty has mentioned to you,' Wei Li spoke gently, 'The wisdom of an army doesn't just rely on the commander, but also on the cooperation among its members—yet there are exceptions. If there isn’t enough time for the team to gel, or if the commander can't unify the group, and it’s impossible to utilize collective wisdom... it might be better to have a strong-willed leader.'"

"After all, the participants in the joint military exercise are the best of the best, and those who secure a place in the main team are exceptionally skilled. Everyone has their pride, and if the skill levels are similar, or just slightly different, the elected overall commander won't be able to lead effectively, facing obstruction at every turn."

"Therefore, the candidate for the overall commander must either be supremely skilled or highly respected."

"Baisha’s royal background and her own abilities are definitely a plus, naturally attracting people’s expectations towards her."

"At this time, it would be appropriate for Baisha to start with a strong stance, increasing her chances of becoming the overall commander."

"Yet Baisha waved it off, 'Let it be. If there's a better commander than me, I’ll gladly step aside. Among the four military academies and students from three grades, isn't there anyone stronger or more experienced than me?'"

"Wei Li smiled without responding, just turning to glance at the Emperor."

"Cecil Roning gave a straightforward response, 'The Roning family only produces the strongest.'"

"Both Xipes and Cecil, during their time at school, were absolute leaders among their peers."

"Compared to them, Baisha had been quite low-key."

"Baisha: '...'"

"She had forgotten that as a member of the Roning family, she indeed had the right to be utterly confident."

"Royal genes, top-notch mechs and weapons of the Empire, and the backing of influential families like Xino and Yu Yan... If she couldn’t stand out with all these, what else could she say?"

"'Let her be,' the Emperor suddenly spoke up, 'She's a Roning who can stay immersed in a lab for three or four days, completely unlike her mother. She has her strengths and room for growth. There’s no need for her to follow exactly in mine and Xipes’s footsteps.'"

"The current state of the Empire is much more stable than before. With the dissolution of the beast-kind family alliance, the Roning family reigns supreme. In such circumstances, Baisha doesn't need to aggressively defend the royal family's dignity; she can simply follow her own path."

"'Actually, I like immersing myself in the lab for a reason,' Baisha sighed softly, 'In the lab, there are endless topics to research and challenges to overcome. But piloting a mech in combat is different...'"

"Cecil Roning asked, 'Have you hit a plateau?'"

"'Something like that,' Baisha replied."

"She had devoted all her energy to enhancing mechs and weapons, training herself solely to maximize the performance of her mech. Now, with her mech temporarily unable to improve and her synergy with it near perfection, she felt there was no immediate room for progress."

"The lack of room for improvement naturally led to some fatigue. It's a common human sentiment."

"Cecil Roning didn't offer any trite advice like 'a master spends ten years sharpening a sword' or 'practice requires persistent effort', but instead gave Ji Lun a meaningful glance."

"Ji Lun, who had been focused on his tea, was momentarily perplexed, pointing to himself in confusion. Cecil Roning subtly nodded to him."

"Ji Lun: '...'"

"He quickly realized what he needed to do."

"Ji Lun, somewhat reluctantly setting down his tea cup, said, 'If you're stuck in a rut, Your Highness, and don't mind, you could come to me for specialized training.'"

"Baisha turned curiously and suddenly remembered another option, 'Can't Uriel train me?'"

"The Emperor bluntly dismissed her, 'The gap between you two is too large. Training with Uriel won't be as effective as with Ji Lun.'"

"Baisha: '...'"

"Uncle, dare you to spar with Uriel yourself!"

"Baisha swallowed the words she had almost blurted out, reminding herself to stay calm and glanced at Ji Lun with an inquiring look, 'Won’t this be too much trouble for you?'"

"Ji Lun was caught by Baisha’s gaze—unlike the cobalt blue in Cecil Roning's eyes, which held a hint of aggression, Baisha's eyes were lighter, as if wrapped in dense, delicate starlight."

"He was momentarily stunned, then quickly responded, 'No problem.'"

"Speaking, Ji Lun seemed to realize he was speaking too quickly. He paused deliberately, as if to cover something up, and added, 'If needed, you can also bring your classmates along.'"

"Emperor/Wei Li: '...'"

"Weren’t they talking about special training for Baisha?"

"Why suddenly include her classmates? Isn’t that a bit too forced?"

"The Emperor's brow furrowed slightly, and he was about to speak when Wei Li stopped him with a look."

"'My classmates are busy with the quad-school election. I’ll go first,' Baisha said, 'There’s no time to lose. Shall we leave right away?' There were only a few days left before she had to return to school."

"Ji Lun nodded and turned to the Emperor for his approval."

"The Emperor pressed his temple to calm the twitching, using the back of his hand to mask his expression, 'Return as soon as possible.'"

"'Yes, Your Majesty.' Ji Lun performed a flawless farewell salute and led the eager Baisha away."

"As soon as they left the study, the Emperor looked up, his expression slightly displeased, at Wei Li."

"'Relax, Your Majesty,' Wei Li calmly refilled the Emperor's tea, 'Getting familiar with Ji Lun is not a bad thing for Her Highness.'"

"Cecil Roning, of course, understood this. Ji Lun was young and one of the Empire’s most promising commanders. It was certainly good for Baisha to establish a stable friendship with him. However, the Emperor was somewhat irked by Baisha's fondness for petting Ji Lun's psychic form."

"'I understand what you're worried about—I have a daughter too, and I occasionally get troubled by some inexplicable thoughts,' Wei Li said patiently, 'But you're worrying too soon. I don’t think Her Highness is even considering such things. Even if something does develop in the future, it’s not even on the horizon yet—'"

"Cecil Roning almost laughed in exasperation, 'You want them to develop into something?'"

"Wei Li, undaunted, firmly set the teapot back on the table with a clear ring, 'Your Majesty, you can’t oppose the younger generation pursuing love just because you're single.'"

"Cecil Roning: '...'"

"He had forgotten that his chief minister, since his youth, had been a romantic, advocating pure love."

"Wei Li had once persistently wooed his beloved with old-fashioned love letters until she agreed to marry no one but him!"

"The Emperor's eyes twitched. He didn’t want Wei Li's influence to change the current situation. He took a deep breath and chose to step back."

"'I overreacted. Let’s pretend we didn’t discuss this matter today, shall we?'"

"Wei Li actually laughed, 'You're avoiding reality, Your Majesty. You know very well that Princess Baisha is quite sought after.'"

"Cecil Roning covered his face with his hand again, waving his other hand to indicate that Wei Li could leave."

……

"Accompanied by a few guards, Baisha left Yodou Star aboard Ji Lun’s small spacecraft."

"She followed Ji Lun at a leisurely pace. This time, Ji Lun was on an official trip, accompanied by his deputy and several subordinates. They looked at Baisha with curiosity, but upon recognizing the royal crest sparkling on her chest, they respectfully bowed."

"'Prepare some tea for the Princess,' Ji Lun instructed."

"Baisha shook her head in refusal, 'Another cup and I’ll be full.'"

"'I... will take you to my residence for specialized training. There’s a sufficiently large practice area there,' Ji Lun’s deep voice echoed in the spacecraft’s lounge, 'The training might last a few days, and I will ensure that all your necessities are arranged.'"

"Baisha responded, 'I’m actually quite easygoing. Besides, we’re here for training, not a vacation, so there’s no need for elaborate preparations.'"

"Ji Lun said, 'It's my duty as a host. As for the training, rest assured, it will be worthwhile.'"

"Ji Lun was indeed serious."

"As soon as the spacecraft landed, Baisha was led to Ji Lun's private training ground."

"The private training ground was impressively high-end, equipped with exoskeleton gear, various weapons, and training mechs of all kinds. It featured full holographic sensors, and the ground was designed to enable significant terrain changes indoors."

"'Please choose any mech that suits you,' Ji Lun said, 'These are all practical mechs with 3s-grade structures.'"

"Baisha looked at the row of mechs, casually picking a lightweight model. She climbed into the cockpit to get accustomed for a few minutes, then activated the light sword."

"Ji Lun then entered another mech."

"They entered the training ground one after the other. With a slight friction noise, the interior transformed into a rainforest terrain."

"Tall trees slowly rose around them. Using her experience from Lu Yin Star, Baisha instinctively tried to climb to a higher position for a better view. Suddenly, she heard a whooshing sound, and she quickly maneuvered the mech to step back, noticing two scorched holes in the ground where she had just stood."

"In an instant, several cold blue lights streaked by. Baisha controlled her mech to dart between the trees, tumbling and dodging, narrowly avoiding a barrage of attacks—"

"The bullets were incredibly fast, almost anticipating her every move, blocking the retreat paths she had just thought of a second before!"

"This wasn’t going to work."

"Baisha dodged two more blue lights, brandished dual light swords, and with a dive, swiftly chopped down several tall trees."

"The trees trembled, leaning and falling rapidly, stirring up a cloud of dust."

"She climbed the fallen trees quickly, ascending toward the top of a standing one."

"Boom!"

"A teeth-gritting sound of compressed air rang out, and Baisha swung her light swords in mid-air, slicing through two explosive shells. The intense recoil slightly shook her upper body."

"In that moment of loss of control, a flash of cold light appeared by her side. A pure black mech had stealthily moved behind her, its arm holding a dagger quietly locking around her neck. The blade, wrapped in lightning, swiftly thrust towards Baisha's chest!"

"Startled, Baisha quickly flipped her mech around, lifting her light sword to counter the dagger. But she was a step too late; the opposing mech's knee struck her waist, causing a sound of fracturing metal joints."

"The opponent's dagger lunged at her again like lightning—"

"Gritting her teeth, Baisha crossed her arms with swords to form a defensive stance, catching the opponent's neck and pushing the black mech away."

"With a clang, the dagger shallowly penetrated the mech's outer shell, leaving a sparking trail across Baisha's chest."

"Baisha took a deep breath, kicked the opponent away, and glided down along the tree wall with her light wings spread, sliding like a fish. She didn’t dare to relax, her psychic perception fully activated, firing several laser rounds to hinder the chase."

"The black mech seemed in no hurry, silently following Baisha, moving without making a sound, incredibly agile. Once it latched onto Baisha, it launched a series of urgent and deadly attacks, each move targeting the cockpit of Baisha's mech!"

"This was the first time Baisha felt the sensation of being hunted—"

"This was real killing intent! Killing intent is shadowless and traceless, relentless, latching onto its prey and never letting go!"

"Ji Lun’s acute observational skills, honed on the battlefield, allowed him to pinpoint even the slightest flaw in Baisha's maneuvers. Once she fell into Ji Lun's rhythm, her chances of turning the tide diminished. Her chances of survival were squeezed out in an instant—there were moments she even wondered if Ji Lun would really kill her."

"But Ji Lun never did."

"Baisha’s mech accumulated considerable damage in the continuous struggle. Although Ji Lun also sustained injuries from her counterattacks, his condition was far more optimistic than hers."

"Taking a deep breath, Baisha intentionally slipped, exposing a vulnerability."

"The black mech immediately dashed towards it."

"Just then, Baisha abruptly turned, channeling her force into the blade, unleashing a near-invisible streak of cold light along her gesture, slashing sideways."

"The black mech instinctively raised its arm shield in defense."

"Unexpectedly, what followed wasn't sword light but several compressed energy lasers."

"The lasers collided with the shield, instantly exploding into a dazzling burst of light within their field of vision."

"Suddenly, sensing something, the black mech hurriedly turned, its arm reaching back to catch a sudden thrusting light sword."

"Baisha's first strike missed, but without hesitation, she lifted her blast gun, aimed at the cockpit of the black mech, took aim, and pulled the trigger!"

"The killing intent was as fierce as thunder, a hit was crucial, or it would be her end—this was the lesson Ji Lun intended to teach her."