Chapter 87

Chapter 87

Just as Yi Ye and the other two were in agony (in every sense), the ghostly figure emerged from the darkness, yawning: "What's all the shouting about? Don't you know loud noises are banned in the library?"

The "female ghost" fully materialized, with wavy brown hair and eerie green light actually emanating from her bright green eyes. Her appearance was striking, with high cheekbones and full red lips, but she wore an oversized, ink-stained gray robe.

The crying behind them stopped, and Yi Ye turned his head to see Kaiser, who had been terrified just a second ago, quickly straighten up, his face exuding confidence as if to say "no big deal." The little princess also stopped crying, blinked her eyes, and shouted "Auntie!" before leaping into the "female ghost's" arms.

Kaiser: "I told you there are no ghosts in this world."

Yi Ye: "Mind taking your hand off my waist first?"

Kaiser coughed twice, rubbed his fingers before reluctantly pulling his hand away, feeling unsatisfied.

He'd known Yi Ye had a slim waist since they became roommates, but it felt even slimmer when touched.

"Auntie! Why were you sleeping in the pile of books?"

"Auntie was searching for some materials," Duchess Wentz pinched the little princess's nose and walked towards the two students of the Imperial Honor Military Academy. She knew Kaiser, having even seen him in diapers as a child. The black-haired youth was a first-time encounter, yet he felt familiar.

"I am the owner of this library. Are you Yi Ye, a student at the Imperial Honor Military Academy?"

Yi Ye was surprised that Duchess Wentz recognized him.

"Juliet often drags me to watch the military academy league live broadcasts," Duchess Wentz leaned closer to his face, her tone warm and moist, "No wonder she likes you. Your face looks even better up close. A young and flamboyant lad, not bad. Juliet has good taste."

The little princess shyly covered her face.

Yi Ye responded with a smile: "Thanks for the compliment, but actually, my dream is to become a two-meter-tall, hairy, muscular hulk."

The little princess was horrified and frantically grabbed Yi Ye's sleeve: "No, no, don't do that!"

"The muscle train is rolling in," Yi Ye sighed painfully, "Princess, you can't halt it."

Kaiser: ?????

Duchess Wentz was stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter, tears streaming down her cheeks. She finally understood why she had been hearing the name Yiye Langley from various people recently. The man himself was indeed interesting, far more amusing than the dullards in the royal family, obsessed with research and political maneuvering. Catching her breath and wiping her tears, she set the little princess down: "You came to borrow the books my nephew has read, right? So, what do you think? Isn't my nephew's reading taste utterly dull?"

Yi Ye looked at Kaiser in confusion.

The latter clenched his jaw, sensing that Duchess Wentz was about to say something unpleasant.

"Kaiser promised to run errands for me for a whole month, and that's why I gave him Peide's borrowing records," she sighed, her fingertips lightly brushing her forehead, "Otherwise, such private things, if I handed them to someone else, Peide would come to argue with me. That guy, usually mild-mannered, but when angry, he's quite terrifying."

Yi Ye: Hahahaha!

No wonder he had refused to let Yi Ye ask about how he got the borrowing records earlier. It was because of this.

"Duchess Wentz, please stop talking."

Kaiser gritted his teeth in shame. As the young master of Audria and the future legitimate heir, he had to be someone else's slave for a month. If this got out, he would be laughed at by his peers. And the last person he wanted to know about this was Yi Ye, but Duchess Wentz had spilled it all in front of him.

"How's the reading going?"

Kaiser's tone was stiff: "Just started."

"Indeed, Peide used to love coming here. Since he returned to the main planet after his injury, he's been here even more frequently. He's probably read most of the books here."

"Otherwise," Duchess Wentz smiled with her arms crossed, "Shall I help you?"

The female Alpha’s height was almost the same as Kaiser’s, and she leaned slightly forward. "I’ve read everything here. What book are you looking for?"

Yi Ye casually remarked, "Blue Flower Star."

Hearing those three words, Duchess Wentz’s green eyes slightly narrowed.

With a calm expression, Yi Ye smiled naturally. "There’s a course on ancient Earth history at the Imperial Honor Military Academy that says ancient Earth and Blue Flower Star are very similar, and I heard that Prince Peide has been to Blue Flower Star, so I’m curious. I just didn’t expect there to be so many related books in the library—it’s really a headache."

"Indeed, the Empire is very interested in studying Blue Flower Star," Duchess Wentz quickly regained her composure. "It looks like you’ll be here for a while. Let me help you find the book that Peide reads most often." She turned to the screen and opened it, quickly sifting through the extensive borrowing records for the book most frequently related to Blue Flower Star. But after clicking in, she shook her head regretfully.

"This book isn’t in the library."

"Not here?"

"A bishop from the Holy Church borrowed it some time ago. They regularly borrow a large number of books for their internal reading sessions. It’ll likely take one or two months for them to return the book."

Kaiser frowned, concerned about the time. The time frame was too long, especially with only a little over two months of summer vacation. Once they returned to the Imperial Honor Military Academy, there would be no opportunity.

"Isn’t there an electronic version?"

"No," she casually waved her fingers. "Scarcity makes things valuable. None of the books here exist in electronic form. Once they’re gone, they’re lost forever, which is why the borrowing cost is exceptionally high. Or you could try asking the church for it yourself, but you’d probably need to disguise yourselves to get in."

The Holy Church is currently in the middle of its organizational activities, and the Empire’s church is only open for four hours a day, closed the rest of the day. Their reading sessions are clearly private gatherings held after closing. Yi Ye and Kaiser would need to disguise themselves as believers to enter and retrieve the book, but if caught, the consequences would be severe. After all, those fanatics are particularly harsh in their discrimination and disdain for outsiders. Kaiser might get off easy due to his family connections, but Yi Ye has no such protection, and his predicament is clear.

"I can get you two sets of clothes, but that’s the best I can do."

Duchess Wentz was not unwilling to help them, but as the ninth seat, even though she has a voice at the round table, she cannot interfere in church affairs. At meetings, they can argue endlessly and even curse each other, but outside the Senate, away from the round table, they are distinctly parallel lines.

They can be political enemies, they can kill each other, but there can be no casual interactions.

...

The little princess stayed in the library, to be sent back later by Duchess Wentz herself. They walked out of the library, and after about five or six hundred meters, Kaiser pulled Yi Ye aside.

"I’ll get that book myself. You’re not allowed to go."

"I haven’t said anything yet."

"I know what you’re thinking."

Yi Ye: "The Young Master can read my mind so well?"

Kaiser frowned: "I said you’re not allowed to go. How many lives do you have to waste on the main star?"

"I heard cats have nine lives."

"You—"

Yi Ye giggled: "Don’t worry, it’s just a church. My ability to talk to people and ghosts is very high—you know that. And I’m not just going to the church to find that book."

"I also want to see someone."

The Pope, Thanatos Melville.

"You’re here."

*

Andre took off his gloves and came out of the laboratory, calling Bai Chuan into the adjacent data storage room. He showed him the latest experimental results. The catalyst Bai Chuan previously injected was indeed useful, but not effective in the long term. Human cells automatically renew every certain period, and the injection of the catalyst is equivalent to external destruction. But the body’s tissue repair ability is very strong. To completely differentiate into an Alpha, the road is long and difficult.

He reassured Bai Chuan, advising him not to rush, but Bai Chuan himself was calmer than him. After reviewing the hefty stack of data, he remained expressionless.

Andre: "Why do I get the feeling you're in a good mood today?"

Bai Chuan: "Am I?"

Andre: "Yeah. Before, you always had this icy vibe that sent chills down people's spines."

Bai Chuan looked up from the data, "I helped my brother blow-dry his hair yesterday."

"That's it?"

"And I cuddled him while sleeping."

"..."

Andre was speechless and raised his thumb: "You're something else."

Bai Chuan seldom mentioned his family, but Andre was a researcher, and of course, he observed his subjects with meticulous attention. He knew Bai Chuan had a foster father and a foster brother. At first, he thought Bai Chuan didn't get along well with his foster brother, given the strange expression and the odd atmosphere whenever he mentioned him, like a black coal plopping into a bucket of milk, creating a jarring dissonance.

But later he discovered

It was simply because this guy was a total brother-con! And not just any brother-con, but one whose mind was a mix of 40% Alpha differentiation and 60% brother obsession, in an extreme state. Not only was his terminal screensaver his brother, but the notes were also some weird names that didn't sound like ordinary siblings. The scariest part was when he glimpsed Bai Chuan's encrypted folder on his terminal, it was named "Yi Ye" in capital letters, filled with videos and recordings. One could only guess at the unspeakable horrors inside.

Being this obsessed with his brother was downright creepy.

"Aren't you afraid your brother will find out?"

"Find out what?" Bai Chuan's tone was as casual as sipping water, "The thousand gigs of videos?"

"..."

A thousand?! Seriously?!

"You, you—"

Andre pinched the bridge of his nose, breathing rapidly, "If you're struggling mentally, you need to let me know ASAP, you know? Your mental state could seriously mess with the experiment. Don't drive yourself crazy."

"Mr. Andre," Bai Chuan looked at him, "These videos are what keep me sane. You should be thankful for them."

"..."

This conversation was veering into murky ethical territory. Andre turned around, trembling, and pulled out a cigarette, taking a deep drag. It's fine, the world has to make room for extreme brother-cons, right?

"I’m heading to the Imperial Church tomorrow."

Andre nearly choked on his cigarette, spinning around sharply, "Didn’t you just switch topics way too fast!"

"These videos are what keep me sane. You should be thankful for them." Bai Chuan paused, "So, I’m heading to the Imperial Church tomorrow. Seamless enough for you?"

"Stop using 'so' like it’s some magic transition word!"

Almost exhausted, Andre rubbed his eyes hard with both hands, "Why the heck are you going to the Imperial Church?"

"To meet someone. Get me a set of Holy Church robes."

"That's not hard. But be careful, plenty have been wrongfully executed for disrespecting the Holy Church."

"That's not what you should be worried about."

"Then what is?"

Bai Chuan said expressionlessly, "I might just torch the place."