Chapter 150

Chapter 150

Capital Star, Medici Residence.

It was another day off, but as was customary, cabinet ministers still reported to the palace to fulfill their daily duties. However, due to the recent intensive efforts by all cabinet ministers and key members of the Military Council to finalize a comprehensive reconstruction plan for the 18th Legion and the Lyra Five Star System, the palace's front halls had been illuminated day and night.

Fortunately, the plan's execution proceeded smoothly, much to the Emperor's delight. As if struck by a sudden pang of conscience, he granted everyone an additional two days of leave.

Yet, for those who had reached such a high echelon, time off held little meaning—it simply meant the difference between going to the office or not.

The price of power was the inability to ever truly relax.

The Medici Patriarch, unburdened by the usual sight of his colleagues' and subordinates' grim faces early in the morning, felt refreshed. He first honed his Spiritual State abilities in the simulation training room, then deliberately passed by the classroom to observe the new cohort of branch family children who had recently arrived at the main household, now seated obediently in class.

This new group generally lacked exceptional aptitude; none possessed the innate talent of the previous batch's three A-grades. However, their advantage lay in their docility; none were as troublesome as their predecessors. Consequently, the Medici Patriarch was largely content with them.

After leisurely surveying his domain like a contented lion, the Medici Patriarch returned to his office following a refreshing bath, ready to commence his official work for the day. Just then, a knock sounded at his door.

Who could be so ill-timed as to seek him out now?

The Medici Patriarch subtly raised an eyebrow, mentally sifting through potential visitors. Then, donning a polite smile, he gestured for the First Steward, who stood behind him, to open the door.

The person at the door was none of the acquaintances he had anticipated.

"...Luo Lin?" The Medici Patriarch's stylus paused, leaving an abrupt, short mark on the screen document. But he quickly recovered, undoing the mistaken stroke as he smiled and asked Luo Lin, "You're not a frequent visitor to my study. Is there something urgent that brings you to me?"

Luo Lin also seemed ill at ease in his presence. After a moment of silence, she replied, "It's not me who needs to see you. Someone asked me to relay a message."

She removed the Alchemical Tool from her ear and handed it to the First Steward, who then passed it to her father.

"What kind of communication device is this?" The Medici Patriarch examined the small silver earring in his hand, noting the intricate Alchemical Cipher subtly carved into its metallic surface. Well-traveled and knowledgeable, he recognized it immediately.

"From Eve," she stated, seeing no need for pretense. Getting straight to the point, she added, "She's not on Capital Star right now and could only contact me via this Alchemical Tool to deliver a message to you."

Upon hearing this, the Medici Patriarch let out an ambiguously meaningful chuckle. It was unclear whether he found it amusing that the two had developed such a close private relationship, or that Eve had gone off-world and somehow managed to stir up trouble that now required his intervention. But laugh as he might, he eventually put on the simple silver ear clip.

The other party seemed to sense the change in speaker, and their tone immediately became exceedingly polite.

"Eve: Greetings to Medici’s eternal moon, the great family head."

"Sparti: ..."

"Sparti: Skip the pleasantries. State your business directly."

His time was limited.

The other party seemed momentarily taken aback by his bluntness, but Eve quickly regained her composure. Since Sparti had dismissed pleasantries, she went straight to the point, laying out her intentions.

"Eve: I wish to borrow a portion of the Medici family’s forces. I’ve heard that one of the empire’s three Sector Governors bears the Medici name. If possible, I’d like to request the use of these military resources."

The Medici family operated under a highly centralized bloodline system. Even members who held the position of Sector Governor remained subject to the authority of the main family and its head.

Of course, given Sparti’s position as the empire’s Prime Minister, even if none of the three governors were Medici, he had ample means to mobilize military forces for Eve.

Mobilizing troops was no small matter. Despite Sparti’s usual high regard for Eve, this matter required careful consideration.

"Sparti: Your reason?"

"Eve: I am currently aboard the starship of the great space pirate, Fei Niao."

She briefly summarized the situation and the intelligence she had gathered, including the Crown Prince’s involvement, but carefully glossed over matters related to Frank. Having served under him for so long, Eve understood Sparti’s character. While his exact stance on Frank remained uncertain, he disliked mixing personal affairs with official business.

Put kindly, he was a perpetually clear-headed, interest-driven pragmatist; put bluntly, he was cold and ruthless.

Sparti tapped his finger lightly on the desk twice—two sharp taps—the sound causing Luo Lin’s eyelid to twitch nervously. She wondered what her ever-smiling biological father was truly thinking.

But Sparti had no time to concern himself with others’ feelings at the moment. The gesture merely indicated he was deep in thought.

Fei Niao’s connections within Capital Star’s power circles were no secret. Sparti had previously considered taking action, but high-ranking officials and nobles protected each other, and Fei Niao himself operated primarily within the volatile Black Star systems, making capture difficult. To avoid alerting the enemy, he had refrained from moving against them all these years.

If Eve’s plan for a crackdown on Fei Niao succeeded, it would not only be a remarkable achievement for her record but also yield substantial benefits. Simply purging the irredeemable officials and financial magnates tied to Fei Niao would free up numerous positions for various factions to contest. Even for those who couldn’t be immediately removed, having leverage over them provided a layer of security. But the Medici Patriarch was not one to see only the benefits.

"Sparti: How confident are you?"

"Eve: If you can persuade the Medici Sector Governor to intervene, ninety percent."

"Sparti: Why not one hundred percent with the Governor’s support?"

"Eve: Because there’s still a ten percent chance that Marquis Hu Li might suddenly have a flash of intelligence, notice something amiss, and report it to the Crown Prince. To protect his sister and nephew’s reputation, Commander Frigga might then, with another ten percent chance, lose her mind and sacrifice the entire Cavendish family’s reputation to cover for them."

Her words sounded logical but were deeply cutting. Frigga Cavendish’s head was certainly not filled with cement, making such a foolish clean-up act unlikely. Thus, Eve was essentially mocking Marquis Hu Li’s intelligence, implying he would never realize their side had been infiltrated.

Relying on him was less effective than hoping Zuo Qirong would suddenly become vigilant. However, based on what Eve witnessed in the captain’s quarters that day, Zuo Qirong might not have full authority over this mission—Marquis Hu Li likely shared at least half of the decision-making power.

"Eve: Remember, ten skilled allies are not as good as one incompetent teammate."

Sparti finally laughed aloud and replied succinctly.

"Sparti: Approved."

"Sparti: I have another Alchemical communication device. Establish a separate channel with me, and I will contact Judy for you."

"Eve: Praise the family head."

In truth, there was another reason for his quick approval, but there was no need to share it with her.

"Sparti: No need for flattery. As long as the plan is feasible and benefits the family, I will support it."

"Eve: Very well, then let it be for the glory of Medici. I won’t disturb you further. I look forward to your good news."

The other end of the Alchemical Tool withdrew its spiritual energy. Sparti chuckled lightly and tossed the earring back to Luo Lin, who fumbled to catch it. He then asked, "Sorted. Is there anything else?"

Luo Lin paused before replying, "No."

"Alright," Sparti nodded, his attention returning to the documents awaiting processing. Casually, he added, "Return to the academy. And remind the children from other families to be cautious recently."

There was no guarantee that some desperate individuals wouldn’t target these children.

"Yes."

Luo Lin bowed slightly and withdrew.

While communicating with Sparti, Eve was hiding in Fourth Miss Zuo’s territory.

Aboard Fei Niao’s starship, every move of the "pets" was monitored and controlled. Thus, if Eve didn’t want to exhaust herself maintaining her Spiritual State all day, she had to travel under the pretext of Fourth Miss Zuo’s authority.

At least as Zuo Qirong’s biological daughter, Fourth Miss Zuo enjoyed considerably more freedom and better treatment than the pets.

Eve leaned against the viewport, engaged in a battle of wits with Sparti via the Alchemical Tool. Only after putting away the device did she notice, with surprise, that the space outside the window had turned completely black.

"It must be the starship performing a jump through a wormhole," Fourth Miss Zuo remarked casually, glancing at the pitch-black, lightless blackness outside the window. The Flying Bird frequently switched between raiding and fleeing, so she was no stranger to jump technology used for escape. "The Flying Bird starship is high-level, capable of jumping across multiple star systems at once. It'll light up outside soon—just not sure where we're headed this time or how many more jumps we'll need."

She mentioned jump technology—a high-tech spatial technology only available on advanced spacecraft and starships—with the same nonchalance as discussing whether to have cream soup or corn soup for dinner.

Eve: "......"

Nearby, Lorca knew the reason for the Flying Bird's sudden spatial jump. The captain's cabin was hard to enter and even harder to leave, and a dark shadow sliding across the shiny floor would be far too conspicuous. So, for the past couple of days, the Wall-Imprisoned Serpent had lain motionless under the table, playing its role as a soulless listening device perfectly.

"The signal from the princess's mech has been located," he whispered to Eve.

"Both are alchemical products—there's no reason the mech's signal can be found while the earring I gave her has no signal," Eve sighed. "Alright, I suppose we really have to consider the possibility you mentioned earlier. For her to lose such a small earring I gave her, she must be in serious trouble."

Fortunately, she hadn't actually been counting on Qin Mengde to stage a dramatic return while injured—she had already privately confided in the Medici Patriarch.

Personal ability is important, but sometimes, calling in reinforcements is necessary.

She then contacted a few people on Frank's side, instructing them to stay as close as possible to the large power chambers on several starships in the coming days, ready to swiftly disable all of the Flying Bird's self-defense measures when reinforcements arrived.

For their small group, taking on an entire major pirate organization would be like throwing an egg against a stone—so they had to rely on strategy, not force. As the ones deep behind enemy lines, those still on the starship could best assist the outsiders by keeping themselves safe and avoiding becoming hostages.

Meanwhile, Qin Mengde, whom Eve had already concluded was in serious trouble, was still alone on the barren planet, quietly enacting her own survival story.

After two more days of trekking, she finally reached the end of the desert and entered the abandoned city's perimeter. Covered in dust, grime, and the soot of hardship, she had no time to worry about her appearance just then.

The city still showed no signs of life, but abandoned energy sources could give rise to some exotic beasts and plants. For Qin Mengde, returning here felt like coming home—before Frigga brought her into the Cavendish family, she had fled abuse from the Qin family servants on a barren planet, surviving on her own until she encountered Frigga.

Her condition wasn’t great, but it wasn’t disastrous either.

Qin Mengde carved out edible portions from the familiar exotic plants and beasts, gave them a rough treatment, and hastily ate them, restoring some of her energy. Then she found an abandoned high-rise with a complex internal structure to rest in for a while.

During this time, she tried using her psychic energy to suppress the effects of the Zerg venom, but the more she exerted it, the more pain she felt in her mental world. Eventually, she realized the venom likely targeted psychic energy directly. So, she drew the golden rope from her waist and, using only a tiny amount of mental energy—just enough to avoid triggering pain—manipulated the rope, whose material was sharp enough to cut through metal and jade, as a weapon.

It was on the rooftop of this abandoned building that she spotted a dark, gloomy shadow sinking downward in the sky. As the "shadow" drew closer, she realized it was actually a fortress-shaped aircraft composed of composite star vessels.

Even if a military starship had shown up, she would have been on high alert—let alone this bizarre-looking thing.

Qin Mengde cautiously hid further behind the wall. The barren planet had no port, so the fortress dispersed into individual starships, landing separately. From the high-rise, she could see swarms of people scattering like ants to search.

The only silver lining was that, presumably to conduct their search, these people had all split up. Only one four-person team entered the high-rise where Qin Mengde was temporarily hiding. Dealing with them was effortless for her. Worried they might have vital sign sensors linked to their bodies, she avoided fatal injuries, simply rendering them unconscious and leaving them aside.

After handling that, Qin Mengde was about to return to the window to check on the others when, glancing up unintentionally, she froze once more.

The sky was now filled with unfamiliar aircraft—she couldn’t make out the models from such a distance, but their overwhelming formation, like a locust swarm during harvest, left her utterly stunned.

......What in the world is going on?

Her mind, already foggy from the venom, was now completely bewildered by these back-to-back bewildering developments.