Chapter 231

Chapter 231

To some extent, the decision to allow Qin Mengde to deliver pre-match guidance via one-way holographic projection wasn't solely Eve's doing.

After negotiations with the Alliance, this league competition ultimately adopted an offline format. The Alliance's Primary Central Intelligence politely declined the Empire's well-intentioned suggestion to hold the competition in a simulated online environment for safety reasons. Perhaps familiarity breeds caution—the Alliance only agreed to incorporate no more than 30% holographic components into the competition.

The competition venue was set on a barren planet deep within the Empire’s territory, named “Blue Star.” As the origin of interstellar human civilization, “Blue Star” holds a special, almost mythic significance, serving as a symbolic mother planet. In the Empire, aside from the politically significant Capital Planet, the other most advanced planet, second only to the Capital Planet, is also called Blue Star, which happens to be the primary star of the Garcia family’s controlled star system. However, the Blue Star designated by the Alliance as the competition venue is rumored to have been one of the earliest ancient planets discovered during the dawn of space civilization.

The competition procedures and various details were reviewed by the Alliance and, after confirmation, were passed down to the league’s organizing committee. The committee, acting as the official authority, then distributed the information to the participants and their respective schools.

The level of attention the league received even surpassed that of the Empire’s renowned Military Skills Exchange, often dubbed the Empire’s premier competition. The interstellar network broadcast would be streamed simultaneously across the universe. Under such circumstances, having Qin Mengde deliver a few words of caution beforehand was only natural, to prevent these young, reckless prodigies from causing any trouble during the competition.

At most, the Empire began their briefing a quarter-hour early, reminding everyone of the Alliance’s unique combat methods. For the sake of fairness, the Alliance also received the official information of all Empire participants.

Lin Cuimei casually flipped through the roster delivered by the staff not long ago. Due to her frequent use of psychic links to command her subordinates in combat, her memory and reading speed had significantly improved. As one of the top 30 in the Five-School League, she recognized most of the names on the list. It wasn’t until she reached the last page that she let out a soft “Huh?” Seven names were listed per page, and the final page contained the five late additions and the last two participants of the league. Among the impressive resumes, the student named “Lu Qing” stood out as particularly odd. Not only was the Spiritual State column left blank, but even the personal photo on the information page was completely obscured by a mask, shrouded in a large black robe like an eerie ghost.

“Who is this Lu Qing? Medical Chief of the First Empire Academy... Hmm, so an Alchemist,” Lin Cuimei was certain she hadn’t encountered this person in the third round of the Five-School League. However, upon discovering that the individual was an Alchemist, everything suddenly made sense.

Most Alchemists in the Empire were rather peculiar, and they seemed to have their own standards for measuring strength. For someone to barely qualify for the league without—or while concealing—their Spiritual State, this Lu Qing must be quite capable.

She memorized the name, along with a few others who stood out for their unique traits, and tossed the booklet to the person behind her. “Pass it around. Our opponents aren’t as simple as you might have thought.”

The young man standing behind her was handsome, with black hair and red eyes. He glanced down briefly before passing the booklet to the student beside him, with an air of indifference.

“Gong Yangxiu, aren’t you the least bit curious about the Empire’s participants?” Lin Cuimei asked with a smile.

“No need. Given the Empire’s vast territory, it’s not surprising that a few talented individuals would emerge,” Gong Yangxiu replied stiffly, his expression bored. “But the Empire’s poor utilization of technology and resources makes me doubt their ability to nurture talent. Even a charlatan without a Spiritual State made the cut—that so-called participant roster must be highly diluted.”

“We’re on the Empire’s turf. At least try to be polite. I’d rather not get thrown into the void of space with you by angry Imperials.”

Lin Cuimei teased him lightly before leaning back in her chair. After a moment of thoughtful silence, she added, “It’s not as bad as you think. I met a few interesting Imperials a couple of days ago.”

“Interesting in ability or in looks?”

“...”

What chilled Lin Cuimei more than her subordinate’s malicious speculation was the sad realization that she couldn’t outright deny such biased remarks.

.

The starship came to an abrupt halt, and even Qin Mengde, who had been monotonously reading from a script in the projection, paused for a moment. After a brief freeze-frame, she turned to someone off-screen, exchanged a few words, adjusted her microphone, and abandoned her earlier perfunctory speech. “The starship has arrived at the competition venue. Within 30 minutes, participants from both sides will undergo inspection and be dispatched in an orderly manner. Please remove any items unrelated to the competition and proceed to the dispatch point in an orderly fashion.”

Due to the distinct characteristics of the two nations, Alliance participants were required to remove all high-tech devices, while the Empire was forbidden from carrying any items containing Alchemical components. Even communication devices were left behind, replaced by the official standard-issue wristwatch, which included communication functions. Given their experience with the ghost ship during the Five-School League, Empire students were skeptical about the wristwatch’s signal stability.

Mechas, however, were not confiscated. Unlike other external items, top-tier Mechas were typically highly compatible with an individual’s combat style. Switching them out last-minute could hinder performance. Moreover, the Empire’s Mythological Mechas were enhanced with Alchemy, while the Alliance’s top Mechas were equipped with subsystems from large-scale AIs and various high-tech weaponry. Banning both would strip the competition of its value as a cultural exchange spectacle.

In the end, each student was left with only a Mecha, a wristwatch, and a standard-issue weapon of their choice from the official supply—ranging from melee to ranged, but devoid of any high-tech or Alchemical enhancements. Most had never traveled so lightly.

“Sounds nice in theory,” Luo Wenqing grumbled to Eve as she removed her Alchemical items, rolling her eyes. “But it’s really just the higher-ups’ competitive streak showing. They want to see which side has the better knowledge tree. Other gadgets have too many functions—Mechas are the most straightforward.”

With a clatter, Eve watched as Luo Wenqing slid seven or eight golden bracelets engraved with Alchemical runes off her arm. Glancing at the other disgruntled students around her, she noticed some wearing three or four necklaces laden with Alchemical Tools, others with belts adorned with potions of various colors... In comparison, Eve, who only wore a single “Mirage” necklace and a communication device earring, seemed almost modest.

The figure shrouded in a black robe, “Lu Qing,” remained largely unmoved. It was merely a humanoid form fabricated by an Alchemical Tool, destined to be forcibly retrieved by the authorities upon dispatch. Meanwhile, a model replicated from Eve’s genes would be deployed into the competition. The entire process had been meticulously arranged, so there was no need for concern.

Luo Wenqing clearly noticed how out of place this person seemed. “You’re here to compete, yet you’re this poorly equipped? You only brought this many items?”

...What a privileged thing to say. Did the wealthiest young lady in the Empire have any idea how expensive Alchemical Tools were? Even with just two items, Eve was far from “poorly equipped”!

Eve was momentarily speechless before she retorted, “With so much stuff, do you even remember this is a competitive event?”

“The worse the student, the more tools they need. You just don’t get us,” Luo Wenqing finally managed to remove her ear bridge piercing. The slender, silver accessory was tossed into the inspection box, leaving a small hole in her ear exposed to the wind. Unbothered by the odd sensation, she squinted and looked out the window at the vast gray plains below. “They didn’t even open a system store this time. We’ll probably have to fend for ourselves when it comes to survival.”

“There are buildings, so living conditions are better than in the wild. But in a heavily polluted area like this, sourcing food and water will be another challenge,” Eve replied. “The Alliance doesn’t have Alchemists, so some issues will be hard to handle. The organizing committee will likely provide some assistance.”

Once everyone was ready, a staff member spoke into a walkie-talkie, and the starship suddenly lurched downward. Through the window, Eve saw another starship descending slowly, presumably carrying the Alliance participants.

With only 70 people in total, they still used two separate ships—talk about extravagance.

Before she could dwell on it further, the floor beneath her feet vanished without warning!

The sudden weightlessness caught everyone off guard, sending them plummeting from a height of thousands of meters. Wind roared in, mingling with screams and curses, sharp and fragmented like blades. Eve, too, was stunned by the organizing committee’s new low in shamelessness. Her pupils contracted briefly before she quickly adjusted her posture mid-air. With a “pop,” a mushroom-shaped parachute deployed above her.

Pop, pop, pop!

The students participating in the league were top talents from elite institutions. After a brief moment of panic, they quickly regained their composure. Following Eve, Yan Ning from Capital People's University deployed her parachute. Adjusting its direction with the wind, she drifted leisurely toward Eve and whistled.

“Long time no see, Sister Eve,” Yan Ning said, her hair still dyed in striking blue and purple streaks, standing out even among the varied hair colors around her. “What are you looking at? You’re not even sparing a glance for me.”

Eve gestured with her chin. “Over there—the Alliance members.”

Though they were descending rapidly, Yan Ning still caught a glimpse of the Alliance group. Unlike the Empire, they wore uniform black attire, with only the central figure dressed in white, moving gracefully like a pure white dove among crows.

“That must be their only controller. What did Fourth Princess call it again... a Guide?” Yan Ning marveled. “How virtuous of the Federation—making it obvious who we should target.”

“I suspect there’s more to it than meets the eye.”

Eve shifted her focus back to landing and warned Yan Ning, “Don’t act rashly. Be cautious—after all, no one said the Alliance’s Guides can’t forcibly control Empire personnel.”