Chapter 194

Chapter 194

Xue Ji took an armful of wreckage to study, leaving the young knight standing there, shut out. The young knight initially planned to head straight back to Gray Star, but on second thought, he contacted a colleague who had been monitoring the γ-3 sector. What he got back was news of Xue Ji’s frequent dealings with certain noble factions.

The knight: “!”

The young knight pressed for more details, but the other party said they didn’t know the specifics, only that Xue Ji had been seen entering and exiting entertainment venues with these people, all with very high privacy, making it hard to approach. They added that they’d planned to report it after the Monarch got back, but since he asked, they’d hand it over.

After much deliberation, the young knight compiled the info into a report and sent it to Devalen. Devalen read it, and his face went grim, like he’d stumbled onto some century-old mystery.

He figured he suddenly understood Serrick’s inexplicable attitude that night.

Serrick was right after all—Xue Ji couldn’t be trusted so easily.

He took the report over to Serrick, who stared fixedly at one part of it, his face pale: “Omega pheromones?”

Devalen nodded, analyzing solemnly: “Xue Ji’s probably trying to play both sides. I should’ve known someone as calculating as him wouldn’t stake everything on the Monarch alone. But I don’t think he’ll betray the Monarch just yet—on one hand, he’s only recently gained the Monarch’s trust and hasn’t secured his footing in the Academy, so he can’t afford to lose the Monarch’s backing. On the other, he’s already pissed off the Parliament folks. Even if he tries to patch things up while the Monarch’s gone, it won’t happen overnight. Besides, Williams and the others are famously petty. All things considered, Xue Ji’s definitely leaning toward the Monarch for now—after all, everyone’s seen how the Monarch treats him. With negotiations at a critical point and the Monarch pushing himself despite his condition, I think it’s best we don’t tell him for now…”

Devalen went on and on with his analysis, but after a long pause with no response from Serrick, he finally pulled his attention back to the other man. When he looked, he was startled by Serrick’s murderous look.

“Hah,” Serrick said through gritted teeth, “What an appetite!”

Coveting their Monarch while messing around outside—what an appetite.

“…”

For some reason, Devalen felt like they weren’t on the same page.

“The Monarch needs to know about this right now,” Serrick said through clenched teeth.

Xue Ji, naturally clueless about what was happening back on Gray Star, pieced together the wreckage the young knight had brought him. He used special techniques to restore the melted metal lumps to their original components as best he could, rebuilding the weapon prototype on his terminal. This step wasn’t hard—Xue Ji spent a day scanning each part and virtually assembling them. But when the final result popped up on the terminal, he was genuinely stunned.

After a few seconds, he frowned hard and immediately checked the residual energy on the metal lumps. This weapon was a directed-energy type, with no ammo limit, but whether electromagnetic or wave-based, it had a core emitter. Typically, such devices were sturdy, designed to be reused in new weapon shells. Yet Xue Ji searched through all the wreckage and couldn’t find a single one.

He called the young knight: “Did you send over all the fragments?”

The young knight paused: “No, a big chunk hasn’t been sorted yet.”

“What’s this weapon’s attack like?”

The young knight seemed to think back, then said after a moment: “If I had to describe it, it attacks indiscriminately—fighters, mechs, or people, it hits with precision and devastating power. It’s like… some kind of precise anti-braking mechanism.”

Xue Ji’s expression got weird. After a few minutes of thinking, he made a call: “Get ready. We’re leaving in an hour.”

“Wha—” Before the young knight could react, Xue Ji had already ended the call.

*

Asuer had a hunch Xue Ji would get a test result soon, but he didn’t expect the guy to deliver it in person.

“The Monarch doesn’t welcome me?” Xue Ji, in a deep blue work suit and mid-calf lace-up black boots, with a small black pouch at his waist and a bulging bag slung over one shoulder, briskly shut the flier’s hatch and looked at the stunned Monarch.

“…Why are you here?” Asuer glanced at the young knight, who was equally bewildered, having been dragged back by Xue Ji without a clue.

“The Monarch needed me, so I came.” Xue Ji walked toward the Monarch, stopping half a step in front of him. “The Monarch seems thinner.”

Serrick stared at him.

Xue Ji ignored it. “Has the past month gone smoothly?”

Asuer was still lost in chaotic thoughts—moments ago, he’d been troubled by the stalled negotiations and Serrick’s repeated warnings about Xue Ji, and now this man stood before him, uttering ambiguous words of concern.

He didn’t answer, and Xue Ji asked again: “Has the Monarch eaten?”

He shook his head instinctively, then stopped mid-motion, remembering that the nutrient fluid he was now consuming was specially made by Xue Ji—he couldn’t drink it in front of this man. To cover the awkwardness, he said: “Why are you here? What about the main planet?”

“Don’t worry, everything’s arranged.” They stood at the entrance of the main flagship, with many soldiers noticing the Monarch’s knight bringing someone over and casting covert glances. Xue Ji tossed his large bag to the young knight, who caught it hastily. “Please, take this to my room.” Then he looked at Asuer. “I do have a room, right?”

The young knight looked to the Monarch, who nodded, and then hurried off into the rear flier with the bag.

—Xue Ji had brought quite a lot.

Xue Ji’s room was arranged next to Asuer’s. The young knight was efficient, having already moved everything in—mostly experimental equipment with a few daily necessities. Xue Ji was calibrating his gear when Asuer leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching him. By now, he had fully calmed down.

“Did you run into a problem with the testing?”

Xue Ji neither confirmed nor denied, only said: “I have some guesses. I need to come here to verify them.”

Their exchanges on the first day were minimal. Asuer soon left for a military meeting, instructing the young knight who had brought Xue Ji to show him around the base, then departed hastily. After a short rest, Xue Ji grabbed his tools and headed to the nearby scrap heap.

The young knight, named Gene, had a baby face. Seeing Xue Ji pacing around the wreckage with a scanner, occasionally stopping to check the readings, he asked: “What are you looking for?”

Xue Ji didn’t answer, because he wasn’t sure himself.

This search went on until the third day—by the time flow of the Imperial Star, that is; on Gray Star, it was only the first night since Xue Ji’s arrival. Gray Star’s days were gray, but its nights were bright, with a sky full of dazzling stars. Xue Ji was staring intently at the real-time scan results when a deep voice sounded behind him.

“Still not resting at this hour?”

Xue Ji turned around. Asuer walked over slowly, followed by two Knight Captains.

Gene quickly bowed. Xue Ji handed the scanner to him, and the latter took over the work.

“The Monarch isn’t resting either.” Xue Ji watched the man approach. “Is the Monarch done with work?”

“More or less.” Asuer’s gaze fell on Xue Ji’s thin clothes. The temperature difference between day and night on Gray Star was significant, and Xue Ji was wearing far too little, but he didn’t seem to feel cold. “The night’s nice. Walk with me.”

Xue Ji naturally didn’t refuse.

Serrick stepped forward, about to speak, but was pinned in place by the Monarch’s glare.

The two skirted the scrap heap, passed between two starships, and arrived at the rear of the base. With no man-made structures blocking the view, the Ash Plains offered an open vista everywhere. The night breeze carried a fresh scent, diluting the smell of oil in the base.

Xue Ji took a deep breath, then felt a weight on his shoulders. Turning his head, he saw that the Monarch had taken off his own coat and draped it over him.

“I heard that while I was away, you went out carousing with some people,” Asuer said, looking ahead.

Xue Ji hinted: “I thought the Monarch wouldn’t ask.”

Asuer said nothing, but after a few seconds, he suddenly leaned in, lifting the coat he’d just draped, and lowered his head to sniff lightly at Xue Ji’s neck.

No scent at all.

Asuer straightened up, his brow unconsciously relaxing.

Throughout it all, Xue Ji didn’t flinch. Instead, he teased: “Is the Monarch saying I stink?”

“No.” For some reason, Asuer felt an inexplicable trust in the Xue Ji before him—a physiological trust. Any Alpha, when lowering their head and offering their gland to another, would develop a special bond with that person. Asuer had tried to convince himself not to be influenced by this bond, but the instinctive relaxation of his body upon seeing Xue Ji was undeniable. “But don’t you think you owe me an explanation?”

“The bidding conference is coming up. I need to make preparations,” Xue Ji said bluntly. “Right now, the Academy’s raw material procurement and intellectual property sales are all handled by a few major conglomerates, and completely overseen by the four deans. If I don’t get the conglomerates to loosen up, small and medium enterprises have no chance to enter the market.”

The γ-3 sector held an annual bidding conference, where the four Academy deans would present the research results from their institutes and affiliated bodies for tender, selecting suppliers and manufacturers. Researchers only submitted their work; after the bidding, funds flowed through the deans’ offices—purchases deducted directly from project budgets, sales partially deposited into the treasury, then distributed to smaller institutions or individuals.

For years, these bidding wars have been monopolized by big conglomerates. Without competition, purchase prices are sky-high, while selling prices fall below the true value of the research. Yet after mass-producing those results, the conglomerates sell the goods at no small cost. The result is that vast amounts of imperial wealth flow into these groups, people are fed up with prices going up every year, and the economy at the bottom is in the dumps.

Asuer, sharp as a tack, figured out the ins and outs in seconds and saw exactly what Xue Ji was up to. Xue Ji aimed to break the monopoly, and the authority Asuer had granted him was enough to lock down control of this year's bidding. That's why he hadn't jumped to shut down those black-label projects—the real show was still ahead.

Asuer had talked it over with Merlian before, but it wasn't the right time to step in. Xue Ji's move was exactly what he wanted, but...

"That's too reckless," Asuer frowned. "You're on the home planet all by yourself. If something goes wrong, I can't get there in time like I did last time."

"That's exactly why they'll let their guard down when you're not around," Xue Ji replied. He was never the type to plan everything out before acting; by the time you're ready, the chance is gone.

"What about using my name?" Asuer suggested.

Using your name just makes you the target. Xue Ji felt a surge of delight. "Your name's too valuable, Your Majesty. I'm saving it for later. But if you really want to help, I do have a favor to ask."

"Name it."

"Do you have any people I can borrow? I've set up several shell companies for the bidding entry, but since they're shells, they won't hold up under scrutiny."

Asuer hesitated only a second before saying, "How many do you need?"

"Five hundred. They need to look like ordinary employees."

The Imperial Knights numbered no more than a thousand, and pulling out five hundred people who all look like regular employees was theoretically no easy task for the current Monarch. Asuer felt a strange sensation—he was being gradually consumed by Xue Ji, his cards and vulnerabilities laid bare one by one before this man. Frighteningly, perhaps due to that damned bond, he felt no suspicion or resistance at all.

He heard himself say, "I'll have Serrick coordinate with you. If there are procedural issues," he paused, "you can contact Doniel."

"Doniel?" For the first time, Asuer saw a flicker of surprise on Xue Ji's face, as if something had slipped beyond his control. "That Doniel from the Senate? The one who trembles like a mouse every time he sees you?"

His eyes sparkled under the starry sky. Asuer had never known black pupils could shine so brightly. He turned his head away and said, "Yes, him."

Xue Ji offered ten parts of loyalty in exchange for nine parts of trust, but Asuer felt he had already given eleven.

If Xue Ji were to betray him, then he would surely...

Asuer lowered his gaze, not finishing the thought.

Xue Ji seemed to be digesting this revelation, remaining silent.

In the quiet, Xue Ji's optical brain beeped.

He raised it to see a call request from Gene.

"Chief Xue, your scanner has picked up something," Gene's voice came through as soon as the call connected.

Xue Ji exchanged a glance with Asuer and immediately turned to head back.