Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Norton hadn't deliberately concealed Ye Mo's existence when he brought him before, so many rumors about Ye Mo had been circulating on the Star Network even before the conference broadcast.

Most citizens of the Grath Empire dismissed such talk outright—no one understood the Grath better than they did.

Cole was one of them. With thousands of such rumors popping up every year, he paid little attention to the conference itself. It was always the same routine; with His Majesty present, the Insect Tide never truly impacted their lives.

He went about his days as usual, occasionally scoffing at the more outlandish whispers. "Look at this, what nonsense are they spreading now? They're saying the Grath Imperial family might have a new member? These media outlets really take advantage of the fact His Majesty doesn't care about such things."

His son paused his meal, looked up at his father. An excellent student and top performer at First Military Academy, the young man had been unusually pensive since returning from the graduation league.

Instead of agreeing as he usually would, he replied, his tone complicated, "Maybe."

Cole's wife smiled. "It's actually quite fun to read these things."

Wanting to lighten the mood at the table and chat with his son, Cole continued reading aloud. "...At this year's conference, the confirmation ceremony was not performed by Emperor Norton as in previous years, but by an unidentified minor. Note: physical characteristics include black hair and black eyes."

Black hair and black eyes were the hallmark features of the Grath.

Without realizing it, Cole had straightened his posture, his expression growing increasingly serious. His reading pace quickened.

"The child who replaced His Majesty for the confirmation can now be confirmed as a Little Grath. Combined with the announcement posted on the official Grath website, this writer's speculation has come true—we are about to welcome a young Grath!"

Cole's wife had unconsciously stood up. His son put down his utensils and began rapidly searching the official Grath website.

The whole family instinctively gathered around. The site seemed congested but soon loaded. Right at the top was the announcement. A collective gasp escaped them.

Cole murmured, "Good heavens..."

After the first day of the conference concluded, the perpetually static official Grath website suddenly posted an announcement. Beyond the usual formalities, it contained just one short sentence and a date, essentially stating that a new member would be formally announced soon.

This was an indirect confirmation of the rumors about a new heir.

Similar scenes played out in countless corners of the Grath Empire.

The citizens of the Grath Empire were practically in an uproar. After the initial shock came excitement. News spread like wildfire across the nation, discussed everywhere from family dinner tables to the depths of the Star Network.

"I knew he wasn't ordinary! I should have realized sooner. When he arrived, Lord Arnold was standing right beside the Little Highness. Lord Arnold has always been His Majesty's right-hand man. You all were speculating if Lord Arnold was entering the military system—this was clearly about ensuring the heir's safety!"

"His Majesty hid him too well. I scoured all the previous news and couldn't find a single clue. But His Majesty never liked the spotlight anyway, so keeping it secret probably wasn't hard."

"I want to see more news about the Little Highness! How infuriating. Why didn't His Majesty inherit the Queen's habit of loving to take photos? I watched the previous Little Grath grow up, but I have no sense of having raised him with this generation's Little Grath."

Within the military academies, especially First Military Academy, the school forums fell into an eerie silence. But privately, both students and faculty were paying close attention.

Ye Mo himself kept a low profile, but his striking looks, combined with his two elder brothers both being top students, gave him some recognition within the school. Many knew of him.

The conference broadcast happened to fall on a weekend. Ye Yun was at home, flooded with private messages. Ye Yun held his terminal, deflecting them all with vague replies, then looked down, operating something.

Ye He sat beside Ye Yun. His terminal lay on the table, completely untouched.

After a while, Ye Yun looked up. "Brother, all of Ye Mo's information at school is gone. It can't be found anymore."

Ye He gave a noncommittal "Hmm." The holographic broadcast was still playing. The Grath seats were right in front of their view, with Ye Mo, their youngest brother, at the very top.

Only after the broadcast ended did Ye He pick up his terminal. Without even looking, he cleared all the messages, then turned to Ye Yun. "You just noticed? Even on the Ye family's household registry now, the children listed are only you and me."

It wasn't just that information. All traces of Ye Mo's past had been completely erased. Every mark he'd left since childhood was gone. The promotional photo from Ye Mo's kindergarten activity, originally posted on the school website with Ye Mo beside Ye Yun, now showed a conspicuous empty space next to Ye Yun.

Even discussions about the name "Ye Mo" on the Star Network were swiftly deleted.

After hearing Ye He's words, Ye Yun used his terminal to search for information. When the page loaded, he froze. No Ye Mo. Refusing to believe it, Ye Yun refreshed several times, confirming Ye Mo was truly gone, before finally stopping.

He lowered his head, hair falling to obscure his expression. After a few seconds, he hurled his terminal. It hit their bookshelf, knocking something down with it.

Ye He glanced at Ye Yun but said nothing.

Ye Yun didn't need Ye He to say anything. He cursed under his breath, vaulted over the table with a hand on its surface, and carefully picked up the fallen photo frame. He wiped it clean and gently placed it back.

The frame held a childhood photo of Ye Mo, a candid shot taken by Mrs. Ye. Ye Mo had just arrived at the time, holding a stuffed toy, looking up earnestly as he spoke to the nanny robot beside him.

This room was their shared playroom, filled with books, toys from childhood, game pods, and various other items—each of the three brothers had their share of belongings there.

Ye He pushed open the door to leave but paused, looking back at Ye Yun. "I've joined the Imperial Guard."

The graduation exams were over. He had passed the secret tests just a few days prior.

Ye Yun looked up at Ye He, quickly understanding. "Brother! Why didn't you tell me?"

A slight smile touched Ye He's lips. "Instead of wasting time being angry, you'd be better off doing some digging. The Grath family has a tradition of recruiting companions. Your age should be suitable."

...

The subsequent meetings didn't require Ye Mo's participation. He stayed with Arnold. "What about that dagger?"

Arnold was indifferent. "Keep it as a toy. But it's not very practical."

As Ye Mo and Arnold talked, they walked out into a corridor and came face to face with Secretary-General Lin and several Corps Commanders. The group stopped and saluted with a crisp Grath military salute, their boots striking the floor in unison. "Little Highness!"

Ye Mo was momentarily taken aback but quickly straightened up and returned the salute.

After they passed, he let out a sigh of relief. Before, while some might have addressed him as "Little Highness" informally, without an official order, they wouldn't have treated him with such formality.

Arnold patted Ye Mo's shoulder. Having dumped all his responsibilities on Norton recently, he had plenty of free time. "Come on, let's go check on Pawpaw. He's been in the training room lately. For some reason, Brother ordered people to have Pawpaw work off his energy there. Yesterday, he fell asleep after only eating half his apple."

...

A port in the Drift Star Region. Here, there was no management or law, any ship or person could dock, leaving no trace behind.

A man disembarked from a starship in the chaotic port. He wore a mask, a cloak draped over him, wrapped up tightly. The only skin visible was his hands—pale and covered in scars, clearly the result of being bitten or torn by something. His bizarre attire drew no attention; in the Drift Star Region, oddballs and criminals were everywhere.

After waiting about ten minutes, he boarded another starship. Contrary to its dilapidated exterior, the ship's interior was newly equipped and orderly. Someone took his luggage.

The man seemed familiar with the place. He walked straight through the ship's corridors and opened a door at the end.

The room was dim, the only light source a glowing screen on the command platform. This unremarkable room was the ship's command center.

A long table stood in the middle, already occupied by many people—men and women dressed in all manner of strange, mismatched clothing. The room was noisy, like a marketplace.

At the head of the table sat a young man with black hair, blue eyes, and handsome features. A bone earring adorned one ear. He wore work clothes, a wrench tucked in his breast pocket. He had his feet propped on the table, hands behind his head, laughing heartily at something the person beside him had said.

The masked man took the empty seat, which happened to be to the right of the young man.

Only after he arrived did the young man put his feet down, sit up straight, and clap his hands. "Let's begin."

The room instantly fell silent.

The young man, eyes curved into smiles, announced, "Well then, the theme of this meeting remains the same as before: to overthrow the great Grath Empire."

No sooner had he spoken than the group erupted into cheers. The young man raised a hand, and the room gradually quieted again. He turned to the masked man. "So, tell us what you've found."

The masked man spoke first. "You must have already heard—it's true about Little Grans. The Clay Empire is temporarily stable. Their interests align with ours, and they're willing to support us. Besides, they'll likely move against Little Grans soon."

An uproar broke out around the table. "Norton Grass said he'd sever the bloodline of Grath. I thought he meant it."

"Norton is in such a hurry to thrust his heir into the spotlight. Doesn't that mean he can't hold on much longer? Our day will come, hahaha. When it does, the Glans Empire will be ours. I hope to live in the Grans Palace."

"What should we do? Kill that Little Grans? Make our move when Norton's not around. Then we'll be famous."

The masked man listened quietly to the others' unrealistic fantasies and let out a disdainful snort. Many years had passed, and the trash from the Wandering Star Domain had forgotten how they scrambled to escape Grans' purge—just as he once had.

Grans was not an enemy to be taken lightly.

But he didn't interrupt them. He knew who really called the shots.

The young man watched them argue noisily with a smile. "Then let's kill that Little Grans first."

Amid the cheers, the young man stood up, exchanged a glance with the masked man, and walked out.

The masked man spoke first. "What are you thinking? What can this rabble accomplish? They can't even cross Grans's borders."

The young man still wore a smile. "Feeling sorry for them? There are none of our people here anyway, and our headquarters isn't in this place. Or do you still have a soft spot for Grans? Still clinging to it? Our great strategist, once the elite of the Grans Empire—"

He lowered his voice, but his words were clear. "Elite."

After a moment, he patted the masked man's shoulder and laughed heartily. "Don't be nervous. I know you hate Grans, and Grans won't spare traitors."

After laughing, the young man affectionately slung an arm around the masked man's shoulders and walked out with him. "It's fine. Even trash can be useful. Don't worry, they won't be wasted. I'll put them to good use."