September in the imperial capital is always a time of incessant rain. However, the capital’s residents—families who have lived here for generations, even dozens of generations—have long since grown accustomed to the miserable weather in September. On the streets, the flow of people and vehicles is just as heavy as it was in August, when the skies were clear and sunny.
On Glory Street, near the imperial palace, people’s gazes were unconsciously drawn toward the same direction.
Unlike the high-ranking officials of the Federation who preferred to use psychokinetic flying cars, the aristocrats of the Empire had always insisted on maintaining the tradition of traveling by carriage. They believed that anyone who preferred psychokinetic flying cars over horse-drawn carriages was nothing more than a tasteless bumpkin. True nobility, of course, should only be seen riding in the most luxurious carriages, pulled by the rarest and most valuable beasts, to highlight their unique status.
Of course, the Federation’s officials had their own opinions about the Empire’s aristocrats. In their eyes, those imperial nobles who stubbornly clung to carriages and refused to embrace the advancements of psychokinetic technology were nothing more than incomprehensible savages.
But leaving aside the mutual disdain between the Empire and the Federation for now, during this rainy September season, the most enviable carriage in the entire imperial capital belonged to the Imperial Chancellor, Selius. His carriage was drawn by four Bishou Beasts, rare creatures from a distant planet in the northern frontier of the Empire. The Bishou Beast resembled the unicorn from ancient Imperial mythology, a symbol of purity and beauty. However, instead of ordinary fur, their bodies were covered with a flowing, gem-like layer of turquoise-blue liquid.
Rain would soak the fur of other rare beasts, ruining their beautiful appearances. But when rain hit the Bishou Beasts, it merely rippled across their surfaces in elegant waves, not only leaving their beauty unmarred but also making their movements even more graceful.
It was precisely Chancellor Selius’s Bishou Beast-drawn carriage that had drawn everyone’s attention on Glory Street in front of the imperial palace.
At this moment, Selius, the most powerful man in the Empire, second only to the Emperor himself, was sitting with his eyes closed by the window, listening to the endless complaints coming from beside him.
“…Sel, come on, speak up! What exactly is this supposed to mean? If William wanted to redeem himself by personally handling the matter of Lord Black, I could accept that. After all, the Imperial Guard is the Emperor’s face, and I can’t make the Emperor lose face. But what about that brat from the Southlands? How could the Emperor listen to that idiot William’s advice and entrust the entire Southlands to a female adjutant who doesn’t know anything and a smelly kid who hasn’t even grown up yet? The safety of the entire Southlands! No way! Sel, this matter absolutely cannot be left like this!”
The middle-aged man who had been muttering nonstop beside Selius and had even taken to calling him “Sel” was none other than Duke Yunis Orlan, the Imperial Finance Minister and Selius’s old friend of over thirty years.
Besides Yunis, there was another guest in Selius’s carriage.
He was a man who appeared to be in his early thirties. He had the face of a classic Imperial aristocrat—long, refined features, slightly pale skin, a straight nose, and eyes as blue as sapphires.
This man, whose looks alone could make every noblewoman in the Empire scream with delight, was dressed in the uniform of the Imperial Hawks. The three shining golden stars on his shoulders revealed his identity. Sitting opposite Chancellor Selius and Duke Orlan was the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Hawks, Isaias Kemmel, a member of the illustrious Kemmel family.
Unlike Duke Orlan, the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Hawks was not a man prone to chatter. So, he simply smiled and listened quietly along with Chancellor Selius as Duke Orlan vented his frustrations.
“Come on, Sel, say something! You’re not actually asleep, are you?” After rambling for a full ten minutes, Duke Orlan finally began to tire. Seeing that he was the only one performing in this one-man show inside the carriage, he grumbled in dissatisfaction and waved his hand in front of Selius.
“The Emperor has already decided,” Selius opened his eyes just a sliver, his face still showing signs of drowsiness. “The Emperor’s decisions have always been unchangeable by anyone.”
“But this time, isn’t this just too absurd? Entrusting the entire Southlands’ safety to an unarmed combat instructor from Almeyra Academy and a female adjutant from the Imperial Guard! If they fail, I can’t even imagine what would happen to the Empire! Selius, you should know just like me that the Southlands are now the Empire’s lifeline! Without the Southlands, the Empire’s finances probably won’t even last through this year!”
“I agree with Duke Orlan’s opinion,” Isaias Kemmel finally spoke up. “Moreover, I believe the issue goes beyond what Duke Orlan just mentioned.”
“Oh? What else is there? Hurry up and say it!” Duke Orlan urged impatiently.
“What I mean is, even if they somehow succeed, the Southlands would merely shift from one dangerous figure we can’t control to another dangerous figure we can’t control. Would it really benefit the Empire to continue letting Andrei Stein control the Southlands?” Isaias Kemmel said calmly.
“Exactly, exactly! I didn’t even think of that. If Andrei Stein continues to control the Southlands, a situation like this will inevitably happen again sooner or later!” Duke Orlan muttered, growing even more agitated.
“What do you plan to do?” Selius’s seemingly drowsy gaze swept briefly over Isaias Kemmel before closing his eyes again.
At Selius’s words, the chattering Duke Orlan immediately fell silent. He had originally been brought along by Isaias Kemmel to serve as a mouthpiece. Now that Selius had spoken, his mission was complete.
“Hehe. Nothing escapes your notice,” Kemmel said with a noble smile. “No matter how bold I might be, I would never dare defy the Emperor’s decree. However, the Emperor merely approved William’s request, allowing Liria to go to the Southlands and cooperate with that Almeyra instructor to handle this crisis. The Emperor’s decree didn’t say anything about others being forbidden from getting involved. In fact, when the news about Lord Black arrived, one of the Hawks’ squad commanders happened to be in the Southlands. I’ve already had him prepare for action.”
At this point, Kemmel paused with a smile. The Imperial Chancellor remained with his eyes closed, seemingly drowsy. Duke Orlan also held his breath, staring at his old friend.
“Go ahead,” Selius opened his eyes just a sliver again. After uttering these three short words, he knocked on the carriage wall.
The carriage immediately stopped at a rain shelter by the roadside. Kemmel bowed slightly to Selius and stepped down with Duke Orlan.
The Bishou Beast continued to run gracefully along the street in front of the imperial palace, soon disappearing from Isaias Kemmel and Duke Orlan’s sight.
“Issai, how confident are you about this matter?” Standing alone with Kemmel by the roadside, Duke Orlan seemed like a different person—his face no longer showed the previous chatty demeanor but instead a cold, intimidating expression.
“Don’t worry,” Isaias Kemmel still wore that reserved, almost mask-like smile.
“Worry? How could I not worry?” Duke Orlan’s face darkened, even more ominous than the capital’s weather. “You and I both know what kind of person the Emperor is. He might tolerate a little trickery behind his back, but only on the condition that it doesn’t mess up his assignments. If the man you left in the Southlands doesn’t…”
“Hehe, if the Duke is so afraid, it’s not too late to back out now.”
“Back out?” Duke Orlan sneered, a glint of greed flashing in his eyes. “The position of Southlands’ ruler is merely a nominal title in someone else’s hands. But if it falls into mine… Do you believe that I could help your Kemmel family build another ‘Genesis-class’ exploration fleet within ten years?”
“Of course I believe that. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have chosen to cooperate with the Duke,” Kemmel continued smiling.
“Then what about my answer?”
“Please rest assured. The squad commander I left in the Southlands will not fail. With him there, no one can take the title of Southlands’ ruler away from us.”
“Oh? You’re so confident?”
“Absolutely. Because that squad commander is someone even I couldn’t subdue.”
“Good! Also, besides the title of Southlands’ ruler, that female adjutant from the Imperial Guard and that Almeyra instructor must be dealt with.”
“Hehe, you’re worrying too much. Don’t worry. The Hawks’ squad commander I left in the Southlands is more than capable of handling fifty female adjutants and a hundred unarmed combat instructors.” With a laugh, Isaias Kemmel opened his umbrella and soon disappeared into the bustling crowd on the street.
※※※
Of course, Zhang Wen and Liria, far away in the Southlands, had no idea that two powerful figures in the capital were plotting to crush them like ants.
At this moment, Zhang Wen and Liria were still focused on the suddenly opened door.
“Who’s in there?” Moments later, Zhang Wen and Liria heard a female servant’s confused voice as she turned on the room’s psycholight.
Zhang Wen and Liria were hiding in a small partition inside the media room. A white screen separated them from the main area. Therefore, as soon as the light was turned on, their shadows were immediately cast onto the screen.
The female servant immediately walked toward their hiding spot. In addition, Zhang Wen also heard the footsteps of another stranger.
In the next moment, Zhang Wen and Liria simultaneously performed the same action. Both extended their hands and, like a pair of intimate lovers, wrapped their arms around each other’s waists.
Swish! At the exact moment Zhang Wen and Liria completed their movements, the screen was suddenly pulled aside.
“Huh?” Zhang Wen and Liria simultaneously turned their heads, like a couple caught in an intimate moment, feigning embarrassment as they stared at the two newcomers.
“Oh? It’s actually Professor Zhang from Almeyra Academy.” The stranger who entered with the female servant was none other than the mysterious woman who had suddenly appeared and then vanished in the corridor earlier—Rofelle.
“Hello, have we met before?” Zhang Wen curiously looked at Rofelle.
“We’ve never met. However, who in Kashares doesn’t know the great Professor Zhang Wen?” Rofelle said with a smile.
“You flatter me too much.”
“Hehe. Professor Zhang’s taste is indeed unique. I’ve heard that Almeyra Academy is a famous institution known for its beautiful female students in the Empire. How come Professor Zhang, who has access to so many beauties at Almeyra, prefers this wild flower from the roadside instead?” Rofelle smiled as she glanced at Zhang Wen’s hands, which were still resting on Liria’s slender waist.
After her transformation, Liria’s appearance, figure, and demeanor were completely different from her original self. Before the transformation, Liria was a gentle and elegant woman who exuded calmness and serenity. However, after using the shape-shifting technique, Liria’s appearance became strikingly sexy and alluring!
Combined with the low-cut, high-slit purple maid outfit she was wearing, Liria’s level of allure was no less than Rofelle, who wore an ultra-thin combat suit!
“Haha!” Seeing Liria’s annoyed expression and Zhang Wen’s speechless look, Rofelle burst into laughter, her ample bosom bouncing with each laugh, creating a mesmerizing wave.
“Professor Zhang is so adorable.” After finishing her laughter, Rofelle suddenly leaned in close to Zhang Wen. “If Professor Zhang is interested, after you pass the next trial, I wouldn’t mind keeping you company… for… one… round… oh!”
With a tone full of suggestive meaning, she finished her sentence, then happily laughed again under Zhang Wen and Liria’s astonished gazes, leaving the small theater with the female servant. Before leaving, Rofelle didn’t forget to deliberately turn off the psycholight and close the door.
“Captain, you’re not that easily tempted, are you?” Seeing Zhang Wen staring at Rofelle’s retreating figure, Liria suddenly quipped.
“Cough! Of course not. She’s not even my type.” Zhang Wen coughed and shook his head seriously.
“Good then.” Liria looked at Zhang Wen with a half-smile. “That woman’s name is Rofelle. She should also be one of the examiners for this test. But do you know her nickname?”
“What is it?”
“Poisonous Rose!” Liria finally burst into laughter. “Legend has it that Rofelle’s favorite hobby is seducing men. However, none of the men who fell for her charms ever had a good ending. All those poor souls ended up dying in hotel rooms where they met Rofelle, in all sorts of bizarre ways. To date, there have been at least eighty to a hundred such deaths. I certainly don’t want Zhang Wen to become the next victim.”
“Cough! How could that happen? Although, you seem to know quite a lot about Rofelle!” Zhang Wen coughed awkwardly and looked at Liria with curiosity.
“Roflaya’s mentor — Omega the Thunder God — is one of our greatest rivals on the path to seizing dominance over the South Territory. One of the reasons I boarded this ship was to investigate the strength of Omega’s four favored disciples he has brought to the South Territory this time. Naturally, I must obtain intelligence on these four beforehand…” Liliya had just begun to speak with a confident smile when they suddenly heard the voice of a blue-clothed man from the corridor outside.
“Please return to the hall, guests participating in the selection. The second test of today will begin in fifteen minutes.”
“I’ll explain more later when I have time. Right now, we must focus on the test,” Liliya immediately stood up and dragged Zhang Wen toward the exit. “Only teams with invitations are qualified to participate in the South Territory dominance contest hosted by the Black Viscount. You must get your hands on the invitation in Hassan’s possession!”
“Hey! Slow down…” Zhang Wen hurriedly waved his hand, but was yanked off balance by Liliya, nearly bumping into a nearby seat. “Liliya, don’t rush!” Zhang Wen complained as Liliya dragged him relentlessly toward the floating stairs heading to the third floor.
“This isn’t something we can afford to take lightly. Captain Zhang, since you accepted the Emperor’s summons, you’ve already become a soldier of the Empire. If you can’t complete the mission, the Empire’s military regulations won’t wait for you!” On the floating stairs, Liliya adjusted her disheveled hair and clothes while speaking to Zhang Wen.
“Hey! Liliya, I agreed to help you, but don’t threaten me with the Empire’s military regulations,” Zhang Wen said unhappily as he shook his head, his gaze involuntarily drifting to Liliya’s legs again.
“How can this be considered a threat?” Liliya finally noticed Zhang Wen’s gaze and naturally tugged at her long skirt, covering her exposed legs again — much to Zhang Wen’s great disappointment. During their entire run, Liliya seemed completely unaware of just how tempting her snow-white legs had looked beneath the high slit of her long skirt.
“If you fail the mission, you won’t be the only one in trouble. As your adjutant, I’ll share in whatever punishment you receive. This mission concerns both of us!” After tidying her maid uniform and ensuring there were no more accidental exposures that might give Zhang Wen an advantage, Liliya added solemnly.
At that moment, the floating stairs stopped at the second floor. Two pretty maids dressed exactly like Liliya rushed aboard in a panic.
Seeing outsiders boarding the stairs, Liliya casually turned her head away, pretending she had never spoken to Zhang Wen at all, and began fixing her hair in front of a mirror.
Though Liliya desperately tried to avoid interacting with strangers, she couldn’t always get her way. She certainly hadn’t expected that after those two panicked maids boarded the floating stairs, several martial artists would follow closely behind.
“Hey! Don’t run so fast! Weren’t we just getting along so well moments ago?” the martial artists laughed loudly as they climbed aboard.
Just as they stepped onto the floating stairs, the martial artists’ eyes suddenly lit up. They had suddenly realized that besides the two maids they had been chasing, there was an even more exquisite prize already on the stairs!
Liliya, now transformed into her maid outfit, was the epitome of feminine beauty — both in terms of figure and appearance. After a recent “long run,” her cheeks were flushed with a post-exercise glow, adding even more allure to her already captivating presence.
“Haha! No wonder she’s from a great merchant family — now that’s a real lady who understands etiquette! Are you girls trying to be considerate because we have three guys here, so you found one more for us?” The leftmost of the three martial artists, a blond man, immediately leered toward the three girls.
Another of the martial artists followed the blond man’s lead with a lustful grin, while the third stood by the stair’s control panel, pressing a button to halt the stairs between the second and third floors.
His actions and lecherous smile made it clear — the three martial artists intended to “have some fun” right there on the floating stairs.
“Hey! Kid, what are you staring at? Got some problem with me?” After leering at the girls for a moment, the three martial artists didn’t immediately approach the young women but instead turned menacingly toward Zhang Wen.
In an instant, Zhang Wen understood exactly what was going through the martial artists’ minds.
Clearly, their target was the three girls in the corner. However, judging from the girls’ expressions, they would probably need a little “encouragement” before they’d submit. The blond man and his companions were somewhat hesitant about using brute force directly on the girls, so Zhang Wen, who happened to be present, became the perfect “scapegoat” to make an example of.
After all, the martial artists aboard the Star Moon were not street hooligans. Even though they had decided to use Zhang Wen as an example, they didn’t all rush him at once.
This was also partly due to the deceptive nature of the Spring Water Manual Zhang Wen practiced.
The blond man’s group were all seasoned experts, naturally possessing their own methods of assessing an opponent’s strength. Although they certainly didn’t have the “battle power detectors” seen in comics that could quantify an opponent’s abilities down to the exact digit, they could still gauge general strength levels at a glance with about 80-90% accuracy.
Moreover, on the surface, Zhang Wen’s martial arts cultivation appeared to be barely at the tenth tier — perhaps even slightly below it! In the Empire’s martial arts system, the tenth tier was a massive threshold. Perhaps a super-tier expert could skillfully hide their strength, making it difficult to distinguish between an ordinary tenth-tier practitioner and a high-level one. However, a true tenth-tier expert could never possibly conceal their power to the point where others couldn’t sense their tenth-tier status at all!
With this assessment, the blond man and his group had absolutely no doubt that any one of them could easily beat Zhang Wen into the ground without breaking a sweat!
Therefore, the blond man and another long-haired man with face paint and wearing numerous death-themed decorations — looking like a “postmodernist” from Earth — remained behind. Positioned on either side like wolves blocking the entrance to a sheep pen, they cornered the three girls. Meanwhile, the third martial artist, a tall and muscular man, grinned menacingly as he stepped forward.
“Heh! Daring to bare your teeth at us — looks like you’re just tired of living!”
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