Silver dew is a miraculous treasure that is extremely rare and elusive; it’s not something one could expect to find even after waiting for decades, let alone three months. The gall of the Holy Bear is similarly difficult to acquire. Though in theory it is a specialty of the Holy Bear Star, no new Holy Bear gall has appeared in the past century.
Nonetheless, Yang Hao disregarded all that. He only hoped to seize this unique opportunity, so he immediately bid farewell to Empress Ming and prepared to head straight to the Holy Bear Constellation.
Yet reaching the Holy Bear Star was no easy feat. If Leimon Star was located at the edge of the Galactic Empire, the Holy Bear Constellation was deep in the empire’s central region, over a thousand light-years away from Yang Hao. Even large spacecraft required more than ten warp jumps to reach there. Moreover, Yang Hao currently didn’t even have access to a small shuttle.
Empress Ming tried repeatedly to dissuade Yang Hao but failed to change his determination. Helplessly, she made a decision that shocked the court and the public: she gifted the newly arrived battleship “Doom” to Yang Hao.
The Doom was a colossal warship. Ordered by Empress Dan Zhen while she was still alive from the Tri-Crystal Sea system, the largest shipbuilding base in the universe, it nearly consumed half of the national treasury. This warship was almost as powerful as the main battleships in the Galactic Empire’s fleet. Not only was it massive, but it was also equipped with an array of weapons, including a hundred drones and all-around shields.
To put it simply, the Doom was a mobile fortress in space. If Leimon Star possessed this warship, it could not only maintain its leadership within the local system but might even threaten neighboring systems. Thus, when the ship was originally ordered, many in the empire widely believed that Empress Dan Zhen intended to secede from the empire.
Such an important warship, crucial to Leimon Star’s future survival, was naturally going to provoke an uproar when gifted to Yang Hao. However, Empress Ming stood firm against all objections, finally calming the opposition by extracting Yang Hao’s promise to come to Leimon Star’s aid unconditionally should it come under attack.
Thus, half a month ago, Yang Hao set off from Leimon Star aboard the Doom, heading toward the Holy Bear Constellation. Before departure, he left Zhuge Jian and 300 orphans at the Spring Medicine shop to continue producing medicines to sustain the business. Another 200 orphans, who had already gained basic combat skills, joined Yang Hao on the ship.
“Still staring at the sky?” A rough voice, unmistakably familiar without even turning around. General Long stood behind Yang Hao, watching the speeding cosmic scenery outside the window with puzzlement, unable to fathom its appeal.
General Long’s original name was Long Yun, a descendant of the noble Long family on Leimon Star, and had long served as the commander of the royal guard. Since the palace turmoil, he had fought side by side with Yang Hao and developed mutual admiration. Upon learning Yang Hao’s plan to travel far to the Holy Bear Star to obtain the Holy Bear gall, Long Yun generously gave up his high rank and wealth to join Yang Hao on his expedition.
“Master Ming’an would have loved watching the stars if she were awake,” Yang Hao smiled. He had suddenly matured a lot recently. “Long Yun, are they done with training?”
“Hmm, these kids are pretty good. They have great talent and picked up some combat techniques quickly. I believe they’ll be ready for battle by the time we reach the Holy Bear Star.” Though Long Yun spoke thus, his expression still betrayed some unease.
“Come on. We’re just going to get some Holy Bear gall, not storming a fortress. Old Long, are you itching for a fight or something?” Yang Hao made a joke to lighten the mood.
Long Yun stretched his limbs. The man indeed had a strong build; his bones cracked loudly as he moved. “You really think the Holy Bear Star is just some place you can casually wander around?”
“Just another planet full of bears, what’s the big deal?” Yang Hao recalled a classmate named Kevin at school, who was from the Bear Clan. Except for being a bit slow and furry, he wasn’t that different from ordinary people.
“The Bear Clan forms the basis of the empire’s conscription, so the entire Holy Bear Star is practically a giant military base with troops coming and going every day. Going there to steal the Holy Bear gall will be harder than stealing keys from a prison.” Long Yun gritted his teeth. “Moreover, the Demon Bear Corps is stationed on the Holy Bear Star. They’re one of the empire’s top martial arts units, ranked slightly higher than Wang Tao’s swordsmen group.”
“But I don’t want to kill anyone. I just need a Holy Bear gall. They’ve got so many bears over there, can’t they spare just one?” Yang Hao always thought things were simple. “It’s like organ donation. At worst, I can give them a few tons of pork liver to make up for it.”
“If it were really that simple, why would I bother helping you build your own swordsmen group?” Long Yun shook his head helplessly, looking at Yang Hao as if he were an idiot.
Actually, Yang Hao knew it wasn’t easy. He was just joking around. After all, such a tedious journey required humor to keep one from going mad.
The Holy Bear Star got its name from the Holy Bears that lived there. Legend has it that the Holy Bear was a white divine bear found only on the Holy Bear Star and was the ancestor of all Bear Clan people. The Bear Clan worshipped the Holy Bear like a god, so at school, whenever Kevin faced any situation, he would exclaim, “Holy Bear above” or “May the Holy Bear protect us.”
But the Holy Bear wasn’t merely a totem. It was said that the Bear Clan’s strength and wildness originated from the Holy Bear. Only the Holy Bear could guide the Bear Clan’s direction. When a Holy Bear roared, all Bear Clan members roared together. When a Holy Bear was in pain, the entire Bear Clan felt the pain.
What Yang Hao now wanted was the gall of the Holy Bear. Each Holy Bear had only one gall, and removing it meant death. Yang Hao had traveled such a long distance to kill the Bear Clan’s god, the difficulty of which was self-evident.
Long Yun had long anticipated that a major battle was inevitable, so he prepared in advance by organizing the 200 orphans Yang Hao brought into his personal swordsmen group, the Hao Swordsmen Group, and personally serving as the group’s coach to prepare for the upcoming fierce battle.
“I hope the Hao Swordsmen Group doesn’t have to fight. If there’s any trouble, I’ll handle it myself. Three moves and it’ll be done.” Yang Hao slapped his bottom and stood up, his expression still relaxed. “Oh, why did you come up here anyway?”
“X13 sent me to inform you that we’re about to warp. Be careful not to fall!” Long Yun suddenly slapped his head, as if just remembering.
But by then, it was obviously too late. The entire battleship had already emitted a deafening roar. The surrounding nebulae were disrupted by the powerful propulsion system, and the deep blue cosmos instantly turned white. The warp had arrived without warning.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage