Yang Hao’s mouth fell open in an ‘O’ shape. He felt as if he had fallen into an unfathomable trap, one from which he could never escape.
The principal sighed and said, “The raw crystals from the Dark Beast’s cave are one of the most important sources of income for Leimeng Star. Now, because you killed the black magic beast inside, we will no longer be able to produce raw crystals.”
Yang Hao gradually began to understand. His problem lay within a regulation he had never known: “But no one ever told me that the monster couldn’t be killed. Nobody mentioned it before I went there either.”
“It’s true that nobody mentioned it,” the principal intentionally glanced toward Wang Tao, “because of certain reasons, we ourselves have only just recently learned the truth. Originally, the people of Leimeng Star thought the raw crystals were simply natural mineral resources.”
Wang Tao showed no hint of discomfort: “The origin of the raw crystals has always been an imperial secret; there was absolutely no need to inform you. This time, it was only mentioned because the matter was so serious.”
“Why should I be held responsible for a law that’s kept secret?” Yang Hao finally found his voice, “They say ignorance of the law excuses no one, but I’ve never even heard of this law. How could this happen?”
Wang Tao smirked again: “Precisely because you didn’t know, we only need to expel you from the school. If you had knowingly committed this act, you might have already lost your life.”
“But!!!” Yang Hao wanted to argue further.
“Enough!” The principal raised his gaze to the sky, “The order of dismissal has already been issued and cannot be changed. In the future, be smarter and avoid provoking those you shouldn’t.”
“Is it because I offended Wang Zhijun?” Yang Hao was furious. If he really had to be expelled, Yang Hao wouldn’t have much to say about it anyway—after all, this school was just a playground for nobles—but to be expelled because of such a petty person as Wang Zhijun felt extremely unfair.
“I!” Wang Tao patted the insignia on his chest, “Have already been stationed at Leimeng Star as the only sword arts group commander stationed here by the Empire, so…”
“So you colluded with the school!” Yang Hao dared not say this out loud; only someone as fearless as Elsie would dare to shout it directly.
Wang Tao shot Elsie a glare but didn’t refute too strongly, after all, Elsie’s father was the Empire’s ambassador to Leimeng Star. Although Wang Tao belonged to the military, in terms of hierarchy, Elsie’s father was still his superior.
“Although Yang Hao is at fault in this matter, the main responsibility lies in nobody warning him beforehand.” Amanda’s mind worked the fastest and quickly identified the crux of the issue, “If you discipline Yang Hao like this, we will also hold you accountable for concealing the truth and failing to report it.”
“We?” Wang Tao and the principal were both momentarily stunned.
“Exactly you, because you deliberately failed to publish the regulation protecting the black magic beasts, leading to the death of the black beast in the dark beast cave. This might also bring about some degree of shared responsibility, wouldn’t you say?” Amanda reminded Elsie, “Go back and tell your father to deal with them severely.”
“Fine!” Elsie agreed immediately and began pulling Yang Hao home to report the injustice.
“This…” The principal was indeed somewhat taken aback. The matter of collecting raw crystals from students had originally been a trap set by Wang Tao. If this matter were exposed, the school would not escape blame. Wang Tao himself, being part of the military, was untouchable, but the principal would be in serious trouble. He immediately sent an anxious look toward Wang Tao.
Wang Tao snorted coldly, “What is it you want?”
“Let Yang Hao continue to stay at the school.”
“No way!!” Wang Zhijun shouted furiously. The root of today’s events was entirely this bastard’s fault. Yang Hao glared at Wang Zhijun with the eyes of a beast, making the man shiver all over.
“Allowing him to remain at the school is impossible,” the principal said, “The list for dismissal has already been submitted to the palace of Leimeng Star for review. This decision cannot be changed.”
“In that case, Principal, your responsibility will also be unavoidable.” Amanda was firm; she knew that at this moment, she could only push forward relentlessly.
“If that’s the case,” the principal wanted to end things quickly. He deliberately avoided Wang Tao’s displeased expression, “If Yang Hao can compensate for the loss caused by the death of the black magic beast, I might still allow him to return to school.”
“Compensation for the loss?” Elsie immediately relaxed. For this noble girl, nothing was simpler than money, “How much? I’ll pay it.”
“Five hundred million imperial credits.” The principal’s voice was like a cold current, freezing Elsie’s smile in place.
“Five hundred million!!!” Elsie and Amanda exclaimed simultaneously. They stood there stunned, no longer daring to argue.
Since the Galactic Empire’s warships crossed five thousand star systems and nearly unified half the universe, the imperial currency had become the standard for interstellar trade. However, for different planets, economic levels varied. Some wealthy planets might enjoy extremely high wages, while a planet like Leimeng, an agricultural planet, had a much lower standard of living.
Nevertheless, five hundred million imperial credits was an astronomical sum anywhere in the universe, far beyond what any individual could earn. Only a company or organization could accumulate such a sum over a long period of time.
In the age of space travel, shuttles had become common transportation. A basic-level interstellar shuttle capable of sub-light-speed travel between planets could be bought for just a few hundred thousand imperial credits. Five hundred million imperial credits, however, could already buy a large warship—perhaps even the latest model of destroyer.
Therefore, the price set by the principal was clearly meant to make things difficult. No one could possibly earn so much money in such a short time, especially not Yang Hao, a poor student from a commoner’s background.
“Five hundred million, ha ha ha.” Wang Zhijun laughed in a strange way, “You wouldn’t earn that in several lifetimes.”
“You’re just deliberately making things hard for me.” Amanda was furious too and grabbed Elsie’s hand, saying, “Come on, let’s go find your father.”
“This isn’t making things difficult at all,” the principal spread his hands helplessly, “A black magic beast capable of refining raw crystals is extremely rare. Five hundred million is actually quite cheap.”
“Fine!” Yang Hao took a deep breath. He hadn’t spoken until now because he had been thinking. Suddenly, Yang Hao felt that his life had changed dramatically in recent times. This change was something he had never even dared to imagine before. Therefore, Yang Hao felt that this expulsion from school might just be another change, a turning point that could push him to become even stronger.
“Five hundred million, I’ll come back,” Yang Hao said, “I will definitely come back.”
Yang Hao’s mouth gaped into an “O” shape. He felt as if he had stepped into a bottomless trap with no way out.
The principal sighed and said, “The origin crystals from the Dark Beast Lair are one of the most important sources of income for Remon Star. But now that you’ve killed the Black Shadow Beast inside, we can no longer produce them.”
Yang Hao slowly began to understand—his mistake lay in an unknown law. “But no one ever told me that the beast couldn’t be killed. No one mentioned it before I went in.”
“Indeed, no one did.” The principal deliberately glanced at Wang Tao. “Due to certain reasons, we only recently learned the truth. Even the people of Remon Star used to believe the origin crystals were natural minerals from the land.”
Wang Tao showed no remorse. “The origin of the crystals has always been an imperial secret. There was no need to inform you. It’s only because of the severity of this incident that we’re discussing it now.”
“Why should I be held accountable for a secret law?!” Yang Hao finally pieced it together. “Ignorance is no crime—I never even heard of this rule. How could this happen?”
Wang Tao smirked again. “Precisely because you didn’t know, the punishment is just expulsion. If you had done it deliberately, you’d already be dead.”
“But—!!!” Yang Hao wanted to argue further.
“Enough!” The principal raised his eyes to the sky. “The expulsion order has already been issued and cannot be reversed. Learn to be smarter in the future and don’t provoke those you shouldn’t.”
“Is this because I offended Wang Zhijun?” Yang Hao was furious. If he was being expelled, so be it—this school was just a playground for nobles anyway. But to be punished solely because of a petty man like Wang Zhijun was beyond unfair.
“Me!” Wang Tao tapped the emblem on his chest. “I’ve been stationed on Remon Star as the sole commander of the Imperial Sword Corps here. So—”
“So you and the school are colluding!” Yang Hao didn’t dare say it aloud—only someone as fearless as Aisi would blurt it out.
Wang Tao shot Aisi a glare but didn’t argue much. After all, her father was the Imperial Ambassador to Remon Star. Though Wang Tao belonged to the military, in terms of hierarchy, Aisi’s father was still his superior.
“In this matter, Yang Hao may have made a mistake, but the main responsibility lies with the fact that no one warned him beforehand.” Amanda, the quickest thinker among them, pinpointed the issue. “If you punish Yang Hao like this, we’ll make sure you’re held accountable for withholding critical information.”
“Us?” Wang Tao and the principal exchanged stunned glances.
“Yes, you. Because you deliberately concealed the protection laws regarding the Black Shadow Beast, leading to its death in the Dark Beast Lair. If this gets out, you’ll bear joint responsibility.” Amanda nudged Aisi. “Go tell your father and have him impose severe penalties.”
“Fine!” Aisi agreed instantly, ready to drag Yang Hao home to file a complaint.
“Wait—” The principal panicked. The whole scheme of forcing students to collect origin crystals was Wang Tao’s trap to begin with. If this scandal spread, the school wouldn’t escape blame. Wang Tao, as a military officer, was untouchable—but the principal would suffer. He shot Wang Tao a desperate look.
Wang Tao scoffed. “What do you want?”
“Let Yang Hao stay in school.”
“No way!!” Wang Zhijun shrieked. Today’s disaster had started because of this bastard. Yang Hao glared at him with a beast-like intensity, sending chills down the other boy’s spine.
“Staying is impossible,” the principal said. “The expulsion list has already been submitted to the Remon Star Palace for review. It can’t be changed.”
“Then your punishment is also unavoidable.” Amanda was resolute—now was the time to press forward.
“Fine.” The principal, eager to end this, ignored Wang Tao’s displeased expression. “If Yang Hao can compensate for the loss of the Black Shadow Beast, I’ll allow him to return.”
“Compensation?” Aisi relaxed instantly. For a noble girl like her, nothing was simpler than money. “How much? I’ll pay.”
“Fifty million imperial credits.” The principal’s voice was like an icy gust, freezing Aisi’s smile in place.
“Fifty million?!!” Aisi and Amanda shrieked in unison, stunned into silence.
Since the Galactic Empire’s warships spanned five thousand star systems, nearly unifying half the universe, imperial credits had become the standard currency for interstellar trade. However, economic conditions varied across planets—wealthy worlds boasted high wages, while agricultural planets like Remon Star had much lower living standards.
Regardless, fifty million was an astronomical sum anywhere—an amount no individual could earn alone. Only corporations or organizations could accumulate such wealth over time.
In this era of space travel, shuttles were common transportation. A basic interstellar shuttle, capable of sub-light-speed travel between planets, cost only a few hundred thousand credits. Fifty million could buy a full-sized warship—perhaps even a state-of-the-art destroyer.
The principal’s demand was clearly impossible. No one could amass that much money quickly, let alone Yang Hao, a poor commoner student.
“Fifty million, heh heh heh.” Wang Zhijun sneered. “You couldn’t earn that in ten lifetimes.”
“You’re just making this impossible!” Amanda, furious, grabbed Aisi’s arm. “Let’s go talk to your father.”
“It’s not impossible. A Black Shadow Beast capable of refining origin crystals is extremely rare. Fifty million is actually a bargain.” The principal spread his hands, feigning helplessness.
“Fine.” Yang Hao took a deep breath. He had been silent until now, deep in thought. Suddenly, he realized his life had undergone drastic changes recently—changes he never could have imagined before. Perhaps leaving school was just another turning point, one that would push him to grow stronger.
“Fifty million it is. I’ll be back.” Yang Hao declared, “I *will* return.”
He looked up at the sky, where the silver sun blazed brilliantly through wispy clouds. The faint silhouette of a bird-like shuttle flickered in the distance. Yang Hao felt a surge of power—not the kind gained from pills, but the confidence and courage of a commoner who no longer feared anyone.
This was something none of his enemies had anticipated.
In the future, they would surely regret everything that happened today.
This was something none of Yang Hao’s enemies had ever anticipated.
In the future, they would surely regret everything that had happened today.
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