Chapter 62: The Informant

It was a bright morning where everything thrived under the sun. Governor Karajan of the planet Phira, just like the previous two days since his return to Phira, got up late from his soft bed. After his servants helped him dress, he proceeded to the bright hall to begin his breakfast.

However, today, no sooner had Governor Karajan sat down at the dining table than his secretary, who hadn’t disturbed the governor’s blissful life for quite some time, suddenly burst through the main door of the governor’s mansion.

The governor’s secretary rushed forward in a few quick strides, reaching the astonished Karajan’s side and whispered a few words into his ear. Immediately after, Governor Karajan spat out the milk he had just sipped.

“Wh… What?! Karajan shouted in shock, jumping up so violently that the chair beneath him flew aside.

“I was shocked too, Governor,” the poor secretary replied, wiping milk off his face while continuing awkwardly, “No one expected Governor Temiso to act so decisively. Just two days later, he’s already sent the return delegation from the Almichus Academy.”

“That bastard Temiso!” Governor Karajan’s face turned pale with fury as he slammed the table, “He wants to embarrass me in front of His Majesty!”

“Sigh…” The poor secretary could only nod continuously while wiping the spittle off his face that had sprayed from Karajan.

“Hmph! Hmph!” Governor Karajan angrily circled the dining table once before finally calming down. Facing his secretary once more, Karajan’s expression was grim.

“Well then! When soldiers come, generals will block them; when water comes, earth will dam it. If Temiso dares to come, I fear nothing. Go! Prepare the aircraft; we’re leaving immediately for the Themis Academy.”

“Yes, Governor!” The secretary quickly bowed and ran out in haste.

In any case, just as chaos erupted within Governor Karajan’s mansion, the spaceship that had departed from the planet Kasares finally arrived at its destination after a three-day journey to Phira.

“Damn it! We’ve arrived at Phira!” As soon as the ship landed at the Babylon spaceport, a group of men, whose muscular builds were intimidating, exited the ship with excited smiles while puffing on premium Kasares cigars.

“Hmph! This city wrapped in metal casing really makes me feel uncomfortable!”

Glancing at the city of Babylon before them, the muscular men sneered in disdain. Leading this group of strong men was a tough guy with a crew cut, wrapped entirely in a black long cloak.

For an ordinary person, the heavy luggage would be extremely burdensome, but in the hands of this leader, it was as if it weighed nothing at all. He casually slung the massive suitcase over his shoulder, scanned each of his companions’ faces, and wordlessly strode onto the main street of Babylon.

On the street, every passerby instinctively made way for the group of tough men. Two youths who had been lazily strolling around the street, clearly hooligans, were shocked when they saw the group and quickly vanished into the maze of narrow alleys between the buildings.

Undoubtedly, the group of muscular men walking so conspicuously down Babylon’s main street were none other than the bounty fighters from Kasares.

“Hey! Shura, have you decided? When are we going to the Babylon Arena? Also, walking like this on the street, don’t you think we’re being too conspicuous? This is their territory, you know! Did you see those two guys run off through the side streets? I bet by noon, Babylon’s people will know we’re here,” a black-haired youth walking closest to Shura quickened his pace, his eyes glancing meaningfully toward where the two hooligans had disappeared.

The black-haired youth’s meaning was obvious. At Shura’s command, he was confident he could chase after those two and prevent them from delivering the message to the Babylon Arena.

“They’re probably Babylon Arena’s spies. No need to bother with them!” Shura coldly shook his head, signaling the black-haired youth to relax, “This time, let Babylon Arena’s bounty fighters prepare well. If they don’t send their strongest lineup, it won’t be fun even if we win.”

“Heh! So you really plan to stir up the whole Phira Arena, huh?” The black-haired youth exchanged glances with the other fighters, his face showing both tension and excitement as he laughed, “By the way, isn’t Big Sis Angel said to be joining us on this mission with the Hermit? Why haven’t we seen him yet? And his friend Zhang Wen went with the Almichus Academy delegation.”

“Don’t worry. The Hermit just has some other things to take care of for now. He’s not the kind of person who talks without action. He’ll show up when the time is right. Besides… maybe this time, the Hermit will surprise us again,” Shura said calmly before striding forward once more.

Not long after this group of eye-catching muscular men left the spaceport, the Almichus Academy delegation also disembarked from their spaceship and set foot on Phira.

Among the Almichus Academy delegation, many students were no strangers to Phira. For example, among the students and teachers of the Psychic Arts Department, except for Vicki, whom Xiaoxi secretly called “Glasses Girl,” the rest had all participated in previous delegations.

Compared to the Psychic Arts Department, Zhang Wen’s Physical Arts Department was far less experienced in competitions. Whether it was Zax and Cloud, who originally belonged to the Physical Arts Department, or Amelis, temporarily “borrowed” from the Psychic Arts Department, none of them had ever been to Phira before. The only person in the Physical Arts Department who had previously visited Phira was actually Xiaoxi, whom Zhang Wen jokingly called “the permanent benchwarmer who will never play!”

The spaceport in Babylon, the capital of Phira, was built on top of the highest mountain in the city, Chai’an Mountain. Therefore, as soon as they exited the semi-enclosed spaceport, the entire city of Babylon stretched out before the Almichus delegation.

To be honest, the first time Zhang Wen saw Babylon, he couldn’t help but feel a sudden sense of awe, as if he had just stepped from the mountains into a modern metropolis.

Steel buildings over a hundred meters tall dotted the landscape. On neatly paved roads, all kinds of psychokinetic vehicles and bustling crowds flowed like water. Numerous psychokinetic spacecraft buzzed like busy bees, flying back and forth among the steel “flowers.”

“Oh! Phira is truly prosperous! In terms of development, Kasares is left far behind—by at least nine blocks!” Amelis, almost entranced, couldn’t help but whisper in admiration as she turned her head in all directions.

Subconsciously comparing Phira with Kasares, Amelis couldn’t help but feel that if she were Princess Sophia, she would definitely choose Phira.

“Of course. Phira and Kasares are completely different. Kasares is a resource planet, and it’s only been developed for a couple of hundred years by the Empire. Phira, however, is a proper administrative planet. It has been developed since the founding of the Empire and has a history of over seven thousand years. It’s the most developed core in the southern border of the Empire!” Zax also shook his head in admiration.

Likewise, Cloud, who was also visiting Phira for the first time, showed a trace of emotion on his face at the sight before him.

“Hey, Cloud, why are you so quiet? What do you think of this place?” Zax nudged Cloud with his elbow, “I remember you came from Aslan, the capital of the Commercial Alliance. Aslan is also one of the top administrative planets in the southern border!”

“Hmm, how should I put it?” Cloud finally turned his head, smiling calmly, “It’s truly worthy of being a core city of the Empire. In terms of development, there’s no planet in the southern border that can rival Phira. Take this Babylon City, for example—it may not be as lively as Aslan, but its strict orderliness is exactly the style of the Empire.”

“Mm…” As Cloud spoke, Amelis and Zax nodded in agreement. Joliet wanted to say a few words in defense of Kasares, but seeing the city before them, which could only be described as “magnificent and grand,” she felt wronged and couldn’t utter a single word.

“Alright, you guys, don’t keep praising others and belittling yourselves!” Zhang Wen’s gaze swept over Joliet’s face before he smiled and walked up to his three students, lightly patting each of their heads.

“Phira is indeed prosperous, but that doesn’t mean that Themis Academy is stronger than our Almichus Academy. In fact, I think being a student at Almichus is better. Don’t you feel that this city gives off a very tense and oppressive vibe?”

“Hmm… That’s actually true,” Amelis mused, nodding as she rested her chin in her hand.

“Now that you mention it… I suddenly feel that Babylon is a bit like my father’s Shinra Fortress. If we were to study here, wouldn’t it be just like training in the Shinra Fortress?” As Zax spoke, he shivered involuntarily. It seemed that the training at Shinra Fortress had left a very “deep” impression on him.

“Oh! Didn’t know you could talk so well!” Xiaoxi sneaked over with a sly grin.

“Hmph! You little brat, don’t get smart with me. Get your stuff ready—we’re going to visit Themis Academy!” Zhang Wen took the opportunity to ruffle Xiaoxi’s hair again before quickly catching up with the Psychic Arts group.

Since Almichus Academy’s return visit was so sudden, Themis Academy naturally couldn’t prepare a proper welcome with official vehicles as they had done in previous years. In fact, even if they had had time to send cars, they probably wouldn’t have bothered. Governor Karajan, who was furious at these uninvited guests, certainly had no intention of giving them a warm reception.

However, no matter how angry Governor Karajan was about Almichus Academy’s surprise visit, Themis Academy still had to maintain basic etiquette. When the Almichus delegation arrived at the gates of Themis Academy in psychokinetic vehicles, Principal Lorlock of Themis Academy still sent several instructors to give a symbolic welcome.

Of course, the Almichus delegation knew well that beneath those smiling faces of the Themis instructors, their true thoughts were probably anything but “welcome.”

After sending off the instructors who had come to “welcome” them, the Almichus delegation was then granted their first “free tour time” at Themis Academy.

“Mr. Zhang, from now on, you’d better be careful. Don’t act alone—try to stay with our Psychic Arts group at all times,” as soon as they entered the campus of Themis Academy, the head instructor of the Psychic Arts Department, Kajelena, suddenly approached Zhang Wen with a serious warning.

“Oh? Why is that?” Zhang Wen looked at Kajelena, somewhat surprised by her commanding tone.

“Every year when our Almichus Academy visits Themis for a return visit, Themis has an unwritten tradition. Before the official competition begins, they will try every means possible to take advantage of our teachers being alone and have their students attack them with underhanded tactics. In the past two or three years, we’ve always had several instructors who ended up humiliated by them.”

While Kajelena spoke, she didn’t directly mention the Physical Arts Department by name, but from the lack of trust in her eyes, Zhang Wen could already tell that the instructors who had been humiliated by Themis in previous years were likely mostly from the Physical Arts Department.

Seeing Kajelena’s expression—strictness mixed with disdain—Zhang Wen’s lips slowly curled upward. Anyone familiar enough with Zhang Wen would know that this meant he was genuinely angry.

However, this time, what angered Zhang Wen wasn’t just Kajelena’s condescending attitude, but also someone Zhang Wen was very familiar with—Foks, the Physical Arts Department instructor from Almichus Academy.

Zhang Wen had never had a good impression of Foks, who was always clinging to the side of the senior instructor Xin. But he never expected that under the strict orders of Governor Temiso this time, Foks still dared to play tricks on him!

Since Foks was last year’s Physical Arts Department instructor leading the delegation, he certainly knew about Themis Academy’s traditions. Yet, when Zhang Wen asked Foks before departing for Phira, “Are there any issues I should pay attention to?” that guy didn’t say a single word!

Clearly, Foks had intentionally withheld the information about Themis Academy’s “welcome” tradition. He wanted Zhang Wen to suffer a major embarrassment at Themis Academy, to prove to Governor Temiso that it wasn’t just him who could be humiliated by Themis.

Unfortunately for Foks, this time he had acted in vain.

In fact, even if Zhang Wen had learned about Themis Academy’s “welcome tradition” from Kajelena, he still couldn’t do exactly as Kajelena requested—staying with the Psychic Arts group at all times. Because aside from Almichus Academy, Zhang Wen had another equally important mission to fulfill with the bounty fighters.

“Are you saying the Physical Arts Department should hide behind your Psychic Arts group?” Zhang Wen smiled and asked Kajelena in return.

“If Mr. Zhang insists on interpreting it that way, I suppose it’s acceptable. Last year, the Physical Arts Department instructor Foks was treated very badly by them. I remember when Foks returned last year, Governor Temiso was extremely angry and almost expelled him from Almichus Academy. I don’t want the same thing to happen again this year. I think Mr. Zhang understands what I mean, right?” Kajelena, with a stern expression, waited silently for Zhang Wen’s response.

Faced with Kajelena’s complete lack of trust, Zhang Wen also felt there was nothing more to say.

If Zhang Wen didn’t have a mission with the bounty fighters, and if Kajelena had been a bit more patient and persuasive, perhaps Zhang Wen’s lazy side might have kicked in and he would have followed Kajelena’s advice to stay behind the Psychic Arts group.

But now… aside from the fact that Zhang Wen would never abandon his work at the Kemmel Arena just because he was worried about Themis Academy trying to get him, he would also reject Kajelena’s suggestion simply because of her condescending attitude.

A martial artist should have a broad heart, able to tolerate unintentional offenses, but a martial artist must never accept humiliation. This was a saying from a martial artist who once guided Zhang Wen when he was on Earth—a saying that became Zhang Wen’s motto and the belief he lived by.

“I fully understand Teacher Kajelena’s meaning. However, I’m not Instructor Foks. I will handle my own affairs with my own judgment. Rest assured, Teacher Kajelena. No matter what happens, I will never disgrace Almichus Academy.” Zhang Wen smiled casually and turned to wave at Zax and the other three Physical Arts members.

Zhang Wen wasn’t about to argue pointlessly with Kajelena just because of a bit of disdain. But neither would he swallow his pride and accept Kajelena’s arrangement. Therefore, the best way for Zhang Wen to handle it was naturally to leave Kajelena behind, as he did now.

“Hmph!” Kajelena glared at Zhang Wen’s retreating back before finally letting out an angry snort.

Although Kajelena was the head instructor of the Psychic Arts Department and held a high position at Almichus Academy, within the delegation, she was the Psychic Arts leader and Zhang Wen was the Physical Arts leader—there was no hierarchy between them, and she had no authority to issue orders to Zhang Wen directly!

“Irina!” After a while, Kajelena finally couldn’t bear it anymore and, with a face like thunder, called over Irina, another instructor from the Psychic Arts Department and also her favored disciple.

“Yes, Teacher Kajelena.” Irina had been beside Kajelena when she spoke to Zhang Wen and clearly understood what Kajelena needed her to do.

“Keep an eye on him. Report any issues to me immediately. Governor Temiso’s instructions, the honor of Almichus Academy, must not be destroyed by this guy!”

“Understood. Don’t worry, I’ll keep a close watch on him.” Irina gave a cold smile and nodded toward the direction Zhang Wen had left.

While Kajelena and Irina plotted in secret, Zhang Wen himself, after leaving with Zax and the others, immediately returned to the hotel arranged for them by Themis Academy.

Zhang Wen’s refusal to accept Kajelena’s arrangement was only because of the pride a martial artist must uphold—it didn’t mean he would treat Kajelena’s warning lightly. In fact, after learning about Themis Academy’s so-called “tradition,” Zhang Wen had been thinking constantly.

Using underhanded methods to attack Almichus Academy’s Physical Arts instructors—Zhang Wen was 100% sure that Themis Academy would definitely do such a thing. In fact, if it weren’t for the Physical Arts Department of Almichus being too weak, Zhang Wen seriously doubted whether they had already done the same.

Because when students fight students, if one side uses unfair tactics, even if they win, people will only look down on them. But when students are used to attack instructors, it’s a different matter entirely.

Even if several students gang up on an instructor in a series of fights or even surround and attack him, no one would criticize the students for being despicable. And even if the students lose, it won’t affect their reputation. But if the instructor being attacked loses, no one will care how many students fought him. They’ll just say, “Ah! This instructor must be really useless if he can’t even beat a few students. What qualifications does he have to be an instructor?”

That’s why it’s not hard to understand why Governor Temiso flew into a rage and nearly expelled Foks from Almichus Academy after he was humiliated by Themis Academy’s students last year.

“So, I guess this is what they call ‘knowing there’s a tiger on the mountain, yet still heading toward it…’” Back in the hotel room, changing into casual clothes, Zhang Wen gazed out the window at the street below, where students in Themis uniforms passed by, and smiled faintly.

Zhang Wen could clearly sense that at least two groups were hiding in the corridor outside, secretly watching his room door.

If I walk out the front door, there’s no doubt it will cause a commotion. But then again, what would happen if I did that? Zhang Wen’s lips curled into an amused smile as he suddenly pushed open the hotel’s back window, lightly pressed his hand against the windowsill, and jumped out.

As Zhang Wen stealthily left the hotel, avoiding the spies in the corridor, two young men with strange tattoos and messy hairstyles were sprinting through the narrow alleys between the towering buildings of Babylon.

“Brother Reyna, have those guys caught up yet?” After running through several turns, the thinner long-haired man finally ran out of breath. He stopped, squatting down and panting heavily as he asked the short-haired man beside him.

“I don’t think so. Huh…” Reyna, the short-haired man, also gasped for breath. He leaned against the wall, nervously glancing behind him. Seeing no one following, he wiped the sweat off his forehead in relief.