Yang Hao’s mouth fell open into an ‘O’ shape. He felt as if he had fallen into an unfathomable trap from which he could never escape.
The principal sighed and said, “The raw crystals from the Dark Beast’s nest are one of the major sources of income on Leimon. Now that you’ve killed the black magic beast inside, we can no longer produce raw crystals.”
Yang Hao slowly began to understand. His problem lay in a regulation he had never known about: “But nobody ever told me that the creature couldn’t be killed. No one mentioned it to me before I went there.”
“That’s true, nobody did mention it,” the principal intentionally glanced at Wang Tao, “because of certain reasons, we ourselves have only just recently learned the truth. Originally, people on Leimon thought the raw crystals were naturally occurring minerals.”
Wang Tao showed no sign 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’s just such a significant matter that we’re bringing it up.”
“Why should I be held accountable for a secret regulation?” Yang Hao finally grasped the situation, “Ignorance should be no crime. I’ve never even heard of this before. How could things turn out like this?”
Wang Tao smirked again: “Precisely because you didn’t know, the only consequence will be expulsion from the school. If you had knowingly committed the act, you might have already lost your life.”
“But—” Yang Hao tried to argue.
“Enough!” The principal raised his eyes toward the sky, “The order of dismissal has already been issued, and it cannot be changed. In the future, try to be smarter and avoid provoking those you shouldn’t.”
“Is it because I offended Wang Zhijun?” Yang Hao flared up in anger. If he really had to be expelled, Yang Hao wouldn’t have much to say about it anyway, since this school was just a playground for nobles. However, being expelled because of such a petty person like Wang Zhijun felt extremely unfair.
“Me!” Wang Tao patted the insignia on his chest, “I’ve already been stationed on Leimon and appointed as the sole commander of the Imperial Swordsmanship Corps stationed here. Therefore…”
“Therefore, you colluded with the school!” Yang Hao dared not say this out loud; only someone as fearless as Iris would dare to shout it directly.
Wang Tao shot Iris a glare but did not strongly deny it, after all, Iris’s father was the Imperial Ambassador to Leimon, and although Wang Tao belonged to the military, in terms of hierarchy, Iris’s father was still his superior.
“Although Yang Hao is at fault, the main responsibility lies in nobody warning him beforehand,” Amanda, whose mind worked the fastest, quickly found the crux of the issue, “If you punish Yang Hao like this, we will also report you for the crime of concealing information.”
“We?” Both Wang Tao and the principal were taken aback.
“That’s right, you. Because you deliberately failed to announce the protection law regarding the black Dark Beast, leading to its death inside the Dark Beast’s nest. This might also implicate you, right?” Amanda reminded Iris, “Go back and tell your father to deal with them severely.”
“Great!” Iris agreed immediately and began pulling Yang Hao home to report the injustice.
“This…” The principal was indeed flustered. The matter of collecting raw crystals from students had originally been a trap set by Wang Tao. If this matter were exposed, the school could not escape blame. Although Wang Tao belonged to the military and others couldn’t do much to him, the principal would be in serious trouble. He immediately shot Wang Tao a desperate look.
Wang Tao coldly snorted, “What is it you want?”
“Let Yang Hao continue to stay at the school.”
“No way!” Wang Zhijun shouted furiously. The whole incident had started entirely because of this bastard. Yang Hao stared at Wang Zhijun with disgust, his beast-like gaze making the man shiver all over.
“Continuing at the school is impossible,” the principal said, “The list for dismissal has already been submitted to the palace on Leimon for review. This decision cannot be changed.”
“In that case, the principal’s responsibility is also unavoidable,” Amanda was firm, knowing she must press on at this moment.
“If that’s the case,” the principal wanted to resolve 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 Dark Beast, I could still allow him to return to school.”
“Compensate for the loss?” Iris immediately relaxed; for this noble girl, nothing was simpler than money, “How much? I’ll pay.”
“Fifty million imperial credits,” the principal’s voice was like a cold current, freezing Iris’s smile.
“Fifty million!!!” Iris and Amanda exclaimed simultaneously. They stood there stunned, no longer daring to argue.
Since the Galactic Empire’s warships crossed five thousand star systems, nearly unifying half the universe, the imperial currency had become the standard for interstellar trade. However, for different planets, the economic levels varied. Some wealthy planets might enjoy extremely high wages, while agricultural planets like Leimon had a much lower standard of living.
However, regardless, fifty million imperial credits was an astronomical sum anywhere in the galaxy. It was simply an amount no individual could earn; only a company or organization could accumulate such a sum over a long period.
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 purchased for just a few hundred thousand imperial credits. Fifty million, however, could buy a large warship—perhaps even the latest model of destroyer.
Therefore, the price the principal set was clearly meant to be obstructive. 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.
“Fifty million, hehehe,” Wang Zhijun laughed in a strange way, “You wouldn’t earn that much even in several lifetimes.”
“You’re just deliberately making things hard for me,” Amanda was also angered. She grabbed Iris and said, “Come on, let’s go find your father.”
“This isn’t making things hard at all,” the principal spread his hands helplessly, “A black Dark Beast capable of refining raw crystals is extremely rare. Fifty million is actually a relatively low price for compensation.”
“Fine!” Yang Hao took a deep breath. He hadn’t spoken all this time because he had been thinking. Suddenly, Yang Hao felt that his life had changed dramatically in recent days—changes he had never even imagined before. Therefore, Yang Hao felt that leaving school this time might just be a change, a turning point that would push him to become stronger.
“Fifty million, I’ll be back,” Yang Hao said, “I will definitely return.”
He looked up at the sky. The silver sun radiated charming light. Through the thin clouds, one could vaguely see the silhouette of a bird-like shuttle. Yang Hao felt full of strength—not the kind suddenly gained from taking pills, but the strength of confidence. For the first time, this commoner’s son had the self-assurance and courage to fear no one.
This was something none of Yang Hao’s enemies had ever anticipated.
In the future, they would surely regret everything that happened today.
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