Chapter 84: Eighty-Fourth Day of Being a Salted Fish

The guard had not expected him to ask this, but his reaction was swift. He threw his chest out, snapped his heels together, and raised his hand in a sharp military salute. “Reporting! It was designed by Marshal Wen Shen!”

“Oh?” Nan Mu gave him an encouraging look, signaling for him to elaborate.

The guard explained, “This is Marshal Wen Shen’s command ship, the Minhai. All the furnishings inside were purchased and arranged according to the Marshal’s specific requirements.”

He paused, checking Nan Mu’s expression. Seeing that Nan Mu seemed genuinely interested, he continued, “The Marshal usually works and rests here. The command ship is highly mobile, making it convenient for inspections between various stations. It’s also equipped with the best docking and ejection systems, which makes it perfect for officers of all levels to come and report. It’s the most suitable place for official business, so the Marshal rarely leaves. Since taking office, he has almost never been away from it.

“Because he rests here so often, the Marshal set up this lounge and kept some daily necessities here. Although some of the items are quite expensive…”

The guard scratched his head and grinned.

After speaking for so long, he had realized why Nan Mu was asking and couldn’t help but put in a good word for Marshal Wen Shen.

“But these were all bought by the Marshal himself; it didn’t come out of the legion’s public accounts. The Marshal comes from a good background and can afford nice things. It’s only natural to use his own money to improve his quality of life. Besides, it’s necessary. A person needs good rest to work efficiently.”

Nan Mu glanced at him.

What a way to put it. Setting aside whether it was his own money or not… in the military, a lifestyle this extravagant and detached from the lower ranks was already highly problematic. Furthermore, Nan Mu had some knowledge of Wen Shen’s background. He didn’t come from an ancient family with deep roots, nor was he a merchant raking in gold every day. Where did he get so much money?

However, Nan Mu had no intention of making things difficult for a mere guard.

Nodding, he changed the subject. “Will taking this starship to pick me up delay Marshal Wen’s work?”

“The Marshal has a backup command ship.” The guard waved his hands repeatedly. “It’s just not furnished as comfortably, but it’s functional. The Marshal’s main concern was that Your Highness and the others would be exhausted from the journey back to the country, so he wanted you to have a place where you could rest well.”

He was even trying to claim credit for Wen Shen. Nan Mu couldn’t help but chuckle.

The guards Wen Shen trained were certainly loyal.

The only problem was that they didn’t act much like soldiers.

“Marshal Wen is very thoughtful.” Xiao Lu handed a glass of wine to Nan Mu with a smile. “He’s put a lot of heart into this.”

Nan Mu took the glass and took a sip. He immediately recognized it as wine produced on Planet Nangui.

He hadn’t tasted it in many years. The grape varieties had undergone many generations of improvement, and the cultivation environment had long since changed, but Planet Nangui possessed a unique strain of yeast. The wine produced there carried a distinct, prominent rose-like fragrance that was very easy to identify.

Nan Mu looked up and met Xiao Lu’s eyes. Xiao Lu’s eyes crinkled in a smile, confirming Nan Mu’s judgment. He took another sip and sighed softly.

Planet Nangui wasn’t a particularly famous planet, and the wine it produced couldn’t be called prestigious.

In fact, this wine wasn’t even available on the market.

Because Planet Nangui belonged to the Imperial Family. The wine produced there was for the exclusive use of the royals. Its appearance here…

The implications were quite thought-provoking.

Nan Hui swirled the wine in his glass.

Wen Shen himself was actually quite capable, and he was a man without a bottom line, often using unscrupulous means to get things done. He was vain and greedy; his weaknesses and handles were obvious, making him easy to control.

To put it bluntly, he possessed the basic qualities of a loyal dog.

In the eyes of many, this was enough to explain why Wen Shen could take over the First Legion and why his lifestyle could be so lavish.

But Nan Mu knew the truth was far more complicated than that.

Wen Shen’s father, Wen Qingyu, was a man Nan Mu had never been able to see through.

His origins were very obscure; Nan Mu didn’t even know his background. It seemed no one knew.

Yet, he was the former head of the Empire’s Academy of Sciences, presiding over the Planetary Life Science research project.

The Planetary Life Science project covered a vast array of subjects, such as the Desolate Planets, Lu Yuan… and other matters related to them.

This was something that concerned the very lifeblood of the Imperial Family. Being the leader of such a project suggested that Wen Qingyu had a profound relationship with Nan Hui and enjoyed his deep trust. In fact, Nan Mu had always felt that Wen Qingyu’s appointment as the head of the Academy of Sciences was the result of some deal made with Nan Hui.

But twenty years ago, Wen Qingyu had disappeared.

At that time, the Research Institute where Lu Yuan worked was exposed, and the researchers were forced to evacuate urgently by starship. Wen Qingyu was among the group during the evacuation, but by the time the starship landed, he had vanished without a trace.

The surveillance footage inside the starship had been tampered with. The last time Wen Qingyu appeared on camera was when he was walking into the ship. After he stepped inside, not a single camera captured his figure again. There were no signs of a struggle or a fight within the starship, and the fellow researchers hadn’t heard any strange noises.

No one knew if he had left voluntarily or by force; no one could even say for certain when or how he had departed. In short, the man had simply vanished.

From then on, Wen Shen’s position became delicate.

Nan Hui could not confirm Wen Qingyu’s whereabouts. Out of wariness toward Wen Qingyu, he didn’t dare kill Wen Shen, nor did he dare ignore him entirely. His only choice was to keep Wen Shen under his nose, cultivating his abilities while indulging his vices as a means of control. Wen Shen did not disappoint, truly growing into the likeness of a loyal dog.

If not for this, Nan Hui likely wouldn’t have dared to hand the First Legion over to him.

Still, no matter how one looked at it, this didn’t seem like a good move. Nan Mu pondered for a moment before saying to the guard, “I want to go out and take a look.”

“The command center is this way,” the guard said, immediately leading the way.

Nan Mu and Xiao Lu followed behind.

The command center finally looked like the heart of a warship. Monitors on all sides displayed the surrounding environment, and over a dozen soldiers sat there, alert to every minute change.

As the person in charge of this operation, Chen Feiyun sat at the head of the command seat, his expression solemn.

Seeing Nan Mu and the others enter, everyone stood up to salute. Nan Mu shook his head. “Carry on with your work, don’t mind me. I’m just here to observe.”

Indeed, they couldn’t afford to focus on him. Although they had returned to domestic space, they couldn’t afford to relax completely. The crew quickly returned to their tasks, no longer looking at Nan Mu. Only then did a hint of satisfaction appear in Nan Mu’s expression.

Xiao Lu had already walked to Chen Feiyun’s side. Watching him work so intently, her eyes held a touch of nostalgia mixed with a bit of melancholy.

When Nan Mu looked over, she raised her head and met his gaze. Nan Mu couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. It was as if some message had passed between the two, but exactly what it was, only they knew.

–

Three days later.

As the starship carrying Nan Mu entered the Capital Star system, Geshu Ming was also approaching the Sea Eagle Nebula.

She wasn’t exactly traveling light this time, and she had brought quite a few people with her.

After all, she was here to claim her brother. Even if she wasn’t making a grand spectacle of the operation, there was no need to be secretive about it.

“Patriarch, Ying Xun has released the DNA comparison certificate,” a member of the Geshu Family reported to her.

“Mm.” Geshu Ming was actually looking at the matter herself.

This was within her expectations. Even Lu Yuan, far away on the Desolate Planet, could guess the subsequent development of the online debate; as one of the people driving the situation, Geshu Ming naturally understood it even better.

“Has Ying Xun contacted us?” she asked.

“No. The radar hasn’t located their fleet yet,” someone replied.

The environment here was complex, and the Geshu Family members were unfamiliar with the area. The Star Pirates held the home-field advantage, and since evading tracking was their specialty, finding them would take some effort.

Actually, a more suitable method would be to go to the Grey Triangle. That was the hub for information gathering. For a large-scale Star Pirate Syndicate like Sea Eagle, one could certainly buy its specific coordinates in the Grey Triangle. That would make them easy to find.

However, there was no need for that.

“There’s no need to search specifically.” Geshu Ming wasn’t in a hurry and was quite confident. “He will contact us.”

Sure enough, less than half an hour later, a mecha drifted wobblily toward the front of the Geshu Family fleet. After the two sides held a brief negotiation using light signals, the other party was granted access to the Geshu Family’s communication channel.

“Is this Geshu Ming?” The person sent by the Sea Eagle Star Pirates spoke in a very disrespectful tone. “Boss Ying told me to come and pick you up.”

Geshu Ming didn’t care much about his tone. To be precise, she had expected it.

She asked, “Just me alone?”

“At least you’re sensible,” the Star Pirate sneered. “Of course, just you. As for the others… there are too many of them. Our humble place can’t accommodate such a crowd.”

“Prove that you’re from Sea Eagle.” When dealing with Star Pirates, Geshu Ming’s attitude was very direct.

“I have a letter from Boss Ying,” the Star Pirate said immediately. “Send someone out to receive it.”

Information on the StarNet was easily stolen or modified, making it difficult to use as evidence. Furthermore, Geshu Ming had not been in contact with Ying Xun for a long time, so they hadn’t established any specific passcodes. Proving one’s identity was no simple task.

Geshu Ming had originally intended for Ying Xun to come out and receive her personally.

However, Ying Xun had his own methods.

He had the Star Pirates deliver a physical letter.

Paper was fragile and easily destroyed in space, making it difficult to steal. This served as proof that the person holding the letter was indeed commissioned by the sender.

The letter contained only a single sentence.

“In the year 5473, before you left the First Academy, we ran into each other once in the cafeteria, and you asked me if I thought Lu Yuan was a bit strange.”

This was something only Ying Xun and Geshu Ming could have known. It proved that the person who wrote the letter was indeed Ying Xun.

Geshu Ming nodded and turned to the others. “Prepare a Mecha for me. I’m heading over to the Sea Eagle.”

Geshu Jun frowned from the side. “Going by yourself, isn’t that a bit risky?”

“It’s fine,” Geshu Ming said calmly. “Ying Xun is trustworthy.”