Chapter 83: The Eighty-Third Day of Being a Salted Fish

Lu Yuan saw the message sent by Ying Xun and the news of Nan Mu’s return to the country almost at the same time.

These were the two hottest topics of the day, both floating high at the top of the trending lists. It would have been difficult not to see them simultaneously.

Although both pieces of news were entirely expected and held no surprises, Lu Yuan still clicked in to take a look.

After half a day, Ying Xun’s post had already ignited a massive wave of discussion.

The comments could generally be divided into two camps.

One group was arguing, and the other group was also arguing – though the focus of their disputes differed.

The first group’s argument centered on whether a member of the Geshu Family could actually be kidnapped by pirates.

One side believed that Ying Xun’s phrasing was filled with sarcasm and smugness. His claim about “hanging out for a while” was surely a lie. It was highly likely the person had been kidnapped by Ying Xun and forced to stay in the pirates’ nest. Ying Xun’s post was nothing less than a provocation and an act of extortion.

In response to this view, the opposing side argued that such a thing was impossible. After all, this was the Geshu Family. A member of the Geshu Family kidnapped by pirates? What a joke. Where would pirates get that kind of courage, let alone that kind of strength?

They believed that Ying Xun’s words should be taken literally. He had a good relationship with Geshu Ming, so a child from the Geshu Family had gone to the Star Pirate Syndicate to play, and now Ying Xun wanted Geshu Ming to come and pick him up.

The “Kidnapping Faction” obviously didn’t buy this. If the two parties were on good terms, a private message would have sufficed. Why shout it across the StarNet?

The “Friendly Faction” countered that this might be a coordinated move between Ying Xun and Geshu Ming to tell the world that the Sea Eagle Pirates had the backing of the Geshu Family.

The Kidnapping Faction argued that the Geshu Family would never ally with pirates, while the Friendly Faction retorted that if a pirate could become a Colonel, anything was possible…

In short, the two sides were arguing quite heatedly.

The second major dispute focused on the identity of the person in the photo – was he truly a member of the Geshu Family?

The Geshu Family had many members, but the number of Awakeners with Mental Power was limited, and almost all of them had appeared before the public of the Empire.

Geshu Qing’s purple eyes indicated that he was an Awakener.

Naturally, people were curious about who exactly he was.

However, no one imagined that he could be Geshu Ming’s unknown younger brother – a brother even Geshu Ming herself didn’t know existed.

Everyone knew that Geshu Ming had no biological siblings. But within the same clan, members of the same generation referred to each other as brothers and sisters, so the public assumed he was a child from a collateral branch of the Geshu Family.

Consequently, some busybodies dug up photos of every Awakener of that age group within the Geshu Family for a side-by-side comparison, only to find that not a single one matched.

This was strange.

Could Ying Xun have found a fake? Or had Ying Xun been conned?

But some people stood firmly by Ying Xun, believing that a pirate leader wouldn’t engage in such cheap grandstanding, nor would he be easily deceived. Since he had posted the message, it had to be true. They insisted the problem lay with the public’s comparison methods, or perhaps the Geshu Family had an Awakener who had never appeared in public.

The Skeptics were amazed by the Supporters’ idolization of a pirate leader, while the Supporters were furious that the other side looked down on their idol. The Supporters claimed the Skeptics’ failure to find a match was due to limited ability; the Skeptics, having their research skills questioned, were left indignant.

This debate was also quite lively.

Lu Yuan watched the spectacle for a while, finding it quite entertaining.

As for the content of their arguments, Lu Yuan naturally knew the truth.

Geshu Qing was indeed a member of the Geshu Family, but the Geshu Family indeed had no record of such a person. Geshu Qing had not been kidnapped, but Ying Xun was indeed committing extortion.

Every faction had points that were correct and points that were wrong. This was likely why they could argue so passionately.

Geshu Ming had yet to give a response. However, Lu Yuan could already imagine the subsequent developments:

In another half-day or so, Ying Xun would likely release the genetic comparison results to further and more overtly provoke Geshu Ming.

The landscape of the online debate would shift because of this evidence, giving the Kidnapping Faction and the Supporters a temporary advantage. But a new trend would quickly emerge – everyone knew Geshu Ming had no brother! Where did this person come from?

But soon after, Geshu Ming would likely step onto the stage. She would declare that no such person existed in the Geshu Family, that she hadn’t known she had a biological brother, and express suspicion that someone had stolen the Geshu Family’s genes for illicit experiments. She would vow to investigate to the very end.

• This was the response that would inflict the least damage on the Geshu Family’s reputation.

Whether people believed a member of the Geshu Family could be kidnapped by Star Pirates, or suspected the family was colluding with them, neither scenario boded well for their prestige.

However, stealing another family’s genes for human experimentation was clearly a deliberate act of malice by some outside party. Public scrutiny would focus more heavily on the illegal experiments themselves.

If they could follow the trail and wipe out that rogue research institution, the Geshu Family might even gain a boost in public approval.

The only pity was…

Geshu Qing originated from a Desolate Planet; that research institution was entirely a fabrication. Geshu Ming would likely never find it.

However.

Goudan had told Lu Yuan yesterday that the genetic test results confirmed Geshu Qing and Geshu Ming were full siblings, sharing both the same father and mother.

This situation had also caught Lu Yuan by surprise… It was actually possible that Geshu Qing really did come from some black-market laboratory after all.

After enjoying the drama for a while, Lu Yuan exited the feed with satisfaction and turned his attention to the news of Nan Mu’s return to the country.

Clicking into the hashtag, an official news report from the Galactic Daily popped up. The content was roughly about Nan Mu’s return and the soldiers of the First Legion going out to welcome him. Below was an attached photo: a group shot of Nan Mu, Xiao Lu, and the welcoming party.

He scrolled through the comments, but they weren’t very interesting. Compared to the chaos of the other comment section, this one was far too harmonious, making it feel a bit dull.

Lu Yuan gave a small “tch” and scrolled back to the photo, taking another look.

For some reason, Nan Mu looked a bit familiar.

It wasn’t the kind of familiarity that came from seeing his photos many times before, but rather…

It felt as if he had seen this person very recently.

Even Lu Yuan found the feeling inexplicable.

After all, he had almost never met Nan Mu in person, and having spent over a year on a Desolate Planet, there was absolutely no way he could have had the chance to see him.

It was very strange.

Unable to figure it out after much thought, Lu Yuan shook his head and set the matter aside for the time being.

…Thinking too much wouldn’t yield any results anyway, and besides, the matters involving the Geshu Family were more important. At the very least, they were somewhat related to him.

After all, he was the one who had sent Geshu Qing out.

–

At that moment, Geshu Ming was at the Capital Star’s port, preparing to set sail.

She hadn’t responded at all to the storm raging on StarNet, but she would never ignore the matter of Geshu Qing.

In fact, she was a woman of great initiative. When faced with a problem, she always chose the most effective solution.

• In this regard, she was very much like Lu Yuan.

For instance, she could have simply arranged for other members of the Geshu Family to go find Ying Xun. The Geshu Family’s Communication abilities ensured that even if she didn’t go personally, she could speak directly with Ying Xun.

Yet, she still chose to make the trip to the Sea Eagle Nebula herself.

On one hand, it was because the Geshu Family’s Communication abilities were not public knowledge, and she didn’t want this power exposed for the time being.

But more importantly, some matters required her personal presence to carry enough weight, and some judgments could only be made face-to-face.

Furthermore, she had long wanted to meet Ying Xun again. She had simply lacked a reason and couldn’t easily leave the Capital Star for a den of Star Pirates – it would have been too easy for others to use against her.

Now that Ying Xun had provided her with a convenient excuse, she naturally had to go in person to bring her “younger brother” back.

…She still didn’t know what kind of person her brother was.

Geshu Ming was also looking forward to this meeting.

–

Nan Mu was resting on the starship sent by the First Legion. He had already slept and had just woken up.

After the exhaustion of the journey, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

During intergalactic travel, factors like weight, capacity, and energy had to be considered, so the starships they used were much more compact. In contrast, starships used for domestic travel, even military ones, were far more comfortable.

Especially the one he was currently on; it didn’t seem like a true warship.

The lounge featured a soft, comfortable bed with a sofa opposite it. Beside the sofa was a bar equipped with a coffee machine and a wine rack, with various exquisite pastries laid out to one side.

In front of the sofa stood a vintage-style tea table made of extraordinary wood. The material was black with gold flecks; the black base was deep and serene like the night sky, while the gold flecks were as brilliant and mysterious as the stars… This appeared to be the highest grade of “Ink-Gold Wood¹” from Planet Ross.

The teacups looked ordinary, made of ceramic with a beautiful dark purple hue. But Nan Mu was well-traveled and recognized them at a glance as Dream-Return Porcelain² from the distant Kingdom of Mensilan.

Before sleeping, Nan Mu had been too physically and mentally exhausted to notice these details. Now that he was awake, he began to see the clues.

After taking a turn around the lounge, Nan Mu’s gaze grew increasingly amused. When his eyes met Xiao Lu’s, they both shared a look of helpless laughter.

While having comfortable accommodations was certainly a plus, it was hard to believe the military could actually produce a Starship like this.

He rang the bell, and the guard at the door immediately knocked and entered, asking if they needed anything.

In terms of looking after people, they were certainly well-trained.

Nan Mu shook his head with a smile and asked curiously, “Who designed the decor here? It’s quite sophisticated.”

Translator’s Notes