Chapter 2

The next morning, Wen Ling asked Huai Liang to go to the emperor's palace to deliver a letter requesting an audience.

He woke up early, washed up, and pulled out a crescent-white suit he'd custom-made a few years ago from his wardrobe. It was a formal yet understated outfit. Since he was good-looking and a clothes hanger-on, anything he wore was eye-catching, so he didn't bother with dressing up. The suit was lined with a temperature-regulating fabric that felt slightly cool and molded to his body.

Wen Ling had an older brother who died of illness before he was three. His birth was a great comfort to his parents. When he was fourteen, his parents passed away from the same rare genetic disease as his brother. His uncle, Wen Xunyi, ascended the throne and treated him like his own son, providing him with the best food, clothing, and daily necessities. He lived in a large and magnificent palace within the imperial court, and was always attended to by numerous servants, though he wasn't used to them and had most of them assigned to other tasks. The service robots in his palace still operate at a minimal level.

In his heart, he sometimes still considered himself just an ordinary person. Although he was born with endless wealth and privilege, he lost the warmth of a true family early on. His uncle was a man who liked to keep beauties in the palace, and he had many children, but most of his cousins ​​were young and had little affection for him. He had asked to go to study abroad, hoping to contribute to this declining country.

Huailiang sent a message: "Your Highness, His Majesty is very happy to know that you are back. He asked you to pack up and have breakfast together." The communicator on his wrist flashed a faint blue light.

Wen Ling nodded and stood up to straighten his clothes. He'd been dressing like an ordinary person for so long that he wasn't used to this silk dress with its intricate buttons. Huai Liang had to help him adjust the waist and hem from behind. His years away from home had only made him look a bit haggard, and from not getting enough rest last night, a hint of gloom crossed his brows, his eyes reflecting the lingering neon light of the holographic advertisement outside the window.

Huailiang looked at him and praised him, "Your Highness is so handsome. If he were to walk down the street, I wonder how many girls would chase after him."

Wen Ling couldn't help but laugh and said, "Don't tease me, I don't have any such thoughts. The current national situation is critical, and it's important to find a way to stabilize the situation. I'll be leaving first."

He walked towards the Emperor's palace. Wen Xunyi had already ordered his men to meet him at the gate. The guards, one after another, were alerting him, their exoskeletons emitting a gentle mechanical hum. As soon as they met, he tightly grasped Wen Ling's hand, "Good boy, let your uncle see how you've become so haggard these days."

The palace was magnificent, and a holographically projected royal emblem slowly rotated in the air. The emperor was dressed in a scarlet-gold robe, and a scepter symbolizing imperial power was placed beside his chair, sparkling under the glass lamp. Data streams flowed in the crystal inlaid on the top of the scepter.

Wen Ling smiled and said, "Yesterday, when I heard that my uncle wanted to see me, I rushed here without delay."

"Alas, you and I are family. I only give you instructions, not orders. There's no need to worry about formalities," the emperor said, examining him carefully. "I see you've become thinner. The clothes I made you a few years ago no longer fit you. I'll have someone make you some suitable formal wear in the next couple of days."

Wen Ling didn't reject his kindness and just said, "Uncle knows me well. I don't care much about food and clothing."

The emperor sighed, "I wanted to send a few people to follow and take care of you, but you didn't want to. Now you know the hardships of ordinary people, so come back and let others serve you."

Wen Ling asked, "I wonder if my uncle called me back because he has something important to entrust to me?"

The emperor was silent for a moment, then gestured to his subordinates. The attendants around him retreated silently to a further distance, their invisible communicators flickering faintly. Then he led him into the palace. "You must be hungry. We've just met this early in the morning. Let's talk about this while we eat."

Twenty or thirty dishes were laid out on the long, large table. Aside from the servants waiting for their orders, the only two present were the emperor, seated at the head, and Wen Ling, seated at his side. Wen Ling hadn't seen such a scene in a long time, and he found the scene exactly the same as when he'd left five or six years earlier. It was only the situation that had shifted so drastically, leading to the situation for which he now urgently sought a solution. A faint ripple of an anti-eavesdropping force field hovered above the table.

Wen Xunyi seemed oblivious to Wen Ling's anxiety. As they chatted, he casually mentioned, "I vaguely remember your grandfather and Qu Beichen once participated in the Interstellar Alliance's exploration project, the 'Ark Expedition.' So, they were quite the comrades."

Qu Beichen is the leader of the alliance today. The alien galaxy exploration plan mentioned by Wen Xunyi was more than 40 years ago. In the following decades, Sai Mingxing fell into internal strife and disputes. The alliance has expanded and conquered various countries, and now it is right in front of Sailiang Kingdom.

Wen Ling pondered and said, "It seems like I heard my mother talk about these past events in the past, but these years have passed, and the person is gone. I don't know how much use this friendship can still have."

Wen Xunyi sighed. This was the first time Wen Ling saw worry on his face since he entered the room. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes looked particularly deep in the soft bionic light in the hall.

"Uncle, have you thought of a plan to deal with this?"

Wen Xunyi asked back: "Child, do you have any ideas?"

Wen Ling had already made up his mind, so he remained silent for a long time before saying, "In this situation, the other party is strong and I am weak. Uncle, I really don't have any other options."

Wen Xunyi rubbed the blue topaz ring on his thumb. Tiny dots of light moved slowly inside the ring. "Recently, Tiannan sent a piece of 'Zero Element' as tribute. You know, this is the core material for making cosmic jump engines. I'm sure Qu Beichen will be very interested in it."

After saying this, he clapped his hands, and a waiter came forward, carrying a piece of mineral material enclosed in a glass sterile chamber. The thumb-sized piece of material emitted a faint gray luster, and the surrounding space seemed to be slightly distorted by its presence.

Wen Ling subconsciously clenched his fists and gritted his teeth as he said, "Uncle, you know the importance of this thing, but you should also know that we Sailiang have been searching for it for so long in order to develop our own warp equipment and rebuild our home on a new planet."

Wen Xunyi looked helpless: "I understand this, but there is no other way at this moment. If war breaks out, lives will be lost, and the cost will be more than just a piece of stone can compensate for it."

Wen Ling said, "But simply giving in won't satisfy the Federation's appetite. We must always take our own actions. Uncle, a few years ago we looked through the ancient star map together. In fact, we can completely—"

"You're too naive, Wen Ling," Wen Xunyi interrupted him, his voice cold. The guard robot behind him seemed to sense the change in atmosphere, its optical sensor flickering slightly. "You want to search for a new planet to live on. Hasn't the Federation ever thought about that? How can the relocation of so many people, the reconstruction of industry and the economy be accomplished immediately? It's better to leave it to others. We still have a chance of catching up."

The atmosphere was tense. Wen Ling remained silent for a long time before he said, "... Was this Minister Miao's idea?"

Wen Xunyi answered irrelevantly: "I need you to go to the Federation on behalf of our Sailiang Nation. This thing is hard to come by, and you have some connection with Qu Beichen, which shows your sincerity... As for Miao Weizhen, he will go with you this time to ensure your safety."

Wen Ling understood, knowing that he had made up his mind and could not change it, so she just said, "I understand."

Wen Xunyi took his left hand. The young man's fingers were slender and white, with pale blue blood vessels surging with vitality, and his fingertips were translucent with a light pink. He stroked it, which made Wen Ling get goose bumps all over his body, but he stood stiffly and dared not move.

The emperor took off his thumb ring and placed it on Wen Ling's hand. The royal crest could be faintly seen in the center of the shimmering blue topaz. He fiddled with it for a moment, finding it beautiful. Suddenly, he paused and touched Wen Ling's index finger and thumb. "Why are there calluses on your hands? Did you work with the commoners back in Luofeng?"

Wen Ling replied: "...That's not the case. I just took violin lessons at school as a hobby. Uncle, you know, I don't understand my major, so I had to learn something else instead of focusing on my main job."

"With me here, there's no need for you to worry about all this," Wen Xunyi said with a smile. The holographic screen behind him was silently playing images of the Federation Fleet's exercises. "This blue topaz ring is specially provided for the royal family. It looks good on you, so I'll give it to you. Now that you're back, don't leave. If you can't learn your major, that's fine. I'll give the order and have someone give you your degree certificate."

Wen Ling smiled faintly, "Uncle is good to me, I know that in my heart. It's just that when that Minister Miao came to power, I had already left the capital. I heard that he has been very important to you in recent years and has helped you solve many problems. This time, if I have the chance, I will definitely go and pay him a visit."

Wen Xunyi nodded. "That's great. He's a man who gets things done quickly and efficiently. I feel reassured having him go with you. If you have any needs, feel free to ask him. Speaking of which, it's thanks to his active mediation over the years that we haven't ended up like other countries."

Wen Ling sneered in his heart and only agreed verbally: "Yes." He played with the new ring and felt the faint energy fluctuations in it, as if he had touched the last pulse of this crumbling empire.