《Era of Light》


 CH 1

    The wind was cold and it was snowing heavily.


    The holographic projection signboard outside the bar sensed an approach of a person and lit up a circle of colored lights. Unfortunately, the signboard was aging and the response was a little delayed. When the word ¡°Welcome¡± lit up and floated in the air, the visitor had already passed through this holographic projection as high as a person and rushed into the bar.


    The lights in the bar were dim.


    This asteroid, XueLi Star was far away from the central star and extremely cold all year round. After remodeling, this area that could barely support human survival also had long days and short nights.


    Since the nights were so short that there was no enough sleep. Therefore, covering the windows and dimming the lights were the only way to pretend there was a nightlife. This bar also did like that.


    In the bar, there were more than half of the people wearing military uniforms and the other guests had already seen it.


    There was a royal army stationed in the snow-capped mountains not far away¡ª it seemed to be a newly-established army. The local residents didn¡¯t know their numbers and code names. Also, they didn¡¯t care too much about it . As those soldiers were training deep in the snow-capped mountains everyday, they didn¡¯t usually see each other. Only on holidays of each month, men and women drinking in the bar at the foot of the mountain would see some officers and soldiers who spent their holidays to relax and have fun.


    ¡± Breaking news, breaking news!¡±


    The man who rushed into the bar just now shouted loudly. He took off his antifreeze suit and shook it vigorously, shaking off all the snowflakes and ice crystals to the ground.


    Then, a flat and small cleaning machine stumbling and sliding over stretched out its tool hand and started to deal with snow water on the ground. Because of the man¡¯s shout£¬the noisy voice in the bar was silent for a moment and then became more lively.


    ¡± Haha LaoYang, you just woke up from a hangover, right?¡±


    ¡± We all have already known!¡±


    ¡± You may be the last person who has seen the news of XueLi Star, hahaha.¡±


    ¡± Yang, yesterday, I told you to drink less, but you didn¡¯t listen to my advice¡­¡±


    The middle-aged man named Yang was not annoyed when he was laughed at by everyone. He squeezed into the middle of his acquainted drinking buddies, waved to the waiter for a drink, and said with a smile, ¡± You guys are so mean. You didn¡¯t even send a text message and wake me up for such a big event!¡±


    ¡± Wake you up for what?¡±


    ¡± I¡¯m going to get ready early, buy some honorable clothes, go clean shave my beard off and then get a haircut!¡±


    The people next to him laughed even harder. A man laughed loudly and said, ¡± It is as if the prince came to see you on purpose. Are you a royal relative?¡±


    LaoYang retorted loudly, ¡± Why didn¡¯t the prince come to see me on purpose? He came to visit the residents of XueLi Star. Am I not a resident of XueLi Star?¡±


    Everyone laughed at his thick skin and above their heads, a three-dimensional bust newscaster formed by holographic projection was still tirelessly popularizing the life of the current crown prince.


    He was the firstborn son of the emperor and His royal Highness, the former empress named ¡°Xiu¡± of the empire.


    In this era where the average life expectancy had already exceeded a hundred years and some people with advanced genes could live to around one hundred and fifty years old, twenty-eight-year old age was really very young. However, the crown prince had already been very prestigious at such a young age.


    Although he did not show any special genetic ability, he had excellent academic performance, extraordinary temperament and demeanor, gentleness and politeness. He was enthusiastic about charity and public welfare , also never engaged in any bad habits. Since childhood, His Royal Highness, the eldest son of the emperor, had always been an excellent role model for the children of the royal family, and he was an extremely qualified heir.


    Two years ago, as the crown prince, he came to the battlefield to supervise the battle, and completely wiped out the rebel army that had plagued the empire for decades, which pushed his reputation to the peak.


    The Glory of the Empire!


    Everyone praised their flawless Crown Prince so highly.


    Even an idle drunkard like Lao Yang felt proud due to Prince Xiu¡¯s upcoming visit to XueLi Star. It was shown that how deeply His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.


    ¡± The Prince¡¯s visit here is probably related to us. It has nothing to do with a drunkard like him!¡±


    In a corner of the bar, a soldier wearing military uniform sneered in a low voice.


    ¡± That¡¯s right. ¡°


    The comrade sitting next to him agreed.


    Another soldier frowned and said, ¡°The crown prince came so suddenly, we didn¡¯t receive any notice in advance.¡±


    ¡°The notice is to inform the officers, of course we won¡¯t receive it¡­ Hey, Fred! Didn¡¯t you just get promoted to second lieutenant? Do you have any inside information?¡±


    The young man named ¡°Fred¡± sat in the middle surrounded by several soldiers.


    For the rank of lieutenant, he looked too young ¨C he seemed to be in his early twenties, an age when most people hadn¡¯t graduated from school.


    Among the young soldiers who got together to drink, he had the highest military rank, but he didn¡¯t have any pretensions, and everyone had no objection to him. Having performed missions on XueLi Star together for two years, Fred¡¯s combat ability was obvious to all.


    After being called by name, he said, ¡°I really found out yesterday¡ªMiss, please help me refill a glass of Fire Kiss, thank you. ¡°


    The passing waitress was busy and wanted to say ¡± wait a moment¡±. However, when she turned her head and saw the young man¡¯s face clearly, she immediately withdrew her thought.


    The young officer was sitting in the darkest corner. The dim lights of the bar did not damage his handsomeness at all, but added a little unrestrained elegance to his deep facial features. His brilliant short blond hair, which shone even in such a place, made an immediate impression.


    At this moment, he was lazily leaning on the soft sofa cushions in the bar, the collar buttons of his military uniform were undone, revealing the strong muscles under his clothes.


    ¡°Hey Hello. ¡± She poured the wine, brushed her long curly hair, and smiled charmingly, ¡°Is this your first time visiting our bar?¡±


    Fred asked with a smile, ¡°Miss, how do you know it¡¯s my first time here?¡±


    ¡± If a handsome Mr.soldier like you had been here, it¡¯d be impossible for me to forget.¡±


    The waitress threw a wink and boldly asked in public, ¡± Are you free tonight?¡±


    Folk custom of XueLi Star was open and warm, just like the best-selling wine, Fire Kiss on this icy planet.


    The soldiers around him were booing and laughing, but Fred who was far from being shy like most boys of his age, responded with a hat removal salute- even though he wasn¡¯t wearing a hat.


    ¡°Thank you for your invitation, beautiful lady. I¡¯d love to say ¡®I¡¯m free¡¯ so much, but today¡¯s just a bad day¡ª¡ªMy baby¡¯s spaceship is coming to port soon, and I have to pick him up.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Do you have partner? ¡± The waitress said with a slight disappointment and shrugged,


    ¡± Then Forget it, I¡¯m not interested in those who have a master. ¡°


    The beautiful waitress left, but the soldiers sitting around became lively.


    ¡± Fred! You kid has a girlfriend?¡±


    ¡± Just like that.¡± Fred admitted generously.


    ¡± Not bad, Fred! Career and love are very honorable.¡±


    While several people were joking about Fred¡¯s love affair, they suddenly heard a vague curse from another table.


    ¡± Both of them were born to the former empress. The crown prince is the glory of our empire, but the third prince doesn¡¯t treat ordinary people as human beings. Such a jerk!¡±


    ¡± Lower your voice if you don¡¯t want to die!¡± The companion at the same table said quickly, glancing in panic at the corner occupied by the royal garrisons.


    So the voice at that table went quiet, and a soldier whispered, ¡°Foolish people. How could the incident two years ago be as simple as they thought?¡±


    Two years ago, the rebel army was completely wiped out, and it was not honorable to win that battle. Only speaking of the royal family, two princes came to the battlefield personally. At the end of the war, one made meritorious achievements, while the other was exiled.


    The meritorious person was the crown prince who supervised the whole battle, and the one who was seized the title and exiled was the third prince, Alfred who parachuted into the battlefield. Being not only the youngest prince but also the younger brother of his Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Alfred made a ¡°wrong command¡±. He ordered the use of destructive anti-star weapons at the very last moment of the stalemate with the rebels, thereby directly destroying the asteroid, along with the rebels and civilians on the planet.


    This time, the rebels were annihilated, but the turbulent public opinion almost flooded the Holy Golden Palace. Like that, the little prince who was only nineteen years old at that time was taken away from the title of Prince and exiled to the border to consider his own mistakes. However, it was like that the people¡¯s anger was barely calmed.


    It¡¯s not to blame those who mentioned the third prince in such a civilian bar.


    The reason why civilians are civilians was that most of them did not have superior genetic abilities. They were just ordinary people. The development of interstellar society had long passed the stage of expanding territories and maintaining civilization for those who needed special genetic abilities. Now such an era of worry-free survival had gradually advocated equality of birth.


    In an era like this, how could the third prince who ignored the lives of civilians in pursuit of war results not incur the condemnation of the people.


    ¡°What happened two years ago has nothing to do with us.¡± Another more steady soldier said, ¡°We have just to finish the current task in XueLi Star.¡±


    ¡± Difficult to say. ¡± Fred shook his glass and said, making the blood-red Fire Kiss ripple in the glass


    ¡°The prince is already on his way ¡­ it¡¯s time for our mission to end. ¡°


    When he said this, the expressions of other soldiers became subtle and someone said, ¡°If the crown prince really came for this matter, someone would naturally respond it. Don¡¯t you say the Third Prince¡¯s penal colony is near XueLi Star?¡±


    Fred asked with interest: ¡°Who said that?¡±


    ¡°I guess,¡± the soldier shrugged. ¡°The communication base station here is so poor, but every time the message processing of our side is very fast. It means that the person who issued the command is not far away. At least it is impossible to be on another cantilever, right?¡±


    Another person said, ¡°The third prince has been sick for the past two years, probably because he did not use to the extreme climate of the border. After all, he is the youngest prince, who grew up , being pampered in the Holy Golden Palace. How could he not fall ill in this kind of place? ¡°


    Fred nodded in agreement: ¡°It makes sense.¡±


    When he pressed his wrist, a series of vein-like blue letters appeared on his strong wrist. That was local time.


    ¡°It¡¯s not early, I have to go.¡± Fred waved goodbye to those young soldiers and said, ¡°It¡¯s very nice to drink with everyone, and I¡¯ll make an appointment next time.¡±


    Outside the bar, there was already a Ski-Doo with all blackened windows waiting on the side of the road, and Fred went straight to it. Then, the ordinary and low-key Ski-Doo started immediately and drove away from the bar smoothly.


    In the car, in addition to the driver, there was a slightly thin young man.


    ¡°The glory of the empire ¡­¡± Fred chuckled ironically, leaning on the back of the chair, and ordered, ¡°Go to Starship Port.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± replied the young man respectfully, ¡± Your Highness.¡±

 CH 2

    In the silent deep space, a small spaceship was moving forward silently.


    The waiter pushed the dining cart out of the starship¡¯s preparation room, passed through the gallery covered with white and expensive stone bricks, the tall and carefully crafted decorative columns, and a small holographic natural landscape.Then he stopped in front of a luxurious gold-encrusted gate.


    ¡°His Royal Highness.¡± He gently knocked on the door twice and raised his voice, ¡°Your dinner has arrived, may I come in?¡±


    The door was suddenly opened from the inside, and a young man in military uniform stood inside the door.


    The waiter was slightly taken aback. He only knew that this noble son who was dawdling in his father¡¯s army was accompanying the Crown Prince during this trip, but he didn¡¯t expect that this person would appear in the prince¡¯s study room. It took two seconds before he bowed and saluted, ¡°Major Austin.¡±


    Behind Austin was a spacious study room, and the current Crown Prince Xiu was sitting behind the elegant desk.


    ¡°Come on,¡± Xiu said.


    His voice was persistent, and his handsome face was calm.


    The images of noble children would not be exposed easily, so only a few commoners had seen the prince¡¯s appearance, and knew how impressive the prince was.


    He was neither as muscular as His Majesty today, nor as alluring as the former Empress, but as peaceful and gentle as jade.


    From a well-behaved young man before to a prominent young man now, he never made any mistakes, and was always calm and decent. It seemed that he was born to be the Imperial prince¡ªand also he was indeed born to be the heir of the empire.


    Austin turned sideways and asked the waiter to push the dining cart in. Without stopping his mouth, he continued the previous topic and said indifferently: ¡°His Royal Highness, I have visited XuelLi Star several times in the past two years, but I really haven¡¯t seen Your Highness¡¯s face.¡±


    The waiter was startled and didn¡¯t dare to listen, so he left at a faster pace.


    After the door was closed, Xiu said calmly, ¡°Your subordinates even approve to the fact that the person who gave them instructions is Your Highness. What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Austin was surprised: ¡°My subordinates? Are you talking about the housekeeper and servants in my family? How is that possible, they have served our Stone family for generations!¡±


    ¡°I mean that troop stationed in XueLi Star. ¡°Xiu said.


    ¡°Oh! They.¡± Austin suddenly realized, ¡°That¡¯s nominal below my name. How could I be promoted to a lieutenant if I don¡¯t have any soldiers? I don¡¯t understand the twists and turns in these troops.You should ask my father.¡±


    He was not ashamed of relying on his father¡¯s Marshal Stone¡¯s nepotism to rise all the way. Instead, he talked about this matter without holding back.


    Xiu said: ¡°Since you don¡¯t care about these soldiers, why did you go to XueLi Star several times during the two years of being stationed in XueLi?¡±


    ¡°Surface work is still to be done.¡± Austin said with a smile, ¡± I know many people reprimand me secretly for relying on connections to rise to upper position-you see, Your Highness, at least I will inspect the army of expatriate training sent by my name. It¡¯s much better than the high priest who just acts as a mascot and does nothing. ¡°


    The Stone family was a family of hereditary dukes and had always produced military generals. The current Duke of Stone was the Supreme Marshal, but his eldest son Austin was an ignorant dude.


    Many people discreetly said that the Stone family, which had been glorious since the founding of the country, may be conquered by the next Duke of Stone.


    Xiu was noncommittal, didn¡¯t ask any more questions, and didn¡¯t reprimand him for being disrespectful to the high priest, but suddenly changed his tone and said, ¡°Your Highness has a lover, do you know?¡±


    Austin¡¯s mischievous expression froze for a moment, but it was only for a moment.


    ¡°Your Highness has already fallen in love?¡± He laughed twice, and said with an ambiguous expression, ¡°Yes, he is twenty-one, an adult, and he has reached this age. back then, when I was only eighteen years old, It¡¯s already¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s already a peachy scandals with entertainment stars.¡± Xiu interrupted him, ¡°Your Highness had to use a fake identity to complete his unfinished studies at the Xueli Star Branch of the Royal Academy, and spend the rest of the time behind closed doors thinking about his mistakes, instead of having a good time in a civilian bar, flirting with a waiter, and talking to the people about his new girlfriend. ¡°


    Xiu¡¯s tone was not intense, but Austin could feel that the prince was in a bad mood.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay for an adult to go to a bar, besides¡­ what does this have to do with me.¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°You have been here four times in the past two years. Finding fun in bars, peachy gossip, these are all your strengths-did you teach him?¡±


    Austin immediately shouted: ¡± You are wronged, Your Highness, I have never seen him! When I first came to XueLi Star, I went to school to look for him, but I was told that he had been sick all the time and didn¡¯t even go to school. I didn¡¯t see his face at all! ¡°


    Xiu¡¯s dark eyes calmly stared at him, as if evaluating his credibility.


    Austin looked back at the prince sincerely.


    If there is anything wrong with this perfect crown prince, it is just that he failed to inherit the superior genetic ability of the royal family, that is, he is an ordinary person.


    This is not a problem for the commoners who are almost composed of ordinary people, and even because of this, the common people are closer and closer to the prince and love him.


    But in the aristocratic circle, it is still inevitable to be despised.


    The genetic symbol of the royal family is golden pupils, which the crown prince does not have. But Austin still felt the pressure under the gaze of these ordinary eyes, and his hands behind his back slowly clenched into fists.


    Finally, Xiu said, ¡°Then fine if not. It¡¯s about to land, there you go.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± Austin bowed to his chest, saluted and left.


    Fred had dinner at a restaurant in Starship Port. while he was idly scrolling through the news on the Internet, a tall woman came to his seat and asked softly, ¡± Mr. Fred? ¡°


    Fred looked up at the person¡ª the young girl looked very beautiful under the heavy makeup.


    ¡°Mei?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes,It¡¯s me, Mr. Fred,¡± said Mei in a sweet voice. She was about to sit opposite Fred, but after thinking about it, she changed her mind and sat directly beside Fred.


    Fred let her sit down, but he seemed to lack interest, still staring at the news on the phone and said, ¡°You can order by yourself. I will compensate the expenses.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Mei said softly, ¡°You can call me Xiao Mei, that¡¯s my nickname.¡±


    Fred finally took his eyes off the phone. He looked at Xiao Mei¡¯s exquisite makeup for a few seconds, and couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Why are you talking like that?¡±


    Xiao Mei¡¯s eyes widened, and she said with an aggrieved face, ¡°Don¡¯t you like it? I did everything as you asked.¡±


    ¡°Your voice sounds like a minor to me.¡± Fred said mercilessly, ¡°change to a more mature emphasis.¡±


    ¡°I can,¡± Xiaom Mei still said in a sweet voice, ¡°but you need to pay more.¡±


    Fred paused: ¡°Wait, why do I need to pay more money?¡±


    ¡°Because you temporarily changed the character design.¡± Xiao Mei said, ¡°I have been thinking about this character design for a long time and put a lot of effort into it. Now that you are temporarily changing the requirements, I will spend a lot of effort to adjust it, and it will cost more money.¡±


    ¡°¡­All right.¡± Fred said indifferently, ¡°You can change it, and I¡¯ll add money.¡±


    Then Xiao Mei immediately changed the tone of a mature girl and said, ¡°No problem, Sir.¡±


    Fred glanced at her, ¡°Why do I feel that you didn¡¯t put in a lot of effort?¡±


    ¡°No no, thanks to my solid basic skills. Although Changing the voice looks effortless, it requires a lot of adjustments.¡± Xiao Mei said with a smile, ¡°Do you want me to hold you for dinner?¡±


    Fred didn¡¯t bother with her on the previous topic and went over the news again.


    ¡°Not yet, eat yourself, and I will tell you when the right person arrives.¡±


    Xiao Mei naturally knew that it was impossible that this person would come to Starship Port to pick her up on purpose, so she quietly ordered a meal for herself, silently waiting for the person Fred wanted to pick up to appear.


    After about half an hour, the flow of people outside gradually dwindled.


    Fred put away the phone, and got up, ¡°Let¡¯s go¡­my dear.¡±


    Xiao Mei obediently grabbed his arms and walked out with him intimately. Xiao Mei was originally very tall, but when she snuggled up to the tall Fred, she looked small.


    Fred seemed to be wandering around Starship Port aimlessly with the beauties until they bumped into a group of people at the exit of the obscure VIP path.


    Xiu¡¯s visit to Xueli Star this time did not make much publicity, and even the local area received the news temporarily only when he was about to arrive. The staff he brought was very streamlined. Except for Austin, who happened to come to inspect the army and took the initiative to accompany him, he brought only an essential set of personnel on the starship.


    But someone blocked him when he left the port.


    Fred discreetly held Xiao Mei, who was wearing heavy make-up, and passed by Xiu and his group.


    Xiu closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and said, ¡°Stop.¡±


    The howl of the starship¡¯s take-off can be heard from afar. Austin and the few staff present did not dare to come out, as if they were not here.


    In this icy atmosphere, Fred continued to walk with a swagger as though he didn¡¯t hear the word ¡°stop¡±.


    ¡°Alfred!¡±


    Fred stopped and turned to face Xiu.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you?¡± He asked with a smile on his lips.


    Xiu said in a deep voice, ¡°Is this your attitude when you see your elder brother?¡±


    Fred took out an ID card from his pocket, and shook it cynically: ¡°Sir, my name is Fred. You are talking nonsense¡­¡±


    His tone became gloomy, ¡°¡­don¡¯t mess around, little brother.¡±-

 CH 3

    He said that he had received an identity and stormed out, holding his ¡°girlfriend¡±.


    Xiu stood in his place, looking as usual. There was nothing that seemed to have been touched. However, he didn¡¯t speak, and no one dared to break the silence.


    After an unbearable silence for a while, Xiu said, ¡°Major Austin, suit yourself.¡±


    Austin immediately saluted and left.


    ¡°Go and find out,¡± Xiu said again.


    One of his attendants bowed and turned away.


    ¡°What happened today does not need to be reported to my father.¡± Xiu said coldly, stepping forward.


    The remaining two attendants followed him, and one of them asked, ¡°Your Highness, what if His Majesty asks about the recent situation of His Royal Highness the Third Prince?¡±


    ¡°If father asks, naturally I will answer.¡± Xiu calmly responded. ¡°Father has been busy attending the graduation ceremony of the Second Prince recently, so don¡¯t disturb his pleasant mood. Disciplining His Royal Highness is my duty.¡±


    Top villa area of XueLi Star, a hidden villa hidden in a snowy forest.


    The door was knocked on three consecutive times before Fred said, ¡°Come in, it¡¯s unlocked.¡±


    The door opened with a crack, and a figure wrapped in a large cloak flashed in. As soon as he entered the door, he jumped twice to shake off the snow on his cloak. He threw off the hood all at once, and then started complaining loudly.


    ¡°The climate of this broken planet is really cold at night, and you still have to live in this wilderness.¡±


    The visitor was tall, with strong features and a pair of bushy thick eyebrows. He was Major Austin.


    ¡°speaking as if you are afraid of the cold,¡± Fred said without looking up, turning a page of the book in his hand.


    The Stone family, where Austin belonged, was known as the ¡°Cornerstone of the Empire¡±. A strong physique far beyond ordinary people was the genetic advantage of this family.


    ¡°Not being afraid of the cold doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m willing to freeze.¡± Austin took off his cloak, rubbed his arms, looked around and said, ¡°You are kidding, my little prince. Why don¡¯t you turn on the thermostat?¡±


    In the course of the conversation, he noticed that the young man in front of him was wearing a short-sleeved shirt that looked like it was midsummer in the Imperial City.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t I remember that the golden pupils of your royal family still had the ability to withstand the harsh weather?¡± Austin said. ¡°You are wearing so thin clothes, are you masochistic?¡±


    Fred closed the book, smiled and said, ¡°I just reminded myself not to forget the lesson. Was it safe on the trip in such a hurry?¡±


    ¡± Don¡¯t worry. There¡¯s no one who tailed us.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I am relieved of the anti-reconnaissance capability of the ¡®Mirror¡¯ though,¡± Fred said.


    Legions who were loyal to the Royal Family were commonly known as the ¡°Army of Light and Shadow¡±, because several legions operating on the bright side used ¡°Light¡± as the pseudonym prefix, and there was also ¡°Shadow¡± that didn¡¯t usually show up and was used for maintaining internal stability. However, only a few people knew that there was a small and fine secret legion, with an internal code name ¡°Mirror¡±, which was generally disguised as ¡°Light¡± to perform missions that could not be exposed.


    ¡± Thank you. I¡¯m flattered.¡± Austin sat in the soft chair opposite Fred familiarly, ¡± I am looking for you in a hurry. It¡¯s too cold here, so I don¡¯t talk nonsense-I ask you, when did you start dating that little girlfriend of yours? How many people know?¡±


    ¡°Speak straight,¡± Fred asked. ¡°When did the Prince know?¡±


    ¡°I only knew that half an hour before the spaceship landed, the prince suddenly called me and asked if I taught you ¡® bar fun ¡¯and also said that you had a girlfriend.¡±


    Fred sneered and said, ¡°Half an hour before your spaceship landed, I spread the news to some of your subordinates. Depending on your distance at that time, communication between the planet and the spaceship takes time¡­count it for yourself. As soon as I left the bar, someone handed the news to the prince.¡±


    Austin said with a gloomy face: ¡°Last time you said that the inside of the ¡®Mirror¡¯ was not clean. I checked it and there was nothing wrong with it. I haven¡¯t believed it yet¡­.Which people did you drink with? Do you have a list?¡±


    As Fred slowly tapped the armrest, he said, ¡°I sent it to you, only a few. The scope has been reduced enough, Major, it can¡¯t be justified if I can¡¯t find it.¡±


    Austin unconsciously respected him a bit and promised, ¡°Of course, I will give you the results soon.¡±


    Fred said: ¡°Your team is very powerful, and the mission is progressing much faster than expected.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just XueLi Xing¡¯s mission, but throughout the empire ¡­ all the tasks are ending.¡± Austin slowly said, ¡°Do you think the prince has already known everything?¡±


    ¡°Know what?¡±


    ¡°Know that we are performing the secret mission of clearing long-range dirty bombs.¡± Austin simply stated, ¡°Know that your decision was not wrong two years ago, and it saved the entire empire.¡±


    ¡°He is the Crown Prince anyway. If he hasn¡¯t found anything wrong for two years, isn¡¯t that a waste?¡± Fred smiled sarcastically. ¡°But ¡­ does it matter if this is right or wrong?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it is important! You did it right, and the empire survived a catastrophe.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for the empire,¡± Fred said. ¡°It¡¯s not a necessity for a prince to be right or wrong.¡±


    Austin was shocked: ¡°Why?¡±


    Fred looked up at Austin. His eyes appeared to be yellowish and pale brown, as if the ancient suns had been extinguished.


    But Austin knew what kind of power would erupt once those two suns burned. He subconsciously lowered his eyes to avoid the gaze, which was engraved in the genes, making the strong surrender.


    ¡°This is a matter between me and the prince. You don¡¯t need to know,¡± Fred said lightly.


    Austin stopped discreetly.


    As the eldest son of Marshal Stone, Austin had known members of the royal family since he was a child. He recalled that the Crown Prince and the Third Prince were born of the same mother. The former Empress left early, and the Emperor favoured the second prince. In almost all cases, the Crown Prince raised the little prince.


    As the youngest prince, despite his defiance and willfulness, Alfred absolutely respected and loved his eldest brother so much.


    It was until two years ago when the rebel annihilation war broke out, and the prince personally came to supervise the battle. When the overall situation was determined that victory was in hand, several students, including Alfred, were transferred from the Royal Military School to the battlefield, saying that this was to let the students study in battle. In fact, they were granted a meritorious service, which was not an uncommon procedure.


    Nevertheless, such a stable thing ended up turning upside down.


    With a single missile aimed at destroying the planet, there was no grass left on the entire planet. The cruelty of that method shocked the empire. Austin remembered that when the emperor was furious, it was the Crown Prince who tried his best to plead for mercy, and in the end Alfred did not suffer from any imprisonment. Instead, his title was taken away and he was exiled to the border.


    Said to be exiled to the border, actually, the prince personally made a false identity for him, let him send to XueLi Star on the border, and continue his studies here.


    In Austin¡¯s opinion, Xiu had done everything he could.


    He also knew that what he saw and heard was far from the truth. Because it could not explain why the eldest prince and the Third Prince who had always supported each other in the Holy Golden Palace suddenly fell apart. Soon after this incident, his father, Marshal Stone, secretly changed sides and favoured the Third Prince. And the Stone family¡¯s bargaining chip was placed on the exiled little prince.


    The eldest prince was born noble and prestigious. The Second Prince and his mother were deeply favoured by the emperor. The Third Prince seemed to have a hopeless future. But Austin knew that the Third Prince had spent two years accumulating chips, and once he re-entered, he would inevitably turn this game upside down.


    The rebellion had subsided, but the empire as a whole was growing rapidly.


    ¡°I¡¯m going out.¡± Fred stood up and interrupted Austin¡¯s thoughts. ¡°You can sleep here if you wish, no one will come tonight.¡±


    Austin nodded and said, ¡°Okay ¡­ no, wait, it¡¯s too late at night, where are you heading?¡±?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s natural for me to go to my girlfriend,¡± Fred replied.


    Austin asked a little confusingly: ¡°Did you really find a girlfriend at this critical time? Are you still going to find her overnight?¡±


    Fred didn¡¯t answer, but asked, ¡°Can all the tasks be finished tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow?¡± Austin said. ¡°Of course not tomorrow. No matter how fast it is, it will take several days, but soon¡­¡±


    ¡°So before that, I¡¯m better to be a waste who doesn¡¯t learn and is addicted to beauty. This is more reassuring, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Then Fred waved at him and he left the villa with a thin coat in his hand.


    Half an hour later, Fred knocked on the door of a hotel suite.


    The door opened and Xiao Mei welcomed him in. She still had heavy makeup on her face and said shyly: ¡°Darling, you are here. I have been waiting for you for a long time.¡±


    After closing the door, Fred pushed her away with one hand: ¡°While there are only the two of us, you don¡¯t need to act.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you should have said it earlier. ¡± A young and clear male voice came out of Xiao Mei¡¯s mouth. ¡°Let me say it first, the money will not be returned, and it is still considered a whole day. ¡°


    After finishing speaking, she¡ªhe reached out and pulled the fake breasts out of her collar.

 CH 4

    XiaoMei came out of the bathroom. After removing the heavy makeup from his face, he was a young man with delicate facial features and not very tall.


    Fred was already lying on the bed. The holographic screen was floating in front of him. He swiped the screen for a while, looking like he was just bored and uninterested.


    Ever since XiaoMei met this benefactor, he seemed to have been so lazy and didn¡¯t do much business.


    However, XiaoMei ignored them and said tactfully, ¡°Mr. Fred, I¡¯m ready to sleep.¡±


    Fred said without looking up, ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Seeing that he didn¡¯t mean to get out of bed at all, Xiaomei said vigilantly: ¡°I don¡¯t sell myself. You¡¯re not planning to sleep with me, are you?¡±


    ¡± Stop dreaming,¡± Fred said. ¡°Isn¡¯t there a sofa?¡±


    XiaoMei immediately said: ¡°The contract says that basic food and accommodation are included. I think the standard of ¡®basic¡¯ is at least to have a bed at night.¡±


    Before Fred said something, he continued, ¡°Of course, I can¡¯t sleep on the sofa, but if I sleep on the sofa, this is considered to lower the standard of food and accommodation. So, you have to add money.¡±


    Fred finally couldn¡¯t stand the Ethernet anymore. He raised his eyes to look at XiaoMei¡¯s original appearance and said, ¡°This gentleman, do you know who I am?¡±


    XiaoMei said cautiously: ¡°I have no idea.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Fred smiled. ¡°Also, the news that he was coming to XueLi Star was spread during the day. When you saw it at Starship Port, you should guess who he was.¡±


    ¡°And the one who called you by name¡­ you can¡¯t expect me to be deaf.¡±


    Fred said with a little interest: ¡°Then you should know that I killed people like scything flax and didn¡¯t save the lives of civilians. Why don¡¯t you run?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I haven¡¯t thought about running.¡± XiaoMei opened the wardrobe keeping the fake breasts and said, ¡°The main thing is that you gave too much.¡±


    Fred: ¡°¡­¡±


    He wanted to say something, but suddenly XiaoMei pulled out several models of fake breasts from the wardrobe. Then, he stacked the one that he wore today in order of size.


    The sudden impact of seeing a lot of realistic breasts dangling made Fred forget what he was trying to say.


    Xiu had been very strict with his etiquette since he was a child. Where had he seen this kind of thing before? Not to mention the fake one, he had never seen it in his life. It was inevitable that he would feel very curious.


    XiaoMei noticed his gaze and shook his head: ¡°A nobleman who grew up in the Holy Golden Palace like you will find these things ridiculous, right?¡±


    Fred didn¡¯t speak.


    ¡°But these are what I make a living out of.¡± Xiaomei folded her fake breasts and put it back in the closet ¡°I¡¯m an ordinary person, and I don¡¯t have the genetic ability to soar into the sky. Acting department tuition is very expensive. I still owe tuition fees¡­ oh, you know, after all, you also promised to pay for my tuition. Everyone says we¡¯re having a good time, that we have completely survived the most difficult crisis of civilization. They also s that this century advocates equality and relative stability, and that the entertainment industry is booming. But do you know? It is impossible for an acting student like me to receive a play since I do not have any power. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t take such a high-risk job from you. So you don¡¯t have to worry about whether I will break my contract because of what you say.¡±


    Fred¡¯s heart moved slightly, and he asked, ¡°Your classmates, your friends, how do you usually talk about me?¡±


    ¡°We usually don¡¯t talk about you.¡± XiaoMei said. ¡°Even two years ago ¡­ well, that thing, most civilians may scold you two words when they hear that¡­¡±


    He watched the man¡¯s expression cautiously. Not seeing any signs of anger, he dared to continue: ¡°But that¡¯s all. One¡¯s own life is enough to worry about. Most ordinary people in their twenties like me are thinking about what to do for a living in the future. How can they have free energy to pay attention to the Holy Golden Palace? As long as nothing major happens, we don¡¯t usually talk much about it, whether it is the Holy Golden Palace or the nobles.¡±


    Fred said: ¡°Then you should be looking forward to the next emperor, right? He is an ordinary person, and like most civilians, he has no special genes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not particularly expected. He just doesn¡¯t have special abilities, but after all, he is from a noble background and not really an ¡®ordinary person¡¯.¡± XiaoMei thought for a while and said, ¡°We don¡¯t care much whoever lives in the Holy Golden Palace in the future. It is useless to care, and it is not something we can decide. As long as we can get a good life.¡±


    ¡°Honestly,¡± Fred agreed, ¡°It is not easy for civilians to live in.¡±


    XiaoMei didn¡¯t seem to have expected such a response, and he was stunned for a while before saying: ¡± Oh? You grew up in the Holy Golden Palace, and you have nothing to do since you were a child. Even now¡­ you can take out money that I can¡¯t earn for half of my life. In this way, do you still feel that life is not easy?¡±


    Fred laughed.


    Is life not easy? At least two years ago, he had never really felt that way.


    Even if his father had a beloved mistress and an illegitimate son long before he was born, even if his mother died early and her family was not enough to support him, he still had an eldest brother.


    From as long as he could remember, his life and education were all arranged by Xiu. Xiu was the most ideal Crown Prince and a strict eldest brother. He was afraid of Xiu, respected Xiu, and loved Xiu.


    In the process of growing up and being sensible, he thought about how to confront the one-party second prince so that the eldest brother could succeed to the throne smoothly. It was the most significant and difficult thing in his life.


    However, he never realized that he, the prince who had perfectly inherited the golden pupils, had already been a thorn in his eldest brother¡¯s eyes, with even greater potential danger than the second prince. Xiu couldn¡¯t even wait for his twenty-year-old Bar Mitzvah, and was impatient to get started.


    ¡°Life is really not easy.¡± Fred said, as if talking to Xiaomei, but he just seemed to be talking to himself. ¡°I just rejoice¡­ I know it¡¯s not too late.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, I have been telling you that you started too early. It should be later.¡±


    Crossing trillions of etheric streams, the old male voice that was already somewhat distorted came out of the handheld.


    Xiu said unhurriedly: ¡°Teacher, I have also told you many times about this. If we wait until he grows up and builds merit, it would really be too late. Two years ago, his Bar Mitzvah was imminent, and he was about to be the crown prince. At that time, I had to do it.¡±


    ¡°His Majesty has never looked at him squarely, so how could he confer the title of Crown Prince at the Bar Mitzvah? It¡¯s as good as the second prince being granted the title of Duke again.¡± The male voice on the phone said, ¡°You have always been prudent. This matter is too hasty.¡±


    Xiu didn¡¯t argue with him, but said: ¡°Alfred was raised by me alone. I know him better than anyone else. He has a paranoid personality and an extremely poor ability to withstand pressure. Having been hit with such a major subversive blow, he must be slumped. Now it seems that everything is as I expected. He doesn¡¯t think about making progress in this desolate place, doesn¡¯t even go to school, and is already wasted.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the point of being decadent for a while? His luck is too favourable. There¡¯s still something inside about what happened two years ago. Don¡¯t be upset. Let him use this to get up again.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I come here in person for this?¡± Xiu said. ¡°Besides, from what I¡¯ve seen with my own eyes, he couldn¡¯t get up. Today¡¯s joke, the teacher must have heard it, right?¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that he slept with a civilian woman of unknown origin tonight?¡± The old male voice said, ¡°I heard. If this matter spreads in the imperial city ¡­¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Xiu said.


    ¡°Why not? This kind of ridiculous thing, we just need to¡­¡±


    ¡°I just landed on the XueLi Star, and Immediately afterwards, there were rumors unfavorable to the little prince spread through the Holy Golden Palace. Everyone will know that I am ruining his reputation.¡± Xiu said calmly, ¡± High priest, I hope you don¡¯t do anything superfluous.¡±


    There was silence. After a long time, the old male voice said, ¡°Of course, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Now is the critical period. I am at the border, and the Holy Golden Palace is still counting on you, teacher.¡± Xiu lowered his voice and said ¡°After all, Alfred is not a threat at all, the key is still in the second prince ¡­ whether or not the Holy Golden Palace can succeed, it depends on the teacher.¡±


    The high priest¡¯s distorted voice said, ¡°I will naturally try my best to share the worries of Your Highness.¡±


    Xiu said goodbye to him, and then cut off contact.


    After closing his eyes and pondering for a moment, Xiu summoned an attendant.


    ¡°How was the investigation?¡±


    ¡°That lady¡¯s name is Mei, a student at an art academy on the second cantilever¡­¡± The attendant said a few words, and then confessed, ¡± Your Highness, communication is not smooth here, it is really ¡­ it is not easy to dig deep into the information ¡­¡±


    Xiu held his forehead with one hand, and seemed to have a headache.


    The attendant said carefully: ¡°Your Highness, next morning, the itinerary is to visit the Royal Academy, XueLi Branch ¡­ Are you still going? His Highness the little prince may not be able to ¡­ uh, get up ¡­¡±


    Xiu glanced coldly at the attendant and said, ¡°Of course, why not? Send another message to all the resident media, and ask them to be on the spot to record.¡±

 CH 5

    XueLi Star had long days and short nights. Although it was still very early, the sky was already bright.


    Xiu had been dressed neatly in the service of his attendants.


    He was more than 1.8 meters tall and had a slender body. The Crown Prince¡¯s official dress was properly wrapped around him, and the calm nature of his temperament was filled with majesty and dignity.


    For many years, the emperor has faced criticism over his personal conduct due to his mistress and illegitimate child. In contrast, the Crown Prince, who had never had any negative news, looked even more flawless.


    If it weren¡¯t for this perfect eldest son who had been occupying the title of Crown Prince, it would have been difficult to tell whether this position was the Second Prince¡¯s or the Third Prince¡¯s.


    Xiu looked in a full-length mirror. The tall and straight man in the mirror, regardless of his clothes, hairstyle, facial expressions or movements, one couldn¡¯t find a single mistake. And he had maintained such an ideal posture for twenty-eight years.


    ¡°It¡¯s about to happen soon¡­¡± Xiu whispered to himself in the mirror.


    The attendant didn¡¯t hear clearly, and asked doubtfully, ¡°Your Highness?¡±


    Xiu said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    This was the first time the Crown Prince had visited XueLi Star. It was natural that the Royal College XueLi Star Branch was the first stop in the series of public appearances, and the scene was quite grand.


    It was naturally impossible for ordinary people to enter casually. Even so, people were still outside the police cordon outside of the school. Today was not a day off. Students were all at school. It was still early, and the first class had not yet begun. Many students who were late for the first class on weekdays got up early today, just to catch a glimpse of the legendary Crown Prince from a distance.


    Since Ethernet technology could transmit images, portraits of nobles who had the rank of nobleness were strictly protected, let alone members of the royal family.


    Almost all journalists and media outlets recorded the entire event. To connect the handhelds to work, sensors were implanted in their palms or wrists, which could be easily recorded.


    Therefore, it was understandable that the students at this cantilever border were eager to see the mysterious Crown Prince. However, it was not easy to see the Crown Prince even from a distance.


    The crown prince was surrounded by local nobles, officials, school executives and an entourage. There were many media reporters outside, and there was a heavily armed bodyguard alert circle on the outside. The prince did not bring many followers on this trip, and only a few people were on the defense team. Therefore, in addition to the prince¡¯s own staff, XueLi Star¡¯s local security bureau and the royal legion were responsible for this vigilante work.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see the inside of the police cordon at all.¡± A girl complained. ¡°I got up early.¡±


    The boys who stood with her all yawned one after another: ¡°So early, each of these people actually looked energetic. No wonder they could be officials¡­ His Royal Highness came too early.¡±


    The girl said, ¡°This one, I read it. The morning news said that His Royal Highness came over before the first class in order not to affect our learning.¡±


    A boy whispered: ¡°Why can¡¯t he choose the last class in the afternoon?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it is because only high-performing students who get up early are eligible to see His Royal Highness.¡± The girl glared at him and sighed again, ¡°Oh, but it¡¯s useless to get up early. I can¡¯t see anything.¡±


    ¡°You can see it sooner or later. Why are you anxious now?¡± said a young man with a smile on his face.


    Several students turned around and raised their heads in unison.


    Not because of anything else, but because the other party was too high!


    The boy who talked to them was tall and had a pair of almost golden brown eyes. The short golden hair sparkled in the sun. However, his handsome face was what was more memorable than blond hair.


    The girl wondered: ¡°Are you from our school?¡±


    Such an impressive handsome appearance should be known to the whole school with a small number of people as soon as he entered the school. She couldn¡¯t believe she didn¡¯t know this person at all.


    Some boys noticed his words and asked, ¡°What do you mean by seeing sooner or later?¡±


    ¡°When the image of the emperor is public,¡± the visitor smiled slightly. ¡°Won¡¯t you be able to see it then?¡±


    He was referring to the Crown Prince who would eventually become emperor.


    The aristocratic class composed of higher genes had been high and powerful for a long time. In spite of equality being advocated currently, it remained deeply ingrained in everyone¡¯s subconscious. None of these students dared to answer this sentence. They did not want to discuss about the royal family with strangers.


    The visitor didn¡¯t continue, but just said goodbye to them, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Only then these students noticed that he was followed by a thin young man, who seemed to be the attendant of him. ¡± Yes.¡±


    The visitor led his attendant straight to the police cordon where the Crown Prince was.


    Several students watched in bewilderment, until the man got closer and closer, without any intention of stopping. It seemed he wanted to break into the police cordon.


    A few people thought mechanically, and hurriedly shouted.


    ¡°Hey, classmate! Come back!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t approach. Otherwise, you will be ¡­¡±


    Before the word ¡°shot¡± was uttered, a stunned scene appeared.


    The security circle suddenly took the initiative to open a small gap, and the two walked in effortlessly, breaking all resistance. Then the police cordon closed again, and the whole process was naturally smooth as if a drop of water fell onto the water surface, and after a slight wave, it returned to calm.


    ¡°That man ¡­¡± the dumbfounded student murmured, ¡°Who the hell is that man?¡±


    Xiu was already familiar with such a visit.


    Since he was 20 years old, he has often traveled on behalf of the royal family. Besides, the XueLi Star was just a border asteroid with a simple personnel structure. Even if the visit was in progress, he did not need to spend a lot of time dealing with it.


    He silently counted the time in his mind. Now it was just the beginning, and would last more than an hour before and after the event. In the remaining hours, he couldn¡¯t say if Alfred would arrive. The traffic situation at XueLi Star seemed to be fine and not very congested ¡­


    Of course, the Crown Prince still looked usual, and no one knew that he was absent-minded and distracted.


    At this moment, there was a small commotion among the reporters outside.


    Austin, who accompanied the prince, said, ¡°What¡¯s going on over there?¡±


    As soon as his words fell, a tall and erect figure passed through the crowd and walked straight in.


    The reporters¡¯ eyes almost widened, and the accompanying officers were also somewhat stunned by this sudden situation. The young man who suddenly walked in took a few steps on his long legs. He seemed to be in front of the prince in the blink of an eye.


    Before anyone responded, he put his right hand on his chest, knelt down on one knee, and bowed respectfully: ¡°Your Highness.¡±


    This was the highest audience etiquette. He was extremely professional and impeccable. At a glance, it was obvious that he had received a high-quality etiquette education.


    Xiu¡¯s expression moved slightly, but he immediately stooped to hide his expression.


    With everyone watching, the Crown Prince personally leaned over, lifted the handsome young man, and held his forearm, saying: ¡°Alfred.¡±


    There was silence around, and no one made a sound. But the atmosphere suddenly changed Everyone stared intently at the pair of fellow Royal Brothers.


    One was the crown prince who was like the sun and the sky. The other was the young prince who was forced to disappear for two years due to unbearable bad deeds. In the hearts of ordinary people, they seemed to be heaven and earth, light and dust.


    Nevertheless, at this moment no one could compare this tall young man to dust since he was so majestic, regardless of his clothing. When one saw him and the crown prince standing together, it was as if they were two lights competing with the sun and the moon.


    The young man, Alfred held the Crown Prince¡¯s hand back and said him intimately: ¡°Eldest Brother, it¡¯s been two years. I miss you so much.¡±

 CH 6

    Just yesterday, Alfred deliberately intercepted Xiu at the Starship port to provoke him. After just one night, he seemed to have forgotten what had happened the day before, and called him ¡°Eldest brother¡± as affectionately as when he was a child.


    As everyone watched, Xiu suddenly remembered many things from the past.


    He remembered that Alfred had been the most disdainful of posturing and cheating since he gradually became sensible. He had never been impatient with mumbo-jumbo, especially he hated the aristocrats¡¯ playfulness in public. He used to make the emperor and the second prince feel ashamed in public for this and didn¡¯t know how many times he had been scolded by the Emperor.


    Just one month before the accident two years ago, he was also reprimanded by the Emperor for calling the second prince ¡°an illegitimate son who can¡¯t stand on the stage¡± in public. But Alfred had only followed his eldest brother¡¯s instructions. He confronted his father face to face that day. The Emperor was so angry that he wanted to confine him to prison. Xiu rushed to rescue him.


    Such a proud young prince, Alfred, who would rather be imprisoned than hypocritically change his words, now respectfully knelt down to salute Xiu in public, holding his hand intimately. His eyes were full of respect and love for his elder brother, as if they had never been separated.


    It¡¯s only been two years.


    All the media reporters were extremely excited and generally writing at tremendous speed. The etheric stream quickly passed over the sensor screens embedded in their flesh and blood. The holographic screen that stopped in mid-air recorded the scene of this brotherhood.


    The hand that Xiu was holding suddenly became cold. He thought he would be gratified. But at the same time, when he heaved a sigh of relief, he actually felt some inexplicable sadness.


    ¡°You have grown up.¡± Xiu said with a calm expression on his face. ¡°You have also developed skills.¡±


    A deepened smile spread across Alfred¡¯s face, and he replied respectfully, ¡°Eldest brother is overly praiseful. It was my eldest brother who taught me everything I need to know about my temperament and abilities. Of course, my eldest brother naturally knows better.¡±


    Xiu just glanced at him and stopped talking.


    The pair of honourable royal brothers who were directly descended from the royal family stopped talking for a while before the others dared to greet them.


    The thin man behind Alfred got on one knee and said, ¡°Your Highness.¡±


    Xiu said: ¡°Get up, Joshua. You have been with His Royal Highness for two years, hard work. Before I came, I went to see the teacher, and he asked me to bring you a message. He wants you to accompany His Highness wholeheartedly, and also pay attention to his health.¡±


    Joshua bowed his head and said, ¡°Yes, Your Highness, I will definitely do my best.¡±


    Joshua Bai was the only son of the current high priest. The Bai family¡¯s connections had always been withered, and the current high priest had a son, Joshua only when he was over fifty years old. If nothing else, he would be the next high priest.


    The exile of the prince did not happen during the reign of the emperors for nearly three generations. When it was first announced two years ago, it caused some controversy. Fortunately, Joshua, the only son of the high priest at that time, offered to accompany the young prince to think about his mistakes. That matter sounded a bit more reasonable.


    The position of high priest was now just a spiritual symbol with no real power. In that case, it was most appropriate for the son of the high priest to accompany and supervise the young prince to go to the border to reflect on his mistakes.


    Without waiting for Joshua to say anything, Austin, who was standing beside Xiu, bowed his chest and said, ¡°Your Highness.¡±


    Alfred responded with a smile: ¡°Austin, it¡¯s you. When was the last time we met? It¡¯s been a few years.¡±


    Austin gave a dry laugh, and glanced at Xiu uncomfortably. Xiu looked at him again with a calm expression. Obviously, he was not planning to have the provocation that happened at Starship Port last night take effect.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time¡­¡± Austin said vaguely. ¡°Are you getting better? His Majesty and His Royal Highness are worried about your health, and my father also wants me to greet you.¡±


    ¡°I have made my father and eldest brother worried.¡± Alfred smiled. He was obviously much taller than Xiu, but now he looked well-behaved and obedient, like some kind of large dog.


    ¡°It¡¯s much better now, but I wasn¡¯t used to the climate when I first arrived, and I rested for a few days. Now I have returned to normal campus life. ¡± Alfred seemed to think of something, and said coquettishly, ¡± Eldest brother is also really too much. Why didn¡¯t you tell me in advance when you came to school? I would have come over early to greet you.¡±


    After a pause, he looked at him and said slowly, ¡°I thought you couldn¡¯t catch up.¡±


    ¡°How come?¡± Alfred seemed to be unaware of this sentence, and laughed, ¡°No matter how big the school is, the dormitory is only five minutes away from here.¡±


    He did arrive five minutes after the opening, and the reporters recorded: When the young prince got up early, he learned of the prince¡¯s visit and hurried out of the dormitory.


    They didn¡¯t need to think or guess how reporters would understand this conversation. However, as far as Xiu knew, Alfred had been at XueLi Star for two years, and he never even lived in the students¡¯ dormitory for a day, let alone any ¡°normal campus life¡±.


    However, none of the senior leaders and professors in so many schools responded to Alfred¡¯s remarks, as if he was telling the ordinary truth.


    Xiu seemed to be aware that Alfred was holding his arm at this moment. Although it looked like a respectful act, the strength of his arm prevented Xiu from breaking free.


    ¡°Eldest brother, let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take you to the school.¡±


    A group of people visited the school museum in a mighty manner as part of the original schedule.


    The reason why this border planet like XueLi Star had a branch school of the Royal Academy was because it was a very historic planet.


    The founding emperor of this dynasty and the founding marshal once fought side-by-side here against the cult army that opposed genetic technology at that time.


    It was here that the golden pupil became famous in the first battle and the world instantly became aware of it.


    The guide turned his palm toward a huge portrait covering half the wall: ¡°This is the ¡®XueLi Star Battle Map¡¯ dictated by a famous painter from the report about the battle. Of course, what we see now is a realistic hologram, and the real thing is featured in the Holy Golden Palace.¡±


    In this huge portrait, a majestic man in his prime was holding a giant bow and was about to shoot. He was surrounded by corpses and gun smoke. His pupils were like two dazzling ancient days, golden and shining.


    This famous painting depicting the heroic battle posture of the founding emperor was well known. However, the people present had not seen it before, not to mention whether the two princes had even seen the real thing in the Holy Golden Palace.


    However, it was the first time that many people present saw the descendants of the protagonist in this painting. At the same time, they couldn¡¯t help but have some thoughts in their minds.


    The prince was an ordinary person and had no genetic ability, which was naturally not mentioned. But the young prince was said to have inherited golden pupils. Yet, his eyes were only light yellow-brown, which was not the same color as the painting.


    It seemed that the battlefield reporter at that time might have been shocked by the heroic posture of the emperor fighting bravely to kill the enemy, so he added a lot of his own imagination when he dictated ¡­


    The guide didn¡¯t spend too much time on this well-known painting, and soon introduced another collection with much enthusiasm.


    ¡°Your Highness, my Lords, please move here. We will then see XueLi Star¡¯s most precious and important historical relics. Maybe you have seen holographic images elsewhere, but the real thing has been preserved in XueLi Star. After the great emperor won the victory, he gave this item as a gift to the aborigines on the spot in the snow. This was in order to thank them for their help in the battle. This is also the origin of the name XueLi Star.¡±


    The guide raised his palm and pointed to the huge glass shield behind him with a respectful gesture: ¡°Please look, this is the Bow of Glory used by the founding emperor!¡±


    Inside the glass shield, a huge longbow with a length of more than two meters, which was long at the top and short at the bottom stood there quietly.


    ¡°Not only is this bow huge, but it¡¯s also heavy and hard to pull away,¡± said the guide. ¡°According to records, although many powerful aboriginal people of XueLi Star attempted to pull this bow, no one succeeded. This is the Bow of Glory that only the Great Emperor was eligible to use. It symbolizes ¡­ ¡°


    While the guide was talking, an alarm suddenly sounded from very close.


    ¡°¡ª¡ªEnemy Attack! Enemy Attack!¡±


    Someone in the police cordon shouted loudly. As soon as this shout fell, only a few loud bangs could be heard. And something was hit hard on the glass shield covering the giant bow.


    In fact, it didn¡¯t need to be guessed that it was a bullet.


    Suddenly, everything was chaotic. Most of the reporters were ordinary people. When they saw the scene of bullets flying indiscriminately, they were in a bind. Even the officials and nobles fled to find a bunker. Screams and roars sounded like one.


    ¡°Run, run!¡±


    ¡°Protect the Crown Prince!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t run around! Let the guards handle it!¡±


    The prince¡¯s personal entourage, Austin, and his followers gathered around Xiu¡¯s side. In this way, they also protected Alfred together.


    At such a chaotic moment, Alfred and Xiu seemed to be incompatible with this scene because they were neither panicked nor angry. Just by looking at the two brothers¡¯ expressions, one wouldn¡¯t know why nothing happened.


    ¡°Why is Your Highness so unmoved?¡± While the reporters were busy saving their lives and no one noticed them, Alfred whispered softly, ¡°No way, you already knew this would happen, right?¡±


    The close-fitting warning circle was very small, and the entourage¡¯s backs were almost attached to the clothes of the two princes. They could only lean against the glass shield and squeeze together each other.


    At such a close distance, Xiu could only look up at him and say, ¡°You ¡­ have grown a lot taller.¡±


    Alfred was stunned for a moment, as if he hadn¡¯t expected Xiu to say something like that.


    Then he suddenly noticed that Xiu¡¯s neck was white and slender, especially when he raised it up like this, as if he was offering a sacrifice¡­


    This sudden thought occupied Alfred¡¯s mind for a second, and then he resolutely cleared out the inexplicable thoughts and said, ¡°Is there anything else you want to tell me?¡±


    Another bullet hit the glass shield and bounced out. Xiu didn¡¯t say a word.


    ¡°Well.¡± Alfred said, glancing at the situation not far away. ¡°If someone dies today as a result of this, I will count it all on you.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Xiu suddenly whispered in a voice that only the two of them could hear. ¡°They will only kill you.¡±

 CH 7

    Alfred¡¯s face darkened, and he asked, ¡°Do you want me to die that badly?¡±


    Xiu calmly replied, ¡°You¡¯re blocking the way.¡±


    Alfred realized that the man in front of him had lost his mind to ensure his authority, and it was useless to talk more.


    Xiu waited to see how Alfred would handle the current situation in front of him. Suddenly, Alfred raised his fist and aimed it at Xiu.


    At that moment, Xiu was slightly surprised in his heart. He did not dodge, but was rather surprised and disapproved.


    However, the expected pain did not strike, and with a loud ¡°bang¡±, the punch flew past his face, lifting his fine hair with the accompanying wind.


    Xiu felt the glass shield behind him tremble violently. He turned around abruptly, and saw a web-like crack appearing on the top-tire nano-glass shield, which was extremely sturdy and used to protect the most valuable cultural relics and had remained completely unscathed even after being hit several times by bullets.


    ¡°Tsk, it¡¯s really hard.¡±


    Alfred shook his hand and said. He took half a step forward to stabilize his center of gravity, and raised his fist again, this time with a solemn expression.


    Xiu noticed that Alfred¡¯s originally light eyes were slowly becoming darker and brighter.


    A deafening bang suddenly exploded in the vast and chaotic museum hall. It was like a small bomb detonated in the hall, followed by the sound of shattering glass hitting the ground.


    Everyone was frightened and involuntarily turned their attention to the sound. At this point, everyone was stunned in place, and for a moment, no one even paid attention to the situation of the battle at the front entrance.


    The empire¡¯s top-level anti-theft device for cultural relics was shattered all over the ground, while a tall figure supported himself with a jump and nimbly landed on the display stand, which was over half a person¡¯s height.


    The terrain was open and the high display stand was an excellent location for long-range sniping. It¡¯s a pity that these people in the hall had all been checked by security today, and none of them had any long-range weapons. So they couldn¡¯t help the guards outside.


    The only thing that could be called a ¡°weapon¡± in this hall was that giant bow.


    Without hesitation, Alfred grabbed the heavy giant bow, and forcibly pulled it out of its holder set aside.


    Everyone knew his intention, and a reporter shouted in despair: ¡°But there is only a bow, no arrows!¡±


    Alfred seemed to forget that the bow must be equipped with an arrow. He raised the bow with one hand, and placed the other on the empty bow string, slowly pulling it back.


    The legendary Glory bow, only drawn by the founding emperor at the beginning of the era, after a millennium of slumber, once more slowly curved into a bloodthirsty arc.


    Now Alfred¡¯s eyes were golden and bright, as if they were burning gold.


    There was movement in the air.


    His fingers holding the bowstring and the bow generated a beam of light out of nowhere, which appeared to be as substantial as matter. The air around it was strangely twisted and compressed, as if it was forcefully squeezing the light into this extremely fine beam.


    This light arrow became more substantial and dazzling as the bowstring was pulled taut. The light on the arrow continued to overflow, as if it were burning.


    Alfred drew the bow to its full extent, and his eyes were like the ancient sun reappearing. Upon the bow was a miraculous beam of light. And behind him was a painting of the emperor drawing his bow, created at the beginning of this era.


    ¡°Great Emperor, the Great Emperor is alive!¡±


    Someone couldn¡¯t help but shout out.


    No one laughed at his insanity. Everyone else was shocked beyond words. More than one reporter was excited and, disregarding the ban, turned on their camera function.


    Alfred only took a very short time to aim, and he released the arrow in a decisive manner.


    In the next instant, the arrow of light went straight into the vest of a killer. The assassin couldn¡¯t even scream, and fell straight down, leaving a smouldering hole where the arrow had passed through his body.


    Without giving anyone time to react, Alfred fired another arrow quickly formed on the bow, and then took away another life.


    He shot in succession. His speed became faster and faster. He didn¡¯t need to aim at the time at all, and stood there as if the god of war had descended.


    The victory balance that was originally swaying was tilted to one side in just two minutes. The guards rushed forward to subdue the last few killers.


    The hall was silent, and some people were flushed, as if they wanted to applaud and celebrate the rest of their lives, but they didn¡¯t dare move.


    The pair of golden pupils that seemed to be burning looked down upon the entire crowd. The instinctual fear of higher genes made everyone who was being watched bow deeply their heads to show submission.


    Everyone avoided his sharp edge, but only one person raised his head and stared back at him.


    Xiu¡¯s expression was as immovable as a mountain.


    For more than two years, since he was a teenager, Alfred had often thought about a question: What kind of thing could make his elder brother lose his temper?


    When he was a child, he hoped to see his elder brother smile. But now his thoughts are much more malicious. He hoped to see Xiu panicked and frightened.


    He thought he would be able to see more or less today, but no, not a single bit. Xiu¡¯s plan for today failed. It could be said that he had failed completely. However he was still so calm to the point of being terrifying, like a dummy named ¡°The Perfect Crown Prince¡±.


    Alfred jumped off the stand with a longbow in his hand. He knelt down on one knee while everyone slowly came to their senses.


    ¡°Having caused trouble for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, please punish me.¡±


    It seemed that Xiu didn¡¯t want to respond to this sentence. He just said, ¡°Get up quickly.¡±


    He didn¡¯t ask, but someone asked on his behalf. Austin said loudly and quickly: ¡°His Royal Highness the young Prince has made great achievements in saving you today. Why should he confess?¡±


    Alfred stood up. His eyes had already been extinguished, and turned to their usual inconspicuous light brown again. He said solemnly: ¡°Because these people did not come to assassinate His Highness, but rather remnants of the rebel army who came after me.¡±


    The emperor had informed the world two years ago that the rebel army had been completely wiped out, and the greatest credit was given to the crown prince. The only downside was that the eradication method was too brutal and cruel, directly destroying a small asteroid that still had residents, which was counted on the head of the third prince.


    But now, the third prince personally said that there were still remnants of the rebel army, and they were actually chasing to kill him.


    The most prominent figures of XueLi Star, as well as all the well-known media that XueLi Star could call upon were all present in this hall at the moment. As soon as Alfred¡¯s words came out, this news couldn¡¯t be concealed even if he wanted to.


    There was a momentary uproar in the hall. Most people perked up their ears, afraid of missing anything, while a small minority wished they could go deaf immediately, and didn¡¯t want to hear these royal secrets.


    But no matter what they thought, Alfred continued: ¡°Two years ago, I foiled a conspiracy that the rebels had carefully planned for decades. They hated me to the bone and never stopped hunting me down. When I heard that my elder brother had come to school, I really missed him too much and showed up today. I didn¡¯t expect that they would come so fast, and almost caused trouble for my elder brother. It was me who acted impulsively. Please punish me.¡±


    Conspiracy? What conspiracy? Could it be that there was something unknown about the incident two years ago, and the young prince gave such an order for a reason?


    Xiu said with concern: ¡°Naturally, this is not your fault. Since it is involved ¡­ such an important matter, then come with me to my palace and tell me in detail.¡±


    This implication was that he wouldn¡¯t be allowed to continue speaking in public.


    Alfred smiled and said, ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    He returned the longbow back to the principal next to him, and Xiu also said to the principal: ¡°Due to the incident today, let¡¯s end the visit here.¡±


    ¡°This is natural. Your Highness has to deal with state affairs¡­¡± The principal was old, and while answering, he took the longbow that Alfred handed him, and almost fell.


    Alfred quickly helped him and said, ¡°I¡¯ll let it go, it¡¯s a bit heavy.¡±


    The glass shield was completely broken, and naturally it was unusable. It had to be replaced with a new one. The base on which the giant bow was placed was not broken. At this moment, it was moved down, and Alfred tried to reset the bow back.


    Austin who stood next to him stepped forward and helped him adjust the angle.


    The others gathered around Xiu at this moment, listening to the Prince¡¯s official announcement of the temporary suspension of the visit.


    Austin looked up, and saw that the Crown Prince was still speaking to some officials and the media present. It seemed that he should not be able to finish in just one or two sentences. Austin lowered his head and whispered softly: ¡°There are survivors, more than we expected. What should we do with their testimonies?¡±


    ¡°No matter what they said during the interrogation, I said they were rebels,¡± Alfred said coldly. ¡°They are rebels.¡±


    Austin lowered his head and said: ¡°Understood.¡±


    With a ¡°click¡±, the giant bow was reloaded into its holder.

 CH 8

    The ¡°Prince¡¯s Palace¡± of XueLi Star was really inappropriate to say that it was a palace, because it was actually more like a large villa. Although it was quite spacious, there were two quite different things.


    However, the border conditions were limited, and the prince¡¯s visit was very sudden. Therefore, it was not bad to be able to prepare like this.


    Alfred followed Xiu into this ¡°Palace¡±. The attendants left to do miscellaneous tasks one after another, and Xiu took Alfred to his study.


    ¡°Close the door.¡± Xiu ordered.


    Without him saying so, Alfred had already closed the door, and the spacious study was now just the two brothers.


    This scene was too familiar for them. No matter how calm and composed they were on the surface, their hearts were actually in turmoil.


    From childhood to adulthood, Alfred had been led by Xiu into the prince¡¯s study countless times like this, and the two of them had spoken privately behind closed doors.


    Sometimes it was Alfred who wanted to discuss his unconventional views with Xiu. Sometimes it was Xiu who didn¡¯t want to discipline him in front of others, but would secretly analyze the pros and cons and teach him principles.


    Alfred believed that his code of conduct and independent personality had been established through these private discussions and teachings in the prince¡¯s study when he was young.


    Now, he was standing in the ¡°Prince¡¯s Study¡± again, a strange room, and the person in front of him also made him feel strange.


    Xiu stood with his back to Alfred by the French window. He was about to speak when he suddenly heard Alfred say:¡±Your Highness, when was the last time you and I talked alone? Do you remember?¡±


    Xiu remained silent.


    Alfred knew his temperament well. Xiu was not the kind of person who would waste energy responding to provocations. So Alfred continued: ¡°In the past two years, I have always remembered every word of your last teaching the last sentence, and I have never forgotten it for a second.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Xiu said, turning to face him, ¡°Let¡¯s get down to business. What is the purpose of your performance today?¡±


    ¡°Your Highness carefully set up the stage for me and invited an audience to support me. How can I not give it my all?¡± Alfred laughed. ¡°I heard that the original itinerary also included a visit to the student dormitories. Have you already written the press release about ¡®Prince¡¯s visit to the young prince resulting in an embarrassing open goal¡¯? It¡¯s a pity not to use it.¡±


    Xiu didn¡¯t respond to the second half of the sentence, but just said: ¡°Do you think your performance will not be exposed? Those people are not rebels at all.¡±


    Alfred said indifferently: ¡°Assassinating the prince in public, doesn¡¯t it matter if they are rebels?¡±


    ¡°Of course it matters,¡± said Xiu.


    ¡°Oh, right, it¡¯s related to your merit of cleaning out the rebels back then.¡± Alfred sneered as if he had just remembered this relationship, and suggested: ¡°It¡¯s very simple for Your Highness to keep his meritorious deeds. Just come out and explain where these people came from.¡±


    Xiu walked over to the spacious desk and sat down. He looked up at Alfred, and slowly said: ¡°This is a serious matter. I have personally asked all the media present to suppress the news for the time being, and wait for the results of the interrogation.¡±


    Alfred said without showing any weakness: ¡°So many media outlets. You think you can suppress the news just because you want to? I have been on XueLi Star for two years and never knew there were so many media outlets on this freezing planet. It¡¯s really impressive that Your Highness managed to invite them all here¡ªbut now he wants them all to keep their mouths shut. Doesn¡¯t that feel like lifting a rock only to drop it on your own feet?¡±


    ¡°As long as I want, naturally I can do it. They would rather offend you than me.¡± Xiu crossed his fingers and calmly replied, ¡°Because I am the crown prince, and you are just an exiled prince without a title.¡±


    This was a cutting remark. Alfred had become more restrained in the past two years, and still took two seconds to control his provoked anger. Then he said coldly: ¡°True. However, what the prince is most worried about is whether or not he can maintain his achievements, right? You came to XueLi Star in such a hurry because you heard some other news, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Xiu didn¡¯t deny it, but asked instead: ¡°Then, is the news true?¡±


    ¡°It depends on what news you heard.¡± Alfred smiled. ¡°If it¡¯s the news about me being promoted to Lieutenant, then yes, it¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Xiu said in a deep voice, ¡°That is the Royal Legion loyal to His Majesty. It¡¯s not a place for you to use a fake identity and interfere.¡±


    Alfred said: ¡°Forget about it. Everyone knows that it¡¯s the army under Austin¡¯s name, and it¡¯s not a legitimate legion. Austin has been enjoying himself on the main planet, ignoring this matter. So what if I try to take care of it for him? Your Highness, don¡¯t be so harsh. You are sitting comfortably in your palace, waiting for someone to deliver the news to you. But what about me? I spent a lot of money on gifts, and didn¡¯t know how many times I stayed all night at the bar, just to earn a promotion and get a little bit of news.¡±


    Speaking of this, he changed his tone and said suddenly: ¡°Your Highness, you and I have only received the news recently. But the Royal Legion directly serves His Majesty, and he has known about this matter for a long time. Even if he didn¡¯t want to help me, why didn¡¯t he tell you about it, Your Highness?¡±


    Xiu lowered his eyes and said coldly: ¡°The Second Prince traveled to several inhabited planets last year. Those planets all had temporary Royal legions stationed there for ¡®training¡¯.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is.¡± Alfred sneered, ¡°It turns out that he was busy crediting his precious son with this matter, lest the news be leaked and either you or I would steal the credit for it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak ill of His Majesty.¡± Xiu subconsciously said.


    This admonition that had been said too many times before made Alfred stunned for a moment. But this time he didn¡¯t shut up obediently like he did when he was a teenager. Instead, he spoke frankly: ¡°You can go to the Holy Golden Palace and sue me, just like two years ago. I heard that XueLi Star¡¯s mission was almost complete¡­ I look forward to seeing how you¡¯ll handle it when the news spreads. When this happens, I will transform into a hero who saves the world. How will Your Highness deal with himself then?¡±


    Xiu said without emotion: ¡°Alfred, I thought you had grown up a bit, but you¡¯re still immature when it comes to thinking. I have already visited XueLi Star in person. Do you think this news can still spread as you imagine?¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll just wait and see.¡±


    After Alfred finished speaking, he turned around and prepared to leave without showing any courtesy.


    When holding the doorknob, he suddenly said: ¡°Your Highness, do you regret it?¡±


    Xiu paused and asked, ¡°Regret what?¡±


    ¡°It was clearly you who ordered the destruction of that planet, yet you pinned the blame on me. Who would have expected that the person who ordered the destruction of that planet would become a hero?¡± Alfred turned to look at him. ¡°Do you regret falling into this passive situation you are in today?¡±


    Xiu¡¯s eyes flickered and he said very seriously: ¡°I have never regretted it.¡±


    Alfred¡¯s throat was suddenly blocked by hostility, as if he had returned to the day when his faith collapsed two years ago.


    Two years ago, on the front line, Xiu found him and asked him to sign some kind of ¡°combat statistics form¡±, saying that it was supposed to be used to settle rewards later. He signed it without even looking at it.


    After all, he was his elder brother. He could die for his elder brother without blinking an eye. How could he doubt him?


    Then, things seemed to get out of control all of a sudden. The small asteroid was destroyed, and they were urgently recalled to the palace. The document he signed appeared in the Holy Golden Palace, which became the evidence that he had secretly issued a military orders over the crown prince.


    The verification was correct, and it was signed by him personally. Therefore, the heinous crime of disregarding human life could no longer be refuted.


    Alfred¡¯s world collapsed. He watched Xiu plead for forgiveness for him in the Holy Golden Palace. But what Xiu said about the situation on the front line, such as the young Prince being eager to suppress the bandits at that time and the young Prince thinking that the situation was urgent¡­. were all fabricated lies.


    He just looked at his elder brother, whom he trusted so much, spat out absurd lies one after another, seemingly begging for mercy for him, but actually making every sentence an indictment that left him with no defense.


    Who would suspect that the eldest prince who had always loved the young prince would not tell the truth?


    In the nineteen years of his life up to that time, Alfred had always devoted himself to supporting Xiu¡¯s position as crown prince without accumulating any power for himself. Once he was framed, he had no power to resist.


    Soon, the charges were confirmed, and the punishment was also determined. Xiu personally sent him¡ªor rather, escorted him-to the starship port on the main planet to send him away.


    Before leaving, Alfred still did not give up and asked to speak with Xiu alone. He grabbed Xiu¡¯s collar and questioned him, ¡°I trust you so much.¡± Nineteen-year-old Alfred shouted only those words over and over again, until he burst into tears.


    I trust you so much! Why? I trust you so much!


    Xiu just pushed him away, with a cold expression on his face, and said condescendingly: ¡°Alfred, I will teach you one last lesson now. That is¡ªdon¡¯t trust anyone.¡±

 CH 9

    Alfred looked at Xiu and listened to him say ¡°never regret it.¡±, as if he had returned to two years ago, when Xiu had arrogantly taught him to ¡°trust no one¡±.


    Only this time, Alfred did not cry, nor felt disappointed, angry, or incredulous. Two years of masochistic growth allowed him to be reborn, and he would no longer lose self-control easily.


    This time, he gracefully nodded and replied: ¡°That¡¯s good. If you were begging for mercy, I might be in a difficult situation.¡±


    After speaking, he turned and left.


    The sun was rare today, and it didn¡¯t snow.


    When Alfred walked out of the Prince¡¯s Palace, he noticed someone was waiting for him in front of his car.


    ¡°Your Highness.¡± Joshua saluted him.


    Alfred said: ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to go back first and not wait for me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m worried about you,¡± Joshua glanced at the villa. ¡°Did that¡­ embarrass you?¡±


    ¡°Embarrass me?¡± Alfred sneered: ¡°He wanted to embarrass me. You saw what happened this morning. What a joke. I have been operating here for two years. Can he take me down the next day after he lands? ¡°


    Joshua shook his head and said not very optimistically: ¡°I visited two media outlets for you to inquire about the progress of today¡¯s press release ¡­ They knew I was your person, and both of them were evasive, refusing to answer directly. I guess others are probably the same. His Royal Highness must have put pressure on them. Today, although Your Highness has managed to avoid danger, I am afraid it will be difficult to go further.¡±


    Alfred didn¡¯t expect Joshua to go out, complete his task in such a short time and return. His expression relaxed a bit.


    ¡°You have always been competent.¡± He said, ¡°Have you contacted your father?¡±


    Joshua replied: ¡°Not yet. I¡¯m sure my father will support Your Highness. But since Your Highness did not give any orders, I thought I should not send the news back to the main planet without your permission.¡±


    ¡°All right,¡± Alfred said with satisfaction. He finally looked squarely at Joshua, and paused before continuing: ¡°Joshua, you have been with me for two years, and always loyal and have done things properly. As I recall, you¡¯re a few years older than me¡­ Speaking of which, I also have two brothers. In the past two years, they haven¡¯t even bothered to check up on me. You are the only one who has taken care of me like an older brother.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Joshua immediately kneeled in the snow and bowed his head: ¡°Young Prince, when I came out with you, my father reminded me to be loyal and dedicated. The golden pupil was the greatest masterpiece of the Bai family¡¯s ancestors, and you are the most orthodox heir to it. As descendants of the Bai family, we will do our best to protect the rightful heir of the Golden Pupil no matter what.¡±


    Alfred was slightly moved, and personally helped Joshua up.


    ¡°I promised the Bai family,¡± Alfred solemnly said, ¡°that on the day I ascend to the throne, the Holy Bai Tower will be rebuilt.¡±


    The Holy Bai Tower was a genetic research institution that existed at the beginning of this era. It was as ancient as the Holy Golden Palace. The first high priest was the leader of the genetic modification program. However, after completely surviving the civilization crisis, the Holy Bai Tower was shut down and the genetic modification program and research that saved human civilization were also stopped.


    Although the place where the current high priest lived was also called the ¡°Holy Bai Tower¡±, it was only symbolic, and not the same as the top genetic research institution at the beginning of the era.


    The ancient genetic modification program was so tragic, and sacrificed countless volunteers. Until modern times, the descendants of many genetically deficient people still suffered from genetic modification¡¯s drawbacks. But at that time, even civilization¡¯s survival was a problem. Without a large number of people with special abilities to expand the territory and transform the environment, there was only waiting for death.


    Since the crisis was over and the social structure had become stable, the people, who had benefited the most from this plan and even proclaimed themselves emperors in the end, naturally did not want or need this kind of research to continue.


    Therefore, the Bai family had requested several times to the Holy Golden Palace to resume genetic research. But they were all politely rejected by the Holy Golden Palace.


    Alfred promised what none of his ancestors had ever agreed to.


    Joshua¡¯s eyes turned red, and he choked up, saying: ¡°The Bai family will die for Your Highness!¡±


    ¡°Okay. Well, I have a big task for you to handle now.¡± Alfred took his arm and moved closer to him. ¡°The Crown Prince wants to kill me, and I absolutely can¡¯t let this go. Since he has come to our territory, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to settle the old and new grudges with him. Since he was the one who made the first move, I will respond with double the force. I¡¯ve already thought about¡­¡±


    He gave a few instructions in a low voice, and Joshua listened calmly without changing his expression.


    ¡°Your Highness, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of it and make sure it¡¯s done.¡± Joshua said.


    Alfred patted his arm, and said trustingly: ¡°I believe in you.¡±


    ¡°Failed.¡±


    Xiu said as he stood by the French window.


    A voice with a distorted sound came from the handheld device on his desk: ¡°I already know. Failing is not the most important thing. What¡¯s more important is that not only did you not get rid of him, but you also let him show his prestige.¡±


    ¡°Today he was lucky enough to be favoured.¡± Xiu said, ¡°It just so happened that the bow was right next to him.¡±


    The old voice said, ¡°Is that so? Do you think it¡¯s just luck?¡±


    Xiu frowned slightly, and he said: ¡°Today¡¯s itinerary was arranged by me personally. The Bow of Glory has always stood there, and it was not temporarily transferred. At that time, he had already guessed that it was aimed at him. He had no weapon on him. He had no other choice but to take a chance with the bow if he wanted to save himself. Fortunately, the terrain was suitable for sniping. I¡¯ve reviewed it and there¡¯s nothing wrong with it. Everything progressed naturally.¡±


    The elder¡¯s voice said: ¡°It¡¯s indeed natural. In the future, this matter will spread throughout the empire, and no one will doubt him. That is the worst thing.¡±


    ¡°You mean, this matter was completely manipulated by him¡­¡± Xiu paused for a moment, quickly negating his own words. ¡°How can this be? He was able to conceal his plans from both Teacher and I in the morning and left no trace afterwards. There are only a few forces within the empire that can accomplish this. It couldn¡¯t be His Majesty changing his mind, could it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not it.¡± The high priest laughed, and his laughter was transmitted through the cantilever of more than half of the galaxy by the ether flow, with some distortion in his voice, ¡°His Majesty is doing all he can to celebrate the graduation season for the Second Prince. Even I have to attend in two days ¡ª His Majesty personally came to the Holy Bai Tower today to invite me.¡±


    The Second Prince was only two months younger than the legitimate elder prince. If it weren¡¯t for the premature birth of the first empress, it¡¯s difficult to say who the eldest son was.


    Since the second prince failed to take advantage of his birth, he had to work hard based on his upbringing in order to succeed. At the same age of 28 this year, he had already completed the highest degree at the best academy in the empire. Although everyone in the aristocratic circle knew that there was an academic team appointed by the royal family behind every academic paper he wrote. However, no matter what, he got his degree.


    For this matter, the Holy Golden Palace started building momentum half a year in advance. Many people privately speculated that the reason for the Crown Prince¡¯s sudden visit to the border was to avoid the Second Prince¡¯s graduation season.


    Having been accustomed to the Holy Golden Palace¡¯s attitude, Xiu responded calmly after hearing this: ¡°It seems that His Majesty has not changed his mind. Well, if there really is such a force that can compete with us, how can Alfred, a prince who has lost power, gain support from others? Even if things were reversed two years ago, it would not threaten my status as the Crown Prince. On the contrary, in the eyes of everyone, I am still the one who interceded for him back then.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness is right. No one would dare risk offending the Crown Prince by helping him behind his back.¡±


    ¡°Now he is the weakest one. Unless he shows some winning chips, no one will dare stand with him.¡± There was a hint of arrogance and disdain in Xiu¡¯s tone. ¡°But, where does he have any winning chips?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what happened today. I¡¯m about to go out and announce the results of the interrogation soon.¡± Austin said, tapping on a concealed headset in his ear.


    He was the only one in this completely closed military interrogation room right now, or in other words, he was the only living person.


    Several assassins¡¯ bodies lay at his feet, but he seemed familiar with this sense.


    ¡°Dad, have you figured it out yet?¡± Austin said. ¡°What has happened in the past two years can barely be interpreted as being loyal to the empire. But what is to be done next will really tie us to the Third Prince in the same boat.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± His father, Marshal Stone, replied calmly through the headset, ¡°Whatever he commands, just do it without worrying about getting yourself into it.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Austin agreed without hesitation, but then asked for clarification, ¡°Can you give me a thorough understanding, Dad? I¡¯m not a kid anymore. I admit that he is not the same as before, and now he does have some fighting power. I have been in contact with him for two years, and I also recognize his personal ability. But this kind of thing, from ancient times to the present, has not been won by personal ability alone. Perhaps he can win against the Second Prince who is a fool. But I can¡¯t see his winning chance against the Crown Prince. What made you decide to stake our family¡¯s fate on him?¡±


    After a moment of silence, the deep male voice in the headset said: ¡°He will win. Because he has an unbeatable card.¡±

 CH 10

    Three days later, at the headquarters of the largest news media called ¡°Xuezhisheng¡± in XueLi Star.


    In front of the editor-in-chief¡¯s office, a man was pacing back and forth anxiously. He had a press card hanging on his chest and was one of the reporters present when the prince visited the school that day.


    Not long after, a tall woman walked briskly over. At first glance, she was a XueLi Star local, naturally tall and burly. This was not a genetic ability, but a result of natural selection to adapt to the climate.


    The reporter hurriedly greeted her: ¡°Editor-in-Chief, you are here! Just now the garrison corps and the Ministry of Public Security jointly announced the interrogation results¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen it.¡± The tall woman said, ¡°Come in and let¡¯s talk.¡±


    The two entered the editor-in-chief¡¯s office. The woman sat behind the desk, but the man couldn¡¯t sit still, somewhat excitedly saying: ¡°Now it is confirmed that it was the rebels with no doubt. What the Third Prince said that day has been confirmed! Didn¡¯t His Royal Highness ask us to wait for the results of the interrogation that day? Now that there are results, what did the prince say?¡±


    The editor-in-chief responded coldly: ¡°The prince didn¡¯t say much. I contacted the prince¡¯s palace, and the people at the palace said that we should remember the prince¡¯s instructions that day. Can¡¯t you hear what the prince meant that day?¡±


    The reporter¡¯s excited expression froze on his face, and he was discouraged in an instant. After a while, he cautiously spoke again: ¡°But, what about His Highness the Third Prince¡¯s side¡­¡±


    He turned his head cautiously to confirm that the door was closed, and lowered his voice: ¡°Didn¡¯t the Third Prince secretly contact you two days ago? Didn¡¯t you ask me to prepare the manuscript, saying there was still a chance it could be published?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s what the Third Prince said, not me.¡± The editor-in-chief replied, also a little annoyed.


    At that time, she thought that the Third Prince was putting pressure on her, and she had euphemistically expressed the intention that they could not act against the Crown Prince¡¯s will. But the Third Prince only said: ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to publish it now. I¡¯m just reminding you to be fully prepared so that you can seize the opportunity when it comes. You only need to wait for a signal, and whether to publish it or not is your own choice.¡±


    The editor-in-chief at that time asked: ¡°Your Highness, what is the signal?¡±


    ¡°When that signal comes, you will know it naturally.¡±


    The communication ended like this.


    Although this attitude is not tough, it still made the editor-in-chief feel uncomfortable for two days.


    She recounted the conversation that day to the chief reporter in front of her. The reporter pondered: ¡°The signal¡­could it be the interrogation results? This is indeed a powerful proof for the Third Prince. Now the Third Prince wants us to publish it, but the Crown Prince doesn¡¯t. What should we do?¡±


    The editor-in-chief rubbed her forehead with her hand and murmured to herself: ¡°Let me think about it again¡­ This matter must be handled carefully. If we are not careful¡­¡±


    The reporter made no noise to disturb her. Those who worked in this field were much more sensitive to many things than most civilians.


    The current emperor¡¯s reputation among the people is not good. As the three princes had grown up, some things had quietly begun. If they accidentally stood on the wrong side, then¡­


    The hasty knock on the door startedled the two people who were lost in thought inside.


    The reporter opened the door and reprimanded dissatisfiedly: ¡°Why knock on the door so hard?!¡±


    The assistant editor outside the door didn¡¯t have time to respond to these words. He shouted even louder than him: ¡°Editor-in-chief! Something happened, editor-in-chief! The three planets on the second cantilever have simultaneously burst out news, saying that they had completed a mission to clean up dirty bombs1 (Ô൯: radioactive dispersion device) ¡­¡±


    The editor-in-chief¡¯s brows twitched, and she asked calmly, ¡°What dirty bomb? Where did it come from?¡±


    ¡°There is no detailed report yet, but¡­it seems to be related to the rebel army two years ago. It is said that after the battle two years ago, the Royal Legion stationed on those three planets and worked secretly for two years. And now they have just finished their mission.¡±


    The reporter¡¯s face was half white and half red. He said tremblingly, ¡°Two years? There is also a Royal Legion stationed here for two years¡­¡±


    ¡°Rebels¡­dirty bombs¡­two years¡­¡± the editor-in-chief said quickly and anxiously. ¡°I see. I understand now. This is, this is the signal!¡±


    The assistant editor didn¡¯t understand, so he asked, ¡°Editor-in-Chief, what signal?¡±


    ¡°The signal of a change.¡± The reporter added, he had already figured it out, and said in a trembling voice, ¡°Editor-in-Chief, shall we publish the article now?¡±


    The editor-in-chief stopped, and the other two didn¡¯t dare disturb her thoughts. They all waited with bated breath.


    Two days ago, the Third Prince¡¯s words echoed in the editor-in-chief¡¯s ears again: ¡°I¡¯ve read your resume. With your talents, you really shouldn¡¯t be stuck in a border news agency for your entire life. I know that you are just suffering from lack of promotion channels. It might seem meaningless to you that I am saying this today. After all, even I am still stuck here. It doesn¡¯t matter. Please contact me when you think my words make sense.¡±


    After a few seconds, the editor-in-chief made a decision.


    She said sternly: ¡°Publish the article, publish it now! Publish it before anyone else does!¡±


    Without saying anything, the reporter turned around and rushed to his office.


    Then she turned to her assistant and said decisively, ¡°Did we record in the museum that day?¡±


    This was something strictly forbidden by the Royal Family. The assistant trembled and whispered: ¡°Yes, basically the whole process was recorded¡­ from the first arrow being strung to the resolution of the incident¡­¡±


    The editor-in-chief asked: ¡°Where is the video stored?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t dare store it on any internet-connected device, so I bought an old storage disk and saved it there.¡±


    ¡°Give it to me.¡± The editor-in-chief said decisively.


    Within a day, the two pieces of news that broke out on the second cantilever exploded and set off a public outcry.


    The rebel army spent years secretly deploying dirty bombs on several planets, and the Third Prince was threatened with detonating dirty bombs three years ago. In order to protect the majority of people in the empire, the small asteroid was reluctantly sacrificed and the remote control center was destroyed at a critical moment. In the following two years, in order to avoid causing public panic, he silently endured the criticism of the whole nation and the frantic pursuit of the rebel army, and personally participated in the follow-up cleanup work. It was rumoured that there was also a military force stationed on XueLi Star for two years under the guise of ¡°training¡±.


    ¡ª¡ªThis was the conclusion most people reached after the two news stories broke out one after another.


    Whether it was the planet where the cleanup task had already been announced as completed, or the planet where there happened to be a military force that had been stationed there for two years, the public was boiling with emotions. They simply saw the Third Prince as their savior and regarded him as their second parent.


    Even if they are not residents of these planets, most of them cursed the Third Prince two years ago. But now that the truth had been revealed, they felt guilty and the public opinion naturally rebounded in a retaliatory manner.


    Not to mention that the next day, a video was also circulated from the XueLi Star. Although the picture quality was very blurry, the image was shaking, and it was almost impossible to see the face clearly, the previous press releases served as commentary and it did not prevent anyone from understanding what had happened.


    The members of the royal family had always been abstract symbols in the hearts of ordinary people. And today, it was found out that the more advanced and rare the genetic ability, the more mysterious. This was the first time ordinary people saw a royal family member display the Golden Pupil ability at close range.


    The shock brought on by the visual impact was incomparable to anything.


    For a long time, people did not remember the noble conduct of the eldest prince, nor the superior academic ability of the Second Prince. Instead, they remembered the tall figure standing on the high platform amidst the chaos, his burning dual pupils, the miraculous arrows of light and the giant bow in his hand. And these images were tightly bound together with the magnificent painting behind him, the Great Emperor holding the bow.


    When Austin hurriedly arrived at Alfred¡¯s remote mansion, there was already more than one car parked outside the villa.


    He changed direction without revealing himself, bypassed the front door, and quietly climbed in from the back of the villa.


    When hearing the breaking news, for a moment, Austin felt a chill running through his body. This chill was not due to the climate on XueLi Star, but came from his heart and crawled all over his spine.


    Because he had always thought that XueLi Star was the planet with the fastest mission progress. In the past few days when the Crown Prince landed on XueLi Star, he had been closely monitoring the Legion. Not only did he visit twice in person, but he also kept putting pressure on the media on XueLi Star to ensure that the news would not leak out.


    It is precisely because of this that he and Alfred had conspired several times to discuss how to break through the prince¡¯s heavy blockade and smoothly carry out their plan when the mission ended next month.


    But just while Austin was pretending to be stupid and trying his best to deal with the prince on behalf of the Legion, public opinion suddenly exploded in advance without warning.


    He thought he was the plan maker, but in fact, he was just a chess piece laid down by Alfred when he set up this game.


    Perhaps the young prince was more suitable for that position than he thought¡­ Austin couldn¡¯t tell whether the emotions emerged from him were fear or joy, maybe both.


    He knocked on a window according to the agreed frequency, and soon, Alfred personally opened the window and let him climb in.


    Austin took off his cloak, bowing respectfully: ¡°Your Highness.¡±


    He was a little more reserved than usual. But Alfred seemed not to care, didn¡¯t even ask anything, just sat back on the sofa by the fireplace, saying as usual: ¡°You¡¯re here? Come and sit. Warm up with some wine.


    Austin noticed that he had a bottle of FireKiss wine and two glasses in his hand, but there was no celebration on his face.


    ¡°Your Highness, are you not happy?¡± Austin asked, pouring himself a glass. He didn¡¯t mention the matter of being kept inside a drum2 (ÃÉÔÚ¹ÄÀï: A metaphor for being deceived and not knowing the truth about a situation.) at all, and said as usual: ¡°The plan went smoothly. Why don¡¯t you even have a smile on your face?¡±


    ¡°I have a feeling lately¡­that something isn¡¯t quite right,¡± Alfred said.


    He lightly shook the wine glass, and the blood-red FireKiss wine swayed inside. His light brown eyes revealed no emotions.


    ¡°Austin, don¡¯t you think we have been too successful these past two years?¡±

 CH 11

    Austin was stunned for a moment and blurted out: ¡°You haven¡¯t had a good time in the past two years.¡±


    Indeed, anyone who looked at it would think Alfred had been unlucky in the past two years. The young prince, who was originally pampered, was exiled to this harsh border, with hardly any servants around him. All his titles and honours were stripped away. No matter how they looked at it, he was at the lowest point in his life.


    And Austin knew more. For example, he knew that Alfred had not actually been staying in XueLi Star for the past two years, but had been secretly shuttling back and forth between various planets with dirty bombs buried on them. Sometimes Austin knew what he had done and who he had met, and sometimes he didn¡¯t.


    Now thinking about it, those things he knew should also be questioned. After all, the sudden news of the second cantilever must have been planned at that time. However, Austin had never heard a word from Alfred about it.


    Over the past two years, Austin traveled to and from XueLi Star several times, in fact, secretly bringing Alfred out and back.


    Generally, no one would arrange multiple interstellar trips in a short period of time, because the huge changes in climate and time difference were a great test for both physical and mental health. Ordinary people would need a lot of time to make just one interstellar journey.


    But Alfred¡¯s time and opportunities were precious, and his itinerary was always tight. If not for the fact that he was born with excellent advanced genes, coupled with his two years of masochistic exercise, his physical fitness would have been completely exhausted long ago.


    Austin thought he could endure hardships. He underwent rigorous military training at a young age. He passed the internal assessment of the secret army ¡°Mirror¡±, and then rose all the way with his hard strength, while disguising himself as having used his father¡¯s connections.


    The Stone family¡¯s situation under this emperor was not good. In the last two generations, their private relationship with the royal family members was not close, and the position of head of the family was too high. If it weren¡¯t for the hidden danger of the rebels, plus the fact that Austin, the heir of the grand marshal, was a useless playboy, the top echelon of the legion would have been reshuffled long ago.


    Training, managing the legion, acting, and calculating, Austin thought he had a tough life, until he saw with his own eyes how Alfred had lived through these two years.


    After witnessing these hardships, he truly believed that the past two years had not been ¡°smooth¡±.


    Alfred raised his head and finished the remaining wine in the glass, saying, ¡°It¡¯s a feeling. I can¡¯t explain it to you.¡±


    Austin said helplessly: ¡°If you don¡¯t say anything, of course I won¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s talk about the Prince¡¯s visit to the school a few days ago.¡± Alfred said, ¡°Have you read the report?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    ¡°Perfect, right? Almost every sentence has the effect I want, even if I write it myself.¡±


    Austin said: ¡°But the report only faithfully recounted the situation that day, and the actual situation was like that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ the actual situation was so flawless.¡± Alfred said slowly, ¡°Don¡¯t you find it strange? Every aspect of this matter, every single one, went off without a hitch.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because we¡¯ve been preparing for it for two years.¡± Austin hesitated for a moment, and then continued, ¡°And I¡¯ll tell you the truth, don¡¯t be upset¡­¡±


    He stopped and waited for Alfred¡¯s response. Alfred glanced at him, suddenly laughed, saying: ¡°When did you use this set of words with your brother? Say it if you want to!¡±


    Austin said: ¡°The prince came in a hurry this time. The biggest reason why it was so smooth that day was obviously that my father¡¯s people intercepted the Prince¡¯s plan in advance and cleared up the relationship with the school for you.¡± He also laughed and punched Alfred¡¯s shoulder with his fist, as usual. ¡°My dad put a lot of effort into it, even sending me to you for your use. Now you say that it was too successful and you can¡¯t find the reason, don¡¯t you think that¡¯s a bit ungrateful?¡±


    Alfred poured himself a drink with a smile. ¡°Okay, okay, I thought too much. I¡¯ll punish myself with a drink. I said¡ª don¡¯t tell your father about this.¡±


    What do I need this mouth for?¡± Austin clinked glasses with him. ¡°Besides, even if I did, my father would only appreciate your careful consideration. He always tells me in private that the young prince¡¯s actions suit the taste of our Stone family. To say something presumptuous, it¡¯s quite reminiscent of his own youth.¡±


    Alfred laughed, but when the liquor slipped down his throat, the smile at the corner of his mouth suddenly froze.


    ¡°Do I look like your dad?¡± he asked.


    Austin said: ¡°You¡¯re quite like my dad¡­ Wait, why does it sound like you¡¯re taking advantage of me?¡±


    Alfred said again: ¡°Your father really helped me with all his heart¡­¡± He looked at Austin, his speech slowing down. ¡°Why?¡±


    Austin felt that Alfred¡¯s mood was a bit erratic today, but he was used to it. He and the young prince weren¡¯t very close before. But in the past two years, Alfred had been somewhat unpredictable and moody.


    Moreover, after what happened this time, Austin not only learned that Alfred had too many plans that he hadn¡¯t informed him about, but also that this young prince was even more suspicious than he had thought.


    ¡°I have asked this question before, and he always said that he had his reasons and thought that you had a high chance of winning. Moreover, once the rebel army is eliminated, His Majesty is likely to reorganize the Royal Legion. Our family can only bet on his successor.¡± Austin said as calmly as possible, not wanting to provoke his inexplicable temper. ¡°A few days ago, my father told me that the reason why he made up his mind to choose you in the first place was that you showed him a Trump card two years ago.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that.¡± Alfred seemed to have drunk too much, and said absent-mindedly, ¡°That¡¯s right. He saw my Trump card, so he should trust me. By the way, come on, let me show you something.¡±


    He led Austin to his study, and pulled out a dagger from a drawer.


    ¡°The cold weapon of the ancient XueLi Star is well-known throughout the empire.¡± Alfred threw the dagger at Austin. ¡°Someone just gave it to me this morning. XueLi Star¡¯s most prestigious ancient weapons factory made it. It is a one-of-a-kind design.¡±


    Austin looked at the expensive and gorgeous scabbard of the dagger and said, ¡°Wow, Your Highness, is there someone here to make connections with you so soon?¡±


    ¡°Not just one person. You should have seen it when you came in. There is more than one person who can sniff out the direction of the wind with a sensitive nose. Joshua is downstairs helping me deal with them. Our empire is ancient, but it is a new era now¡­ Many people hope to seize the opportunity and change their social status.¡± Alfred casually took another sip of his wine and said, ¡°Why are you just watching? Open the blade and try it out. I don¡¯t need this, so I¡¯ll give it to you.¡±


    Austin didn¡¯t refuse, and said with a smile: ¡°Then I won¡¯t be polite to you.¡±


    The Stone family had been in the military for generations, so they were naturally happy to see this kind of cold weapon. Austin pulled the dagger out of the scabbard, and tested the blade habitually by lightly pressing his fingertips against it.


    He suddenly felt a slight pain in his fingertips, and Alfred quickly leaned over to grab his hand, saying, ¡°Wait, what are you doing?!¡±


    However, it was too late. Blood had already dripped from Austin¡¯s fingertips onto the desk.


    ¡°Hiss¡ªwhat¡¯s wrong with this blade?!¡± exclaimed Austin in surprise.


    Alfred stood up and said, ¡°There is a tiny amount of laser light on the blade, which cannot be touched. This is a combination of the latest technology and ancient craftsmanship. Why do you think there is only one made?¡±


    Austin complained helplessly: ¡°No, this is not a cold weapon. Why didn¡¯t you remind me?¡±


    ¡°I was thinking of giving you a surprise when you tested the knife. Who knew you¡¯d use your finger to test it?¡± Alfred let go of his hand, ¡°You really scared me. Wait, I¡¯ll get you the first aid kit and bandage it.¡±


    Austin waved his hand and said: ¡°No, no, you know our family¡¯s genes. It¡¯s nothing more than a small wound.¡±


    He really didn¡¯t take this small injury to heart. Alfred asked: ¡°Are you really okay?¡±


    ¡°I am fine,¡± said Austin. ¡°There¡¯s blood all over the desk. Let me clean it up for you. There will be a time when Joshua will come in and see that. We won¡¯t be able to explain it.¡±


    ¡°No, he won¡¯t enter my study.¡± Alfred said, pressing his head with one hand. ¡°I drank a little too much just now, and the alcohol is getting stronger. Alright, don¡¯t worry, I will clean up by myself soon.¡±


    This little incident did not bother Austin too much. He had already achieved the purpose of coming here today, which was to confirm Alfred¡¯s attitude¡ª¡ª Since nothing had changed as he expected, and the cooperation continued as planned, he could leave with confidence.


    Austin didn¡¯t see that after he left, Alfred stared at the few drops of blood left on the desk, with a clear expression, without the slightest bit of drunkenness.


    He didn¡¯t think for too long, and quickly made a call.


    After greeting each other, the other side said: ¡°Your Highness, the last time you contacted me was two years ago. How can I help you this time?¡±


    ¡°I remember that two years ago, I left a blood sample with you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    Alfred said: ¡°Good. I will send you another blood sample soon, and you can help me do a genetic test.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness. What are we testing this time?¡±


    ¡°Testing if ¡­¡± Alfred said each word carefully. ¡°This person and I have any blood relationship.¡±

 CH 12

    The most upscale hotel in XueLi Star was newly decorated today.


    The long tables covered with lace tablecloths were adorned with exquisite and tasty dishes and desserts, while tall waiters in tuxedos and bowties carried wine glasses and plates, weaving through the distinguished guests.


    The lively and grand banquet was held to welcome the Crown Prince¡¯s first visit to the XueLi Star ¨C or at least that was the nominal reason.


    As for why the Crown Prince only remembered to hold a welcome banquet after staying in XueLi Star for several days, and why there were even more people going to greet the Third Prince than the Crown Prince, these things, seen by those who paid attention, became signals that the wind direction had changed.


    As the banquet reached the second half, the Crown Prince¡¯s place became more and more deserted, while more and more people clamoured for a chance to meet the Third Prince.


    Although the official had not yet issued an explanation for the incident two years ago, it did not prevent people from heaping praise on the Third Prince. Some secretly inquired about his next move, some avoided this matter and merely sought to establish a connection, and some even asked with concerns when the cleanup mission of XueLi Star would finally end.


    Alfred cast a meaningful glance at Joshua. Joshua quickly came forward to make up a reason for him to get out, and took over the crowd who were talking to him.


    ¡°Are you done?¡± Mei asked when he saw him coming out of the crowd, holding his arm.


    Mei was wearing a thick and complicated red dress today, which looked warm and conservative. However, he was naturally handsome and fair-skinned, and with makeup and adornments, he also attracted many glances.


    Alfred playfully tugged at his wig, and said: ¡°I¡¯ve seen everything I wanted to see. The rest I don¡¯t want to see, can be left to my subordinates to deal with.¡±


    Mei said in a female voice, ¡°Then what about me¡­¡±


    ¡°Look at the local woman in a black halter behind me,¡± Alfred said.


    It is easy to tell the difference between locals and non-locals. First of all, XueLi Star natives, both male and female, are tall and pale-skinned. Secondly, although the temperature in the banquet hall has been adjusted and it is still cold, which is only equivalent to the winter of an ordinary habitable planet, it is already comfortable for XueLi Star people, and most of them dress coolly in this temperature-adjusted banquet hall.


    Mei glanced at it calmly, and said, ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the editor-in-chief of ¡°Xuezhisheng¡±, the largest news agency on the XueLi Star,¡± Alfred said. ¡°But she won¡¯t stay in that position forever. It could be as short as a few months, or as long as one or two years. However, she will definitely occupy a place in the media industry on the main planet. As far as I know, she also has some good contacts in the entertainment industry. Her social status will rise rapidly in the next year or two. These contacts will inevitably become wider. Do you know what I¡¯m talking about?¡±


    Mei¡¯s eyes lit up, and he nodded vigorously.


    ¡°Go ahead and say I sent you to her,¡± Alfred said. ¡°According to the contract, I have given you the opportunity. Whether or not you can seize it and become famous depends on your own ability.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Mei nodded, ¡°Then, you have already paid the fee, and we are even.¡±


    He curtsed Alfred. His posture was surprisingly soft and elegant. Alfred couldn¡¯t help but wonder if he hadn¡¯t known from the beginning that this was a man, he wouldn¡¯t have doubted his gender at all.


    This person was really talented at acting. Maybe he could really become the so-called ¡°superstar of the times¡±¡­ Alfred looked at his back and subconsciously thought: By then, he will be even more useful.


    Then he suddenly froze.


    When he saw that a young man might be able to achieve his dreams, his first reaction was that he would become more useful.


    Alfred slowly clenched the wine glass in his hand, and raised his eyes to see Xiu.


    Xiu¡¯s gaze also focused on Mei.


    He still had a calm expression on his face, but he was actually a little irritable. After all, Alfred¡¯s social circle has been strictly screened by him since he was a child. Even his friends were carefully selected, not to mention friends with such special relationships.


    According to the information he found, this girl is a commoner, without any genetic ability. She has always been studying on the second cantilever, never having been to several main planets. Regardless of background, vision or ability, she is not a good candidate.


    Alfred had never been in love before, and Xiu thought it was a beautiful first love, but today he changed his mind.


    Alfred came to this banquet alone, without a female companion, and the lady entered later in a low-key manner. Alfred performed brilliantly at this banquet, but he never introduced this lady to others even once.


    Xiu knew Alfred well. His behavior would never be the same if it were a passionate love that could make him ignore his identity.


    It is very likely that Xiu thought with a gloomy expression that she was just a bed partner¡­ This is even more troublesome.


    Thanks to His Majesty, the public already had a bad impression of the royal family¡¯s private life. If Alfred were to reveal such news, it would definitely be a big blow to his image.


    Xiu was thinking about it, when suddenly he saw Alfred walking outside.


    Alfred walked to an empty place and answered his communicator.


    ¡°Good evening, Your Majesty,¡± he laughed. ¡°Receiving your private communication makes me really nervous. Even as your son, this is the first time for me.¡±


    The most honorable person in the current empire spoke on his handheld device: ¡°My communication officer sent you a letter. Didn¡¯t you see it?¡±


    ¡°Restore my Duke title, and want me to issue a statement saying that everything in the past two years was arranged by the royal family? I saw it all,¡± he said. ¡°But Your Majesty, why should I make such a statement? Honesty is a valuable trait, isn¡¯t it? The fact is that you convicted me without hearing my explanation back then. It was not that you temporarily wronged me for the sake of avoiding panic.¡±


    Two heavy gasps came from the handheld device, and then the emperor said, ¡°Tell me, what do you want?¡±


    Alfred smiled and said: ¡°I haven¡¯t spoken much with His Majesty, and I didn¡¯t expect Your Majesty to be so straightforward. So let me say it directly. Duke is not enough. I want the honorable title of Prince, and also the commander of the Royal Legion.¡±


    ¡°That is the privilege reserved for the Crown Prince.¡± The emperor said coldly.


    ¡°I know.¡± Alfred said.


    The emperor said: ¡°It¡¯s good that you know. Give up on that idea. Do you think if you don¡¯t issue a statement, I can¡¯t characterize things?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, my statement is just to make your prepared explanation sound more credible. But in fact, how to explain this matter is still up to you, not me. Whether I say it or not, it is not that important.¡± Alfred suddenly changed the topic and said, ¡°By the way, you say it is a coincidence that the eldest sons of the Grand Marshal, the High Priest, and Your Majesty are all gathered on XueLi Star now. I¡¯m at a banquet right now. The director of XueLi Star¡¯s Public Security Bureau just came to me for a drink. He said the border was bitterly cold and law and order were chaotic. Anything could happen. I reminded him just now to strengthen security management and not let the distinguished guests have any accidents.¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy?¡± the Emperor growled in a low voice.


    ¡°Not yet.¡± Alfred smiled. ¡°But if I don¡¯t get the compensation I want, I might really go crazy. After all, the past two years have not been good. Well, you should think about it, and we will talk later.¡±


    Xiu suspected he had taken the wrong path.


    The surrounding scenery became more and more strange. Now there was a place that sounded like a brothel.¡±


    Alfred walked out of the banquet intentionally. It was impossible for him to come to such a place.


    Xiu took a breath of cold air, shivered uncontrollably, and turned around to go back.


    The Crown Prince¡¯s ceremonial dress was out of place here. Two drunken guests were about to enter a shop when they spotted him.


    Ordinary people wouldn¡¯t recognize the royal dress. They only saw that the waistline of this luxurious garment made this handsome man even more striking.


    ¡°Is this a guest or¡­¡± One person said to the other ambiguously, ¡°Waiter?¡±


    The other replied: ¡°It looks like a foreigner, probably a tourist.¡±


    Xiu overheard their arguments but ignored them, and just walked back on his own.


    This ceremonial dress is the main planet¡¯s winter dress. It is not suitable for wearing on a planet with an extreme climate like the XueLi Star. Even in the banquet hall, Xiu felt extremely cold but endured it for the sake of appearances. Now that he was outside, it was so cold that he couldn¡¯t hold it anymore.


    The two customers were about to enter the shop when they heard someone collapse in the snow.


    When Alfred returned to the banquet, the first thing he noticed was that Xiu was missing.


    He had been about to find Xiu when the emperor¡¯s communication interrupted him. So he stepped out to take the call, but when he returned, he couldn¡¯t find Xiu.


    He looked around the venue, and Austin approached him through the crowd, whispering: ¡°I saw the Crown Prince follow you out just now. What¡¯s the matter, are you okay?¡±


    Alfred frowned and said, ¡°Did the Crown Prince follow me out?¡±


    He had learned anti-reconnaissance in military school and received additional training in two years. He was sure that no one was following and eavesdropping when he spoke to the emperor just now.


    He thought for a moment, then had him monitor the venue while he slipped out the back door again.


    The road behind the banquet hall of this big hotel was forked. Since Xiu didn¡¯t follow him, he must have taken the wrong path. And the other path led down two streets to XueLi Star¡¯s famous red-light district.


    When Xue walked to the red light district, he should have found he had taken the wrong way. Therefore, he would have turned back and returned to the banquet hall. But there was still no sign of Xiu¡­


    Alfred¡¯s mind was a little messed up, feeling that this unexpected incident had made things out of his control. In the past two years, he had rarely experienced this sense of helplessness.


    Without thinking carefully about consequences, Alfred followed his instincts and ran.

 CH 13

    Alfred turned a corner and saw Xiu at a glance.


    The Crown Prince¡¯s ceremonial dress was still on him, but he wasn¡¯t standing as tall and upright as usual. Instead, he was supported by two tall men, one on each side. His usual, slightly reserved and handsome face was buried deep, his head hung weakly, showing off a slender and white neck.


    For a moment, Alfred even felt that he was ¡°crazy¡± as the emperor had said. This was a scene he had imagined.


    As long as he could remember, Xiu had always been calm and steady, aloof and unapproachable. During his nineteen years as a minor, Xiu had always been his strongest support, and during his two years as an adult, Xiu had become his most terrifying enemy.


    He had never seen Xiu like this before, unconscious and at the mercy of others, looking so powerless and helpless.


    Alfred felt deeply offended.


    For more than two years, day and night, he had been thinking about Xiu, thinking about how to take revenge on him, how to take away his glory, how to step on him and crush his eternal calm mask, and how to shatter his pride and dignity, enjoying his fragility and helplessness.


    But how could this fragile and helpless gesture that he had been longing for and dreaming of be so easily presented in front of irrelevant people?


    This was supposed to be his trophy!


    Two drunken customers were walking towards the shop with Xiu on their shoulders, when one of them was suddenly slapped on the shoulder from behind.


    As soon as he turned his head, he didn¡¯t even see who it was, when he was hit in the abdomen with a sudden explosion of pain.


    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±


    The opponent punched so fast that he didn¡¯t even realise he had been hit until he curled up on the ground, screaming in agony.


    His companion was already drunk and sluggish, not yet realising what had happened. All he felt was a lightness on his shoulder. The person he was holding was pulled away with an irresistible force.


    Alfred quickly grabbed the person back into his arms with one hand. He felt that Xiu wasn¡¯t completely unconscious, and weakly trembled in his arms. When he thought he had trembled like this on someone else¡¯s shoulder just moments before, the anger in his heart rose. With his other hand, he grabbed the collar of the standing man.


    ¡°Where are you going to take him?¡±


    The drunk pointed at the shop behind him and said, ¡°Here! Wait, who are you? How do you beat someone?¡±


    Behind him was a peach-colored establishment.


    ¡°What the fuck¨C¡± Alfred could not help but curse, his eyes turning faintly golden. He took a deep breath, suppressing his genetic ability that was about to explode, and asked coldly: ¡°What did you do to him? Did you drug him?¡±


    ¡°Drug him? We didn¡¯t ah__¡±


    ¡°¡ª¡ªIt is hypothermia!¡± The man who fell to the ground woke up from the pain and shouted, ¡°Hypothermia! You can die if you fall in the snow. Several tourists die from hypothermia every year! We kindly rescued him and wanted to say we would take him inside to warm up. You¡­ you, ouch, it hurts. I want to call the police! The police!¡±


    The atmosphere was awkward for a while.


    Alfred calmed down, and put his hand on Xiu¡¯s neck to feel his pulse.


    Slow heart rate, shallow breathing, cold skin, shivering from time to time, and partial loss of consciousness were indeed signs of hypothermia.


    Hypothermia could be fatal if left untreated. He immediately said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, brother. Someone will come to compensate you later.¡± Then he picked up Xiu and rushed into the shop behind them.


    ¡°Early signs of hypothermia.¡± Alfred said quickly to the receptionist who welcomed them. ¡°Give me a room. It should be small, and the temperature should be high. Be quiet. I¡¯ll give you triple¡ªno, ten times the room rate. Just keep your mouth shut and I¡¯ll give you ten times the tip when I leave, understand?¡±


    The waiter saw this posture and was about to ask what was going on. But after hearing this, he said very tactfully: ¡°I understand. I have never seen you two.¡±


    As workers in this gray industry were used to strange things, they knew what to say and what not to say. After receiving the money, the room Alfred requested was ready soon.


    Fearing that the temperature would rise too slowly, he specifically requested the smallest room, with only a small bed between a double and single bed size. There was not even a chair, let alone a table. The furniture was simple and straight to the point.


    As Alfred searched for a gap to broadcast the communication, he covered his body with the quilt.


    ¡°Hello? Oh¡­¡± He glanced at the unconscious Xiu and paused, refraining from calling Austin¡¯s name. ¡°Come over immediately. The address has been sent to you. There are two drunks at the entrance. There was a misunderstanding and I hit one of them just now. Yes, it was a misunderstanding. Give them as much as they want. As soon as you¡¯re done, return to the banquet immediately and say that the Crown Prince couldn¡¯t handle his liquor, so we left first.¡±


    The temperature has already risen. Although Alfred requested a higher temperature, the high temperature of XueLi Star could not even reach the normal temperature of a habitable planet. Xiu¡¯s face turned pale, and the shivering did not stop.


    Seeing that he was not getting better, Alfred sat on the edge of the bed and patted the side of his neck, saying: ¡°Don¡¯t die, I¡¯ll call a doctor for you now.¡±


    As he was about to contact the doctor, upon hearing the word ¡®doctor,¡¯ Xiu somehow found the strength to suddenly raise his hand and grab onto Alfred¡¯s formal wear cuff.


    He seemed to be awakened by a specific word, like a hypnotized person. Struggling to open his eyes, he said weakly and tremblingly, ¡°No, no¡­ can¡¯t call a doctor¡­¡±


    Alfred allowed him to weakly grasp his cuff without shaking him off. He said calmly, ¡°They won¡¯t draw your blood.¡±


    Xiu still stubbornly muttered and repeated: ¡°You can¡¯t call a doctor, you can¡¯t¡­¡±


    Listen.¡± Alfred tightened his grip on Xiu¡¯s wrist. Unlike Xiu¡¯s limp and weak grip, Alfred held on with absolute and overpowering strength that did not allow for any struggle. He leaned in close to Xiu¡¯s ear and sneered in a low voice, ¡°Of course I know you don¡¯t dare see a doctor. But today, you can rest assured that I have no intention of revealing the little secret in your genes to the public just yet.¡±


    Xiu completely lost his usual wisdom. His breathing and heartbeat became slow, and his thoughts were slow. He just kept repeating the same sentence ¨C ¡°can¡¯t call a doctor¡±.


    His consciousness was even deteriorated. If this continued, he might not have been able to hold on until the doctor arrived.


    Alfred made a decision, and in three or four quick movements, he took off his formal wear and undershirt, revealing a smooth and powerful muscular body.


    His eyes turned brilliant gold, and the gold in his eyes flickered like flames. The air around him gradually heated up.


    Alfred tugged at Xiu¡¯s dress a few times, but found it difficult to remove while the other party was unconscious and unable to cooperate. He became impatient and tore it open directly.


    Xiu was somewhat thin. Alfred had never realized this before, even though they had been close brothers for almost twenty years, and they could be regarded as having grown up together. This was actually the first time he had seen Xiu naked.


    But at this moment, he didn¡¯t have time to admire anyone¡¯s figure. He sat on the bed and hugged Xiu, covering both of them with a quilt to keep them warm.


    A scorching chest pressed against the icy skin.


    Xiu trembled for a moment, and unconsciously reached out to embrace the hot body, trying to get as close to him as possible.


    Alfred lowered his head to look at him and found that Xiu was snuggled tightly in his arms, like a drowning man who had finally grasped straw.


    Alfred¡¯s gaze shifted from Xiu¡¯s slender neck to his white and thin shoulders, where the delicate bone lines disappeared into the blanket.


    For some reason, Alfred grabbed Xiu¡¯s neck. This was a deadly move, but Xiu didn¡¯t struggle at all. Instead, he clung to him even tighter¡ª¡ª Under the deliberate influence of the golden pupils, Alfred¡¯s palms were also burning hot.


    This was almost a kind of encouragement. Alfred continued downward, kneading the other person¡¯s shoulders, then stroking his distinct spine inch by inch.


    The aloof Crown Prince, the majestic and self-reliant elder brother, was now like a bird with broken wings. In the end, all he could do was curl up in his embrace and let him do whatever he wanted.


    It has to be said that Alfred had fantasized many times about the Crown Prince¡¯s embarrassed appearance after being defeated by him. He also fantasized about how to deal with Xiu after he had seized power. Would he send him to prison or exile him, or publicly rebuke him in front of the clan? But no matter how many times he fantasized, he never thought about this scenario¡­


    Alfred¡¯s throat moved, and his golden pupils seemed to burn even more intensely.


    Why not? That¡¯s how it should be ¡­ he thought, this was his booty, and he could do whatever he wanted. Not yet, but one day, one day ¡­


    The person in his arms suddenly moved, pulling him back from his drifting thoughts.


    Xiu¡¯s pale face turned bloody, and he opened his eyes slightly, calling out softly, ¡°Alfred¡­¡±


    Xiu¡¯s fragile and submissive posture pleased Alfred. So he leaned down in a rare moment of kindness and consideration, bringing his ear close to Xiu¡¯s mouth to hear every word of thanks Xiu was going to say to him.


    ¡°Just now, outside, you¡­¡±


    He was still very weak. His voice was soft and he spoke slowly. But Alfred was impatient in listening to his retelling of the previous situation. He interrupted and said quickly: ¡°Just now, outside, I rescued you from someone else¡¯s hands, that¡¯s right.¡±


    At the same time, Xiu also finished what he wanted to say.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t swear,¡± he said.

 CH 14

    ¡°I saved your life, and that¡¯s the first thing you said out of danger?¡± Alfred said in disbelief.


    ¡°This is a serious question.¡± Xiu said, ¡°You represent the face of the royal family and cannot behave like this in front of commoners¡ª¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t know who I am, okay?¡± Alfred couldn¡¯t help but raise his voice. ¡°And if you hadn¡¯t passed out like a dying patient, you would have heard me calling for help to clean up the mess! After all, this trouble is your fault, isn¡¯t it? Do you think this is the Holy Golden Palace, and you can just come out and stroll around the back garden when the banquet is boring?¡±


    Xiu paused and whispered: ¡°I took the wrong path¡­¡±


    As he spoke, a faint breath escaped from Xiu¡¯s lips and hit Alfred¡¯s chest, causing him to tremble undetectably.


    Alfred had never trembled in battle, or even when personally involved in cleaning up dirty bombs. However, the weak breath Xiu inadvertently spewed onto his bare chest made him shudder.


    This trembling was not fear; it was more of a kind of¡­ unreasonable excitement.


    He could barely hear what Xiu was saying, but fortunately, Xiu stopped suddenly for some reason.


    A touch of red appeared on Xiu¡¯s originally fair and flawless face. He was completely awake, and finally realized what a state they were in.


    A loud bang echoed in his head, and he almost shouted sharply: ¡°Get down!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Before Alfred could react, he was pushed violently by Xiu without any warning, almost falling off the bed.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± He said angrily, gripping the slender waist of the person in his arms and tightly restraining Xiu.


    In terms of strength, although Xiu was an adult man, no matter how hard he struggled against the top-level genetic heir, it would be of no avail.


    ¡°Still moving around?¡± Alfred pinched his neck, forcing him to raise his head and meet his gaze. ¡°Do you know how much trouble you have caused me? So many people saw you going out with me. If after tonight I¡¯m live and you¡¯re dead, everyone will think I killed the crown prince. Even if I had a hundred mouths, I couldn¡¯t explain.¡±


    Under the fierce glare of the burning golden pupils, Xiu involuntarily felt fear and coldness. This had nothing to do with his own courage; it was natural suppression at the genetic level.


    Under the gaze of the high-level genetic person, it seemed like his thoughts had slowed down because of fear. He asked dizzily: ¡°Is it because of this that you saved me?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± said Alfred, ¡°why else?¡±


    To his surprise, Xiu reached out and gently stroked the side of his face¡ª¡ª After he was ten years old, he seldom did such a thing to establish his manly image.


    The surrounding temperature suddenly dropped, and the golden pupils slowly dimmed.


    Alfred had never used his genetic ability deliberately against an individual like this before. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Xiu was frightened and acted chaotically. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Are you crazy? The golden pupils don¡¯t have this effect¡­¡±


    He said so with his mouth, but for some reason, he didn¡¯t reach out to remove Xiu¡¯s hand.


    Xiu blinked, calmly put down his hands, and said: ¡°For a moment, I feel like you have really grown up. Now that I¡¯m out of danger, you should go down. It¡¯s not decent like this.¡±


    ¡°Decent , face,¡± Alfred sneered, ¡°I¡¯ve wanted to ask you since I was a child. Do you ever get tired of living with all these things stuffed in your head every day?¡±


    He mocked at first, but he didn¡¯t expect Xiu to answer: ¡°Of course I do get tired.¡±


    Alfred was momentarily speechless.


    As his physical condition improved, Xiu regained his calming mask. Even though he was forced to lean against his opponent¡¯s embrace, he forced himself to calm down. Taking a deep breath, he asked slowly: ¡°Who took off my clothes, and has a doctor been here?¡±


    ¡°I took it off. The Crown Prince begged me not to call the doctor, so I dare not disobey his orders.¡± Alfred smirked, ¡°I¡¯m just curious, who helped you conceal the genetic test results when you were born twenty-eight years ago?¡±


    Xiu¡¯s eyes flickered for a moment, and he didn¡¯t argue. He simply asked, ¡°How did you know about this?¡±


    ¡°Of course someone told me.¡± Alfred looked down at him and smiled, ¡°Your Highness, are the people around you really loyal to you?¡±


    Xiu didn¡¯t fall for his trick, and said, ¡°Was it about that bag of blood two years ago?¡±


    Most soldiers who went to the front line would be required to prepare some of their own blood in advance, in case of emergency requiring urgent transfusions.


    Alfred was transferred from the school to the front line two years ago during the eradication of the rebels. After boarding the ship, he went to the medical room to prepare blood. At that time, Xiu happened to be visiting his younger brother and requested to take bag of Alfred¡¯s blood.


    ¡°Don¡¯t keep spare blood in the same place. Leave a bag with me. If something unexpected happens, I am your second insurance.¡± That¡¯s what Xiu said at that time.


    At that time, Alfred was naturally moved by his genuine concern. So he immediately asked to save a bag of Xiu¡¯s spare blood as his ¡°second insurance¡±.


    They exchanged a bag of spare blood. Alfred never expected that that blood bag would eventually be used, but not on Xiu. It was secretly sent for genetic testing.


    That test report became his biggest trump card.


    ¡°Your Highness reacted so quickly. I guess you haven¡¯t been unable to sleep well these past two years because of that bag of blood, right?¡± Alfred said.


    Xiu glanced at him and said, ¡°At that time, I really didn¡¯t expect you to propose a blood exchange.¡±


    ¡°I said, no wonder Your Highness is so eager to kill me. I thought, wouldn¡¯t it be better to kill our dear brother first? But it turns out you suspected I knew a secret I shouldn¡¯t know, and was anxious to kill me.¡±


    Xiu didn¡¯t say a word about it, and Alfred wanted to stab him a few more times when suddenly the handheld communicator rang.


    He glanced at the message sender. Although he could turn on the bone conduction mode for sound transmission, he decided to leave Xiu¡¯s side cautiously before answering.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going out to answer a communication.¡±


    Alfred grumbled as he got out of bed. Most of the quilt¡¯s warmth was generated by him. As soon as he left, the bed instantly became cold. Xiu wrapped himself in the quilt tightly and lowered his gaze, saying: ¡°Hmm.¡±


    The person who called was Alfred¡¯s former exclusive medical officer. The reason for using the term ¡°former¡± was because three years ago, his genetic defect medical experiment was discovered by the Crown Prince. As a result, he was reprimanded by the Crown Prince and expelled from the royal medical team.


    Two years ago, when Alfred left the main star to check his belongings, he found a bag of blood. He wanted to secretly have it tested, but he had no power in his hands. So he remembered the medical officer who had served him for many years and had an old grudge against the Crown Prince.


    ¡°Dites.¡± Alfred answered the communication. ¡°Do you have the results?¡±


    A tiny conduction device implanted in his ear bone transmitted the sound directly into his ear: ¡°Yes, Your Highness. In the paternity test, the specific sequence of this sample¡¯s owner has a genetic match with you that approaches zero, leading to the conclusion that they have no blood relationship with you.¡±


    Alfred exhaled and pinched his eyebrows.


    Dites waited for a few seconds, but did not hear a response, and asked cautiously, ¡°Your Highness? Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­ as expected.¡± Alfred stared blankly and muttered to himself, ¡°So, it¡¯s not him.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, it¡¯s not him?¡±


    Alfred said, ¡°Stop talking. Let me think for a while.¡±


    Dites immediately closed his mouth.


    Alfred had a little doubt before that there might be a bloody plot twist like ¡°the Grand Marshal being his biological father and secretly orchestrating things for himself.¡± But now it seemed that this speculation was absurd.


    Since Marshal Stone had no blood relation with him, everything the Marshal did for him would not be hidden from him. On the contrary, just like Austin¡¯s joking claim that day, they wished to remind Alfred of what the Stone family had paid for him, so as to gain more benefits in return after the event was completed.


    But he didn¡¯t think he was ¡°overthinking¡± this matter, as Austin described it.


    There was no evidence, but he had a vague intuition that someone in a higher position was quietly controlling the entire situation for him.


    Alfred slowly went through everything again, and his personal physician remained silent on the other side without saying a word.


    Finally, Alfred said: ¡°Dites, are you still on the neighboring star of XueLi?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± Dites replied.


    Alfred said: ¡°Go back to the central planet. Set off in two days. I¡¯ve got someone to prepare a house and a medical laboratory for you.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness?¡± Dites yelled in surprise, and then realized, ¡°Are you going back to the main star?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Alfred said, ¡°it¡¯s happening soon.¡±


    Alfred returned to the room, and Xiu had already dressed¡ª¡ª His imperial prince¡¯s ceremonial robe was torn apart, and now he was wearing the prince¡¯s ceremonial robe that Alfred took off in the room.


    ¡°My people have arrived nearby to pick me up.¡± Xiu said.


    On the main planet, his height and build were actually very standard. But compared to someone like Alfred, who was tall and robust, he was obviously smaller. Alfred looked at the ill-fitting attire wrapping around Xiu and despite not exerting any power, he still felt a little hot.


    ¡°¡­You wear this, what am I going to wear when I go out later?¡± He said, grasping at straws for conversation.


    Xiu adjusted his appearance in the mirror, and said lightly, ¡°You can ask Austin to bring you some clothes.¡±


    The charm in Alfred¡¯s mind dissipated all of a sudden, he turned his gaze to Xiu, and said with a faint smile: ¡°What did Your Highness say? He is your entourage this time. How can I summon the Crown Prince¡¯s entourage?¡±


    Xiu stared at his reflection in the mirror, and continued: ¡°I had someone find the injured person in a nearby hospital and give him some money to reveal the appearance of the person who dealt with this matter¡ªAlfred, you are still too careless.¡±

 CH 15

    The next day, inside Alfred¡¯s villa.


    Austin sat across from Alfred, and the two had a drink on the balcony.


    When it was cold outside on the XueLi Star, the ¡°open-air balcony¡± seemed very inhumane. Not to mention sitting on the balcony and drinking ¨C it was impossible for any liquid to remain unfrozen.


    Austin swallowed a sip of his drink with ice residue and began to suspect that Alfred was chastising him for his incompetence.


    But, immediately after, Alfred raised his head and downed a glass, leaving Austin uncertain again.


    After much deliberation, he took the initiative to speak: ¡°Your Highness, I apologize for not thinking thoroughly yesterday.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not all your fault. I didn¡¯t expect to seal that person¡¯s mouth. Besides, I shouldn¡¯t have asked you to deal with it in the first place. I should let someone from the public eye do it.¡± Alfred said, ¡°we both miscalculated, and the Crown Prince taught us a lesson.¡±


    Austin didn¡¯t hear his emotions and could only follow his lead: ¡°Yes¡­ What¡¯s our next step?¡±


    ¡°Austin, have you ever played that popular card game on the main star?¡± Alfred said, shaking the goblet in his hand. ¡°The opponent has revealed one of our cards, and the next step is naturally our turn to reveal the opponent¡¯s card.¡±


    ¡°What? Then we¡­¡±


    Austin was about to ask further, but with a ¡°ding¡± sound, Alfred clinked his glass against Austin¡¯s, interrupting him.


    ¡°As I said, I invited you here to enjoy the night view with me. Don¡¯t talk about business today and spoil my interest.¡±


    The villa was located on high terrain, offering a distant view of the entire city from the balcony. If it weren¡¯t so cold, it would indeed be a great place to enjoy the night view.


    Austin noticed that he really didn¡¯t pursue the matter of his his identity being exposed and noticed by the Crown Prince last night. On the one hand, he felt relieved, but on the other hand, he felt that the Third Prince was unpredictable.


    His exposure meant that the Stone family behind him was also exposed. This family was currently the most significant force in Alfred¡¯s hands. The seriousness of being exposed to the Crown Prince¡¯s party was self-evident, but Alfred didn¡¯t seem to care.


    Austin was a few years older than Alfred, and they had had a lot of intersections since they were teenagers. Although they were not close friends, they were at least quite compatible. Later, when the Stone family aligned themselves with the Third Prince, both of them deliberately got close to each other, and their relationship quickly grew closer. They have referred to each other as brothers for the past two years.


    However, as the dormant period passed and Alfred began to show his edge and means, Austin became more and more in awe of him and gradually became reluctant to cross the line in front of him.


    Now, since Alfred had mentioned not discussing business, even if he wanted to bring it up, he changed the subject abruptly and said with a smile: ¡°Your Highness left early last night. It¡¯s a pity that you didn¡¯t hear Miss Mei singing. But I suppose His Highness has already enjoyed it privately.¡±


    ¡°Can he still sing?¡± Alfred asked indifferently.


    Austin was somewhat surprised and said: ¡°Miss Mei¡¯s singing voice is a godsend. Doesn¡¯t Your Highness know?¡±


    The complete resolution of the survival crisis was the matter of their grandparents¡¯ generation, which was not too far away. In recent years, rebel forces had caused constant trouble at the border, and it was not a time of peace. Although the main star had called for many years to encourage the development of the entertainment industry and enrich civilian lives, it had not improved.


    Singers, dancers, actors, and related professions in these industries were all scarce occupations. The main reason for their scarcity was their inability to earn money, with few people appreciating them and even fewer people studying them. Like the heavenly singing voice last night, Austin, despite being the son of the Grand Duke, heard it for the first time in his life and was shocked for a while. For this reason, he silently felt jealous of Alfred last night.


    Unexpectedly, Alfred didn¡¯t know about it at all.


    ¡°Then you must make sure to listen to it when you come back. All the guests were conquered by her last night. Originally only one song was arranged, but the atmosphere at the scene was enthusiastic, she ended up singing three songs in a row¡ªjust like that, everyone was still not satisfied.¡±


    Alfred was not very interested in listening to the music and watching the dance, so he replied casually, ¡°I broke up with him.¡±


    Austin was taken aback and said, ¡°So soon? I heard you mention her at the ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by the Crown Prince last week.¡±


    ¡°The Crown Prince hates such unruly things the most. I mentioned him to annoy the Crown Prince. Don¡¯t you know?¡± Alfred finally showed some interest and reminisced, ¡°Did you see the expression on the Crown Prince¡¯s face at that time? He almost couldn¡¯t hold back anymore, but he couldn¡¯t publicly reprimand me¡­¡±


    He stopped talking. In the past, he used to be willing to discuss the Crown Prince¡¯s manners with Austin. But after last night, he no longer wanted to share such topics with others.


    ¡°If you like to hear Mei sing,¡± Alfred nonchalantly brought the topic back to Mei. ¡°He should be making his official debut soon.¡±


    Austin¡¯s eyes lit up, and he exclaimed, ¡°Really? That¡¯s great! Uh, did you break up because of this?¡±


    ¡°What? Oh, no.¡± Alfred waved his hand. ¡°It¡¯s because he is temporarily useless to me.¡±


    Yeah¡­ Didn¡¯t Alfred tell him that from the beginning? The purpose of having this girlfriend was just to distract the outside world, so as to ensure that the news of the rectification of the battle two years ago could be released without interference¡­ Now that the plan was going well, this girlfriend was naturally no longer needed.


    Austin felt a sense of emptiness in his heart as he was thinking of the shining girl on the stage last night. He couldn¡¯t help but feel sorry for her. Her voice was so clean and clear. When she stood on the stage, her eyes were filled with joy and purity. Such an innocent girl was drawn into their deceitful gladiatorial arena and kicked away after being used.


    He was feeling bad when suddenly the balcony door was knocked twice.


    ¡°Come in,¡± Alfred said.


    The person who knocked on the door responded and walked out. It turned out to be Joshua.


    Austin glanced at Joshua contemptuously. It was reasonable to say that they were peers, but he didn¡¯t avoid Joshua¡¯s greetings, nor did he respond to his greetings.


    Both the Stone family and the Bai family held the title of Duke titles, which was hereditary since the founding of the empire. Together with the royal family, they were called the three major clans of the empire. Later, the Bai family was additionally bestowed with the honor of hereditary ¡°High Priest¡±, seemingly overwhelming the Stone family. However, in fact, the title of High Priest was just a consolation after the closure of the Holy White Tower. The Bai family had false honor, but no real power.


    At the beginning of the empire¡¯s founding, the Stone family and the Bai family had always kept a distance. Both families had produced several queens and princesses, but never married each other to show that they would not unite so that the royal family could rest assured.


    However, with the completion of the genetic modification project and the decline of the Holy White Tower, the Bai family retained only the title of ¡°High Priest¡±. Now there was no longer such a taboo, and the first wife the current High Priest married when he was young was surnamed Si Tong (Stone).


    This marriage was very short-lived. In less than three years, the originally healthy Miss Stone passed away, leaving no descendants. So instead of becoming in-laws, the two families developed animosity towards each other.


    The high priest soon took a second wife, and a few years later, his second wife gave birth to Joshua. However, she also died of dystocia.


    The members of Stone¡¯s family naturally hated the High Priest and consequently, held strong animosity towards his only son as well. In the past half a month, Austin had never met Joshua in Alfred¡¯s presence. This was evident that Alfred deliberately separated the two of them.


    Austin had always found this approach understandable. Aside from Alfred not wanting his two feuding minions to clash, more importantly, he probably didn¡¯t trust Joshua enough to inform him that Austin was serving him.


    But now he had called Joshua¡­


    ¡°Excuse me, come here and sit next to me.¡± Alfred told Joshua.


    Joshua followed the instructions and sat down, with Austin on his left and himself on his right, both flanking Alfred.


    ¡°I think, since we are all on the same boat, it¡¯s time for you to meet formally.¡± Alfred said, ¡°I arranged this night view event, hoping that you two will put aside your old grievances and work together peacefully in the future.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± Joshua immediately replied.


    Austin¡¯s face didn¡¯t look good, but he was not an impulsive child, so he quickly responded, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Alfred seemed satisfied and then asked again, ¡°What time is it?¡±


    Austin looked down at the time displayed on his wrist, but before he could answer, Joshua had already said: ¡°Only five minutes left, Your Highness.¡±


    Alfred looked out of the railing and said, ¡°Very well, let¡¯s enjoy it together.¡±


    They spoke as if playing charades, and Austin couldn¡¯t help asking: ¡°What¡¯s left for five minutes, Your Highness?¡±


    Alfred replied: ¡°On the day of the assassination attempt at school, I ordered Joshua to do something¡­ Austin, do you think I¡¯m the kind of person who would swallow his breath after being assassinated?¡± His gaze turned cold and he whispered: ¡°If he wants to kill me, I will naturally kill him too.¡±


    Austin had a bad premonition and persuaded Alfred: ¡°Your Highness, assassinating the Crown Prince is such an important matter. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to discuss it with my father¡­¡±


    ¡°This is His Highness¡¯s decision.¡± Joshua interrupted. ¡°Does the major think His Highness should listen to Marshal Stone¡¯s commands instead?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ !¡±


    They were engaged in a verbal confrontation when they suddenly heard a loud bang.


    Austin looked in astonishment and saw an explosion in the distance, with the flames soaring into the sky and breaking the frozen night of XueLi Star.


    He murmured: ¡°That direction is¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the Crown Prince¡¯s palace.¡± Joshua followed his words and saluted Alfred. ¡°Fortunately, I did not disgrace the mission, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve done a great job.¡± Alfred curled his lips, staring at the blaze and said, ¡°You are worthy of my trust.¡±


    Joshua¡¯s pale face revealed a hint of joy in the cold night. He said reservedly: ¡°I just don¡¯t know if the Crown Prince is in the palace or not.¡±


    Alfred looked at Joshua, suddenly smiled, and said, ¡°With you delivering the message to him, he won¡¯t be there.¡±


    The smile on Joshua¡¯s face froze.

 CH 16

    The next step is naturally our turn to reveal the opponent¡¯s card¡ª¡ª Only then did Austin understand what this sentence meant.


    It turned out that tonight¡¯s highlights had just begun. He picked up his wine glass leisurely and quietly waited to see how things would unfold.


    Joshua¡¯s already pale face became even more unhealthy. He forced a smile and said: ¡°Your Highness¡­Your Highness is joking. The Bai family has always been loyal to¡­¡±


    Alfred didn¡¯t seem interested in listening to his explanation at all. He stood up and said, ¡°Austin, have someone take him away.¡±


    His attitude was so indifferent that not only Joshua was a little confused, but even Austin paused for two seconds. Immediately, a signal was sent out with the handheld, and a nearby squad, fully armed, rushed in.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡± Joshua saw that Alfred was about to leave, and shouted with a furious face: ¡°I am the High Priest¡¯s only son and the next High Priest of the Empire! Are you planning to imprison me for no reason?¡±


    He thought Alfred would be furious. In the short period of time just now, he had mentally prepared himself. Unexpectedly, Alfred was about to leave after casually uttering a few words. It seemed like it wasn¡¯t a meticulously planned effort to expose a spy, but rather a casual flick of dust off one¡¯s clothes.


    As the first heir to the High Priest, he had always been held high in his life for more than 20 years. Even when he followed the Young Prince into exile, he was highly praised. How could he have been neglected like this?


    ¡°Thanks for reminding me that you are the son of the High Priest.¡± Alfred stopped in his tracks, and said as if suddenly enlightened. Then he turned to Austin and instructed, ¡°Remember to give him a dispersant.¡±


    In today¡¯s society, no one is completely ¡°original¡±. Most people will have ¡°time-expanded agents¡± implanted in their arms for convenience, ¡°microphones¡± implanted in their ears, and various sensing devices linked with the handheld in their hands according to different occupations and personal habits.


    People with these conditions will undergo even more extensive and intense modifications. Dispersants were used to temporarily suppress the body¡¯s rejection of these acquired modified functions. Generally speaking, injections were given to newly imprisoned criminals to prevent them from having any unexpected special functions.


    The Bai family¡¯s research achievements included dispersants. It was ironic that it should be used on a direct descendant of the Bai family.


    Austin was obviously more than happy to do such a thing. He immediately signaled to his men to inject.


    Two soldiers restrained Joshua from left to right. Joshua was a weak and ordinary person, naturally no match for the soldiers. Although he was suppressed in terms of strength, He showed no signs of fear. Instead, he revealed a rare display of arrogance that he rarely showed in front of others when he was provoked. He shouted loudly: ¡°Third Highness, wait¡­ Let go, don¡¯t touch me! How dare you arrest me?! Don¡¯t you know how noble my status is? I am the son of the High Priest!¡±


    Alfred lazily replied, ¡°So what? I¡¯m still the Emperor¡¯s son.¡±


    Joshua was speechless for a moment.


    Austin said disdainfully: ¡°If that old thing in your family hadn¡¯t tortured my aunt to death back then, it wouldn¡¯t have been your turn to become the next High Priest. Who do you think you are?¡±


    ¡°Major, watch your words. How dare you slander the High Priest without evidence?¡± Joshua said gloomily. ¡°Your Majesty has already concluded this matter. Your aunt, my father¡¯s former wife, died of illness.¡±


    Austin said: ¡°Did your father tell you this in private? Then the extent of his shamelessness exceeded my expectations. He even deceived his own son.¡±


    Joshua was about to refute again when Alfred said impatiently, ¡°Are you guys planning to argue in my house until dawn?¡±


    Austin immediately apologized to Alfred and waved his hand, instructing the soldiers to take Joshua down.


    After Joshua left, Alfred said to Austin: ¡°The Crown Prince¡¯s palace caught fire in the middle of the night. I¡¯m visiting the Crown Prince. You don¡¯t have to follow.¡±


    After arguing with Joshua just now, Austin was obviously not in the mood to act in front of the Crown Prince. So he quickly responded, ¡°I¡¯ll go and interrogate that person for you.¡±


    As he spoke, he couldn¡¯t wait to leave, but Alfred called him back.


    ¡°What did you promise me on the balcony just now? Do you remember?¡±


    Austin was taken aback, and quickly recalled it. Just as he was not sure what Alfred was referring to, Alfred continued by himself.


    ¡°Let go of old grudges.¡± Alfred looked him in the eyes and said, ¡°You¡¯re working for me, so your task is to extract the information I want from him. As for other matters, as long as they don¡¯t affect the mission, you can handle them as you see fit. But one thing is certain: the Bai clan made great contributions to saving the world during the founding of the empire the country. They are the spiritual pillars of the entire empire. We need to safely bring the High Priest¡¯s son back to the main planet. Don¡¯t make things difficult for me, Austin. Do you understand?¡±


    Austin bowed deeply and assured: ¡°Yes, Your Highness. But¡­ the High Priest has special status. We are now imprisoning him for no reason, and it will indeed cause trouble later¡­¡±


    Alfred said: ¡°It won¡¯t be too long. We¡¯ll be returning to the main star in a short time. We are just waiting for something to happen.¡±


    Confused, Austin asked, ¡°Waiting for something to happen?¡±


    Alfred continued without answering. ¡°How could it be without reason?¡± he asked. ¡°Didn¡¯t he blow up the Crown Prince¡¯s palace? I was eager to protect my younger brother, so I captured the suspect. Even though it was impulsive, what can others say about me?


    ¡°Is it alright to pin the blame on him?¡± Austin asked thoughtfully. ¡°What if he confesses that you instructed him?¡±


    Alfred retorted: ¡°What evidence is there? I just said one sentence from beginning to end. Who can prove that I said that sentence? If he clung to me, he would be charged with another crime of ¡®slandering the prince¡¯¡ª¡ªIf he is not stupid enough, he will not say it.¡±


    Austin had already figured it out from start to finish. He said: ¡°Half a month ago, when the Crown Prince first arrived, the inner ghost1 (ÄÚ¹í means ¡®traitor¡¯) we captured from the ¡°Mirror¡± Legion confessed that He sold the news of you having a girlfriend to a skinny man in a cloak¡­ Based on the interrogation report at that time, did you find something wrong with the Bai family?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just more certain,¡± Alfred said. ¡°I have endured him for two years, and I¡¯ve reached my limit.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you knew he was the Crown Prince¡¯s man two years ago?¡± Austin asked in surprise.


    ¡°Your father knew too.¡± Alfred said, seeing Austin¡¯s expression becoming more and more shocked. He patted his shoulder sympathetically. ¡°Don¡¯t be upset, we didn¡¯t deliberately hide it from you. Look, I even specially called you to watch the show. Prior restraint and keeping silent are advantageous for secret arrangements and gaining the initiative. After all, we were at a disadvantage in the early stage. Without some strong cards to play, how could everything have gone so smoothly?¡±


    As he spoke, he frowned slightly, feeling that sense of ¡°being too smooth¡± once again.


    ¡°Indeed, Your Highness¡¯ reputation among the people is retaliating now.¡± Austin followed him, not knowing what he was thinking. Everyone is urging the Holy Golden Palace to respond and reward Your Highness. It has been so many days already, I wonder if the Holy Golden Palace has made a decision¡­ It¡¯s a pity that the Crown Prince must have avoided it this time. If he gets injured, it will be beneficial to us.¡±


    Once the Crown Prince was injured and unable to move, many things would be much more logical. Joshua handled this matter alone from the beginning to the end. They didn¡¯t touch their hands, and no matter how they approached the situation, it would work in their favour.


    However, the Crown Prince just so happened to be not in the palace. If he was safe and sound, then there wouldn¡¯t be much room for maneuvering.


    Alfred affirmed: ¡°Indeed. However, I didn¡¯t expect this at first. Having an excuse to pressure the Holy Golden Palace by detaining Joshua and extracting something from him is already good enough. How can there be such a good thing as killing several birds with one arrow? All right, let¡¯s go to work. I also have a play to perform.¡±


    What Alfred didn¡¯t expect was that when he arrived at the scene, the shock almost didn¡¯t need to be acted out.


    ¡°Say it again, what?¡± He asked, seemingly unable to accept it.


    They were in front of a vacation villa next to the palace, where the Crown Prince was resting in his bedroom on the second floor.


    The assistant to the editor-in-chief of the Snow Voice News Agency repeated: ¡°Your Highness, the Crown Prince¡¯s arm was dislocated, and he suffered a minor concussion due to a fall. Fortunately, at the time of the incident, everyone in the palace accompanied the Crown Prince in the courtyard enjoying the snow, and all of them only suffered minor injuries of varying degrees after being impacted by the aftermath of the explosion. There were no fatalities.¡±


    Alfred remained silent for a few seconds, and just as the assistant to the editor-in-chief began to feel uneasy, he calmly spoke: ¡°So, you¡¯re saying there is no one available around the Crown Prince now?¡±


    The editor-in-chief¡¯s assistant said cautiously: ¡°Based on frontline reports, it is like this, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Got it. You may leave. Convey my regards to your editor-in-chief, and ensure reporting continues normally,¡± Alfred said.


    The assistant got his instructions, saluted and left.


    The local sheriff also guarded the area and approached Alfred. Alfred also summoned a team of personal guards that he had brought and ordered: ¡°From now on, all the members of the Public Security Bureau have been withdrawn, and I will personally take charge of this villa. My elder brother is injured, and I should take care of him personally. With the Crown Prince¡¯s injuries being so severe, this matter is no small matter. Until the matter is cleared up, no one, except for the doctors I personally bring in, is allowed to enter or leave.¡±


    The people in front of him all bowed in response and scattered in all directions. The security and medical staff inside the building were all withdrawn one by one.


    After the scene was cleared, Alfred walked up to the second floor alone. The noise outside the window had not dissipated, but the second floor was quiet.


    He pushed open the door, half-sitting on the bed, covered with a thick blanket. His right arm had already been reset by the doctor and was now bandaged. His joints were covered with snow-white bandages.


    But it must still be painful, because his face was pale and sickly. The cold starlight streamed through the window, gathering on Xiu¡¯s body, giving Alfred a slight sense of unreality.


    This person had always been surrounded by radiance since he was born. But tonight, the light enveloping him was so cold and pale.


    They stared at each other for a moment in the cold starry night of XueLi Star, neither of them saying a word.

 CH 17

    Alfred walked into the room, crushing the cold starlight beneath his feet.


    Xiu slightly adjusted his sitting posture, but Alfred did not talk to him. Instead, he walked to the window and closed the curtains tightly. The starlight was isolated. Then he returned to the door in darkness.


    With a ¡°click¡±, Alfred locked the door from inside.


    After completing all of this leisurely, he asked, ¡°Do you have anything to tell me?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Xiu said, ¡°On the contrary, I advise you to think about how to explain yourself after getting caught later.¡±


    Alfred asked: ¡°Why? Are you planning to characterize this as my plot?¡±


    Xiu asked rhetorically, ¡°Isn¡¯t it so?¡±


    ¡°Your Highness is determined to suppress me and frame me for a crime, sparing no expense.¡± Alfred said, with no hint of emotion in his words. ¡°Oh, not only did you pay the price, but several servants and guards who followed you also got injured. You know this, right?¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Xiu said.


    Alfred continued: ¡°Your Highness, do you know what I hate most about you? You are hypocritical and cruel. Everyone thinks you are a worthy crown prince who loves people like a son. In reality, to achieve your own goals, you¡¯re willing to pay any price and use any means, even if it means taking the lives of innocents on this planet and subjecting those loyal to you to unnecessary suffering. However, these are not the reasons I hate you.¡±


    Xiu looked at the door.


    In this dark room, he could barely see Alfred¡¯s vague figure. Even the air seemed hazy.


    ¡°I hate you because I¡¯ve become like this too,¡± Alfred said.


    Xiu¡¯s heart moved. In the darkness, he no longer needed to maintain a dignified expression. A sadness that only he knew appeared on his face, invisible to anyone else.


    ¡°What happened?¡± he asked.


    There was a moment when Xiu felt a sense of temporal disarray. In the darkness, he seemed to see Alfred, still a young boy. Alfred had grown taller than Xiu, but no matter how big or small, he still liked to come to his elder brother to confide in him.


    During that time, as soon as Xiu saw his face, he knew something was not going well. He would often ask him helplessly¡ª¡ªwhat happened?


    Then, young Alfred would start complaining. Xiu didn¡¯t like others getting too close, but it was always different for his only sibling. Occasionally, he would let Alfred cling to his arm and act spoiled. Other times, he would pat his brother¡¯s arm to console him.


    For Xiu, who always maintained composure, this was a rare moment of color in his otherwise pure white and cold life.


    Today, he asked the same question as before and received a familiar answer.


    ¡°Too much has happened,¡± said the adult Alfred. ¡°As you can see, I¡¯ve also learned hypocrisy and calculation. At first, I thought you were scary, but now, during those quiet nights, I find myself terrifying as well. Do you know why? It only took me a few seconds to come up with a solution as a result of a ridiculous guess. Then in the next few minutes, I implemented a plan to defraud the blood of my most trusted subordinate; As soon as I gained power, I beat my allies again and again, fearing that they would take credit for themselves, until those who used to joke with me now speak respectfully to me; To build my reputation, I did not hesitate to use the tragic massacre two years ago, even though I wasn¡¯t the one who gave the order back then. Now I am spreading enormous lies throughout the entire empire to claim credit¡­¡±


    As he spoke, he approached the edge of Xiu¡¯s bed. They couldn¡¯t see each other¡¯s expressions, only blurred figures. As a result of losing sight, their emotions become more indulgent.


    ¡°When I interact with people now, I first think about whether they might betray or exploit me, and then consider their usefulness. I have lost the ability to trust. Do you know what you did to me? I¡¯m like a crazy person now, doubting everyone and everything around me!¡±


    Alfred took a deep breath, leaned over and approached Xiu, and said word by word: ¡°Now, let me ask again. Is there anything you want to tell me?¡±


    He was doubting. Xiu understood it almost immediately.


    There is no need to see body language or facial expressions clearly. Xiu knew Alfred too well. After all, this was the child he personally raised, the child his mother held his hand and tearfully entrusted to him before dying of dystocia and weeping blood.


    Alfred got too close, their breaths intertwined in the darkness. Xiu closed his eyes, recalling twenty-one years ago when he had held a newborn baby just like this, feeling the baby¡¯s fresh breath.


    At the same time, his mother bled profusely, and her life passed rapidly. Knowing that she was helpless, she dismissed all the medical staff and wanted to entrust her last words to her sons alone.


    Naturally, it was impossible to say those last words to a newborn baby, even though the other one was not yet seven years old. She still squeezed Xiu¡¯s small hand with difficulty, and tried her best to speak clearly: ¡°Help him ascend to that position, Xiu¡­you must¡­send your brother to that position¡­ Promise me¡­¡±


    During the months of his mother¡¯s pregnancy, Xiu had actually promised this many times. But just like the first time, he solemnly replied: ¡°Mother, I promise you, I will definitely do it.¡±


    ¡°Good boy.¡± The queen¡¯s breath suddenly weakened. She looked at the little baby and whispered softly with tears in her eyes. ¡°Good boy, say it again, say it to me again¡­¡±


    ¡°I promise you, mother.¡± Xiu repeated to her as she wished, ¡°I promise you I will send my brother to that position, protect him and be loyal to him for the rest of my life. Before that, I will hold the position of Crown Prince on his behalf and listen to my teacher¡¯s words¡­¡±


    Amidst the childish voice of a child, the queen closed her eyes and never opened them again.


    Although the late empress¡¯ life was short, it could be called a legend. She came from a viscount family, the low-ranking noble, but because of her beauty, she was chosen by the Crown Prince and became his consort. She flew to the highest position all of a sudden. Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t have a child until the Crown Prince ascended the throne and became emperor. At that time, the emperor¡¯s mistress became pregnant.


    Her dream became a nightmare, but once again, fate favored her. She was diagnosed with a pregnancy soon after. Not only that, she gave birth two months prematurely due to her poor health. Although she was pregnant later, her son became the legitimate eldest son, while the mistress¡¯ son could only be the second. According to tradition, and to quell public criticism of the emperor¡¯s indiscretion, this child, named Xiu, was immediately designated Crown Prince.


    The empress who came from a small family really gained a foothold in the royal family. Furthermore, six years later, she was pregnant again. Everyone believed her future was stable. However, who would have thought that she met an unfortunate end during childbirth.


    When she left, she should feel at ease, right? Xiu wondered.


    The world was impermanent. He didn¡¯t know if she had ever worried about such a scenario. The young crown prince grew up. Not only did he and his teacher not give up the crown prince¡¯s position to the little prince, but he joined forces with his tutor to put her youngest son to death.


    Xiu indulged in his own thoughts for a while, and then slowly said under Alfred¡¯s attentive gaze: ¡°No. I have nothing to say.¡±


    Alfred¡¯s breathing became heavier, and he fell silent for a moment before saying: ¡°It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t want to talk today. From now on, I will move here and serve as Your Highness¡¯ attendant. We have plenty of time to chat.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need anyone to attend to my illness.¡± Xiu said, ¡°Turn on the lights and leave.¡±


    Instead of leaving, Alfred got closer, almost face-to-face and said: ¡°Your Highness, do you still think of me as someone you can boss around like you did when we were children? You don¡¯t have a say here.¡±


    Seeing that it didn¡¯t make sense, Xiu directly stretched out his uninjured hand to push him away, but Alfred grabbed his wrist firmly.


    He had a well-built physique and received systematic combat training since childhood. He was capable of fighting against any ordinary adult man. But now he faced a man who had inherited the top genes. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn¡¯t break free.


    Alfred firmly held onto his uninjured arm and pressed Xiu down on the bed.


    His nose twitched slightly, catching a faint scent from the clothes Xiu was wearing. It was the scent of a calming perfume specially prepared in the prince¡¯s bedroom. It was cold, luxurious and soothing. Alfred seldom entered Xiu¡¯s bedroom, but this scent was still in his memory.


    ¡°You smell so sweet.¡± He murmured into Xiu¡¯s ear, entwining their necks and leaning to inhale the scent at the nape of Xiu¡¯s neck.


    Xiu¡¯s expression changed.


    ¡°Alfred, I am your elder brother!¡±


    ¡°Come on, we both know you have a little secret, don¡¯t we?¡± Alfred smiled, and he intensified his touch by lightly brushing his lips against Xiu¡¯s tense neck.


    As if experiencing an electric shock, Xiu pushed him away with a burst of strength.


    Alfred was taken two steps back by the inertia, but didn¡¯t continue. Instead, he reached out and turned on the light.


    Xiu¡¯s hair was messed up. His collar had come undone during their altercation. When the lights were bright, his face still held a mix of shock and anger that hadn¡¯t disappeared for a moment.


    ¡°Get out.¡± He said coldly.


    Alfred let out a cold laugh. He took a step back, and gracefully gave a standard farewell salute.


    ¡°Then good night, Your Highness. I¡¯ll come to serve you breakfast at dawn.¡±

 CH 18

    That night, Xiu didn¡¯t sleep.


    The dark night of XueLi Xing was always short, as if the light of the central star gradually replaced starlight.


    Even though no one had ever seen what it was like when it shone upon the human race at its inception from that star, people still called it ¡°Daylight¡±, as tradition has been passed down since ancient times.


    Scientists say that the ancient sun was brilliant and golden, and its brilliance could not be seen directly. The sun has always been a symbol of the royal family since the establishment of the interstellar unified empire.


    They possessed the most powerful genes of human beings so far, like a new sun, shining in the dark and silent universe.


    Today was the Crown Prince¡¯s birthday. Xiu quietly looked out of the window, and the symbol representing himself rose from the horizon, casting his weary pale countenance in an even more exhausted light.


    This was what Alfred saw when he gently pushed open the door.


    He slept in the second bedroom on the second floor, deliberately getting up early, hoping to see Xiu¡¯s sleeping face. Unexpectedly, when he pushed the door open, their gazes met directly.


    Despite what had happened last night, Alfred acted like nothing had happened, not embarrassed at all. He approached the bed comfortably, placed a tray on the nightstand and said, ¡°Couldn¡¯t sleep?¡±


    Xiu didn¡¯t answer, and Alfred wasn¡¯t angry either. He picked up the delicate porcelain white bowl and spoon. He sat on the edge of the bed, and made a gesture as if he was going to feed him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself.¡± Xiu said, turning his head away.


    Alfred didn¡¯t put down the bowl, and asked again: ¡°Have you slept yet?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­No.¡±


    Having received an answer, Alfred handed him the bowl. Without leaving, he remained seated at the bedside, watching Xiu have his breakfast.


    Even in bed, he maintained an elegant and dignified manner while eating. Alfred watched with interest for a while and casually asked, ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you sleep? Overthinking something?¡±


    Xiu put down the spoon, dabbed at the corner of his mouth with a napkin, and said coldly, ¡°Reflecting on what went wrong with my education.¡±


    This answer seemed to please Alfred. He curled up his lips, saying: ¡°I¡¯m curious. What makes you still hold onto the identity of an elder brother when you and I are already close to a showdown? Is it because you have been the Crown Prince for too long that you have developed an inescapable sense of superiority, or¡­is there any other reason? ¡°


    ¡°Other reasons?¡± Xiu asked rhetorically, ¡°like what? What are you expecting me to answer?¡±


    The Crown Prince is always calm and composed. He rarely used such consecutive questions in his speech because it sounded somewhat harsh and didn¡¯t match his image. But after last night, his mood seemed slightly unstable.


    This discovery made Alfred feel a little excited, but it didn¡¯t cloud his judgment. He refused to disclose any of his own speculations and lightly threw the question back: ¡°I asked you because I didn¡¯t know, Your Highness.¡±


    So Xiu replied, ¡°Because before the Queen Mother passed away, he entrusted you to me.¡±


    Alfred¡¯s smile disappeared, and he said dangerously: ¡°How dare you bring up the Queen Mother?¡±


    If anyone else on this planet had witnessed the precursor to Alfred¡¯s anger, they would have been terrified. But Xiu, instead of being intimidated, continued speaking.


    ¡°Actually, I never told you that there was another half to her last words.¡± Xiu lowered his gaze and said, ¡°She hoped you would become the Emperor, not me.¡±


    This was indeed the first time Alfred had heard about it. He was stunned for a moment and then asked: ¡°Didn¡¯t you wonder why?¡±


    Xiu raised his gaze to look at him and said, ¡°Of course, it¡¯s for the reason that both you and I are aware of. I¡¯ve known since I can remember, the Queen Mother never hid it from me.


    As expected, the late Empress was also one of those who helped hide the secret. However, she never attempted to hide it from Xiu himself. Xiu had always known¡­


    Alfred suppressed his anger and said, ¡°You knew it all along, yet you comfortably sat in the Crown Prince¡¯s position for over twenty years?¡±


    Xiu responded: ¡°No one stipulates that the throne must be occupied by Golden Eyes¡¯ inheritor.¡±


    This sentence fueled Alfred¡¯s anger, but he was no longer the kind of person who vented his anger by shouting loudly. On the contrary, he said with a cold expression: ¡°The High Priest is really courageous.¡±


    This unexpected disclosure of the truth really made Xiu react. Although he didn¡¯t panic, his gaze became more intense towards Alfred.


    ¡°What happened to Joshua?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he is completely safe,¡± Alfred replied.


    Xiu said in a deep voice: ¡°It¡¯s better to be like this. The teacher only has one child, and he won¡¯t tolerate anyone hurting his son.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I dare not offend the High Priest,¡± Alfred sneered. ¡°Everyone says the High Priest has no power, but how is that possible? At least after the birth of the prince, the birth certificate should be announced by him. ¡ª¡ªFor example, your birth certificate, Crown Prince. Two years ago, after I read the test report, I found someone to check the records of your birth. It turns out that your birth identification was personally conducted by the High Priest himself. It is a great honor. To say that our High Priest is very courageous. If I hadn¡¯t found out about this matter, I would not have realized the immense power held by the spiritual symbol of our empire.


    He almost uncovered Xiu¡¯s background, but Xiu didn¡¯t panic, calmly asking: ¡°Is that all you found out? My teacher¡¯s potential power is beyond your imagination and resistance. I advise you not to do unnecessary things.¡±


    He didn¡¯t mock, but seemed to be calmly narrating the facts. This attitude made Alfred vaguely uneasy. Previously, he just felt that the High Priest had a special status and it was difficult to move. However, he hadn¡¯t thought he would be so invisible. What¡¯s more, Xiu knew that the Stone family stood behind him, and he still had confidence¡­ He immediately changed his previous thoughts and decided to personally interrogate Joshua and mobilize all available resources as soon as possible to explore the High Priest¡¯s background.


    Although the alarm bells were ringing in his heart and he had to make several decisions in an instant, he kept his composure, sneering with disdain: ¡°You¡¯re putting on an act, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Xiu shook his head lightly, showing no further interest in speaking. He lowered his gaze and continued sipping his hot soup.


    Alfred seemed unwilling to let him finish his breakfast peacefully. After watching for a while, he added: ¡°The doctor is already waiting outside the villa and will come over to check on you once you finish eating.¡±


    Xiu picked up the napkin again to wipe the corners of his mouth, then put down the bowl and spoon before replying: ¡°There is no need for a follow-up examination. Let them go back.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness is really forgetful. I just mentioned it last night¡ªit¡¯s not up to you to decide.¡± Alfred smirked, ¡°They are all doctors from the best hospital in XueLi Xing. I am concerned about Your Highness¡¯s health, so I invited them for you overnight. The press release is already prepared. If you don¡¯t review it, how can they publish the news later?¡±


    Seeing that Alfred had made up his mind to take the advantage of the opportunity to earn a good reputation as a ¡°filial younger brother¡±, Xiu knew it didn¡¯t make sense to argue and focused on his own breakfast.


    Alfred continued to provoke with a few more words, but it seemed that Xiu had decided to ignore him. He finished the meal with an elegant gesture that no one could fault.


    Soon, the tray was taken away from the serving platform, and Alfred brought in several doctors.


    The doctors all bowed to Xiu, who thanked them kindly for coming early in the morning. His next statement was, ¡°Yesterday, a doctor from a nearby hospital had already performed the reduction procedure on me, and the concussion was only very mild. I¡¯ve recovered today, so there is no need for you to trouble yourselves for a re-examination. Please, everyone, go back.¡±


    As soon as they arrived, they were issued an expulsion order, which left them bewildered. Alfred sat by the bedside and said with concern: ¡°Royal Brother, how can this be? I was not here yesterday, so you should check again in my presence. Doctors, please come forward.¡±


    The leading doctor was the best orthopedic expert in XueLi Star. He was about to bring other doctors to come forward when Xiu said again, ¡°I¡¯ve already told you, there is no need to check again.¡±


    His expression was still gentle, but his tone was obviously serious. Anyone could tell that he was not in a particularly pleasant mood.


    In recent days, the third prince had gained momentum, and people are talking about it everywhere. In comparison, the Crown Prince¡¯s momentum seemed not to be as strong as before. But the Crown Prince was still the Crown Prince after all, and no one wanted to offend him. The doctors froze in place with their medical instruments, hesitant to approach again.


    ¡°Everyone, please leave now.¡± Xiu clearly issued an order.


    Except for the Emperor, the Crown Prince had the authority to give orders to anyone, including doctors in civilian hospitals.


    The doctors looked hesitantly at the other prince in the room. They noticed that his previously pale yellow eyes had slowly turned into a deep golden hue.


    This pair of golden pupils exerted pressure on everyone present. At the same time, they couldn¡¯t help recalling the blurry video that had been spread all over the EtherNet and seen by almost everyone, even though it had been banned.


    The burning eyes, the miraculous arrows of light, and the image of the Emperor drawing a bow behind him, as if foretelling something.


    That year, the emperor accomplished the most critical battle on XueLi Star, then returned to the main star to establish the imperial city, founding the unified interstellar empire. It marked the beginning of a new era where all human beings united and actively sought genetic changes to fight against civilization survival crisis.


    As time flew by, everyone was saying that the survival crisis had passed, and the next glorious new era was about to come.


    Would history repeat itself? Could XueLi Star produce another Emperor who would open a new era?


    Alfred stared at them quietly for a few seconds before speaking: ¡°Please come forward and re-examine His Highness.¡±


    The air seemed to freeze, and a few seconds later, the leading expert clenched his fists and made a decision.


    ¡°Yes, Third Highness.¡± He bowed and said.


    The silence was broken, and he immediately stepped forward, followed by his team, who also complied with his choice.


    Alfred looked at Xiu, his eyes burning, his emotions surging. Xiu also gazed back at him. His usually calm black eyes revealed some dark emotions at this moment.


    The hearts of the people that originally belonged to Xiu, the radiance that originally belonged to Xiu, was being plundered by Alfred¡ªat least, in the small room on this remote planet, the loyalty of the people was shifting from the Crown Prince to the Third Prince.


    This was Alfred¡¯s first direct confrontation with Xiu, the first time he had openly fought for glory with his elder brother, and he won. And he would continue to win until this ¡°glory of the empire¡± was eclipsed, until he grasped the highest authority and became the new sun of the empire.


    When that time came¡­


    Alfred stared deeply at Xiu for a moment, then closed his eyes, concealing all his thoughts. He stood up and made space for the doctors.