Dan Feng slowly turned his eyes. Even the back of his neck seemed rusted, as he stiffly lowered his head to look at the wooden box in Yingxing's arms.
This expedition had been to deal with Shuhu, an Emanator of Abundance.
The current Marshal was different from the previous one.
Unless absolutely necessary, she would not easily deploy colossi or other weapons aimed at planets or star systems.
On the battlefield, the current Marshal preferred to have them use various weapons derived from colossus technology.
Because of their immense power, using these weapons required layers of approval.
Of course, under special circumstances, a general could still use them without approval to deal with external enemies, but from the Artisanship Commission responsible for maintenance to the Cloud Knights, everyone would have to submit reports to the Marshal detailing the entire incident.
In Dan Feng's memory, the last time the Luofu used this kind of weapon was decades ago.
This time, when the current Marshal ordered that no restraint was needed against Shuhu, General Tengxiao immediately went to the Artisanship Commission's head craftsman and told him to bring the weapons from the armory.
And his friend Yingxing…
Even if he was General Huaiyan's disciple, even if he was the genius craftsman chosen from hundreds of billions, he had only ever glimpsed the power of Xianzhou weapons through written records.
This time, the weapons described as almost mythical in those records, praised to the heavens by the Xianzhou people, appeared before everyone again.
How could Yingxing possibly miss it?
So after the battle, ignoring everyone's attempts to stop him, Yingxing went back to the already-cleared battlefield and claimed he had brought back a piece of plant life.
And the plant his friend mentioned was inside that box.
Looking at Yingxing, who spoke with absolute certainty and treated the box like some rare treasure, Dan Feng couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
In the flashes of blades and swords, the comrades who fought alongside him could die in an instant.
Even long-life species… could die. Then what about short-life species?
The High Elder looked at Yingxing. The strands of silver hair at his temples and the faint lines at the corners of his eyes all proved his identity as a short-life species.
For a brief moment, he seemed dazed, as if the voices of old comrades were ringing in his ears.
They were endless cries of pain and quiet sobbing.
Sometimes, Dan Feng would hear them speak in lighthearted voices, "As expected of Lord Imbibitor Lunae! With the High Elder here, any wound can heal completely!"
Then, enduring the pain, they would speak to him in broken phrases, "Hey, why does Lord High Elder look like that…"
"I killed quite a few abominations this time…"
"When we go back to the Luofu for rewards, the clan records will probably have to open a whole new page just for me…"
Dan Feng was already exhausted. With difficulty, he lifted the man onto his shoulder and said coldly, "Do you look down on General Tengxiao? What do you mean by opening a clan record? He'll reward you personally when the time comes..."
The person beside him forced out a few laughs, then stopped talking. Gradually, the comrade fell silent.
Dan Feng's breathing and movements both froze. Only when blood soaked through his clothes did he come back to himself.
"…Alright. We're going back to the Luofu."
Yingxing looked worried. He stepped forward and asked softly, "Dan Feng? What's… wrong with you?"
Dan Feng felt as if he could still smell blood in the air.
With difficulty, he pulled himself out of the memory. Looking at his friend, he fell into a daze again.
Back then, Yingxing had attended Jingliu's sword champion ceremony, holding the sword he had painstakingly forged.
The three-thousand-pound Shatterblade was thrown toward the ground. The five-foot sword plunged deep into the earth, leaving only the hilt exposed.
Facing everyone's shocked gazes, the high-spirited master craftsman crossed his arms and smiled proudly.
In Yingxing's heart, only the Luofu's sword champion could bring out the Shatterblade's full potential.
But in front of Jing Yuan, whether it was the proud master craftsman, the famous sword champion, or the noble Vidyadhara High Elder…
They all had no choice but to give way to him.
Jing Yuan had not yet graduated from the academy. He followed the Cloud Knights to the front lines, missing classes for as little as a year, sometimes several.
And Cloud Knight battle merits didn't count as academic credits…
So Jing Yuan had no choice but to carry piles of textbooks and assignments to them for help.
Baiheng used her connections, first getting the answers, then finding someone to mark the exam scope.
Jing Yuan looked deeply moved. "Sister Baiheng..."
Jingliu just looked at the foxian without speaking.
Baiheng laughed awkwardly, "Hey, don't look at me like that… our future brilliant strategist of the Luofu can't fail his classes, right?"
"He missed years of lessons and even the exams… it's already pretty good he can make the retests. If he fails again, he'll have to repeat the year!"
These were rare moments when Dan Feng felt relaxed.
Sometimes he would pick up a pen and copy answers while imitating Jing Yuan's handwriting.
Sometimes he would discuss problems with his friends to help Jing Yuan understand them.
Dan Feng didn't need to worry about clan affairs or argue with the dragon elders.
What he wrote wasn't prescriptions to heal the sick, nor orders that would affect his people. It was only…
Jing Yuan's academy homework.
Only at those times was Dan Feng not the head of the Alchemy Commission, not the Vidyadhara High Elder Imbibitor Lunae.
After a while, even General Tengxiao had to squeeze out time to ask, "Jing Yuan, have you finished your coursework? When are you graduating from the academy?"
Everyone was afraid Jing Yuan wouldn't graduate.
This was the rising new star of the Cloud Knights.
Among them, Yingxing suffered the most.
"There's no device that writes homework automatically! Jingliu, why are you looking at me? There's no device that writes reports automatically either!"
Before Dan Feng's eyes, it seemed Yingxing's young face appeared again.
To the High Elder, Jingliu's appointment as sword champion felt like it happened just yesterday.
But this so-called "yesterday" was enough to change his once high-spirited friend.
In just a few decades, Yingxing had already grown muddled.
Dan Feng believed that even if his friend didn't remember things clearly, he could still help him realize the plan in his heart.
He was the most outstanding High Elder of all generations, and the one who best understood the power of the High Elder.
So he would definitely solve the problem troubling the Vidyadhara.
He would definitely get what he wanted.
If it had been one of the dragon elders, Dan Feng would never have had such patience.
He forced himself to be patient and explained again to Yingxing, "Yingxing, you've never seen the Xianzhou under the previous Marshal's command."
"At that time, he fought alongside the Cloud Knights and used colossi to wipe out the insect broods and intelligent machines rampaging through the sea of stars."
"Among them, 'Neutron Annihilation' could wipe out all intelligent life on an entire planet without damaging buildings."
"It sounds unbelievable… but that is the truth."
"This time, what was used was a weapon derived from Neutron Annihilation. It's usually used to clear out Abundance abominations hiding in ruins. Under neutron radiation, no intelligent life can survive."
Yingxing thought, the head craftsman of the Artisanship Commission has already said all this many times.
But the plant inside really was something I found on the battlefield.
When Yingxing saw the plant, he had his doubts and didn't touch it carelessly. With the few materials he had left, he hastily made a box to store it.
When he brought the box to his colleagues, not a single one believed him.
Whether it was the head craftsman or his friend Dan Feng, both solemnly rejected his claim.
Yingxing opened his mouth to argue for himself, but Dan Feng sped up his speech and spoke first to comfort him, "Yingxing, if what you say is true and the thing in the box really came from the battlefield, then your name will be written into the Xianzhou people's textbooks."
Yingxing felt like they were talking past each other, so he could only nod reluctantly. Suddenly, a blurry red figure appeared before his eyes, and the weight in his hands vanished.
The box was gone.
His heart jumped. He exchanged a glance with Dan Feng, and both saw shock in each other's eyes.
Then Dan Feng seemed to notice something. His body stiffened.
He shifted his steps, blocking Yingxing's line of sight.
Yingxing didn't understand why. The next moment, he heard Zero's voice.
In a tone almost like a sigh, he said, "Dan Feng, I understand you."
"I once said we are very alike."
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
[email protected]/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining P@treon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 40 advance chapter through P@treon.