"Haha—Minister Fu, your experience is still shallow, but given time you'll surely be up to the task,"
Jing Yuan said with a laugh, a sly glint flashing in his eyes as he feigned distress.
"It's just a pity that Luofu and Wangshu are now beset on all sides. This general's head aches terribly—how about Minister Fu act as acting general, draw up plans, and drive off the Abominations of Abundance lurking in the shadows?"
"General, don't go back on your word!"
Fu Xuan's small mouth opened slightly; then, suppressing her excitement, she stared at Jing Yuan.
"Of course I won't. In a moment I'll lead troops with Kiana to garrison Wangshu. As for Luofu, I'll entrust it to Minister Fu and Yukong."
"Hmph—Fu Xuan accepts the order!"
The corners of Fu Xuan's mouth couldn't help but curve upward. After a quick salute she hurried out of the Shence Mansion.
"Such a cute Grand Diviner…"
"Right? Haha!"
"How about… we have the Diviner Fu come work on Wangshu from now on!"
"Eh—that won't do; Luofu can't do without Minister Fu~"
Jing Yuan shook his head in refusal.
Luofu was short-handed as it was; if Fu Xuan were transferred away, he'd die from overwork and enter Mara-Struck early.
"Stingy…"
Kiana pouted.
A dozen minutes later, Yanqing arrived at the Shence Mansion with Luofu's new Dragon Lord, the Herb-bearing Dragon Girl Bailu.
Bailu looked like a child, with long dark-blue hair and twin braids just like Kiana's.
A pair of small dragon horns on her head and a swaying dragon Tail behind her marked the girl as the Vidyadhara Dragon Lord.
"General Jing Yuan's complexion is ruddy and his qi ample—he doesn't look ill. This one, on the other hand, is bloodless; she's clearly forcing herself."
After a cursory glance at Jing Yuan, Bailu stepped before Kiana and spoke coolly.
She then seized Kiana's wrist, two fingers pressing lightly on her pulse.
A moment later Bailu released Kiana's hand, nodded in understanding, and unfastened the gourd at her waist.
"Here—one small sip and you'll be fine."
As she spoke, Bailu offered the gourd to Kiana.
"Thanks, little sis."
Kiana accepted the gourd and took a sip.
Her previously pale face quickly flushed, and the weakness left her body.
"This stuff is great, Lady Dragon—give it to me, okay!"
"No way! Do you know how long it takes to brew one gourd of this?"
Bailu shook her head like a rattle-drum.
When Bailu refused, Kiana leaned in and whispered beside her ear.
"From now on, big sister will take you to eat yummy things and sneak you out to play, all right?"
Though Kiana's voice was low, Jing Yuan still heard; he could only shake his head helplessly.
He turned a blind eye, pretending he hadn't heard.
He also hoped his old friend's reincarnation could live more freely, but as a general there were things he simply couldn't do.
Once you reached this position, certain words and deeds were off-limits—sigh.
When Bailu heard Kiana's devilish whisper, her Tail began to wag joyfully and she nodded at once.
Saliva was plentiful, but chances to sneak out were rare!
Grinning, Kiana tied the medicine gourd at her waist and stroked Bailu's soft hair.
A while later, everything ready, Kiana and Jing Yuan left the Shence Mansion.
Jing Yuan mustered part of the Cloud Knights and set out with Kiana for the Wangshu Astral Express… Saint Freya Academy.
After the unconscious Mei and Bronya returned, Theresa arrived at once with Himeko.
"Raiden Mei, Bronya—where's Kiana?"
Arms crossed, Theresa glared at Bronya.
The three of them had vanished for over ten hours; even the surveillance showed they'd disappeared from the ward into thin air!
Now that Mei and Bronya were back, where was her eldest niece?!
With Raiden Mei unconscious and Bronya's Anti-Entropy background, Theresa couldn't help but suspect the worst.
"Headmaster, this is what happened…"
Bronya then told Theresa everything she'd seen and heard.
Because Project Bunny had recording functions, plus those images, Theresa slowly began to believe the outrageous facts.
"A civilization in space… Kiana has an asteroid-sized ship…? That's unbelievable…"
Watching Project Bunny's footage, Theresa looked as though her worldview had collapsed.
But she quickly snapped back: Bronya said Kiana was now in great danger!
"Bronya, how did you get there? I'll mobilize the entire Far East Branch to support Kiana!"
Theresa asked anxiously.
But the reply was only three words.
"Don't know…"
Bronya lowered her head.
Project Bunny couldn't detect anything at all.
"Himeko, summon the Far East R&D team!"
She refused to believe that mighty Schicksal couldn't manage a little teleportation tech!
After checking that the bomb in Mei's heart was intact, Theresa settled the two and left.
Meanwhile, in the bishop's office at Schicksal Headquarters.
"Otto, Otto—the test subject has vanished. Was that part of your plan?"
Before Otto, Void Archives regarded him with mockery.
"Void Archives, you still underestimate human emotion and bonds; K423… will return."
Otto swirled the red wine in his glass, legs crossed, speaking at leisure.
On the projection screen before him played the unconscious Raiden Mei… Wangshu Astral Express, Taiyin Mansion.
Jing Yuan received a message from the marshal.
"This… the situation really isn't optimistic…"
"What's wrong?"
Kiana couldn't see the contents of his jade sign and asked curiously.
But from his furrowed brow she could tell it wasn't good news.
"The Yaoqing reinforcements that were supposed to arrive have been intercepted by Abominations of Abundance; they'll need time to get here."
"As for the other four Wangshu ships, they're also under siege, though not by the main force—likely just to pin the starships down."
Jing Yuan's brows were locked, a gloom hanging over him that wouldn't disperse.
Big trouble—if mishandled, losses could be heavy.
Kiana frowned as well.
She understood Jing Yuan's meaning: until the other starships cleared their obstacles, they were on their own.
As the two racked their brains for a solution, Jing Yuan received a message from the Interstellar Peace Corporation.
Diamond: Hearing our ally is in difficulty, the company will naturally offer full support.
Real-name online: Jing Yuan is deeply grateful; I'll pay a formal visit to offer thanks another day.
At the same time, flashes of white light burst across the barren asteroid belt.
When the light faded, dozens of planetary battleships and star-destroyers bearing the Interstellar Peace Corporation's insignia appeared in perfect formation.
Lifting the corpse of a Cloud Knights scout, Liza glanced up, casually tossed the body aside, and howled at the sky.
Moments later, wolf howls echoed in succession across the entire desolate planet.