“We would like to ask for your help with something,” Undale said with a gentle, polite smile. “Specifically… to escort two people.”
“Who?” Lei Ting asked.
“One is the Federation’s rising star in medicine, Kona Maslow. She needs to attend a medical exchange seminar on the Ring World.” As Undale spoke, he projected a holographic image before him.
Lei Ting glanced at the figure—a girl with snow-white skin and hair, wearing glasses. She was only tall enough to reach his chest.
He didn’t exactly know her, but she was a ‘familiar face.’ In recent years, the Federation had introduced ‘representative figures’ in various fields, even developing copyrights for their images. The new representative for the medical world was this ‘Kona,’ while the representative for Espers was, without a doubt, ‘Solar Star.’
If nothing had happened to Cen Yan back then, Kona’s current position might have been his—possibly. After all, this beautiful white-haired lady was equally qualified in both knowledge and skill; she had reached her current height entirely through her own merit.
Still… Cen Yan had been doing reasonably well in Lucas’s squad these past few years.
Though he couldn't speak or process too much external information, Lucas himself was the loudest person in that group. It was said that as long as Lucas was sent elsewhere, the silence of the other four ‘shut-ins’ was enough to make Cen Yan fall asleep on the spot.
“Maslow will be waiting for you on the mission vessel. However, her schedule differs from most; barring any surprises, you’ll likely only see her in the evenings,” Undale said. “As for the other person…”
He paused for a moment.
“…He is Essengar Kang, also attending the conference. However, he will be at a different venue than Maslow. But you don’t need to worry about that; you only need to bring them to the Ring World. They both have their own teams to handle all subsequent matters.”
Essengar Kang… the boss of Kang Pharmaceuticals, the leader of the Federation’s commercial medical industry, Lucas’s father, and…
…Never mind.
“Fine.”
Lei Ting’s tone was as calm as ever. He didn't hesitate or try to negotiate terms; that wasn't his style.
However, he did focus on another point: “Do you believe they might encounter an attack from high-level Espers on the way to the Ring World?”
In this situation, the possibility of ‘it’s on the way, so just help out’ didn't exist. The current Federation wouldn't bother him with unnecessary trifles. If these two weren't facing a threat that the Federation’s standard protocols couldn't handle, these councilors wouldn't dare approach him with such a request even if their heads were rolling.
Even if Undale and Angye weren't afraid of him, the other councilors would have tried to drag them back and beg them not to do this.
“That was the original concern. But if you are there, they won't be attacked,” Undale smiled. “The rats in the shadows don't like wasting their strength for nothing.”
Even if an attack had been likely, as long as ‘Solar Star’ was on that ship… who would dare touch the sun?
Assassinating someone under the protection of ‘Solar Star’? That wasn't just seeking death; it was a suicide mission of cosmic proportions.
“Then it’s settled.” Lei Ting glanced at the other duty councilors in the hall. Aside from their initial silent bow when he entered, they had remained hunched over their work, frantically pretending they didn't exist.
Likely, the four thousand-plus officials killed over the last few years had truly terrified them.
Lei Ting withdrew his gaze and noticed Undale stepping forward to stand between him and the other councilors. Undale probably knew this wouldn't offend him and would earn him a favor from the others. Unfortunately, his height couldn't match Lei Ting’s, who now stood over two meters tall; the attempt at shielding them was a complete failure.
Lei Ting: “…”
Undale: “……”
Undale slowly stopped in his tracks, his expression showing no embarrassment. “Everything is prepared. When do you plan to depart?”
“Now,” Lei Ting said, turning to leave.
“Very well, I shall inform Essengar Kang immediately,” Undale said with a smile. “Thank you for your hard work. Also, the Speaker asked me to convey his gratitude for everything you have done for the Federation, and for your sense of belonging and love for this starry sky.”
“…”
Lei Ting did not react to these somewhat sentimental words.
He didn't even look back.
***
Several hours later, at the third planetary spaceport of the Orion Human Union’s capital system, inside the lounge of a state-of-the-art luxury transport vessel.
“To be honest, when I was a kid watching movies, I always thought superpowered warriors were so cool. They’d draw their blades and cut people down amidst the ruins of civilizations surrounded by exotic flora, blood spraying like a rain of flowers in the dark. Everyone who saw their true face died, and they were only ever responsible for taking missions, doing missions, turning in missions, and leaving the world with a lonely silhouette…”
Lucas sat with his legs crossed on a low-key but magnificent sofa in the lounge, looking up at the minimalist yet elegant luxury decor.
There are two kinds of ‘simplicity’ in this world: the simplicity of having no money, and the simplicity of having too much.
Lucas—or rather, the Kang family—was accustomed to the latter in their daily lives.
While he could adapt to the former, stepping onto this ship gave Lucas a sense of coming home. This didn't turn him back into the refined gentleman who could enter a banquet at any moment; instead, he seemed… even more arrogant.
So much so that his four teammates had already been driven by his chatter into their own assigned rooms to choose the path of social withdrawal.
“Watch fewer useless movies,” Lei Ting said, sitting upright across from Lucas with a calm expression. “And mind your posture. You’re on a promotional mission this time.”
At the moment, he had tucked his cloak and pauldrons into his superpowered projection located within the Ethereal Plane.
Hidden within that projection was a city—the city of his dreams. Its basic template was the city he had lived in during his previous life, yet it was vastly different.
In short, it was his mental world… a mental world within a superpowered sun that no one could approach.
…Though saying this might ruin the sense of melancholy, over the past few years, Lei Ting had turned that city and even that sun into his personal storage space.
Currently, it contained a solid core made of ‘Star Alloy’ that encased the city, along with countless amounts of ‘Solar Alloy,’ various other metals, and… his own miscellaneous items.
To be perfectly honest, before heading out this time, he had even tossed two boxes of mung bean glutinous rice cakes inside. His conduct showed a blatant lack of respect for the prestige of the Ethereal Plane…
Perhaps doing so would make an ordinary person think, *‘Wow, Solar Star actually does things like this?!’* but Lei Ting was not some inhuman, cold-hearted being. He had even gone out of his way to prank Lucas this time.
And Lucas, completely oblivious…
“You’ve actually seen it?!” Lucas cried out in shock. “*The Great Magellan*? That movie? That old flick where the protagonist carries out missions near the Large Magellanic Cloud??”
“…” Lei Ting silently unwrapped a spherical mint he was fond of, popped it into his mouth, and leaned back into the sofa, remaining silent amidst Lucas’s realization and subsequent laughter.
Of course he had seen it. The ‘gift’ the Mediator ‘Ru’ had given him back then had served him well over the years, broadening his horizons and way of thinking…
One could only say that, as expected of a Federation Conflict Mediator, the gift was indeed very much to his liking.
As for Lucas… tsk. This guy was clearly still terrified of him, not even daring to meet his eyes, yet he dared to laugh like this?
Lei Ting, who had been intentionally averting his gaze to accommodate the other man, silently looked up. Through the visor that blocked his own vision, he successfully startled the guy into an expression that looked like a sudden heart attack.
He chuckled inwardly.
—Truly… both arrogant and cowardly.
Sooner or later, he would drag this ‘nephew’ of his out for a beating to fix that attitude.
“Sigh… really,” Lucas said, finally catching his breath and searching for a topic. “It’s only after growing up that I realized reality is different from the movies. Being a superpowered warrior is really hard. If you’re weak, no one cares about you. Only the strong have a say, but if you’re strong beyond imagination, people fear you instead…”
Lei Ting: “…”
He had reason to suspect this man was insulting him to his face, and he had the evidence.
On one hand, Lucas was so afraid of him that meeting his eyes felt like his soul would fly out of his skull, yet on the other, he wasn't afraid of making jokes that might anger him… What was this? Overly sensitive intuition or a split personality?
“So,” Lucas suddenly lowered his voice, “Brother Lei, why is it that even when you’re free, you rarely cooperate with publicity personally? We all know it won't make everyone feel at ease with you, but… at least, there would be more people who understand you?”
“…”
Lei Ting tilted his head noncommittally.
“I think, in this world, people are already doing their best just to stay alive,” he answered calmly. “‘Understanding’ is a very rare thing. We cannot demand resources from the public that they themselves lack. That isn't part of the tax code.”
“…So, you’re doing it on purpose?” Lucas’s eyes widened slightly. “You…”
“If fear can teach them not to cross the line, then it is a good thing,” Lei Ting said softly. “As for the rest… it’s not something you need to know, Lucas. Today, you have your own matters to handle.”
“…Me?” Lucas obediently and quickly bypassed the ‘not something he needs to know’ information, catching the point at the end. “Today… aren't I just resting and traveling?”
“No.” Lei Ting’s expression remained serious.
Then, he stood up. Sensing the presence of Essengar Kang boarding the ship with a ten-man team outside, he was somewhat surprised to find that the man was actually an Esper.
…An unregistered Esper?
Whatever. There were plenty of unregistered Espers in this starry sky; there was no need to dwell on it.
Lei Ting gave the bewildered Lucas a meaningful ‘look.’
Perfect. The trap he had set for his old friend had now boarded the ship and was walking toward the lounge.
Indeed, the moment he learned Essengar Kang would be traveling with them, he had decided—he would transfer Lucas and his squad here to bolster the presence.
And, incidentally, he hadn't told Lucas that his dear father—who was very dissatisfied with his choice to stay in the military—would also be here. They would even be facing each other day and night for the next two months, a journey that had to be stretched out to accommodate the physical limits of the ordinary humans on board.
“I’ll step out for a moment.” Lei Ting walked past Lucas, patted his shoulder with pity, and returned to his own room.
A short while later, a glowing contact message notification popped up on his optical computer screen, which he had minimized to the side of his vision.
[Not Corn (Note: Lucas Kang/Kang Lu): !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...!!!]
[Not Corn (Note: Lucas Kang/Kang Lu): Brother Lei! You set me up!!!]
***
