Stars See Me [Interstellar] | Chapter 102 | The Solar Star's Arrival | Novela.app

“Greetings, esteemed ‘Solar Star.’” Essengar chose a title that struck a balance between rank and name, initiating the conversation with ample respect. “May I sit here?” Lucas’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head. He squinted and winked frantically, trying to signal his father, but to no avail. With a nod from Rayting, his father actually sat down. Lucas’s hands began to tremble slightly. It wasn't that he feared his socially adept father would say something wrong—Rayting wasn't someone easily provoked. His primary fear was that the more his father looked at the "Solar Star," the more he would like him, and the more he would find Lucas’s actual partner unsatisfactory. Eventually, his father might start plotting how to set him up with Rayting... While the fact that he had once crushed on Rayting proved he had good taste, the current Lucas didn't dare entertain such thoughts! That was the *Solar Star*! Meanwhile, Essengar looked at Rayting, and indeed, the more he looked, the more satisfied he became. However, contrary to Lucas’s imagination, Essengar was a man of profound self-awareness, both regarding his family and his foolish son. What kind of young, beautiful Omega couldn't a man like the "Solar Star" have? Even if he wanted young, beautiful Alphas, he could have a new group every day if he so desired. The Kang family might have some clout in the business world, but that clout was essentially meaningless before the strongest Alpha. He was powerful in every conceivable way; anything you could offer, he already possessed, and likely in a superior form. Better industrial pipelines, better raw materials, better everything... while this might be a bargaining chip for other powerhouses, what about the "Solar Star"? Even if you claimed to own a spaceport, he could manifest a better one himself and still be gracious enough to leave a room for you! Political maneuvering was futile against such strength. If he wanted what was in your hands, could you really refuse him just because there was no "stable connection"? Setting aside whether he would ever ask—if that day came, would you dare say no? As for "political marriage"... Why would any sane person fantasize about establishing a legal marital bond with a living god? In comparison, Essengar would much rather Lucas find a compatible ordinary person to spend his life with. Thus, he hadn't approached Rayting for any ulterior motive; he simply wanted to observe the man at close range, emboldened by Lucas’s claim that Rayting was actually quite good-tempered. Because... Because he vaguely recalled that years ago, after he had agreed to help his scoundrel of a brother lie using the family’s credit, he had investigated the fake identity "Enan Vallen" for a few days. Aside from a seamless backstory and a physical appearance and name that were a bit of a "dark history" for Essengar himself, this "Enan Vallen" seemed to have been very close to a certain student in the Superpowered Mecha Department of the First Military Academy... Unfortunately, that student’s identity had been classified by the Federation, partly because the two of them were involved with a former Imperial Crown Prince. Other students from that year were also forbidden from discussing the incident. Various events occurred in the galaxy every moment, and the past was quickly buried—at least for outsiders. But for Essengar, whether it was the gossip he’d heard from merchants at a gala or the rumors from his employees, or even the fact that "this student was important enough for the Federation to keep his secrets," the label of "the person beside Enan Vallen" pointed toward a possibility that made him break into a cold sweat. Essengar sat on the sofa beside Rayting, appearing to rest with his eyes closed, but in reality, he was stealing glances at this powerful young man from time to time. As he peeked, his heart was screaming. *Evenheiler, you absolute bastard! You dared to mess with THIS man?!* The family could afford to provoke Angye, but they certainly couldn't afford to provoke the "Solar Star"!!! *** Somewhere in a district of the Galactic Core’s "Ringworld" featuring Orion-style dining. "...Achoo!!" A plain-looking black-haired man turned his head and sneezed. The droplets were instantly cleaned by his automatic air-isolation mask. "What's wrong, Mr. Wen Kang?" someone nearby asked with concern. "Are you feeling unwell?" "No, it's nothing," the man called "Wen Kang" replied. Several people around him, all equally plain-looking, let out a collective "Oh..." appearing quite nervous about his condition. This "Wen Kang" was the strongest fighter among them, bar none. If he showed an abnormal reaction, they naturally grew tense. Shortly after, the group deactivated their isolation masks and entered a restaurant. They booked a private room, ordered a table full of food, and began chatting while waiting for the dishes. "After this meal, we’ll go our separate ways to handle our tasks," a cybernetically modified young girl said as she poured herself some juice. "If anything goes wrong on our end... Mr. Wen, we’ll be counting on you." "Wen Kang" nodded calmly, offering no further words. "Seriously, why didn't we go to the Integrated Dining Plaza?" someone grumbled while holding the menu. "It’s not every day we get to visit the Ringworld..." The girl rolled her eyes. "No thanks. None of us are used to drinking methane blood mixed with machine oil." "..." The man with the menu twitched. "What kind of cyber-swamp vampire are you talking about?!" "Who knows?" The girl quietly activated her optical computer visor. "You guys talk, I’m going to check today’s Ringworld news..." "..." She stopped mid-sentence, her voice cutting out. Her companions all turned to look. "What is it, Atta?" "......Holy shit," Tita, one of the Resistance hackers, murmured. "The 'Solar Star'..." Mr. Wen’s hand, which was reaching for a data pad containing the shop's history, suddenly froze. "The Solar Star?" The others turned their heads. "What about him?" "..." Tita swallowed hard. "That 'Solar Star'... he seems to be on his way to the Ringworld. Estimated arrival... in less than a month." *** Rayting looked at the Galactic Star-Net news, his eyes twitching. *What are the Ringworld news media thinking? Don't apply revivalism to things like this!! Please learn something useful from history!* "Sir, it's time to move," Lucas reminded him from the side. "The people from the Consortium are already outside." "..." Rayting wanted to rub his brow, but since his mask was in the way, he failed. The Galactic Consortium Assembly consisted of seven Permanent Presiding Seats, three hundred rotating assembly seats, and representatives from nearly forty thousand interstellar civilizations. Unlike the Union Parliament, the Consortium Assembly did not operate on a rotational system; it was a grueling, around-the-clock marathon of governance. The magnificent mountain-shaped Assembly Hall was constructed from modular office rooms. The brilliant councilors from various races and civilizations were at least B-class espers, each grinding away in their respective rooms with their dedicated teams. If a major issue arose, they would immediately switch their rooms to transparent mode and hold a massive meeting right there, under the gaze of cameras surrounding the venue. Because in the Consortium, there was always *too much* to do. So much so that the workers had no time to think about anything other than their prescribed breaks and vacations. Yet, Rayting hadn't expected that in such a bizarre place—where many representatives would simply lie down and let themselves be peacefully carried back to their home civilizations once their terms ended—they would actually organize a grand welcoming ceremony for his arrival. A section of the Ringworld, as wide and high as a star system, was now festooned with decorations. Projections chronicled the history of the Consortium since its founding, the histories of the major civilizations of the Milky Way, and the histories of the "civilization specimens" preserved on the Ringworld... The Consortium faced Rayting with the highest level of etiquette, greeting the "Solar Star" who was but a newborn in the context of the era. Rayting walked down the gangway in full gear, the golden laurel crown atop his head shimmering, bleeding into the surrounding radiance. He understood that since this was his first time here, and he came on official business, a welcoming ceremony was mandatory; otherwise, both the Union and the Consortium would lose face. But he hadn't expected all seven Presiding Seat representatives and the three hundred civilization representatives to show up... a diverse array of biological entities, from carbon-based to silicon-based, from humanoid to non-humanoid— Rayting even spotted a creature resembling a black Western dragon. It was doing its best to shrink its long, powerful frame, wearing a specially made, ornate uniform with its wings folded at its sides. Its flame-like eyes met his through his visor before quickly looking away. Rayting scanned the crowd. He knew that the stronger a person's perception, the more they would feel the danger in his gaze, and this perceptual ability wasn't strictly tied to psychic rank. Sure enough, wherever his gaze passed, almost everyone instinctively blinked or lowered their heads. This proved that the people standing close to him possessed perceptions far beyond the norm. *The interstellar society is indeed full of talent... however, even if the Orion Human Union is one of the Permanent Presiding Seats, this treatment is a bit too solemn.* *Don't you people have work to do??* Amidst the camera flashes and the lavish scenery, Rayting looked at the representatives before him. After a moment of silence, he chose not to use that line of thought to interrupt what might actually be their long-awaited "fresh air"... or rather, vacation time. Under those flashing lights, he could sense the awe of others—or rather, their fear. It surged from all directions, triggered by his gaze, his power, and his inherent danger. Essengar and his son had already departed to handle their own affairs, while Lucas and the others followed behind Rayting. Rayting had to, and could only, walk at the very front as he always did. He silently nodded to the crowd and walked toward them, calmly and peacefully accepting this "respect" according to the traditions of the Orion Human Union. At the same time, he symbolically withdrew his power. Even though his perception still blanketed a vast expanse of the surrounding space. Under the gaze of ten thousand eyes, he walked from the light toward the group of officials representing the highest power of the Consortium. Among them, a white dragon stepped forward, offering him kind greetings and blessings in the name of the First Presiding Seat. In the shadows of the crowd, "Mr. Wen," who appeared to be just an ordinary person without superpowers, watched him from afar like everyone else. Shortly after, he silently flowed away with the crowd, departing quietly. No one noticed that the gaze beneath the visor of that brilliant figure in the spotlight had been faintly following the light breeze stirred by a certain someone’s movement. *** | Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 银河综合体 | Galactic Consortium | The overarching interstellar governing body. | | 审理席 | Presiding Seat | A high-ranking position/seat within the Consortium's assembly. | | 文康 | Wen Kang | Evenheiler's current alias. | | 缇塔 / 阿塔 | Tita / Atta | A hacker girl in the resistance. | | 综合体议会 | Consortium Assembly | The legislative/governing body of the Galactic Consortium. | | 第一审理席 | First Presiding Seat | The highest-ranking representative position in the Consortium. |