As the joint military exercise drew nearer, the four academies issued notices: all participants were to prepare their essentials and board the fleet the next day, escorted by the military armada to the exercise's venue—
The KT-36 Star System.
On the cosmic star chart, though the Empire and the Federation shared a border, a buffer zone of uninhabited barren planets lay between them. By international convention, these planets bore no formal names, only numerical designations for convenience.
The KT-36 Star System was one such barren cluster.
"Geographically, that system is closer to the Federation. Nearby lies one of their main planets, Blazing Sun Star," explained Ru Kuoming, activating a star map shortly after the students boarded the ship, briefing them on the exercise's key points.
"Blazing Sun Star is a frontier hub for the Federation, equipped with a military base and a cosmic observation tower, tasked with border surveillance. This time, the Federation has chosen it as our reception venue," Ru Kuoming said, his expression calm as he raised his gaze. "Let me be clear: your trip isn't just about fighting. The joint exercise is part of peace negotiations. On a small scale, it's a friendly exchange. On a grand scale, it's war by proxy. We must not only win but win gracefully, giving the other side no room to find fault—for you represent the Empire's honor. Understood?"
The students: "Understood!"
"Also, the exercise will be fully livestreamed, broadcast to the public of both nations," Ru Kuoming added, pausing thoughtfully. "Mind your personal conduct. Don't say or do anything you shouldn't."
Seated in the front row, Kaisin Grez let out a soft huff.
"What's that huff for?" Ji Ya, sitting nearby, whispered. "Can't you tell? Teacher Ru Kuoming's speaking to hotheads like you."
Though relations between the Empire and Federation were never warm, and Imperials saw few Federals as true threats, someone like Kaisin—arrogant and tactless—could easily humiliate the Federation in the exercise and follow it with biting mockery. If he lashed out, the Federation's chaos-hungry media would churn out inflammatory articles overnight, dragging up old grudges between the nations and making a mess of things.
Kaisin huffed again. "Do I look that stupid? I know the Federals love their theatrics. I won't waste words with them on camera—I'll just crush them."
Ji Ya nodded. "Good to know you're not completely clueless."
In short, the exercise had one rule: minimize interaction with the enemy and focus on the fight.
Cen Yuehuai blinked, leaning toward Bai Sha. "Your Highness, don't you have a few friends in the Federation?"
"Mm," Bai Sha replied softly, her left hand brushing her dormant holo-brain. "They're in the exercise team too."
Cen Yuehuai: "So we'll have to face them?"
Since receiving her new mech, Cen Yuehuai's confidence had soared and never landed.
"Last time in the Unbound City, we used virtual mechs. You and Xino couldn't show your true strength, and I was dragging you down—it was frustrating. This time's different… Three days apart, and you'll see me anew. I'm way stronger now. I'll take them down easily!"
"Not necessarily," Bai Sha said thoughtfully. "My friends mentioned the Federation's been heavily investing in intelligent mech systems. In less than a year, they've made leaps forward. Even Teacher Jiang Gui told me to study their smart mechs when I'm there… It's possible we won't be fighting people but competing against intelligent AI."
Cen Yuehuai's eye twitched. "Intelligent AI? They wouldn't use that in the exercise, would they? Isn't that blatant cheating?"
Bai Sha gave her an amused glance. "Who says mechs can't have smart systems? Mech advancements are judged by raw performance. If their new AI system significantly boosts mech capabilities, maybe it's time for the Empire to adopt or learn from it."
"In less than a year, what kind of system could they build?" Xino joined in, his tone laced with disdain. "Unless the Federation's been secretly developing smart mechs and only now revealed it. Or… they've integrated some 'Silver Legacy' tech."
The so-called "Silver Legacy" referred to advanced knowledge preserved from the Silver Era.
The Silver Era—a prosperous civilization destroyed by the Silver Core. Consequently, the Ares Empire classified related intelligent machinery knowledge as "forbidden." Imperial researchers were barred from crossing that line, lest they create another Silver Core.
The Federation, however, had no such taboos.
They excavated ruins, collected technologies, and blended the "Silver Legacy" into their own advancements—a practice they'd followed for years.
"At its core, technology isn't at fault; the fault lies with those who can't control it. The Federation's pursuit of that knowledge isn't a crime," Bai Sha said, shaking her head lightly. "Besides, the 'Silver Core' isn't something the Federation could replicate today. No need to worry too much."
While the Federation wouldn't produce a "Silver Core 2.0," just how "intelligent" was their so-called "smart mech system"?
Bai Sha had once asked Zhou Ying about it.
Zhou Ying didn't answer directly, saying only, "You'll see when you get to the Federation."
That suggested the system was something noteworthy. Otherwise, given Zhou Ying's blunt nature, she'd have already torn the system's developers to shreds.
The starship sailed silently through the cosmos.
The vast, quiet starscape was no longer novel to Bai Sha. She was accustomed to traveling between star systems on spaceships or starships.
"The starship has officially entered Federation territory," came the pilot's cool, steady voice over the intercom. "We've sent a landing signal to Blazing Sun Star's international spaceport."
Hearing the announcement, Bai Sha glanced at the star map, where Blazing Sun Star gleamed close by.
She had some recollection of Blazing Sun Star. After all, few frontier systems boasted main planets with thriving cities.
As for the small, familiar planet of Lanslow Star… it was far from here, with little cultural similarity.
Unlike the dim, unremarkable Lanslow Star, Blazing Sun Star shone brilliantly, a gem set in the nebula belt.
Not far from it stood a massive jump gate, surrounded by floating asteroids of varying sizes.
As the Imperial starship passed the jump gate, the lazily drifting asteroids began to quiver.
They aligned into a predetermined orbit, circling the gate like a chain of gray beads, spinning in tight loops before it.
Suddenly, the jump gate flared with dazzling light.
A colossal metal starship emerged, its form gradually released by the gate, plunging into the silent cosmic sea. Its thrusters burned with radiant arcs.
It was a Federation starship.
Per prior agreement, the Federation's starship was timed to arrive at Blazing Sun Star simultaneously with the Empire's—a meticulously calculated "coincidence" to showcase the "deep bond" between the nations.
The two starships drew closer in space, aligning perfectly side by side, like twin geese flying in formation.
"…Whose bright idea was this?" Kaisin Grez's face darkened. "It's disgusting."