In the venue, Hua quickly raised her hand and knocked out a general who had cried until he was almost unconscious.
She made a gesture. Several physicians from the Alchemy Commission rushed forward. One of them hurriedly checked his pulse, whispered a few words in her ear, and then the group skillfully lifted the man and carried him toward the exit.
Guanliang rubbed his brow and asked quietly, "That's the fourth one, right? How is he?"
Hua was silent for a moment, then sighed. "…It's alright. At least he didn't start coughing up blood like the first three."
Guanliang looked up, his gaze falling on the entire wall made of flowers ahead of them. At the very front was a photograph of his superior.
A black-haired man with amber eyes, wearing a bright yellow round-collared robe with an embroidered coiling dragon on the chest. He looked straight at the camera, wearing his usual calm, gentle smile.
Guanliang thought, you underestimated yourself, and overestimated your subordinates.
Even a marshal who could calculate ten steps ahead from a single move probably never imagined his subordinates would suffer this much, right?
Hua looked around but didn't see the Aeon. She couldn't help asking in a low voice, "Where is that one?"
Hearing this, Guanliang pulled his thoughts back and found himself at a loss for words.
"…You dare to think it, but I don't even dare go looking for Them."
Lan was an Aeon after all. How could anyone ask an Aeon to kneel?
Hua thought for a moment. "But they should at least come once, right?"
Guanliang shook his head.
Their status as an Aeon was one reason. Another was Daiyang.
What exactly had happened between her and Lan?
Guanliang didn't know. But he did know that in Daiyang's current state, she couldn't take any more emotional shocks.
It was better to minimize how often that god and that person met.
"No need. When the time comes, it'll be enough if They help carry the coffin."
The two of them simultaneously looked toward the golden nanmu coffin placed beneath the flower wall.
Just as they had expected, the generals had led troops along the route shown on the jade abacus again, but found no trace of the marshal.
Once the obituary was released, anyone with a brain wouldn't go asking for trouble.
Therefore, while searching outside for the marshal, the generals hadn't harmed anyone, nor had they harmed any intelligent lifeforms.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy Rangers traveling the star seas found the Astral Express. Together with the Nameless, who had also lost their god, they cried in each other's arms for quite a while.
In the end, with the conductor's help, they brought back everything left behind in the marshal's room on the train to Xuling.
Now, inside that coffin were the golden dragon-patterned round-collared robe he had worn, several outfits he often wore on the train, as well as the jade abacus he had deliberately left in Xuling and the accessories his subordinates had given him.
A jade hairpin, a dragon-shaped ear cuff, a leather belt, a dragon-shaped jade pendant, and a pair of bracers. Five items had been given back then. Not a single one was missing now.
Guanliang stared at the flag draped over the coffin and suddenly asked, "When the Rangers were packing his things, did they find a potted plant?"
Hua thought for a moment. "No. They brought everything back."
Guanliang didn't ask further.
Shuhu was probably killed casually by the marshal.
If that was the case, there was no need to dig any deeper.
Right now, what mattered most was the Xianzhou Alliance.
If it were just the upper ranks of one Xianzhou leaving their posts, it wouldn't be a big deal.
But now, the entire Xianzhou had entered maximum combat readiness. The generals from every Xianzhou had gathered in Xuling.
In the coming days, the Six Commissions would also arrive one after another to attend the funeral.
That meant they had to be especially cautious.
Guanliang lowered his voice and began giving instructions to the new superior who had officially taken over the Xianzhou, "Hua, you need to be prepared."
"Without him keeping the Interastral Peace Council in check, those people will definitely start a war. Oh, and also, someone might try to arrange a political marriage with you."
Hua, "???"
Looking at Hua, who almost failed to keep her composure, Guanliang continued, "This is normal. Just refuse them."
"He was often approached about this… When the time comes, don't allow any media other than Xianzhou's to enter the main hall. Every article must be reviewed."
Hua frowned instinctively.
'Sealing off information was one thing, but why hold a funeral so secretively?'
Guanliang sighed. "I understand what you're thinking. But if it's too extravagant, some people might say we're being wasteful."
Hua fell silent.
Did the Xianzhou Alliance really care about what others said? And who would accuse them of waste?
Probably only their own people who didn't know the full story.
Xuling alone had hundreds of billions of people. There would always be some with unusual ways of thinking who would complain that they were being extravagant and wasting tax money.
If it were people from other countries, they would have already come knocking. But if they were Xianzhou natives?
Hua quickly rejected Guanliang's suggestion.
Guanliang didn't say anything more.
He hadn't said it with any particular goal. He was just giving Hua advance warning.
After all, back when they were fighting the Aurumatons, there were still people thinking about how much fun it would be.
He wanted her to get used to the strange thought processes of certain troublesome citizens as early as possible.
The two fell silent for a while. Then Hua suddenly said, "I think there's a problem with the Xianzhou education system. What do you think?"
Before Guanliang could answer, she continued on her own, "If we convert the years Xianzhou people spend studying according to the lifespan of short-lived species, wouldn't that mean newborns only study for a few months before starting work?"
Guanliang, "…I think so too. Are you planning to have them study until they're two hundred?"
Hua slowly shook her head, "Add some new courses. Add a few dozen classical poems that must be memorized."
Guanliang immediately understood.
After the funeral, many people would probably write poems mourning the marshal.
But… a few dozen might be underestimating those subordinates.
"That's too few. It should be at least a hundred."
"You're right." Hua lifted her head, staring at the photo on the flower wall, and said calmly, "Marty and the others deleted their personal data from the database. The generals said they also wanted their information sealed. I agreed."
Hua knew that person's intentions. She also understood the decisions of the other generals.
So no matter how bitter or heartbroken she felt inside, no matter how much she disagreed with his methods, she could only endure it.
He did it for the Xianzhou, and for the Reignbow Arbiter.
If the Hunt Aeon ascended to godhood through revenge, then after the envoys of other Aeons formed grudges with the Xianzhou, would the Aeons' power become even stronger?
Of course, it wasn't just for the Xianzhou and the Aeons. It was also for Hua.
He was a flawless leader. But if his achievements became known to everyone… what kind of situation would the next successor face?
Every policy, every decision, would probably be compared to him by the public.
Hua thought, 'This is only temporary.'
Their achievements shouldn't be forgotten. Like the Reignbow Arbiter, they should be remembered and praised by everyone.
Hua lowered her head and said softly, "I saved all the records. One day, I'll add them into the textbooks."
Guanliang gave a quiet "mm." Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly saw Lan and a red-haired, big-wavy…
He focused his gaze and instantly fell into confusion.
'Wait… is that a man or a woman?'
Hua said in a low voice, "It's the Aeon of Elation."
Guanliang took a deep breath. "...Do we make a move?"
Hua kept her smiling expression, nodding toward the two Aeons in the distance while quietly saying to Guanliang, "Now isn't the time."
She slowly stood and walked over, blocking the two Aeons at the entrance to the venue.
Hua had never expected much from the Reignbow Arbiter's ability to talk, so she took the initiative to ask their purpose.
The red-haired boy with large wavy curls tilted his head and offered a flower basket.
Normally, flower baskets given to the dead came with condolence couplets to express grief.
But the flower basket from the Aeon had nothing except flowers.
Hua accepted it with a smile.
'So even the Aeon of Elation could have feelings?'
Hua let out a quiet sigh in her heart. 'As expected of an Aeon.'
For a brief moment, she had actually wondered something like that.
Aha looked shaken, patting his chest. "I thought you were going to attack me..."
Hua kept smiling. "Our Xianzhou is your creditor. You still haven't repaid your debt. How could we possibly attack you?"
Holding the flower basket, she turned her head toward Lan. "I'll have to trouble you to personally receive this guest."
The two Aeons watched Hua leave.
Aha couldn't help curling his lip.
This humorless fellow had directly ruined Their condolence couplet.
Aha said righteously, "Pay for my flower basket!"
Lan closed Their eyes briefly, a trace of anger in Their voice, "The marshal always conducted himself with integrity."
"He never had entanglements with any women, and he certainly had no children. You're ruining his reputation."
Aha automatically ignored the accusation in the latter half, shaking Their head and sighing, "Yeah, how many times has it been now?"
"My best friend is still… This was clearly his most human moment!"
Lan knew the answer well.
As long as the marshal remained a leader, it was impossible for him to develop feelings for any one person. He would only see those he met as children.
They didn't want to discuss this with Aha and simply urged Them to leave.
Aha didn't move. Standing at the entrance, They looked into the distance and said emotionally to Lan, who shared memories of the same reincarnation and could barely be considered a colleague, "I still think the Empire's military dress uniform looked better..."
Lan grabbed the back of Aha's collar and began dragging Them away while asking, "The one he was wearing when you assassinated him?"
Aha let Lan drag Them along, stumbling as They followed.
They nodded hard. "Yeah..."
Aha understood Themself and fully understood the choice They had made in that memory.
In the memories of one cycle given by Fuli, They saw a nation whose territory expanded extremely fast, nearly occupying half the star seas.
They saw humans revere one person to the extreme, even treating him as a faith. Inevitably, curiosity arose.
Just like how Aha had infiltrated the Astral Express for amusement, They didn't hesitate to use an avatar to join the Empire.
What They hadn't expected was that an avatar of an Aeon couldn't outcompete humans! They spent an entire year and still couldn't meet the person who had sparked Their curiosity.
Could Aha tolerate that? Of course not.
So They chose to replace the identity of one of Their own followers and participated in… some kind of ceremony.
Aha didn't remember exactly. Anyway, it was a ceremony where subordinates had to swear loyalty to their best friend.
The Aeon finally saw the person followed by countless others.
The man wore an elaborate military dress uniform, holding a rapier. He gently rested the blade on the shoulder of the subordinate kneeling below the steps.
His expression remained gentle and calm, the kind that naturally made people feel close to him. Only when someone knelt did he frown, shake his head, and sigh. "Stand up. You don't need to kneel to me."
Aha blinked in the line.
This was someone with an extremely strong sense of divinity.
They could probably understand why others were so devoted.
When it was Aha's turn, They modified what They had heard, cutting and changing parts. Swearing to fight for justice, offering loyalty and even Their soul… They said it all to the person before Them.
For some reason, the other man smiled even more brightly and said word by word, "I look forward to it."
As time passed, Aha realized the other person might not even count as human. He was more like… a "god" beyond even Aeons.
He was a god of humans. He loved all humans and held a compassionate heart toward them. No matter how those he loved treated him, whether insults or slander, nothing could shake him.
No. To be precise, it wasn't like a human looking at humans. It was more like… a god looking at his own children.
To make an analogy, like an owner looking at the cats and dogs they raised. Whether they were biting at pant legs or rolling over to act cute, the owner would only watch them with gentle eyes.
After all, how could cats and dogs hurt their owner? At most they might leave a few scratches on arms or legs.
When his best friend heard other nations condemning them, he chuckled lightly.
"How interesting. They make it sound like Nanook and I are some unforgivable villains."
"We're clearly repairing it."
He looked at Lan, his tone troubled, like he was complaining about misbehaving children.
"Don't you think they're being unreasonable?"
Lan, "…I don't think that's their problem."
Aha nodded vigorously, speaking with dramatic cadence, "Exactly. You handle disasters. You're a great benefactor to the entire star sea."
"Yet you even issued a special decree for Nanook forbidding generals from casually destroying nations."
"Where in the world is there such an order? This is clearly Nanook's problem! He's ruining your reputation. This child absolutely cannot be kept..."
The black-haired, amber-eyed man showed a troubled expression. Wearing leather gloves, he rested his hand against his chin and fell into thought.
Aha knew he would never execute Nanook.
The reason was simple. If a cat you raised fought another person's cat until fur flew everywhere, would you kill your own pet?
The answer was obviously no.
At most, he would give some light punishment.
Aha waited and waited. Instead of seeing Nanook punished, They saw the Empire go to war with other civilizations.
The reason was simple. Other civilizations allowed insect disasters and mechanical intelligences to run rampant on some planets, then pointed the blame at the Empire.
How could the Empire's leader, who saw disasters as thorns in his side, tolerate that? He immediately sent out a fleet. The entire fleet was annihilated by other civilizations under the excuse of crossing their borders.
His best friend could no longer endure it.
So he addressed the entire star sea with a speech.
"Leave that wasteland and become my subjects."
"Only the Empire can provide you with better living conditions."
He deliberately frowned in melancholy, "They all call me a tyrant of the star sea."
"Yet no one remembers that when the insect disasters raged, it was my people and I who fought with our backs to the wall."
"No one remembers that when the machines went out of control, it was the Empire's fleet that held the front line."
Then he revealed a gentle, harmless smile, "But it doesn't matter. No matter how they slander me, my people will always live in a utopian society where resources are distributed according to need."
"And what about them? What about the Aeons?"
Aha's expression froze as They looked at the man before the camera.
The man continued, "They ignore the needs of every citizen and believer. They disregard your interests… How is that any different from a crime?"
"Curse me as much as you like. I will forever fight for humanity's interests. The Empire will always welcome you."
His best friend showed a compassionate expression.
Finally, the loving "god" who unconditionally fulfilled the wishes of his fanatical believers issued his first "divine decree."
"My people…"
"Kill a god for me..."
[🎉 Shoutout to Kyle and Walter for joining p@treon. It motivates me to keep bringing you better stories. Thank you very much.🤗]