Lin Yangchuan "You’re back so fast?" Qiu Linghua looked up at Sang Ye and Lin Changli appearing at the door. "I lost my terminal. Jiang Zhaoyuan said she’d give me one, but hasn’t yet. I was planning to contact my sister once I got it so she wouldn't worry."
"Resources are tight. We’ve been watched lately, so anything good was sold for cash," Jiang Zhaoyuan shrugged. "I’ll go steal one for you in a couple of days."
Sang Ye had no way of knowing how these two had managed to shake hands and make peace so quickly. After finishing the bottles, Qiu Linghua reached back to grab the child who was shouting for attention.
Sang Ye rummaged through her storage ring. Having learned her lesson after losing her own terminal, she now carried five spares. She handed one to Qiu Linghua.
"Oh, thank you." On this remote planet, she couldn't authenticate with Eve, so some functions were locked, but basic communication was possible.
"How do you want me to spin this?" Qiu Linghua asked as she put it on. "Should I say I got annoyed after seeing you and ran off to another planet for a vacation to clear my head?"
Sang Ye blinked. "Will your sister believe that?"
"Probably. I’m pretty willful. As long as I’m alive, my sister doesn't have much in the way of expectations for me anyway," Qiu Linghua replied with the fearless air of the pampered.
Clearly, Qiu Linghua didn't want to expose the White Wolf Group either—even though, by all logic, they should have been enemies.
"Do you... not care?" Sang Ye sat down as several children rushed over for hugs. "She supposedly stole artifacts from your family’s museum."
"Wasn't that Jiang Sili? He paid my family a huge sum afterward," Qiu Linghua said, balancing a child on each arm. "Besides, I remember he didn't steal artifacts. It was mostly jewelry being transported to auctions." She laughed. "Those jewels probably didn't have a clean history to begin with; laundering them through a few hands just made the seller's money 'clean.' It doesn't really matter whose hands they end up in."
She showed no possessiveness over her family wealth—looking every bit the playgirl—until she saw Lin Changli behind them. He was covered in kids; the one prone to secreting mucus was making his pants soaking wet.
"Forgot you were there. Don't you dare go blabbing about this."
Lin Changli didn't even bother to respond.
"You should come back with us," Sang Ye said. "If your sister doesn't see you in person, she won't be at peace.” And she won't stop coming after us," she added mentally.
"True." Qiu Linghua bounced the child in her arms—a girl who had hatched from a Zerg egg but looked human, save for the antennae. "Remember to send me the new coordinates. I'll come help you guys later." She bumped terminals with Jiang Zhaoyuan to add her as a contact.
"Can you bring a couple of jewels too?" Zhaoyuan asked hopefully.
"Sure. I'll steal from my mom; she's never home anyway."
Sang Ye was dumbstruck.
…
Once they were back on the warship, Sang Ye couldn't help but ask, "How did you... suddenly..."
Qiu Linghua stared out the window at the hills covered in small graves. "You were right," she said, answering a different question. "No one has the right to decide someone else's life."
Sang Ye followed her gaze, then looked at Lin Changli. He remained silent. She understood that he couldn't do anything. His identity and stance were too distinct—more so than any noble or general. The Zerg had slaughtered countless civilians and remained a nightmare for humanity. The hatred was deep and ancient. He was the representative of the Royal Family and the symbol of public will.
Everything he did was magnified. Even a standard battle where his mental power scorched the field was twisted by media into "abuse of prisoners." He could not defy public will, even if he knew the hybrids were innocent. Turning a blind eye to the White Wolves stealing crystals was the limit of his power.
"Are the White Wolves moving?" Sang Ye asked.
"They've stolen too much; several high nobles are onto them. They're saving up to relocate and have sold everything they can," Qiu Linghua replied. "But they won't give me the coordinates yet. They probably won't even tell Jiang Sili."
"Stealing forever isn't a solution," Sang Ye murmured.
"There's no other way. Who would hire them? Maintaining a human form is exhausting for them, and they don't live long..." Qiu Linghua sighed. "Blame their parents for not being able to control themselves. Those are the ones who deserve to die."
…
Lin Changli’s warship landed quietly at the West Building before dawn. Qiu Linghua walked ahead with a thin but steady stride.
"Lin Changli, do you have any plans for this planet?" Sang Ye asked softly. "I mean, Black Tower."
"No. Once the mining is finished, it'll likely just be an exile colony for rioting Sentinels to recuperate."
"How much does a resource-exhausted waste planet usually cost?"
Lin Changli paused. "You want to buy it? Why this one? It's remote, surrounded by debris belts, the environment is harsh... I could give you a different planet..."
"I don't want a different one. And I don't want you to 'give' it to me," Sang Ye said firmly. "What I buy is mine."
The remoteness and the debris meant no one could come easily unless through the jump channel—which would be safe if guarded by her own people.
"What are you planning?" Lin Changli stopped and looked at her.
"We 'marginal' people need a place to live," Sang Ye shrugged.
"You aren't marginal," Lin Changli frowned. "And their status won't change just because they move planets."
"I used to manage a mountain range seven or eight times the size of the Snow Mountain region with my sect," Sang Ye replied. "If I buy this planet, I can terraform it—you know I can. Maintenance requires manpower. Once the mines are gone, there aren't many dangerous areas left besides the Tide Sea. Is it right to punish the innocent who haven't committed crimes?"
Lin Changli stared at her bright eyes. "The mainstream won't accept them..."
"I'm not from your world," Sang Ye whispered. "I wasn't raised in your system or your schools. Everything I have, I earned myself. Are you going to force me to join your 'mainstream'?"
Lin Changli was speechless.
"Talk to your Finance Minister. Get me a price—don't make it too expensive. I'll work hard to save up for it." Sang Ye patted his arm and walked ahead.
…
Qiu Linghua’s return turned the "kidnapping" into a dramatic misunderstanding. She was dragged home by her sister after a lecture. However, Princess Lin Yangchuan stayed behind. She was curious about Sang Ye.
Yangchuan was an SS-rank Guide—stronger even than her mother. While Lin Shuangxu was a saber-toothed tiger and Lin Changli was a phoenix, Yangchuan’s spiritual form was... the Ocean.
"When she releases it, a planet can be submerged," Lin Changli explained.
Sang Ye watched as the Princess played with Wu Jianing. One was a rioting Sentinel capable of destruction; the other was a vast, stable Ocean spirit. It was clear why the Empress had chosen her successor. Lin Changli looked on with a look of quiet acceptance.
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