The entire hall fell completely silent.
Everyone’s gaze converged on Xi Xiuran.
The matter of the Ancient Civilization Heritage was of utmost importance, and Ying Huachi had followed them all the way here. Hearing Xi Xiuran’s words, he turned to look at him as if he were looking at a complete idiot. The amazement he had felt earlier in the Central Courtyard instantly shattered into pieces. He angrily rebuked, “Xi Xiuran, what nonsense are you spouting? Is this a place where you can just speak recklessly? Do you think you’re at home? If you don’t know how to speak, then shut up—”
Before he could even finish his sentence, Ying Huachi felt his heart seize. Instantly, every hair on his body stood on end, and his mental power nearly lost control and went berserk. He cast a fearful glance at Shi Xingzhou and didn’t dare to continue speaking, but he was still furiously cursing in his heart.
Was I wrong? In a diplomatic occasion like this, Xi Xiuran completely lacks the qualifications to even open his mouth.
At this moment, Ying Huachi only felt that breaking off his engagement had been an incredibly wise decision. Xi Xiuran was indeed still that good-for-nothing who had returned from a remote planet. Even if he had changed into magnificent clothes that made people marvel, he was nothing more than gold and jade on the outside, but rotten on the inside. He had no idea what Shi Xingzhou saw in him, to actually dare indulge his reckless talking in such an important diplomatic setting.
Absolutely disgraceful!
Hmph. Mengchen—who is gentle, kind, and understands the big picture—is so much better.
The old researcher with completely white hair and beard sitting in front of the holographic screen put his glasses back on. He turned his head to look at Xi Xiuran, and seeing how young he was, instantly furrowed his brow. He asked, “Which branch academy are you a student of? Who is your mentor?”
A well-informed young researcher hurriedly stepped forward to explain: “Professor Zhou, he is Admiral Shi’s partner. He’s not a researcher in our institute.”
Speaking up to here, the young researcher couldn’t resist adding another sentence: “He also isn’t a student from any major prestigious university. Uh… he’s a graduate of Caleb Academy on Planet S.”
“Planet S? The Empire only uses letters to name the most remote and backward planets, right?”
“What kind of academy is Caleb Academy? Is it even in the top 100 prestigious schools?”
“F\*\*k, hearing him speak so confidently just now, I thought he was a student from the Imperial Royal Academy or the First Military Academy. And the result is just this?!”
The crowd of Empire researchers only felt embarrassed, while the Alliance researchers were dying of laughter. Jian Feichen even let out a loud whistle.
Originally, seeing Xi Xiuran standing beside Shi Xingzhou with such an intimate posture, everyone thought he was some unseen noble young master. Perhaps his family had a scholarly heritage and he had come into contact with a bit of ancient civilization texts. At the very least, he should be a top student majoring in ancient civilizations or semiotics[1]Semiotics is the actual academic discipline of studying signs, symbols, and how meaning is created and communicated. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2112931_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2112931_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); from a prestigious university.
But the result? A graduate from a diploma-mill academy on a remote planet.
Professor Zhou never expected that Xi Xiuran wouldn’t even have a proper academic degree. His face instantly darkened. Without sparing Xi Xiuran another glance, he turned to Shi Xingzhou and said deeply, “Admiral Shi, I have always admired you greatly, and I know that you are currently injured and need your partner by your side at all times. But bringing your partner to such a serious and important occasion, and even indulging him in spouting nonsense—isn’t that too ill-considered?”
Professor Zhou spoke very bluntly, only stopping short of directly asking if Shi Xingzhou’s brain was muddled from his mental trauma to do something so foolish.
“Elder Zhou, your words are too harsh. Cousin isn’t the type to lack a sense of propriety and mess around at a diplomatic occasion. He must have his profound reasons for doing so.” The Emperor spoke up with a smiling face, raising an eyebrow at Shi Xingzhou. “Right, Cousin?”
The Emperor truly hadn’t expected to receive such an unexpected joy.
When he saw Jian Feichen here, the Emperor knew that this batch of Ancient Civilization Heritage couldn’t be kept. He had been getting a massive headache over how to handle the aftermath, but he never expected Xi Xiuran to suddenly jumped out; it would be a shame not to take this opportunity to pass the buck. Furthermore, with Professor Zhou’s transcendent status in the academic world, his public reprimand of Shi Xingzhou would be far more destructive than the Emperor secretly spreading rumors that Shi Xingzhou had gone mad. Once everyone believed that Shi Xingzhou was truly crazy, he could figure out a way to take back his military power.
This cousin of mine has truly married a “good partner.”
Just as the Emperor thought, with Professor Zhou expressing his stance like this, the researchers present felt more or less uncomfortable in their hearts.
Everyone genuinely admired Shi Xingzhou’s abilities and his contributions to the Empire from the bottom of their hearts. But recalling the numerous recent rumors of Shi Xingzhou injuring people, many couldn’t help but wonder: Could it be true, as the rumors said, that Admiral Shi had completely lost control of his mental power and gone insane? Otherwise, why would he marry such a B-rank Omega and let him spout nonsense unchecked?
“What profound reasons? I think he really just lost his mind and went crazy to let such a vase Omega cause trouble here.” A researcher with ‘Straight-Alpha Cancer’ directly launched an AoE attack. “Opening his mouth and saying he wants to ‘try’—does he think he’s shopping for clothes in a mall? This is a serious academic research institute, not a place where any random Tom, Dick, or Harry can come. Omegas should just obediently stay at home and have babies, why come out and cause trouble for no reason?”
In this world, although Omegas were rare, and both the Empire and the Alliance provided them with various privileges and protections, there were still some Alphas who looked down on delicate, protection-needing Omegas right down to their bones. They felt that Omegas were nothing more than slightly high-class breeding machines and mental pacifiers. If it weren’t for the fact that they needed to rely on Omegas to get through their susceptibility periods, they wouldn’t even bother to acknowledge them.
Watching everyone’s reactions coldly, Xi Xiuran sneered in his heart, turned around, and wanted to leave.
If Shi Xingzhou hadn’t valued this “Freedom Gundam,” he wouldn’t have bothered to get involved in this mess at all. Is lying flat as a salted fish not happy enough? Or are games and delicious food not enticing enough? He should just let this bunch of people—just like in the deleted plot—be ruthlessly ridiculed by the Alliance for two whole years until they couldn’t lift their heads, only barely saving a bit of face when the Protagonist Shou accidentally found the decryption method!
Xi Xiuran angrily turned his head to leave, but the moment he turned, he met Shi Xingzhou’s gaze.
The two locked eyes for a moment, and Xi Xiuran’s anger instantly dissipated.
Forget it… Admiral Shi has been so good to him, and he only has a few days left to live anyway. It’s just a Freedom Gundam; even if he wanted the stars in the sky, he would have to find a way to get them for him.
Before Xi Xiuran could speak, Shi Xingzhou finally raised his head slightly and lifted his eyelids, seemingly sweeping a glance over the crowd.
Just one glance.
It was as if an invisible pressure, after being compressed countless times, violently erupted. Whether it was the Emperor and the others standing close by, or the Alliance researchers standing further away, everyone felt a tremor in their hearts. A few individuals who had verbally disrespected Xi Xiuran earlier even felt their Mental Seas violently shake. The glands on the back of their necks throbbed wildly, and they were so overwhelmed that their pheromones leaked out uncontrollably.
Then, Shi Xingzhou retracted his gaze, not looking at the crowd again.
Is this the power of an SSS-rank powerhouse?! Just one glance, and they were left with absolutely no resistance. Many felt incredibly humiliated and angry, but even more felt sheer horror. Still others felt their hearts leap in fear; didn’t they say Shi Xingzhou had already entered his Mental Riot Phase and could no longer use his mental power freely? Why was he able to release and retract it so effortlessly right now?!
Did Shi Xingzhou really not know about all those petty tricks they were pulling behind his back?
Shi Xingzhou lowered his eyes to look at Xi Xiuran. There was no longer any sharpness in his orange-red eyes; instead, it was the gentle, smiling expression that Xi Xiuran liked. He asked in a low voice, “Are you confident?”
Xi Xiuran nodded, his eyelashes curving up. “I am.”
Since the Imperial Golden Thigh wanted it, the salted fish naturally had to perk up.
Shi Xingzhou watched him. Under the lights, the youth’s eyes were bright and confident. His slender shoulders and back were perfectly straight, not wavering a single inch from the crowd’s mockery.
Seeing that Xi Xiuran still dared to spout such arrogant words at this time, the Emperor laughed, Professor Zhou furrowed his brow tightly, and Ying Huachi only felt second-hand embarrassment.
Shi Xingzhou was just about to speak when Jian Feichen bounced out, snatching the initiative: “Try it, let him try! No one is allowed to stop him! This Young Master wants to see just what the hell he can decipher!”
“Where’s the secretary? Turn on the video recorder and film the entire process for me! If he can’t make head or tail of this today, I’ll post the video on the Star Network tomorrow so the entire universe can see what a bunch of f\*\*king idiots the people of the Empire are! The Alliance and the Empire have expended countless manpower and resources on this every year, and to this day, no one has been able to decipher the true symbolic meaning of those symbols.”
Speaking up to here, Jian Feichen revealed a smug smile: “Only a super genius like this Young Master could partially decipher the meaning of some of the text, and use that text to make this Ancient Civilization Heritage exhibit a corresponding reaction. And as for you…”
Jian Feichen’s peach-blossom eyes scanned Xi Xiuran up and down. Suddenly pausing, he clicked his tongue, “I didn’t notice it earlier, but you actually look pretty good. Your fi(gure)…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Jian Feichen felt his blood run cold, his head of red hair nearly standing on end. Meeting Shi Xingzhou’s half-smiling eyes, his eyelids twitched violently, and he braced himself to change his tune: “…it’s just that your brain doesn’t look too good. This Young Master is putting his words on the table today: I won’t ask for much—as long as you can decipher 1% of the content, I will make the decision to let the Empire keep this batch of Ancient Civilization Heritage for another ten years.”
Having avoided Shi Xingzhou’s death stare, Jian Feichen regained his swagger: “Heh, anyway, the researchers in your Empire are just a bunch of useless gluttons. Even if we gave you another ten years, you still wouldn’t be able to catch up to our Alliance’s progress.”
The more Xi Xiuran looked at him, the more his hands itched; he really wanted to hit someone.
He shot Jian Feichen a cold look and asked, “And what if I catch up to your Alliance’s progress?”
Xi Xiuran didn’t speak too absolutely, just in case he ran into some overly obscure Traditional Chinese characters. Furthermore, translating Chinese into this world’s Interstellar Common Tongue was just like translating Chinese into English—the translation difficulty wasn’t low.
“Catch up to our Alliance’s progress?!”
Jian Feichen acted as if he had heard the world’s biggest joke and burst into loud laughter. “Forget catching up to our Alliance’s 20% progress. If you can decipher just 5% of the content, I will live-stream myself washing my hair while doing a handstand! If you decipher more than 10%, I will shave off all my hair and maintain a bald look from now on! And if you surpass our Alliance’s progress, this batch of Ancient Civilization Heritage belongs to your Empire, and from now on, I will call you ‘Daddy’ every time I see you!”
Anyone who knew Jian Feichen knew exactly how much he cherished his “Shamate” red hair. Not even his own father, the President, could force him to change to a proper hairstyle. To dare use it as a wager now clearly showed his absolute confidence.
He’s truly frantically setting up flags for his own downfall.
Xi Xiuran almost couldn’t suppress a look of pity. He said flatly, “Skip the last one. I don’t want an alternative son like you who runs around pulling aggro everywhere.”
After saying that, ignoring the bristling Jian Feichen, Xi Xiuran looked toward Shi Xingzhou, waiting for him to express his stance.
It seemed that no matter the situation, the youth only cared about his attitude. Shi Xingzhou smiled soundlessly without saying much, simply stating, “Go ahead.”
Let me see how many more surprises my Consort will bring me.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, Xi Xiuran walked up to the largest holographic screen and lifted his eyes to look at the familiar block characters displayed on it.
The moment the youth looked up, that area seemed to be isolated by an invisible membrane, becoming a world exclusive to the youth and the Ancient Civilization Heritage.
He was looking through the text, gazing at something far away.
Professor Zhou had originally worn a look of disapproval, feeling that Shi Xingzhou letting Xi Xiuran step up was simply treating national affairs like child’s play. But seeing the change in Xi Xiuran’s eyes now—as if he could genuinely understand it—his attitude shifted into one of anticipation.
The Straight-Alpha Cancer researcher muttered, “Putting on an act. Forget deciphering the documents, I bet he doesn’t even recognize the first symbol. He’s just standing there looking stupid.”
The first character was “Wing” (翼), a common Traditional Chinese character. The text content on this screen primarily discussed the configuration and operating methods of the wings. Not only were there Traditional Chinese characters, but there were also quite a few English letters and Arabic numerals, making this the most difficult page to research.
Xi Xiuran shot a glance at the Straight-Alpha Cancer and said flatly, “The first character means ‘wing’…”
Before Xi Xiuran could finish, the Straight-Alpha Cancer burst into mocking laughter: “Truly opening your mouth and spouting nonsense. We’ve already deciphered this character; it clearly indicates ‘direction’.”
This character just happened to be the one Professor Zhou had deciphered. He shook his head, secretly cursing himself for having a brain cramp earlier to actually harbor such an illusion.
Whispers broke out among the crowd again. Due to Shi Xingzhou’s earlier deterrent, everyone only dared to mutter softly, not daring to speak recklessly anymore.
Xi Xiuran didn’t care in the slightest. Taking in ten lines at a glance, he began mentally composing how to translate it. However, Jian Feichen suddenly spoke up: “He’s not wrong. That symbol does also mean ‘wing’. Yesterday, relying on my deciphering of this passage of text, I was able to make the left wing of the Ancient Civilization Heritage move a little.”
The hall was silent for a second, then instantly erupted into an uproar.
He actually recognized it?!
T/n: Please Vote on NU to support the novel. You can support the original author here. Happy Reading 💅
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