At that moment, the military arrived, bringing with them West Kinn Maldo, Salo Shu, and Tore Ona.
"General Maldo, he's trying to kill me, he's trying to kill me!" Las shouted, angrily accusing Lu Yin.
West Kinn Maldo looked at Lu Yin helplessly, "Why are you trying to kill him?"
Lu Yin coldly stared at Las, "I'm not."
Las roared, "So many people saw it, do you dare to deny it?"
Lu Yin sneered, "Evidence."
Las and the others looked up at the surveillance cameras, only to find them smashed. Las immediately reached for his personal terminal; he had recorded everything when he learned Lu Yin was coming, intending to use it as evidence for those behind him. But now, his face turned pale as he found his personal terminal also shattered.
Lu Yin sneered; he wasn't a fool. Even if he wanted to test things, he couldn't go too far. A legitimate reason was necessary; it was the rule. No matter what he did, he couldn't break certain rules unless his strength was sufficient.
Salo Shu glared at Las with disdain, inwardly cursing him as a useless idiot.
Las furiously pointed at Lu Yin, "It was you, you just attacked me. Mono saw it too, didn't you, Mono?"
Mono quickly said, "I saw it. If I hadn't intervened, Young Master Las would have been killed."
Lu Yin laughed coldly, "Only an idiot would believe the testimonies of two defeated men."
"You—" Mono was enraged.
West Kinn Maldo secretly breathed a sigh of relief and coldly eyed Las, "Do you have any other evidence?"
Las's expression changed, and he angrily said, "This is my room, and he attacked me here; that's evidence enough."
Everyone looked at Lu Yin.
Lu Yin took out a personal terminal from his pocket and opened a screen showing Willow's confession, "This man bribed Willow to target me. Am I wrong to settle accounts with him?"
Everyone fell silent, including Las, who couldn't refute it. He had gotten beaten for nothing. If this got back to the capital star, the people there wouldn't blame Lu Yin. They would even praise him for being rational and reasonable, unlike Las, who appeared impulsive.
West Kinn Maldo said indifferently, "Since everything is clear, let's disperse."
Lu Yin added calmly, "Wait."
West Kinn Maldo looked at Lu Yin, "What else do you need?"
Lu Yin's gaze swept over the crowd, finally settling on Salo Shu, "I want to say, even though I'm from a remote, primitive planet, I'm not to be trifled with. Some people better retract their claws, or I might cut them off someday."
Salo Shu's gaze was icy as he stared at Lu Yin.
Lu Yin stared back. Although he wasn't yet able to deal with a powerhouse like Salo Shu, a member of the Royal Thirteen Teams, it was still necessary to give a warning. This was a test, beating the son of the Deputy Minister of Finance, challenging the Deputy Captain of the Royal Twelve Teams. Lu Yin wanted to see how the Emperor of the Grand Yu Empire would react. This would determine his future conduct in the empire.
Soon, everyone dispersed. Las was taken away for treatment, and Salo Shu didn't say a word throughout.
West Kinn Maldo also didn't say much, and it seemed like the matter was settled.
The Perseverance continued its journey through the dark universe.
Hours later, a disciplinary notice was sent to everyone: "Yutang Academy student Las violated discipline and defied his superior. He is demoted to soldier during the return trip as a warning to others."
Everyone was shaken by the news and immediately thought of Lu Yin. This Prince of Purple Mountain didn't seem simple.
Lu Yin was also surprised. The empire valued him more than he imagined. To demote the son of a Deputy Minister of Finance and announce it to everyone showed no mercy. It seemed he needed to carefully consider his future conduct.
Salo Shu's face was grim, his right fist clenched. He was the one behind Las, and this incident would surely reflect poorly on him within the team. Damn it.
Because of the Las incident, the Perseverance became much quieter, with no one causing trouble.
A day later, while Lu Yin was observing a star chart, a middle-aged man in an imperial military uniform came to see him.
"General Maldo's adjutant, at your service, Prince of Purple Mountain," the middle-aged man solemnly saluted Lu Yin. The Grand Yu Empire had no kneeling etiquette; military personnel saluted, and court officials merely bowed.
Lu Yin smiled, "Hello, how should I address you?"
The middle-aged man said, "You can call me Adjutant. Everyone on the Perseverance does."
Lu Yin nodded, "You don't need to call me Prince of Purple Mountain; it feels awkward. Call me Lu Yin or Student Lu."
The adjutant solemnly replied, "Yes, the General sent me to brief you on the empire's situation. We'll reach the capital star in about half a month."
Lu Yin gestured for him to continue.
The adjutant spread out the star chart, "The Grand Yu Empire spans thirteen regions, located in the central part of the Canglan Territory, connected from north to south. The territory stretches in a straight line, almost dividing the Canglan Territory in half, and connects with the Haoyuan Territory and the endless Chaos Territory..."
Lu Yin had learned a bit about the Grand Yu Empire in recent days, and it matched what the adjutant said. He was particularly curious about the capital star. The Grand Yu Empire was vast, and understanding it all was impossible. He only wanted to know about his destination, the capital star.
However, his personal terminal provided limited information about the capital star, only stating that it was named Zhenyu Star and was ten thousand times the size of Earth, surrounded by three continents. Further details were unavailable.
The adjutant pointed to a spot on the star chart, "Here is where Zhenyu Star, the capital star, is located. It is surrounded by three continents, each guarded by imperial troops. From the inside out, they are called the First Ring Army, the Second Ring Army, and the Third Ring Army..."
As the adjutant explained, Lu Yin's mind formed an image of a massive ecological planet with iron-blooded troops surrounding it, commanding the thirteen regions.
After a long while, the adjutant put away the star chart, "Do you have any other questions?"
Lu Yin asked, "The imperial palace and the Royal Thirteen Teams, I want to know about them too."
The adjutant replied, "I'm sorry, I don't have the authority to disclose that. If you want to know, you'll have to ask General Maldo."
Lu Yin was disappointed, "How much longer until we reach the capital star?"
"About half a month," the adjutant said.
Lu Yin sighed, "That's too slow."
The adjutant explained, "This is the speed of a regular spaceship. This is also because our empire has established wormholes throughout the thirteen regions, allowing for such vast travel. A single wormhole jump can cover an immense distance. Otherwise, relying solely on spaceship travel, it would take hundreds or thousands of times longer."
Speaking of this, Lu Yin remembered a type of spaceship mentioned by his family, the Aurora spaceship. It could enhance its performance by decomposing matter and theoretically upgrade infinitely. It's said that the top-tier Aurora spaceships could tear through black holes, withstand attacks from superpowerful beings, and travel at a hundred or thousand times the speed of regular spaceships. That was a man's dream.
Unfortunately, such spaceships were prohibitively expensive, beyond his reach.
"Thank you, Adjutant," Lu Yin said.
The adjutant saluted again and left.
Lu Yin looked at the star chart, his gaze firm. From a broader perspective, the Grand Yu Empire's territory resembled a sharp sword, pointing straight at—Inner Universe.
In the dark expanse of space, streaks of light flashed by, possibly meteors or powerful energy attacks.
A spaceship sped through space, heading toward the distance.
Onboard, Qing Yu stood at the highest point, gazing at the stars and swirling the wine in his glass. "I always feel like I've forgotten something. Ah, right, it's the Star Collector's invitation. Pity, I actually forgot it."
"Young Master," Liu Shaoge approached Qing Yu respectfully and whispered.
Qing Yu glanced at him, "When we return to the clan, remember not to lift your head or look around randomly. Anyone could kill you with a single strike."
"Yes, Young Master," Liu Shaoge replied with utmost respect.
"Of course, don't let anyone humiliate you either. After all, you're under my wing, and I'm the Night King," Qing Yu said proudly.
Liu Shaoge quickly agreed.
Qing Yu was very satisfied with Liu Shaoge's attitude. It was this attitude that made him willing to bring this native along. Although his surname was somewhat troublesome, being an ancient single surname, it was fortunate that the native planet was under the Grand Yu Empire's surveillance for so long, giving him a legal identity. "Come to think of it, I should thank you. Without you, I wouldn't have awakened from my slumber."
Liu Shaoge's eyes flickered, "It's because you carry great fortune, Young Master. Awakening as the Night King, the future will surely be yours."
Qing Yu's lips curved into a smile, "Well said, ha ha. Once I officially inherit the title of Night King, I'll return to that native planet and kill those useless fools. By then, you can return home in glory."
"Thank you, Young Master," Liu Shaoge lowered his head even more, but his gaze shone brighter than the stars.