Chapter 99 - 100: The Capital Planet
This wasn’t Sophie Wexler’s first time journeying into space, but this trip was a completely different experience from her last.
The last time, she had been on high alert because of the war with the Starbugs and was in no mood to notice anything else.
But now, Sophie Wexler sat in the military vessel, gazing out the window at the cosmos.
An endless star system stretched before her. Some stars twinkled like tiny dots of light, seeming close but in reality, incredibly distant. The vast star system held countless planets, but not every one of them harbored life.
"What are you thinking about?" a low male voice asked beside her.
"I was just wondering if there are other species in this star system."
Back on Aethel, she had always been curious about whether other planets had life, and what those life forms might be like.
"Of course there are," Cillian Forrest said casually. "Besides humans, there are the Beastfolk, the Elves, the Merfolk, and others. And, of course, there’s the Swarm you’ve seen before."
There are many races across the major star systems, and they often interact with one another. The Swarm, however, is different. Through long evolution, they have developed immense combat strength. They possess low intelligence, are warlike, and have a high reproductive rate, so they are never content with their home planets. They constantly wage war on other worlds, and because their spiritual power contains a unique toxic attack, they have always been a thorn in the Empire’s side.
But one day, they would make sure the Swarm never dared to invade again. And that day was not far off.
Sophie Wexler, beside him, wasn’t thinking about all that. Upon hearing his words, her eyes widened involuntarily.
"There are that many?"
’There are even Beastfolk?!’
"Yes," Cillian Forrest explained. "It’s just that the Empire’s primary population is human, and that includes its various vassal planets."
To be precise, the region of space encompassed by the Empire is predominantly human.
Sophie Wexler’s eyes lit up, brimming with curiosity. Seeing her reaction, Cillian Forrest added, "The Capital Planet has many non-humans as well. You’ll probably see some when you get there."
Sophie Wexler hadn’t expected to get the chance to see other species. Suddenly, her apprehension about the Capital Planet lessened considerably.
The journey from Karath to the Capital Planet was a long one. Even in a military vessel, it would take a full day.
With so much time on her hands and nothing to do, Sophie Wexler was getting a little bored.
Seeing this, Cillian Forrest spoke up. "On the Capital Planet, you might run into all sorts of unexpected situations. Your control over your spiritual power isn’t very refined yet. While we have time, I’ll teach you some ways to protect yourself."
As a Healer-class, Sophie Wexler’s spiritual power should have been gentle in nature to produce a calming effect. But he had discovered that wasn’t the case. Her spiritual power wasn’t just gentle; it could adapt based on her emotional state.
He had realized it when she sang that battle song. The strength of her spiritual power was no less than theirs; she just didn’t know how to use it properly.
For the rest of the day, Sophie Wexler learned from Cillian Forrest how to apply her spiritual power: how to condense it into a solid form, how to change its shape, how to defend, how to attack, and so on.
With something to occupy her, the time flew by without her noticing.
When she stopped and opened her eyes, she found that at some point, a massive planet had appeared before them.
"What’s this?"
"The Capital Planet," Cillian Forrest said slowly. "We’ve arrived."
"Brace yourself..."
Sophie Wexler was confused. "For what?"
She didn’t even catch the rest of his words. In the next instant, she felt the vessel plunge into a steep descent. It even became difficult to breathe, and her head began to buzz.
Then, a wave of spiritual power enveloped her. "We’re entering the Capital Planet’s atmosphere," Cillian explained. "It can be a little uncomfortable. Raising a Spirit Barrier will help."
Normally, the soldiers would inform passengers of these procedures, but since Sophie Wexler was on the command ship and Felix York saw Cillian Forrest was with her, he hadn’t bothered to say more.
Sure enough, once Cillian Forrest brought her within his barrier, she felt much better.
As the vessel continued its rapid descent, they entered the Capital Planet’s atmosphere within moments. Sophie Wexler saw all kinds of aircraft zipping through the sky, and the architecture was completely different from Karath—and clearly far more advanced.
"Attention, we have entered the Capital Planet’s airspace and are now proceeding to our destination."
Felix York’s voice came over the comms, reminding them of a few key procedures.
After the voice on the comms faded, Cillian Forrest turned his attention back to Sophie Wexler. "We’ll be parting ways shortly," he said slowly.
Sophie Wexler looked back at him. "Hm?"
"Unauthorized personnel aren’t allowed in the Healer-class assessment," Cillian Forrest explained.
’Besides, I’ve been away from the Capital Planet for so long... It’s time to pay certain people a visit.’ Cillian Forrest’s eyes darkened.
Sophie Wexler nodded. "Okay. I’ll contact you after the assessment, then. Remember to keep your comms on."
As she spoke, Sophie Wexler gestured to her own comm device. "I still have to help you find a way to remove that neck ring, you know."
She muttered the last part so quietly it was almost inaudible.
Cillian Forrest didn’t quite catch it. "What was that?"
"Nothing. Just... be safe."
Cillian Forrest replied, "I know."
The vessel reached its destination. Felix York glanced at Cillian Forrest, who was preparing to disembark, and gave him a nod.
Cillian Forrest said, "General York, until next time."
After saying this, Cillian Forrest, Ethan Cross, and their men departed from the Seventh Legion’s contingent.
Once they were clear of the others, Ethan Cross dropped the pretense of being Cillian Forrest’s superior and fell into place naturally behind him. An aircraft was waiting for them.
Ethan Cross asked, "Marshal, where to now?"
"Back to headquarters." Cillian Forrest’s sharp eyes narrowed. ’It’s time to go back and clean house.’
「The First Legion.」
After such a long and fruitless search for Cillian Forrest, many had come to believe that he must have perished.
After all, he had been attacked by Starbugs during his Disorder Period. Combined with the poison already in his system and the long period of silence, his chances of survival were considered astronomically low.
The atmosphere in the meeting room was exceptionally tense, clearly divided into two opposing factions.
"Drovi, what do you think you’re doing? Did you bring these men here to stage a coup? Don’t you forget, this is the First Legion!" a general shouted, glancing at the person at the head of the table before turning his furious gaze on the man beside him.
The man called Drovi showed no sign of panic. Instead, a smile touched his lips as he spoke slowly, "Halse, why are you so agitated? The Marshal has been missing for a long time. Everyone knows his chances of survival are practically zero."
"And since he’s gone, the First Legion can’t be without a leader, can it? With Earl Thatcher’s status and abilities, what’s wrong with him taking command of the First Legion?"
Beside him, Halse glared with such fury it seemed his eyes would pop, his jaw clenched tight. Seeing this, Drovi let out a triumphant smirk.
Just then, a voice devoid of any emotion cut in. "No problem at all."
Everyone in the room instantly froze.