Chapter 39: How Could the Marshal Be Here
Seeing who was in the room, Felix York froze in his tracks.
’A tidal wave of shock crashed through him!’
’Why is the Marshal here?!’
’And why hadn’t he heard the slightest whisper about it beforehand?’
But then it dawned on him. Because of his status, Cillian Forrest’s photo had never been released to the public.
Even on the Capital Planet, most citizens had only ever heard his name and had no idea what he looked like, to say nothing of those on subordinate planets like theirs.
In the entire Seventh Legion, he was probably the only one who would recognize him, which explained why no one had reported his arrival.
Hearing the sound, Cillian Forrest calmly lifted his gaze to Felix York.
In that instant, countless thoughts raced through Felix York’s mind.
He had just been suspecting that the reason Ethan Cross hadn’t left was that the Marshal was here. But that was merely a suspicion without any evidence. Now, however, he was seeing the man with his own eyes.
Just as he was about to speak, Ethan Cross stood up and cut him off. "General York."
"This is Miss Sophie Wexler." After speaking, he pointed to Cillian Forrest and said, "And this is my adjutant, Cillian Forrest."
Hearing this, Felix York forcibly swallowed the greeting that was on the tip of his tongue. He looked at Cillian Forrest, his eyes filled with bewildered suspicion.
’He couldn’t understand what was going on.’
But Felix York hadn’t reached his position by being a simple man. Hearing Ethan Cross’s introduction, it was obvious he didn’t want the Marshal’s identity exposed, so Felix decided to play along.
Suppressing the shock in his heart, he tore his gaze away from Cillian Forrest and forced his expression to look natural. He then turned to Sophie Wexler and extended a hand.
"Hello, Miss Wexler."
Before she arrived, Ethan Cross had already told her about the people she might meet, so she extended her hand in return. "Hello, General York."
After they released their hands, Felix York looked toward Cillian Forrest.
Cillian Forrest gave him a barely perceptible nod, then greeted him just as Sophie Wexler had. "General York."
Feeling an immense amount of pressure, Felix York managed a simple, "Mm."
"Please, have a seat," Felix York said, gesturing to the chairs.
The group sat down.
Sophie Wexler sat in the middle, with Cillian Forrest and Ethan Cross on either side of her, while Felix York sat opposite her.
Sophie Wexler wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she felt the atmosphere grow tense after they sat down. Before she could dwell on it, Felix York spoke up. "Miss Wexler, I apologize for inviting you here so abruptly, but there is a matter I need your help with."
"Is it about Spiritual Sea soothing?" Ethan Cross had already mentioned it to her before she came.
"Yes," Felix York confirmed.
"We received news from our planet’s StarNet recently. Is it true you have the ability to perform group soothing?"
Sophie Wexler hummed in agreement. "Barring any surprises, yes."
Felix York had seen the relevant data posted on the StarNet’s entertainment section at the time, but there was one thing he wasn’t clear about.
"If I may ask, what is your current Level, and what severity of spiritual power rampage can you soothe?"
It was confirmed that Sophie Wexler could perform group soothing, but the extent of her ability was still uncertain.
As he spoke, Felix York glanced at Cillian Forrest beside her. He couldn’t quite figure out the relationship between the Marshal and this young woman, so he proceeded with caution.
Sophie Wexler slowly shook her head. "I don’t know."
Felix York blinked in confusion.
Sophie Wexler continued, "I was previously F-level. I’m not sure what my current Level is."
Felix York frowned. "F?"
’F-level, the lowest rank. Her soothing would be inferior to even the treatment center’s, let alone what the military’s soothers could provide.’
Felix York’s heart sank with disappointment. He never expected Sophie Wexler to be F-level.
’But that couldn’t be right. How could an F-level possibly perform group soothing?’
’And based on her previous livestreams, that didn’t seem right either.’
Seeing Felix York’s confusion, Ethan Cross quickly explained, "General York, Miss Wexler is undergoing a second awakening. Her spiritual power is still in a growth phase, so her exact Level hasn’t been measured yet."
"A second growth phase!" The surprise on Felix York’s face was impossible to hide.
After all, anyone capable of undergoing a second growth phase had to have exceptional talent. And as it happened, the person who had experienced the most significant second growth phase in history was sitting right across from him.
"Yes, a second growth phase," Ethan Cross said. "Due to limited resources, we couldn’t perform certain examinations out there. That’s another reason we came—we were hoping the military’s Medical Masters could examine Miss Wexler to see if her body is healthy enough to withstand this growth."
Although a second growth phase was rare and required extraordinary talent, and a successful one would result in a very high Level, everything was a double-edged sword.
During a second growth phase, the Spiritual Sea becomes extremely active. While spiritual power continuously increases, some individuals might be unable to bear the strain, resulting in damage to their Spiritual Sea.
They were currently on the subordinate planet of Karath. Due to its geographical location, technological development was slow, so the equipment available outside the military base couldn’t provide an accurate diagnosis.
They had originally planned to have Miss Wexler tested on the Capital Planet when the opportunity arose, but they couldn’t leave anytime soon. The Seventh Legion’s invitation presented the perfect opportunity.
"Of course," Felix York readily agreed. It wasn’t a difficult request, and he had intended to suggest it himself.
Performing a Level assessment before Sophie Wexler began the soothing was a responsibility he owed to her as well as to his soldiers.
"In that case, I’ll have my people begin the preparations."
"Miss Wexler, you’ve had a long journey. Please rest and recover your energy. We’ll conduct the examination tomorrow," Felix York concluded, laying out the plan.
"Alright," Sophie Wexler agreed with a nod.
Once everything was settled, Felix York went to make the arrangements, also setting aside accommodations for them.
Before Felix York left, Sophie Wexler stopped him. "General York, there’s one more thing."
Felix York stopped and turned to look at her. "General, you know I’m a streamer. Would it be possible for me to livestream while I’m here?"
She had already notified the platform, but the platform was one thing, and her audience was another.
The number of people following her account was not small. Whether they simply loved her beautiful singing or sought her for the soothing effects, they were all passionate fans.
So, if conditions permitted, she wanted to try and broadcast as much as possible.
’If it really wasn’t allowed, she’d have to figure out another way.’
Felix York hadn’t expected Sophie Wexler to stop him for such a small matter. He agreed without hesitation. "You can."
Their military base’s network was the most stable and secure on the entire planet. Sophie Wexler wanting to livestream was no problem at all.
He wouldn’t go so far as to make her abandon her own job just to help him and the Seventh Legion.
Seeing this, Sophie Wexler smiled. "Thank you, General York."
The group was led back to their quarters. After getting her settled, they told Sophie Wexler to rest, as they still had some matters to attend to.
Sophie Wexler glanced at Cillian Forrest, figuring that Ethan Cross probably had matters to arrange for him. She didn’t ask any questions, simply said alright, and went to rest.
Cillian Forrest and Ethan Cross left together.
Meanwhile, Felix York was already waiting. When he saw the two men approaching, he gave Cillian Forrest a standard military salute. "Marshal!"