Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

The size of Topaz Star is slightly smaller than that of the Imperial Capital Star, and it is roughly the same size as Earth, as far as Ruo Manni knows. From the sky, the planet appears to be divided into three parts: at both ends of the rotational axis, the surface is covered in green oceans, while the middle section consists of land, which occupies about one-third of the planet’s surface area.

Although Topaz Star is not small, it is just over a thousand kilometers from the space station to the capital city, Baili. With Ruo Manni’s speed of a thousand kilometers per hour in her flying vehicle, it would only take a little over an hour to reach.

After Ruo Manni and Lixi Amber exchanged messages to confirm her safety, she glanced at the dozens of missed calls on her holographic device. She hesitated for a moment before clicking on it to pull up some information related to the military.

The others in the flying vehicle busied themselves with their own tasks, wasting no time.

Thus, the hour passed quickly.

As Ruo Manni looked down at the long-awaited city from above, she recognized some familiar buildings.

When she left years ago, it had been late at night and in a rush; she hadn’t even looked back at the city. Now, she was returning once more.

The Hua De family’s house was located on the second ring road of Baili City.

Given the Hua De family’s strength, even in the capital of Topaz Star, acquiring a plot of land on the first ring road to build a house would be an easy task. However, the Hua De family typically preferred to keep a lower profile, which is why they chose the second ring road instead.

Additionally, the second ring road offered more space. Ruo Manni gazed at the small estate before her, her expression unchanged as she reflected on this.

Behind the tall walls stood six small courtyards neatly lined up, all seemingly of similar size. There were trees and flowers both in front and behind the courtyards, and the scenery and style were quite similar to that of the Hua De estate. Living there would surely be very comfortable, but the cost would definitely not be insignificant.

The steward arranged by the Hua De family came out joyfully, accompanied by two servants: “Welcome, young lady! My name is Zheng Xiangxing, and I am the steward of this villa. I have followed the master’s instructions to prepare the courtyard for you and your attendants.”

Zheng Xiangxing appeared to be in between middle-aged and elderly, but his cultivation level was only that of a third-level warrior.

As Ruo Manni listened to him speaking in the local Gus language with a Topaz Star accent, she guessed that he was either a local or had lived on Topaz Star for a long time.

Zheng Xiangxing led Ruo Manni to the courtyard in the center and said, “The master has instructed that this small courtyard belongs solely to you, young lady. No one else is permitted to enter without your permission. Please set the access restrictions.”

Ruo Manni was not polite and took control of the courtyard’s permissions through her holographic device. Although she would spend most of her time in the military, she would still have breaks and needed a private residence. Having a courtyard that belonged solely to her was ideal.

Uncle Lin had already mentioned that she would be placed in a military camp outside Baili City.

“You Hua De family really know how to make an impression,” Sheila said, admiring the beautiful courtyard belonging to Ruo Manni.

Ruo Manni glanced at her. “Why aren’t you leaving? They are already hosting a banquet waiting for you.”

“Oh, it’s not far, just on the fourth ring road. It’ll only take a few minutes to get there,” Sheila replied, somewhat distracted.

Noticing that Sheila seemed preoccupied, Ruo Manni thought for a moment and then said seriously, “You know our peaceful days will likely come to an end soon. Don’t dwell too much on your worries; let go of what you need to and focus on your cultivation. No one can guarantee what our future will be in that war, so try to stay happy.”

Sheila nodded gently and then left with Tamaki Kazia.

With the steward and servants present, Ruo Manni didn’t need to greet Pan Shaolu and Marcus Wright herself; they went off to settle in.

As Ruo Manni entered the courtyard arranged for her, her holographic device vibrated gently in her hand. She checked it and, as expected, it was another message from Hebrew Adam.

Ruo Manni did not answer, but Hebrew Adam was persistent and called again.

Ruo Manni sighed; this person was really patient. Considering that even the First Prince had sent her a message to plead on his behalf, she sat down in the flower hall and opened the holographic projection.

The holographic projection technology in this world was very advanced. As soon as she activated it, Hebrew Adam’s image appeared next to her, as if he were right there with her. The things he saw through the holographic projection looked as if Hebrew Adam had witnessed them firsthand.

“Manni, I’ve leveled up,” Hebrew Adam said happily.

The holographic projection couldn’t simulate the aura of Hebrew Adam, so Ruo Manni couldn’t tell his cultivation level.

Ruo Manni was naturally happy for Hebrew Adam, but her smile remained faint. “So, you think your decision was the right one.”

“No, I’m sorry. I just didn’t want you to worry, so I kept it from you. But I didn’t expect the person behind this to be so ruthless, willing to sacrifice so many masters,” Hebrew Adam replied apologetically.

Ruo Manni was silent for a moment before asking, “Is the mastermind behind the assassination attempt on you a member of the Beery family?”

Hebrew Adam was momentarily stunned and then asked, “Although I don’t have evidence yet, I do have some leads. How did you know?”

“I feel like you’re both very eager to take down the Seventh Legion,” Ruo Manni said.

After learning about the First Prince’s and Hebrew Adam’s attitudes toward the Beery family, Ruo Manni began to suspect this.

The Seventh Legion of the Beery family held a strategically vital position.

However, due to the Beery family’s corruption and incompetence, the army was chaotic. The First Prince could not allow the Seventh Legion, which occupied the most crucial strategic location, to have no combat effectiveness, just like in his previous life.

Ruo Manni estimated that the First Prince must take action against the Seventh Legion, either relocating it from this star region or replacing its commander to reorganize the legion.

But after so long, the First Prince still couldn’t infiltrate the Seventh Legion. It was likely that, despite the Beery family’s corruption, they were not fools, which is why the First Prince’s actions were frequently hindered.

Now that the time for interstellar war was drawing closer, the First Prince probably felt he could not afford to delay any longer. Meanwhile, Hebrew Adam had already proven himself capable of taking on significant responsibilities, which led to this risky move to draw the enemy out.

Hebrew Adam wasn’t surprised that Ruo Manni saw through this. To force the Beery family into action, he and his brother had inevitably revealed some information about their plans.

“Are you so eager to take down the Seventh Legion that you’re willing to use yourself as bait to lure them out? And you didn’t want me to know, so you chose to act while I was on my way back to Topaz Star?” Ruo Manni was most upset about this.

Heaven knows how anxious she felt when she was flying through the vast universe and suddenly received a message from Mina-Olli, asking whether it was true that Hebrew Adam was on the brink of death after an assassination attempt.

That day, Ruo Manni profoundly realized how terrified she was at the thought of it being true; she discovered that she couldn’t bear the possibility of losing Hebrew Adam.

This was why she was so angry with Hebrew Adam for taking such a dangerous risk as bait, and after confirming that he was not in life-threatening danger, she had ignored his calls.