At the very center of the starport, a domed restaurant jutted up above everything else. This domed restaurant was the most luxurious interstellar dining hall in the Lantian Star System — built, rumor had it, at the special commission of the Lord of Lantian, expressly for entertaining high officials and notables.
The dome was fashioned entirely of a perfectly transparent glass material — and military grade, at that! Its strength was equal to a starship's hull armor. Ordinarily only a little of it was fitted to a ship — at the bridge viewports on the vessel's outer surface, and at the small ports of certain cabins. Strong as hull armor it might be, but it cost dozens of times what the equivalent hull armor did, so a ship would generally use only a small amount. Here, though, the entire restaurant had been raised from this military glass — from which one could well imagine the degree of extravagance. And because it sat at the central summit of the largest starport in the Lantian Star System, one could take in the whole of the starport below, and overhead the Lantian System's primary star — a scene of surpassing beauty.
At this moment the banquet grounds had long since been fully laid out, an abundance of lavish delicacies made from every kind of natural ingredient set out in perfect array.
But the instant Zhao Chen set foot inside, he sensed that something was wrong.
Of the two academies' teachers and students, only a very few were present here — and most of those were the ones from Heaven's Glory Academy on poor terms with him. Every gaze fixed on Zhao Chen was gloating. This was plainly the "banquet at Hongmen" laid on just for him — a feast with a knife hidden behind the smiles.
"Zhao Chen, this way, please." The Azure Governor smiled and ushered Zhao Chen to a crescent-shaped booth at the very center of the banquet grounds — a spot clearly raised above the rest, with plush sofas and high-class serving-women in attendance.
Two people were already waiting there. One wore formal dress of the finest sort; the other, a military uniform. Zhao Chen shot a glance at it. Five stars. An Imperial Five-Star Marshal.
What kind of luck had he been running these past couple of days? Star Region Governors and Five-Star Marshals turning up before him one after another.
The moment the two of them saw Zhao Chen, they both rose with smiles to greet him. But to Zhao Chen those smiles were no different from a beast baring its fangs — and the Five-Star Marshal's, in particular, was stiff as could be.
"Zhao Chen, let me make some introductions. This is Imperial Five-Star Marshal Huang Zhixiong. He's one of our Empire's very youngest Five-Star Marshals — not only did he make Imperial Five-Star Marshal at 50, he's a young hero, just like you!" The Azure Governor introduced the Marshal.
A young hero?
Zhao Chen looked at this Five-Star Marshal in uniform, belly bulging out of it. If no one had said otherwise, he'd have taken him and the Azure Governor for blood brothers.
Zhao Chen had done his homework thoroughly before coming. The Azure Governor and this Marshal Huang Zhixiong counted as buddies of the same faction — one a fief-holding lord, the other an Imperial military marshal. The two of them "keeping house together" — what could be cozier? This Marshal Huang, though, was the all-bluster-no-substance type; he'd climbed into the marshal's post entirely on his family's background and connections. He did hold a few legion-grade interstellar fleets, but his chief duty was garrisoning the Azure Star Region. Across these 50 years he'd basically never fought a major battle — usually just small jobs like rounding up interstellar pirates. One had only to look at how this hive-race catastrophe in the Water Lily Star System had spiraled into its present state to gauge His Excellency the Marshal's abilities. Set against Governor Chu, who fought the Mechanical Race year-round on the front lines, he was another matter entirely!
Marshal Huang Zhixiong didn't extend a hand — merely gave Zhao Chen a nod, plainly looking down on the young man.
"And this is the Chairman of the Hurricane Conglomerate, Chairman Feng Weihao." The Azure Governor introduced the other, a middle-aged man in gold-rimmed glasses.
"Zhao Chen — your great name has long reached my ears!" Chairman Feng took the initiative, shaking Zhao Chen's hand with a smile and clapping him warmly on the shoulder besides. "Zhao Chen, you're the same age as my youngest son. But that worthless youngest son of mine falls far, far short of you. If he had even a fraction of your excellence, I, as his father, wouldn't have a care in the world. In this hive-race affair, it's thanks to you that my worthless youngest was brought home — otherwise we of the Feng family would have had to bury our own child, the white-haired sending off the black-haired." As he spoke, Chairman Feng even removed his glasses, as if wiping away tears.
"You do me too much honor, Chairman Feng," said Zhao Chen. But in his heart he'd marked this old fellow. Compared with that so-called Five-Star Marshal, this Hurricane Conglomerate chairman before him was the more dangerous by far. What was more, with today's technology an ordinary person had no need whatsoever to wear glasses — yet this man still wore gold-rimmed ones, which meant either it was a habit of his or a prop he used to mask the look in his eyes. A man who could build up the Hurricane Conglomerate was no minor figure. And the place where the Hurricane Conglomerate had gotten its start was the Azure Star Region itself.
Rumor in the wider world had it that the Hurricane Conglomerate, the Azure Governor, and that Five-Star Marshal formed an iron triangle. These three were as gods in the Azure Star Region, with the military, the government, and commerce — all three spheres — in their grip. That the three of them should appear together this time was proof enough of how highly they prized the "value" Zhao Chen carried.
"Sit, Zhao Chen." The Azure Governor drew Zhao Chen down onto a sofa, and the high-class serving-women at once presented delicious tea and refreshments.
Just then one of the elevators running up from the starport into this domed restaurant opened, and several lovely figures walked in. One voice among them caught Zhao Chen's attention.
"Honestly! To think they wouldn't let us up! By what right do they get to come and we don't!"
The one complaining was none other than Xue Xiaoxiao. At her side were the grave-faced Su Lan and a visibly anxious Instructor Qin. They'd actually made it up here.
"Sister Su Lan, Instructor Qin." Zhao Chen waved to them from where he sat, and Su Lan and the others, spotting him, hurried over.
Zhao Chen looked to the Azure Governor with a smile. "Forgive me — these three are good friends of mine from the academy. Might I invite them to sit with me?"
The Azure Governor traded a glance with the two big shots beside him.
"Since it's Zhao Chen who asks, how could we refuse? And truly, sitting with a pack of us old fellows is no match for sitting with a few beautiful girls. You're a lucky man with the ladies, Zhao Chen." Even now the Azure Governor didn't forget to tease him a little.
Zhao Chen smiled and said nothing.
By now Su Lan and the others had come over. Seeing the three seated before Zhao Chen, Su Lan showed a flicker of surprise deep in her eyes. It seemed she too had recognized who these three were.
"Zhao Chen, the people downstairs were really too much. They actually wouldn't let us up — and I plainly saw quite a few Heaven's Glory students go up, yet they told us we had no invitations. If Instructor Qin hadn't produced her Northstar Academy credentials, we'd probably have been left downstairs, turned away at the door." Xue Xiaoxiao pouted, the very picture of someone wronged. From the look of her, there was really no telling whether she was being naïve, or deliberately saying this in front of the three big shots present.
Zhao Chen thought privately: This is the trap-feast they've set for me — of course they wouldn't let outsiders up. If Instructor Qin hadn't taken a hard line, you lot would truly never have gotten to see the fine show that's coming. Still, since they'd made it up here, they might as well witness it together.