Back aboard the T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruiser, Zhao Chen summoned Charlotte and Lilith before him for a small meeting. He had them select, from among the current crew, a batch of the outstanding, the capable, and the gifted, to be cultivated as the first tier of the Owl Dragon Fleet's core — able, in time, to take on leadership posts. After all, as the number of ships grew and the Owl Dragon Fleet swelled ever larger, the scope of that leadership would have to expand too; it couldn't forever be just the three of them.
Having settled all this, Zhao Chen gave the order for the T3 Blizzard to return to Northstar Academy. Now that they were back in the Northstar Star System, and had kicked up such an enormous commotion over in the Azure Star Region, he really ought to show his face at the academy.
After a stretch of warp travel, the T3 Blizzard appeared for the second time in the starport of Northstar Academy.
The moment the warship appeared, every spot in the academy with a view of the starport filled with people, all come to see this celebrated T3 Blizzard.
"Wow, it really is beautiful! So this is that legendary ship!"
"This is nothing. You lot didn't see it the first time it came to Northstar Academy — back then its hull didn't have so many battle-scars; it was even more beautiful!" said a student lucky enough to have witnessed the T3 Blizzard's glory on its first visit, with some pride.
But the boy beside him gazed at the T3 Blizzard, eyes enthralled. "No! I actually think the T3 Blizzard's more dashing now. It carries those unrepaired battle-wounds, yes — but it's exactly these marks of battle that have truly breathed a soul into this ship!"
The students around nodded, half in understanding, half not.
"I heard the captain of this ship — that Senior Zhao Chen — charged alone into the hive-race's deadly straits and fought a bloody three days and nights before he got the two academies' people out!" a lower-year girl, who'd picked up the gossip from who-knows-where, said in adoration.
"It wasn't nearly so simple as that. I heard that when Senior Zhao was saving the two academies' people, he fought the hive-race with his bare hands — when he got hungry he grabbed a bug and gnawed its flesh; when he got thirsty he drank a bug's blood!" a boy said worshipfully.
"None of that's been confirmed. But what is confirmed is that after Senior Zhao returned, a royal fleet came in person to confer a bestowal on him. A royal fleet, conferring it in person! Do you have any idea what that means? Senior Zhao went straight from Imperial Baron to Imperial Viscount! Only a viscount for now, true, but his prospects are beyond anything ordinary!"
"That's nothing at all. You know Governor Chu of Chu River? You know the Chu family? Senior Zhao is now the grandson-in-law acknowledged by Governor Chu himself. And what standing does Governor Chu's granddaughter have? Granddaughter of the Governor of Chu River — and granddaughter, on her mother's side, of the Governor of the North Wind Star Region! He's soared clean to the top!"
These past few days, all manner of gossip about Zhao Chen had spread like wildfire through Northstar Academy — even sprouting all sorts of strange and wonderful versions. And among it, someone had brought up one small matter: that Senior Zhao had once had a fiancée — who'd actually "cast him aside."
"Look, quick — that's the Jiang Shasha who 'cast aside' Senior Zhao. Tsk, tsk… she really has no eye for people; Senior Zhao's such a fine man, and she couldn't even see it."
"Hmph, a woman like that is blind to her own blessings! If I had a fiancé that brave, I'd slap myself first before I'd ever quarrel with him. Pah! Doesn't know a good thing when she has it!"
Standing in a corner, pointed at by no small number of people, Jiang Shasha gazed out at the T3 Blizzard as it settled slowly into its berth, her feelings a tangle.
Outside the berth where that T3 Blizzard docked, a great many of the academy's teachers — and even the dean and the several vice-deans, all of them — had gathered to receive it, waiting for that man to appear. Treatment like this was something scarcely anyone in all the Starlight Empire could command.
Jiang Shasha clenched her fists. If only she hadn't given up Zhao Chen back then… would she too be the one others now spoke of with envy?
"Shasha, don't dwell on it. That's all in the past. You've got me by your side now; I'll protect you!" A boy stood beside Jiang Shasha, his hand moving to drape itself over her shoulder.
But Jiang Shasha dodged aside. "Senior," she murmured, "I know what you mean. But I have no such thoughts right now."
The next moment, a bottle of water was flung into Jiang Shasha's face.
"You're thinking about that Zhao Chen, aren't you? Regret it now, do you? Where was all this before! A noblewoman like you, who doesn't even rate a title — my taking a fancy to you is your good fortune. Don't be blind to a good thing! Right now you're not even fit to carry Zhao Chen's shoes! Pah." The senior, his earlier gentleness gone in a flash, sneered at Jiang Shasha without the least mercy, then turned and left without a backward glance.
Jiang Shasha stood stunned a while, then burst into wild laughter — and laughing, laughing, she began to cry. But no one around spared this woman the least pity.
The Academy Starport
Zhao Chen and Zhao Wan'er walked down together. The scene before them was much like the one at the Lantian Star System starport — all manner of welcome and celebration ceremonies laid on. What differed from before was that this time academy reporters, too, were filming Zhao Chen, recording him and that legendary ship behind him. Plainly, this was to become a legend of Northstar Academy.
"Senior Zhao!"
"Senior Zhao!"
A crowd of girls now swarmed forward, pressing their gifts on Zhao Chen — and squeezed Zhao Wan'er, who'd been at his side, clean out to several meters away. By the time Zhao Wan'er came to her senses, she was baffled as to how she'd even ended up over there.
At last a few of the girls, seeing there was no chance left of crowding up to Senior Zhao, noticed Zhao Wan'er. At once, all smiles, they clustered around her, presenting a few gifts besides.
"Little sister Wan'er, these are gifts for your brother — pass them along to him for me, would you?"
"Little sister Wan'er, I'm a student from Class Three next door to you; we ate at the same table in the academy cafeteria once. I wanted to ask — does your brother have any messaging accounts?"
"Little sister, your senior here has always kept an eye on you. You've got real talent; if you ever run into any difficulty, just tell your sister-in-law— er, your senior! Your senior can tutor you. And if there's anything junior Zhao Chen doesn't understand, I could tutor him a bit too."
Zhao Wan'er watched these smiling, simpering girls, her face darkening — some of them even stuffed a few love letters into her hands. But Zhao Wan'er didn't pass a single one of those letters to Zhao Chen; once she'd left the place, she pitched the whole lot, without the slightest ceremony, into a paper shredder.
Zhao Wan'er watched as Zhao Chen — only just now, with the help of the academy's teachers — escaped his sea-of-bugs-like predicament. Her expression turned worse still. For Zhao Chen's face, his neck, his arms, even his clothes were covered in lipstick marks, and several buttons had gone missing from his shirt. His hands had been stuffed full of all sorts of things; there were even a few items in his pockets that didn't bear describing.
And at this moment, the narrowly escaped Zhao Chen had but one feeling in his heart.
Good heavens… these women are more terrifying than the bugs! I nearly thought I was about to be eaten alive just now!