The Silly Prince Successfully Cancels the Engagement, But the Fiancée is His Childhood Sweetheart - Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Hello there.

The rise of the Eternal Empire was by no means an overnight event.

The Old Empire once bore a hopeful name: the Dawn Empire.

But it was precisely the Dawn Empire that made it difficult for its people to ever see the dawn again.

The Dawn Empire was one where the gap between the nobility and commoners was extremely polarized. The laws enacted by the Empire were all designed to further solidify class rule. Schools and hospitals were all possessions of the nobles, and naturally, all welfare and policies revolved around the interests of the nobility.

The survival of commoners was exceedingly difficult. Often, a full day’s labor was not enough to feed a family. Medical treatment, schooling, or improving one’s life were absolute pipe dreams.

If you felt unwell, you worked if you could move; if you couldn’t move, you lay in bed. If you survived, it was good fortune; if you didn’t, it was expected.

This led to only one consequence: the commoners, in their day-after-day despair and darkness, chose to abandon all hope and care.

In the middle-to-late period of the Dawn Empire’s rule, the crime rate remained stubbornly high. Even on the Capital Star, which should have had the best public safety, the number of criminals amounted to one-third of the Capital Star’s total population. The true state of affairs on remote planets was unimaginable.

Yet, even with the Empire in such a state, the officials, politicians, and nobles were still preoccupied with how to skim more money and how to turn massive fortunes into their legal gain.

And the so-called army was nothing but a paper tiger.

This behemoth had long been rotten from the inside, tottering in the face of constant wind and rain.

It seems laughable now that less than 5% of the population within the vast machinery of the Empire controlled almost 99% of its wealth.

No one expected that even such a Dawn Empire had supporters—those nobles who had genuinely gained immense benefits.

But this path was destined to fail. Across the vast territory of the Dawn Empire, points of starlight, the Eternal Army, had quietly and unknowingly begun to ignite.

As the leader of the Eternal Army, the current King of the Eternal Empire, his ideology was very simple, yet it was this very concept that quickly won over a large number of aspiring individuals.

“Protect the deserved fairness and security throughout any life’s full cycle.”

Simply put: the young are cared for, the old are provided for, and you reap what you sow.

The Dawn Empire was already shaky and had lost the support of the people. The Eternal Army swept through with irresistible force, especially since the Dawn Empire’s military was fragile as paper to begin with.

Soon, the regime was overthrown, the Old Empire perished, and the dawn sank into eternal darkness.

Xiang Zhuo’s father, the King of the Eternal Empire, immediately after taking office, used thunderous methods to remove the mass of rotten flesh left behind by the Dawn Empire.

The first thing was to officially rename the “Dawn Empire Noble Military Academy” to the “Eternal Empire National Defense Military Academy.” As long as you had the ability, regardless of identity or gender, the National Defense Military Academy would always open its doors to you.

And that sculpture of the Sun and Moon Shining Together has stood behind the gates of the National Defense Military Academy since the first day the Eternal Empire regime was established.

If you possess light, please shine together.

The second thing was to weaken the definition of noble and commoner and strengthen the concept of “Eternal Empire Citizen.”

But the course of history is always like this; this is a matter that requires long-term persistence. However, even now, although slums and wealthy districts still exist, it is already infinitely better than in the time of the Dawn Empire. At least, people can survive and live reasonably well without resorting to crime for wealth.

The third thing was to vigorously construct schools, hospitals, and residential areas.

These three actions completely rejuvenated the face of the Empire.

But it was precisely because there was no time to ensure whether the remnants of the Old Empire were completely cleared out that a faction of them managed to survive and, on this day, caused a thunderstorm.

…

Hearing Xiang Zhuo’s sufficiently arrogant, yet undeniably qualified, statement, Ye Hong felt an even greater headache. He pressed his temples: “Your Highness, it is currently late night on Shard Star. Even if you rush there now, it will be dawn, and whatever you intend to do will be too late.”

Xiang Zhuo: “Haven’t you all been researching that ‘Warp Drive’ recently? If I recall correctly, it’s in the final stage of experimentation, right? The time it takes for me to get from here to Shard Star will be about the time it takes for me to blink. How about I be your test subject?”

Ye Hong’s voice instantly turned cold: “Your Highness, you must not be reckless! After all, at this stage, no one can guarantee that only space will be twisted!”

Xiang Zhuo didn’t care: “But you’ve conducted so many experiments.”

Ye Hong: “But it is absolutely not yet at the stage for manned travel!”

There was not an ounce of hesitation in Xiang Zhuo’s eyes, only a kind of death-defying persistence: “There’s a first time for everything. I’ll be that first time. Otherwise, aren’t you struggling to decide who to choose as volunteers?

“I heard you recruited a batch of volunteers, but even though the success rate is high, they all backed out, didn’t they?”

For a long time, Ye Hong made no sound. In matters like this, Xiang Zhuo was incredibly patient; he was a patient hunter.

Finally, Ye Hong let out a long sigh: “I must report this matter to His Majesty the King.”

Xiang Zhuo scoffed: “What good will reporting to the old man do? Do you think I’ll give up if he refuses?”

General Ye truly lacked experience in handling such matters.

During the last report from the head of the research institute, he specifically stated: “The survival probability for a person aboard a starship equipped with a Warp Drive is only 70%. The other 30% is the complete crushing of the person and the starship into fragments by the immense negative energy density. Perhaps not even fragments—no one knows what happens in the face of such a thing.”

After a long pause, Ye Hong said seriously: “There is only a 70% success rate.”

Xiang Zhuo excitedly licked the tip of his tooth, looking utterly fearless: “70%, ah, that’s very high. Uncle Ye, I’ll pay you a visit to thank you after I return.”

…

These remnants of the Old Empire are truly troublesome.

But the one thing that can be confirmed is that the Old Empire remnants must have carefully studied Bo Qing’s combat style.

Bo Qing felt the taste of rust welling up in his throat, and the enemy was intentionally trying to drain his stamina. One against eight—the opponents really didn’t seem to care about honor.

Thick mental power spread out systematically. While fighting, Bo Qing distractedly noted how long until the nearest reinforcements would arrive.

The result quickly came—38 minutes.

He had to hold on for at least another half an hour…

Instantly, a massive amount of mental power was injected into the connection channel. Artemis’s beautiful blue eyes shone brighter. Just as a black mecha brazenly attempted a sneak attack from behind, Artemis gracefully turned. Sharp mecha blades instantly sprang from its arm, slicing off the opponent’s aiming left arm in the blink of an eye!

Although Artemis was defined as a long-range mecha, coincidentally, its close-combat win rate in simulated training was as high as 92%.

Even more coincidentally, although Bo Qing had poor physical fitness, close-quarters combat was a heavily weighted part of his usual training.

Artemis delivered a beautiful over-the-shoulder throw to the opponent. The other hand instantly came up, aiming for the mecha’s power source, and ruthlessly fired a blast. Immediately after, it plunged its hand into the power source. In the blink of an eye, this black mecha could no longer move.

These few actions took only a few short seconds, but the other black mechas all swarmed around…

A massive Lunar Ring Energy Shield protected his back. The leaping electric sparks instantly paralyzed the opponents. Bo Qing calmly focused all his attention on the few mechas in front of him…

They were too difficult to deal with. The metallic taste of blood in his throat thickened again. Bo Qing swallowed the rusty bloodiness, issuing a series of linked commands that synchronized with Artemis. His extremely skillful combat techniques prevented the opponents from gaining any advantage, even with their multi-against-one setup.

However, the Lunar Ring Energy Shield has a limited duration. The moment the energy shield dissipated, Artemis instantly defended, but ultimately miscalculated one step.

A black mecha diagonally in front seized the opportunity, its dark, cold metallic cannon aiming at Artemis’s power source.

Suddenly, space was compressed and twisted by a massive force, as if a pair of infinitely powerful hands instantly tore the complete space apart!

A fiery red, glaring mecha suddenly burst out of this twisted space!

Bo Qing paused for a moment.

Apollo, bathed in the fiery golden sunlight, descended from the sky. It grabbed the neck of the mecha that was about to sneak attack, slamming it hard into the ground. Immediately, sand and rocks flew, and dust filled the air. The immense power prevented the opponent from resisting, and the hundred-ton mecha violently smashed a deep crater into the ground.

The opponent’s electronic eyes flickered as if they had poor contact, then completely shut down.

Bo Qing also quickly dealt with a black mecha trying to sneak attack in the chaos, feeling a little relieved. He attempted to call out on the team voice channel: “Apollo?”

The moment that familiar, nonchalant tone sounded, Bo Qing’s lips curved slightly, showing a couple of pixels of upward movement: “It’s me, Little Moon~”

It was the familiar voice.

With Xiang Zhuo’s powerful entry, the situation was instantly reversed. However, the remnants of the Old Empire would not sit still. Black mechas, like flies, continuously emerged from unknown places. Even when killed, more appeared.

Bo Qing frowned: “There are too many opponents; we can’t kill them all.”

Xiang Zhuo, however, seemed to be enjoying it: “It’s perfect for practice, I haven’t even reached sixty in my comprehensive score yet.”

Bo Qing and Xiang Zhuo guarded each other’s backs. Bo Qing raised his hand to swat away an annoying “fly,” his voice slightly uneven due to heavy breathing, but his tone was still calm: “With such a low score, Uncle Ye dared to let you come over?”

Xiang Zhuo chuckled softly, his voice carrying a hint of spoiled dissatisfaction: “What’s there for him not to dare? Doesn’t he still have to consider my opinion?”