In a room, four individuals were seated in conversation. Only one had a clearly visible face, the other three appeared as holograms with indistinct features.
"Regarding the promotion exam to replace General Jiang, there are three candidates. Based on their abilities, achievements, and backgrounds, they all meet the requirements no issues there. But are you sure you don't want to include the vice general in this?" asked a sharp-eyed man with grayish hair and a relaxed demeanor. He looked to be in his fifties, dressed in traditional Chinese hanfu, his calm presence exuding authority.
"We're selecting Jiang's replacement. Unless there's a direct recommendation from him, the candidates must be from the Yinzhou Xuexian base," replied another voice, this one calm and wise.
"I hope her successor is a woman. Being the only lady in meetings like this makes me feel like I'm surrounded by wolves. Kufufu~," said a woman's seductive yet sarcastic voice.
"Hmph. I'd rather castrate myself than fall for your tricks," snapped the last man, sarcasm matching hers.
"Calm down, you two. Don't you get tired of bickering every time?" the wise-sounding hologram interjected.
The two only responded with a synchronized "hmph" and went silent.
[Knock knock]
"Hmm? Come in," said the gray-haired man.
"Excuse me, General Lin Feng. Sorry to interrupt. Adventurer Jiang Tianluo has arrived at the dock. He reports that the remains of the late General Jiang have been recovered and brought back successfully," announced a soldier.
"Good. Bring them to me at once."
"Yes, sir! Oh and he asked me to give you this letter," the soldier added, handing it over before excusing himself.
Lin Feng opened the letter in full view of the generals. As he read, his calm expression shifted first serious, then a smile, then something soft and nostalgic. Finally, shock flickered in his eyes as he reached the end.
The other generals remained silent until one of them finally broke the tension.
"Oi, Lin Feng! What's in that letter? You're making me nervous. That's Bailou's immortal qi on it, right?" the female hologram asked.
"I think... the promotion exam's getting canceled," Lin Feng said, placing the letter on the table.
"What?" said the wise voice.
"General Jiang, who we thought died, actually raised a disciple and appointed him as his successor."
"!?" All three holograms reacted at once.
"According to the rules, a disciple trained from childhood and given the general's symbol has the right to inherit their position directly," added the calm male hologram the one who'd been sparring verbally with the woman earlier.
"A man or a woman?" the female general asked.
"A man. His name is Gaia Matera. Bailou raised him alone on that planet. The letter says he found the boy in an emergency pod, stranded."
"(sigh)… Looks like I'll be stuck in meetings with you wolves again."
"..."
The others stayed silent, ignoring her quip.
"This changes things," said the wise voice. "By the rules, Gaia is already a general the moment we received this letter. But will the other candidates accept it? It's going to sting a total unknown, no military record, suddenly replacing General Jiang?"
Lin Feng nodded. "That's why we should speak to Gai Matera directly."
"Agreed."
**
"Wow… so this is Yinzhou," I muttered as I stepped off the ship's dock.
"What's your first impression of the planet?" Mei asked, trailing behind me with Kagura and Ballack. Tianluo had disappeared, probably off handling the official business related to our mission and Sensei's remains.
Yingzhou Penglai is one of the core planets in the Yinzhou Union. Each planet here is governed by a general, and above them all is the Overseer, a figure rarely seen in public unless it's something serious.
We were now in the Union's capital city on Penglai Shushan.
And yeah, it's beautiful. Ships soared through the sky, likely used for public transport. The whole place had a polished sci-fi vibe, but it wasn't overwhelming. The tech here felt functional, not flashy. The streets were clean, the layout intuitive. In the marketplace, people still traded face-to-face, and some of those skyships looked like they were hauling cargo.
What piqued my curiosity was the abundance of immortal qi in the air.
I can't use it, but thanks to my ability to convert mana into ether, I can sense other energies built on an ether base.
"A beautiful planet. I've never seen Sensei's illusionary city or visited any others, but this one… yeah, it's really something," I replied to Mei.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," said Tianluo, appearing suddenly. "Gai, you'll need to come with me to the central government office. The generals want to meet you."
I nodded. Can't blame them. If I were in their position, I'd be freaking out over Sensei's letter too.
According to it, Sensei not only named me as his successor but also appointed me as the High Elder of the Jiang family.
That's a big deal. I even stared at the words for a long time, feeling the weight settle on my shoulders. Me? A general? A high elder? It felt surreal like stepping into clothes that still belonged to someone else.
the word of a High Elder overrides even the family patriarch. No wonder Tianluo was all polite when we first met.
"(Sigh) I just wanted to lie down and nap..." I muttered as I followed Tianluo and his crew to the transport.
The airship looked like an ocean vessel but floated smoothly through the sky.
Once we landed in the military zone, my jaw dropped again. I expected an office building not a city-sized complex. According to Tianluo, this whole area was a dedicated military district for the Yinzhou Union. It had training fields, housing, research labs, and more.
Flying wasn't allowed inside, so we switched to a sleek car. Tianluo's party split off toward the guild, while he stayed with me for the meeting.
Soldiers guided us through the base with nods of recognition for Tianluo, like they were used to seeing him.
"I'm also the first son of the current Jiang patriarch," he explained, sensing my curiosity. "The Jiang family's one of the four major clans here. Naturally, people know me."
I just nodded. I mean, I was curious, but not enough to ask.
We finally arrived at a towering building a pagoda with a modern twist. Waiting at the entrance was a young man with long brown hair in a bluish-white hanfu robe. Narrow eyes, lazy grin cunning kind of guy.
"Welcome. I'm Zhuge Yanquan, deputy and disciple of General Li Feng. I've been asked to escort you, Mr. Gaia Matera," he said politely.
"If this is a real welcome, you should've met us at the city gate," Tianluo snapped. "This feels half-hearted."
"This isn't a tourist attraction. Your job's done. Go home, guild lackey," Yanquan replied with a smirk.
"Oh? You wanna fight?"
"Thought you'd never ask."
"Training ground. Let's go. I'll let your troops witness your humiliating defeat."
"Tch, don't get cocky just because you won before. The score's still 3-2 with me ahead."
"You wish. I'm the one with 3 wins."
While they argued like kids, I slipped away and followed the strongest energy signature in the area.
I was surprised. Tianluo always seemed so serious. Guess these two are pretty close.
I walked down the hall and stopped in front of a large, elegant door. The aura behind it was immense on par with Ballack's. I opened the door and stepped inside.
A man with grayish hair sat waiting. His presence was both elegant and overwhelming. Around him were faint holograms one woman, two men.
"Hello. Judging by your presence, I assume you're General Lin Feng?"
The man smiled, calm and knowing.
"My apologies. I figured Tianluo would end up arguing with Yanquan, so I released some energy to guide you here. If you were truly as Bailou described, you'd find your way."
He stood and gave me a nod of respect.
"Welcome. I'm Lin Feng, General of Yinzhou Penglai. And these are the other generals of the Yinzhou Union, present via long-distance hologram."