Chapter 38: The Imperial Journey, Section 2

“Although she is young, lacks significant power, and is ostracized by her siblings, Miss Veli is probably your greatest hope, right? Just look at the specially assigned assistants and fleet you gave her—to know how much you value her. The Swan Warship is likely unique throughout the entire empire.” The little girl continued talking nonstop, always wearing a sweet smile. Her pure white princess dress added to her grace, making her resemble a noble lady.

Yet Grand Duke Taro certainly wouldn’t treat her as an ordinary noble lady. He knew well that this girl was probably the most dangerous of the three present.

And though she seemed to be flattering Veli, in reality… Grand Duke Taro sighed inwardly. Were you all so eager to take away my subordinates? Or was it just because of the Emperor’s words? With these thoughts, he didn’t express them aloud. Instead, he smiled faintly and chatted casually with the little girl, shifting the conversation to recently popular goods and the current situation in the empire.

“Well, what’s the empire’s reaction to that newly discovered race settlement? There have been too many matters lately, so the conquest of this race has slowed down. But if I’m not mistaken, we’ve already lost hundreds of warships against them. Such heavy losses would likely require a forceful attack just to deal with them,” Grand Duke Taro said nonchalantly, gently rubbing his chin.

He was referring to the human settlement. After all, within his domain, it was the latest discovery—and it was so close to the Seven-Six Three-Star Station he controlled. The fact that the conquest still hadn’t been completed after such a long time would be a source of ridicule.

But the grand duke showed no sign of shame. For him, the glory brought by conquests was long gone. He was now just an old man who liked to joke, a somewhat cowardly grand duke.

Yet some people ignored this mindset. One of them was sitting right in front of the grand duke.

Hearing the grand duke’s muttering, the bald man bowed respectfully. “Respected Grand Duke Taro, your fame no longer needs to be proven through conquests. If that race settlement troubles you, please allow me to help you resolve it. If you wish, my fleet can appear around that race at any time—whether to occupy it or eliminate it. Everything will be done as you desire.”

“Hey, big guy. Is all you think about is fighting? How rude. But I like it. It seems you’re also a true hero of the Moor Empire.” The little girl from the Assassins’ Guild covered her mouth and giggled softly, then watched with interest as the bald man’s face gradually turned red.

It was so much fun. So this bald man named ‘Siget’ was indeed just as legendary—his face turning red at the sight of a little girl. Just by asking him a simple question like this. What if she kissed him instead? The little girl thought triumphantly, her bright eyes blinking as she kept staring at the bald man’s face. His face turned even redder, soon as red as a cloth dyed with something.

Fortunately, just as he lost control of himself, the leader spoke up. “Siget, I appreciate your kindness. But matters like conquest are better left for children to play with. I’m old and no longer interested in such things. How long it will take to take that stronghold isn’t within my consideration. I only hope the Empire can return control of Star Station 763 to me as soon as possible. That new commander must be the Duke of Darkness. I’m afraid he’ll mess things up completely.”

“Yes, respected Duke. The Empire has already made a decision on this. I believe Star Station 763 will soon be under your control again. Sending the Duke of Darkness’s subordinate this time is merely a temporary measure. As you know, Lord Beck was indeed a bit excessive some time ago. The Empire is worried whether such a violent commander can keep the station stable. In our view, perhaps this lord is more suited to be a warrior than a commander.”

The one who spoke was the blond young man who had remained silent until now—Tasca’s current family head. As the Empire’s largest legitimate business association, they had an extremely thorough intelligence network. So it wasn’t surprising at all that Duke Taro knew so much about the Empire’s high-ranking decisions.

However, he really disliked the other party bringing up Beck. But what could he do? After all, their goal was Beck. Even as a duke, in their eyes, he was nothing more than a shield. What they wanted was what was behind the shield. And it seemed that shield wasn’t hard enough either.

With that thought, Duke Taro sneered inwardly. Then let Beck deal with them himself. That kid was a much more troublesome monster than me. I really want to see how these nobles suffer.

Thinking of this, the Grand Duke of Tarot waved his hand decisively. “Hmm. Lord Beck is indeed a fine warrior. Do you know? Even before becoming my subordinate, he was already an excellent merchant. Well, a gray-type merchant. His subordinates are all seasoned fighters. I have reason to believe that in a fight of equal numbers, he would outperform anyone else.”
“Oh?” The bald giant Siget leaned forward slightly, showing interest. “Since the King-Killer speaks so highly of him, I really want to meet this Lord Beck. A gray merchant, huh? That means he’d be doing business with me, right? No wonder his men have combat experience. But as the finest among the elite? Well…” The bald giant smiled without continuing, but everyone understood what he meant.
When it came to privateer fleets, Siget was number one, and no one in the entire Moor Empire could rival him. Since Lord Beck also came from the world of privateers, he had sufficient authority to comment. It was only natural to think that a minor gray merchant couldn’t compare to a great privateer like him. It was understandable that Siget doubted Beck’s combat skills.
Thus, none of the three present objected to his words. Instead, they took it for granted that it was only natural for Siget to say such things.
But they forgot—not everything could be taken for granted.
“Are you saying he’s not strong enough?”
A soft, yet exceptionally gentle voice suddenly rang out, causing everyone to freeze. Following the sound, they saw a thin figure resembling a bamboo pole slowly approaching. Her clothes were as white as snow, reflecting glimmers of light under the golden lighting of the room. There were so many eyes… That moment left the three present momentarily stunned, even causing them to overlook the plain-looking man beside her.
It was the eldest duke who reacted fastest, standing up first and stepping forward. “Veli, you’re back. Hmm, this must be Lord Beck, right?” As he spoke, the Grand Duke of Tarot glanced at the man beside his woman, a kind smile appearing on his wrinkled face.
“Respected Grand Duke of Tarot, Beck greets you,” said the plain-looking man who followed Veli, bowing slightly and placing his left hand over his right chest in a standard military salute.

“Good, very good!” Grand Duke Taro was greatly relieved, his eyes narrowing in a smile. “Truly, you are indeed a warrior who can move freely through cosmic storms. Well, Beck, though this is our first meeting, you’ve made me very happy. In you, I seem to see again the passionate men from the founding days of our Moor Empire.”
“It’s an honor to serve the empire for life.” The dark-haired man remained expressionless, seemingly unaware of the Grand Duke’s feelings. His calm demeanor surprised the others in the room.
It was composure—absolute composure in any situation. A trait only found in true elite warriors. And this Beck seemed to possess it as well. So, wasn’t what Grand Duke Taro had said earlier an exaggeration? The three guests in the hall all showed slight reactions—a cold glint in the golden-haired man’s eyes, the little girl suddenly smiling sweetly, and the bald man grinning broadly.
But in an instant, their odd expressions vanished as Grand Duke Taro turned around.
“Come, Beck, let me introduce you. These are the talented young people of our empire. You must get to know them well. Though they’re young, each of them is a top figure in their field.”
“I dare not trouble Your Grace,” the guests quickly refused at Grand Duke Taro’s polite request. They stepped forward to the dark-haired man and introduced themselves one by one. Finally, they all studied him carefully with a peculiar look in their eyes. The dark-haired man noticed it was the gaze of hunters—under such eyes, he felt like mere meat, something everyone wanted to possess.
Frowning subtly, he still greeted each of them according to noble etiquette before sitting down at Grand Duke Taro’s enthusiastic invitation. He glanced briefly at their faces, already making calculations in his mind.
It seems these three are the problems Veri mentioned. Grand Duke Taro is pushing me at them so quickly; clearly, he can’t handle the forces behind them and hopes I’ll step in to help.
But what benefits would I gain if I really helped Grand Duke Taro?
Discreetly, the dark-haired man began to secretly assess the value of both sides. Just then, the bald man suddenly stood up and walked over to him.
“I’ve long heard that Lord Beck is an experienced warrior. Siget admires true heroes, so I take the liberty to ask—Lord Beck, would you be willing to spar with me?”

Hei Fa was startled and suddenly looked up, only to meet the gaze of the bald man. Instantly, he saw a pair of sharp, bright eyes—and a fierce fighting spirit…