Chapter 41: Imperial Generals – Section 7

Five days.
Not long, but not short either.
With the combined efforts of Hei Fa and Monkey, they managed to uncover over twenty traitors. However, out of caution toward Duke Zi Yan, these traitors died in various ways—some choked on water, some choked while eating, some drowned while bathing. There was even one who died from falling while walking! Undoubtedly, no one investigating these deaths would suspect Hei Fa and Monkey behind them.
This was skill at work. After all, Hei Fa didn’t want to be seen as a rival by Duke Zi Yan too early. Thus, hiding his actions became crucial. For this purpose, even despicable methods like assassination had to be employed.
Three days later, when Duke Zi Yan looked at the list of those who died on duty, he was both amused and exasperated.
“These guys… Don’t tell me these are the reasons they died. If so, I should question your abilities. If you can train such subordinates, can you really be my Shadow Leader?”
At that moment, no one else was visible in Duke Zi Yan’s room; it seemed he was talking to himself. Yet as soon as he spoke, a shadow appeared on the floor in front of him. Soon, the shadow resolved into a thin man who knelt before Duke Zi Yan.
“Your subordinate is incompetent, My Lord. But I’ve investigated, and their deaths indeed match those listed. Even the one who died from falling was walking too fast. He hit his head on a protrusion in the corner when he fell, causing his death. There was no one else in that corridor at the time, and by the time he was found and taken for help, it was already too late.”
“A corridor with no one, yet someone falls and hits a corner. An experienced and agile shadow dying from such a ridiculous reason—don’t you think that’s absurd? And coincidentally, other shadows assigned to the same task also suffered accidents one after another. How do you explain that?” Duke Zi Yan didn’t lift his head. Yet his voice no longer carried the sickness he had shown when meeting Hei Fa earlier, nor was there any sign of shortness of breath or coughing. Unseen, a heavy pressure descended upon the man across from him, leaving him sweating profusely without realizing it.

But faced with the Duke of Ziyuan’s questions, this man really couldn’t find any reason to refuse. After all, he was the leader of the Shadows and also the person in charge of intelligence under the Duke of Ziyuan. With all these accidents, even he found it absurd—how could he expect his boss to let him off easy?
So before coming here, this leader had already prepared for the worst. Faced with the Duke of Ziyuan’s rebukes, he remained silent, waiting for the final judgment.
To his surprise, however, the Duke of Ziyuan was actually talking to himself this time, not expecting him to answer at all. In the dim room, the old man fell silent for a moment before shaking his hand.
“Never mind… For matters like this, the answer is already quite obvious. That guy Taro must have sensed something and acted suddenly. But as for how much he knows, there’s no time left to investigate now. In two days, His Majesty the Emperor will award the winner of this competition. Have you arranged everything regarding the security of the ceremony?”
“Yes, Your Grace. The ceremony will take place at the Flying Saucer Star Station. Security is under the direct responsibility of Duke Deathdust. However, I’ve already inserted enough people into his arrangements to ensure His Majesty’s ‘safety’.”
“Hmm, that’s good. I hope you won’t disappoint me this time. If chaos occurs, you should know what to do.”
“Yes, Your Grace. I understand.”
“Alright. Then put aside matters related to Taro for now. There’s not much time left. It’s too late to assign new people. Just keep an eye on him from a distance these days. If that old fellow behaves normally, let him be. Anyway, he doesn’t have much time left to waste.”
“I understand. Permit me to retire.” The leader of the Shadows bowed, and seeing the Duke of Ziyuan wave his hand, he prepared to leave. But before he could step away, the Duke of Ziyuan’s voice rang out again.
“Wait… By the way, were those places where the Shadows died the warships of that Baker?”
“Not just there, Your Grace. It was all the fleets under Duke Taro’s command.” The leader of the Shadows stopped in his tracks and slowly corrected the Duke of Ziyuan’s assumption. Yet his correction clearly didn’t take root in the Duke of Ziyuan’s mind. The powerful old man continued talking to himself.

“Well, it’s that Baker again. It seems he truly is an extraordinary kid. I’ve been wondering why everything seems to happen around him. Go and tell Sigart to meet that kid. Say I’ve invited him for dinner tonight.”
“Yes, Your Grand Duke.” The Shadow Leader quickly saluted and left the room.
Eager to complete the Grand Duke’s task, he had no idea that behind him, the Purple Rock Grand Duke was staring at his back with a strange expression, muttering to himself, “Baker… Baker… Was my choice right or wrong? You really continue to surprise me…”
Meanwhile, in another corner of the Barbaric Star Region, Black Hair had just come out of the Tarot Grand Duke’s room.
His participation in the competition had greatly enhanced the Tarot Grand Duke’s reputation. In just a few days, dozens of visitors came to see the Tarot Grand Duke, praising him for discovering such an outstanding talent for the empire and hoping to forge deeper friendships with him. This kept the Tarot Grand Duke smiling nonstop. Seeing Black Hair was like seeing a precious treasure.
No one was stupid. With so many visitors, the Tarot Grand Duke understood their intentions. In short, they were opportunists from the empire, people who shifted sides among the nobles. In the past, when the Tarot Grand Duke was down and out, these people would never have approached him. But now, with Baker’s emergence, everything had changed.
Because just the day before, the competition had announced the list of winners—not the meaningless numbers of before, but their real names. It was only then that most people realized that the mysterious and powerful contestant number 336 was none other than the Tarot Grand Duke’s new protégé, the so-called lucky star, Baker!
This caused a huge stir. That very day, hundreds of people sent messages to congratulate the Tarot Grand Duke. Including them, the number of subsequent visitors was already hard to count. The Tarot Grand Duke’s status soared instantly. Everyone knew that with such an excellent subordinate, he could no longer be the same as before. Once the emperor finished presenting awards, he would soon gain real power in the empire! At the very least, he would receive gifts from several star regions. Who knows, he might even get command of an imperial fleet.

The Imperial Fleet—just mentioning it makes one’s mouth water. Given the strength of the Moor Empire, there’s a huge difference between its national fleet and ordinary fleets. A fleet under a grand duke already counts as massive if it has over a hundred ships. But when it bears the official name of the empire, it has at least a thousand ships! And they’re all the latest models with greatly enhanced combat capabilities! Such armament is enough to turn an idiot into a regional ruler. No wonder Grand Duke Taro has become so sought after by those who engage in speculation—there are so many visitors every day that the threshold is almost crushed underfoot. Yet, as the saying goes, one should not forget those who helped them. Grand Duke Taro, having gained fame and status, certainly won’t forget who brought it to him. Thus, Beck has now risen to a crucial position in his heart. If he might have abandoned this subordinate for certain interests in the past, now, even if all the empire’s wealth were placed before him, he would never be tempted. Moreover, he constantly thinks about how to win this subordinate over even more. It is for this reason that Black Hair encountered what happened just now. He was summoned by Grand Duke Taro, first receiving a barrage of dazzling compliments. Then, a lavishly decorated stone slab was pushed in front of him. According to Grand Duke Taro, this was a special spending account prepared for Black Hair at the Imperial Bank. There was no limit—whenever Black Hair wished, he could withdraw enormous amounts of Moors for spending. Facing Grand Duke Taro’s enthusiastic gaze, Black Hair accepted it without hesitation. All of this was his due. He also understood Grand Duke Taro’s intentions. As he became more famous, more attempts to win him over would likely follow. Grand Duke Taro was giving him a sweet reward first to prevent other forces from seizing the opportunity. Moreover, with an unlimited spending card, others’ attempts to win him over with money were cut off. What seemed like an unremarkable reward from Grand Duke Taro actually had extraordinary effects. However, he didn’t know Black Hair’s true identity. Such attempts to win him over would then be in vain. Moreover, in Black Hair’s view, money had become increasingly meaningless. Holding the spending card in his hand, it felt as light as if it weighed nothing. But what really shocked him was what Grand Duke Taro said next. This white-haired old man, in casual conversation, subtly hinted at the idea of finding a partner for Miss Veli. It seemed he was also indirectly commenting on Black Hair’s status. Was he favored by Miss Veli?

Like a thunderclap, the dark-haired man was instantly drenched in cold sweat. The shock lingered even after he left the Grand Duke of Tarot’s room, leaving him restless as he walked and causing him to collide heavily with a man coming toward him.
“Bang!” A muscular body and the dark-haired man’s palm made firm contact. In an instant, his keen fighting instincts snapped him back to reality, but before he could retaliate, a familiar voice reached his ears.
“Beck, it’s Siget. Listen to me—don’t make a fuss. Find some time tonight; your father wants to see you.”
Father? The Grand Duke of Ziyan!!
His pupils contracted sharply, and his expression changed instantly.
What was inevitable had finally arrived…