Chapter 41: Imperial Stars – Section 10

Perhaps Black Hair’s ideas were a bit too idealistic, so when he saw the Emperor arrive three hours later, he was inevitably shocked.
According to the ceremony’s procedures, the awarding site was located at the center of that massive saucer-shaped space station. The originally fully enclosed elliptical station had its upper dome removed, revealing its interior completely—just like the large football stadiums on Earth in the past. In the center of the station lay a vast square covering half the size of a planet. Countless construction ships were busy assembling parts of various sizes. In just a short while, an awarding platform shaped like a pyramid appeared in the square.
It was a magnificent structure. From this platform, the Moor Empire’s terrifyingly powerful strength was displayed like never before. That giant pyramid—who knows how much stone essence was used to build it—was as large as a city. Climbing it would likely require more than human strength alone.
In fact, this platform wasn’t designed to accommodate individual spectators at all. From the very beginning, the basic unit of audience here wasn’t individuals but ships. In other words, even the smallest “seat” could accommodate a medium-sized ship.
Under such circumstances, it made sense that the platform was built on a colossal scale. It was said that the Emperor’s carriage would descend directly to the top of this platform, at the highest point of the entire station, to bestow the rightful honors upon the victors. And Black Hair, also known as Beck, being the most distinguished among all victors, would even be received personally by the Emperor.
Undoubtedly, this was an honor of the highest order. So when Black Hair arrived at the venue, he was greeted by chaos and frenzy. Tens of thousands of ships surrounded the saucer-shaped station, like stars surrounding the moon. In the center, around that giant pyramid, distinguished guests were taking their seats one after another, with dozens of ships already entering the spectator area.
This was a grand event. Even from Black Hair’s perspective, it was undeniable that the Moor Empire spared no effort in creating a heroic atmosphere. A celebration and award ceremony on such a scale was definitely every competitor’s dream. Through these events, the empire could easily mobilize the enthusiasm of its entire population. No wonder elite talents kept emerging.

By the time Black Hair arrived, the grand event had not yet begun. He first greeted the Grand Duke of Tarot before being taken away by staff. As a contestant close to His Imperial Majesty, it was necessary for him to undergo a series of security checks first. Only after ensuring he posed no threat would he be allowed into a separate isolation chamber, until the moment of awarding the prizes arrived. This was a necessary security measure, and Black Hair understood it well. After all, the Moor Empire was so powerful, and its emperor was extremely revered. Even the slightest harm could be fatal, so strict security measures were entirely normal. Yet at the same time, Black Hair wondered what kind of opportunities the Grand Duke of Ziyuan could possibly have with such stringent security.

The security procedures were complex. As he pondered in his mind, Black Hair did not stop moving. After passing through five different security gates, he entered a very peculiar circular room. There, he underwent hundreds of various scans. Only after ensuring there were no explosives in his body was he allowed to enter the next room. There, two Moorian officers were waiting. On their table lay the personal items Black Hair had been carrying, among which the statue was the most eye-catching.

Upon seeing Black Hair enter, both officers looked up simultaneously, their faces showing a smirk.

“Are you Beck? The lucky Beck?” asked the officer on the left suddenly.

“Yes,” Black Hair nodded. Taking this opportunity, he subtly scanned the room. Everything inside was immediately in his sight. Fortunately, he saw nothing unusual. It was a very clean room—aside from the two officers and himself, there was only a table. But what was behind the walls was beyond Black Hair’s guess.

“As expected, it’s you. Hehe. Your reputation is quite famous. We’ve heard about you every day until our ears are numb. Do you know that you were specifically summoned by His Imperial Majesty this time?” said the officer on the right with a smile after hearing Black Hair’s reply. Unlike the officer on the left, his expression was clearly less serious. From this, Black Hair even suspected he might be a ‘spy’ planted by the Grand Duke of Ziyuan.

However, Black Hair did not continue to speculate, because the next moment, the officer on the left picked up the statue and waved it in front of his eyes.

“How do you explain this?”
“There is no explanation,” Black Hair replied calmly. Hearing this, the officer on the left immediately became displeased.

“No explanation? That can’t be right. On such an important occasion as being summoned by His Majesty, you carry such an unimportant thing with you. Don’t you find that strange? If you can’t give a reasonable explanation, can I assume you have some ulterior motives? And this statue is your tool?”
“If you insist on thinking that way, it’s your choice,” Black Hair shrugged, unfazed by the officer’s threatening tone. In fact, he would even prefer the officer to kick him off the award list or take that damned statue away. But he knew that if things were that simple, Duke Ziyan wouldn’t be so well-known. This old man had put in a lot of effort to gain favor with the Emperor.
Sure enough, seeing his defiance, the officer on the left immediately grew anxious. But before he could lose his temper, the officer on the right suddenly pulled him aside. Then his expression changed strangely. He stared at Black Hair for a long time before sighing deeply.
“Alright, I understand. It’s your own statue. If it’s a mascot, I can’t just interfere casually. But I hope you can be more respectful. After all, you’re an imperial officer. You must maintain basic courtesy in front of His Majesty.”
“I understand,” Black Hair nodded in agreement, though inwardly he sneered in disdain. As expected, his family had done a great job ensuring his success, even at this stage. But he could also predict that if anything happened to the Emperor, the backing of these two officers would surely shift to Duke Tarot.
Shifting blame was an old trick.
But none of this really concerned Black Hair. What he needed to focus on now was how to save Emperor Moore’s life. From the current situation, there really weren’t many opportunities for Duke Ziyan to interfere. The Emperor had his own warship and wouldn’t leave it. So, for an assassination to succeed, the most likely candidates were the contestants themselves. If Black Hair’s guess was right, among the winners like him, there would be at least two assassins, maybe even more!
Three was already a significant number. Black Hair had great confidence in these assassins—they were undoubtedly top experts among experts. During the award ceremony, the Emperor would be right nearby, so the chances of a successful attack under sudden circumstances were astonishingly high. At least Black Hair was sure that if he tried, Emperor Moore would never see the next day.

The security checks were carried out quickly. In just an hour, Black Hair had arrived in the room prepared especially for him. He would spend the rest of his time here until the Emperor himself summoned him to leave. Shortly after, his attendant, Monkey, would go through the same process and enter as well.

Every contestant was a hero, so it was stipulated that they could bring their own attendants. Thus, Black Hair wasn’t worried about Monkey’s safety—Duke Ziyan wouldn’t make things difficult for him on that account.

The room was quiet as time passed. Five minutes later, footsteps were heard outside the door, and Monkey appeared before Black Hair. Without making a fuss, the two simply exchanged a quiet glance before falling silent. Monkey stepped closer to Black Hair and pointed at his wrist guard, nodding.

Black Hair understood what he meant. Although Monkey’s wrist guard seemed unremarkable, it was the pinnacle of Death Star’s technology. Inside was a virtual space that housed him and his two mechs. In a crisis, it would be their last resort. Now that Monkey had nodded, it was clear he had passed the security checks and his wrist guard’s secrets hadn’t been discovered.

With this assurance, Black Hair grew even more confident. After some time, the door suddenly opened again. A Moorish officer stood there, nodding at the two of them.

“It’s time. Your Majesty wants to see you both.”

“Understood,” Black Hair nodded and followed the Moorish officer outside. A magnificent shuttle was already waiting there. As soon as Black Hair stepped on board, it lifted off, floating silently like a small boat toward the center of the venue. Through the window, Black Hair glanced outside briefly and saw that atop the already enormous pyramid, there was now something even bigger.

It was a fiery red ship!!

The ship was so huge—it was almost as large as a planet. Even the empire’s largest warships paled in comparison. Its entire body resembled blazing fire, with an olive-shaped design, hovering quietly atop the pyramid. It looked like a massive ancient monster, waiting for the two of them to arrive. The shuttle beneath them sped up, and in the blink of an eye, they were below the ship. Just as Black Hair was about to stand up, deafening cheers erupted outside.

“Now, let’s welcome the greatest winner of this competition, the empire’s new hero, Lord Beck!!”

“Whoa!!” The whole place instantly erupted in excitement…