That night, when the other Grantz returned, Ye Muo was still in the garden. He had a shovel in one hand and a bucket of water in the other as he watered the shrubs he had previously dug up from Ye He’s place.
Ano spotted Ye Muo from a distance and made a beeline in his direction. “Xavier!”
Ye Muo stopped and looked over. “Ano! How was today?”
Ano soon trotted over and cleared the railing. He was eagerly tattling before he even regained his footing, “Xavier, take a look at your little ducks.”
He took the bucket and other tools from Ye Muo as he spoke.
Ye Muo instinctively glanced at the ducklings scampering around beneath the bushes before turning back. “They seem fine? What’s wrong?”
Bert happened to be heading towards them with Pangzhua from the other side. Ano pointed accusingly at him. “Bert stole one.”
Ye Muo stilled. He instinctively turned to Bert.
Bert’s expression remained unchanged. “I just picked it up off the ground, that’s all. Besides, I returned it just now, didn’t I?”
Ano immediately drew his sword with the hand that wasn’t holding a bucket. Ye Muo skillfully held him back, positioning himself in between them. “Ano, I heard Adlet promised to make that really technical but delicious dish today.”
The others also trailed over one after the other. Helene snorted at the obvious placating remark but didn’t say anything.
Aria smoothed things over like she always did. “Alright, alright. That’s enough. Adlet just called us over for dinner.”
Bert: “Then we shouldn’t keep him waiting.”’
Ye Muo deliberately slowed his pace to fall to the rear of the group.
“I’m not giving you cake anymore.” He quietly stated.
Bert also lowered his voice, which was more a symbolic gesture than anything given the keen senses of the Grantz. Even Aria at the forefront of the group could hear every word clearly.
Ano’s already whirled around several times, probably wanting to remind Ye Muo not to fall for it.
Bert quickly responded, “Half this time, no need for next time. I’ll take you out for ice cream tomorrow.”
Ye Muo considered it for a moment before posing a counteroffer, “A quarter this time.”
Bert sealed the deal with a handshake before raising his voice a bit, “So we’re good to go out together tomorrow, Xavier?”
“Sure.”
Ye Muo asked the others too, “Do you guys want to come along as well?”
Helene turned and hollered, “No, only Bert participated today. Ugh, so unlucky.”
“Yep, yep. It’ll just be the two of us. We’ll go to the beach, the auction house, and all sorts of fancy restaurants and hotels too. Some people won’t be able to join us. Be sure to check your inboxes. I’ll be taking plenty of pictures.”
Dylan scoffed while Adrian rolled his eyes and paid Bert no attention.
Aria comforted Helene, whose boots stomped heavily on the ground.
Ano pulled Ye Muo to the front and reminded him, “Remember to tell Mom if he bullies you, Xavier. She’ll definitely teach Bert a good lesson.”
Bert sobered up a little. “What are you talking about? I didn’t do anything.”
Ye Muo grabbed Ano and separated him from Bert. He quietly told him, “I’ll bring you back something to eat.”
……
Ye Muo had a very good time over the next few days. He was either going to the amusement park with Ye He or touring the Central Planet with Bert. Sometimes both.
It was okay when he was with Ye He, who would deliberately make an effort to blend in with the crowd. When he was with Bert, however, it was difficult to keep a low profile.
The news on the galactic network even drifted across vast distances and reached Grantz.
Hebert pulled up a holographic screen full of news headlines for Sylvia as she finished her work for the day.
[Xavier and Bert of Grantz make an appearance at the Central Planet’s auction house.]
[Who pays the bills: Bert or Xavier? Exploring the intricate intrigue of the Grantz royal family.]
“What’s that guy up to now…”
Sylvia muttered to herself as she scrolled down.
[Xavier Grantz buys out luxury hotels day after day. Excessive supply of top-shelf liquor requested? Has this genius Grantz contestant fallen off the straight and narrow?]
“Xavier’s just relaxing a bit. They’re making a big deal out of nothing. It’s all because of Bert.”
She said, messaging Bert and asking him not to take Xavier to questionable places or let him drink.
She then turned to Hebert. “If I recall correctly, the top prize of the resource tournament leader is a planet, right?”
“Yes, that’s the reward given to the contestant who places first in the individual bracket. The prize for the overall ranking is given to the country, but there isn’t a planet included.”
Sylvia nodded. “Understood.”
A single planet was too little for a country, but giving any more would be inappropriate.
In the Alliance, the most precious thing was not resources, but unoccupied regions of the galaxy. The decision to distribute an entire planet to an individual was already controversial enough.
“Get ready to accept one. It’s about time for us to have a foothold over there.”
……
Ano was also watching the news. After reading the headlines, he turned accusingly to Bert. “You took Xavier to drink?? How could he, Big Brother!”
Ye Muo also became nervous. “I didn’t drink anything.”
Norton nodded, he was already aware. Xavier and Ye He had been taking a stroll. Someone just happened to notice when Bert called Ye Muo over to pay his tab. “He didn’t drink, he was just there to pay.”
Bert smirked. “See? Xavier was just paying the tab. Those people just have too much time on their hands.”
Helene slapped the table. “That just makes it worse!”
Ano immediately chimed in, “That’s right!”
“And I didn’t even get to go anywhere! Xavier’s been so tired these days that he doesn’t have the energy to go out with us!”
“Exactly!”
Bert shrugged. “Some people are just unlucky. There’s nothing I can do about that.”
At this moment, Adlet came in from outside and interrupted the conversation, “My apologies, but we should be making our way to the waiting area. I’m glad to see everyone is here on time.”
Ye Muo was still counting down the dates. “Even Helene got to participate yesterday, so we don’t have to go today, right?”
“My apologies, Your Little Highness. The finals are today, so you also have to be present.”
Ye Muo immediately became nervous again. “The final must be difficult, right?”
Ye Muo had a habit of working himself up several days before important events, sometimes to the point of losing his appetite or overeating.
Ano stopped targeting Bert and turned to Ye Muo. “Want some hot water? How about an antacid tablet? I can also massage your stomach for you if you want.”
He remembered Norton doing that for Ye Muo once. It’s stuck with him ever since.
Ye Muo shook his head mournfully again. “Why did it come so quickly? I feel like my last match just finished. I’ve just been having fun these days.”
Bert: “Exactly. You’ve been having so much fun that you didn’t have time to be nervous anymore. See how that works out? Now, you just need to be nervous until your turn is up.”
Adlet patted Ye Muo on the shoulder. “Commander Ye He will be joining us later.”
He then reminded the others, “Your Highnesses, please remember that our ranking is based on the total points of all participants. Should you encounter one another, please either concede or show some discretion.”
The Grantz responded one after another.
Aria looked around the room. “I’ll concede if any of us meet.”
Bert put his hand behind his head. “Won’t the news outlets say that Aria is the weakest and most cowardly Grantz then?”
Aria thought about it for a moment. “I take it back, I won’t be conceding.”
Adrian: “Neither will I.”
The atmosphere instantly became tense.
Adlet sighed, “Your Highness Bert…”
Princess Aria and Prince Jacob were relatively mild-tempered, but they were still Grantz and accustomed to fierce competition.
Bert clapped his hands. “Look, now you’ve made Adlet worry. No one will let Grantz lose points overy petty rivalries, right?”
“Of course not. Who would do such a thing?”
Ano took the opportunity to spread rumors, “Bert, probably.”
Bert responded enthusiastically, “Alright, alright. Then it’s settled. Let’s hear from everyone else.”
Helene and Dylan spoke in unison, “Agreed!”
Ano: “Same here.”
Jacob also slowly raised his hand. “I won’t concede either.”
“I’ll concede.”
Everyone turned to Ye Muo.
Ye Muo’s hand shrank down a little. He quietly admitted, “I kind of want to concede.”
Helene coughed, “And there’s nothing wrong with that. Right, guys? It’s too tedious to strategize every move.”
Adlet interrupted them again, “Alright, Your Highnesses. It’s time to set off.”
……
Waiting area.
Ye He was already there when they arrived.
Ye He rose to greet them before sitting with Ye Muo.
As soon as Ye Muo sat down, he quietly said, “It’s going to be difficult this time. Everyone is very skilled at this level… Should I fight continuously this time?”
“Personally, I think you’ll be alright. You can handle it with your stamina.”
Ye Muo was more suited to ending fights ASAP and not drawing things out. Ye He knew that Ye Muo was prone to getting nervous. Rather than playing the waiting time, he suspected that Ye Muo was better off expending all energy on stage in one go.
“But I’ve just been playing around the past couple of days…”
“A few days won’t change anything. I believe in you.”
Ye Muo relaxed a bit. “Okay. I hope my turn will come sooner rather than later.”
That way, it would be over and done with.
Ye He nodded.
A knock came at the door. A staff member leaned in and stated, “Xavier Grantz, please prepare for the competition.”
“Present!”
Ye Muo stood up and Ye He did as well. Ye Muo murmured, “It seems like I really am going first again. We just got here! I didn’t even have time to be nervous!”
Ye He inspected Ye Muo’s combat suit again before patting him on the back. “That’s perfect. Go get them.”
Ye Muo trotted over to the door as soon as he was free and left with the staff member.
Ye He sat back down in his original spot. Adlet topped up his tea.
“Thank you.”
Ye He picked up the teacup. He frowned slightly as he was about to take a sip, feeling like something was off.
Was it just a coincidence that Ye Muo went first every time?
……
Ye Muo’s entrance this time was more proficient than before. At least he ascended to the platform using the lift this time.
He took a deep breath before looking up at his opponent on the opposite side. He waited for the match to begin.
The host was in a joking mood. [Coincidentally, Contestant Xavier is kicking things off once again! Everyone must be impatiently waiting for his performance, right?]
[This is great. I was just thinking about when Xavier will appear.]
[Isn’t this too much to be a coincidence? If it weren’t for the Alliance’s flawless record for so many years, I would have suspected the matches were rigged.]
[What’s the point of rigging the matches? Besides, coming out later would be more advantageous. It gives you time to analyze the other contestants. I know that almost all nations are adjusting their strategies based on previous data about the opposing teams. My sister happens to be an analyst.]
[I hope another Grantz comes out soon. I really want to see them face off against each other.]
[What’s the point of fighting someone from your own side? Either they concede or they’ll hold back.]
[No, there are exceptions, especially when there is internal strife among the team. Take the duo from last time for example. That match was almost hard to watch.]
The arena was filled with never-ending cheers.
Norton surveyed Ye Muo from high above. His psychic power swept over Theodore.
Theodore paused and looked at Norton, but the man’s psychic power just quietly brushed past without doing anything.
It breathed a sigh of relief when Norton settled down again before continuing to extricate itself from the Alliance HQ servers.
Theodore was used to making decisions on Ye Muo’s behalf by itself from their time relying on each other in the Exile Sectors. Next time, it was best to give Norton a heads up.
