Casper set the bottle aside. “Since drinks are limited, can you bring me something to eat?”
Ye Muo nodded and dashed out of the building. He was quite happy to have something to do. Helping out made him feel better.
The hall fell silent once more. Elias looked at Casper, who was sitting by the fire, his head slightly bowed. His shadow seemed lonely as it stretched long across the walls.
Elias even wondered if the rare moment of ease they’d just shared had been an illusion.
He was coming to understand why Belinda and Ye Wang often went to space out on the streets. The sight of children running about during hard times eased the mind. Unfortunately, their newly established base was so rudimentary that even scavenging rats hadn’t followed them here.
Elias reorganized the blueprints before him. “The technician report arrived today.”
Casper asked after a beat, “So? What’s the verdict?”
He tilted his head toward the doorway.
Ye Muo entered carrying a large bag of food. He happily trotted over before slowing by the doorway, like a puppy that sensed the serious atmosphere inside. He hesitated before stepping inside.
Elias continued despite Ye Muo’s arrival, “Things aren’t looking good. When the starship was captured, most of the critical components had blown out. We might manage to build another Icarus. The salvage and parts you guys brought back might broaden our options.”
Casper hummed in acknowledgment, “Just have them familiarize themselves with the structure. Even if a few geniuses manage to break through the technical blockade, we likely won’t have the right materials here.”
That was before mentioning how the insects had nearly sucked this planet dry of resources. Before it was selected as the next Rift site, nearly all mineral deposits and anything remotely related to starship construction had been bought up at high prices.
Ye Muo silently placed the bag before Casper.
Theodore, who had followed him in, sat down quietly. He caught an unfamiliar term in Elias’s words. “What is an ‘Icarus’?”
History books made no mention of it, nor had Theodore encountered any reference to it in the galactic network.
Elias answered him, “It was a starship that failed to launch.”
If that cobbled-together contraption could even be called a starship, Elias thought as he continued reviewing the documents.
In the Old Lands, the skies were forbidden territory. Still, some continued to yearn for the stars, including the mechanically gifted Cecille. She was captivated by the skies and built the Icarus, which successfully took flight but malfunctioned midair. When it crashed to the ground, only scattered fragments and a black box containing flight data remained.
The name Icarus persisted even in the Old Lands, where news traveled slowly.
Yet in hindsight, Elias knew that the Icarus would’ve been shot down even if it hadn’t crashed.
Perhaps Cecille knew this too. A genius who could cobble together a functional starship from scrap on a resource-starved planet wouldn’t have been ignorant of such dangers. More likely, it was precisely this understanding that drove her to pilot the Icarus toward certain death in a fit of madness.
How could anyone grasp such truths without despairing?
The barriers for anyone here to leave were nigh-insurmountable, yet the galactic pirates were able to enter and leave freely, plundering food, weapons and even people. They were the stopgap against the swarm, a resource free for anyone to take.
Elias filed away the documents. But they were luckier than Cecille, they held an unbeatable trump card.
He glanced at Ye Muo and Casper. Ye Muo was pulling food from the bag. “These buns are delicious. I waited in the kitchen for a fresh batch.”
Casper took one. “How do you know they’re good?”
“I ate one over while I was there,” Ye Muo replied earnestly, “it really warms you up from the inside out.”
No sooner had those words fell than a hand swept over his shoulder and snatched a bun from the bag.
Ye Muo jolted, instinctively ducking down as he whirled around. His fingers twitched towards the dagger at his waist.
It was a young man. He had the classic Grantz features yet felt more mature and aloof than Casper. He stared at Ye Muo as if eyeing a sword.
Seeming to sense Ye Muo’s gaze, he looked back, his expression cold and indifferent as if ready to draw his blade at any moment.
Ye Muo instinctively shifted closer to Casper. Fortunately, the newcomer didn’t linger on him too long.
“You scared him, Big Brother. This is my older brother, Rika. This is Xavier, the little Grantz Ethan brought back.”
Rika nodded and sat down opposite Elias.
Casper pulled Ye Muo closer. His hands weren’t that clean, so he soothed the boy by rubbing his chin on his hair. “Did the advanced treatment pod help?”
Rika didn’t even spare him a glance. “Don’t know.”
Ethan added as he came downstairs, “It’s hard to tell yet, but Ambrose seemed to be in a slightly better condition than before.”
He paused by the table, seeming somewhat relieved by the Grantz’s return. “Though it’s peculiar. He should have reached that final threshold before you returned. Every moment he remains conscious now is precious.”
The words weighed heavily on the room. Only Theodore lifted his head, glancing at Ye Muo before burrowing into his arms a few seconds later. His silently tail wrapped around Ye Muo’s wrist.
Ethan turned his gaze to Ye Muo. “Ambrose wants to see you.”
This time, even Rika looked over.
Ye Muo hesitated briefly before rising and following Ethan upstairs.
The second floor had been fully restored. Two figures stood in the hallway, radiating a steadiness honed by time.
Ethan spoke first, “Salem, Fiona.”
Salem glanced over. “At least call us big brother and sister, Ethan.”
Ethan shot him a look. “I don’t even call Ambrose that.”
He continued, “This is Xavier.”
Fiona nodded and opened the door.
Ambrose was inside. The bed had been removed and replaced by a treatment pod that he lay in, Ye Muo began walking towards it, only to be stopped by Fiona gently pressing his shoulder before he could get too close. “This is close enough,” she said softly.
Ambrose smiled faintly. He linked his psychic power to the treatment pod. An electronic voice rang out: [You can stay there, Xavier.]
Ye Muo felt a pang of sadness. He stared at Ambrose inside the pod for a moment before shifting his gaze to the floor.
Ambrose looked at him with a hint of resignation. [Don’t be sad, Xavier. Nor afraid. Everyone dies one day. I’ve simply reached the end earlier.]
Ye Muo kept his head bowed.
Ambrose: [The other Grantz and my companions will open the path to the skies. They promised me they’ll care for you until you find your family. You needn’t worry, Xavier. You’ll always have a place to belong. But I have one condition: you must not involve yourself in anything here, as it has nothing to do with you. That is my only request of you. Do you understand?]
He fixed his gaze on Ye Muo, his tone bordering on insistence. [I know you’re powerful. You’re a Grantz, no one knows that better than I. But you’re not needed here.]
Only when Ye Muo finally lifted his head did Ambrose’s demeanour ease up. [Alright, continue doing what you were. Don’t worry, eat well and stay close to Elias.]
Ethan led him away once more.
Fiona watched Ye Muo’s figure disappear before turning to Ambrose. “That child doesn’t seem much like a Grantz.”
[You’re mistaken, Fiona. That boy is a Grantz through and through. His psychic power is the strongest I’ve ever witnessed. I wouldn’t be surprised if he lost control today or tomorrow.]
Fiona exchanged a glance with Salem before looking back at Ambrose. Both grew solemn.
Ambrose sighed. [Try to keep him from using his psychic power. He shouldn’t have to bear such a heavy burden.]
……
Ye Muo remained silent after coming downstairs.
Noticing his low spirits, Casper wrapped an arm around him and let Ye Muo lean against him.
Ye Muo stayed in the main hall, drifting off to sleep against Casper. When he awoke, it was already the next day.
He was startled awake by noise upstairs. Looking up, he caught sight of Ethan and Casper rushing up the stairs.
Then Ye Muo felt his head being gently lifted. Rika rose beside him and followed after them.
Before he could process why Rika was there, Ye Wang pulled him outside, with Brian close behind.
Ye Muo glanced back. This was the base’s central area, yet it remained separated from other buildings by a considerable margin.
Ye Wang and Brian kept pulling him along for a while. Several people were gathered here. Alanson and Arval were beside Elias, who was holding a stack of documents with a frown. “Something must have happened.”
The phrasing was quite generous, but given the current situation, everyone present had some inkling of what might be unfolding.
Ambrose, who had guided them as stalwartly as the sun, was about to set.
Theodore quietly settled by Ye Muo’s feet. He glanced at him and stood up as if to hop on his shoulder, only to sit down quietly again.
Ye Muo stared intently at the second floor.
A section of wall blasted open from within. Casper was subsequently ejected from the building, smashing open an even larger hole.
He scrambled to his feet after landing, followed closely by Ambrose. As Ambrose fell through the air, Ethan plunged after him like a cannonball, slamming into the descending Ambrose with a thunderous crash upon impact.
Salem and Fiona leapt down after them.
Brian watched uneasily, itching to charge over himself, only for Ye Wang to firmly seize his wrist. Brian’s voice cracked with frustration, “Let go! Ambrose is– He’s–”
Ye Wang tightened his grip in response. “Salem and the others will handle it. That’s not a fight we can intervene in.”
Brian clenched his fists, veins bulging on his knuckles. He glared at Ye Wang, practically hissing words from between clenched teeth. “How will they handle it?”
No one answered.
