Chapter 13

Asher's pupils unconsciously widened. He seemed to recall something, turned, and walked away.

A moment later, Asher returned with a bottle of his own mental power recovery fluid and set it on the table, paying no further attention to what Wu Ying was doing.

He thought to himself: Wu Ying was rash, hot-tempered, and unreasonable. He wanted to say something to her, but he was afraid he'd lose the argument. Good thing she wasn't in the military.

When people got busy, time flew by. Wu Ying spent every day on her studies and tending the flower room, while also readjusting to the modified training curriculum. Once she got caught up in something, she had no sense of time, and the two of them barely crossed paths under the same roof.

Then one night, the soft click of a door closing echoed through the villa. The whole house slept in silence; only Jiujiu knew that Mr. Asher had gone out again.

Before leaving, Asher realized that Wu Ying could actually be quite quiet. Maybe he'd simply been too busy before, and only remembered the times she'd bombarded him with messages. These past few days of close quarters had shown him that when she wasn't stirring up trouble, she was as unobtrusive as if she didn't exist.

"Commander, the insect race is attacking in full force this time. Two gaps have been breached on the front line."

The adjutant's voice rang out, snapping Asher back to attention. He gave orders in a steady voice. The insect race had been pushed back hard over the past few years, but recently they'd been stirring for reasons unknown.

Wu Ying knew nothing of the unrest along the border. She only cared about how many new blossoms had opened in the flower room. Relying on her rose seeds, she'd applied to the Seed Bank for other flower varieties. The passage of time in the flower room was marked by blooms multiplying from a few flowers and branches into sprawling patches.

Roses had become the overlords of the flower room, claiming the best spots. The monthly roses followed at a steady pace, and the sunflowers were crowding in too, sprouting and spreading with lively vigor. The flower room brimmed with life—spending even a moment lying inside left you refreshed, as though every cell and pore were drawing in strength.

Wu Ying's mental power had also made a qualitative leap. Only her culture medium and nutrient solution were progressing at a snail's pace. She tried to contact her teacher for guidance, but was firmly rejected.

"It is not recommended to modify course progress on your own. Practical content must be delivered in person, under the teacher's supervision and guidance."—From an automated system reply.

By the normal schedule, next semester would bring in-class practicums, transitioning from theory to practice. But wasn't next semester supposed to be military training?

She remembered that the Federation-mandated military training period was terrifyingly long—two whole months. It felt like they were trying to turn people into soldiers.

The Federal Military Academy and Federal University were different, of course. The former specialized in training cadets; for them it wasn't called military training, it was just routine drill—they only added Federal University students during certain designated periods.

The jobs Federal University cultivated didn't require the same level of training as the military academy, but the concept of "a nation in arms" had left a deep mark on history. Even now, Federal University's military training syllabus still bore many traces of that legacy.

Two months long—just thinking about how exhausted she'd been from the one-month training back in her old university days, Wu Ying was filled with dread for her future military training ordeal.

For that reason, she'd specifically asked Teacher Nova to help her build up her physical fitness. The results, unsurprisingly, were less than ideal. Wu Ying lay on the ground, drenched in sweat, mentally waving a white flag while muttering under her breath: "Alright, alright, I'm perfectly fine being dead last."

She didn't need to compete for any ranking points anyway. Her goal was to stick close to Asher, get her certificate later, and open a flower shop.

Wu Ying shamelessly tried to back out, hard.

Nova shook her head with a smile, crouched down beside her, and poked her with a finger. "You're giving up just like that? You might be in for an embarrassing collapse later. Do you know how many people are in your training group?"

She wiped the sweat off her fingertip—even digital virtual sweat was sweat—then spread her five fingers. Wu Ying stared blankly at the hand above her head. "Fifty thousand?"

"No. Five hundred thousand."

The number jolted Wu Ying into sitting bolt upright. She panted heavily, asking, "H-how many? Five hundred thousand?!"

"The military academy accounts for about three hundred thousand of those. The rest are from your school—the Information Technology College, Architecture College, Materials College, and a few other big faculties with sizable enrollments."

So many people training together—Wu Ying could hardly imagine it. And why were two schools training together anyway? Their levels were way too different.

Nova thought for a moment, then solemnly offered a useless pronouncement: "Various considerations."

Looking at Wu Ying, who had once again collapsed into a limp heap of salted fish on the ground, Nova's emerald eyes rippled with laughter. Strange—she was just a kid, yet she felt oddly close, perhaps exactly what Wu Ying meant by "mentor and friend."

"Are you really not going to try? Don't you want a good ranking?"

Wu Ying turned her head away. "Too tired. Don't want to."

Nova had no choice. She fully understood just how lazy Wu Ying was—she did things only by mood and interest. If one were to say she lacked perseverance, well, she'd still chewed through several thick, abstruse volumes and remembered them clearly, and she gritted her teeth through the grueling mental power training. But when it came to physical training, she simply gave up. Nova could tell that Wu Ying just didn't think physical fitness mattered to her.

If she could stay in the peaceful zone forever, then yes, it truly wouldn't make a difference.

Nova could only leave those problems to the training instructors. Hopefully they wouldn't be too harsh.

"Teacher Nova, can you come watch me then? Are teachers allowed to come?"

Wu Ying grabbed her hand, gazing up with pleading, wide amber eyes that blinked wetly. Nova felt her scalp tighten and couldn't meet her gaze.

"Maybe. Not sure."

In truth, as a freshman mental power training instructor and a military veteran, Nova was definitely going to be leading the students through training.

But at that moment, Nova really didn't dare admit it. She knew that if she did, Wu Ying would definitely throw a tantrum and wheedle for things Nova would find hard to refuse yet awkward to promise.

"Then if you do come, teacher, can you bring me some snacks? The senior students said military training confiscates snacks and won't let you keep them, but I'll be miserable for two months. Please, Nova~"

Wu Ying leaned against Nova's arm, shaking and nuzzling, smearing sweat all over her. Nova pressed a hand to her forehead, feeling goosebumps rise all over.

"Get up first."

"No. Would your snacks get confiscated too, teacher? I'd hate for you to get scolded too. But if there's any hope, could you bring me a little? We've never met in person before—let's make it our meeting gift, okay?"

Wu Ying's coquettish charm was in full force, her sweet, soft voice both pitiful and heartwarming. Nova had no choice but to nod.

"Great."

Throughout the entire break, Nova never revealed a thing about military training during their sessions. Mostly because she felt that, by Wu Ying's logic, those skills didn't necessarily require special training—she could learn them during the actual training itself.

Wu Ying thought it was confidential, so she didn't dare probe in that direction either.

Finals had already ended with a bang. Wu Ying racked her brains, agonized over it, and finally pulled off an A. Now military training was bearing down on them with full force, and the class group chat was buzzing like never before.

Upon hearing the bad news, even the lurkers couldn't stay silent.

Military training had always been the sworn enemy of the College of Plant Science. Forget the students—even the teachers dreaded it. Teachers didn't have to personally participate, but most had to go along to monitor progress.

The annual military training had been moved up half a semester, and everyone gathered by class to head to Boska Star, the long-favored training ground for the school.

Boska Star had complex terrain—rainforests, oceans, deserts. Whatever death you wanted... er, no, whatever terrain you wanted, it had it all. The Federation had long since mapped every inch of the planet, blanketing it in all kinds of surveillance. It was developed from the very beginning to host the first military training.

This was Wu Ying's first time traveling alone, and she was nervous and anxious. She clung to Jiujiu, continually reviewing possible problems that might arise during interstellar travel and emergency procedures.

"Ah, Jiujiu, I can't leave you."

"Master, I can't bear to part with you either."

The two hugged and wept together. If circumstances allowed, Wu Ying would have brought him along. She gave Jiujiu detailed instructions on caring for the flower room, then they finally parted.

She hadn't even had this kind of atmosphere when parting from Asher. During the break, she'd been fast asleep in bed when he left and had never even thought of getting up to see him off.

Wu Ying carried her luggage to the port on Beta Star. The port's main gate was constructed from a completely special material, giving an immediate sense of security. She tapped her Light Brain against the gate, and it opened automatically, letting her pass unimpeded. From the entrance onward, her Light Brain displayed a panoramic guide showing directions, leading her to the ship.

A spaceship! Wu Ying stowed her handbag in a side compartment and looked around. Aside from the fancier equipment, it was basically the same as a plane from before. Retractable tray tables, and a screen playing an interstellar navigation escape awareness video.

The space was roomy, too—she'd bought a first-class seat. Perhaps due to her status as a soldier's family member, this entire level seemed to be for military dependents. She'd seen them at various gatherings, and they all looked familiar.

On her Light Brain, Asher, surprisingly considerate, had sent her a message: "Take care of yourself."

The last time they'd chatted was when she'd asked him to arrange a physical training plan for her. They'd fallen out of contact because Asher discovered she wasn't following the plan, and Wu Ying had confidently defended herself to him.

Looking at the timestamp, it was a month ago. Mm. And then Wu Ying stopped contacting him, afraid he'd bring up the training plan again.

In a good mood, she replied: "Will do ^-^~"

The spaceship launched, the ground shrinking beneath them. She watched the route map on the screen as the starry sea materialized before her very eyes.

Pilan Star was the planet closest to the capital, Blue Star. After the interstellar shift brought it near Blue Star, it was later used to relieve Blue Star's population pressure, with some industry and important institutions relocated there.

The Federation's two most important schools were located here. As the interstellar population grew and the schools expanded, the Federation Council debated separating and relocating military academies—leading to the gradual split of the Federal Military Academy into the First and Second Military Academies. Federal University, however, was not part of that discussion.

After all, Federal University's student population had long been in a state of destitution; only in recent years had talent started to grow.

Federal University stood with its magnificent golden gates wide open, people streaming in and out. Someone zipped past Wu Ying on a hoverboard with a whoosh, and before long, a robot dashed through the gates in a panic too.