Chapter 128 - Entering the Trial Grounds

A Starlight Azure Guardian Medal, a plot of land at an exploration site, and a group of those closest to him.

The vision was undeniably appealing. The others instinctively glanced at Han Qingyu as though already seeing the future lord of the estate before them.

Even Han Qingyu couldn’t help but get lost in a daydream as he took in the buildings and scenery around them.

It really would be the life of an Old World European nobleman. If that’s the case, maybe the child won’t need to be sent home after all? I could even think about bringing Mom and Dad here. They probably won’t have too hard a time adjusting, and it won’t be as scary. If they get bored, they could plow a few fields, set up some vegetable plots, build a chicken coop, dig a fish pond, raise cats and dogs...

All he was missing was a Starlight Medal and a wife.

Both were difficult asks.

Only five Starlight Azure Guardian Medals had ever been issued in the Coalition’s history, which spanned nearly a hundred years. Almost every one represented a moment when either Azure or humanity itself had been on the brink of annihilation, and someone had single-handedly turned the tide.

As for a wife, based on the assessments and advice he’d received from Wen Jifei, Regiment Commander Li, Shao Xuan, and others, that could actually be the harder of the two.

More vehicles and people arrived while they waited. The Alphonse family had more than one hotel for hosting trial participants from around the world, after all.

According to the staff, at least a hundred and twenty teams would be entering this time. That meant a minimum of six hundred people.

“Hey, what if a Sharpie lands on the summit of Xilang Peak? What then? How do we get there in time?” someone in the crowd suddenly asked.

“That would be tricky, but one of the Refusers’ top-tier jamming stations is probably up there, right?” another person guessed. “I heard they’ve even put them on the moon. You know how there were those public moon missions, and the secret ones after? Supposedly, those were all for setting those things up.”

“That’s, ah...” The staff member brushed the question aside with a laugh. “At the very least, we’re not worried about the northern side because that’s where the Oriental Republic Army Group is. As for the south, there are indeed some areas of concern. That’s why Mr. Alphonse has always done everything he can to assist the relevant army groups with their defenses.”

By then, everyone had arrived.

The staff led the group of over a thousand people, which included those entering and those staying behind, on a walk through the territory. Like a tour guide, they introduced the history and legacy of the Alphonse family while also giving an overview of the Third Fixed Exploration Site.

At last, they arrived at a square in front of a French church-style building that bore no crucifix. This was where Han Qingyu and the others met a member of the Alphonse family.

He was a man who looked to be in his late twenties, with curly hair that fell to his shoulders. Although not conventionally handsome, he carried the air of European aristocracy and an artist’s sensibility.

By the Oriental Republic’s system of kinship, this man was Alphonse’s great-great-grandson, Charles Alphonse.[1]

Charles gave a brief welcome speech and an overview of the rules. Then, after wishing everyone luck in the trial, he concluded his remarks.

***

Battle attire, medicine, energy cores, devices, blades, food, and water were all prepared for them.

The Sharpie was expected to land at the Third Fixed Exploration Site in the next fifteen days.

There was no way to carry fifteen days’ worth of supplies, of course. Much of it would have to be sorted out inside the trial grounds. Fortunately, nobody here was ordinary.

This was where Rust Girl’s advantage of not needing to eat or drink came into play, though it came with the accompanying disadvantage of higher source energy consumption.

Thanks to Han Qingyu, however, that disadvantage could essentially be ignored.

The pattering of footsteps came from behind Han Qingyu as Yin Caixin ran up to him.

She patted his shoulder and waited for him to turn around. “They’re doing the official registration and finalizing the roster. Who’s our fifth?”

Han Qingyu stared at her in confusion. “Fifth person? Didn’t you bring one of your own here? Aren’t you bringing him in?”

Luca was injured and needed a replacement, but Yin Caixin had brought another person with her to the territory, so Han Qingyu had naturally assumed she’d use that person to fill Luca’s spot.

After all, it only made sense that she would want to bring along one of her own people.

“Neil won’t be going in. It’s not just about ability and experience. He’s also very upset about what happened, and isn’t in the right state of mind,” Yin Caixin explained.

“So you’ve decided to use all our people?” Han Qingyu asked.

Yin Caixin nodded at him, her expression both matter-of-fact and utterly at ease.

“Can we just go in with four?” Han Qingyu asked hesitantly.

“Don’t you still have an A-ranker?” Yin Caixin discreetly peered at Wen Jifei in confusion.

Wen Jifei was standing off to the side with Liu Shiheng, analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of beauties from various countries.

Him... Forget about that guy. Han Qingyu walked over to the pair.

“Caixin’s guy isn’t going in. We’re short one person.” He instinctively gazed at Liu Shiheng, ready to offer a few words of encouragement.

Surprisingly, Liu Shiheng immediately avoided his eyes and turned silently to the side.

Still afraid? A wave of disappointment and sadness came over Han Qingyu at that moment.

After a brief hesitation, he shifted his attention to Wen Jifei. “What do you think? No problems, right?”

“No problem at all.” Wen Jifei was sharp enough to read the situation instantly. Grinning casually to ease the awkwardness, he added, “What can I say? I’m an A-ranker, after all.”

The two of them walked off, leaving Liu Shiheng behind.

Once they were out of earshot, Wen Jifei said to Han Qingyu, “Relax. I won’t try anything reckless in there. Just think of me as a supply runner and the team mechanic. I’ll even save you energy cores. Find a ditch in there, and I’ll tuck myself right in.”

Han Qingyu nodded. They returned to the staging area and continued packing their gear.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Han Qingyu. His hands froze, a jolt of alarm shooting through him as he spun around and ran back to Liu Shiheng.

“Shiheng,” he called out.

Liu Shiheng flinched and turned. “Yeah? Little Qing?”

“Are you thinking about using this chance to run home?” Han Qingyu asked bluntly.

Among all of them, the one least likely to ever get a home visit was Liu Shiheng. That had everything to do with his background, identity, and track record.

Before they’d left, the army had repeatedly reminded him of this, demanding that Han Qingyu personally guarantee there’d be no issue.

“No way. Where’d you get that idea, Little Qing?” Liu Shiheng’s shoulders sagged, his head tilted back in resignation. “I’m genuinely just scared of dying. That’s why I hesitated. You know me.”

“You sure?”

“Sure.”

“Good. I’ve already enquired,” Han Qingyu said. “Once we’re inside, the Alphonse family is going to gather everyone who’s staying behind and lock down the territory. I was afraid something bad would happen if you tried to run.”

Liu Shiheng glanced up at him. “Relax. How about this? Let me swap back in for Plague Chicken. That hesitation just now was really just a force of habit.”

“Forget it. The registration’s already done,” Han Qingyu said after a moment. It didn’t really matter whether it was Liu Shiheng or Wen Jifei. He couldn’t let either of them go out and fight.

Dinner was served early that day, at four-thirty in the afternoon.

After dinner, at five-thirty, they entered the trial grounds.

The trial began at nightfall.

Han Qingyu’s team had the center of attention the whole time, but once the trial started, they vanished. Neither friend nor foe—wary or expectant—could spot a hair of them. They had simply disappeared into the vast, rolling mountains.

1. This is more relevant in Mandarin, because of the complex system of family titles that depend on generation, side of family, relation to said person, and sex. It doesn’t translate as well to English, though. ☜