Celeste Morn—oh no, she should be called Judgment now—lightly bit her lower lip and asked, "What do you want me to do on Onderon?"
"I don't know. Do whatever you want," Tang Xiao said. "What I can tell you is that Onderon's eventual fall under the Galactic Republic's offensive is irreversible, so whatever you do there won't affect me... So choose for yourself, just this once."
After thinking for a moment, he added, "Ah, if possible, there is one thing—bring Zhang Jiarui back to me."
"I understand." Judgment closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "If it is to protect Dawn Star Planet and the people under your rule, then I will place my power... and the power of the amulet, at your disposal."
She paused again, then continued, "But if you... if you..."
For a moment, she did not know how to describe it and could only say, "...if you disappoint me, then I will kill you with my own hands! Even if I am striking a stone with an egg, I will fight you to the death!"
With that, Judgment turned and headed for the door. As she passed through it, she beckoned with one hand, and the ship's key flew through the air into her grasp. She strode away.
At that moment, Lucien Draay's aged voice echoed in Tang Xiao's mind once more. "You knew perfectly well that she would not make a choice against your interests, yet you still put on this act and made her think you were letting her choose for herself... Heh heh, in truth, you never gave her a chance to choose."
Tang Xiao smiled faintly. "Sometimes, seeing things too clearly is not necessarily a good thing, because it can shorten your life. Take you, for example. If you were