Yu Lian looked the other man up and down, meeting his gaze. A membrane covered those round, glossy-black eyes, but it still couldn't hide his openness and sincerity.
There were more and more young people making progress these days, and most of them had been influenced by me. Who could say I hadn't accumulated immeasurable merit? Even if nothing else, whatever image I ended up with in the future, history textbooks would surely give me a title like "Pioneer of So-and-So." Things had already come to this. What did it matter whether I made progress myself?
At the thought, Yu Lian's vanity began to bubble up.
He nodded approvingly, putting on the full air of a pioneer as he said, "Good. You really have taken the lessons to heart. Very good. You understand that you're a leader, and you're moving toward your goal."
The young rebel looked moved. He had always regarded Yu Lian as a mentor and pioneer worth following, and now Yu Lian was offering him approval and praise.
But Yu Lian continued, "Still, I'm worried that all you did was read the books."
A glimmer of shame flickered in Beriliu's eyes, and he lowered his head slightly. A faint golden pattern showed through the gaps between the scales on his cheek, a remnant of the juvenile markings of his amphibious species.
Only now did he look like a young man who had just come of age. But he was, in truth, a battle-hardened warrior.
"An ordinary rebel only needs the courage and will to face death to have reason to be proud. But a leader with a clear goal ought to understand how precious life is. Is your uprising in such a favorable position that complete victory is just around the corner, or are you already at