"To our Chosen Champion!" Jiang Yudong, governor of the Blue Star Commonwealth's New World Colonial District, raised his glass high. "On behalf of the New World Governor's Office, I'd like to offer our belated congratulations to our Chosen Champion, the pride of Earth, Colonel Yu Lian! Everyone, raise your glasses!"
"Cheers!"
At the banquet hall in New Lushun Starport, a crowd of elegantly dressed dignitaries raised their glasses. Yu Lian could only tear his attention away from the table piled with delicacies, then reluctantly lift his own and drain the gem-red wine in one go. Only then did he return the dignified smiles of the unfamiliar gentlemen and ladies around him, who were nodding at him.
It was only now that he realized how far-sighted Feifei had been when she'd told him to learn how to manage his expressions. Without all that painstaking practice, there was a good chance he'd have made a fool of himself in a place like this.
He smiled faintly as a waiter came to refill his glass, then turned his attention back to the roasted New Jade Gate marmot beside him. The roast prepared by a top chef was a stunning golden color, unlike anything Yu Lian had ever seen at the roadside restaurants in Tulong Port.
...The food at a high-society banquet might not actually taste better than the dishes at a distinctive little roadside joint, but it was bound to have some redeeming qualities. Yu Lian was pondering how best to enjoy a proper meal when the governor tapped his glass again and called out, "And this second toast is to Colonel Yu Lian, who crossed the perilous Abyss Nebula and the Gate of Glory to travel two million light-years and come to our aid! His fearless actions embody the attitude of the