New Era 391, Blue Star, East Blade Military Academy Vice Principal's Office.
Nie Chang sat behind a spacious desk, three holographic screens floating before him.
The one on the left displayed this year's enrollment data analysis for East Blade Military Academy. The middle one showed infrastructure progress reports submitted by its branch schools on various planets. On the right was the draft of the lesson plan he was writing: Advanced Stardust-Rank Source Energy Guidance Technique (Third Revised Edition).
This had been his routine for nearly a century. Every morning, he spent the two hours before standard time handling administrative affairs, then immersed himself in lesson-plan writing for three hours, without fail.
As vice principal of Silver Blue Civilization's highest military academy, Nie Chang knew the weight of the responsibility on his shoulders. Commander Lin Yi had entrusted East Blade Military Academy to him, and he had to cultivate strong warriors capable of making their mark in the Star Sea.
His fingertip slid across the screen as he highlighted a section on "the risk of rule resonance when breaking through from the ninth Stardust rank to Star Core." Then Nie Chang picked up the Clear Heart Tea at his side and took a sip.
The tea was Snow Bud, a specialty of the Kunlun Mountains, and the seventh-generation variety improved by the Tree of Life Company. It gently nourished the mind. Vice Commander Irelia had sent it through the Chamber of Commerce, saying Commander Lin Yi had specifically asked her to bring it to his former subordinates.
Thinking of Commander Lin Yi, a hint of emotion crossed Nie Chang's eyes.
Time really did fly.
"Beep."
A soft notification sounded, and a message popped up in the lower-right corner.
It was an alert he had set up for "Important Silver Blue Civilization