Young Light and Darkness Twin Stars

Two hundred warp beams quickly faded, leaving behind blue-skinned, three-meter-tall humanoid creatures clad in Energy Heavy Armor—the Protoss.

Shen Jun could barely contain his excitement. Protoss—he was seeing living Protoss. He had truly become their leader.

Every Protoss warped in by Rohana received the information she transmitted, including Shen Jun's current status as Protoss Commander and his native language, since Shen Jun didn't speak Protoss.

The moment Shen Jun stepped before the two hundred Protoss, they immediately saluted with a right fist to their chests and said in unison, "Awaiting your orders, Commander."

Shen Jun scanned the crowd... Well, he had face blindness. He couldn't tell what difference there was between these two hundred people. They all had the same damn face—classic no mouth, no nose, no eyebrows, glowing blue eyes. No normal person could tell them apart!

Except for a few with wrinkles on their faces, whom Shen Jun knew were older Protoss, the rest were literally identical, right?

This problem... was kind of serious.

What if, down the line, there were some outstanding individuals, and he couldn't even recognize them? Wouldn't that be a joke? How could a leader fail to call out the names of his best employees?

"Looks like I'll need Rohana to make me a Protoss identification device..."

Just as Shen Jun was pondering these strange thoughts, the corner of his eye caught two Protoss who looked different. The first wasn't wearing armor at all—just a few strips of cloth draped over his body—and his eyes glowed green. That was a trait of the Nerazim Protoss.

The other Protoss that caught Shen Jun's attention wasn't because of his appearance, but his armor. This one had no wrinkles on his face, marking him as young, but he wore Psionic Armor identical to Shen Jun's—a privilege only high-ranking Templars were entitled to.

At this age, most Protoss were still serving in the Zealot Legion, wearing cruder Energy Heavy Armor.

"You two, come here."

The two Protoss called out were momentarily startled, then obediently walked before Shen Jun. Both were young, powerfully built, and over three meters tall—tall even by Protoss standards.

"What are your names, and how old are you?"

Shen Jun figured he could focus on training these two, since Rohana had detected they had the highest psionic talent among the two hundred. It definitely wasn't just because they were the only ones he could recognize...

The only Nerazim Protoss among the first batch answered first: "Commander, my name is Zeratul. I am a Dark Templar. If I remember correctly, I am exactly three hundred years old."

What!

Zeratul?

Shen Jun nearly bit his tongue off. He'd thought this one might be a Dark Templar, but he never expected such a big name. Dark Prelate Zeratul—one of the strongest heroes among the Protoss—and now he was submitting to him?

Before he could recover, another even more explosive figure announced his name: "Commander, I am Tassadar. I have only recently become a High Templar, but I will forever uphold the glory of the Protoss!"

Tassadar cast a slightly provocative glance at Zeratul and added, "I am also exactly three hundred years old."

Zeratul glared back without backing down.

Shen Jun pressed a hand to his forehead, thinking helplessly how these two rivals had ended up together, and they were even the same damn age! In the game's story, Zeratul was actually several hundred years older than Tassadar. They represented Shakuras's Nerazim and Aiur's Khalai.

Dark Templar and High Templar.

Just from the names, you knew these two were naturally at odds—the kind who'd fight on sight. But Zeratul, old man that he was, had a good enough temper to turn Tassadar from enemy to friend, even teaching him the Dark Templar's secret Void Psionic Energy, boosting Tassadar's combat power several levels.

Old man Zeratul, you're a good guy!

In the use of psionic energy among the Protoss, there were broadly two attributes: the mainstream Purification Psionic Energy cultivated by the High Templars of Aiur, and the Void Psionic Energy used by the Nerazim Dark Templars, considered heretical by Aiur.

Rohana warped in Protoss randomly from across their entire history, and she'd ended up with a young Dark Prelate. Of course, every arriving Protoss already knew their original universe had been destroyed, and they bore a great responsibility—past prejudices and grudges had to be set aside.

But that didn't mean they couldn't compete. Right now, for instance, Tassadar didn't know Zeratul would later become his close friend. He thought the Commander had called them out because he saw potential in their futures. So as the cream of the Khalai Protoss, how could he lose to a Nerazim?

Tassadar really did have some insight—he'd guessed Shen Jun's intentions almost perfectly. Only one thing he missed...

The equally young Zeratul, not yet the mystic he'd become in old age, had no less pride than Tassadar. Though he didn't say it outright, the fighting spirit in his eyes clearly marked Tassadar as his rival.

"Ahem. Tassadar and Zeratul. Good. Your psionic talent surpasses everyone else. That means your futures can become incredibly powerful. High Templar? Dark Templar? Those are just your starting points. In this universe, we will create an unprecedented golden age for the Protoss, and I hope you two will become the foundation that shapes that future."

Shen Jun sensed the nonexistent tension in the air. He figured if he didn't say something, these two might actually start fighting, so he tossed out a few casual lines. To his surprise, these two were pretty simple—they got all worked up with excitement. (Don't ask how Shen Jun could tell; we wouldn't dare ask either.)

Shen Jun directly ordered Tassadar and Zeratul to serve as captains of the two hundred Protoss. After a round of passionate self-introductions, he learned that this batch was entirely Templars—not a single scientist or engineer (though in Protoss society, those were the same thing). Most were Zealots, one hundred and eighty of them, plus sixteen Adepts, and only two High Templars.

After getting the general picture, Shen Jun opened the panel again. Now he had to solve the housing problem for two hundred people. He clicked on Housing Cluster, and resources dropped by 150 minerals and 100 gas. Nine hundred and fifty minerals gone in a whoosh. Vespene Gas still had three hundred left, but that was useless.

The Housing Cluster was cheaper than a Crystal Tower but took up nearly a hundred times the space. Two hundred two-story Protoss villas lined up neatly on the empty lot, covering a small third of it. Because of Protoss body size, each floor was five meters instead of three. The two hundred small houses gave Shen Jun a faint sense of being back in a city.

After thinking it over, since there were residential buildings, a clinic couldn't be missing either. Shen Jun looked at the Medical Center's price—a hundred gas more expensive than the Housing Cluster—then at his remaining fifty Crystal Minerals, and finally at the 1,550 Biological Essence. He gritted his teeth and bought it!

He converted the 1,550 Biological Essence into 155 minerals and gas, then watched the resources drain away. Shen Jun's heart ached so much he could barely breathe.

My minerals... gone...