One of her legs was still trapped under Han Xiao's arm, her skin pressed against the cold, hard mecha.
Ames tilted her head.
"Please let go of my legs."
Han Xiao released his grip and stepped back a little, letting Ames pull her long, white legs back into her black dress.
After glancing at Ames's badly damaged dress from the battle, Han Xiao raised his palm. Nanoparticles flowed, transforming into a fabric-like material to patch up the holes in the black dress. He couldn't let Ames look too pathetic in front of his subordinates.
*Snap! Ames manipulated the force field to pry herself out of the meteorite, straightened up, stretched, and felt a dull ache from the bruises she had sustained from shattering countless meteorites.
"That hurt so much." Ames rubbed her slender waist, her delicate brows furrowing slightly. "Never mind, I asked for this sparring match."
"I've already held back," Han Xiao shrugged.
"Wow, you're definitely stronger."
Ames sighed, her expression calm, as if she had expected this outcome.
Throughout the entire battle, Black Star remained completely at ease, firmly controlling the situation. Ames finally gained a direct understanding of his strength.
"Don't be discouraged, I..."
Before Han Xiao could finish speaking, Ames waved her hand, interrupting him, and smiled faintly:
"Alright, who do you take me for? I lost, so what? Do I need you to coax me?"
"I've sparred with Hila a lot, I'm used to it." Han Xiao scratched his chin.
As he spoke, he turned to instruct the mechanical legion to clean up the battlefield. Seeing the satellite debris floating in space, he thought for a moment and then said:
"The weapon I made for you broke down. I'll have the Logistics Department produce another batch for you in a while... Of course, you'll still have to pay for it."
"I know."
Ames nodded without objection. After all, she had taken the initiative to challenge him and damaged the weapon Han Xiao had given her. She couldn't very well let him give it away for free. As a Beyond Grade A, she still had to maintain some dignity.
As the battle ended, the Dragon Calm fleet, which had been watching from afar, slowly approached. Ames took a deep breath, mustered the little strength she had just recovered, and manipulated the force field to stop the Dragon Calm.
The protective shield of Dragon Calm opened, and the fleet landed on the dock one after another.
The combat mode on the floating islands was deactivated, and clusters of buildings hidden underground emerged one after another. Many people rushed to check their houses and assess the damage.
Haier's Logistics Department began working, repairing the houses.
Han Xiao and Ames straightened their clothes and then flew towards Dragon Calm. As soon as they stepped onto the dock, they attracted the attention of everyone around them.
The members of Dragon Calm all witnessed Ames' defeat by Han Xiao, and it seemed that their leader had been taken advantage of. They were filled with resentment.
Jenny couldn't help but come forward, glaring at Han Xiao before turning to examine Ames closely, asking with concern, "Are you alright?"
"I wasn't seriously injured, just a bit exhausted." Ames waved her hand, turned her head and said, "Black Star, let's go to my palace and talk."
After saying that, she strode towards the main hall, and Han Xiao put away his mecha and followed her.
Upon entering the Dragon Calm Palace, Ames led Han Xiao to the back garden and sat down at a stone table.
She manipulated her energy field to pour two glasses of wine and placed them on the table in front of the two of them. She picked up a glass and took a sip. Seeing that Han Xiao did not move, her red lips immediately curved into a smile.
"This is dragonbone wine, brewed by Iso using the bones of Void Dragon Race. I rarely serve it to others."
"Using fossils to brew wine? What kind of dark recipe is that?"
Han Xiao clicked his tongue, picked up his wine glass, and took a sip. He felt a fiery sensation rush down his throat, a taste no less intense than drinking a mouthful of magma at a temperature of over a thousand degrees. Then, a strong aftertaste surged up, and he smacked his lips with relish.
At this moment, Ames spoke, her tone somewhat wistful.
"Your strength has already surpassed mine, and it only took you twenty short years... I've wasted all that time; compared to you, I've been standing still."
"It's not that bad, you're just lazy," Han Xiao joked. "Besides, if you were diligent, you wouldn't be yourself."
"Do you think I'm just a lazy person?" Ames rolled her eyes.
"Isn't that right?" Han Xiao chuckled.
"Hmph... But compared to you, I really don't have much ambition."
Ames shook her head helplessly, offering no rebuttal.
The fact of her defeat caused a subtle change in her attitude towards Han Xiao. Every Beyond Grade A is aware of the difficulty of becoming stronger, and the rule among the strong is to respect the stronger.
Ames put down her wine glass, looked directly into Han Xiao's eyes, and said softly, "To become so strong in just twenty years, you must have suffered a lot, right?"
Han Xiao was taken aback, and for some reason felt that the sentence sounded familiar.
I feel like I said that somewhere recently?
Suppressing the strange feeling in his heart, Han Xiao coughed lightly and gave a perfunctory reply:
"Well enough."
"You've already established yourself in the universe. What are your plans for the future?" Ames flicked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Continue to develop and accumulate strength."
Upon hearing this, Ames paused, blinking.
"You think your current abilities aren't enough?"
"You can never have enough power until you reach your limit," Han Xiao shook his head.
"... Actually, there's something I don't understand."
Ames sat cross-legged, one hand across her stomach, the other supporting her chin. Her deep eyes, filled with doubt, were fixed on Han Xiao's eyes as she slowly said:
"About eight or nine years ago, I asked you a question: why don't you stop moving forward? At that time, you said you didn't have the means to stop, but you wouldn't tell me why. What are you afraid of? You are already a powerful Beyond Grade A, backed by an empire, with immense power, standing at the pinnacle of the universe. What is it that still makes you so afraid?"
Upon hearing this, Han Xiao hesitated for a moment.
What he feared most was naturally the ultimate boss in the late game, the World Tree Civilization.
Eight or nine years ago, he was still at the Calamity Grade, and their statuses were unequal. Han Xiao didn't tell Ames that things were different now, and his words finally carried weight. After thinking for a while, he made a decision and slowly said:
"I have some information that in the distant future, a catastrophe will sweep across the entire Explored Universe, and no one will be able to escape it."
Ames was somewhat surprised, her brow furrowing slightly. "If it's a disaster of this magnitude, the Three Universal Civilizations will naturally handle it. What are you afraid of?"
"When this disaster strikes, even Beyond Grade A beings are nothing more than large ants; when the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken."
Ames's fingers unconsciously traced the shape of her wine glass as she murmured to herself, "Is that so? So that's what you're worried about... I thought your motivation came from an insatiable ambition."
She did not doubt the information Han Xiao provided. Everyone has different sources of information, and given Han Xiao's position in the empire, he could access many secrets that she could not.
Besides, Black Star had no reason to lie to her.
A silence fell over the room. Ames lowered her head and swirled her wine glass with her fingers, seemingly deep in thought. Han Xiao also remained silent, focusing on savoring the Void Dragon Bone Wine.
After quietly swirling the wine glass several times, Ames finally looked up, her voice very soft:
"It seems I can't keep slacking off anymore. If that day ever comes, I'll fight alongside you."
"That would be perfect." Han Xiao smiled slightly.
In her previous life, due to the destruction of Dragon Calm, Ames' fate was unknown before the World Tree version. Now, Iso has been left in Dragon Calm and hasn't gone out to roam. What happened to Ames in her previous life will not happen again.
Han Xiao's influence has already changed Ames's fate; she should be able to survive until the World Tree appears.
Just then, Jenny walked in, ignoring Han Xiao beside her, and said in a deep voice, "Your Dragon Emperor, the damage assessment has been completed and needs your review."
"Understood." Ames nodded, looking at Han Xiao. "I have some things to take care of, and I haven't fully recovered my strength. I'm a little tired and need to rest."
Han Xiao stood up. "Alright, you go ahead with your work. I'll stay with you in Dragon Calm for a while until you've fully recovered. We can also stop by Planet Aquamarine on the way."
"Good."
Ames knew that Han Xiao cared about her, and smiled gently.
Han Xiao nodded and turned to leave.
Watching Han Xiao's the Sight of Father's Back take off and disappear into the distance, Jenny's tense, cold face relaxed. She turned to stare at Ames, her expression somewhat complicated. She opened her mouth, her expression hesitant.
"Hmm?" Ames glanced at her. "Is there something you want to say to me?"
Jenny pursed her lips, seemingly mustering her courage, and asked tentatively:
"Your Majesty the Dragon Emperor... do you like Black Star?"
Upon hearing this, Ames raised an eyebrow.
Why are you concerned about this?
"I... I'm very curious," Jenny said through gritted teeth, "And I don't like Black Star."
"I know that, you don't need to emphasize it." A helpless smile appeared in Ames' eyes.
Jenny shook her head, her face serious.
"Your Dragon Emperor, my dislike for Black Star isn't just what you think... We were originally a neutral organization that no one bothered with, living a carefree life, and we didn't care about our strength at all. But ever since Black Star appeared, Dragon Calm has been forced into many dangerous situations, and you really don't need to get involved in those Tu Shu. I've always believed that we should keep our distance from Black Star; he's not a simple person, otherwise we'll face a major crisis sooner or later."
After hearing these words, Ames stopped smiling and seemed thoughtful:
"So... you think I allied with Black Star because I like him?"
"I've also considered your attitude towards him all along, so I can't ignore this possibility," Jenny said in a deep voice.
Ames nodded, then suddenly smiled:
"You're right, I do have feelings for Black Star. What are you going to do? Try to persuade me otherwise?"
"I..."
Jenny was shocked and at a loss for what to do.
Okay, I'm just kidding.
Ames waved her hand, saying helplessly, "I do have feelings for Black Star, but who told you that's love? How old am I? Do I look like the kind of person who hides their feelings because of shyness?"
As she spoke, Ames stood up, her back to Jenny, hands clasped behind her back, gazing up at the stars, and softly parted her lips:
"Black Star is the only person among the Beyond Grade A who I find agreeable. He defeated me and is qualified to reproduce with me... However, I have never had the idea of letting another person enter my body to pass on his genes."
My goodwill towards him stems partly from his help to Dragon Calm and partly from my admiration for him. We are indeed very close; he is one of my few truly trustworthy friends and comrades. But when have you ever seen me flirting with him?
Jenny immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
She knew it! There was no emotional foundation between Lady Ames and Black Star; it seems she had misunderstood.
However, what Ames said next made Jenny's heart jump again.
"However, the future is long, and my thoughts might change. What if one day I develop an interest in procreation..."
Ames recalled the moments she spent with Han Xiao, shook her head, and smiled.
"Black Star is the only choice."
Click!
The communicator in Jenny's hand was broken in two.
On the other side, Han Xiao retrieved all the mechanical legions and metal parts, had Phillip pilot his spaceship to dock at Dragon Calm Wharf, and returned to the spaceship alone.
After closing the hatch, Han Xiao immediately opened the control panel.
The mission for "Dragon Emperor" Ames has been marked as "completed." The tug-of-war between the two has long exceeded twenty minutes, and they have completed the requirements of each level of the mission.
The highest tier of reward is to draw one of Ames' skills or feats!
"Endure it, endure it..."
Han Xiao let out a breath, calming himself down.
With Fording and Nero not around, he didn't want to gamble with his dark complexion.
Suppressing the urge to buy more, Han Xiao looked at the other task rewards—a large amount of experience, 1 point of Legend Points, and 1 Ames character card.