Katharine's past

The conversation between Zijin and Katharine did not last long. Both of them had important matters to attend to, and they soon ended their conversation and went about their own business.

Su Ming also threw himself into his work. He contacted Jisu, providing detailed feedback on the performance of the technological equipment in actual combat yesterday, and together they analyzed improvement plans.

"The explosive power of a 300mm caliber rocket is more than enough to damage most targets," Su Ming explained.

"We can use split-type bullets," the engineer quickly replied.

"However, some elite targets still need to be targeted with focused attacks," Su Ming continued, "Our AI system can't distinguish these targets."

Jisu thought for a moment, "It's definitely impossible for an intelligent system to identify high-magic targets, but you can arrange for people to mark key targets and let the fire control computer decide whether to use bullets or main warheads to strike them."

Su Ming nodded. "That's a good idea. Also, some enemies have Flight Spell or movement abilities, allowing us to quickly dodge and avoid damage."

This was a problem that the technology side had never considered. Jisu thought for a moment, "Could we add a type of missile with high-speed terminal maneuverability?" he suggested.

Su Ming shook his head. "The sensitivity of a rocket's close-range trajectory change is probably too great to catch up with. Perhaps we could deploy terminally guided munitions within the target area and use metal jets for lethal damage." He proposed his own solution. "However, these munitions cannot use deceleration parachutes; they must be able to fire immediately after deployment for a rapid response!"

This was a very high requirement, but Jisu still agreed, "Let's give it a try."

As night fell, Su Ming, having finished his tasks, walked towards the open space in the center of the camp.

There lay the remains of four giant dragons and the body of a member of the Final Bone Mad Machines. Su Ming had intended to calm his thoughts here, but the surrounding environment was unexpectedly noisy.

"Hey, any last words? Hurry up and say them!" Several members were shouting at the air.

"Damn it! Offering you Moon Tear Fruit as a sacrifice? I wouldn't even buy it for myself!" another member shouted.

The conversation between the two sides became heated, and the air was filled with banter and argument.

"You cheapskate! Share those tobaccos you hid with the brothers!" another member chimed in. "You even put a rune lock on the box! Was it really necessary?!"

Su Ming didn't deliberately try to perceive what the victim, who was awakened by the "Speak with the Dead," said, but judging from the situation, it must have been very offensive.

Whether alive or dead, the attitudes of people from another world towards death were somewhat beyond his imagination.

"Su Ming." Katharine's voice came from the side, and Su Ming then realized that she was there too.

Judging from their expressions, Katharine clearly had something to say, and so did Su Ming. He glanced at the noisy crowd and suggested, "Shall we find a quieter place?"

Katharine nodded.

****

Soon, the two found a secluded corner on the edge of the camp.

The temperature had dropped sharply in the past few days, and the chill gradually intensified after sunset. Ruixiuli dragged over a pile of branches and skillfully started a campfire, the orange flames quickly leaping up.

Su Ming took out a small packet wrapped in a leaf from his pocket; it was given to him by Jielusi. He gently opened it and found many bumpy green berries inside, covered with a thick layer of fuzz.

Su Ming picked up a few and put them in his mouth. The sweet and sour taste instantly bloomed on his tongue, and the taste was surprisingly good.

"Excuse me, this is a private conversation," Katharine said bluntly, waving for Ruixiuli to leave for the time being.

Su Ming found a flat spot by the campfire and sat down, sharing some of the wild fruit from the leaf bundle with Katharine O.

"You've talked to Zijin about things from decades ago, haven't you?" he asked.

"Hmm." Katharine took the berries, her gaze falling on the firelight, her tone filled with complex emotions, "It's unexpected—I was so lucky to survive."

She put down the berries, clasped her hands together, and said sincerely, "I am very grateful for the help from the Bay Owl and the Ashy Drongo Scholar back then, but unfortunately— the Albatross and the White Pheasant Master have both passed away."

Su Ming smiled. "Actually, I still prefer the way you and Zijin are at odds."

Upon hearing this, a distant memory flashed in Katharine's eyes. "When I first met her, we were actually quite friendly." She paused. "After all, judging from appearances alone, Zijin looked about two years younger than me back then." She sighed softly. "I remember clearly, I had just introduced myself when she suddenly pounced on me with a 'thud,' pinned me behind my back with one hand, and then, without saying a word, started to rip off my clothes—"

"Uh—" Su Ming imagined the scene, her expression somewhat subtle, "This—is indeed a bit offensive."

"Yes," Katharine nodded, pointing to her chest, "Because of a long scar here. I was young then and always tried so hard to hide it. But after Zijin did that, it was completely exposed to everyone on the very first day."

"So you held a grudge against her and targeted her at every turn?" Su Ming asked.

"I was young then," Katharine's voice softened. "I was indeed bullied quite badly by her during that time, and I felt particularly wronged. But looking back now—she was actually quite restrained; it was more like she was guiding me in a—well, awkward way—to help me grow."

"Zijin has occasionally mentioned what happened during that time to me," Su Ming continued. "She said that she was deeply affected by her physical form at the time, her mind was more childlike, and her behavior was more... mischievous."

"So I'm lucky, I only encountered the 'child's version' of Belladonna," Katharine laughed self-deprecatingly.

Su Ming rubbed his chin and imagined how Katharine would be treated if she encountered the full version of Belladonna.

"Uh, it seems so," he had to admit.

Katharine pulled the "Green Bamboo Slips and Rue Book Wrappers" from her pocket.

"I never expected this to be a gift from Master Beckmann." Her fingertips traced the pages of the book's antique cover, her eyes filled with complex emotions. "And thinking back, it was Zijin first taught me how to use this book, step by step."

Su Ming recalled that after Zijin seized the magic book, she seemed to have unlocked the complex rune lock on it not long afterward. Generally speaking, even if one knows the principle, it is impossible to break a magic lock of this level without damage.

"I'm a little curious," Su Ming said, looking at Katharine. "When did you find out for sure about Zijin's true identity?"

"Around fifteen years old," Katharine recalled. "That's when I started investigating my biological parents. Zijin must have noticed my actions, which is why she reconfirmed my identity." She suddenly raised her hand to cover her face, her voice carrying an indescribable emotion, "Then her attitude towards me started to change, becoming—terribly gentle!"

"She can be gentle with people too?" Su Ming was clearly skeptical. He finished the last few small green fruits in his hand, tossed aside the empty leaves, and brushed the fuzz off his hands.

"Perhaps, that was her attitude towards children back then." Katharine lowered her hand and unfolded the "Colorful Wording" in the scroll. "It was probably around that time that Zijin began to expose me to the New Divine Language. So not long after, I matched her with the name that hung at the top of the Temple of Light's wanted list— the Ancient Stele Destroyer."

"Ancient Stele Destroyer" - This achievement is unlocked when Zijin destroys all the Divine Language steles in the Temple of Light.

"This crime is now ranked third, right?"

"It doesn't matter which number you're on," Katharine shrugged. "She's in the top five of the wanted list anyway."

Su Ming suddenly had some doubts about who started the conflict between the Divine Covenant Faction and Zijin. If it weren't for the New Divine Language incident and the Spirit Cloud Wanted List incident a year ago, Zijin would probably have destroyed the entire Divine Covenant Faction sooner or later.

"In short," Katharine said, "I've spent every day with her. As long as I observe carefully and deduce from various details, finding out her true identity isn't as difficult as I imagined."

"Zijin never intended to hide anything from you," Su Ming said knowingly.

"Of course," Katharine affirmed.

****

A sudden rustling of leaves filled the woods, and a sharp trail swept rapidly through the trees, carried by the wind as it approached from afar.

Not far away, Ruixiuli looked up at the sound and exchanged a glance with Jielusi beside him. "This aggressive approach, is it a battleground?" he muttered in a low voice.

"It can't be that bad, can it?" Jielusi's gaze swept over Su Ming and Katharine, then looked at someone approaching from a distance. "Maybe it's just that she's jealous?"

Su Ming and Katharine both noticed the approaching movement.

"Has something happened?" Su Ming also recognized the visitor and stood up with a slight frown.

A magical aura rippled out, and Zijin's figure came to an abrupt stop in front of Su Ming.

Her gaze swept over Su Ming's lips, and sure enough, there were traces of green juice.

Just as Su Ming was about to ask a question, the scholar suddenly lunged at him and delivered a hook punch to his stomach. The unexpected blow made Su Ming gasp, and the contents of his stomach churned up instantly.

It took Su Ming a while to spit out the remaining filth in his mouth before he could straighten up, looking somewhat disheveled.

"Did I eat something I shouldn't have?" he asked, wiping his mouth with a puzzled look.

"Aren't you allergic to strawberries?" Zijin took out a handkerchief and handed it to Su Ming. "How dare you eat this?"

Su Ming thought in surprise about the small green, fuzzy ball from earlier, "Was that also a strawberry?"

"Of course!" Zijin replied, "It's a wild variety that hasn't been improved."

"Thank you!" Su Ming carefully wiped his face and mouth clean with a handkerchief, his voice filled with relief. Although his allergy wasn't severe enough to be fatal, it would still bother him for a few days.

"But how did you know I'm allergic to strawberries?" he asked, puzzled.

"----You said it before." Zijin replied briefly, then walked to the campfire and sat down. She took out an identical leaf bundle from her bosom and spread it on her lap; clearly, Jielusi had also given her one.

That's why she realized Su Ming was also eating.

Su Ming racked his brains, but couldn't recall when he had revealed this to her.

Katharine watched the interaction between the two with great interest, but then she suddenly thought of her troublesome daughter and couldn't help but sigh softly.

"Where were you guys talking about?" Zijin asked, picking out one of her favorite dishes and popping it into her mouth.

"We chatted for a bit about how you took care of Katharine at the nunnery." Su Ming took out a water glass, rinsed his mouth, and then activated his Summoning of All Things ability. A faint light flashed in his palm, condensing into a loratadine tablet, which he then swallowed.

Zijin rolled her eyes at him, annoyed.

"Thank you so much." Katharine turned to Zijin, her expression unusually serious. "If I had known all this back then at the nunnery, even if you had stripped me naked, I wouldn't have resisted in the slightest."

"When did I ever undress you?!" Zijin's voice suddenly rose.

Su Ming waved his hand, "She only holds grudges. How could she possibly remember what she did to others?"

"Hmph!" Zijin turned her head away angrily, ignoring Su Ming, and then asked Katharine, "After I finished telling you all that, why are you in such a mood, so depressed?"

"I've imagined countless reasons why I'd become an orphan." Katharine rubbed her cheeks hard. "Like—were my biological parents involved in some terrible conspiracy, political struggle, or some other life-or-death matter?" She tilted her head back, gazing at the first Stars appearing in the night sky through the gaps in the tree canopy. "So many sleepless nights I've spent exhausting my imagination, worrying about how I'll unravel these mysteries in the future—" She suddenly gritted her teeth, her voice filled with resentment, "But I never expected it! It was just two people who couldn't control their lower bodies, causing all this mess!"

"It's pretty much the same in any world," Su Ming said helplessly. "In our country, there are even historical examples of wars that were destroyed because of this."

****

Katharine stood up and stretched.

"In short, it's a good thing to understand the cause and effect." She stretched her slightly stiff shoulders. "Regarding Zijin's kindness, even without what happened when we were babies," she said, her gaze fixed on Su Ming, "I will remember and repay it seriously; that's a personal matter. As for the Star Sand organization, all my thoughts and plans are serious."

Su Ming cut straight to the point, "What I'm worried about is your relationship with the Star Empire's royal family, or rather, with His Majesty King Xialike."

Katharine understood the implication perfectly, "After all, I bear the title of Empress of the Stars, and I have two children whose fathers are shrouded in mystery."

"The biological mother of one of them is also a mystery," Su Ming added.

Upon hearing this, a clear look of surprise crossed Katharine's face. "You actually... have investigated to this depth?"

Su Ming spread his hands, a hint of helplessness in his voice, "Sorry, I didn't expect to dig up this kind of gossip."

"It's hardly gossip," Katharine sighed softly. "Their father is Meiwu'er Yise, the children of Meiwu'er and his late wife Waliwei."

This answer did not surprise Su Ming. If he continued his investigation, the clues would also point in this direction.

After all, Katharine switched to the command system halfway through her career, so she must have received guidance from top figures. She also mentioned that she had known the military genius for a long time.

Therefore, it is only natural that Meiwu'er became a suspect.

Upon hearing this, Zijin frowned deeply. "Meiwu'er, is he dead?"

Su Ming was momentarily confused, so Zijin explained to him, "If Meiwu'er were alive, he would never have allowed Xialike to marry his partner as queen."

Katharine nodded heavily. "You're right, it happened last year."

Although Meiwu'er's personal strength has not reached the Saint Rank, his unparalleled command ability has secured him a place among the top in the world of powerful beings.

"How did Meiwu'er die?" Su Ming pressed.

"It's the Sevenfold Poison —the poison that was previously suppressed in his body has suddenly erupted." Katharine's voice lowered.

Upon hearing this, Zijin's expression changed. "Sevenfold Poison? Isn't that the forbidden poison that Chloe and Stacy —they revived?"

"Yes, it was indeed the Ashy Drongo Scholar and the Indigo Kite, but it wasn't their fault." Katharine raised her hand in acknowledgment. "I'll explain in more detail later; first, I'd like to clarify my current situation."

"Meiwu'er has too many political enemies; his wife, Waliwei, was assassinated," she continued, her voice heavy with weariness. "Therefore, Yise's identity must be completely hidden, and I will adopt her as my daughter."

Katharine's image as a "fickle woman" in the eyes of the world was largely a cover for Yise's true identity.

"Meiwu'er really... killed the former emperor of the Star Empire Lorenzo?" Zijin asked, revealing a widely circulated secret.

"I suppose so," Katharine replied ambiguously.

This answer clearly had a hidden story, but the imperial family was indeed a tangled mess, Su Ming thought to himself.

"Then when did you and Meiwu'er get together?" Zijin asked.

"By then, I had already investigated the deaths of my biological parents and pointed to the higher-ups of the Divine Covenant Faction. To dismantle them, I had been secretly cooperating with King Xialike," Katharine confessed. "I accepted resources from Xialike in exchange for providing him with intelligence from within the Holy See."

Katharine was isolated and helpless. The fact that she was able to climb up the social ladder from a commoner background shows that she must have used extraordinary means.

"Originally, there was nothing between Meiwu'er and me," Katharine continued, "Until two years ago, my clandestine activities began to surface, arousing suspicion from some within the Holy See. Coincidentally, King Xialike's former queen passed away, and he was overwhelmed by the infighting among the nobles in the country, so he proposed to marry me as queen, thus taking the position of queen."

"Huh?" Zijin didn't react for a moment. "Why would Xialike do that?"

"He felt the harem was in chaos, so he figured it would be better to hire someone who could keep things in check," Katharine explained. "I don't have noble status or family background, but with my position as a high-ranking member of the Holy See, I'm barely qualified for that position."

Su Ming also understood, "From King Xialike's perspective, such a candidate is indeed hard to find."

"At the time, I also considered leaving the Holy See and accepting this arrangement," Katharine recalled.

Suddenly, Meiwu'er became furious. That scoundrel, one night, got completely drunk and showed up at their door—"

A tender longing flickered in her eyes, and as she spoke, a single, glistening tear silently welled up in the corner of her eye and slid down her cheek.

Katharine quickly raised her hand, her fingertips brushing against the corner of her eye, and took a deep breath to calm herself. "In short, this is what happened between Meiwu'er and me. I became pregnant unexpectedly, and then Meiwu'er suddenly passed away. I wasn't planning on having children, but—" She paused, "... in short, I decided to give birth to the little Tuanzi."

"What does that mean, King Xialike? Taking advantage of a weakness?" Su Ming asked.

"Meiwu'er is no ordinary subject to King Xialike," Katharine said solemnly. "King Xialike genuinely wants to adopt the little Tuanzi as his godson. A significant reason he granted me the position of Queen is to provide a layer of protection for my son and me." She further explained, "King Xialike is largely aware of my inner workings within the Holy See. Our agreement is—to handle official business strictly and rely on our own abilities."

Her gaze swept over Su Ming and Zijin. "Therefore, your attempt to scheme against King Xialike through me will not succeed. Similarly, the relationship between King Xialike and me is not that of a harmonious emperor and empress."

Su Ming rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "So, if we join forces, is it possible to resolve the problem of the Radiant Holy City right under King Xialike's nose?"

The Radiant Jurisdiction is the largest and most central diocese of the Temple of Light, bordering the Star Empire. To defeat the Divine Covenant Faction and seize the Radiant Holy City, one cannot bypass the behemoth that is the Star Empire.

"Worth a try!" A fierce fighting spirit instantly ignited in Katharine's eyes, her sharp light like a tempered blade. "Actually, I'm really looking forward to this match with King Xialike! Janet's matter has truly given us a sharp weapon."

"Your domestic violence is really something," Zijin teased.

"A standard strategy will suffice," Katharine said. "We don't need to overthink this one, as long as we avoid assassinations. I have a way to smooth things over and bring King Xialike to the negotiating table afterwards, without directly breaking ties with the Star Empire."

****

The following day, Su Ming returned to the Ruby Base to take charge of various affairs.

In the chemical industry, relying on the conversion route of biological organic matter, the factory has successfully achieved stable production of formaldehyde. In terms of pure synthesis route, it has also achieved large-scale production of ammonia.

With the leap in overall technical capabilities of the Ruby Base, the continuous improvement of personnel's operational skills and equipment, Su Ming successfully introduced modern catalyst technology and successfully synthesized RDX (RDX) explosive.

Compared to TNT, HDX has an even more astonishing burst speed and greater ferocity, representing a qualitative leap in destructive power.

After initial explosion tests, Newman was quite satisfied with the performance of this explosive, exclaiming, "Very, very good!"

However—this stuff is too sensitive and explosive; if used in weapons, it would pose an extremely high risk to our own people.

The weapon is held by the user before it hits the enemy. As a highly sensitive explosive, RDX poses a serious threat to the personnel operating it.

When storing and transporting ammunition, humans hope that gunpowder is as stable and reliable as a well-behaved child; however, when using it, they crave its most intense burst of energy.

Fortunately, the technological side has already overcome this problem - by mixing and casting RDX and TNT with 1% paraffin wax, the mixture is injected into the projectile. The 1% paraffin wax can significantly improve its bluntness, thus achieving a near-perfect balance between power and safety.

This technology has dominated the arms industry for more than half a century. The path that many people have explored with their lives and vast resources is something that newcomers can simply imitate.

After arranging these production-related matters, Su Ming went to the medical center.

Misaila has fully recovered, but she has spent most of her time at the hospital helping out. As a magical dragon, she has mastered a considerable number of healing-related spells.

It's already manageable to handle some common illnesses.

In the courtyard of the Dragon Medical Area, the fairy dragon Zisu was playing with the Newfoundland dog. Su Ming brought Zisu some newly produced toys and also sent some tonics to Misaila.

"How is the Zijin?" Misaila asked Su Ming.

"Her fracture is almost healed," Su Ming replied. "Yesterday, one punch from her made me throw up."

"She beat you up—" Misaila's eyes narrowed immediately upon hearing this, "You bullied her?"

"First and foremost, I need to be able to beat her."

When Su Ming walked into Stacy's office, he looked down through the floor-to-ceiling window and saw the Newfoundland dog sitting on the floor with its legs spread apart, enthusiastically unpacking a toy.

"Wait, Stacy." Su Ming finally noticed something was wrong and pointed downstairs, "Isn't your dog—a little off?"

"That's normal," Stacy replied without looking up. "Didn't you ask me to treat the Quail?"

"Quail?!" Su Ming exclaimed in surprise, recalling the socially awkward researcher he had captured in Gray Ridge. "You turned him into a dog?"

"His collar is engraved with Polymorph runes." Stacy raised her eyelids, her tone calm. "The pet therapy has been remarkably effective for him. Since experiencing being seen from different perspectives, he has gradually learned to understand the world from entirely new viewpoints."

"What kind of pet therapy is this?!" Su Ming sighed helplessly, rubbing his forehead.

Stacy walked to the window and saw the "dog" taking a new toy out of the box and playing with Zisu.

"Look how well it works!"

"Can the Quail turn back into a human?" Su Ming asked with a hint of worry.

"There shouldn't be any problems," Stacy replied confidently. "He still spends half of each day in human form, and so far it seems to be going well."

Pulilade knocked on the door and came in.

This member of the Final Bone Mad Machines is proficient in human alchemy. Su Ming has been assigning him to supervise and assist the Fate Manipulator Aideluzi.

"President, Dr. Indigo Kite." Pulilade placed a thick stack of documents on the table. "This contains all the technical data related to the 'Nirvana ' project."

According to the agreement reached between Su Ming and Aideluzi, the core technical data of "Nirvana" needs to be fully transferred.

Nirvana techniques are mainly divided into two paths: the first is to use the corpse of the person undergoing Nirvana as a vessel to restore their ability to move through special means after they have been killed; the second is to create a light puppet as a vessel to hold the soul of the person undergoing Nirvana when the corpse is damaged or cannot be found.

Su Ming focused on the first approach. He carefully reviewed the materials and discovered that the technical route of the Temple of Light was completely different from that of necromancy. Its core lay in relying on alchemy to repair and maintain the body's physiological activity.

This requires that the body not be seriously injured and not have been dead for too long, which is often impossible to meet.

As for maintaining the soul of the Nirvana, it is done by implanting a special alchemical conductor into the brain of the deceased, forcibly reconnecting the soul to the modified body. Using the original body, this technology can extend the deceased's "life" by approximately ten years.

Su Ming paused slightly as he flipped through the pages, quickly realizing the key point hidden in this technology—it did not mandate that the body serving as the vessel must belong to the deceased!

Su Ming quickly flipped through the pages and, sure enough, found in the description of the second technical path that the so-called "light puppets" were not alchemical creations at all, but rather selected devout believers who were "willing to dedicate everything to the light."

Very well, it really is an evil technique that uses alchemy to "possess" another body, disguised as theology!

Su Ming continued reading. Aideluzi transformed the bodies of "devotees" into soul containers to hold the souls of deceased high-ranking figures. However, this path was far less effective than the former; the consciousness of the deceased would be strongly interfered with by the physical body, and this "possession" state of life extension could only last for five years.

"Although this technology requires extremely expensive resources, the biggest technological barrier is not the materials," Pulilade added, pointing to the points marked on the drawings connecting the soul and body—those intricate alchemical conductors. "Besides Aideluzi himself, no one else has yet been able to perform this level of conductor implantation surgery on the brain."

"Aideluzi is indeed a genius in this field." Stacy carefully examined the extremely demanding requirements on the design drawings and frankly admitted, "I am completely unable to achieve the level of surgical precision he requires."

"We need to thoroughly understand the underlying principles." Su Ming closed the document. "I suspect that there are already quite a few Nirvana cultivators among the current high-ranking members of the Divine Covenant Faction Sect. Mastering methods to identify them and interfere with their state is crucial to our subsequent actions."

"Clear!"

"Have any spies been spotted recently attempting to contact Aideluzi?"

Su Ming's opening of the commercial district was, in a way, a deliberate act of leaving a loophole. Given the crucial status and position of the Fate Manipulator, the spies of the Temple of Light would never miss the opportunity to make contact.

"Indeed, there were." Pulilade nodded. "However, they were apprehended by our people before they could get close, and their entire intelligence network was also dismantled."

"Stay vigilant!" Su Ming nodded.

Although Aideluzi was a bait he deliberately threw out, a fish that takes the bait too easily will only arouse suspicion from the enemy.

When acting, the more convincing the performance, the better.

The purpose of doing this was that Su Ming planned to lure the main force of the Divine Covenant Faction from the Radiant Holy City after eliminating the goblin threat.

If successful, this would be significantly easier than directly attacking the territory of the Radiant Holy City!