– The essence of politics is lies, jokes, and nonsense.
Long Ye was not adept at interacting with people, especially those from Polaris.
They seemed utterly oblivious to the concept of ‘civility and courtesy,’ acting with unbridled abandon and showing no regard for the feelings of others. To describe Polaris with words like ‘civility and courtesy’ would be the greatest insult to those very virtues.
Yet, Long Ye was compelled to join the observation delegation, for her leadership was indispensable. As a member of the Long family, she was one of the few trusted confidantes of Long Huang, Xuanji Star’s current Fifth Dean. This territorial exchange had Long Huang’s endorsement and attention, and she absolutely could not allow any mishaps to occur.
That girl, at the end of the day, was merely an ordinary person. When compared to Hong Bitao, the difference in their importance was starkly clear.
From the outset, she had a solution in mind, intending only to assert dominance over Vega this once, securing more favorable terms for Xuanji Star. While these terms might be mere trifles compared to the territorial exchange itself, something was always better than nothing.
She could even discern the willingness of the woman leading the Vega delegation to compromise, perhaps even offering someone of interest to Xuanji Star in exchange. Given the deep penetration of Xuanji Star’s intelligence network within Vega, Long Ye could almost predict the individual they intended to put forward.
However, Cui Wei of Polaris had disrupted this carefully orchestrated process, transforming an issue between Xuanji Star and Vega into one between Xuanji Star and Polaris. While his actions might seem like mere buffoonery, his objective was unequivocally clear: to curry favor with Vega and to obstruct Xuanji Star.
“That ‘Cui Huanan’ keeps buzzing endlessly like a fly. How did the Puzhi Faction produce such a nuisance? He’s constantly working against us, yet we can’t get rid of him.”
The woman in black drew closer to Long Ye. Though they wore identical coats, her slender ponytail, cascading down to her waist, swayed gently with the breeze, drawing considerable attention.
“He’s merely performing his duties in his position. If he were in Southern Dipper Star, he wouldn’t be so garrulous.”
“So, it’s an internal power struggle, a chaotic free-for-all within a makeshift troupe, isn’t it?”
The woman in black curved her lips into a smile, her mood seemingly improved.
“What should we do next?”
“Isn’t Miss Xia usually the one with all the ideas? Why are you at a loss now?”
“Oh, no, no, no! I certainly don’t want to be praised to death.”
She turned her head, casting a dismissive glance at the distant figure.
“You should go ask that Commander Bu. He’s been waiting there to watch the show from start to finish!”
“He’s not part of the observation delegation, so he’s outside my purview.”
“So, what exactly *should* we do next?”
Long Ye patted Xia Yubing’s shoulder, then strode away.
“Replace them on schedule.”
“Are we just going to endure this?”
“What else can we do?”
“And just let Polaris mock us for nothing?”
Long Ye halted, her gaze fixed gravely on Xia Yubing. She understood that ‘Xia Miao’s adopted daughter often spoke without thinking,’ a trait Xia Miao himself frequently displayed, which was precisely why he suffered losses during the Great Progressive Transformation.
“This is a protracted war, a conflict encompassing every domain, one that has persisted since the very founding of Xuanji Star.”
“Politics, military, economy, diplomacy, culture, and so forth… all are integral parts of this war.”
“A setback at a particular time or place is of no consequence. None of those are decisive. In war, only one kind of victory is truly decisive: the ultimate triumph.”
Long Ye glanced at the smug Cui Wei, then continued on her way.
“This cannot be forged by a momentary victory of words. One can be deluded for a time, but not for a lifetime. When he awakens, he will have to confront the cold reality before him.”
Ke Yiyi and Man Changpo walked together for nearly a hundred meters, both remaining silent.
Man Changpo’s face remained as kind as ever, just as it had been in the past. He was never swayed by external factors, always maintaining his composure no matter what he encountered.
Ke Yiyi did not know what he intended to say, merely following blindly behind him.
It was only when they reached the foot of the wall that Ke Yiyi realized this was the very spot where Man Changpo had spoken to her earlier.
“Is something the matter?”
Ke Yiyi found herself at a loss for words. Only a short while ago, she had rejected Man Changpo’s suggestion, effectively placing herself in opposition to him.
He belonged to Xuanji Star, while she belonged to Vega. Ke Yiyi now understood that no one could truly view a problem from the other’s perspective.
“Was the person you were speaking with just now your current boyfriend?”
“Hmm? No… he’s not.”
Ke Yiyi felt a blush of embarrassment. She had not expected Man Changpo to ask such a question, having assumed he would scold her for not supporting his proposal.
“You’re still the same as before, prone to blushing when faced with awkward situations.”
“Am I?”
Ke Yiyi averted her gaze, unwilling for Man Changpo to see her face.
“Yes, you are. I remember back then, whenever you’d turn your head away from me, I’d playfully tug at your hair. Then, you’d look at me with a slightly annoyed expression, lowering your head without a word.”
Hearing him speak of the past, Ke Yiyi felt a sudden wave of discomposure.
It had been many years since she last saw Man Changpo…
Though she had imagined their reunion countless times, with the passage of time, she had gradually lost hope that he was still alive, and everything associated with him had slowly faded from her memory.
Who would have thought she would hear his voice again today, listening to him recount tales of their shared past? And who could have imagined that their reunion would take place in such circumstances?
Man Changpo subtly reached out, gently pinching the tip of Ke Yiyi’s hair from behind. Ke Yiyi, however, recoiled as if struck by lightning, swiftly putting distance between them. She gazed at Man Changpo, bewildered, unsure of his intentions.
“You never used to shy away.”
“That… that was twenty years ago…”
“Indeed! So many years have passed, and now we meet again, estranged.”
Man Changpo sighed, looking up at the sky, his wistful tone conveying the longing of years apart.
“In the blink of an eye… twenty years!”
“Man… Big Brother Man, why did you join Xuanji Star?”
Ke Yiyi leaned against the wall, her head bowed, trying her best not to look at Man Changpo, nor wanting him to see her face.
Despite the years of separation, she yearned to truly look at his face. Yet, they now stood on opposing sides… Moreover, those were memories of the past, long diluted by time… she shouldn’t dwell on them too much…
Though these thoughts swirled in her mind, curiosity still prompted her question.
She desperately wanted to know what Man Changpo had experienced all these years, if he had thought of her as often as she had thought of him… and if he had already married someone else… At the mere thought, her head began to swim. She needed to clear her mind.
When he had first led her here, her mind had been solely preoccupied with the girl’s plight, and these personal thoughts had not been so intense. Now, however, having set aside the matter of the girl, strolling here had left her somewhat unable to control her emotions.
‘I can’t be like this…’
“I was conscripted, and I couldn’t escape.”
Man Changpo let out a long sigh. Though a smile played on his lips, one could faintly sense the helplessness within him.
Ke Yiyi understood what conscription entailed. Sometimes, due to heavy casualties in war, the front lines would suffer a shortage of players. Various academies would then round up ‘newborn players’ in occupied territories to fill the gaps. She herself had joined Vega after being conscripted.
Although it was conscription, Vega had treated her with great courtesy, merely expressing their wish for her to join them in some simple rear-line work. At the time, having fled all the way to Vega, she was practically destitute, and Vega was willing to provide her with three meals a day. Thus, she agreed. After some basic training, she worked as a ‘temporary police officer’ in the rear, only to be sent to Polzo Police Academy after the war concluded.
As for the conscription practices of other academies, she knew very little. The thought that Man Changpo had been conscripted by Xuanji Star, coupled with her knowledge of Xuanji Star’s actions during the World War—where conscripts who refused to join were summarily executed to prevent them from aiding the enemy—sent a chill down her spine.
Considered in this light, Big Brother Man was also a victim, coerced into joining Xuanji Star under threat of death…
“Then, Big Brother Man… have you ever thought about leaving Xuanji Star?”
Man Changpo glanced sideways at Ke Yiyi, a faint smile on his lips.
“And where would I go?”
Ke Yiyi surveyed their surroundings. Seeing no one nearby, she whispered,
“If you’re willing, you could join us.”
Man Changpo gazed at Ke Yiyi’s earnest expression, as if seeing her past self. She had been just like this back then… Always thinking of others, disregarding herself… How wonderful those days were! Alas… they could never return…
“Why go to Vega? Isn’t Xuanji Star, forged by the Yan Tribe, good enough? Little Ke, don’t forget, you are also Yan Tribe, a descendant of fire just like us.”
“No… Big Brother Man, you’ve been deceived by Xuanji Star. During the World War, Xuanji Star committed numerous war crimes. They invaded Vega’s lands, ransacked cities, plundered resources, and burned to ashes whatever they couldn’t take. Tens of millions of Vega civilians were slaughtered, and hundreds of thousands of women taken to Xuanji Star remain missing to this day…”
“Little Ke, I have not been deceived.”
Man Changpo looked directly into Ke Yiyi’s eyes, approaching her step by step. With each step he took, Ke Yiyi retreated one of her own. She couldn’t shake the feeling that the familiar Big Brother Man had transformed into a stranger.
“It is you who have been deceived. Vega is merely a tool used by the wicked Westerners to invade the Eastern Continent. These Westerners once plundered the entire world with their formidable ships and cannons, and the Eastern Continent was no exception. Before the advent of players, how many families on the Eastern Continent were torn apart, how many homes destroyed under the Westerners’ aggression? The historical blood debts of this kind are countless.”
“However, our Yan Tribe united as one, eventually gathering under the banner of blood to form the powerful Xuanji Star. From then on, these Westerners dared not bully us again. Their malicious intent never died, so they organized predatory tools like Vega to gradually devour us. Isn’t Yingzhou the best example? It was seized by Vega from the hands of the Yan Tribe!”
“Fearing our unity and strength, they suppressed and blockaded us in every domain. During the World War, how many Yan Tribe members in Vega shed their blood for this puppet regime established by Westerners? Deceived by the wicked Westerners with all sorts of high-sounding pretexts, they fell one after another on the path to charging their own compatriots. Is all of this not a brutal reality? You were in Vega, you saw it with your own eyes!”
“Our Yan Tribe is the oldest civilization in the world, a proud and unyielding nation. We are not the Westerners’ lapdogs and lackeys, and we should not be enslaved or driven by them. The Eastern Continent is the land of the Yan Tribe, not of foreign races. Everything we do is not aggression, but unification.”
“It is not murder and arson, but the elimination of Western colonizers, cleansing their sins with fire, and liberating the Yan Tribe of Vega, who have been misled by their rule. Everything we, Xuanji Star, do is to utterly eliminate these foreign races, to reunify this fragmented land of a thousand li, to restore our homeland, and to forge anew with iron and fire the magnificent rivers and mountains that our ancestors watered with their blood.”
“Join us, Little Ke! As our compatriot, no longer suffer Vega’s deception and enslavement. Stop shedding blood for those Westerners. Be a proud and unyielding Yan Tribe member like us, and save our people from the Westerners who oppress our kin!”
Ke Yiyi stared at Man Changpo, dumbfounded. She had never imagined he would utter such words.
Man Changpo’s voice was not loud, and his gaze was perfectly calm; he seemed entirely unchanged from his usual self. It was precisely because of this that the Big Brother Man she knew so well now seemed utterly alien beneath the clear, sunny sky…
She knew it sounded unfriendly…
But if she truly had to describe it… she could only think of one word, a word often used to describe Polaris.
– Deluded.