"Is Wei Ke getting used to it?" asked the team leader from Edith Academy with concern, because this student was the only one from another school on the team; he needed a bit more care.
"Yes, I am, thank you," replied Wei Ke, her voice succinct. The girl with the bobbed haircut appeared competent and aloof, but occasionally, she glanced over at Tilan while eating.
The dining tables were lit with floating crystal chandeliers, and the fine golden light created a warm and comfortable atmosphere in the restaurant. Apart from Tilan's table, there were about a dozen others, loosely partitioned by low dividers and arranged in a scattered pattern. Quiet Autonomous Units navigated among them, delivering the als ordered by guests, while a few staff mbers at the front were giving directions to so elderly patrons or informing inquiring custors where to go.
During the al, a few teachers occasionally steered the conversation, but overall, there wasn't much talk. First of all, Tilan wasn't particularly talkative, and Efnie was similar. Although so of the other students were lively, many were on a starship crossing Star Domains for the first ti. Their sense of novelty and curiosity also brought a bit of restraint, so they didn't feel entirely at ease.
Originally, everyone thought that this al would pass uneventfully, but an incident occurred towards the end.
A middle-aged woman in the restaurant stood up in a rage, probably dissatisfied with the dishes provided, and then again, the nu didn't have what she wanted.
"I spent 150,000 Federation Coins on this journey, and this is what you serve ?" she exclaid, dressed in a thick fur coat and carrying a bag that also seed to be from a luxury brand.
In response, the restaurant staff had no choice but to co out and try to appease her, while other patrons nearby couldn't help but look on.
"It's this kind of thing again, why are there so many stupid people everywhere?" muttered a student from Edith Academy, jabbing at a steak with a fork, and complaining in a low voice that it was disturbing his good mood.
"Probably it's her first ti on an interstellar starship; she must have had very high expectations," analyzed another student.
"Forget about it, I don't want to understand the thoughts of such people. After I finish eating, I want to watch the Sword Dueling tournant videos I didn't get to finish."
"How is the food, Wei Ke? Does it suit your taste?" the teacher inquired of the silent girl.
"I like it well enough, thank you." Actually, the food provided by this restaurant was not bad, considered among the better of the T5 level dishes.
"That woman probably thinks that starships should offer a lot of free T4 level als, but if you think about it, that's just not possible."
"Just the round-trip fuel cost and maintenance expenses eat up a lot of the ticket price, and that's after the state regulation of prices. Otherwise, the shipping company would increase prices even more significantly."
"It's just that everyone is used to living on planets, and suddenly, traveling across Star Domains, the pricing template used is too different from what they're accustod to." A girl stood up, preparing to go and appease the woman.
In light of this kind and simple act, several teachers wanted to stop her, but considering the Academy's principles and the perspectives of other people present, they couldn't just forcibly hold back the student. They could only follow with concern, ready for the possibility of a failed intervention.
"Are you going, Tilan?" Efnie actually didn't want to deal with the matter, but after all, it involved a student from the sa school.
"Let's go have a look," Tilan replied with no particular emotion.
She didn't think that the girl's intentions were wrong, nor did she fail to understand the teachers' concerns, and even felt a bit of the irritation that was rising in the hearts of so of her classmates.
This is life, after all. People of all kinds will respond differently to various events based on their experiences and viewpoints. It's easy to feel a lot of emotions if you don't understand others, but once you grasp the principles behind many things, you can beco much more at peace.
The two approached, and by this ti, the girl was already trying to explain to the furious woman.
Unfortunately, the woman was unyielding. She felt that being spoken to by such a young girl was an affront to her dignity and felt as if she was being shad. Her stubbornness was unbreakable. That's human nature for you—rather than admitting one's foolishness or mistakes, it's easier to cover them up with anger and a bad temper.
However, this also signified a different kind of fragility, an unwillingness to reveal failure, a fear of being laughed at, despised, or negated.
Seeing that the woman had started to insult the girl trying to diate, causing her such distress that she nearly cried, Tilan stepped out from the crowd, gently took the girl's hand, and shielded her behind herself.
"That's enough, let's stop here," she said, her blue eyes gleaming as she looked at the other woman, her words rising in the hearts of everyone present.
This astonishing experience caused the guests present to look on in amazent, and then they observed the girl more closely; soon, soone recognized her, after all, Tilan had not put on special makeup to disguise herself today.
Her elegant, long black hair, flawless visage, the powerful ntal pressure of a Songstress, and the enormous reputation and influence that ca with her identity, when these factors layered together, they compelled the woman before her to involuntarily shut her mouth. Even if she wanted to say sothing, her lips only twitched a few tis without speaking.
Seeing the crowd around her growing, she suddenly felt an urge to flee, for this was no matter of glory.
But at this mont, there was no space left for her to evade, as the onlookers had ford a dense wall, making it difficult for her to find a gap to escape quickly—she could only stand there anxiously, sowhat fearful of the surrounding gazes.
"I believe you were also carried away by your emotions, and didn't really intend to harm her. If possible, I hope you can apologize to her, and we can resolve the issue amicably," Tilan's voice was clear and gentle, which quelled the slight rise of accusatory and derisory voices that had begun to erge.
After speaking, Tilan gently pulled the girl at her side out to stand beside her.
"I..." Watching this scene unfold before her, and the many eyes asuring her, the woman finally moved her lips, slowly uttering words of apology.
"I'm sorry, I apologize. My voice was indeed a bit loud just now, and what you said wasn't wrong. It's just that I couldn't handle the setback and shouldn't have lashed out at others..." she said slowly, head bowed.
After she finished speaking, Tilan nodded slightly.
"Let it be so."
Then she looked around, and those seen by this girl felt a strange sensation inside, as if the girl was speaking directly to them, reaching into their conscience and heart, and they could feel her sincere thoughts and emotions radiating out. This feeling of being understood, seen, and acknowledged was like a fla burning in the heart, ready to pull them into exhilarating and devout emotions at any mont.
"Please clear the way." As soon as she said this, the crowd imdiately stepped back, opening a path, which the woman took as her chance to grab her bag and hurriedly walk away.
With that, the matter was resolved. Although others still wanted to approach and ask questions, under the watchful gaze of the girl, they involuntarily complied and left without crowding around any further.
After bringing her classmate back to the dining table, a subdued round of applause and cheers erupted among them.
"As expected of President Tilan, so dazzling."
"Sob sob, it's definitely our President Tilan, such strong presence."
The fellow students expressed various praises and thanks, And Wei Ke, on one side, stared intently at every move Tilan made, seemingly deep in thought.
After the dinner, in the following days, the interactions among them obviously beca more familiar and lively. Tilan, in addition to sleeping and resting, joined in the communal dinners, walks, and practice sessions.
Another evening, everyone gathered in the starship's Combat Room. Although they were not allowed to use excessive power, exchanges of swordsmanship and physical activity were highly anticipated by many students.
"The set of sword moves that Tilan just demonstrated is amazing. I feel like I could use the ti before the tournant to practice and learn it, and strive to use it when I compete."
The people held training swords from the Combat Room, sparring with each other, with the sword edges occasionally striking the training armor, emitting crisp counting sounds.
Seeing Tilan was finally left unencumbered, with no one continuing to surround her, Wei Ke, who had been watching from the side for a while, couldn't resist approaching.
"Could you, could you coach , please? Thank you, President Tilan," she joined the others in calling her President Tilan.
"Of course, you don't have to be so formal, just call Tilan."
Tilan gave a reassuring smile to the girl who had always appeared aloof, and was now a bit awkward and not straightforward.
Without knowing when, she, who had always been taken care of, had now beco a support for everyone else.
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