Chapter 650: Chapter 79 Right and Wrong, Success and Failure_2
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The capital of the sky, basked in a warm afternoon, while on the other side of the Earth, a nation known as Ustus was plunged into deep night.
Tonight, the Huang Guang State shone brighter than usual as this wondrous place welcod a teor shower, a phenonon that occurs at irregular intervals.
One by one, teors streaked across the night sky, descending toward the earth. Starlight fell on mountains, sparking a rainbow of fire; starlight fell on fields, turning corn and fruits into vehicle-sized giants; starlight showered over rivers, transforming the clear water into milk and honey; starlight fell upon cities, resulting in people cheering and scrambling for it.
People steadfastly believed that those touched by starlight would receive incredible power. Despite countless examples proving this was just urban legend, as the starlit glow only altered the cybernetic enhancents and armants of the people, the people of Huang Guang State remained fanatically enthusiastic about each teor shower. “Pluck the stars!” they shouted, echoing the words passed down from ancient ancestors, reaching for the starlight with fervor until it finally settled upon the fortunate soul.
Tonight, the lucky one to touch the starlight was a stumbling drunk. Amidst the bustling crowd chasing after stars, a star had landed upon his head. The crowd let out collective sighs of disappointnt, but soon surged forward, lifting the vagabond into the air.
“Bless you, brother!” the citizens sent him off with their sincere blessings, “May the ancestors grant you the power to pluck stars!”
The old vagabond’s eyes widened as he found his bottle turned to gold. He whooped with joy: “Bless the ancestors! I’ve struck it rich!”
Everyone knew a golden wine bottle couldn’t guarantee a lifeti of wealth and splendor, but who cared? For the vagabond and the onlookers alike, it was a cause for celebration.
The noise of the star pluckers was soon overshadowed by street musicians, their music drowned out by the sound of single-passenger spacecraft, the shimring vessels entering the belly of a gigantic projected whale, before vanishing into the artificial luminescence…
There was always sothing more eye-catching, fresh exuberances more boisterous, what remained constant was the equal chance for all. This was the largest city in the Huang Guang State, the capital of the Ustus Federation. Locals called it Normanloss, while in the distant Yong Guang Empire, it was commonly known as teor City.
The lower levels of teor City were bustling with vivacity, while its skies enjoyed serene elegance. At the top floor of the Wesling Building, the elevator doors silently parted, and a man stepped out with a resolute stride, advancing with a steady pace amidst a backdrop of symphonic music.
This was a man often seen on television and in the newspapers, aged 55, middle-aged for a man, but in his pri for a politician. He was a man of rich experiences, a soldier once, an entrepreneur, and in his youth, even a newsroom runner. Yet, ti had failed to leave overt marks on his face; his brown hair was soft and lustrous, his eyes bright and spirited, his robust figure filling out a black suit, making him appear much younger than his years.
The man approached a wooden door, from behind which the symphony was emanating.
“Co in!” ca the enthusiastic call from inside, and the man entered a room exuding comfort and luxury, “Rainbow Winged Lord” Celeste Hadrian sat in a rocking chair, eyes closed, savoring the music.
“You’re quick, Little Gaius.” Hadrian put a bottle of wine on the table, “I rember… Ah…! You have a eting with the Ministry of Defense tonight!”
“I’ve postponed it,” Gaius opened the wine with practiced ease, pouring a full glass for the elder, “Your information is more important than any minister’s report.”
“Ha! You’re eager… but wait, just a bit longer.”
The old man swayed in his rocking chair, his shadow fluttering with the light. But Gaius noticed a peculiar phenonon—on the floor, the shifting shadow was only of the chair… with no sign of the person sitting in it.
Gaius Otimis stood in silence, waiting, until the red wine was gone, the clock tower in the distance struck the hour, until the rocking, swaying seat, was suddenly overlaid with a new shadow.
Hadrian, stroking his beard, said approvingly, “The kids did quite a number on my shadow. Not bad at all!”
Hadrian’s shadow returned.
The shadow changed into the figure of a gentleman wearing a hat and carrying a cane. A voice erged from the shadow, tinged with despondency, “I’ve genuinely been killed once… I won’t be able to fight for a long ti, I’ll need a long rest…”
“Rest, you’re not needed under the sun,” Hadrian leaned over, reaching into the shadow, fishing around, “Let’s see what we’ve got this ti…”
He pulled a dragon’s head out from the shadow, then an entire giant dragon. As soon as it appeared, the Rainbow Winged Lord compressed it to a minuscule size, transforming the beast into toy-like proportions. Celeste grabbed at the dragon until nothing more could be drawn from the shadow.
“77 dragons, barely passable for research material,” Hadrian seed slightly disappointed, “A pity Little Aureus didn’t make it out!”
Jinglian had surreptitiously whisked away dozens of dragons amidst the chaos in Cangdu! These “trophies” had not been left behind with his death but had returned with him, back into Hadrian’s shadow…
“No matter,” said Gaius impassively, “There will be other ways to shake the Fan Ding Realm of the Divine Capital.”
“How heartless, Little Gaius. That’s your son!”
“What’s done is done, regrets and lantations are pointless. And if Aureus possesses the strength, he will preserve his own life.”
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