Under the glow of the moon and the warm light of the festival lanterns, two figures stood side by side on the veranda of a luxurious inn, a room that could easily be classified as VVIP. A man and a woman faced each other, their gazes locked. Yet, unlike the romantic scene one might expect, the atmosphere was heavy, eroded by reality like cold wind wiping away footprints in the sand.
Gaia did his best to maintain a calm expression, hiding behind a practiced poker face. He tried to act unfazed by the surreal and unpredictable situation before him. He knew full well the angelic figure standing opposite him could just as easily become a goddess of death if he made a wrong move. And if there was one thing Gaia hated, it was panicking when confronted with the unknown.
The woman broke eye contact first, glancing toward the lively festival below before speaking again.
"The recent events involving the Jiang and Xiao families... Who do you think was behind them?" she asked.
"According to General Lin Feng's information, it should be followers of Kauket," Gaia answered without hesitation.
Despite his usual laziness, Gaia had taken the time recently to visit the Yinzhou Penglai military office, asking Lin Feng about the cultists of Kauket.
From the information Lin Feng provided, Kauket was one of the Chrones entities revered as gods in this universe. Kauket, in particular, held dominion over darkness, void, and nihility. His followers sought to drag the entire world into nothingness.
"You know... the war in Yinzhou, the one that caused your master, Jiang Bailou, to be stranded on an unknown planet was orchestrated by Kauket's worshippers," the woman said calmly.
Gaia remained silent. He already knew some of this from Jiang Bailou himself, so he wasn't shocked. However, if what this mysterious woman said was true, he silently vowed to show no mercy to any Kauket worshippers he encountered in the future.
"So... what's your real reason for meeting me? You didn't come here just to enjoy the view and have idle chatter, like a date, right?" Gaia asked bluntly, unable to hide his impatience.
"a date?" the woman repeated, slightly amused. She paused, thinking for a moment before smiling slightly.
"That's not a bad idea. It's been so long that I almost forgot what a date feels like... How about we continue our conversation while strolling through the festival? Treat it like a date," she suggested casually.
Gaia felt a complicated mix of emotions a part of him was thrilled at the idea of going on a date with such a beautiful woman, but another part of him remained deeply wary, knowing she could kill him in an instant.
If this 'date' goes badly, or if I refuse her... am I going to get annihilated right here and now? Gaia thought, grimacing.
The woman only smiled knowingly, as if she could read his mind, causing Gaia to blush and awkwardly scratch his head.
"Well then, let's make the most of tonight," Gaia said with a more serious tone, extending his hand toward her. She took it without hesitation and in the blink of an eye, they vanished from the veranda, cloaked by Gaia's concealment magic, unnoticed by the world below.
The festival streets buzzed with life neon lanterns flickered, and the melodic sounds of a guzheng blended with an electronic beat. Gaia walked side by side with the woman, feeling an almost tangible sense of danger in the air, like static electricity prickling his skin.
Yet he simply lifted the corner of his mouth in a lazy smirk, appearing relaxed, as if the only thing on his mind was whether the nearby food stalls had anything tasty to offer.
The woman cast a brief glance at him, as if assessing him, and Gaia met her eyes without fear just a slight mischievous glint in his gaze.
"If you're planning to kill me," he said casually, almost jokingly, "at least wait until after I've eaten some mochi from that stall over there."
The woman chuckled softly a sound that felt like a thin blade scraping over glass. They continued strolling side by side, passing under a giant mechanical dragon coiled in the town square. And for a moment, amidst the sparkling lights and shadows, the threat between them seemed to fade leaving only faint laughter, light steps, and an alluring beauty too captivating to resist.
"This has been a surprisingly pleasant date. I'll forgive your earlier rudeness because of it," the woman said.
Gaia gave a casual gesture and replied lazily, "Thanks a lot."
Though internally, his mind was screaming:
Banzai Festival, Banzai!
"As another gift, I'll share a little piece of useful information," she said.
"...?"
"There's a 99.99% chance that Kauket's worshippers will make a move during tomorrow's promotion exams. Be careful."
"Huh? What do you " Gaia started, but before he could finish, the mysterious woman disappeared into the bustling crowd, leaving no trace. There hadn't even been a ripple of magic, qi, or energy she simply vanished.
After running through countless possibilities and still failing to explain it, Gaia finally gave up and muttered,
"At least tell me your name before you disappear…"
Resigned, he wandered back to his inn alone like a man who just got dumped on a Christmas date.
*
As the stars faded into morning light, the air around Yinzhou Penglai buzzed anew this time, not with celebration, but with expectation. The combination of the general promotion exams and the festival made it one of the most historic days in Yinzhou Union history. Delegates and visitors from other parts of the Union and even other planets poured in, adding to the festive atmosphere.
Inside one of Penglai's military buildings, five individuals stood neatly lined up before General Lin Feng the candidates for the promotion exam.
Even though the exams coincided with the festival, they were conducted in secret. The citizens of Yinzhou Penglai only knew that the exams were happening today and that the festival was being held in celebration. They had no idea what actually went on behind the scenes.
Starting from the far left stood a man with black hair wearing a tight leather jacket Luo Jin.
Next to him was a young man with disheveled but elegant silver-purple hair, radiating a natural charm. His silver eyes sparkled playfully, and he wore a white-and-purple uniform adorned with a luxurious brooch. His name was Khalid.
Beside Khalid stood Lin An, and next to him, Gaia himself.
Finally, on Gaia's right was a young woman. Her long, golden hair flowed like silk, and her warm blue eyes exuded both grace and authority. She wore a black-and-gold outfit accented with blue, her presence like that of a noble knight. As the only female candidate, there was no mistaking her she was Elysia.
General Lin Feng began explaining the exam structure.
The promotion test would be divided into three stages:
Knowledge Test Like a traditional school exam, answer written questions without cheating or using artifacts. It was mostly a formality.
Character and Leadership Test Divided into two parts, to be explained later.
Ability Test Also divided into three sections, with details to be revealed later.
General Lin Feng made it clear:
The public would never know what happened inside the test.
They would only see the results of who ultimately became a general.
After explaining everything, Lin Feng gave the candidates a few minutes to prepare before teleporting them to the examination realm.
During the short break, Lin An turned to Gaia.
"Gai, don't expect me to go easy on you," Lin An said with a grin.
"What happened to the nervous guy who used to freeze up around me?" Gaia teased with a small smile.
Lin An blushed a little but smiled back shyly.
Then another candidate approached. It was the serious-looking Luo Jin.
"Nice to meet you, Gaia Matera. I'm Luo Jin," he said, his sharp gaze unwavering.
Despite his fierce appearance, his soul felt calm, he didn't seem to harbor any ill will toward Gaia. Gaia appreciated people like that.
"Nice to meet you too, I'm Gaia Matera," I replied, keeping my tone light even as I felt the subtle tension radiating from this man like a blade hidden beneath a silk cloth.
"I won't say much, but I hope there'll be a moment during the exam where I get to fight you," Luo Jin said, his sharp gaze carving that intent directly into the air between us.
I gave a small, casual laugh, appearing relaxed on the outside, even as my instincts stirred, already bracing for the inevitable clash.
"Haha, I'm not exactly wishing for it," I said, my smile lingering as my mind sharpened, "but if it does happen, I won't hold back."
In this world, polite words like that rarely meant peace more often, they were simply the prelude to battle.
Meanwhile, Khalid and Elysia simply glanced at Gaia briefly before keeping their distance. Curious, Gaia asked,
"Aren't the four of you supposed to be close, since you're all Deputy Generals under Jiang?"
Lin An chuckled wryly.
"Not exactly. Even though we all serve under Jiang, we each work in different areas."
"Huh? But I thought you were all managing Yinzhou Xiexien together?"