Great! I'm surrounded by villains!
Chapter 148 - 68: Red Star Observations

Chapter 148: Chapter 68: Red Star Observations

The music that resonated on the stage invigorated the audience, gradually silencing the noisy chatter as they concentrated on the stage.

Duan Mingyuan immediately recognized the person who took the stage—it was Cai Die, who had previously welcomed them. Now, she had changed into a well-tailored, wine-red evening dress, exuding an elegant and dignified beauty. Holding a list in her hands, she methodically announced the evening’s event schedule at the theater.

Before the performance began, there was a segment for product showcases.

Held once a month, Duan Mingyuan and his companions had just happened to catch the end-of-month extravaganza.

This place was both an entertainment kingdom and a commercial empire.

In the Emerald Theater, you could admire up close the specialties from all over the universe. Of course, there were also extraterrestrials from various parts of the universe who had been invited to come. In the spirit of exchange and cooperation, they presented their homeland’s customs and culture to the gathering crowd.

"If you take a liking to anything, just name your price, and charge it to my account,"

Ying Tian said. Every time he stood in a booth, a sense of pride emerged spontaneously.

The changes at the Imperial Court over the past decade had far exceeded those of the hundreds of years during the Prime Monarch’s reign. Propelled by the Emerald, people were able to emerge from their cloistered environments.

Duan Mingyuan also stood in front of the opaque glass. Jiuyue was currently backstage. According to the master of ceremonies’ announcement, she was set to make a finale appearance, having been invited to make a guest appearance as a jewelry model. This would be followed by an advertisement shoot, and if all went well, her image would be displayed at the train platforms just like Cai Die’s.

Jiuyue had some interest in the life of a big star, and Cai Die had told her she could help her experience a day in the life of one.

After the event, the Chamber of Commerce would also gift her a makeup and jewelry package, including all the products used during today’s exhibition.

"Many important guests have arrived this time, I need to go and entertain them. I wish everyone a good time,"

Ying Tian was a completely different person from how he had been during Swordsmanship Class, and the privileged guests of the Chamber of Commerce could probably never imagine that the man behind the scenes at the Emerald Theater would doze off hugging a dummy in class.

Ning Ruyue began to understand the shift in Cai Die’s attitude towards the Third Prince.

His irreverent and unpredictable nature hadn’t changed, but his actions over the years were enough to gather a group of loyal followers.

The Elder Princess questioned herself—if she were in the Third Prince’s shoes, she had to admit she couldn’t have achieved everything he did.

So, what was she good at?

Playing the lute?

Such a pastime, while refining one’s sentiments, was of no use in governing a country.

A sense of defeat washed over her.

"I’m going downstairs to have a look."

Duan Mingyuan enthusiastically picked up a camera, deciding to immerse himself in the festivity’s atmosphere. He aimed to secure a vantage point in the front row, to capture Jiuyue’s stage appearance from the best angle.

"I won’t go."

Ning Ruyue said, as she could already imagine what would happen if she went downstairs.

Because of her identity as the Elder Princess, she would be surrounded by a bunch of noble officials from the Imperial Court, unable to enjoy the pleasures of the gala. It would be better to stay in the private room, where at least she could witness all the exhibits.

...

Duan Mingyuan weaved through the crowd, finally finding a spot in the front row after some effort. During this time, he inevitably overheard the topics of conversation among the people.

The current political landscape within the Imperial Court and the trend of relations between universes were most heavily impacted by the discovery of another corrupted planet by the Universe Company’s exploration team.

A planet called Red Star.

The locals were contending with an epidemic known as "Red Death Disease," which reportedly caused the bodies of those infected to gradually decay. Their internal organs transformed into a red crystal unknown to the Company’s records, a crystal that required heat to maintain stability. Once the temperature dropped too low, a chain explosion would occur.

The explosion itself was not very destructive, but the crystalline dust would swiftly disperse into the air, triggering more infections.

Duan Mingyuan silently memorized this academic knowledge from the universe, and next, a delegation from Red Star was due to come on stage.

"This is a weather regulator, one of Red Star’s greatest inventions,"

As the presenter announced, a voice suddenly came from beside Duan Mingyuan.

It belonged to a young woman in her early twenties with silver short hair. To describe her attire with restraint, it was rather avant-garde and bold. Although there were pieces of cloth covering some parts, their effect was basically the same as a swimsuit.

Duan Mingyuan felt certain he hadn’t misunderstood; the comment was directed at him, as after speaking, the girl with silver hair unabashedly observed him.

The Third Prince had mentioned that the Emerald Theater was favored by dignitaries of the Imperial Court and that envoys from extraterrestrials were often seen there. Thus, it was common for servants or maids to dress themselves carefully and come to the theater to "try their luck."

But did he look like someone wealthy and powerful?

Duan Mingyuan looked down at his suit, one he had purchased for work before, an entire set costing several hundred Bei, belonging to an economically affordable style.

Before setting off, he had specifically inquired about the Imperial Court’s dress code.

Within the Imperial Court, suits were the most common attire, symbolizing the identity of industrious workers.

The girl appeared young and likely inexperienced, probably not familiar with the rules of the Emerald Theater. Out of kindness, Duan Mingyuan glanced toward a man not far away with a characteristically square face, pointing the young woman in the right direction, "That gentleman there seems to be a high official of the Imperial Court; approaching him might be more promising."

The latest news about Red Star had come from that official, who clearly frequented the Emerald Theater and was well-versed in the situation of the universe.

"I know."

Seeing that the girl was unmoved, Duan Mingyuan thought she hadn’t grasped his point and felt compelled to be more straightforward, "I’m just an ordinary citizen; talking to me won’t be of much benefit to you."

The silver-haired girl chuckled and said, "You’re quite interesting, talking about benefits even for casual conversation. I just noticed you seemed quite interested in the matter of Red Star. I happened to have visited Red Star not long ago, so I could tell you about it."

"You’ve been to Red Star?"

Duan Mingyuan was sincerely impressed.

The farthest he had ever traveled in his life was to the Imperial Court. Interstellar travel was far too remote a concept for someone like him. After a moment of thought, he asked, "You mentioned that device is a weather regulator, it’s for controlling the temperature to prevent the crystals from exploding, right?"

"Smart. To be precise, once the temperature drops below 30 degrees, the crystal enters an unstable state. If it falls below 10 degrees, it will immediately explode," explained the silver-haired girl. "That’s why Red Star people make their temperature regulators look like jewelry, wearing them to regulate their temperature."

"Isn’t it said that only those afflicted with Red Death Disease have their organs turned into crystals?"

"That was the news several months ago. The latest research from Red Star indicates that Red Death Disease simply accelerates the crystallization process. In fact, every Red Star individual has crystals in their body—yes, you guessed right, even those envoys from the Red Star Chamber of Commerce have them."

The silver-haired girl smiled slightly, "If they lose their weather regulators, they could explode at any moment."