Chapter 23: You Are Family

In the time that followed, through Mu Luo’s explanation, Wen Yuzhi gradually came to understand just how vast this “home” of his really was.

According to Mu Luo, the entire Ninth Star Sector belonged to the Saint Clan. So small that even a speck of stardust, so large that any planet within it—everything was the Saint Clan’s property.

And the planets Wen Yuzhi had been seeing outside the window these past days, if nothing unexpected happened, would also become his assets someday...

Mm. One of them.

Because those planets also contained massive energy mineral veins.

That’s right—veins. Mineral veins everywhere.

Wen Yuzhi already knew there were no administrative districts here, only nine star sectors.

Among those nine, the Ninth Star Sector was the most remote. It was separated from the other sectors by immense distances, and its climate and environment were mostly harsh. Before Mansendis took the throne, only some exiled or marginalized races were willing to stay here.

After Mansendis ascended, the Saint Clan ended the era of thirteen royal-bloods jointly holding power. He became the only true ruler in practical terms, and every Saint Clan member obeyed his commands.

Unlike other Salilaino, Mansendis did not choose to indulge himself day after day in worsening pain, sinking into decay.

His way of relieving pain was war—venting all of it through killing on the battlefield.

No matter how vicious and ferocious a race was, faced with a killing god like that, they still had to flee in terror.

And under Mansendis’s leadership, the Saint Clan’s territory expanded at a shocking speed. As the Saint Clan’s violent reputation grew ever more brutal, the entire Ninth Star Sector gradually fell under Mansendis’s name as well.

The races that had once lived here were either driven out by force or scared off.

Seriously—who would dare live beside a group of vicious, terrifying lunatics like that?

This newly enthroned Saint Clan sovereign was even more frightening than the sister people called the Bloody Mad Queen!

The few races that still managed to survive almost ran for their lives.

From then on, the interstellar map formed an unbelievably strange scene: the first eight star sectors were filled with all kinds of races, bustling and lively, while only the Ninth Star Sector was empty—like a death forbidden zone completely cut off from the outside, a place no one was willing to set foot in.

The Saint Clan didn’t care. They never formed diplomatic ties with other races, and they never participated in interstellar affairs. Whether they had neighbors or not didn’t matter to them.

After taking the Ninth Star Sector, Mansendis began building countless mining zones on those planets.

And it was only then that the various races in the interstellar world realized, in shock, that the Ninth Star Sector held unbelievably rich mineral veins. Beneath those harsh, hostile surfaces lay endless energy ore.

It was buried deep underground, and only the Saint Clan had the technology to extract it.

As for how important energy was—Mu Luo didn’t even need to explain it. Even Wen Yuzhi, who had only been here a few days, already knew.

Whether it was the warship they were riding, or ordinary starships—what powered them was energy.

And not just that. Mechs, mounted weapons, even the tiniest component required energy. The countless things residents touched in everyday life also couldn’t exist without energy.

It could be said that interstellar technology was so advanced only because it was built on energy.

If there were some kind of wealth ranking, then Mansendis—who held the mineral veins of an entire star sector—was without question the richest monarch in the galaxy, far ahead of everyone else.

And Wen Yuzhi, as Mansendis’s only child and the second royal-blood in existence, according to Salilaino inheritance law, would obtain half of Mansendis’s authority and half of his wealth while Mansendis still ruled. Only when Mansendis abdicated or died would Wen Yuzhi receive the remaining half.

Which meant that right now, Wen Yuzhi was already the second richest in the entire interstellar world. The Saint Clan’s vast wealth and the Salilaino’s accumulated holdings over countless years— even split into two, it was still a number that dwarfed everyone else.

At this point, Mu Luo finally gave Wen Yuzhi the answer that Mu Luo hadn’t told him immediately during that earlier checkup.

“The reason I was willing to stay and work for the Saint Clan is because the salary here is very high.”

Mansendis was a violent tyrant who was hard to deal with, but when it came to paying salaries, he was extraordinarily generous.

Mu Luo didn’t want to live on edge all day either—but there was nothing to be done. Mansendis paid too much.

He was even generous enough to pay wages in ore.

Mu Luo had immediately stated that as a doctor, any race could be Mu Luo’s patient—Saint Clan included.

Of course, no matter how high Mu Luo’s pay was, it still couldn’t compare to even a fraction of Wen Yuzhi’s current assets. That was the true astronomical figure.

Or perhaps it was precisely because the figure was so exaggerated that Wen Yuzhi didn’t feel as shocked as he should have. When money became too much, it could numb people.

Right now, Wen Yuzhi’s impression of the Saint Clan had gained an extra label after “extremely strong.”

Very rich.

But “very rich” was still just a label.

Only after Wen Yuzhi saw it with his own eyes did he truly understand what kind of wealth it meant for a race to hold an entire star sector.

......

A day passed quickly.

When Wen Yuzhi saw Alvin again, the adjutant had clearly changed attire.

Alvin was still wearing a solemn, precise military uniform, but there were additional intricate patterns on the shoulders and along the collar at the chest. Silver buttons gleamed, and from the right shoulder, a long cape draped down.

Compared to what Alvin wore in the previous days, it was like the difference between combat dress and formal uniform.

“Good morning, Your Highness.”

A gentle smile rested at the corner of Alvin’s lips. The attitude was so natural it was as if the past days of avoidance had never existed at all.

When Alvin saw Wen Yuzhi, Alvin even looked deeply at the young man in front of them.

“Mu Luo already told this subordinate. I’m sorry—I made Your Highness worry.”

Wen Yuzhi shook his head. “You don’t need to apologize to me. You’re the adjutant. You have many things you need to handle. And I don’t need someone to stay with me all the time.”

“I asked Mu Luo to look for you because I wanted to tell you... and him. I wasn’t afraid, and I won’t fear or hate you because of that.”

Alvin hadn’t expected the young Highness to say something like this.

Alvin’s movement paused. The expression went blank with surprise.

And Wen Yuzhi continued, sounding a little awkward as he spoke quietly, “...You’re my family, aren’t you?”

If they were family, how could he be afraid? How could he dislike them?

Even with the Wen family, Wen Yuzhi only became completely disappointed after being wronged again and again.

But Alvin and the others had been good to him.

What was good and what was bad—Wen Yuzhi could still tell the difference.

The young man didn’t finish saying everything, but the meaning underneath was obvious.

Even rarer was that “you” and “family.”

The young Highness... thought Alvin was family?

Alvin went speechless.

Within the Saint Clan, rank was strict. They were one race, but even within bloodlines there was still high and low, noble and base.

How could a mere Heimo like Alvin ever be qualified to be family to royal-blood Salilaino? The only one who could truly be called the young Highness’s family was the king.

Even knowing this misunderstanding came from the young Highness not yet being familiar with how things worked inside the Saint Clan, Alvin still couldn’t stop it—Alvin’s heart felt as if it had been wrapped in cotton.

As if Alvin had abruptly fallen into something soft.

Alvin hurriedly lowered their head and pushed the glasses up, trying to cover the momentary loss of composure.

“Your Highness...”

The handsome Saint Clan member let out a helpless, low sigh.

When Alvin lifted their head again, Alvin’s expression had already turned firm.

Alvin placed a hand over the heart and spoke in a solemn tone—like making a promise, like swearing an oath.

“This subordinate will offer Your Highness loyalty forever.”

This loyalty was not the Heimo’s innate obedience toward Salilaino. It was Alvin’s loyalty from the heart—loyalty sworn on Alvin’s own honor.

And in that moment, Alvin suddenly had a feeling: the young Highness before Alvin, so different from other royal-bloods, with such a soft temperament... might truly be able to bring a different kind of change to the king, to the Saint Clan.

Fortunately, the Mother Goddess had not abandoned them. She had sent the young Highness to their side.

Wen Yuzhi didn’t know what Alvin was thinking.

He changed into the clothes Alvin had brought—also a formal uniform.

The spotless white uniform perfectly outlined the young man’s slender, upright build. The elegant, intricate vine-like patterns at the collar and cuffs marked the noble status of royal blood.

And at his chest, Alvin personally pinned a golden brooch shaped like a scale.

Wen Yuzhi rarely dressed this formally. He blinked, a little nervous.

Alvin bent down to adjust the collar. In a gentle voice, Alvin said softly, “This is Your Highness’s first official appearance. It has been a long time since royal blood was born within the clan. Everyone is looking forward to meeting you.”

“Don’t worry. You are Salilaino. We are all your subjects. It is we who come to pay respects to you.”

As Alvin spoke, the warship was already very close to Dark Tower Star.

Standing by the window, Wen Yuzhi could vaguely see a blurred outline.

Dark Tower Star...

This was the Saint Clan’s capital.

He didn’t know if it was because Mu Luo and Alvin were here, but even though he had never been to this unfamiliar planet, he didn’t feel much fear.

On the contrary, Wen Yuzhi felt curious about it—and deep down, a small, secret anticipation.

As they drew {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} closer, Wen Yuzhi felt his heartbeat slowly speeding up. His mind couldn’t focus anymore, and his gaze kept drifting out the window again and again.

The moment that beautiful, vibrant planet appeared outside the window, Wen Yuzhi couldn’t help holding his breath.

The River of the Dead fish swimming through the star sea let out its ethereal cry once more.

That excitement— that joy—also infected Wen Yuzhi.

He pressed a hand to his chest. His heart was pounding violently, as if, in the dark, something ahead was tugging at his emotions, drawing his heart toward it.

The warship slowly came to a stop.

The enormous Thanatos—so massive it could blot out the sky—was like a giant dragon. It folded its wing-like structures and spiraled down. The fleets around it followed at its sides, dropping one after another like countless meteors, landing on the docking field.

Inside the room, Wen Yuzhi took a deep breath.

Alvin pushed the door open and bowed respectfully. “Your Highness, the king is already waiting for you.”