Chapter 33 Who Supports Whom?
Wu Yan, the General King of the Empire, always presented a tough image, but now his eyes held a trace of sorrow:"They were once like eagles soaring in the sky, unstoppable, the most elite Warriors of the Imperial legion, each one personally selected and led by me.Forget the Interstellar Empire, in the entire Interstellar, who hasn't heard the name of the Flame Army?
"Qiu Ling pursed her lips. Hearing those three words, the Original Owner also had related memories.Beauties loved heroes; many Little Girls wanted to marry the Warriors of the Flame Army!
"Various wars took too great a toll on them.
One urgent and unavoidable dangerous mission after another meant this team only shone for twelve years.They were all S-class and above Warriors, with long lifespans, but now they have no future to look forward to.Those who could be assigned to the Supply Star were the Warriors in relatively better condition.
.."Qiu Ling frowned along with him. They once soared in the sky, but now their wings were broken, and for the rest of their long lives, they could only flutter on the ground.
The disparity was indeed great.Wu Yan sighed slightly and continued, "The Imperial army doesn't support idlers.
Demobilized soldiers can only work in low-paying service industries, and their situation isn't even as good as those S-class Warriors.Originally, their families relied on them to earn crystal stones, but now they've lost that ability and have no descendants, so their situation is predictably terrible.As a prince of the Empire, I at least have some private assets, so I take out 80% of the profits each month to subsidize them in the name of special Imperial care.I can ignore what happens to other generals, but these generals who fought alongside me for over a decade, I can't bear to see them trampled for crystal stones.
.."Yan Zhao clicked his tongue, "I know about this.
The Flame Army made great contributions to the Empire and should rightfully be supported by the Empire.However, the national treasury has a fixed amount of money.
To take out such a large sum of crystal stones every month, some officials who view the national treasury as their personal ATM would certainly be unwilling!
They claimed that the Flame Army's rapid attrition was a deliberate plot by political enemies targeting Wu Yan, and that the Empire shouldn't have to pay for it.One person brought it up, a group of people agreed, and even those Warriors demobilized due to insufficient ability joined in, wanting to get a piece of the action.The matter became very big, and the higher-ups kept delaying it.
Later, Wu Yan used his private assets to establish a foundation to provide subsidies for these Warriors.The Emperor agreed and even gave Wu Yan a batch of private assets as support.Naturally, others had no objections, as Wu Yan's private assets being tied up meant he wouldn't have any spare money to develop anything else, greatly reducing the threat he posed to them!
"Wu Yan looked at him, curling his lips, and said coolly, "You certainly know the details.
These are all Imperial secrets."Yan Zhao smiled, "There are no walls that don't leak wind.
As one of the high-ranking members of the Temple, it's normal for me to hear gossip.
"He turned to Qiu Ling and said, "Darling, other Warriors support one family, but he has to support ten or twenty thousand people.
Tsk, he might even be poorer than me, a mere scholar!
"Wu Yan's face darkened, "You're undermining me right to my face?
I have plenty of private assets, and the remaining 20% of the profit is still more than what you earn teaching students for hundreds of years.
"Yan Zhao immediately buried his head in Qiu Ling's neck, "Darling, listen to him, isn't he just bullying me because I don't have private assets?
His private assets were all bestowed by elders, giving him a higher starting point than me, and he's six years older than me.
How can he have the nerve to show off to me.
.."Wu Yan took a deep breath, "You brought it up first!
"Qiu Ling quickly said, "It's okay, you're both poor.
I'll earn crystal stones to support you both in the future.
"Wu Yan rubbed his temples, "Ling Ling, although I have to spend a huge sum every month, even after deducting various expenses, I can still have an income of two to three million.I can support you!
"Yan Zhao whispered in Qiu Ling's ear, "Darling, isn't it just two or three million a month?
Look at how capable he thinks he is. This time, I'm leading the graduating class as a mentor, and I'll definitely earn that much too!
"Qiu Ling tugged his ear, suppressing a laugh, knowing full well he was deliberately trying to annoy Wu Yan.In the entire Interstellar, no one was as righteous as Wu Yan, daring to shoulder the subsidies for ten or twenty thousand Warriors.It was a bit foolish, but it also made her feel a little pained!
"Alright, you two are both amazing," Qiu Ling chuckled, "But those Warriors are indeed a pity.
I'll see if I can find some Spirit Medicine to treat Mental Energy.
If we can save one, we can save a portion of the subsidy.
"Wu Yan and Yan Zhao exchanged glances. Only she could casually blurt out such words.As if saving that subsidy was so easy!
Yan Zhao put his arm around Qiu Ling's shoulder and walked towards the bedroom, waving to Wu Yan, "Wu Yan, good night.
We're going to bed first."Qiu Ling also smiled and waved, "Wu Yan, good night.
"Wu Yan pressed his lips together, a wave of melancholy rising in his heart.
He hummed in response, continuing to drink water with his gaze lowered.Once inside the door, Qiu Ling immediately used a Qingchen Talisman.
She and Yan Zhao were clean and refreshed, saving twenty minutes of bathing time!
Changing into comfortable loungewear, Qiu Ling bounced onto the bed and excitedly opened the online game, "Yan Zhao, come on, let's play a couple of rounds.The game actually updated a dungeon for the 00125 Supply Star beast tide today.It says it's a one-to-one recreation of the war scene.
I can check out what Vicious Beasts there are and what Spirit Medicine is around.
"Yan Zhao smiled, "Yes, it should be that the Temple and the Empire have agreed to let graduating students come here for training, so they specifically opened this dungeon to screen qualified students.
"Qiu Ling couldn't help but give a thumbs up.
The speed at which this training illusion was built was too fast!
After Yan Zhao teamed up with her, and after she invited her Little Follower, they entered the dungeon's random team and matching mode.However, a banner suddenly floated across the game world, "Welcome to the return of Shi Qing, third on the battle power rankings, to the Jianghu.
.."Qiu Ling got excited. She immediately temporarily left the team, opened the battle power ranking, and challenged Shi Qing, afraid that he would go offline if she was a moment too late.She was prepared to be rejected, but unexpectedly, the other party slowly clicked 'agree' after about ten seconds!
Then the scene around her shifted. The lighting was dim and solemn, with a red banner with black characters reading 'Battle' standing beside her, and three large drums on each side.The slow, heavy drumbeats gradually ignited her Battle Intent.Fearing that the overly soft bed would affect her performance, Qiu Ling quickly scurried out of the bedroom and headed for the training room in the flying shuttle.Typically, when traveling in the Interstellar, even a flying shuttle might take several days or even longer to reach its destination.Therefore, well-equipped flying shuttles, in addition to living quarters, bathrooms, kitchens, and dining areas, would also have entertainment rooms, studies, and training rooms for passengers' amusement.This flying shuttle was a gift from the Emperor when Wu Yan came of age.
Its configuration, space, and layout were all considered top-tier.She pushed open the door and saw Wu Yan there as well, and the scene in front of him was very familiar.
As she approached, the two scenes merged into one!