22: Chapter 22 First Arrival on the Northern Star!! The First Academy of Yanlong

The journey to North Star required taking a xihe-class battlecruiser to a starport hub first. It wasn't too far, but it still took nearly two weeks.

Time during interstellar travel flowed slowly; the excitement of riding a starship for the first time didn't last long, as the starry sky outside the portholes was eternal and monotonous.

Li Yuan was focused on studying the star map of the Virgo Supercluster displayed on his personal terminal. Suddenly, he felt a weight on his shoulder as a familiar fragrance quietly wafted over.

"Master~ what are you looking at so intently?" Laya had approached him from behind at some point, her perfect curves pressed against his back, her warm breath lightly brushing past his ear.

She had specifically worn a form-fitting silver long dress today, the neckline design perfectly outlining the elegant lines of her collarbones, while her soft blonde hair fell across her shoulders like flowing moonlight.

"I'm studying the geographical location of North Star, since that's the planet we're about to go to," Li Yuan replied, forcing himself to stay calm. Ever since she took on human form, Laya had been treating him less and less like a master.

"Is North Star even as good-looking as me?" Laya leaned in with a dissatisfied look, hugging Li Yuan and swaying while acting spoiled. "Play with me, come play with me."

Dizzied by Laya's shaking, a small thought crossed Li Yuan's mind. He suddenly reached out to wrap his arm around her slender waist, and with a slight pull, he brought her into his arms, letting her sit sideways on his lap.

"Little Laya, how do you want to play, hehehehe." He had a mischievous grin, his arm encircling her waist.

Laya's cheeks instantly flushed crimson, and her previous arrogance vanished in an instant. She nimbly broke free from Li Yuan's embrace and ran to the door. Perhaps because she was further away, her arrogance returned, and she looked back to make a face at Li Yuan: "Bleeeh! Come and catch me! The restaurant put out a lot of new dishes today, I'm going to eat!"

"Alright, I'm hungry too." Li Yuan shook his head with a light laugh and chased after her, letting Laya take his arm as they walked toward the restaurant.

...

The xihe-class was a sustainable starship with ecological maintenance capabilities. The living facilities on board were diverse, with everything from swimming pools, gyms, gardens, to aquariums.

Li Yuan was curious about what effect the life essence he had absorbed during the hunt actually had on him, so he went to the small training room equipped in the suite to test his reaction speed.

Holographic moving targets flickered throughout the room. He nimbly dodged virtual energy rays and struck the targets, his movements significantly more agile than before.

"Master is so amazing~" Laya's voice suddenly came from behind. She had also come to the training room at some point, having changed into a thin, light gray training suit that perfectly outlined her graceful curves.

She deliberately performed a high-kick stretching movement in front of Li Yuan, her flexible figure like a dancing butterfly, her calf almost touching his shoulder.

"Want to come and play this together?" Li Yuan's ray-dodging training was similar to the VR fruit-slicing games back on Earth; he found it quite fun.

"Okay, okay!" Hearing Li Yuan's invitation, Laya pounced over.

The game began, but the result was unexpected. Whether it was intentional or not, Laya soon crashed into Li Yuan, and the two fell into a tangled heap.

The training rays swept over them.

"GAME OVER"

Li Yuan, who was protecting Laya's head and holding her in his arms, lightly patted her head. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"Hehehehe." Laya was giggling in his arms.

...

The starport was about to be reached.

Li Yuan stood before the observation window. The massive starport was several times larger than Planet Edge 7. Countless starships and patrol fighters moved in and out of the starport. The massive xihe-class battlecruiser looked as small as a toy ship in front of the starport.

"Master~" A pair of arms gently and tightly wrapped around his waist from behind. Laya pressed her cheek against his broad back and rubbed slightly. "We're about to go to North Star, to the human world." She seemed a bit nervous or apprehensive.

Li Yuan turned around to pull her into a full embrace, one arm around her waist while the other gently patted her back, seemingly soothing her emotions.

"It's okay, we're together."

...

After transferring to a passenger ship from the starport and undergoing several wormhole jumps, they would soon reach North Star.

When the passenger ship completed its wormhole jump, the magnificent sight of North Star slowly unfolded outside the porthole. The planet was shrouded in a faint energy shield, looking like a sapphire set upon black velvet.

Millions of starships, satellites, and space stations navigated in an orderly fashion across various orbital levels, forming brilliant bands of light.

"Is this North Star?" Laya leaned against the porthole, staring at the scene in awe. "It's even more grand than the descriptions in the data!"

Li Yuan walked to her side and pointed at the faintly visible clusters of buildings on the planet's surface: "Look there, that's where we're going—the administrative center of North Star."

The ship slowly landed at the Capital Spaceport. The moment she stepped out of the hatch, Laya was mesmerized by everything before her. Countless flying vehicles shuttled along invisible airlanes, and holographic billboards floated in mid-air showcasing the latest technological products.

"Master, look! That glowing candy store!"

Laya excitedly pointed at a shop flickering with neon lights in the distance.

Li Yuan helplessly pulled back the girl who wanted to run over. "Let's handle the entry procedures first. I'll take you there once we're settled."

"Just one look~" Laya tugged at his sleeve, her eyes sparkling. "I promise I won't run off!"

After holding back the curious Laya, the two finally managed to board the maglev train bound for the academy.

After a few stops, a figure rushed into the carriage in a hurry. It was a young girl with long silver hair that flowed like a waterfall woven of moonlight, shimmering with a soft luster under the lights. She wore a well-tailored white uniform, and beneath her short skirt were a pair of straight, slender legs. Her ice-blue eyes were clear as day, and her fair skin was like the finest porcelain. As she approached, a faint scent of cedarwood could be smelled.

"I almost missed this train."

The girl patted her chest to catch her breath, her voice crisp and pleasant. She sat down in the empty seat opposite Li Yuan and Laya, slightly tidying her somewhat messy hair.

"Hello, I am Elia." She gave a polite smile. "Looking at your luggage, are you also going to report to the military academy?"

"Yes, I am Li Yuan, and this is Laya." Li Yuan recognized her—the S-rank girl who had awakened on Edge 7. Hearing the word "also" in her sentence, he smiled and said, "It seems we are about to become classmates."

The train slowly started, and the scenery outside began to flow. Elia gently tucked a stray silver hair behind her ear, a simple action that carried an indescribable elegance.

"Do you know much about North Star Military Academy?" Li Yuan naturally started a conversation.

Elia's fingertips lightly tapped her knee as she thought about her answer: "North Star Military Academy, the Yanlong First Academy, directly connects to the military. The current commander of the Seventh Fleet came from there."

Laya curiously leaned her head over: "What's inside the academy? Are there good restaurants? We heard on the way that North Star's food is very famous!"

Elia was slightly stunned, then smiled faintly: "I heard there are several food streets near the campus. Right next to the academy's Weapons Research Institute. Do you know about white emperor, the white emperor mecha? It was developed by that research institute."

"I saw it when we left Edge 7; at that time, the white emperor mechas were clearing out the remaining Thunder Beasts and Brood Hosts on the planet." Li Yuan recalled that mecha which, like a mechanical deity, had decapitated a Thunder Beast with a single sword strike.

"You guys are also from Planet Edge 7? Me too!" Aria said happily, glad to meet fellow provincials.

Just then, the train passed a cluster of buildings suspended in the air. Elia pointed out the window: "Look, those are the above-ground parts of the academy's Psionic Training Center. The gravity simulation room in the central tower can simulate gravity levels near the edge of a black hole."

Laya's eyes widened, and she tugged at Li Yuan's sleeve: "Master, will we go there to train in the future?"

"Wait until you pass the basic courses first." Li Yuan gently pressed down her restless hand.

After the train arrived at the station, the full view of the academy gradually unfolded before their eyes. A pale blue energy barrier shrouded the entire campus like a water curtain, with internal buildings arranged in an orderly fashion, suspended at different heights. Several training mechas over ten meters tall were conducting combat training on a distant drill ground, with metal collisions sending out showers of electric sparks.

North Star Central Military Academy truly lived up to its title as the 'Yanlong First Academy.' It not only occupied the most central region of the North Star continent, but the campus itself was a massive strategic defense complex.

As far as the eye could see, classical Gothic spires and futuristic streamlined alloy buildings coexisted harmoniously. A massive holographic school emblem—an Eastern dragon encircling stars and a blade—rotated slowly in the clouds, overlooking the entire campus.

Throughout the campus, high-intensity training could be seen everywhere: on the 'Psionic Matrix Plaza,' students practicing telekinesis were using their minds to manipulate massive metal cubes into complex reconfigurations; in the 'Environment Simulation Zone,' one area had been transformed into a hellish landscape of churning lava, where cadets in special protective suits performed extreme survival drills; further away, dozens of scale-model starships engaged in fierce combat exercises within the 'Void Battlefield Dome,' with energy beams crisscrossing, all contained within an invisible force field.

The students shuttling back and forth, regardless of which professional uniform they wore, all carried an air of sharpness and confidence. It was the self-awareness of being the chosen ones, as well as the fortitude of carrying the survival of civilization on their shoulders. This was not just an academy for imparting knowledge, but a furnace for forging the blades of human civilization—a true cradle for elites and a strategic cornerstone.

"New students, please proceed to the Freshman Registration Desk to register."

A spherical robot slid in front of them, projecting a holographic guide map. "Do you need a tour of the academy's featured facilities?"

Elia nodded. "Navigate to the registration desk first."

At the registration desk, they saw even more new students from various star systems. There were combat-type talent students carrying all sorts of weapons, engineering-type talent students with holographic computing devices floating around them, and technology-type talent students wearing white researcher robes. The entire hall was filled with vitality and youthful energy.

"Identity verification passed."

A mechanical voice sounded, "Li Yuan, Laya, Elia. Military-recommended combat-type talent students."

The intelligent robot handed over three electronic student IDs: "Dormitory assignments are complete. The entrance test will begin in three days along with other incoming students. The syllabus will be sent to your terminals after the test and class placement. Do you need to tour the campus now?"

Li Yuan looked toward the training tower soaring into the clouds in the distance, its body occasionally flashing with ripples from the energy shield. "Tomorrow," he said, pulling along the eager Laya, "let's let a certain little one taste the delicacies she's been dreaming of first."

Laya puffed out her cheeks and muttered softly, "Master is the worst..."

...

Of course, even if they were going shopping, they had to drop off their luggage first; the dormitory was naturally the first stop.

As soon as they set off, Li Yuan surprisingly discovered...

"The three of us... are living together!"