Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 161
“Alveira? Alveira? Wake up, Your Majesty. We have arrived at Sword Bow.”
Alveira opened her eyes and saw Darius’s face. She pushed herself up and realized that she had fallen asleep on a reclining chair in the spaceship’s solarium.
“What? We’re here already?” She noticed that a blanket had been draped over her, something that hadn’t been there when she fell asleep.
“You slept for several hours.” Darius folded the blanket for her. “You’ve been too exhausted during this inspection tour. Take a good rest when we return to the capital.”
“Okay,” Alveira said. As she stood up, something fell off her knees. It was her communication terminal, displaying a comic titled “The Nameless Assassin and the Fallen Aristocrat”. Feeling bored during the long journey, Alveira had bought a few comics online to pass the time. “The Nameless Assassin and the Fallen Aristocrat” was currently the most popular and trendy comic, telling the story of a noble girl in a war-torn era who roams with an assassin. Its author, the comic artist known by the pen name “Duchess”, had recently won the Best Comic Artist of the Year of the Unfallen Star award, receiving praise from many industry veterans for her lively brushstrokes and profound insights.
Alveira picked up the communication terminal and put it away. “I just had a strange dream.”
“What kind of dream?”
“I can’t remember clearly. I think I dreamt of two old friends.”
On August 30th, 1418 of the Standard Calendar, Her Majesty Queen Alveira I, accompanied by Prince Darius, arrived at Sword Bow for an inspection. It had been a year since the war ended, and the Empire had largely restored the peace and prosperity it enjoyed before the war. Last month, Her Majesty married the war hero, the Imperial Marshal, Count Darius Bayes. Together, they had inspected various planets that had been devastated during the war and had since recovered. The final stop on their tour was Sword Bow, which had not only been leveled by rebels during the civil war but was also the site where the Battle of the Yasha concluded. The planet had narrowly avoided a stellar destruction crisis, thanks to the assistance of Neo Athens. The people had rebuilt their homes on the ruins, and now Sword Bow showed almost no traces of the war.
As Her Majesty and Prince Darius disembarked from the spaceship, a cheer erupted from the vast crowd at the spaceport. Salutes were fired, music played, and the spirited governor approached to greet the queen with a deep bow.
“Welcome to Sword Bow, Your Majesty, and Your Royal Highness.”
“I’m glad to see you again after a year, Governor.” The Queen allowed him to kiss the back of her hand.
For this inspection, the Queen traveled aboard Prince Darius’s flagship, the Sword of the Queen. Her own flagship had been sunk during the war, destroyed by the monstrous Yasha. Fortunately, there were no people aboard at the time. The crew had remained on the Unfallen Star. After the war, some continued to serve in the military, others pursued different careers, and still others returned to Milantu. Today, Milantu had become a vital trade hub between the Empire and the Free City-States, with frequent trade and rich mineral resources, enabling the people of Milantu to live in peace and prosperity even without resorting to piracy. Notably, Ibb Descartes and pilot Titia, formerly of the Lady of the Night, had recently married, and the Queen had sent them a wedding gift.
The AI that had been aboard the Lady of the Night had found a new home on another ship, beginning a new life. Rumor had it that the ship’s owner was on a galactic tour, and with the help of the high-end AI, the performances were sure to be more spectacular.
“Your Majesty must be tired from the journey. Shall I escort you to the hotel?” The governor was eager to please.
“I heard there’s a monument in the central square. I’d like to see it first.”
“Certainly. As you wish. Would you like to go by car? A special car is ready…”
“It’s only about a five-minute walk, right? Let’s walk.”
“Yes, yes.” The governor wiped the sweat from his brow. The Queen’s visit was an unprecedented event. Armed police had cleared the way, but they couldn’t keep the curious citizens from wanting to catch a glimpse of the Queen. Fortunately, the Queen’s guard looked well-trained, so there shouldn’t be any mishaps.
He respectfully accompanied the royal couple out of the spaceport. The current spaceport had been expanded from the former temporary spaceport, with more berths and facilities added to accommodate ships and tourists—after all, Sword Bow was where the Battle of the Yasha ended, and countless people wanted to visit. Soon, tourism would likely become one of the planet’s pillar industries.
The Queen’s party walked along the newly built street, the road smooth and clean, with lush trees and high-rise buildings springing up along the way. More buildings were under construction in the distance. After the war, both the Empire and the Federation, both the elites and the common people, realized how fragile humanity and its creations were in the face of the ultimate weapons of destruction. The thousand-year war between the Empire and the Federation over ideology seemed insignificant in the face of a crisis that threatened all of humanity. In the Battle of the Yasha, both sides achieved a complete ceasefire for the first time—for those who had spent years on the battlefield, this peace was unexpected but seemed quite welcome. The purpose of war was to end war, and so, after the Yasha’s demise, the Empire and the Federation shook hands and signed a nonaggression pact. No one knew how long this treaty would last or how long it would bring peace to the galaxy—it certainly wouldn’t be forever—but at least it allowed both sides to emerge from the shadows and wounds of war, clearing the way for the progress of human civilization.
The Queen waved to the citizens of Sword Bow who lined the streets in welcome. Some people threw petals and streamers from the high-rise buildings, the colorful ribbons fluttering down like a multicolored rain. The central square was just ahead, and the Queen could already see the towering monument. The monument was forged from steel and resembled a broken assault rifle. At its base was the only remaining piece of Sword Bow’s ruins, left as a reminder of the war’s devastation. It had since become a famous tourist attraction on Sword Bow, where it was said that the Galactic Diva once sang during the war’s final moments.
“By the way, Governor,” the Queen asked, “I’ve heard that a cat and a dog have been wandering around the ruins and won’t leave. Is that true?”
The governor nodded obsequiously. “Yes, Your Majesty, it’s been reported many times in the news. It’s said that their owner was the hero who last boarded the Prometheus to destroy the Yasha, and they have been waiting there for their owner to return…” The governor paused thoughtfully. “The local animal protection organization has tried to take them to the stray animal shelter several times, and many kind-hearted citizens have offered to adopt them, but they just won’t leave the ruins… So a small shelter has been built for them nearby.”
A year ago, the war ended with the Yasha’s destruction. According to popular legend, the heroes aboard the battleship created a singularity black hole and threw the Yasha into it, letting it serve as the final arbiter at the end of time, watching over humanity until the end of all things.
At that time, the singularity black hole was so close to the star that it might have consumed it. The residents of the Sword Bow star system were preparing to evacuate, but fortunately, the black hole was perfectly controlled and didn’t consume anything—except the Yasha and the Prometheus. To this day, no one knows the fate of the ship’s passengers, but their pets continue to wait where they left.
The Queen entered the central square. The black monument stood like a towering pillar, awe-inspiring. What surprised the Queen even more was that the ruins beneath the monument were covered in wildflowers, with the wind bringing soil and seeds, allowing the green grass and flowers to take root and grow on the war’s remnants.
A few children ran toward the queen, and a girl holding a bouquet of flowers in her hands said in a childish voice, “Your Majesty, this is for you!” She stood on tiptoe to offer the bouquet to the Queen. The Queen recognized the bouquet as being from the flowers growing on the ruins.
“Thank you, child.” She kissed the girl’s forehead. “By the way, why haven’t I seen the cat and dog here?”
The girl looked confused, “Do you mean the black cat and the big dog? They’ve always been here. I saw them just yesterday…” She turned to her friends. “Why aren’t they here today?”
The other children were also puzzled. Just then, a boy raised his hand. “I know! I saw two big brothers take the black cat and the big dog away this morning!”
The Queen widened her eyes. “Big brothers? What did they look like?”
“Um…” The boy thought for a moment. “I remember one big brother had silver hair, and the other had a mechanical arm.”
The Queen suddenly fell silent. She straightened up and looked at the flower-covered ruins.
There are many stories in this world—stories that people hope will never end. Even when they grow old and gray, these stories can still touch hearts that are no longer young.
The Queen thought, If possible, I also wish this story would never end, that it would be told forever and ever, so that when I’m old, my children and grandchildren will still be hearing the same story, and when they too grow old, they can pass it on to their descendants. Even when the world no longer remembers us, this story will continue to circulate quietly in some corner of the universe. As long as there are people listening, it will never end, and the people in the story will live on forever.
“Is that so.” The Queen smiled.
In the year 1418 of the Standard Calendar, amid the ruins covered with wildflowers, the legend came to an end, and a new chapter in the galaxy’s history began.
But those stories will continue to be told, never ending.
—END—
Kinky Thoughts:
This marks the end of the novel. Hope you enjoyed it. It was an entertaining read, though the last part of the novel suddenly felt way too rushed. Pacing was all over the place. Given the year this was written, this was quite reminiscent of the works back then, as you can see how all the cliché tropes were played out.
I did find a lot of it to be quite OTT, but then again, this is a space opera book, so one can’t expect it not to be overly dramatic.
If you did enjoy it, please consider supporting the author by buying the raws. You can use Google Chrome with their auto translate and this guide on how to buy novels on Changpei (gongzicp). Remember, only with your (financial) support can artists continue to produce more great works.
Finally, I would like to thank everyone for your comments, encouragement, help with my translations, and ko-fi donations.
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