Firefly Journey

Along the way, Lü Jianming smiled and tried to get information from his two classmates.

"Does the teacher... know where I went?"

Favier Marley rolled his eyes: "Do you even need to guess? Besides bars and dance halls, where else would you be? A church or a library?"

Please, my prince, you're not a hard-working person. It's too easy to guess.

When Fei Wei uttered this insulting and sarcastic remark, the guards behind Lü Jianming instantly became tense, their brows furrowed and eyes bulging.

There was a saying in the state of Chu: "A subject dies when his lord is humiliated," so naturally they were angry.

“If there’s nothing else, go home and wait for me, or follow me where I can’t see you.”

Facing his loyal guards, Lü Jianming couldn't say anything harsh. After all, they risked their lives for him, and he couldn't even get a good attitude in return. Who would be happy about that?

"Yes."

The one who answered was a thin man who exuded an indescribable melancholy, as if he were suffering from a serious illness, and his voice was weak.

"I'm waiting to retire."

In the blink of an eye, the guards disappeared. But Lü Jianming had a feeling that Li Qiji, known as the "Sick General," had never really gone away, like a shadow protecting him from the shadows.

After navigating the bustling streets, the three returned to St. Louis. Having fulfilled their teacher's instructions, Sabrina and Faywes left, while Lü Jianming went alone to see Cassius Bello.

St. Louis is a large and wealthy family, and every teacher has a private office. In the hallway of the teachers' building, Lü Jianming ran into Mirashu, who had just come out.

Mirashu nodded to him: "The teacher has been waiting for you for a long time, please go in."

Lu Jianming said, "I've asked the class monitor and the others, what exactly does the teacher want to do?"

Lü Jianming had been working diligently for a while now. In the past, Cassius Bello didn't pay much attention to him, only offering a few pointers when necessary, and basically didn't interfere with his personal freedom.

Is this a sign that they're changing their appeasement policy and starting a crackdown?

"I don't know, but good luck."

Mirasha smiled and extended her hand.

Helpless, Lü Jianming clenched his fist and lightly bumped it against the other person's, then passed by.

Arriving at Cassius's office door, Lü Jianming took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, and after dawdling for a while, gently knocked on the door.

"Teacher, it's me."

"Come in."

Pushing open the door, Lü Jianming put on a simple, honest smile, like a well-behaved puppy, and stood in front of Cassius.

"sit."

Cassius pointed to the chair in front of him.

Lu Jianming sat down nervously, his eyes darting around. This soft spearhead was far more terrifying than a real, chilling blade.

"Do you know why I called you here?" Cassius asked.

"I know a little bit." Lü Jianming decided to first adjust his attitude. "I came in last place again in last month's assessment."

The assessment he was referring to was the school-wide final exam. Class 29's overall performance was absolutely among the best in the college; even students like Paninger and Lü Jianming, who were at the bottom of the class, never fell out of the top 100 in the college.

This is very scary.

Some things require talent; those rigid students who work hard in front of others but lack flexibility will never learn them in their entire lives.

Conversely, Paninger and Lü Jianming did not work hard, but because of their talent, their final grades, although at the bottom of Class 29, were still better than others.

Do you really think Cassius's vision is just for show?

"Why waste your talent? You should know that what you have is something that many ordinary people can only dream of and can only look up to."

Cassius took off his left monocle and wiped it with a soft cloth.

Lu Jianming raised his head, a bitter smile on his lips, and gave a self-deprecating laugh: "Teacher, you don't understand. If I could, I would rather not have these things."

His eyes immediately dimmed.

Cassius put his monocle back on, looking thoughtful, before his stern expression softened.

Lü Jianming came from the Eastern Kingdom of Great Chu, a country unaffected by the gods and long looked down upon by the countries of the East and West.

Without faith, one is abandoned by God; how can such a place become a nation?

Therefore, the State of Chu was also known as the "Land Forsaken by the Gods".

Without God's protection and the support of the church, there would be a lack of extraordinary fighting power, which would be a great taboo for the country.

Logically speaking, it should have been swallowed up by a powerful country long ago.

But it didn't, because it is the world's number one superpower.

The Great Chu, which did not believe in gods, possessed the most powerful army in the world, and wherever it went, neither humans nor ghosts could stand in its way.

This colossal nation, which has stood tall in the East for millennia, has intensified its internal conflicts and fragmented its power in recent years. Consequently, it has suffered repeated defeats in its external military campaigns and is no longer the mighty entity it once was.

Even so, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse; the remaining power of the State of Chu could still deter petty villains and prevent them from coveting it.

Ten years ago, the State of Chu and the Debasa Empire fought a world-renowned battle—the Battle of the Great Barrier, also known as the "Meat Grinder Under the Giant Peak."

That battle was too brutal. Both sides committed a total of hundreds of thousands of troops. The war lasted for more than 20 days, with countless casualties and corpses strewn across the fields, a truly horrific sight.

The war ended in victory for the newly powerful Debasa Empire on the continent. The Chu Kingdom suffered a major defeat and was forced to cede territory as tribute in order to seek a truce.

The Debasa Empire, seeing its advantage, knew when to stop. Although it had won, it was a Pyrrhic victory, so it accepted the conditions of the Chu Kingdom.

After the war, the State of Chu never recovered, and its ruler, Emperor Zhuang, was condemned by the people and became depressed.

Later, the people of Chu were filled with indignation and were very dissatisfied with Emperor Zhuang. Taking advantage of the situation, high-ranking officials and nobles of Chu rose up and attempted to take power.

The State of Chu is now like a sick lion infested with mosquitoes; it is unknown when it will recover, and it may even die from its terminal illness.

Lü Jianming was Emperor Zhuang's eldest and only son. From birth, he was showered with love and affection. At the age of three, he was made crown prince, and his future was bright.

However, after that great battle, Emperor Zhuang made a decision that no one expected. He sent his crown prince to the Duchy of Bema as a hostage to form an alliance, thereby restraining the Debasa Empire and preventing its eastward expansion.

That year, Lü Jianming was 7 years old and came to Ibiza accompanied by his guards.

The Crown Prince of Great Chu, far from home, is increasingly plagued by inner demons. He is extremely dissatisfied with his father, who is becoming increasingly estranged from him, which has led to his current state of depravity.

Cassius understood this, but didn't know how to comfort him, because he had grown up in a poor area of ​​the duchy and was unable to empathize, let alone understand Lü Jianming's feelings.

“I don’t really understand, but I do know a little bit.” Cassius spoke earnestly, as if recalling the time when he first came to Ibiza to study.

"If you feel something is wrong, then put it back on track instead of choosing to run away."

“I don’t care what you were like before, and I can’t control what you will be like in the future, but now, as a member of Class 29, you have no right to slack off. You have to live up to your classmates’ expectations.”

"Next year, there will be a competition between universities from different countries. It is said that it has already been put on the agenda. I am not clear about the specifics yet, but the school representing the principality can only be St. Louis."

The principal said that an intra-school competition would be needed to determine which class could represent St. Louis.

As of now, the only players in our Class 29 who can compete are Fengling, Allen, and Sabrina. Mirashu can also be considered, but she is inconsistent.

I need you to qualify; that would be a highlight of my coaching career.

You... had better show me your abilities.

Lu Jianming suddenly laughed: "So, does that mean the State of Chu will also send someone to participate?"

“Yes, if you wish, you can also submit an application to the Duchy to return to the Great Chu team during the competition,” Cassius said.

“No,” Lü Jianming said firmly. “I will stay in St. Louis and win in the end.”