Chapter 107: Three Bigwigs
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
Lin Xu descended the gangway. The surface of the mecha still radiated intense heat from its operation, which now met the damp chill of the Cacamorra Plains, creating swirling white mist that curled around Bard’s jet-black legs.
Heinrich lowered his gun and stood waiting in the hallway outside the door. From his vantage point, Lin Xu’s figure was little more than a faint outline in the fog—until he came closer, parting the mist with his shoulders and revealing his face. Beads of water clung to his long hair and cheeks.
Blackie and Snowy squeezed out through the door Heinrich had cracked open, bolting toward Lin Xu. Before he could even crouch to scoop them up, the two rabbit-cats were already pawing at his pants and jacket, scrambling up to perch on his shoulders.
Behind him, the indicator lights on Bard’s cockpit flickered once, then went dark. The hum of the machinery faded until the massive iron machine was completely silent.
“Is that the Bard mecha from the Paris family?” Heinrich asked, puzzled. “Did you buy her?”
Remembering how Lin Xu had ordered the Bard model in the Star Ocean game without a second thought, and then came back to Crescent District to acquire the real one—it almost seemed like a natural progression.
“I didn’t buy it,” Lin Xu said, stepping up beside Heinrich under the roof’s shelter from the mist. “It was a gift from Godric Chapman.”
“Why?” Heinrich frowned. As far as he recalled, Lin Xu and Godric were barely acquaintances.
“I don’t know,” Lin Xu replied. “He wrote my name directly on the ownership certificate. I’m trying to figure out how to return it. How much do you know about Chapman?”
Heinrich glanced at the towering Bard. The pinnacle of human technological achievement, standing in stark contrast to the untamed wilderness around it. Yet under the green-gray misty light, the mecha seemed somber and ancient, as if still bearing the scars of battles fought in the vastness of space. The wind seemed to whisper around it, echoing in its silent frame.
“Not much,” Heinrich admitted. He let Lin Xu inside and went to light the fire in the hearth, then poured a glass of water for him. Lin Xu didn’t have a smart home system; everything had to be done by hand.
As soon as Lin Xu took the water and sat down on the couch, Heinrich brought over a blanket and draped it over his shoulders. Blackie and Snowy, thoroughly offended, were chased off and huddled by the fireplace, licking each other’s fur with wide, pitiful eyes fixed on the two humans, whose expressions remained cool even though the atmosphere between them was unusually warm.
“Were you in a meeting?” Lin Xu asked in a low voice, nodding toward the floating holographic screen in the center of the living room.
“Yeah.” Heinrich stepped into view of the screen and gave a few quick instructions, telling the others to send the relevant files to Arnold. He’d handle them as soon as possible, then ended the meeting.
He turned back to answer Lin Xu’s question. “White Bird Shipping isn’t family-run. Its shares are spread out. Around forty years ago, Chapman became the largest shareholder and chairman through a series of acquisitions—though it’s unclear where he got the funds for that. White Bird’s shipping operations span all three Imperial sectors. Their headquarters is in the Long Whale Region, and they also have tech investments in Haven.”
Heinrich continued, “Interstellar shipping involves a lot of stakeholders. He’s got close ties with administrative, military, and business figures across all three sectors.”
That explained how Chapman had the capital to purchase Bard. But it didn’t explain why he had gifted Bard to Lin Xu.
“You could try getting someone from the Perseus Group to reach out to him.”
– –
Orbit Times: Shocking! The Paris Family’s Heroic Mecha Ends Up as His Toy…
Pullman Jr. nearly spit out his drink when he saw the headline. One of his teammates shoved him aside in disgust. “Go spray your water in the dorm, not the cafeteria.”
Apologizing, Pullman Jr. hurriedly wiped up the water and didn’t even bother with his food. He tapped into the article, needing to know what happened.
The Paris family’s descendants were famously useless in military matters. There was only one mecha that could be called a “heroic Paris mecha”: General Largo Paris’s Bard.
But… hadn’t the Paris family always claimed they’d never sell her? Which deep-pocketed tycoon had snatched her up? The idea of his dream machine being bought by someone else filled Pullman Jr. with sorrow. But as he read the article, that sorrow turned first into confusion… and then near outrage.
“Our reporter has learned that the buyer who purchased the Bard mecha from the Paris family is White Bird Shipping Chairman, Godric Chapman. Through in-depth investigation, we discovered Chapman has gifted Bard to a researcher at the Ancient Earth Natural Science Museum named Lin Xu. Dr. Li has no military background. In order to allow Bard to legally operate within the city, Chapman disabled the weapon systems and kept only the flight function.”
The article’s photo showed Bard parked in front of the Ancient Earth Natural Science Museum, with Chapman and Lin Xu ascending the gangway one after the other. Pullman Jr.’s heart clenched. Lin Xu… why did that name sound familiar? He opened a search engine.
The museum’s website listed Lin Xu’s specialty as artifact restoration and Ancient Earth literature and arts—nothing remotely connected to mecha piloting. Staring at the image of the tall, slim figure—clearly someone without any formal training—Pullman Jr. felt like he couldn’t breathe. His dream machine, gifted to this… this nobody?
Why did the name Lin Xu ring a bell? He had no interest in Ancient Earth studies. Pullman scrolled down to the comments.
[In-depth investigation? You mean stealing photos from netizens and calling it journalism?]
Someone mocked the media. Not important. He kept scrolling.
[Lin Xu? Him again? Who is this god-tier person? One minute he’s having a baby with Marshal Chu, the next he’s getting a mecha from Chapman?]
The Pullman Jr.’s eyes widened. He suddenly remembered—he’d seen tabloid rumors about Lin Xu and Marshal Chu before, but they had just been gossip from online forums. As students of the Military Academy, they had always brushed it off as nonsense.
[That’s not even all. He was also caught hooking up with the CEO of the Perseus Group.]
[What the hell? What’s that about? Spill it.]
[Just check the post. I’ve linked it below.]
Pullman Jr. was stunned. He forgot all about his nutrition pack and immediately clicked the link. No, he wasn’t being nosy. He just cared deeply about the love life of his idol, Marshal Chu.
– –
StarNet “Slacker Scholars” Forum
Our motto: Preserving the finest traditions of ancient Earth—slacking off and gossiping!
Post: The God-tier Beta Who Bagged Three Powerhouses in One Year
OP: As the title says… ever since I heard the love story between Marshal Chu and a certain Lin, then saw Lin getting out of the CEO of Perseus Group’s car, nothing surprises me anymore. Not even the White Bird chairman giving him a mecha.
…Yeah right! Help me, how is this beta so damn irresistible?
1st reply: All the timelines and photos are here.
…
16th reply: What blows my mind is that these three haven’t fought each other yet.
17th reply: If they did fight, Marshal Chu would win, no contest.
18th reply: I’m dying. Lin’s a beta, so there’s no pheromone to trigger alpha brawls.
…
43rd reply: But… Chapman giving him Bard? That’s true love, isn’t it?
44th reply: That’s an insult to real heroes.
45th reply: Chill out. I’d say giving Bard to the Paris family would be the real insult.
…
56th reply: So, by that logic, shouldn’t Marshal Chu and CEO Mandon give him something too?
57th reply: Bard alone cost ten billion. With its collector’s value, the price probably skyrockets. One house on Capital Star isn’t enough. The CEO better hand over a whole mining planet.
58th reply: Imperial generals may earn well, but not like those two corporate giants. I suggest Marshal Chu gift him a flagship, or he won’t stand a chance.
59th reply: How can the scent of love be measured in money? Sure, Mandan and Chapman are rich, but Marshal Chu gave Lin a whole baby! (insert dog-head emoji for safety)
…
90th reply: I also want to ask what the OP did… What exactly makes Lin so attractive?
91st reply: He’s hot.
92nd reply: Very hot.
…
108th reply: Even in those blurry photos, you can tell he’s good-looking. But I’ve seen him in person—he’s unbelievably stunning. He once taught Ancient Earth Linguistics at Capital Star University. I was dead tired in class, but when he glanced my way, I felt electricity shoot down my spine.
109th reply: Ever consider that look meant he wanted to kill the student sleeping in his lecture?
110th reply: Eh, whatever. He’s still godly. His voice is magnetic, and when he recites ancient Earth poetry, it’s sexy as hell.
111th reply: Makes me wanna see what Marshal Chu’s wife looks like.
112th reply: LOL. That’s funny. Don’t tell me anyone actually believes a gold-digger like him is capable of true love. Or that a weak, decadent little beta like that has any real charm? He’s playing with fire, messing with so many alphas—one of them’s gonna tear him apart.
…
The thread quickly devolved into a toxic shouting match. Pullman Jr. rolled his eyes and exited the forum, turning back to his meal. Halfway through eating, he suddenly remembered something. He opened his terminal, logged into Star Ocean, and sent the article to a friend on his list.
“I’m so jealous… I want a Bard too.”
– –
Lin Xu considered Heinrich’s suggestion and notified Mandan, asking him to arrange a meeting with Godric in a few days. Lin Xu planned to attend as well.
Three days later, the Imperial Palace would host a grand banquet. Officially, it was a follow-up event to the Dionysus District Relief Conference, but it would double as a gathering for most of Imperial’s elite, including representatives from the Long Whale Region and the Dionysus District. Imperial Marshal Heinrich Chu was also expected to attend.
No matter how glamorous it appeared on the surface, it was, at its core, just another social obligation. Once the banquet ended, Heinrich and Lin Xu would board the starship bound for Thales.
The journey would take roughly half a month. Lin Xu sent a leave request to Curator Zhao, who looked utterly defeated and only agreed after making Lin Xu complete part of his workload in advance.
So lately, whenever Lin Xu went to the museum, he practically lived in the lab, handling all the necessary cleaning and restoration work. After work, he returned home to deal with the avalanche of academic correspondence piling up in his inbox.
The expedition team had brought back a stone monument from ancient Earth—written in Huaxia script, impressively well-preserved. The relevant team was working on character recognition and translation, sending Lin Xu an email almost every day with questions. Exhausted from replying, Lin Xu eventually decided to compile all his old research into a reference dictionary for their use.
While stretching his neck, which had gone sore from constantly looking back and forth, a new push notification from Star Ocean popped up on his terminal.
Silver Moon Sword: “I’m so jealous… I want Bard too.”
A news link followed: StarRing Daily — Shocking! The Paris Family’s Legendary Mecha Becomes His Toy…
Lin Xu stared at it for a moment before finally remembering—this was a player he had battled once in-game. He casually replied: “…”
Silver Moon Sword replied instantly: “OMG! You’re actually online! Wanna duel?”
“Busy. No duel,” Lin Xu responded.
