Chapter 172: Yuanxiao Turns into a Little Mermaid
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
At this point, the Imperial side hadn’t given a clear response, only stating that an investigation was underway and asking everyone to trust the Empire. Some people held onto wishful thinking, believing it was all just a farce.
Under the Empire’s attempts to smooth things over, public opinion gradually quieted down—until the unusual situation in the Dionysus District drew widespread attention.
By the time the media released their first report, the Dionysus District had been out of contact with the Special Zone for three days. The last message from the Second and Sixth Legions said simply, “The Dawn Front rebels launched a large-scale attack.”
The battle gripped everyone’s attention.
On the fifth day, Second Legion commander John Moralis barely escaped back to the Crescent District on a small ship, accompanied by his guards. His last words before losing consciousness were, “Alonso is the rebel!”
The media recorded his statement and posted it on StarNet, where the comment section exploded with exclamation marks.
[Alonso, the Legion commander, a rebel? What?!]
[Is Dionysus District cursed? First Heinrich Chu committed treason, and now Alonso is siding with the rebels?]
Some people thought deeper: [We’ve never even seen the rebels. Everything we know about them comes from media reports and Imperial military announcements. Given the Empire’s forged history, I’m skeptical about the rebels’ true nature.]
The seeds of doubt were sown. The Empire chose to quietly manage the situation rather than uproot those doubts early, allowing the suspicion to grow taller and harder to eliminate.
Determined to act, the Empire deployed troops to Dionysus. But Alonso and Guy commanded the Sixth Legion, the Second Legion, and the Abyss Fleet—all Imperial forces with starships and equipment—and the Dawn Front’s guerrilla forces were experts at interstellar guerrilla warfare.
Heinrich, who was supposed to be patrolling, had turned traitor, and the reinforcements from the First and Third Legions were no match for the Dawn Front.
Instead, the battle only solidified the Dawn Front’s control over Dionysus District. Alonso announced to the galactic community that Dionysus District was now independent of Imperial rule. He even hacked StarNet to broadcast a protest video, visible to all Imperial citizens.
In the video, he revealed evidence of the Empire’s genetic breeding experiments conducted in Dionysus six hundred years ago, as well as over a century of brutal oppression and exploitation of its people.
The existence of the Dawn Front also proved from another angle that the Marion Empire’s history was only six hundred years old—the so-called three thousand years was a lie.
“Finally, I have one last gift for His Majesty the Emperor,” Alonso said with a smile. “A fireworks display to reveal the truth. I hope you enjoy it.”
No sooner had he spoken on StarNet than a loud explosion rocked the sky above Capital Star. The satellite Ares burst into flames.
Alonso somehow gained clearance to bypass the shield around Ares Star and sent a drone to launch missiles, blowing up the land near the exhibition hall.
The drones entered the atmosphere and filmed a massive machine buried beneath the cracked earth. Its metal casing glowed red-hot from the missile strikes.
“This is the machine the Empire used to fake the dating of all Earth artifacts brought by the Ark Fleet—a machine that fabricated history.”
A seemingly gentle beauty led the most despised rebel war, speaking slowly and solemnly about the blood and tears of the people. Then, with ruthless resolve, she destroyed the Imperial capital’s satellite. The scene was intensely dramatic and visually stunning.
If previous antique scandals and the slime case were mere spectator events for the Imperial public, after this battle, countless citizens sided with Alonso. They demanded the truth about Imperial history and even stormed the Imperial Parliament and Palace.
Shortly afterward, the Alliance openly broadcast a formal statement to the Empire, declaring all the truth—including the Ark Fleet’s abandonment, split, and deception.
The Imperial livestream ended, and the AI shut off the recording and the network signal.
“Cool!” Guy clapped, leaning against the nearby table. The room held only the two of them.
Alonso looked at him with a helpless smile. “Not bad, huh?”
“Very intimidating,” Guy said. “And that uniform looks great on you.”
Alonso chuckled softly. He was still wearing the moon-white uniform of the Sixth Legion, only without the Imperial insignia.
The war wasn’t over yet, so a full uniform replacement wasn’t possible—he’d have to make do with the old one for now.
“From now on, this uniform design’s the one to go with,” Guy said thoughtfully, reaching out to pat Alonso’s butt. “Makes your waist look slim! Your legs long!”
Alonso shot him a sideways glance. Guy froze, pulling his hand back and covering his mouth to cough, like a startled animal.
“Get Lin Xu on the line,” Guy switched back to business. They dialed the Alliance’s comm channel. Soon, the call connected.
Lin Xu said, “Legion Commander Alonso, you’re more impressive than I imagined.”
“Hardly,” Alonso replied. “I’ve done enough acting to know the right expression to scare people. Plus, thanks to Dr. Lin and Mr. Chu for their help.”
The Dawn Front hadn’t originally planned to launch the rebellion immediately—the Imperial forces were too strong, and the timing wasn’t right. But Lin Xu and Heinrich had reached out, saying they were eager to stir up trouble within the Empire. They asked if Alonso and Guy wanted to cooperate.
The missile paths and weapons used to destroy Ares Star were provided by Heinrich and Lin Xu, with Zhou Pingbo coordinating on the inside. Alonso just had to hit the right timing to make Imperial citizens think the Dawn Front was flexing its muscles.
Now, with the Empire overwhelmed by the revelation of its sins, it was too busy to focus on Dionysus, granting the Dawn Front an unprecedented breathing room. It was a deal that couldn’t be refused.
“Lin Xu, are you planning to use this chance to clear your name?” Guy asked.
“No, not yet,” Lin Xu answered. “This isn’t over. The Emperor won’t sit still—watch out for his counterattack.”
“But it’s also an opportunity—the moment to overthrow the royal family,” Guy said. “…If you or the Alliance want that.”
The Dawn Front only wanted to secure their own turf in Dionysus District for now.
“The Alliance prefers to bide their time. They’re courting the Long Whale Region’s consortium, trying to nibble away at Imperial power,” Lin Xu said. “I respect their plan, but Heinrich and I have our own goals.”
Lin Xu’s words sounded personal, so Guy didn’t press. “If you need help, just reach out.”
“Thanks.” Lin Xu appreciated the offer but had no intention of dragging them into his business.
Yuanxiao… soon. With the Empire shaking in turmoil, Yuanxiao would soon be back with his two fathers.
– –
A pink begonia petal drifted down into the water, carried forward by the stream until it joined the lotus pond in the imperial palace’s rear garden. The water lily’s deep green leaves floated across the surface, nearly covering the entire pond, with a few lotus blossoms occasionally opening.
Alfred sat in his study, listening to his subordinate’s report on public opinion, his face turning pale. “A bunch of useless idiots!”
Lin Xu had managed to connect with both the Alliance and the rebels! Now even the Long Whale Region was on shaky ground. A cool breeze carried the moist air into the study, but it couldn’t cool Alfred’s fury. The large white egg resting beside the bed, basking in the sunlight, trembled slightly in fright.
Yuanxiao curled his tail inside the eggshell, shivering. This strange person was terrifying. What Yuanxiao feared more was that his current form might crack the eggshell, leaving him nowhere to hide. He curled his black-and-white fish tail tightly, trying to shrink himself smaller.
Alfred shot a cold glance at him; the big white egg froze again. When Alfred had first entered the Emperor’s body, he realized the Empire’s foundation was shaking. While maintaining a cautious relationship with Lin Xu, he dealt with crises inside Imperial territory.
Planning a rebellion inside Dionysus was a risky move. Heinrich, sent to fight on the frontlines against the rebels, was bogged down in endless chaos. Alfred had initially planned to have someone disguise themselves as rebels to eliminate the Abyss Fleet and cut off this festering sore of treason.
But Heinrich had beaten him to it, uniting with the Sixth Legion to rebel outright, completely disrupting Alfred’s plans. He needed to rethink his strategy.
Alfred instructed Noiman, who stood nearby, “Arrange a strategic meeting. Notify Third Legion Commander Xiao Yue and First Legion Commander Capricciosa Neuman to attend. Tell them I need the Third Legion to concentrate its forces to attack the Alliance, while the First Legion mobilizes to advance on Dionysus.”
Neuman hesitated for a moment. “Your Majesty, how many troops should Commander Xiao concentrate? The Sword of Michael defense line still needs coverage for the situation in Haven.”
Alfred sneered. “Not only the troops at the Sword of Michael defense line. I want him to mobilize the forces at the Gabriel Horn Fortress inside the Long Whale Region as well.”
Neuman looked uncertain. “Your Majesty, the Long Whale Region has been restless lately. If we rashly move the forces at Gabriel Horn Fortress, it might fail to suppress certain factions.”
“That’s enough. I have other matters to attend to,” Alfred said. “Go and deliver the orders.”
Neuman left the study silently. Alfred stared at the star map for a moment, then turned and pressed a button hidden between the bookshelves. With a rumble, a secret passage appeared.
The spiral staircase descended into darkness—it could lead to a paradise or a fiery hell. Alfred gazed into the gloom, his expression dark and inscrutable. He lingered at the doorway for three minutes before finally stepping inside, as if making a solemn decision. The secret door closed behind him, and the study returned to quiet.
After a while, the large white egg resting by the window cracked open a slit, and a pair of round, blue eyes peered out, taking in the world beyond. No one was there.
Alfred would never have left the big white egg alone before. He always watched it personally while in the study and assigned guards to watch over it when he left. But now, Alfred hadn’t left the study, so no guards came by. And once he descended into the secret passage, he wouldn’t know what was happening inside the study. Only Yuanxiao remained.
Yuanxiao blinked and stretched out his pale little hand to push open the eggshell. He was still unfamiliar with human limbs; pushing the shell tired him out so much he panted. He braced himself on the edge of the shell, trying to jump out, but the shell was too light. The moment he pushed, it toppled over, and Yuanxiao tumbled out, stars flashing before his eyes.
He shook his head and used his hands to pull himself out, dragging his fish tail behind him. Carefully, he peeked out the window and saw a pool of cool, clear water.
The little mermaid’s eyes sparkled with longing as he crawled toward the window. Halfway there, he suddenly remembered something, turned back, and carefully resealed the eggshell so no one could tell it had been opened.
The next moment, the little mermaid happily crawled to the window and dove headfirst into the water. Splash.
A patrolling guard heard the splash and turned sharply toward the sound. In his view, only the water lilies gently swayed over the dark pond, their stems sending ripples outward. Finding nothing amiss, the guard resumed his patrol.
This Title is available for faster chapter releases through paid Patreon membership. Any proceeds go to keeping the website running. Check it out HERE.
