Chapter 187: Extra 2 – Christa
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
A few days later, after the little blue dragon’s condition stabilized, Zhou Pingbo and Meng Zhenhua—both researchers in biology and medicine—brought her to the lab for a thorough examination.
They speculated that the baby’s fragile state was likely due to Lin Xu’s dangerously intense lifestyle during the egg’s incubation—blowing up starships, fighting Zerg, piloting mechas without rest. All this had deprived the baby dragon of sufficient energy, leaving her weaker at birth.
Because she was naturally frail, she ignored the usual instinct for baby dragons who can’t fly to be abandoned by their parents. Instead, her survival instincts drove her to hatch as soon as possible and beg papa and dada to feed her energy exclusively. Otherwise, she would have died still inside the egg. Fortunately, now everything was safe.
As for her blue scales, they likely resulted from genetic mutation caused by Lin Xu’s overexposure to cosmic radiation—but it wouldn’t affect her health. After analyzing the genes, Zhou Pingbo confirmed the baby was a girl. Heinrich and Lin Xu decided to name her Christa.
– –
Six months after assuming office as Chief Executive Officer, the Federation Parliament was fully established. Lin Xu led his team to inspect the entire Federation star region, focusing mainly on post-war reconstruction and recovery. His first stop was the former Imperial capital, now renamed Artemis.
After the Imperial Parliament, Supreme Military Committee, and highest Imperial administrative bodies were dissolved, some power-hungry figures left the planet. The nobles who once lived there had their titles revoked, and the pioneering rights granted by Imperial were rescinded. Some chose to depart.
But the various prestigious universities, cultural institutions, and research centers once established by Imperial remained—perhaps Artemis would blossom anew.
When Lin Xu’s starship docked at Artemis’ port, he was greeted by the newly appointed district representative, Catherine Hill.
She stood with a group of political figures at the red carpet’s end. Lin Xu, holding little Christa asleep in his arms, paused briefly at the sudden flash of cameras, then removed his coat to shield the fragile dragonling’s eyes from the bright light.
He quickened his pace down the carpet. Upon reaching Catherine, they shook hands briefly and boarded the arranged aircraft to begin their day’s itinerary.
Meanwhile, viewers streaming on StarNet flooded the chat with excitement:
[Ahhh, it’s the baby dragon!]
[The new baby dragon! Mr. Lin and General Chu had another one!]
[The blue one is so beautiful, like a crystal, such a tiny bundle.]
[Waaah, can I still go to Dragon Star to find a head dragon to have a baby dragon?]
On the eve of the Federation’s founding, diaries from the royal family’s underground vault were released, exposing countless dark secrets—among them the truth about Marianna’s death and Lin Xu’s framing as a murderer.
The former Imperial populace was deeply shocked. The royal family’s prestige crumbled completely, and some even called for the execution of former Crown Prince Leo Arsen.
Lin Xu regained the people’s trust and even gained their sympathy, which greatly aided his subsequent work. As for Crown Prince Leo, after negotiations among various parties, it was decided not to execute him but to exile him to the Red Moon system to prevent any attempts at restoration.
When Lin Xu stepped off the aircraft, netizens noticed he had put his suit jacket back on, his arms empty, no longer holding anything, and some felt a bit disappointed.
Ah, no more baby dragons to see.
After a full day of routine inspections, Catherine invited him to dinner. With no other officials present, Lin Xu finally allowed his assistant to bring Christa to him again. The little blue dragon was well rested; she opened her silver eyes and climbed up Lin Xu’s arm to his shoulder, softly nibbling on his hair.
“She’s so adorable,” Catherine said, her eyes sparkling as she watched the lively little dragon, momentarily returning to a youthful, almost girlish expression. “What’s her name?”
“Christa.”
“Can I touch her?”
Lin Xu gently lifted Christa off his shoulder and placed her on the table. “Sure, just be careful.”
Curious, Catherine reached out a finger to press on Christa’s back. The translucent blue scales looked fragile, like they might break with a poke. She dared not press hard. The little dragon felt like a bouncy jelly, and her wings were smooth and slippery.
Christa squirmed slightly, flapping her tiny wings and stirring a gentle breeze. But she still couldn’t fly yet. Sometimes Yuanxiao would hold onto her with his paws to fly together, though Yuanxiao was staying with Heinrich and hadn’t come to Artemis with Lin Xu.
“Ah, so cute,” Catherine sighed. “Does she take the Chu or Lin family name?”
“No surname,” Lin Xu replied. “Dragons don’t use surnames.”
“I see,” Catherine lightly tapped Christa’s forehead, feeling the delicate scales. “If I ever have a child, I’ll probably give them a surname.”
“Yes, that’s a human custom,” Lin Xu said. “Especially among the big families and old nobility.”
“But now, our former noble surnames have almost turned from symbols of honor into marks to be despised. Seeing the dragon example, I’m actually a little conflicted.”
Lin Xu raised an eyebrow. “Have you found someone to settle down with?”
Judging from Catherine’s tone, it was probably someone from an old noble family. Her eyes flickered briefly, and she winked at Lin Xu. “What do you think about Capricciosa Neumann?” Lin Xu looked at her, silent for a long moment before finally saying, “She’s not young anymore.”
Capricciosa was even older than Chu Suifeng — in old Earth terms, she could have been Catherine’s great-grandmother. Though in the interstellar era, genes kept her physically strong, her appearance was still close to forty years old.
“What does that matter?” Catherine said. “She’s an A-Class alpha, with a lifespan expected to reach three hundred years. And she’s still unmarried.”
Capricciosa had spent years fighting on the Florence frontlines, with no time for love or marriage. That was why she was still single. A faint crease appeared between Lin Xu’s brows. Catherine caught the subtle change in his expression. “You don’t approve of us?”
Lin Xu’s face twitched. He shook his head and smiled casually. “That’s between the two of you. You haven’t told her your feelings yet, have you?”
Catherine let out a meaningless “Ah,” clearly she hadn’t. Lin Xu now suspected this young woman was just teasing him. More than romance or marriage, what she really wanted to know was his stance on the former nobility’s role in federal politics and the military. Was he worried about the alliance of old noble families?
Catherine said, “She’s still cleaning up the remaining Zerg in the Ent Nebula, and hasn’t returned to Artemis much. I haven’t had a chance to see her.”
Lin Xu answered, “When she returns from the Ent Nebula, the Federal Military Council will invite her to become a permanent member. She’ll go to the Red Moon system and take command of forces formerly belonging to the Alliance. When that happens… would you be willing to go to the Red Moon system with her?”
This was the promise the Alliance had made to Capricciosa: after Imperial’s fall, she would command an even stronger fleet, with the cost of relocating from the Crescent District — close to the Neumann family’s sphere — to the Red Moon system, to avoid interference from former Imperial powers. The same preferential treatment applied to Catherine Hill and her brother Carl Hill.
Carl Hill’s Silver Fortress and Golden Cross defensive lines were far from the former Imperial center and had basically stayed out of the Alliance-Imperial conflict. Catherine had also earned merit for exterminating the Zerg, so the Alliance saw no reason to make things difficult for them.
Moreover, Artemis still needed a figure connected to the old nobility to calm tensions, and the pro-Alliance Hill family fit perfectly. Catherine Hill was officially a democratically elected representative, but Lin Xu’s faction had quietly helped her rise. Still, if the Hill family ever intended to ally with the Neumanns, Lin Xu would see that as a cause for caution.
Catherine puckered her lips in mild frustration. “The Red Moon sector… it’s so far. I’ve never been there. I hear everyone lives on space stations and starships. Are they going to build cities on the planets?”
“Perhaps,” Lin Xu said noncommittally. From what he knew, the Red Moon residents had indeed grown accustomed to living in space stations and had little interest in ground-based cities.
“I prefer living on the ground. Floating in space always makes me uneasy,” Catherine said. “Representatives rotate after each term. By the time my work is done, there should be some cities built on the planets in the Red Moon system. I think I’ll visit Capricciosa then.”
Whether Catherine genuinely liked Capricciosa, or was merely testing Lin Xu with the name and status, she obediently followed the path he laid out. If it was the latter, Lin Xu thought, Catherine’s political career would surely not stop there.Having someone like her managing Artemis gave Lin Xu a sense of reassurance.
After finishing the inspection on Artemis, before heading to his next destination, Lin Xu made a stop at Ares. Crossing the vast, misty plains of Ares, the old Deep Blue Military Academy campus came into view. Now, the Deep Blue Military Academy was nothing but an empty shell.
Students who had once sworn allegiance to Imperial were dispersed to the newly established Federal Military Academies for continued training. The special facilities on Ares would be repurposed for mecha research and experimentation. Some other military labs were also preserved.
When Lin Xu arrived at Zhou Pingbo’s lab, the door had just opened—only to be suddenly smacked in the face by Yuanxiao’s white belly.
“Papa!” Yuanxiao called out gleefully. Lin Xu gasped, nearly struggling for breath as little Christa eagerly scrambled up his arm at the same time.
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