Chapter 4: He didn’t want to say it again.
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
It was only when Heinrich mentioned Lin Xu that Marianna finally looked at him as if he were condescending, which gave Lin Xu a chance to catch his breath. But one could hardly blame Marianna.
Her gaze was pure and soft, her fair skin and lustrous red lips seemed to emanate the fragrance of roses, her blonde hair rested softly on her shoulders, and every strand of hair was exquisite beyond words.
“A million thanks for your kindness, Lord Marshal,” she said, and her voice was gentle.
“No need.” Heinrich’s thin lips exhaled short syllables, low as stone.
He and Marianna were literally two extremes, but right now, Marianna’s extremes could get Lin Xu to say more than a few words.
“Marianna, don’t worry about me, I know my body inside out.”
Marianna’s soft hand held Lin Xu’s, “But at this time, when the Ancient Earth expedition is about to set sail, I am worried that your physical condition will not hold up.”
“I didn’t apply to join the expedition.”
Marianna was stunned for a moment, then recovered and said with a smile, “Well, you still have the same character, if you don’t want to go, you don’t have to go. I won’t be going either.”
“Why?” Lin Xu was puzzled.
Marianna was a professor of paleogeosciences at Capital Star University, and although she was normally a gentle and beautiful omega, she had a passion so strong that it bordered on romance in her paleogeosciences research, she had little reason not to join this exciting journey.
Marianna glanced back at her husband and her smile deepened, “I’m too pregnant for long voyages and long expeditions.”
She took Lin Xu’s hand and placed it on her belly, “It’s just four months old, not too obvious yet.”
But Lin Xu’s keen senses felt the rhythm of life, and it was so amazing that it almost made him faint a little.
Marianna continued, “When they are born, you will be the godfather.”
Lin Xu curled his eyes, his tone less deadly, “Won’t the generations be messed up?”
In the interstellar era, human life expectancy had increased, and Marianna looked like she was in her early thirties, but her actual age was already over fifty.
Lin Xu came to the interstellar era from the apocalypse eight years ago through the time rift, and after spending some time dealing with his identity, he went to study at the Capital Star University, where Marianna was his tutor and always took good care of him.
“What does it matter?” Marianna said, “However, after the expedition sets sail, His Royal Highness will hold a celebration banquet at the Ancient Earth Natural Science Museum, and you have to come to this, or the academic community will think that ‘renowned scholar’ Lin Xu is a ghost. Speaking of which, I have to thank Marshal Chu for bringing ancient earth research back from the dead, otherwise the museum would not have welcomed His Royal Highness’s presence.”
She looked over at Heinrich, who had resumed his seat, and nodded with a smile.
Lin Xu frowned imperceptibly, not really wanting to thank Heinrich, the culprit who had disturbed his peaceful work.
Heinrich replied with a bemused expression, “It was just luck that we found ancient Earth.”
“Not everyone has that kind of luck. You came to see Xu for…”
After the compliment, Marianna finally revealed her true protective intentions, and although still gentle, it was as if there were invisible spikes surrounding Lin Xu.
Chen Jinshan looked at his wife’s steep change of temperament, his heart was a bit anxious and panicked, this is the Lord Marshal of the entire Einstein Galaxy, how can …
Marianna certainly respects the Lord Marshal who fought for the Empire, but she really couldn’t think of any reason why the famous Abyss Fleet Marshal would put himself down and come to a researcher in person.
“Zhou Pingbo of the Imperial Institute told me that Mr. Lin Xu is an expert in the field of ancient earth languages, and I would like to ask Mr. Lin Xu to translate something.” Heinrich’s lips were cold and hard, but his tone was still moderate. He didn’t care much about Marianna’s questioning, and only looked at Lin Xu.
The other man had a pair of gray eyes, as if they were ice floes on the surface of the sea, not translucent, but like a blurred mist, so that one could not see the depths, completely lost the ruthlessness of last night’s attack. “It involves military secrets, so I would like to ask you two to leave.”
On the surface it did not sound like a difficult task, in terms of ancient Earth languages, Lin Xu’s ability was indeed a long way ahead of other colleagues, but… What would be the secrets that needed to be handed over by the Marshal himself?
Marianna wrinkled her brow and wanted to say something, but Chen Jinshan pulled her arm. After a few words of discouragement, she faced Heinrich with a less friendly tone, “We won’t bother the Marshal anymore. Xiao Xu, in ten days, the Marshal’s Abyss Fleet escort expedition sets sail. Remember to go to the celebration banquet, I will have the tailor send you a suit.”
In her words, she implied that Lin Xu should not be afraid of Heinrich, even the Imperial Marshal could not force a legal citizen, and he would leave the Crescent District in ten days, with no idea how long it would take him to return.
Lin Xu nodded, reassuring her. Marianna stroked his head before bidding him goodbye, while Chen Jinshan stood at attention again and saluted the Marshal.
The two left one after another, Lin Xu leaned on the bed and rested for a while, Heinrich sat in his place, did not speak, and waited quietly.
Arnold, who had finished his chores, saw such a peaceful picture when he entered the ward. Lin Xu leaned against the soft, broad pillows, two rabbit-cats curled up next to his hand, the sunlight gently spilling into the floor-to-ceiling windows, and the Lord Marshal sitting across from him in his military uniform, thinking.
Interstellar voyages often pass by various stars, and the blazing radiation shining through the glass windows into the starship could be razor-sharp and terrifying. It is very rare for Imperial soldiers in interstellar space to have the opportunity to be directly exposed to stellar light without wearing protective gear.
But the sunlight of the Crescent Sector was gentle, and one wonders if the sunlight of Earth would be prettier.
Arnold lightened his steps and speech and asked, “Marshal, are you going to continue to wait for Mr. Lin to wake up? Or else…”
“I’m awake.” Lin Xu opened his eyes and his voice returned to indifference, “What does Marshal want me to translate?”
Heinrich frowned, his well-defined face not often exaggerated, so that any small change would be seen and always with the customary authority of one who has always held the power.
But his next words sounded different, “If Mr. Lin Xu is not feeling well, I am not in a hurry, there are still ten days left.”
Then why did you just ask Marianna to leave?
Lin Xu was speechless, but Arnold was sweating and whispered in Heinrich’s ear, “Marshal, that’s not how your schedule works.”
Lin Xu could hear him and he pressed the corner of his forehead, “I’m not so bad that I can’t read, please show me what needs to be translated. There are so many different languages of ancient Earth that I can’t guarantee I know them all.”
“Okay.” Heinrich looked at him for a moment, did not insist, nodded towards Arnold, who immediately understood and took out a metal device to set up an electromagnetic barrier against prying eyes in the ward.
Heinrich opened his terminal, opened the file after some digital and biological code verification, and clicked play.
A low male voice echoed within the barrier, the language used in the audio was far from the Imperial pronunciation and was not the language used by the known interstellar races.
The speaker could only be identified as a human by the way he vocalized.
Most of Imperial’s research on ancient Earth languages had remained in paper text analysis, and there were studies of recovered pronunciations, but they always sounded very rigid.
When Pingbo Zhou introduced Lin Xu to Heinrich, he showed him a clip of Lin Xu’s pronunciation of the ancient Earth language.
The young man’s voice was indifferent, but also smooth and pleasant, without any jams and twists.
“Oh never fear, man, nought’s to dread,
Look not to left nor right:
In all the endless road you tread
There’s nothing but the night.” 1
This was a short, unnamed poem from a collection of artifacts, and no one knew what kind of gaze the human ancestors who embarked on the interstellar journey would have used to linger over these now-familiar characters.
Lin Xu’s voice now sounded a little low and husky, like something furry scratching at Heinrich’s heart, perhaps because he had just recovered from a high fever.
He remarked, “This recording is in Old Earth French, a language I unfortunately don’t know, and the Imperial doesn’t have enough information to recover its pronunciation.”
Heinrich’s expression remained unchanged, but Arnold, who had learned the answer, looked depressed.
Marshal leaned forward and asked, “Now that the coordinates of the ancient Earth have been confirmed, if Mr. Lin Xu can find enough information on ancient Earth, can he translate this passage?”
“Unfortunately, I won’t be able to.”
Lin Xu had already repeated this sentence four times to different people, and he didn’t want to say it again.
The author has something to say.
Lin Xu: I’m not going, I’m not going, I’m not going, I’m not going, I’m not going, say it four times.
And then…
It smells so good.
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