The forward bridge of the Sovereign Aurora hummed with the quiet, overwhelming power of a Rank Nine dreadnought.
Deep within the ship’s armored keel, the newly installed Origin Dao Crystal core pulsed with gentle, rhythmic warmth. The starlight flowing through the crystal conduits illuminated the white dragon-leather bulkheads in shimmering silver waves. Every deck was shielded by Master Lu Jian’s nine-tier spatial dampeners, capable of deflecting direct orbital strikes from a supernova without spilling a drop of tea.
Around the circular command dais stood the entire inner circle of the Taichu Benevolence Group: Su Wan, Chu Lingxiao, Grandma Chen, Little Guo’er, Tie Niu, Dr. Gu Qinghe, Shen Qiaoqiao, Master Lu Jian, Tang Xiaomi, Xing Yao, Old Granite, Elder Mo, Admiral Kui, and Qin Haoran.
Every single one of them was clad in their newly attuned divine gear. Tie Niu’s black-tortoise armor crackled with quiet thunder. Old Granite’s titan fist rested against his hip like a block of polished mountain rock. Shen Qiaoqiao held her golden foreclosure gavel firmly, while Qin Haoran polished his golden morality badge with the corner of his tie.
Down on the lower decks, Grandma Chen’s canteen aunties were still ladling out bowls of Star-Whale wontons to the engineering crews and pilots. The fragrant steam drifted through the ventilation shafts, giving the supreme warship the comforting warmth of a family kitchen.
