Liu A'dou was just about to leave when the United Government came looking for him again—they wanted to promote him. After realizing the full strength of Mars' military, they finally understood how big the cost would've been if the war had continued. Just the 37 uncooperative Orbital Knights alone would've been enough to cause Earth major losses. It was Liu A'dou who came up with the strategy, led a team of brave soldiers to strike directly at Mars, and even forced the old emperor into a stroke. With the new queen on the throne, Earth narrowly avoided a devastating outcome.
But by the time they came looking for Liu A'dou, he and his family had already vanished. At that moment, Liu A'dou was at the Martian altar, preparing energy for time travel. Helping him were Zhan Jun and Inaho.
Right now, Zhan Jun was staring blankly at Inaho. He hadn't expected the poker-faced guy to be so deep—who knew he not only had a childhood friend but also a vague romantic history with the Martian queen? "Damn, never would've guessed. You're such a quiet player."
Then again, Zhan Jun looked like a total perv the first time he saw Inaho's sister—practically drooling. After that, he and Inaho had gotten along much better. He gave off this vibe like, 'Since I met your sister, we're friends for life.' Very shady.
Inaho knew nothing could happen between him and the queen. As long as she stayed safe, that was enough. His thoughts drifted instead to Yunzi, who had cared about him during the war. Back then, all he could focus on was surviving. But now, he found her kind of cute. As for the queen, let her fade into the past and out of his life.
Liu A'dou had high hopes for these two young men, which is why he brought them along to see more of the world.
This time, they were doing something completely new using Martian tech. First, the energy from the Aldnoah Drive couldn't be used directly—it had to be absorbed and converted by a special alloy. That conversion process also acted as a filter, removing all the strange and unstable effects attached to the Aldnoah light.
The two teens were piloting KG6 units to haul heavy gear. They had no idea where on Mars they were. Supplies just kept popping up from who-knows-where. Of course, Liu A'dou had brought it all—each trip he made could transport materials from multiple ships. But even that wasn't enough. He had to be absolutely certain everything was ready. The energy for the teleportation gate was no joke.
He prepared hundreds of capacitors alone.
Outside of work, Liu A'dou had them sparring to train Zhan Jun's combat skills. Meanwhile, Inaho kept improving, his analytical abilities growing stronger.
In the future, there would be three great generals. One was Slaine of the Vers Empire. The second, Zhan Jun of the United Government. And the third—Inaho, who would later become close friends with Mazkaru.
Inaho and Mazkaru would become the twin pillars of the Martian Republic—one civil, one military. Their friendship would go down as an epic. Inaho's future on Mars began with that exchange he had with the Martian princess, which sparked his decision to stay. Another reason was that, despite his deadpan face, he was actually a skilled fighter.
The saga of the three generals would become a whole story in itself. Especially the brutal clashes between Inaho and Slaine on Mars—people would talk about it endlessly. Who among the three was the strongest? No one could agree. Inaho won some and lost some against Slaine. Zhan Jun only fought Slaine once, during a mission to escort key Earth officials to Mars. No one knew how that fight ended.
Honestly, once your piloting and combat skills hit a certain level, it's hard to say who's better. One win or loss doesn't prove anything. Just like Inaho and Slaine, who fought often but were evenly matched.
They were still green now, but under Liu A'dou's guidance, their growth was promising.
"It's finally time to say goodbye." The bond they'd formed in this short time ran deep. "It's time for us to head back."
"Liu ge, will you ever come back?"
Liu A'dou smiled. "Probably not coming back. You two take care of yourselves." As he looked at Inaho's poker face, he couldn't help but wonder—would this face one day belong to Yunzi? Hard to say. The Vers queen, though, would probably stay single all her life, devoted to maintaining peace.
"Inaho, can't you at least give me a smile?" Liu A'dou grumbled, but it was useless. A poker face was still a poker face.
He copied over the United Government's data on the universe and Mars, but didn't take anything else. Martian tech might be impressive, but there was no guarantee it was totally safe. Liu A'dou couldn't risk Earth-1 getting swallowed by Aldnoah. If that happened, he'd be the one blamed. Better not to bring it back at all—besides, the other Earth wasn't exactly short on energy.
The biggest difference in going back this time? He had a kid now. "Well then, we're off. Zhan Jun, don't slack on your training. Inaho, if you're not sure what expression to use, just smile."
Zhan Jun activated the drive. The massive machine let out a groan as the energy built up and fired from the top-mounted laser emitter, blasting toward Quantum Earth.
Same view as before—the figures in front of Liu A'dou began to blur. From the teens' perspective, Liu A'dou and his family were becoming hazy too.
Suddenly, Zhan Jun remembered something. "Liu ge! You never told us where on Mars we are! How are we supposed to get back?!" But it was too late. The family vanished with a whoosh.
"…" Zhan Jun turned to his classmate, stunned. "So… what do we do now?"
Inaho had no clue either. He turned his head like a machine and gave Zhan Jun a stiff smile. Looks like Liu A'dou's advice worked—if you don't know what to do, just smile.
Only… this was the worst timing for a smile. Zhan Jun was about to lose it. He didn't want to die stranded on Mars! Not that he would—after all, how would their future story continue if they died now? Liu A'dou had already prepared a ship for them. They could return to the Vers capital first, then make their way back to Earth.
Meanwhile, in the time tunnel, Liu A'dou suddenly had a thought: Since he was jumping from Mars back to Earth-1, where exactly would he land? Hopefully not in some weird place.
Why hadn't he thought of this before? Not that it mattered—he couldn't control the whole process. All he could do was set coordinates. Whatever. Right now, burning his Microcosmos to protect his family was the priority. Vivid, bizarre patterns swirled around them, like the world itself was twisting. Even though it was his second time doing this, he still wasn't used to it. Even the power of his Microcosmos felt like it had shifted to a different dimension.
Ada saw her husband's mouth moving, trying to say something, but no sound came through. Liu A'dou was saying: "Tell Ada to be ready to land somewhere weird."
But their luck held out. They didn't appear in the middle of a city looking like monsters, nor did they land in some dangerous zone. Instead, they showed up on the African savannah, startling a few lions and elephants—but causing no real trouble.
"Feels familiar. Earth-1, we're back!" Liu A'dou laughed.
Nono couldn't handle the effects of time travel and burst into a loud cry.
"Our little princess is louder than the lions. She's got potential," Liu A'dou chuckled.
Ada laughed too, though she had to start calming Nono down. They were home.