The massive spaceship, adorned with glittering star-shaped markings, slowed to a halt as it approached the planet's surface.
This behemoth, representing the pinnacle of strategic weaponry across the Hundred Great Star District, even with just a pause, caused ripples across the starry sky. The force of the impact was enough to easily crush a level 12 martial arts expert of superior skill.
Many at the banquet lost their footing amidst the tremors, their figures disheveled. But this did not dampen their excitement in the slightest; far from being bothered, they even felt a strange sense of honor.
Finally, the spaceship came to a complete stop. Then, under the watchful eyes of everyone, the lower hatch of the spaceship opened. A thick beam of blue light shot down from the bottom of the spaceship, extending all the way to the top of the banquet hall. This action immediately heightened the excitement of the Lyresasfamily, led by Wells.
As a figure appeared within the blue beam of light, almost everyone in the banquet hall held their breath. Several figures emerged from the blue beam. Leading the group was an elderly man of medium build, with slightly bluish skin and two long, thin tendrils on his head—a man with a blue beard.
Behind him followed two robust men with cold expressions, each emanating a terrifying aura that suffocated all who beheld them. But compared to the blue-bearded old man, their auras seemed insignificant. Looking directly at him, everyone felt as if they were gazing upon an entire starry sky. Without a doubt, the blue-bearded old man was the legendary supreme commander, the Chief Star Elder of the Hundred Great!
The blue-bearded old man walked step by step into the hall along the beam of light. Everyone in the banquet hall bowed respectfully, including the level 13 martial arts expert revered by the Lyresas family. Some people even trembled slightly with excitement and elation.
Leaving aside his status as the Chief Star Elder of the Hundred Great Star Regions, the mere title of a Level 14 Martial Arts expert was enough to command the respect and deference of this entire Star District.
Finally, the blue-bearded elder walked fully onto the banquet floor. His gaze swept across the crowd. Everyone whose gaze fell upon him bowed their heads deeply. He seemed to be searching for something. Suddenly, his gaze settled on a certain spot, and a smile appeared on his face. It was as if he had found it.
"Having heard that the new patriarch of the Lyresas family has assumed office today, I have come to offer my congratulations. I hope my uninvited arrival has not disturbed you," the blue-bearded elder spoke.
His voice carried a strange resonance, reaching the ears of everyone present and causing countless people to tremble. Upon hearing his words, the entire Lyresas family erupted in excitement. Their faces lit up with ecstatic joy. Reality was a million times more surprising than they had imagined.
The legendary, incomparably esteemed Chief Star Elder had actually come for their Lyresas family. He had come specifically to congratulate them on the handover of the family's patriarch position.
What merit did they, a mere star region family, possess?! But that no longer mattered. Everyone knew in their hearts: the Lyresas family, from this day forward, was about to usher in unprecedented glory. Countless eyes at the banquet turned to one particular person. Envy was palpable.
Wells, chosen by the Elders as the next heir to the family, was the focus of these countless gazes, and he was brimming with unparalleled excitement. He straightened his chest once more, so that he could perform even better before this supreme figure before him.
Standing beside him, Rose also gripped her skirt tightly with excitement. She hadn't made the wrong choice. She had indeed made the right choice. The Lyresas family actually had a connection with the legendary Star Elder! As the fiancée of the next patriarch of the Lyresas family—Wells—she was about to become the queen of a new era!
"No... no disturbance." Wells tried to keep his voice from trembling; he could barely contain his excitement. "The arrival of the Chief Star Elder is an unparalleled honor for our entire Lyresas family! How could it be considered a disturbance?"
Wells performed the most standard celestial greeting to the blue-bearded elder. He did his utmost to play the role of a great family leader.
"It's good that you're not disturbed." The blue-bearded elder nodded slowly, then he smiled and walked step by step from the sky towards Wells.
Wells watched the old man approach, every cell in his body trembling with excitement. He saw the blue-bearded elder extend his hands, and he quickly raised his own, striding forward to greet him. He was about to experience the most glorious moment of his life, and indeed, the entire history of the Lyresas family.
All the family elders watched him with barely suppressed excitement, anticipating that great and historic moment. Finally, the blue-bearded elder approached Wells. Just as their hands were about to touch, and Wells even bowed slightly, preparing to receive the elder's "gracious handshake" with the highest honor, the blue-bearded elder gently passed through Wells's body.
Then he stepped to Saya, who was standing not far behind Wells, and gently grasped his hands. A kind smile bloomed on his face as he said, "Congratulations, young man. The stars will remember this moment."
Wells remained rooted to the spot, kneeling with outstretched hands. His smile froze on his face, like a statue.
"Uh—"
Saya, whose hands were being held by the blue-bearded elder, was completely dumbfounded. He stood frozen, stunned, unable to process the sudden outburst for a long moment. And he wasn't the only one bewildered. Everyone in the entire banquet hall was stunned, some even feeling a slight dizziness. Many even doubted whether what they were seeing was real. They rubbed their eyes vigorously.
What were they seeing?
The legendary Chief Star Elder of the Hundred Great Star Regions, the level 14 Commander, had actually chosen that good-for-nothing abandoned by the Lyresas family?! What the hell! This must be a mistake. It must be a mistake!
"Chief Star Elder!"
Recovering from his daze, Elder Bos couldn't help but point at Saya, urgently exclaiming, "He... he is not our family's new patriarch!"
"Oh?"
The blue-bearded elder turned, glanced at Bos, and said calmly, "Is there another person named Saya Lyresas here?"
"Uh..."
Bos froze, still not having recovered. The blue-bearded elder's next sentence followed immediately.
"As I have chosen, there is only one patriarch of the Lyresas family..." The blue-bearded elder raised Saya's hand, his tone calm yet filled with undeniable authority.
"This is Saya Lyresas. If the patriarch you have chosen is not him, then it means..." The blue-bearded elder's gaze swept across the entire room, finally landing on Bos, and he said earnestly, word by word, "... that you do not represent the true will of the Lyresas family."
Elder Bos's face turned deathly pale, and he stumbled back several steps. Then, kneeling in trembling fear, he cried out, "By the honor of the Lyresas family, Saya Lyresas will be the next patriarch of the family!"
The family elders behind Boss echoed him, "By the honor of the Lyresas family, Saya Lyresas will be the next patriarch of the family!"
In an instant, those who had previously wanted to expel Saya and remove him from the family had become his most loyal supporters. The onlookers seemed to awaken from a daze.
Someone, seemingly leading the charge, shouted, "We are all witnesses!"
Then everyone echoed and responded. As they shouted, a storm raged within them. Although they didn't know why things had changed so dramatically, they were certain of one thing. From this day forward, for the Lyresas family, only one voice would exist: Saya!
Saya seemed to be surrounded by a halo, instantly becoming radiant. He was once again the center of attention, but this time as the ultimate winner. He felt as if he were in a dream, completely dizzy.
He looked around... He saw Heyer, her mouth agape in astonishment, and Tang Dun, equally bewildered. He saw Rose, her face deathly pale and her body staggering. And there was Wells, dumbfounded, as if plunged into an abyss.
He wondered if everything before him was a dream. How... How could he suddenly have the support of the Chief Star Elder and become the family patriarch again?! Is this a joke? Is it stellar April Fool's Day?
The blue-bearded old man before him seemed to see his confusion, smiling as he leaned closer and whispered, "Thank your good friend you made on the interdimensional battlefield. He entrusted Mokodo to take good care of you. Mokodo can't leave the battlefield, so she had no choice but to entrust this to me..."
A flash of lightning struck Saya's mind. At that moment, he understood everything. The prophecy resurfaced in his mind.
« See the first person you met, go back to where it all started, reclaim what is rightfully yours. The one reigning upon the stars has prepared everything for you. »
Every word of the prophecy was perfectly fulfilled. He finally reclaimed everything that was rightfully his. And the identity of the one described in the last sentence of the prophecy—the one reigning upon the stars—was finally revealed at this moment. Lu Sheng! It was Lu Sheng who arranged everything for him.
"The one reigning upon the stars..."
Saya murmured these words, his expression gradually becoming complex. He softly said to the blue-bearded old man before him, "Could you please thank him for me?"
The old man with the blue beard smiled, looked up, his gaze seemingly piercing through layers of void, landing in the vast, boundless depths of the starry sky. He spoke softly, "Wait for him to return. You'll have the chance to speak to him yourself."
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Translation notes by dhoo
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Soyas
One of the two Chief Star Elders of the Hundred Great alongside Mokodo. He is described in this chapter as an elderly man of medium build, with slightly bluish skin and two long, thin tendrils on his head—a man with a blue beard.
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The one reigning upon the stars aka The one standing atop the stars, wearing a crown
An element of the prophecy introduced in chapter #585
« See the first person you met, go back to where it all started, reclaim what is rightfully yours. The one reigning upon the stars has prepared everything for you. »