BATTLE FOR STARS

In the living room, a few people were seated around a circle of sofas: Landon’s mother, Rose, his younger sister, Mia, and a young man and woman whom Landon did not recognize.

“You’re back! Come, have a seat,” Landon’s mother said, rising to greet her son.

She was somewhat slender, and though only in her forties, streaks of white ran through her hair—a rare sight in a population whose lifespan exceeded three hundred years. It also reflected the hardships she had endured over the years.

“These two are… Mia’s friends,” Rose said, looking at the young couple. This was the first time she had met them.

The man, tall and robust with a healthy complexion, introduced himself with ease. “I’m Arthur, and this is my sister, Caroline,” he said, gesturing toward the young woman beside him.

Caroline was very young, with long, beautiful black hair and a delicate face framed by bright, expressive eyes that caused Landon to feel an inexplicable flutter. “Hello, I’m Caroline,” she said, standing and extending her hand toward Landon.

“Hello, I’m Landon,” he replied, lightly shaking her hand. The smooth, soft feel of her palm made his heart skip a beat.

“It’s like this—we happened to run into your sister on the way,” Arthur said, glancing at Mia.

For the first time, Landon got a clear look at his sister—and his anger flared.

Mia was not exactly a breathtaking beauty, but her oval face and cherry-like mouth were always charming. Now, a thin, red scratch marred her pale cheek—a clear sign of a recent injury.

“Mia, what happened? Did someone hurt you?” Landon asked, his voice low and serious.

“Brother!” Mia cried, throwing herself into Landon’s arms.

“We found your sister in a narrow alley next to Philock Avenue, surrounded by a few men and women. From the situation, it seemed something bad was happening, so I chased them off and brought your sister here,” Arthur explained succinctly.

“What?” Landon immediately understood. He had long known that Mia’s high school had a few troublemaking students, but they had so far avoided involving his family. He hadn’t expected anything to happen.

Looking at his sister, anger surged in Landon’s chest. Their father, also a soldier, had died when Landon was nine. Since then, Landon had taken it upon himself to care for Mia, acting as both brother and father, trying to protect her from any harm. “Mia, do you know who did this?”

Mia withdrew from her brother’s embrace, sitting on the nearby sofa with her head lowered. After a moment, she nodded slightly.

“Why did they pick on you? Give me their names, and I’ll deal with them at school,” Landon said firmly.

“Brother, it’s okay… it’s not a big deal,” Mia finally spoke.

Landon looked at her. He knew his sister very well. “These students… their backgrounds aren’t simple, are they?”

Mia didn’t answer directly. “They bully everyone at school. Today it just happened to be me.”

“Mia, if we don’t stop them now, they’ll only push further. Next time, your injuries could be worse.” Landon sat down and tried to reason calmly with his sister. “Tell me what these students’ families do. I’ll figure something out. After all, your brother will soon be a commissioned officer.”

“They… all come from military families. One of them is reportedly a Three-Bear officer,” Mia said quietly.

Landon thought for a moment. In the Hill Empire, military ranks were marked with animals, similar to the Confederation but with different symbols. Generals were represented by Tigers, while Bear-level officers were school-level officers. Four-Bear was the highest among school-level ranks; Three-Bear was already relatively high. Even if Landon became a full officer, he would start at One-Elephant rank—a significant gap.

“Give me their names. I’ll handle this,” Landon decided. He thought of General Augustine II, the recently met Tiger-rank commander. If he intervened, it shouldn’t be a problem. As long as these students didn’t trouble his sister again, Landon would be satisfied—the other students were beyond his jurisdiction.

“If there’s anything else, you can also tell me. Maybe I can help,” Arthur, who had remained quiet until now, offered.

“Help… you?” Landon asked, confused. Arthur was an outsider. Even if he had acted bravely today, why would he help further?

“I’m a businessman. I know a lot of officials here, so I might be able to help,” Arthur explained.

“A businessman?” Landon thought. In the Hill Empire, merchants were not highly respected. Even if one’s family was wealthy, it didn’t guarantee influence.

“Oh, maybe I didn’t make myself clear. I’m a Confederation merchant—not selling ordinary goods, but providing special items to the Hill Empire,” Arthur clarified.

Landon immediately understood. Despite being at war with the Confederation, trade had not stopped. The war had lasted for over a thousand years, becoming routine. One side fought while the other traded—mutually unaffected.

The confederation, primarily consisting of the Kramic Kingdom, the Duir Republic, the Hania Confederation, and the Resk Empire, was a massive coalition aimed at countering the Hill Empire.

Many Confederation merchants frequently appeared on Hill Empire planets, especially during intense wartime, as profits were higher.

The Hill Empire’s technology was comparable to the Confederation’s, but mainly in military applications. Everyday civilian technology lagged behind, as most resources were devoted to the military.

Thus, many Confederation goods sold at high prices in the Hill Empire. Ordinary goods were common, but only special items could establish connections with officials or military units.

Landon had long heard about underground supplies of such special goods, but had never truly cared—mostly because even if he knew about them, he could not afford them.

These special items generally fell into two categories: one included high-tech products, special medical supplies, and some advanced entertainment devices; the other category was humans. Aside from lifelike androids, the most valuable were slaves produced in the Resk Empire, especially female slaves trained for service.