BATTLE FOR STARS

Ding Yufei fell silent in thought.

It was true. Global warming, racial discrimination, the widening wealth gap, separatist movements across nations, rampant gun violence, refugee crises...

Over the past decade or so, technological advancement hadn’t made Earth a better place at all.

If anything, things had become worse.

Humanity’s ability to damage the planet had simply become far more powerful.

Maybe one day, someone with absolute technological superiority really would end up ruling everyone else.

That kind of thing wasn’t impossible.

In the long river of history, if something only needed to happen once to become reality, then eventually it probably would.

“But you don’t need to worry too much yet,” Belina comforted him. “At the very least, Earth’s current technology still isn’t advanced enough for a tiny group of people to completely control everything.”

She smiled faintly.

“Our trip still isn’t over. You can wait until we’ve seen everything before drawing conclusions.”

“Alright,” Ding Yufei replied.

For now, maybe those questions would just have to be left to time.

“By the way, what were you talking about with Lina before dinner ended?” he asked.

“That Balk guy is the type who holds grudges,” Belina replied. “I’m worried about Lina and the others, so I’m planning to take them with us when we leave Boman.”

“You really think things through.”

Ding Yufei had to admit that Belina was far more capable than him in many ways.

After all, she was a princess raised in a kingdom. She had seen more of the world and possessed a much broader perspective than he did.

When they first met, traces of arrogance and childish stubbornness were still obvious in her.

But after two years on Earth, those traits seemed to have almost completely disappeared.

“Still, Lina has to wait until the Mech Fighter Tournament ends before she can officially redeem herself,” Belina continued. “Which works out perfectly, since we also need time to complete our own mission.”

She preferred handling Lina’s departure through proper procedures instead of relying on special connections.

Because if things really came down to influence and power here, she was nowhere near Balk’s level.

“Have you figured out what to do yet?” Ding Yufei asked.

“Not yet. But the Emperor already sent word that Lieutenant General Frederick will definitely appear when the carnival ends.”

Belina leaned back in her chair.

“I think that’ll be the moment everything finally gets resolved. There’s no need to think too far ahead for now.”

“So where are we going over the next few days?” Ding Yufei moved closer to her.

“No idea. We’ll decide tomorrow.” She smiled. “But this time we’re bringing Sade along, just in case something unexpected happens again.”

“Mhm.”

Ding Yufei walked over beside Belina’s reclining chair.

He looked at the beautiful girl before him. Her fair face carried a soft blush, and her graceful figure curved perfectly beneath the light clothing she wore.

At that moment, she was smiling warmly back at him.

A surge of emotion rose inside him.

Lowering his head, he kissed her.

Their lips intertwined gently.

Before long, Ding Yufei could feel both of them growing emotional. Wrapping an arm around Belina’s waist, he lifted her into his arms and carried her toward the large bed inside the suite.

He tossed her lightly onto the soft mattress.

Just as he was taking off his clothes and about to climb onto the bed, his eyes suddenly caught sight of a blurry figure standing in the corner of the room.

“Who’s there?!”

Ding Yufei jumped in shock.

Belina looked startled as well, but her reaction was much faster. With a flick of her finger, she remotely activated the room’s lighting system.

“It’s... me, Master...”

As the lights suddenly brightened, the shadow in the corner spoke with a trembling voice.

“Dong Jiaqi?”

Ding Yufei stared at her in astonishment.

Hadn’t he already told her to leave earlier?

Why was she here again now?

“What are you doing here?”

“I-It’s... bedtime now,” Dong Jiaqi stammered nervously. “I-I came to serve Master.”

“Serve me? Serve me how?” Ding Yufei asked blankly.

“M-Master... it’s bedside service. Every female servant slave with a new master is supposed to do it on the first night.” Dong Jiaqi was clearly nervous herself, speaking in broken sentences. “Heidi said... around this time should be appropriate, so I came over...”

“Bedside service?”

This was the first time Ding Yufei had heard the term, though he could roughly guess what it meant from the name alone.

Probably something similar to the old bedchamber maids in ancient China — servants who used their bodies to attend to their masters.

The fact that Heidi — the female intimate partner currently spending all her time with Sade — had even given Dong Jiaqi advice on the matter left him completely speechless.

Of course, Heidi had no idea that neither he nor Belina needed that kind of service.

Meanwhile, after hearing Dong Jiaqi’s explanation, Belina burst into laughter on the bed.

Clearly, this was her first time encountering something like this too.

After all the earlier kissing and pulling, the clothes around her chest had already loosened considerably, revealing glimpses of smooth white skin beneath.

“Want to hear what kind of services she offers?” Belina asked teasingly through her laughter.

After all, this was a professionally trained servant slave.

Maybe there really were some “special” options involved.

Of course, Ding Yufei could already imagine plenty of possibilities himself.

But he genuinely disliked the whole idea.

“Stop talking,” he said helplessly before turning toward Dong Jiaqi.

“Y-Yes, Master.”

“I don’t need your bedside service. Unless I specifically call for you at night, don’t come into the room again. Understood?”

Looking at how frightened she already was, Ding Yufei deliberately softened his tone as much as possible.

“Yes, Master.”

Understanding his meaning — and realizing she wasn’t going to be punished — Dong Jiaqi hurriedly retreated from the room.

“Little Fei, you really don’t want to try it?” Belina continued smiling at him mischievously. “Dong Jiaqi’s pretty cute too, you know.”

“Stop teasing me already!”

Then Ding Yufei suddenly narrowed his eyes.

“Wait. Didn’t you say your family has slaves too? Don’t tell me the male slaves there provide this kind of service on the first night too?”

He deliberately sounded a little jealous.

“That, I honestly don’t know,” Belina answered innocently. “I was still pretty young back then, so I never experienced it. Maybe when we go back this time, I should properly experience it for myself.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

Ding Yufei immediately lunged toward the bed.

“If you really try that, I’ll definitely punish you properly.”

“Oh? And how exactly are you planning to punish me?”

“Like this!”

As he spoke, he pounced onto the bed toward Belina. With a wave of his hand, most of the lights dimmed away.

That night, the room was filled with endless spring warmth.

Over the next week or so, Ding Yufei and Belina thoroughly enjoyed themselves across Planet Boman.

Although Lina never met them in person again, she still communicated with them almost every day through the communicator. She still had many things she didn’t understand about Tai Chi and often needed Ding Yufei’s guidance.

Still, while those private communicators offered excellent secrecy, they only worked over short distances within a planet. They couldn’t be used for interstellar communication.

For Lina, there was still one final hurdle left.

The finals of the Mech Fighter Tournament.

Competitions like that frequently resulted in severe injuries or even death. And her opponent, Julia, was no ordinary fighter.

Even if Lina wanted to leave with Belina, she first had to survive the tournament in one piece.