BATTLE FOR STARS

“Then why not try it?” Belina said calmly.

She honestly didn’t mind.

After all, the probability of Ding Yufei successfully grabbing the dagger was higher than the probability of Lina breaking free.

But Emperor Hogan had no intention of testing that outcome.

He could already tell that doing so might very well cost him the match.

“How about this, Princess,” Emperor Hogan finally said. “We declare this match a draw.”

“A draw?”

“Yes. In their current state, neither side dares loosen up for even a second. The only option is to keep exhausting each other until the end. But at this rate, we probably won’t see a result until tomorrow. That would be far too much of a waste of everyone’s time.”

His words were somewhat exaggerated, but not entirely unreasonable.

With this level of energy consumption, the stalemate really could continue for a very long time.

Of course, if Ding Yufei truly wanted victory, there were definitely ways to force it.

But if his goal was specifically a draw, then this deadlock could indeed drag on endlessly.

Emperor Hogan didn’t know Ding Yufei’s true intentions, but from his perspective, a draw was far more favorable than risking defeat.

At the very least, Lina had not lost.

Naturally, Belina welcomed the proposal.

But she would never suggest it herself.

Doing so would interfere with her next plans and might make Emperor Hogan suspicious.

People rarely doubt ideas they come up with themselves.

But if a suggestion comes from an opponent, they instinctively overanalyze it.

Human nature was the same everywhere.

“Very well,” Belina said reluctantly. “I agree.”

Emperor Hogan was immediately delighted.

“Bring both mech fighters to the VIP room. I’d like to meet them personally.”

Normally, when the Emperor summoned mech fighters after a match, it meant rewards were about to be given.

And Emperor Hogan indeed intended to reward Ding Yufei as a gesture of goodwill, especially since Belina had not continued pressing the issue against him.

General Frederick quickly passed down the Emperor’s orders.

During the short break, Belina spoke again.

“Your Majesty, since the match ended in a draw, how should our wager be settled?”

“Well...”

“In that case, half and half,” General Frederick suggested.

For the Resk Empire, retaining half the Fleet was already a fairly good outcome.

“Yes, that works,” the Emperor agreed.

Belina pretended to think it over for a moment before nodding.

“Very well. We’ll do as Your Majesty says.”

As they continued talking, Ding Yufei and Lina entered the VIP room.

The two didn’t exchange a single word.

Ding Yufei looked far more relaxed now. With Belina’s help, the match had ultimately ended according to his plan.

As for Lina, her face remained expressionless.

Or perhaps more accurately, nothing could be read from it.

After all, she had failed to win.

“Hahaha, Princess, I never expected your Male intimate partner to be this impressive,” Emperor Hogan laughed loudly. “That truly surprised me.”

He then turned toward Ding Yufei.

“You’re Ding Yufei, correct? Excellent performance. I intend to reward you.”

Ding Yufei was startled.

He hadn’t expected the Emperor to personally reward him.

After all, he had barely interacted with Emperor Hogan before. But the people around the Emperor clearly understood that this was a sign of the Emperor being in an exceptionally good mood.

“So,” Emperor Hogan continued with a grin, “would you prefer a group of beautiful servant girls, or a Brave Medal of the Resk Empire?”

Ding Yufei had no interest in either.

He didn’t even know what the medal was actually useful for.

Instead, his eyes instinctively shifted toward Lina.

What he truly wanted was to redeem her freedom.

But someone in the room noticed his gaze before he could speak.

“Father,” Balk said suddenly, “rewarding Ding Yufei is certainly appropriate. But punishing those who failed their mission is equally necessary.”

He still hadn’t let go of the matter concerning Lina.

Not even now.

Emperor Hogan hadn’t been thinking that far ahead, but Balk’s words immediately reminded him.

Although the match had officially been declared a draw under his own proposal, the original plan had been different.

If Lina had won outright, none of this would even be an issue.

“Your Majesty,” Ding Yufei quickly interrupted, “I was honored to have such a wonderful battle against your fighter Lina. I do not seek any reward for myself. I only ask that you grant her to me.”

“Honored guest,” Balk immediately countered, “the Resk Empire believes firmly in clear rewards and punishments. Victory earns rewards. Failure earns punishment. Lina did not win. Naturally, she must be punished.”

“But the match was a draw,” Ding Yufei replied. “That doesn’t count as losing.”

“Perhaps not,” Balk said coldly. “But she still didn’t win.”

At this point, Emperor Hogan had already realized something.

Both Ding Yufei and Balk were fixated on Lina.

He didn’t fully understand why they cared so much about her, but from his perspective, that was actually a good thing.

As long as the other side desired something, he had room to maneuver.

Ding Yufei naturally understood how the Resk Empire functioned.

For a slave empire like this one, the entire system relied on rigid structures of reward and punishment.

After all, slaves didn’t even own their own lives. Concepts like patriotism or collective loyalty meant very little to them.

The only reason so many were willing to serve the Empire was because the system rewarded obedience and punished failure with absolute clarity.

This was the Resk Empire’s standard method of control.

On one side, mental wave conditioning prevented slaves from rebelling.

On the other, constant rewards acted as bait, encouraging them to willingly risk their lives for the Empire.

But under the current circumstances, even Emperor Hogan found the decision difficult.

If he simply handed Lina over to Ding Yufei, it would make him appear weak.

And weakness was the last image an Emperor wanted to project.

“Emperor Hogan, I have a proposal.”

Belina finally spoke again after remaining silent for a long while.

She had watched the argument between Ding Yufei and Balk carefully, and she understood the Emperor’s dilemma perfectly.

“Oh?” Emperor Hogan looked at her with interest. “And what proposal does the Princess have?”

“To be fair,” Belina began slowly, “Lina failed to complete the task Your Majesty originally assigned her. By the Empire’s standards, punishment is appropriate.”

The moment she said that, everyone in the room was stunned.

“But,” she continued, “she also did not completely fail. This match ended in a draw. And for such an outstanding fighter, imposing even harsher punishment seems somewhat excessive.”

The Emperor remained silent.

He wanted to hear her real suggestion.

“I propose,” Belina said calmly, “that Your Majesty recruit her into the Red Rose Guard as your personal bodyguard.”

No one had expected that proposal.

Not even Ding Yufei.

Because that would mean Lina would remain within the Resk Empire permanently.

But in Belina’s eyes, this was the best possible solution.

First, it prevented Emperor Hogan from losing face.

Lina had failed to achieve her assigned objective. Simply releasing her would make the Emperor appear weak and indecisive.

Second, the Red Rose Guard was the Emperor’s private guard unit, composed entirely of elite female warriors.

Allowing Lina to join could be seen both as a reward—

and as a punishment.

Why?

Because for women loyal to the Emperor, entering the Red Rose Guard was considered the highest honor imaginable.

Within it, they enjoyed extraordinary privileges and immense respect.

Though in exchange, their lives belonged completely to the Emperor.

But for someone who desired freedom—

someone like Lina—

those honors and privileges meant nothing.

And in that sense, it truly was a punishment.