Zhong Qing (Cherish) - Chap 16
Although Olympus formed its own alliance in the middle of Helu’s period, the government did not prohibit trade and passage between the two regions. The merchant ships were no longer under the jurisdiction of the government and operated independently. Apart from safety measures in the ports, each region developed its own system, relying on its capabilities to earn a living.
Moschery wore a black eyepatch over one eye. He wore ordinary field camouflage, and his military boots were still muddy.
“We board the merchant ship at two o’clock in the afternoon. What is it called… Horse, Horse…” Qin Yun frowned. He was holding the list of merchant ships leaving the port that day and trying to find the one they wanted to board.
“Stallion Balls,” Moschery called out the name of the ship with an expressionless face. He glanced at the list in Qin Yun’s hand with disdain, “You don’t have to look for it. You will recognise it at a glance.”
Qin Yun: “Are you close with the captain…”
Moschery: “No one wants to be close with him.”
Qin Yun: “?”
Moschery said with a gloomy face, “That idiot can always embarrass you all the time.”
After noon, there were obviously fewer merchant ships at the port, but the goods began to become more and more miscellaneous. Qin Yun even saw a few Flame Crocodiles tied up and locked in cages and transported below the deck.
Qin Yun bit the hot dog. He opened a cup of coffee nutrient solution for Moschery and slurred as he asked, “What is the purpose of catching the Flame Crocodile? Is there a zoo open in the capital?”
“There are two circuses over in Area C.” Moschery glanced at the dark ‘coffee’ and said, “I want creamer.”
Qin Yun took out his backpack and asked, without raising his head, “How many do you want?”
“8…” Moschery thought for a moment: “No, 10.”
“…” Qin Yun: “…Give me this cup, and I’ll buy you another cup of pure milk.”
The two of them finished 14 hot dogs, 12 cups of nutrient solution, including 5 cups of coffee flavor and 7 cups of pure milk…
Moschery looked contemptuous, “You actually ate 8 hot dogs… Are you a pig?”
“…How dare you talk to me like that?” Qin Yun counted the milk cans, “800CC per cup of milk, and you drank 7 cups… 5600CC?!”
Qin Yun said in disbelief, “You have never drank so much before, so you drink so much…”
“…Shut up!” Moschery said viciously.
Qin Yun was replacing all the coffee with pure milk at the supply station when he saw a huge merchant ship docking not far away. The supply robot mechanically counted the cans, “28, 29, 30… Confirm? Confirm?”
Qin Yun came to his senses. He counted and felt that 10 cans a day should be enough for the Emperor to drink. Then he started packing. He observed the merchant ships that had just entered the port out of the corner of his eye.
According to the rules, the spaceship must register its name at the port before landing. Just as he was about to check, he saw a large speaker slowly extending from the skylight on the top of the ship.
“Stallion Balls!” A hoarse male voice came from the loudspeaker, “I’ve acquired such a good name, and every time, you have to keep asking and asking! Can’t you remember it, damn it?!”
Qin Yun: “…” Now he finally understood what Moschery meant when he said there was no need to look for it…
Chen Xiao stood on the deck with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, long legs and long arms. He had a typical oriental appearance, a pair of slender peach blossom eyes. His hairstyle was a standard crew cut, and just below the corner of his mouth, near the chin, there was a mole that was easily overlooked by others.
He was a little surprised when he saw Qin Yun behind Moschery and said with a smile, “Where’s the canon lass? She didn’t come along?”
Moschery had a headache, “Why would she be here? To argue with you every day?”
Chen Xiao shrugged, “Most of the time, I give in to her.”
Moschery couldn’t be bothered with this and motioned for Qin Yun to follow him.
Chen Xiao’s Stallion Balls was no smaller than the Imperial Starship. As soon as Qin Yun entered, he saw a golden statue of Guan Yu1 with an incense burner placed in front of it.
“Old rules.” Chen Xiao raised his chin, “You can only go in after bowing three times and placing incense sticks.”
Qin Yun: “…They still believe this?!”
Moschery just pretended not to see it.
Qin Yun had no choice but to light the incense himself. When she was about to pray, she saw Moschery standing motionless next to him.
“You’re not going to pay respect?” Qin Yun couldn’t help but ask.
Moschery had a ‘you think I’m you’ face.
“…” Qin Yun kowtowed three times in frustration. Just as he was about to stand up, he heard Moschery say: “You can kowtow for me also.”
Qin Yun: “…”
The Stallion Balls ship was the only merchant ship with its own armoury. Chen Xiao arranged for his men to unload the cargo at the port, and he took Moschery and Qin Yun down to the bottom of the ship.
“I didn’t bring many weapons this time. I heard you didn’t bring Dragon Scale?” Chen Xiao opened some ventilation, “What, it doesn’t fit?”
Moschery casually raised a long sword mounted on the wall and swung it left and right twice, “The Dragon Scale are too obvious a target and easily recognised.”
Chen Xiao nodded, “That’s true.” As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a ‘clang’ sound. The sword Moschery just took was almost dragged to the ground by Qin Yun, and he could barely lift the hilt.
“?!” Qin Yun: “Why is it so heavy?!”
Chen Xiao: “…this thing weighs nearly 40 kilograms, don’t you know?”
Qin Yun fainted, “How could I know!”
“Something is not right. Dragon Scale weighs 50 kilograms…” Chen Xiao was stunned. He looked at Moschery in disbelief, “He is the guide?!”
Moschery took the sword from Qin Yun’s hand, raised his arm, and hung it back on the wall easily, “If not, who do you think?”
“He smells like a sentinel, so I thought he was one of your guards.” Chen Xiao said frantically. He suddenly sniffed, “Wait…the pheromones on him are yours?!”
Moschery’s face was full of ‘You’ve got taste. I’ll give you credit for knowing the truth’ as he wore a smug but affectionate expression…
Chen Xiao said sadly and angrily, “Didn’t we agree to be lonely little angels for each other before?! You traitorous dog!”
Qin Yun: “…”
In addition to cold weapons, there were also many other firearms and ammunition in the armoury. Qin Yun set aside a bag specifically for his commonly used items. As for what caught Moschery’s eye, he had no expectations of Qin Yun carrying it for him.
Chen Xiao had a resentful face from beginning to end. He helped the two of them pack their weapons and muttered, “Remember what you said before, huh? Who’s the badass claiming that he will die and say that he will definitely die alone? Damn, I’m fvcking dumb to actually believed you…”
Qin Yun asked Moschery cautiously, “What happened to you guys before… Did he have as much trouble finding a guide as you did?”
Moschery loaded the gun in his hand with a ‘click’ and said with a cold expression, “His 100% matching guide is Tristana, but these two people hate each other extremely much, so they can only communicate and bicker from afar without meeting each other.”
Qin Yun: “…”
“Tristana once piloted the Crested Ibis and fought with Stallion Balls on the sixth line for a day and a night.” Moschery recalled with squinted eyes, “First, they started by arguing over the loudspeakers, and then Tristana fired the cannons. Of course, Chen Xiao did the same, but neither of them dared to open the cabin doors and fight face-to-face. I guess they were afraid of hitting the bed.”
Qin Yun wiped his sweat, “They also went all out in their own way, huh…”
Chen Xiao came down from the ladder carrying a long gun and said with a gloomy face, “Don’t think I can’t hear you.”
Moschery’s expression changed slightly. He quickly raised the muzzle of the gun, pointed it at the opponent and pulled the trigger. Chen Xiao raised his spear, but there was no big movement. The bullet made a big turn and flew out from Qin Yun’s head.
Chen Xiao pointed the finger at Moschery, raised his eyebrows and said, “Want to practice a few rounds?”
“As long as you’re not afraid of getting beaten.” Moschery threw the gun into Qin Yun’s bag. He finally picked a sword about the same length as the Dragon Scale and tied it behind his back.
When Stallion’s Ball left the port, Qin Yun couldn’t help but follow Chen Xiao and Moschery to the observatory on the top floor of the spaceship. Through the huge transparent protective cover above his head, he could clearly see the bright nebulae in the night sky.
Chen Xiao released his spiritual link, a massive Haast Eagle with its wings spread out to 3 meters long, and its black and white feathers were smooth and shiny.
This beautiful male eagle, clearly kept in captivity for a while, almost impatiently flew towards the curtains, circling about five or six times before slowly gliding into a low-altitude dive.
“Jifeng.” Chen Xiao shouted as he stretched out his arm, and the eagle flapped its wings and landed on it.
“Do you want me to give up the territory and let your dragon come out for some air?” Chen Xiao moved the Haast Eagle to his shoulder. The eagle looked at Qin Yun and Moschery curiously, and its sharp beak occasionally combed a few feathers from its wings.
“It’s a little too small here.” Moschery looked around and pointed at the protective shield above his head, “You can just remove it.”
Chen Xiao rolled his eyes, “So many requests… I will prepare ropes and spacesuits for you. If you want to stay overnight, an oxygen mask will not be enough.”
Before Qin Yun could react to the conversation between the two of them, Moschery forced him into a spacesuit. The Emperor personally tied a rope around their waists and buckled the oxygen mask on Qin Yun’s face.
“We’ll probably be about a kilometre away from the ship shortly.” Moschery’s voice reached Qin Yun’s ears via Bluetooth, “Just relax, and I will keep your balance.”
Qin Yun asked nervously, “Do you… want to ride a dragon in space?”
Moschery thought for a while and said in a rare gentle tone, “If you want to, it’s not impossible.”
The author has something to say:
The spacesuit is designed to be lightweight, so there’s no significant barrier when hugging or embracing each other. It’s not cumbersome either. I’ve noticed that I really enjoy writing scenarios like taking you to see meteor showers (or stars)… it’s just so enchanting. It makes me laugh and cry at the same time.
