The Sun Moon Emperor waved his hand, the smile on his face impossible to hide.
Just then, he suddenly seemed to think of something. Looking at the night sky outside the hall, he said somewhat urgently:
"No, I can't wait any longer."
"Although the formal rewards will have to wait until they return, I want to give them a heads-up now! Even if it's just in words, I must first commend these children properly! I must not let any opportunity to bridge our feelings slip away!"
"Someone! Bring my dedicated long-distance communication spirit tool! I want to personally connect with Jing Hongchen!"
...
Star Luo City, Star Emperor Grand Hotel.
Inside the luxury suite on the top floor, the lights were bright.
Even though it was already past midnight, the Sun Moon Team's room was still bustling with activity.
"Three with a kicker!"
"Beat that!"
"Four twos! Bomb! Hahahaha, pay up, pay up!"
Liu Yuan, Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen, and the others were sitting around on the carpet in Liu Yuan's room, playing cards with great interest.
The coffee table nearby was piled with snacks and drinks, and several empty wine bottles were scattered on the floor.
Because they had just beaten Shrek and had a few days off in the upcoming schedule, everyone had a rare little holiday to relax. No one felt sleepy tonight; they only wanted to vent the joy in their hearts to their heart's content.
Even the usually arrogant Xiao Hongchen had his face covered in paper strips at the moment, shouting with an indignant look that he wanted a rematch.
Just then, the door was pushed open gently.
Jing Hongchen walked into the room quickly, looking serious yet carrying an irrepressible excitement.
"Hall Master?"
Seeing this, everyone put down their cards and looked at him in confusion.
Jing Hongchen made a shushing gesture, then raised the communication spirit tool in his hand that was flashing with golden light, lowering his voice with a hint of trembling:
"Tidy yourselves up a bit."
"It's a call from His Majesty! His Majesty wants to speak to you personally!"
"His Majesty?!"
This time, everyone was stunned.
Even the always calm Liu Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly.
Xiao Hongchen hurriedly ripped the paper strips off his face, sat up straight, and straightened his messy collar.
Meng Hongchen also quickly smoothed out her skirt, her little face flushed with nervousness.
Jing Hongchen took a deep breath, respectfully connected the spirit tool, and put it on speaker.
Soon, that voice, full of majesty yet not lacking in warmth, rang out clearly in the room:
"Hall Master Hongchen, it's so late, I hope I haven't disturbed the children's rest?"
Jing Hongchen hurriedly bowed toward the spirit tool and replied: "Reporting to Your Majesty, they haven't rested yet. After today's great victory, the children are very excited and are celebrating by playing cards in Liu Yuan's room."
"Hahaha, playing cards is good! Young people should have some vitality; they should play when it's time to play!"
The Emperor's hearty laughter came through, instantly closing the distance between them. He didn't have the slightest air of a monarch, sounding more like a kind elder instead:
"Although I am far away in Bright Capital, I have heard today's good news. You have done well! Very well! Especially Liu Yuan, defeating Shrek single-handedly and raising our national prestige! I am very gratified!"
"I specifically made this call to tell you that you are the pride of the Sun Moon Empire! I and the hundreds of millions of citizens are all waiting for your triumphant return!"
"On the day you return, I will personally come out of the city to welcome you and celebrate your success! At that time, I also have a great gift for you all, especially for Liu Yuan. I have prepared a huge surprise for you, so be mentally prepared!"
Hearing these heartfelt praises and promises from the Emperor, the young students present were all flushed with excitement, their eyes shining with light.
To receive personal commendation from His Majesty the Emperor, and even a promise to be welcomed outside the city—what an honor this was!
"We thank Your Majesty for your great grace! We will surely continue to work hard and live up to Your Majesty's high expectations!"
Everyone shouted in unison, their voices filled with morale.
The call didn't last long; the Emperor gave a few more simple words of encouragement and then ended the communication, leaving the time to these excited young people.
But this interlude undoubtedly added fuel to tonight's gathering.
The atmosphere in the room became even more heated. Xiao Hongchen even clamored that if he didn't win a hand against Liu Yuan tonight, he would never go to sleep.
...
However, human joys and sorrows are not the same.
While the Sun Moon Team was immersed in a sea of joy, enjoying the honor of a personal call from the Emperor.
On the other side of the Star Luo Grand Hotel, in Shrek Academy's meeting room, the atmosphere was depressingly suffocating.
The air seemed frozen, filled with the scent of gloom and despair.
There was no laughter, no fine wine or food, only a deathly silence.
Xuan Zi still sat in the head seat, but his originally ruddy fat face was now deathly pale, as if he had aged a dozen years in an instant.
His eyes were hollow and lifeless, as if he had lost his soul. His mind constantly replayed Liu Yuan's invincible figure from the day, and the humiliation of the moment he was forced to say "we forfeit."
Ma Xiaotao was still undergoing treatment in a deep coma. Although her injuries weren't heavy, she needed a few days of rest.
Dai Yueheng, Chen Zifeng, and the other official team members all had their heads bowed low like defeated roosters, not even daring to breathe loudly. The fear of having their backbones broken still loomed over everyone's hearts.
In the corner, the Shrek intelligence officer responsible for transmitting information clutched a battle report that had already been drafted, his forehead covered in fine beads of sweat.
This battle report was like a hot potato, or a bomb that could explode at any moment.
He had hesitated for a long time and had even missed the best transmission time. But seeing Xuan Zi's look of mourning, he really didn't dare to send it out.
After all, the content of this battle report was simply too heavy.
Shrek Academy... had lost.
And they were defeated by the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy! Defeated by Liu Yuan, a discarded child of Shrek!
This was simply a disgrace, and it also put Elder Xuan in the line of fire.
Once this battle report was sent back to the academy, what would be the reaction of that old man sitting in the Sea Gods Pavilion and those several deans? What kind of earthquake would it cause in the entire academy?
He didn't dare to think about it.
However, dragging it out wasn't a solution either. This kind of world-renowned event couldn't be hidden at all; the information had probably already spread through various channels.
Finally, the Shrek intelligence officer steeled himself and cautiously broke the dead silence, his voice trembling so much it was almost inaudible:
"Elder... Elder Xuan..."
"That... today's battle report has been drafted..."
"Do you think... I should send it back to Shrek now?"
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/DaoistRoeoNQ
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"