Chapter 1293

"Destination approaching—Silver Radiance Star. Prepare for landing."

A soft female voice from the ship's AI echoed through the cabin.

"Already here?"

Xu Jingming removed his virtual headset and stood up, stretching his limbs.

Through the viewport, a beautiful planet of blue and green lay just ahead.

This planet was roughly the same size as Blue Star, not nearly as massive as Jupiter.

"Silver Radiance Star is an administrative world on the edge of the Noah Empire."

"Though not prosperous, its environment is exceptionally pleasant."

Ye Lan, who had also stepped to the ship's edge, chuckled lightly.

The ship quickly pierced the atmosphere and, guided by signal beacons, did not land at the spaceport.

Instead, it descended before an extremely luxurious palace in the planetary capital, "Silver Radiance City."

The moment the cabin door opened, a fresh scent tinged with faint floral fragrance rushed in.

"My lord Xu Jingming, my lord Ye Lan, welcome to Silver Radiance Star!"

A middle-aged man in lavish formal attire had already been waiting.

Seeing the two descend the gangway, he hurried forward warmly. Behind him stood two rows of neatly dressed attendants, all bowing respectfully.

"I am Alvis, Lord of Silver Radiance Star. You've traveled far—thank you for your efforts."

Alvis smiled broadly, "A welcoming banquet has been prepared for you both. Please proceed to the VIP lounge."

Xu Jingming studied the planetary lord.

Alvis appeared to be around fifty, slightly plump, with a kind face.

But his eyes were puffy, clearly having had poor rest lately.

His rank was not high—merely Starlight Seventh Stage.

"Lord, you're too kind. We're here on official business; no such formality is needed."

Ye Lan, having stowed the starship in her space ring, replied politely.

"No, no, no! You two come from the Noah Holy Land—your arrival here is our honor."

Alvis waved his hands urgently, "Besides, the other two teams have already arrived. Let's all meet properly."

"Other teams?" Ye Lan's delicate brows furrowed.

"Your Grace knows well—if the Demon Clan isn't swiftly purged, the entire planet will soon be corrupted."

"I issued extra missions precisely to root them out faster."

"But rest assured, your promised rewards will not be reduced in the slightest!"

Alvis hastened to add.

Ye Lan's expression softened slightly.

She had encountered this before—on the Holy Land mission system, the reward was clearly stated.

Only upon arrival did she learn she'd have to cooperate with others, and the reward would be split.

But having come all this way, she couldn't just leave.

So she gritted her teeth and completed the mission.

Fortunately, this mission wasn't like that.

And for Xu Jingming, who had just earned tens of billions of cosmic coins in the Abyss Arena—

The reward meant little; he only cared about finding Demon Clan.

Under Alvis's guidance, the two soon entered the lord's estate.

It was a grand structure blending classical and modern styles.

Through a meticulously pruned garden, Alvis led them into a lavishly decorated VIP lounge.

Two groups already waited inside: on the left, three young men in silver-white uniforms.

On the right, two men clad in black battle suits. As Xu Jingming and Ye Lan entered, all turned to look.

"Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce."

Alvis cleared his throat, "These two are my lords Ye Lan and Xu Jingming, from the Noah Holy Land."

"Noah Holy Land?"

One of the three on the left—a muscular youth with a buzzcut—glanced at Xu Jingming and raised an eyebrow:

"When did the Noah Holy Land get so poor?

For a mission of this level, they sent a Starlight Stage?"

"What do you know? That's a Starlight Stage from the Noah Holy Land!"

A blond youth beside him chuckled, tone dripping with mockery:

"He might be stronger than our Starlight Clans!"

Xu Jingming narrowed his eyes, about to speak—

But beside him, Ye Lan's brows snapped down, her cold voice laced with anger as she stared at the three on the left:

"What do you mean? Does the Noah Holy Land need your approval to assign its mission personnel?"

"Oh! A beautiful woman!"

Upon seeing Ye Lan, the buzzcut youth's eyes lit up.

His gaze grew hotter, his tone slick and flippant:

"Sorry, sorry, my mistake—I apologize."

Lord Alvis quickly stepped in to defuse the tension, introducing:

"This is Lord Rod of the Eternal Star Alliance; beside him are Lord Randy and Lady Bella."

"The two on the right are Lord Mark and Lord Luke from the Sirius System."

"People of the Eternal Star Alliance?"

Xu Jingming's gaze swept over the three on the left.

Rod was the one who spoke first; Randy was the second to speak.

The last one, Bella, was the only woman among them who had not spoken a word.

'No wonder they're so arrogant—they're from the Eternal Star Alliance.'

Xu Jingming suddenly understood.

Within the Noah Empire's territory, the Noah Sacred Ground holds supreme authority.

Only such a top-tier human faction could disregard their status.

"Hmph!"

Ye Lan let out a cold snort, shot a disgusted look at Rod, and fell silent.

But Xu Jingming had no patience for him; he smirked at him:

"Apologize? Fine. First kneel down and kowtow, then we'll consider whether to forgive you."

As his words fell, the room plunged into dead silence.

The two from the Sirius System stared at Xu Jingming in shock.

Wait, bro?

Are you always this bold?

That's someone from the Eternal Star Alliance!

Even ordinary high-level civilization states must receive them with the highest honors!

And now you're telling them to kneel and apologize?

Rod also froze, then, upon realizing it, fury surged:

"What did you say? You want me to kneel and apologize to you?!"

Boom—!!

The aura of Star Rank Two erupted violently!

Yarvis, at Star Rank Seven, turned pale.

But Xu Jingming remained unaffected; he lifted his eyelids slowly and said:

"What? Are you deaf? Can't you hear? Do I need to repeat it again?"

For those without manners, he never tolerated them.

"You!"

Rod's eyes flared, ready to strike.

Xu Jingming and Ye Lan both prepared to act.

But Bella, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke:

"Enough! Don't forget our status and mission!"

"But..."

Rod still wanted to speak, but Bella shot him a stern glare; he finally reined in his aura.

"You're lucky, boy of the Noah Sacred Ground!"

With a venomous glare at Xu Jingming, Rod turned away.

Meanwhile, Ye Lan's mental voice echoed in Xu Jingming's mind:

'Don't take it to heart—they're probably just peripheral members of the Eternal Star Alliance.'

'Core members wouldn't come to such a remote star region, nor would they care so much about your rank.'

'Understood.' Xu Jingming replied simply.

He had already sensed it the moment he entered the hall.

The highest rank among them was Bella's Star Rank Three.

With his current strength, he wasn't necessarily afraid of her.