Chapter 299: Dreaming Back to the Middle Ages: Red‑Haired Ancestor

More than two hours later.

Within the Mar system, which Yina and the other elves call, against the deep‑space backdrop, there seems to be a vividly colorful nebula.

Aside from the central star, the system consists of ten planets and countless outer asteroids and dwarf planets.

The star's size and brightness are comparable to the Sun, but starting from the fifth orbit, the planets are all gas or ice giants.

The number of outer asteroids and dwarf planets far exceeds the total of the Solar System's asteroid belt and Kuiper belt.

Orbits one through four host terrestrial planets, and the most prominent and unique in deep space is the Mar planet on the fourth orbit.

At first glance, the Mar planet resembles Harvest Star overall.

Although its size is smaller than Earth, only a few degrees larger than Mars, it has a thick atmosphere, blue oceans on the surface, land covered in green, and the sandy brown that denotes deserts is extremely rare.

In low orbit there are no human‑typical orbital elevators, defense turrets, space stations, or hub stations; instead there are numerous diamond‑shaped translucent crystals.

These crystals are at least two kilometers long, rotate in sync with the Mar planet's spin, and appear to be some kind of orbital defense mechanism.

At that moment.

The crystals on the sunward side of Mar suddenly reoriented, flashing pale red light and pointing their tips toward the same sector of space.

Soon after, within the gravitational range of that sector, eleven jump gates suddenly formed, and ships of the Dark Angel fleet sequentially exited Rift Space.

Moreover, aside from the Achilles‑class carrier—lacking electromagnetic main guns but carrying large numbers of support troops, carrier‑borne aircraft, and ground armor units—as well as supply ships carrying materiel and performing repairs, all other warships had already locked onto the nearby crystals.

At the same time, the eleven vessels each activated energy shields that emitted a faint golden glow.

Thus it is clear those crystals are indeed the Mar's defense mechanism, capable of detecting ships or objects about to exit Rift Space and reacting in advance.

In contrast, the human side that has assimilated Holy Covenant Empire technology also possesses similar detection methods.

That is why the fire‑control system had long locked onto the nearby crystals, and all ships deployed energy shields.

The jump gates dissipated.

Both sides fell into a standoff.

On the bridge of the Zeus‑class ship, beside the central console.

Leon stood with his arms crossed over his chest armor, and Yina had changed from a patient's gown into a Dark Angel training uniform.

Yina did not hesitate; using the holographic communication displayed by the central console, she attempted to contact Mar, stating her identity:

"I am Inna Ulnoslis, heading to the human world; beside me stands the heir of humanity's ruler, OriginalBody Lai'ang. Please grant us permission to land at Mia City; we need to meet Great Ancestor Ailinmir."

The words hung in the air.

Lai'ang waited patiently for a moment, and the holographic communication began to display a live image, showing a male Mar wearing an unusual white armor.

The counterpart's expression was solemn.

Especially upon noticing the height difference between Yina and Lai'ang, a flash of astonishment crossed the other's gaze before finally looking at Yina and communicating in the language of the Mar.

"…"

Seeing this, Lai'ang merely glanced at Yina, then continued to stare expressionlessly at the holographic communication, watching the male Mar.

The conversation ended.

The other party stared at Lai'ang with a hint of apprehension, as if about to utter a warning, but quickly the male Mar averted his gaze and proactively terminated the communication, returning the central console to its original state.

Yina also turned sideways, lifted her head, and respectfully said to Lai'ang: "Honored OriginalBody, the Mar side permits only one landing craft or transport aircraft, plus a few escort fighters, to proceed to Mia City."

"Ha," Lai'ang sneered, "You are so cowardly and timid."

"After all, your personal arrival deviates from the scenario foreseen by the Great Ancestor, which is why the Hall Warriors are so on guard,"

Hearing Yina's explanation, without needing to ask, Lai'ang could infer the Mar's conduct, overly reliant on so‑called 'foreknowledge' and Prophecy.

Back when their brothers still lived together, Shengjilesi also troubled over fragmented glimpses of the 'future' that would occasionally surface in his mind.

But as Robert once said, "The future is created by oneself; it is not decided by those vague, ethereal images."

It is just that Lai'ang does not have his elder brother's leisure to teach this group of riddle‑loving elves.

As for the 'Hall Warriors', they should be the Mar military, but Lai'ang was too lazy to deduce their organization; without further thought, he turned to the captain seated in the commander's seat and ordered:

"Maintain a state of alert, be ready at all times for a possible outbreak of combat."

"Understood," the captain replied.

Then Lai'ang turned and walked toward the bridge exit, reminding Yina: "Follow me."

Using the powered armor's communication, he told the hangar: "Prepare the flight formation."

He said.

Lai'ang and Yina, who followed behind him, had already left the bridge, and the group of Holy Knights waiting outside for a long time—also OriginalBodies following them—silently proceeded to the hangar.

Yina, however, wore an unmistakable look of confusion:

Do the human ruler and his offspring not understand what fear is? They truly only lead a few escorts yet dare to venture into the base of a power whose relations are unclear and whose situation remains unknown.

However, recalling the purge operation that erupted on Puerdon and the close‑range contact with Lai'ang and the Astates, Yina felt relieved.

Although they, and most Mar, hold themselves in high esteem, confident in their physical abilities and Spiritual Energy, in fact they indeed possess qualities far surpassing humans, elites, and Iron Blood, yet compared with the Astates, they seem to have only a slight edge in Spiritual Energy talent.

And the OriginalBody…

Yina did not witness John hunting Paras herself, nor was she permitted to view the battle records, but merely by feeling, she knew the OriginalBody was an entity that completely crushed the Mar, and only the Great Ancestor could possibly contend with it.

Let alone the 'Human Lord' who stands above the OriginalBody.

In contemplation.

Yina had already followed Lai'ang and the Holy Knights to the Zeus‑class hangar, then boarded a large transport vessel exceeding the specifications used by auxiliary troops, and was ready inside Thunder VI.

Soon after.

Outside the Zeus‑class ship.

On the right side of the hull.

Thunder VI and four Viking fighters formed a flight formation, breaking away from the battle fleet toward the Mar planet.

Before long, the flight formation skimmed close to one of the crystals.

Immediately after, more than ten white, shuttle-shaped fighters with wing-like structures on both sides surrounded the flight formation and together entered the atmosphere of Mar Star.

They flew for a while.

The pilot seated in the cockpit of a Viking fighter saw that they had arrived above a sea of clouds; after passing through the clouds, he saw an endless expanse of green.

The ground was covered with plants familiar to the pilot, no different from what he knew, and his HUD helmet also detected some animal traces.

Having locked onto a target, several small screens appeared on either side of his helmet, zooming in for detailed observation.

Although he had never seen such animals resembling birds, raccoons, or elk before, they still fell within the pilot's aesthetic range, at least not seeming strange.

A soft 'beep' sounded, indicating that the Viking fighter had completed a basic scan of Mar Star.

The pilot dismissed the small side screens and displayed the scan results on the windshield in front of him for easy viewing.

The result showed that Mar Star's atmosphere consisted of 72% nitrogen, 24% oxygen, 0.6% argon, with the remainder being carbon dioxide and some rare gases; atmospheric pressure was similar to Earth's, and gravity was 1.43g.

Overall, although the environment differed noticeably from Earth's, it was not overly harsh for humans.

He dismissed the scan results.

Following instructions, the pilot gradually descended with the formation while staying vigilant of the shuttle-shaped fighters surrounding them.

Soon.

They then swooped low over the forest sea and arrived above the 'Golden Wheat Field'.

He saw Mar people working in the fields, wearing large sun hats, holding various farming tools, and some using docile bovine-like animals for plowing.

After flying a bit farther, he also saw towns, manors, and pastures raising various livestock.

Seeing all this, the pilot controlling the Viking fighter felt a sense of déjà vu, as if he had returned to Harvest Star over a decade ago—peaceful and natural.

But there was one notable difference: he never saw many modern facilities or transportation vehicles throughout.

Even Harvest Star from over a decade ago would not be as backward as this place seemed to be, like a return to the Middle Ages; it appeared the Mar people did not wish to rely on the conveniences of technology.

Immediately after.

The 'city' that came into view ahead further confirmed the pilot's assessment of a return to the Middle Ages.

Because that city, like historical documents or epic films, was built of stone bricks and consisted of a military fortress together with civilian dwellings, forming a castle.

However, its area and scale were far larger and more grandiose than those described in documents or shown as props and effects in films, especially the palace situated at the center, reflecting light under the star's shine.

Many crystal-shaped objects and facilities were located within this castle, which they called 'Mia's Capital'.

Then the entire flight formation, guided by the Mar people's shuttle-shaped fighters, slowed down and finally reached the easternmost military fortress of Mia's Capital, landing in an open area inside the fortress.

During the landing.

Four Viking fighters transformed into heavy armored units, advancing as a guard, with Mar soldiers wearing white armor.

The Thunder VI, meanwhile, landed between the four Vikings, steadied, opened its nose hatch as a ramp, allowing Leon, the Holy Knight, and Ina inside to disembark.

After setting foot completely on Mar Star's surface, Leon looked around and saw not far ahead a squad of Mar soldiers in ornate armor, with red capes draped behind them, approaching.

To avoid provoking a dispute, this squad of Mar soldiers halted just outside the Vikings; seeing this, Ina promptly reminded Leon:

"These are the Hall Warriors who will take us to meet the great ancestors."

「…」

Remaining silent indicated that Leon had no objection; he then led the Dark Knights toward that squad of Hall Warriors.

Although Leon's temperament was cold, in obedience to his father's orders he would at least keep a polite 'please' and ask the great ancestor to make a trip to Pulton before the Mar people displayed any extreme action.

Ina quickly caught up with this group of giants.

Conversely, the Hall Warriors and the Mar soldiers tasked with guarding this fortress showed varied expressions, mostly surprise and astonishment.

Even with prior preparation, being on site and personally witnessing the astonishing height and build of the OriginalBody and Astate inevitably felt shocking.

They approached.

A Hall Warrior responsible for leading the group placed his right hand behind his back, pointed his left hand toward the palace at the center of Mia's Capital, and spoke to Leon in a sufficiently respectful yet not unfamiliar human language:

"Please follow us."

"Good."

Seeing their attitude was good, out of courtesy Leon also gave a brief reply, then left the fortress with those Hall Warriors and walked toward the palace.

Next.

Their party needed to pass through the streets of Mia's Capital; Leon noticed many Mar civilians spontaneously keeping their distance, either afar or watching from buildings on either side of the street.

Civilians without military training displayed facial expressions far richer and more vivid than those of Mar soldiers.

Among them were small-sized, young children who could not help but exclaim in astonishment.

Even though the languages differed, Leon could tell those children were exclaiming things like 'They're so tall!' and 'So strong!'

Leon was already accustomed to this.

Since they entered public human view, he had indeed encountered scenes even more exaggerated than those of the Mar children.

They passed through the streets.

After passing through the palace's main gate and the garden planted with various ornamental plants, Leon's party proceeded straight into the interior of the most grand and spacious hall.

Here,

Clean, reflective white tiles covered the floor; stone pillars stood on both sides for support and decoration; many small, delicate, translucent crystals floated about, complementing numerous glass structures, making the hall well-lit.

At the front sat several Mar people, dressed in garments and outer robes predominantly white.

Seated in the center was a Mar woman whose attire was more elaborate than that of her fellows, with refined features, a cold and striking demeanor, conspicuous red long hair, and an outward appearance equivalent to a human in her late twenties; though she looked young, she bore an aura of authority.

These Mar people were the ancestors who led part of their clan to escape a doomed fate and flee to the Mar Star system.

Furthermore, upon seeing Leon and his party enter the hall, the ancestors rose from their seats, and the female ancestor, smiling, gazed directly at Leon as if she had already discerned everything, saying:

"Welcome your arrival, third son of the Master of Humanity; I am Erinmil, and I am honored to receive an invitation from the Master of Humanity."

"Seeing you is also my honor." Leon responded, speaking frankly: "Since the ancestors already understand our intentions, time is precious; please immediately join us in heading to Pulton."

"Of course."

(End of Chapter)