The general who worked for Ding Meng had always been efficient. Only one month later, the starship to the Norman Empire had landed on the square of the base shakily.
The landing noise was particularly loud, and everyone could not help but run to the square to welcome it.
Before Ding Meng could get off the spaceship, he heard a familiar voice from afar.
"Motherf * cker, I told you to slow down, but you didn't listen. My starship was corroded a lot."
"Can you blame me for that?
Wasn't this lousy boat given to us by the marshal for free? What can you do about it? "
"F * ck you, sister. If you don't know how to drive, just say it. Give me a Liquor Worm Da. I haven't smoked in a long time."
"You uncultured thing. You can't even recognize the brand of a cigarette. It's called Da Zhong Jiu, not Liquor Worm Da. Are you kidding me?"
"F * ck, my eyes are a little misty."
"F * ck off, you're doing this again …"
…
Needless to say, these two people were the four-eyed man and the Russian. However, while the two of them were still fighting for the cigarettes, Ding Meng had already separated the crowd and walked up to them.
"Brother Ding, Brother Ding!" The two of them immediately became obedient and straightened their backs.
"Is this the starship?"
Ding Meng sized up the medium-sized carrier on the tarmac. The starship was provided by Marshal, but it did not have a military emblem. Moreover, the hull of the ship was very shabby, and moss-like vegetation had been corroded in many places by the toxins. It was obviously caused when it was driven in.
The four-eyed man drooped his head. "Brother Ding, this isn't it!"
"Oh?" Ding Meng was surprised. "Then where is the starship you got?"
The Russian quietly pointed to the back of the carrier and stammered, "It's that spaceship!"
Ding Meng took a closer look and almost fainted. Behind the carrier, there was an even more shabby Blazing Shark spaceship. F * ck, this is the spaceship that will send me to the Empire?
Seeing Ding Meng's cold face, the four-eyed man and the Russian didn't dare to speak or smoke.
Fortunately, Xin Jie came out in time to explain, "Just like last time, your identity is still a citizen of planet TT12. You were wandering outside and met the Empire's patrol fleet. The fleet will drop you from the space station. If you want to investigate Professor Zhao's situation, you can't avoid the Christine Academy."
Ding Meng realized what was going on after he said that. If he really wandered in the space zone of the Imperium in such a large unit as a medium-sized starship, it would inevitably raise suspicions. It was better to keep a low profile.
When Ding Meng went out, everyone was always fighting to go with him. For example, Dai Yi was the most enthusiastic. But this time, Dai Yi sighed helplessly and said, "Sigh, Ding Meng, I really want to go with you, but unfortunately, I can't."
The reason was simple. She was a citizen of the Federation. Without a special entry permit, she was not allowed to enter the Empire.
In fact, there were many people in her situation. Ding Meng, Lan Bing, Eisendell, and Meng Yan could not go. Ding Meng could only look at Jun Ling. Jun Ling helplessly shrugged and said, "Don't look at me, boss. I killed many of the Empire's soldiers in the Fertile Chalk System. You are a wanted criminal of the Federation, but I am a wanted criminal of the Empire."
If Jun Ling could not pass, then it was even more impossible for Lu Qing and the others.
"Ding Meng, I can go with you!" This time, it was Liang Yi who spoke, but Liang Yi's voice was like a water droplet.
Ding Meng knew what the water droplet was planning. It wanted nothing more than to go and cause trouble so that it could devour energy and evolve.
"Just stay here and help Miss Liang improve. Last time, we met so many elites on Planet Poison Dragon, but I didn't see you devour many of them." Ding Meng waved his hand. What he meant was that Liang Yi's strength was not enough.
Su Xia suddenly said, "Ding Meng, I may not be able to go with you. Although I am a citizen of the Empire, I am officially dead in the Empire's records. If you go to the Empire and have the time, give Beiming a good lesson. Give him a good beating."
Ding Meng's eyelids drooped. Sister Su was good at everything, but she was vengeful, and that part was unbearable.
Xin Jie said meaningfully, "It seems that you will have to go alone this time."
"No need, there is still us. We can go with Brother Ding. The girls in the Empire are very good. We can run errands for Brother Ding …" The four-eyed man and the Russian rushed to raise their hands.
Ding Meng said helplessly, "Forget it. The construction of the camp can't be done without you guys running errands. This time, I will go alone!"
In fact, he had another plan. Other than going to Listin Academy, he was going to visit Old Yu's family. Back then, he had left in a hurry, but he was grateful to Old Yu from the bottom of his heart. When he was at his most difficult time, Old Yu and his daughter had taken him in.
Planet TT12 was as quiet and beautiful as before. Large golden wheat fields swayed in the wind, and a clear river flowed through them. Even the air was filled with the fragrance of wood leaves.
Ding Meng walked quietly by the riverside. His telekinesis vision had already spread out and covered the entire Qingxi Village. He could see Old Yu's bungalow from afar. The house looked the same as before, but the outer layer of mud had decayed a lot. Even the wooden hut he used to live in was still there. There were even some chickens at the entrance of the hut.
Unfortunately, Old Yu did not seem to be at home. Ding Meng moved his vision again and found Old Yu deep in a wheat field. Old Yu was still doing farm work.
"Old Yu!" Ding Meng called out softly from a distance.
Old Yu, who was wearing a straw hat, put down his scythe and slowly turned around.
Old Yu was indeed old. His hair was white, and his face was haggard. It seemed that even his reactions were slower. After a long time, he said in surprise, "Ding Meng?"
Ding Meng smiled. "I'm back!"
Old Yu suddenly became excited. "It's really you, Ding Meng. You've been gone for more than ten years. You're finally back …"
As he spoke, he walked out of the wheat field. It was obvious that his body had become much hunched, and his steps were especially unsteady. Old Yu was an ordinary person, after all. More than ten years had aged him.
Ding Meng quickly went forward to support him. "Old Yu, why are you still working?"
Old Yu wiped the sweat off his forehead and laughed heartily. "I've been working my whole life. I can't get used to stopping to rest."
Ding Meng supported him back to the wooden house. The two of them sat down in the courtyard. Old Yu's enthusiasm was still the same as before. He brought over several plates of nuts for Ding Meng and even grabbed a few bottles of nutrient solution.
Ding Meng smiled and waved his hand. "Old Yu, you're too kind. I've long since had no use for these things."
Old Yu said in surprise, "Ding Meng, you've also become an Origin Ability user?"
Ding Meng nodded. "I've been that way for a long time. I just didn't have time to come back and see you."
Old Yu said, "You child, you left very quickly back then. Xiao Man said that you left without a sound. The teachers at the academy said that you joined the army. Did you come back after completing your military service?"
It seemed that the military had kept the news of Ding Meng's return to Black Gold Base very well. Old Yu and his daughter had always thought that Ding Meng had joined the army and gone to the frontlines.
Ding Meng did not know how to explain it, so he could only nod. "Yes, I retired this time. I came back just to see you!"
Old Yu's face was full of pride. For a family in the Empire, having an Origin Ability user serving the country was a supreme honor. "That's great. Ding Meng, you've come back alive. Many people have died at the frontlines. Do you still remember Guardian Fred?"
"Yes!" Ding Meng also had a deep impression of that old man.
Old Yu sighed. "His eldest son died at the frontlines of the Fertile Chalk Star System a few years ago. His old friend was sad for half a year …"
Ding Meng's impression of Planet TT12 was also a memory from many years ago. He asked in confusion, "Is it really that chaotic now?"
Old Yu sighed. "Ding Meng, you soldiers should know more about the frontlines than we do. In the past few years, the conflict between the Empire and the frogmen in the Fertile Chalk Star System has become more and more intense. Some people say that war will break out sooner or later. The higher-ups have also increased the taxes. Even our place is being taxed."
Ding Meng sighed secretly. He knew that farmers like Old Yu earned their hard-earned money. Now that the Empire's situation was tense, they actually had to impose heavy taxes on the countryside. He could not help but sigh. "So you're still working in your old age?"
Old Yu smiled and shook his head. "That's not all. It's time for Xiao Man to get married. When the time comes, I'll have to go to the city, so I'll be a little busy during this time."
Ding Meng asked curiously, "Where's Sister Man?"
Old Yu said, "She's in Qiu Ze City. Not bad!"
After Ding Meng left, Yu Man successfully graduated from Listin Academy two years later. Although she had become an origin ability user, her talent was limited, so she did not choose to develop on the path of a warrior. Instead, she and her roommate, Zuo Min, joined the Qu family's Anvil Group branch in Qiu Ze City to work. This was also a promise that Qu Xiaoqing had made back then.
Due to Qu Xiaoqing's outstanding performance in the Fertile Chalk Star System, the Qu family was now the largest family on Planet TT12. Anvil Group was also a well-known company, and it was ranked among the top 100 companies in the Norse Empire. Yu Man worked as an assistant in a small department in the Qiu Ze City branch. After working for so many years, she met a staff member in Qiu Ze City's cultural and educational department. The two of them also fell in love with each other, and now they were talking about marriage.
"This is a good thing!"
Ding Meng could not help but feel emotional. This was the portrayal of an ordinary family in the Empire, and it was also the day he looked forward to the most.
However, Old Yu's expression was not very natural. "The financial resources and dowry are not cheap."
"Huh?
Are the requirements high? "Ding Meng actually knew about this. The marriage traditions of the Federation and the Empire were different.
In the Federation, it was almost always the groom providing the betrothal gift and the bride getting married, but in the Empire, it was different. The Empire set the standards based on the family status of both parties. For example, Yu Man and her current boyfriend, Fang Zhuo, the Fang family was a respectable family in Qiu Ze City, but the Yu family was just a peasant family in the countryside. If the Fang family provided the betrothal gift, then the Yu family would have to give a dowry of almost the same standard. If the betrothal gift was more expensive, then it was not something that Old Yu could afford, and this marriage might not be possible.
"Are they giving you a hard time?" Ding Meng frowned.
Old Yu said, "Not really. Little Fang is a good kid, but his relatives are a little dissatisfied with us."
Ding Meng immediately stood up. "It's okay, Old Yu. If there's any problem, I'll solve it for you."
Old Yu quickly gestured for him to sit down. "Ding Meng, it's not easy for you to come back from retirement. Don't waste the money the military gave you to settle down. You have to get married in the future …"
"Alright!" Ding Meng had no choice but to sit down.
Of course, Old Yu did not know that Ding Meng did not need to get married in the first place. It was all his wives who were throwing themselves at him, and there was more than one of them. Most importantly, the virtual currency of the Empire and the Federation was the universal galactic currency. Ding Meng's money could be used in the Empire as well. If he really took it out, forget about the betrothal gift, it would not be a problem for him to buy ten TT12 stars.