Star Odyssey

Chapter 1936: The Truth

Yōu Kexin activated her gadget and projected a display in the air above them. The image wobbled a bit and the surroundings zoomed past continuously. It was clear that the person recording this video had been fleeing. Suddenly, there was a spray of blood and then the video dropped down to reveal Yōu Qi’s face without a flicker of life in his eyes.

Yōu Kexin just stared at the video without any reaction. She was a mother, and seeing the image of her son’s death was incredibly difficult for her. But because she had already watched this video countless times, she was able to remain calm as she viewed it yet again.

The display finally disappeared, and Hui Santong retrieved the gadget from Yōu Kexin.

"Matriarch Yōu, do you know where that video was taken?" Lu Yin asked.

Yōu Kexin shook her head. "I don't know. The video wasn’t enough for me to determine that at all."

Lu Yin gestured to seal Yōu Kexin off and immediately turned back to Yōu Lao. "Elder, did you ever mention Peacewater Planet to Matriarch Yōu?"

Elder Yōu shook his head. "No. After we received word of Yōu Qi’s death, I personally went to visit Peacewater Planet, but everything there was completely normal. I stayed there for half a year, but I never found a thing."

"Do you believe that the region near Peacewater Planet looks rather similar to the area in the video of Yōu Qi’s death?"

"They’re not similar. It’s the same place."

"Then why didn't you mention this to Matriarch Yōu?"

"There was no reason to. Even someone like me wasn’t able to find anything in that place, so what would be the purpose in anyone else going?" Yōu Lao sighed.

There were far too many Cruisers in the universe, and the video of Yōu Qi’s death did not even show his attacker. There were not even any signs of a fight. It was impossible to determine who had attacked the young man from the video alone, and Peacewater Planet was indeed a perfectly average planet.

That was precisely why it had been able to hide Aeternus Nation.

"Alliance Leader Lu, you’ve repeatedly brought up Peacewater Planet, and you even leaped to your feet when you first heard its name be mentioned. Is there something significant about the place?" Ce Laoyan asked.

Lu Yin immediately started taking precautions. "Everyone, please dismiss those with you. This matter is something that can not be spoken of to anyone, as doing so will cause you to be put to trial by the Interstellar Supreme Court."

Mu Tianlun was stunned. Lu Yin was an overseer, which granted him some indirect influence on the Interstellar Supreme Court, but that was not nearly enough for him to be able to determine who could be put to trial. It took the entire overseers’ council to make such a decision. Despite that, Lu Yin had confidently stated such a thing publicly. In other words, this matter was so important that anything related to it could actually skip past the overseers’ council and have the Interstellar Supreme Court immediately move to arrest someone.

Hui Zhi and the others instantly grew somber, and they each waved back those accompanying them. Soon, only the Seven Courts’ patriarchs and Mu Tianlun were able to hear Lu Yin’s words.

Lu Yin solemnly stated, "Peacewater Planet is the door to Aeternus Nation."

Everyone's expressions instantly and drastically changed.

"Aeternus Nation? The Neohuman Alliance’s Aeternus Nation?" Hui Zhi was horrified.

Lu Yin nodded. "That’s right. Aeternus Nation was hidden in a parallel universe centered around Peacewater Planet. That place was the Neohuman Alliance’s headquarters and the Seven Skygods’ base for eons."

No one had expected to hear such information, and they all gave Lu Yin odd looks with obvious confusion.

"Alliance Leader Lu, if you’re aware that Peacewater Planet is the entrance to Aeternus Nation, why haven’t you reported this to the Hall of Honor?" Mu Tianlun shouted angrily.

Lu Yin looked at the man as though he was an idiot. "I wasn’t the one to find out about this. I was told this by the Chief Justice."

Mu Tianlun was stunned. The Chief Justice?

Hui Zhi solemnly said, "Alliance Leader Lu, please clear this up for us."

Lu Yin then shared how the Chief Justice had led him and several others on a mission to destroy Aeternus Nation. While quite a few people had already learned of this matter, it had not spread. Mu Tianlun would have naturally learned of it after returning to the Arbitration World, so there was no need for Lu Yin to hide any of this.

"Aeternus Nation has already been destroyed. Because it was in a parallel universe, no one was ever able to find it. If you don’t believe me, you can ask the Chief Justice to verify what I’ve just said," Lu Yin said.

Everyone glanced around at each other with complicated expressions. They had all been aware that the Neohuman Alliance’s headquarters had been hidden in the Neoverse, but none of them had expected it to be so close to them. They had essentially been neighbors.

Mu Tianlun’s thoughts moved along different lines. The Interstellar Supreme Court had taken action, but the Chief Justice would have been able to destroy all of Aeternus Nation on his own, so why had Lu Yin been taken along? What was the Chief Justice’s relationship with Lu Yin?

Hui Zhi's eyes flickered. "If Peacewater Planet was the access point for the parallel universe that held Aeternus Nation, then does that mean that the ‘scourge’ Yōu Qi mentioned was Aeternus Nation?"

Lu Yin replied, "That seems very likely. If Yōu Qi betrayed humanity, why would he have ever said a single word to Yōu Lao regarding Peacewater Planet? He should have been afraid that Yōu Lao would mention the place to the Yōu clan and that the Yōu clan would send people to Peacewater Planet. There’s no way that Yōu Qi could have known that Yōu Lao wouldn’t say anything, and there also wouldn’t have been any reason to stage a death scene. The reason why he died—no, the reason his death was faked was most likely so that the Neohuman Alliance could manipulate the situation in some way and get Yōu Qi into Burial Garden.

"If my guess is correct, Yōu Qi never intended to betray mankind at all.

"Naturally, there’s also another possibility, which is that Yōu Qi actually did predict that Yōu Lao wouldn’t say anything and that Peacewater Planet wouldn’t be found. As for why he would do any of the things that he did…" Lu Yin paused as he spread his hands wide. "There’s nothing that I can think of."

Everyone turned to stare at Yōu Kexin. Lu Yin’s words were quite accurate. Yōu Qi’s actions did seem pointless if he had been a traitor. Why would Yōu Qi try to lure Yōu Lao to Peacewater Planet? This did not make any sense. If Yōu Qi had intended to betray humanity, there was no need to tell Yōu Lao about that planet. Instead, the most likely reason why he had said anything was because Yōu Qi had managed to uncover some secret related to Peacewater Planet and had wanted to investigate it on his own. Him mentioning it to Yōu Lao was purely coincidental.

However, Yōu Qi had overestimated himself and had instead been controlled by the Neohuman Alliance and sent into Burial Garden, where he had acted as a homing beacon.

Not even Mu Tianlun could argue against the fact that Aeternus Nation had been the Neohuman Alliance’s headquarters. There was no secret big enough to justify using Aeternus Nation as bait, and even if there was a goal that warranted such a sacrifice, what would it be? Yōu Lao’s death? The entire Yōu family? Impossible.

The moment that Yōu Lao had mentioned Peacewater Planet, Lu Yin had already realized that it was not very likely for Yōu Qi to be a traitor.

Mu Tianlun spoke up in a low voice. "Alliance Leader Lu, even if what you say makes sense, as long as there remains even the smallest possibility, we can’t be hasty in deciding that the Yōu clan hasn’t colluded with the Neohuman Alliance."

"Of course." Lu Yin looked over at Mu Tianlun. "After all, Yōu Qi was the beacon that allowed the Neohuman Alliance entry into Burial Garden. That remains a fact. It’s possible that he did betray humanity and collude with the Neohuman Alliance but simply didn't know anything about Peacewater Planet's secret. It might be nothing more than a coincidence, even if the chances of that are quite small."

Mu Tianlun's expression grew ugly, and he stopped talking.

Hui Zhi asked, "Alliance Leader Lu, in your opinion, how should this tribunal handle this matter?"

Lu Yin pondered for a moment. "Everyone, if I’m right, then not only did Yōu Qi not betray mankind, but he also made an incredible contribution towards eradicating the Neohuman Alliance and died for humanity. If this is true, then we cannot let this tribunal assume the worst. In essence, we should maintain the subjective belief that the Yōu clan has not collaborated with the Neohuman Alliance."

He noticed that Mu Tianlun was about to speak up, so Lu Yin continued, saying, "Of course, we can’t simply ignore any other possibilities, so the investigation of the Yōu clan will need to continue. However, the manner in which the investigation is conducted can be changed. At the very least, the Yōu clan will need to be given a basic level of respect."

"I agree with Alliance Leader Lu's proposal. Hui Zhi was the first to speak up.

"Agreed," Ku Pu said.

Xie Ahua and Ce Laoyan also agreed, and Lu Yin turned to look at Xia Yi.

Xia Yi softly said, "Agreed."

Despite his enmity with Lu Yin, Xia Yi understood that the Yōu clan was also a part of the Seven Courts. The Yu family was already missing, and if the Yōu clan was lost as well, the Court of Seven Names would be reduced to only five families, which would drastically reduce their strength.

As a member of the Seven Courts, Xia Yi had no choice but to agree with Lu Yin.

Only Mu Tianlun’s stance remained unknown. He was representing the Interstellar Supreme Court as a supervisor of the Seven Courts’ internal tribunal. If he disagreed, the Yōu clan might still be arrested and interrogated, which would add further troubles to the Seven Courts.

"Alliance Leader Lu, are you suggesting that the Yōu clan should no longer be restricted with a lockdown? What if they use this to try to escape?" Mu Tianlun stared at Lu Yin.

Lu Yin clasped his hands behind his back. "Escape?"

Mu Tianlun’s eyes narrowed. He really wanted to force Lu Yin to say something that could be used to implicate the young man or suggest a possible collusion between the Yōu clan and the Neohuman Alliance.

A smile spread across Lu Yin's face. "It's none of my business if they escape."

Everyone was left stunned by this response.

Mu Tianlun's eyes went wide. "This is your proposal!"

"You’re welcome to make your own. If it’s good, we can agree to it instead.” Lu Yin rolled his eyes.

Mu Tianlun’s eye twitched. How could he possibly suggest something different with all of the Seven Courts’ leaders staring at him? Without Lu Yin’s presence, a Judicial Commissioner like Mu Tianlun could have demanded that an investigation be conducted by the Interstellar Supreme Court until they were fully satisfied with the results. However, Lu Yin was present, and he was also a representative of the overseers’ council. On top of that, he had the unanimous support of the patriarchs of the Seven Courts. Thus, even if Mu Tianlun disagreed with this proposal, it would not be easy for him to demand that there be a new investigation headed by the Interstellar Supreme Court. Besides, doing so would make him an enemy of the entire Seven Courts.

While a Judicial Commissioner of the Interstellar Supreme Court had no need to fear the Seven Courts, there was also no need to instigate new enmities.

"I can agree with Alliance Leader Lu's proposal based on what has appeared during this interrogation. However, I will also report this entire matter to the Chief Justice. If the Yōu clan takes advantage of the reduced surveillance to escape, you will not be able to escape responsibility for it, Alliance Leader Lu," Mu Tianlun stated in a deep voice. After making his position known, the man left without giving Lu Yin a chance to respond.

After the Judicial Commissioner left, Lu Yin turned to Hui Zhi. "Although there’s a small possibility that the Yōu clan betrayed humanity, they will still need to be watched. It’s impossible to know that this was all just a coincidence for sure. There is still a possibility, and it’s also impossible to know if the Neohuman Alliance might have an even deeper plan behind all this. So, the Yōu clan cannot be left unattended."

Hui Zhi replied, "We understand that even if the Hall of Honor doesn't step in, we need to take action against the Yōu clan ourselves. For at least 100 years, no member of the Yōu clan will be permitted to leave the Seven Courts’ territory, and they will be observed at all times."

Lu Yin nodded. The Neohuman Alliance was humanity’s greatest enemy. They were not merely the enemy of the Hall of Honor, but also of the Seven Courts. After all, they were both part of the human race.

This decision signaled the end of the tribunal, which allowed everyone in the Yōu clan to let out a sigh of relief.

Yōu Kexin was left puzzled; was it over already? On top of that, the tribunal had ended in the Yōu clan’s favor! Not only had Yōu Kexin not been taken to the Arbitration World to be interrogated as the matriarch of the Yōu clan, but her clan had also not been overly restricted. In fact, aside from the fact that none of them could leave the Seven Courts’ territory, nothing had changed for the Yōu clan compared to before.

She could not understand such an outcome, unless something unexpected had come out during the tribunal’s investigation.

This thought caused the matriarch to turn to look at Lu Yin. He was the only person who could have caused the investigation to have such a surprising outcome.

"Sister Yōu, you should be grateful to Alliance Leader Lu. If not for his contributions to this investigation, your Yōu clan would have ended up in deep trouble," Xie Ahua said with a smile. She then gave one more enchanting smile to Lu Yin before leaving.

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