Free Web NovelChapter 453: Chapter 219: Temporary Captain, Hengyu-class Battleship
Leng Yanran wanted him to stop the Dark Energy from spreading and to find information about it among the Reincarnators. For Li Chang’an, this was no easy task.
After all, he was hardly an important figure among the Reincarnators right now, and all of Leng Yanran’s requests were incredibly dangerous for him.
Therefore, rather than dealing in empty platitudes, Li Chang’an preferred something more tangible.
Hearing Li Chang’an’s response, Leng Yanran was clearly taken aback for a moment before a smile touched her lips. "What do you want? Let me guess... I bet you want the Cultivation System and technological information from the Liyang Empire and the Immortal Palace!"
Li Chang’an shrugged and didn’t deny it. "You guessed right. As much as I’d like to help you with what I can for old times’ sake, it’s clear that what you’re asking is far beyond my current capabilities. If you provide technology and such, we can just call it a mutually beneficial arrangement!"
Leng Yanran gazed at him intently. Although the woman appearing before him right now wasn’t real—but rather a sub-personality simulated by an advanced AI—even as a sub-personality, she could make decisions on behalf of her primary self.
In fact, if not for the immense distance preventing Leng Yanran from appearing in person, it wouldn’t just be her speaking with Li Chang’an right now, but Empress Su Ying as well.
After a long silence, Leng Yanran spoke again. "Heh, just an acquaintance? It seems I’ve misjudged the bond between us."
"Do you have any idea that Yingying and I searched across half the universe for you?! And now that we’ve finally found you, all we get in return is that we’re ’just acquaintances’?"
She paused, her voice tinged with sorrow. "Then again, you’re right. To you, Yingying and I were just strangers you happened to meet. But do you have any idea how much you mean to us?"
Li Chang’an hadn’t expected this kind of response. Memories and details that the Rebirth Mark had neatly filed away in the depths of his mind came flooding back. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
He had spent several thousand years with Leng Yanran and Su Ying on the Li Yang Continent. To him, those millennia were just a slice of time spent in a Rebirth World—not particularly long, but not short either. It was like meeting an NPC in a game; it was hard to get too emotionally invested.
But for Leng Yanran and Su Ying, his presence had defined an entire era of their lives.
Although that era might seem short compared to the time that has passed since, people are always like this: memories from youth remain exceptionally clear. As you grow older, time becomes little more than helpless repetition, a cycle of one Reincarnation after another.
Reincarnation doesn’t erode the memories etched deep in one’s heart. On the contrary, like waves washing over sand to reveal the gold within, it only makes those precious memories shine all the brighter.
In any case, to so casually dismiss their connection as a chance meeting was indeed hurtful.
Still, Li Chang’an couldn’t entirely be blamed. In his eyes, the Leng Yanran and Su Ying of today were the leaders of a vast Empire, a far cry from the figures he remembered from his past.
As a result, the moment he saw Leng Yanran suddenly appear, his instinctive reaction wasn’t one of closeness, but of caution and detachment.
Seeing that Leng Yanran seemed genuinely hurt, Li Chang’an sighed. "Alright. I’ll agree to help you investigate the connection between the Reincarnators and the Dark Tide. But I’m still very weak right now, and what I can access is extremely limited. You’d best not have high expectations of me in the short term!"
At Li Chang’an’s words, Leng Yanran smiled. "The Empire wants to find the root of this turmoil and resolve it as quickly as possible, but we understand that haste makes waste... Chang’an, even though it’s been over thirty thousand years since we last saw each other, I’m truly happy to be able to see you again here. The Liyang Empire is your life’s work. While Yingying and I are the ones managing it now, we’ve never stopped searching for you. Now that you’ve returned, I can transfer some authority to you..."
As she spoke, a beam of light shot out from the underside of the massive battleship, engraving an incredibly complex pattern onto the skin of Li Chang’an’s arm.
Once the pattern was engraved, Leng Yanran continued, "This grants you fleet control and database access permissions for the Liyang Empire. I wasn’t sure how best to help you, so I’ve opened up full authority over this fleet. Until it finishes its search of this planet and departs, you are its de facto owner!"
"I’d like to give you more, but you’re right—you’re still too weak. We can discuss it later when the opportunity arises."
She paused again before continuing, "Remember, from now on, whenever you arrive in a Rebirth World—no matter the planet—find a way to contact us as soon as possible. If you are near an Imperial Battleship or one of our strongholds and mention certain secrets that only we would know, the auxiliary AI I installed will awaken. She will provide you with the highest level of support!"
Li Chang’an was stunned by how direct Leng Yanran was, handing over control of the spaceship just like that. Even though it was only for a thousand years, a warship of this size... if he wanted to, he could probably obliterate an entire Star Realm within that time.
