lyra sleepless

Lyra border, occupied area.

This is the front of the position, where the rebels are stationed.The civilians had already evacuated a few days ago. Some people with connections fled to the hinterland of the Republic in starships before the border was captured. Those who had no connections could only evacuate to the rear of the occupied area according to the regulations of the rebel army.The two groups of people flew away from the border defense line in diametrically opposite directions, like migrating ants in the boundless universe.

The once bustling and bustling frontier city is now like an abandoned planet, with no trace of people all day long.This was the grimness before the Great War. Coupled with the continuous rain, the entire planet was shrouded in a near-desperate pressure. Everyone had some vague premonition in their hearts, like ghosts lurking in the smog.

In the afternoon, the weather was still bad, and the shape of the mountain became dark in the rain. The rocky building fortresses around the mountain hung the flag of the old empire high and low because they were soaked.

A small silver starship sailed across the gloomy sky and landed in front of the headquarters.The driver jumped off the cabin door, walked briskly through the checkpoints, and paid tribute to every saluting soldier.

The headquarters was very quiet, even if someone walked by, it was silent. He quickly turned a few corners and knocked on the door at the end of the corridor. He didn't open the door until there was a muffled response from the room.

A man in military uniform is sitting on the sofa, his shirt has two buttons unbuttoned, and a length of black braided rope hangs between his collarbones, which is particularly eye-catching. He holds tea in one hand and is focusing on the battle map in front of him when he hears the sound of creeping hands, Without raising his eyes, he asked casually, "What have you been doing for the past half day?"

The driver was a half-grown boy, with baby fat on his face, and a pair of round and clear eyes, but his figure was already as strong as a little leopard. At this moment, he restrained his jumpy nature, and said honestly: "I took people to test the anti-laser barrier layer of the warship again."

"what's the result?"

The round eyes showed a disproportionate melancholy: "Not good. Even if the outer material is replaced with a new one, it can only resist 3 minutes of high-power laser attack, no more."

The other party finally raised his head to look him in the eyes, and gently comforted him: "3 minutes is enough."

The boy opened his mouth, his surprised voice stuck in his throat, his expression was complete disbelief, but he didn't say anything.

The man had expected his reaction, but he didn't say anything, and waved his hand to signal him to go down.

The military boots twitched on the ground, but he didn't move, looking hesitant to speak.

"Well, is there anything else?" The man leaned forward and asked him with probing eyes.

The boy hesitated and said, "I was in the army and heard some provocative words."

He quickly raised his eyelids to look at the face of the person in front of him. The other person seemed not to care, and asked casually, "Oh, what did you say?"

"It is said that the military equipment on the border is not at the same level as that of the riverside base. I'm afraid we won't be able to survive this battle." His voice became weaker and weaker, the man turned his face away, and clasped the ear handle of the teacup gently with his slender index finger. The ground knocked, and the side profile was still sharp in the dim light.

The boy closed his mouth.

The man in military uniform turned his head and smiled: "That's not wrong, is there any more?"

"They complained that the immigrants came to Lyra because they couldn't survive in their hometown. If they lost their lives in vain for an empire that had nothing to do with them, they might as well live a hard life in the Republic."

The man took a sip of tea, frowned almost inaudibly when his Adam's apple rolled, then smiled and said, "Do you also think that I shouldn't raise an army?"

The boy's round eyes widened: "Of course not! If the crown prince didn't lead the people of the empire to rebel, then who else has the courage? I was born in Hades' iron prison, and I'm 17 years old this year. It’s been 17 years, we can’t wait any longer. If we keep swallowing our anger, the empire will be completely buried in the dust of history.”

He bit his lower lip, his pupils swaying like stars: "I am the last Crotor elector, and I will prolong the fate of the country with my life, and follow the emperor in death and life. Your Highness is my chosen heir. No matter what the situation is, the Crotor family will Follow His Royal Highness the Crown Prince until the end."

The Crown Prince's smile became obvious. He threw his teacup on the table, and there was a small storm in the cup. He said, "He'an will lose this battle."

As he said this, his face was filled with the ambition of a hunter, but there was no arrogance at all. It was like an old knife that was running like the wind. of deception.

"Immigrants are short-sighted and ruthless mice. As long as they are allowed to taste a greater sweetness than the Republic, they will not leave the ship of the Empire." The Crown Prince folded his fingers together, and there was a slight sneer in his expression.

When he first met with immigration representatives to discuss alliance matters, he didn't look like this. At that time, he showed sincerity and friendliness, enthusiasm and calmness, really like a child of light, a collection of all unrealistic and beautiful things.But Croto didn't care at all. He was educated as a powerful minister since he was a child. This unpredictable temperament is the noble quality of an emperor in his opinion.

Crotor looked at the first-in-line heir to the empire with admiration, and his admiration contained both the naive admiration of young people and the rational love of his subjects.Such turbulent emotions did not stop his deep thinking, because he immediately thought of another question.

Crotor turned around and walked to the crown prince's side, whispering in his ear: "Your Highness, the immigrants are mercenary villains, so it's nothing to worry about, but..."

The crown prince turned his face and listened carefully to what he said. The sudden smell of pine wood and ice made Croto dazed for a moment. He collected himself before gritting his teeth and continued: "There are rumors, doubts your identity."

The crown prince showed an unpredictable expression, which quickly turned into disdain: "Of course, if the crown prince is fake, the number one heir will have to be replaced."

The young man's scheming was still shallow, and he showed an angry expression: "When I was a turtle in the mining area, no one ever mentioned my inheritance rights. Now that the empire is booming, so I came out to grab the benefits. They are not as good as mice. Wait a minute." Look, if the empire is defeated again, these heirs will be the first to tie us up and go to Orpheus to take credit for our crimes!"

The crown prince opened the distance between the two of them a little, and let out a sigh: "Do you doubt my identity?"

He opened his bony hands and covered the lower half of his face, revealing only a pair of frosty and dew-heavy eyes.

Those eyes glanced at Crotor Elector, and he asked casually, "Do you doubt?"

Croto immediately bowed his head and saluted, cold sweat broke out on his back.

How dare he doubt it!

These eyes!