Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

“What does Cousin Xiahai truly think? Did Cousin speak to him privately?” Ruo Manni asked again.

In this matter, the Crown Prince’s attitude was crucial. Although it was King Adam and the Crown Prince who proposed to the family elder, it was clear that King Adam made the decision, and the Crown Prince’s stance was still uncertain.

Hua Deqi smiled and nodded. When King Adam made the proposal, he immediately thought of this question. He was impressed by how sharp his younger cousin was, going straight to the heart of the matter.

“Your Cousin Xiahai asked me to tell you that whether you accept or not, you should follow your heart. The fact that he put both of you in training together means he had already considered this possibility,” Hua Deqi said.

Ruo Manni was both surprised and not entirely so. The fact that she had come this far owed a great deal to the Crown Prince’s guidance and arrangements.

After realizing yesterday that Hebrew Adam had developed feelings for her during their time together, Ruo Manni had begun to suspect something.

If the Crown Prince had intentionally put a young man and woman together in challenging circumstances, it was no surprise that feelings could develop. She wondered if the Crown Prince hoped that by having her and Hebrew Adam join forces, it might reduce the influence of Queen Amber on him, thus tying Hebrew Adam more closely to the Crown Prince’s camp, ensuring the brothers’ unity.

Ruo Manni certainly didn’t like being manipulated, nor did she want to be forced into anything, even by her esteemed Crown Prince.

However, the fact that the Crown Prince had specifically asked her cousin to tell her to follow her own will, giving her the decision-making power, left Ruo Manni feeling more at ease. She would not treat her marriage as some kind of transaction.

“What do you think, Ruo Manni?” Hua Deyu asked.

Since King Adam himself had stepped in, Ruo Manni knew she’d have to give an answer. She figured the family elder was also waiting on her reply.

Ruo Manni felt a pounding in her head; although she appeared calm on the surface, her thoughts were actually quite scattered.

“I’ve never thought about dating before, so I have no mental preparation for it. Right now, I really can’t make the right choice. But I will only marry someone I truly want to be with; otherwise, I’d rather not marry at all,” Ruo Manni said honestly.

Hua Deqi gave his younger cousin a look of approval. She was a smart kid; whether she agreed to or declined the engagement with the Second Prince, stalling for time was indeed the best approach.

“Alright then, we’ll tell them you’ve never considered this before and need time to think it over,” Hua Deyu said, clearly pleased.

Seeing his daughter still unaffected by such matters reassured him. After just reuniting with her, the thought of having her promised to someone else wasn’t appealing. Setting aside the various complications, Hebrew Adam was indeed an excellent match, and it would be a shame to miss out on someone like him.

But since his daughter was still young and hadn’t developed feelings yet, this was actually ideal. If Hebrew Adam wanted to marry his daughter, he’d have to make the effort and win her over; it wouldn’t be so easy to just propose and be accepted.

Hua Deqi was also pleased with this outcome. “I’ll go tell the elder in a bit that our girl hasn’t made up her mind and can’t make a decision yet.”

“What about Queen Amber? Does she know about this?” Ruo Manni asked. “As far as I know, Queen Amber has her eye on Brittany Beery; lots of people in our battle guild know this, and some even assume Brittany will be the future consort of the Second Prince.” Ruo Manni rolled her eyes.

Brittany Beery’s attitude practically screamed that she was already the guild master’s wife. Although she didn’t dare act out around Ruo Manni’s elite circle, she often put on a big-leader act in front of other guild members.

Ruo Manni finally understood Brittany’s subtle hostility toward her, especially those glances Brittany would exchange with Hebrew Adam, looking at Ruo Manni as if she already had the upper hand. Only now did Ruo Manni piece together what was really going on.

“Xiahai said it was Hebrew who persuaded King Adam and him to propose on his behalf. Hebrew assured them he had Queen Amber’s support,” Hua Deqi explained.

This was something Hua Deqi admired about Hebrew Adam—he was decisive and took responsibility. But it also revealed Hebrew’s weakness. After all, Queen Amber had wronged Ruo Manni in the past, and they found it hard to accept this arrangement without some reluctance.

After reaching an agreement about the proposal matter, Hua Deyu spoke seriously, “Manni, since you prefer going to Topaz Star rather than joining the Third Legion, and as your father, I don’t want you to be unhappy, we’ll go with your choice. If things change in the future, we can adjust accordingly.”

Ruo Manni had expected she’d need to argue quite a bit, as the Hua De family had always been somewhat resistant to her returning to Topaz Star. She hadn’t anticipated that Hua Deyu would prioritize her wishes, and she felt genuinely moved.

She’d always sensed that Hua Deyu’s affection for her held a slight element of utilitarianism, unlike the pure love from Lixi Amber. Yet, as a prominent man from a distinguished family, Hua Deyu was truly considerate of his daughter, at least not making her sacrifice her happiness for family interests.

Ruo Manni felt a surge of emotion that was hard to express. Hua Deyu, keenly aware of her feelings, had long felt a little envious of his daughter’s natural closeness with her mother and the slight reserve she showed toward him. Seeing her finally trust in his fatherly love filled him with joy.

“Manni, in our Hua De family, each direct-line elite child receives a special gift after turning eighteen. Since you were previously on a remote star, we had to postpone it,” Hua Deyu said, passing a set of documents to Ruo Manni.

“You should memorize these profiles. You’ll meet them on SkyNet later, and they’ll all be part of your network.”

At first, Ruo Manni didn’t fully understand, but as she reviewed the profiles, her excitement grew. This was the best resource one could get as a member of a powerful family.

The profiles detailed information on thirty individuals, covering a wide range of fields. If these people were indeed to become her future network, then her return to the Hua De family meant more than just gaining wealth and status—it meant acquiring these thirty talented individuals who would work under her.

With these people, she wouldn’t be operating alone anymore; she’d have a team with connections across multiple industries.

Of course, resources like this don’t come for free. If someone isn’t competent enough, they wouldn’t be able to keep such a team together even if they inherited it; the family had already made a substantial investment in developing these connections, and they wouldn’t support them further after passing them on to her.

To maintain this network, she’d need to cover an annual salary of about 800,000. If she hadn’t recently gained wealth and ongoing income, she wouldn’t have dared to take on such a team. If she couldn’t afford it and had to hand these contacts back to the family, it would reflect poorly on her ability.

“These thirty individuals were handpicked for you by your cousin Qi. Five of them are currently on Topaz Star and are highly loyal. But remember, there’s no absolute loyalty; people can change. You’ll need to be mindful of this going forward,” Hua Deyu said.

“Mhm, I understand,” Ruo Manni replied. As someone with combat experience who’d faced enemies on the battlefield, she was anything but naive.

She was already considering her next steps; although these people were trained by the Hua De family, once they were assigned to her, they’d be under her command. She’d have to find ways to secure their loyalty and keep them close.