Chapter 191: Extra — Travel Arc

Corona B550, Garrison Base Headquarters, Commander’s Office.

Li Xiao was conducting a spot check on the operational status of the garrison base.

Beside him, the base commander stood rigid as a post, afraid to make even the slightest move. His palms, pressed tightly against his trouser seams, were soaked in sweat—like a child having his homework inspected by a parent.

“Your Highness, here are the maintenance and usage records for large-scale weaponry over the past year, freshly pulled from the system.”

Darcy inspected the document submitted by his subordinate before respectfully placing it atop the stack of files in front of Li Xiao.

Li Xiao flipped through the pages one by one, occasionally asking the commander a question or two. He appeared calm and easygoing.

Yet, facing this extraordinarily handsome and immensely powerful Crown Prince, none of the senior military officers present dared to even breathe heavily. They were terrified of displeasing him, fearing they would be dismissed on the spot and packed off home.

A year and a half had passed since the Meng family coup, but the tremors it caused were far from settling.

After punishing the core members of the Meng faction, Li Xiao immediately turned around and dealt with the Gao family, members of the old nobility. His swift and resolute methods exceeded everyone’s expectations, and the lingering aftershocks left the entire imperial military and political system in constant state of fear.

In the beginning, many believed the downfall of the Meng faction was enough to impact Danse for the next decade, or even several decades. Without adequate countermeasures from the royal family, the entire public administration system threatened to collapse, leading to even greater turmoil.

Numerous officials discussed the matter in secret, while countless analysis and discussion threads flooded the network. The general consensus was that the royal family wouldn’t dare actually remove everyone involved. After all, if nearly half the administrative personnel were arrested in one fell swoop, who would handle the work?

To stabilize the situation, the royal family would have to compromise—perhaps by pardoning officials with minor offenses, or issuing policies like labor in lieu of punishment.

The entire nation waited for the royal family’s reaction, only to receive an even more explosive notification: The Gao and Meng families had conspired together to manipulate events behind the scenes. The royal family had already arrested Gao Zhe and Gao Wanxin, and would arrest and interrogate all involved personnel one by one.

Dealing with the Meng and Zheng families wasn’t enough; they were wiping out the Gao family too?

Wasn’t this a massive purge? Did the royal family really have the capability? Who was going to execute it?

The vast majority held a skeptical attitude, believing the royal family would likely only handle the core group. Even ordinary netizens were worried that after finally winning against the Meng family, the royal family might be taken advantage of by other enemies hiding in the shadows. They urged the royal family to know when to stop—stating that expressing the intent was enough, and everyone would understand.

Yet, batches of officials were arrested one after another. The storm raised single-handedly by Li Xiao continued to rage, showing no signs of stopping.

King Li Ji sat in command at Corona, overhauling the military and political systems while introducing various new reform policies and measures to support fresh talents.

Crown Prince Li Xiao, accompanied by his partner Song Jin, traveled across Danse under the guise of an academic tour, conducting random spot checks on local governments and garrison forces, scaring local officials half to death along the way.

At first, some officials caught in these spot checks worked through the night to forge false reports. As a result, they were detained on the spot, slapped with added charges, and escorted straight to Corona.

After several such incidents occurred back-to-back, those holding onto lingering hopes began suffering from insomnia.

Li Xiao’s whereabouts were completely unpredictable. Waiting to be checked was like squatting in a cell, waiting for an execution notice that could arrive at any moment. Mentally broken by the agonizing suspense, a portion of officials simply turned themselves in to plead for lighter penalties.

Where there was punishment, there was also reward.

Some garrison bases passed their spot checks with flying colors due to exceptional performance, earning Li Xiao’s praise. The base commanders were promoted on the spot, and many outstanding officers among the management were elevated to higher-tier departments.

A vast number of vacant key positions meant a vast array of opportunities.

To satisfy Li Xiao during these inspections, local governments across the realm spent the past year and a half pushing themselves into a hyper-competitive frenzy, with no signs of slowing down.

Turmoil? Nonexistent.

Where could any trouble possibly arise? Local officials would wake up laughing from their dreams if they could just find enough achievements to show for themselves.

Before Li Xiao finished flipping through the files, he heard a notification from 09, followed by Song Jin’s voice in his ear.

“Finished?” Song Jin asked.

Li Xiao: “Almost. Bored strolling around by yourself?”

Song Jin: “Strolling my ass. I’m being detained in a scam shop and can’t get out.”

Li Xiao: “…”

Half an hour earlier—

Li Xiao and Song Jin were walking along a stone-paved country lane.

Song Jin held an ice cream cone in his right hand and a box of matcha sweets in his left, browsing the shops on either side for his next target while eating.

This was a cultural protection zone. Unlike most areas, there were no steel skyscrapers here, no intricate suspended transit tracks, and even the virtual ad screens ubiquitous elsewhere were hard to spot.

Exquisite, primitive stilt houses dotted the landscape between mountains and streams, while antique rail cars chugged leisurely past the distant fields, peaceful and serene.

On an early summer morning, enjoying desserts and strolling with the person he loved filled Song Jin with contentment.

Seeing Li Xiao end his call, Song Jin asked casually, “They’ve arrived?”

Li Xiao nodded: “Let’s head over there first. We can continue walking around when we get back.”

Song Jin really couldn’t muster much interest in inspection work. Noticing a crowd of tourists gathered outside a dessert shop not far away, he said to Li Xiao, “I’ll wait for you here.”

Li Xiao was a bit surprised: “You’re not coming?”

Song Jin: “Boring. Besides, you’ll be back in less than half an hour anyway.”

Li Xiao noticed where his eyes were fixed, glanced at the shop, and understood. He didn’t push it, but before leaving, something crossed his mind, and he instructed Song Jin: “Don’t get too greedy when buying food. The portions here are generally huge.”

With his entire heart and mind set on the specialty dessert street in the distance, Song Jin waved Li Xiao off without turning around: “Got it, got it. Go and come back quickly.”

Li Xiao: “…”

Dismissed so decisively.

Unwilling to accept it, Li Xiao pulled Song Jin close and stroked his ear: “Contact me if anything comes up. Don’t wander off too far.”

Song Jin tilted his head to pull his ear free: “I’m not a child, how could I get lost? Stop being so clingy.”

Li Xiao: “…”

Was he just… rejected?

Watching Song Jin excitedly head off toward the dessert street, Li Xiao got into the car driven by his subordinate, unable to help questioning his life choices.

They had only been together for two years, the “honeymoon phase” wasn’t even over yet, and was his little lion already entering a stage of relationship fatigue?

“Between me and desserts, which one is actually more important?”

In the car, as Darcy was organizing data, he caught Li Xiao crossing his arms and uttering such a classic line with utmost seriousness. Darcy pretended not to hear and continued working.

Proof that no matter how strong or resourceful a person was, falling in love drops their IQ to zero.

While Li Xiao led the inspection team to check the garrison base, Song Jin was breathing in the air of freedom alone in the village.

The old man at home wasn’t here, Shi wasn’t here, and even Li Xiao had gone off to work. With no one to manage him, he could eat whatever he wanted—he couldn’t be happier.

Song Jin quickly finished his ice cream and matcha sweets, then walked into the dessert shop with the largest crowd.

The shop was a two-story wooden stilt building. Sitting by the window on the second floor offered a view of the nearby paddy fields and villagers planting rice.

A server guided Song Jin to a table and handed him a menu.

Danse placed great emphasis on cultural differences among ethnic groups. In a cultural protection zone like this, visitors could feel the cultural impact even more strongly.

The server spoke a local dialect that wasn’t even recorded in 07’s language system. Song Jin couldn’t understand a single word, but luckily, the menu had pictures and text, so ordering wasn’t much of an issue.

Seeing that every dessert came in two portion sizes—large and small—Song Jin was delighted. He ordered six items right away, all in large sizes.

The server looked somewhat surprised: “Are you sure you want this much?”

Song Jin couldn’t understand the words, but he could make a good guess based on the context, so he nodded firmly.

A single portion of dessert is usually just a bite, and a large portion is two bites at most.

Ordering only six kinds was to save room for other food.

The server pointed in a certain direction. Song Jin looked over to see a warning sign posted on the wall, written in official Danse text: “Food waste prohibited,” “No takeout allowed.”

Song Jin confidently gave an “OK” hand gesture.

Seeing this, the server took the menu and left.

At this point, Song Jin still hadn’t realized the severity of the situation. He sipped his coffee while admiring the beautiful scenery outside, his mind full of where to eat next.

The shop was packed with customers, and the desserts were served one after another.

The portions were indeed larger than average, but still only two or three bites. Song Jin took a casual glance and didn’t pay it much mind.

A dozen or so minutes later, Song Jin suddenly heard a quiet gasp. He looked up to see the server walking over with a tray, and his whole mind went blank.

When Li Xiao arrived, he saw Song Jin sitting alone at the most prominent window seat, enduring the gazes of everyone present. On the dining table in front of him stacked six wooden tubs, arranged in two tiers because they couldn’t fit otherwise.

Li Xiao’s brow twitched. Instantly understanding what had gone wrong, he walked over helplessly: “Didn’t I tell you to show some restraint?”

Holding a spoon larger than a fist, Song Jin answered nonchalantly, “That’s why I only ordered six items. Who knew their containers were bigger than washbasins?”

Li Xiao sat down across from Song Jin. Looking up close, he was even more astonished.

Every single tub was actually filled to the brim. They looked like “family packs”—six tubs were more than enough to feed ten grown adults.

Song Jin had eaten half a tub, and even with his dessert stomach, he was already burping from fullness. Looking at the rest of the table gave him a headache: “They won’t let me leave unless I finish it all. What happens if I force my way out?”

Li Xiao: “They’ll take your photo, print it out, and hang it in the most prominent spot at the entrance to face the contempt of everyone passing by. During the autumn harvest festival every year, you’ll be paraded through the streets and then suppressed in the temple.”

“Suppressed?” Song Jin’s face turned green.

He just couldn’t finish his food, surely his crime wasn’t that severe?

Li Xiao: “That’s why I specifically warned you. The custom of this ethnic group is like this. In ancient times, people who wasted food were locked in the temple for half a month. They’re much more civilized now—it’s been replaced with photos.”

After eating desserts for so many years, this was the first time he had hit a wall.

Song Jin clicked his tongue: “With their way of doing things, how many people get ‘suppressed’ every year?”

Li Xiao raised his chin.

Song Jin looked in that direction.

Glancing across the entire dining area, only his table had the “rice-bucket size,” while everyone else had normal portions.

“Bullying an outsider?”

Song Jin thought for a moment, “If you reveal your identity and say we want takeout, would they still refuse?”

“Revealing our identity over something so trivial—don’t you think that’s even more embarrassing?” Li Xiao took his spoon and had a bite.

The taste was indeed good, but the quantity was simply too massive.

Song Jin rested his chin on his hands as he watched him eat, his eyes landing on the sugar dust near Li Xiao’s lips: “But they definitely wouldn’t dare to ‘suppress’ the Crown Prince, right?”

Li Xiao: “…”

Li Xiao looked at him somberly: “Are you going to sell me out?”

Song Jin smiled radiantly: “Better you than me. Isn’t a noble status meant to be used at times like this?”

Li Xiao raised an eyebrow and nodded: “Makes sense.”

Just as Song Jin was about to speak, he was suddenly pulled close, and a bite—neither too hard nor too soft—was taken out of his lips.

“Woah—!”

Someone in the dining area let out an exclamation.

Many people had already been drawn to the stack of wooden tubs at that table. Coupled with Song Jin’s great figure, he stood out remarkably even if only his chin was visible in a crowd.

Two tall, handsome Alphas suddenly kissing each other was such an intense visual shock that everyone present subconsciously sat up straight, watching with expressions full of gossip.

Song Jin felt a sting of pain and instinctively tried to pull back, but Li Xiao held him firmly, pushing his advantage to deepen the kiss.

Song Jin was instantly kissed into a daze. By the time he realized Li Xiao was removing his hat, he reached out to stop him, but it was already too late.

Li Xiao licked the corner of his lips: “A noble status is meant to be used at times like this, right?”

Song Jin: “…”

“Eh? It’s the Crown Princess!”

“Gosh! It really is him!”

“What did I say! Ever since I came in, I thought that Alpha looked familiar!”

“Then the Alpha across from him couldn’t be the Second Prince, right?”

“Of course! Otherwise, would the Crown Princess kiss him in public?”

Once Song Jin’s iconic light-golden hair was exposed, people could easily recognize him without even needing to see his full face clearly.

Hearing the gasps of the surrounding tourists, Li Xiao signaled to the server not far away and said in fluent local dialect: “Sorry about this. He ordered too much and can’t finish it, so let’s just follow your rules.”

Seeing that it was Li Xiao, the server was both excited and shy, grinning so widely their mouth wouldn’t close, waving their hands repeatedly.

“It doesn’t matter! The Crown Princess comes from Shengya, so he gets special privilege!”

Li Xiao rejected it outright: “No special privilege needed. Handle it however it ought to be handled.”

Although Song Jin couldn’t understand, he wasn’t blind. Seeing the server run off to grab a film camera, he squinted slightly at Li Xiao: “Taking advantage of the fact that I don’t understand, are you purposely digging a pit for me?”

Li Xiao looked completely earnest: “Do I look like that kind of person?”

Song Jin: “You don’t look like it—you are it.”

Li Xiao: “…”

The server returned with the camera and, under the watchful eyes of everyone present, took a joint photo of Li Xiao and Song Jin.

Giving up on proper decorum, Song Jin dragged Li Xiao into making a heart gesture.

Dignity could be forfeited, but the photo had to look good.

Li Xiao said in a low voice, “Just behave and be ‘suppressed’ together with me.”

Song Jin snorted, unable to keep his lips from curving upward: “Always having sweet talk on the tip of your tongue makes you seem very frivolous.”

Li Xiao: “Then should I stop saying it in the future?”

Song Jin: “The more frivolous you are, the more I like it.”

Li Xiao: “…”

Everyone who overheard their conversation: “…!”

They liked it too!

The photo was taken, but adhering to the principle of avoiding waste, Li Xiao still notified his subordinates to come over and help eat.

Since it was a private trip, Li Xiao didn’t want too many unrelated people to know, so only nine people, including Darcy, rushed over.

Li Xiao ate the half-tub Song Jin left behind, while the remaining five tubs were divided among Darcy and the others.

After struggling to finish, everyone’s expression turned blank from the intense sweetness, silently swearing never to eat anything sweet again for the rest of the week.

Seeing more and more people gathering in the shop, and worried about disrupting normal business, Li Xiao prepared to lead his group out.

The server came out with a middle-aged Beta dressed as the store manager, smiling warmly.

The Beta exchanged pleasantries with Li Xiao for a moment, then pointed to a raffle box in the server’s hands and said: “Our shop has an activity this month—spend over a certain amount to enter a draw. You and the Crown Princess have one raffle entry. Prizes include merchandise from our century-old shop, unreleased new products, and more.”

Li Xiao explained it briefly to Song Jin: “You do it.”

Song Jin reached into the box, picked out a random ball, and handed it over.

The Beta manager unscrewed it, looked at the slip of paper inside, and shouted with a beaming smile: “Congratulations! You won First Prize—another portion free!”

All the onlookers clapped.

“Woah—! The Crown Princess has insane luck!”

Li Xiao’s expression froze: “…”

Darcy and the others: “…”

Unable to understand but sensing the subtle shift in atmosphere, Song Jin: “…?”

Without needing Li Xiao to explain much, Song Jin quickly understood what he had drawn.

Looking at the wooden tubs stacked up on the table once again, Song Jin asked: “Can we be ‘suppressed’ a second time?”

“No,” Li Xiao said flatly, “but we will make the news headlines.”

Song Jin: “…”