Chapter 2446
Li Wuji took another step back to dodge the odor of wine from Boss Bai’s mouth. Covering his nose with a handkerchief, he glanced at his guard.
His guard went forward and announced, “Please enjoy yourselves at the dinner. Our lord has to leave in advance for other duties. By the time the Seven Seas Grand Market is conquered, our lord will hold a party again and entertain the generals here!”
“Goodbye, my lord!”
Boss Bai crossed his hands and bowed deeply, bidding farewell to Li Wuji together with the space pirates.
But as it happened, probably because he had drunk too much wine, or probably he was too excited to digest it for a moment, his stomach roared when he bowed, and he burped so loud that he was almost vomiting the wine out.
Li Wuji was so shocked that his entire face was darkened. He hurried to leave with his nose covered.
The other heads of space privates wanted to laugh but did not have the courage to. Seeing how Boss Bai was making a fool of himself, they threw away the anger that they were forced to drink three buckets of wine a moment ago, and they further believed that the smug guy couldn’t have any scheme.
Boss Bai made two acidulous burps and struggled to press the wine in his throat back to his stomach. Knowing that he had greatly humiliated himself and probably pissed off Li Wuji, he hurried to clean up his clothes, wipe the greasy sweat on his face, and chase after Li Wuji.
“My lord, my lord!”
Boss Bai chased after Li Wuji on the road to the No. 1 dock.
“Commander Bai, is there anything else?”
Li Wuji turned around after hearing the calling. He said coldly, “If there’s nothing else, just go back and gather your troops. Like you said, it is not an easy task to unite so many pirate gangs. The Imperium has been treating you well. You have to serve the country dutifully to return the favor.”
“Yes, yes, I-I’ll certainly devote my life and soul to the country. Well…”
Boss Bai stammered, not knowing what he was saying at all. He said in embarrassment, “Well, I was slightly drunk just now. I hope that my lord wouldn’t… wouldn’t…”
Li Wuji tried to hold his laughter back and put on a smile.
This time, Boss Bai’s leather coat had been stained with wine and oil. It was greasy and stinky and couldn’t have looked more terrible. Li Wuji, with his mysophobia, wouldn’t pat his shoulder in person even if there were ten handkerchiefs on it.
His personal guard knew his master’s temper very well. He simply stepped forward on behalf of Li Wuji and patted Boss Bai’s shoulder.
“Commander Bai, everything about you is perfect, except that I didn’t know that you had a drinking problem.”
Li Wuji said thoughtfully, “I know that space pirates can be quite stressed when you make a living for yourselves, and if your nerves are tightened for too long, it is possible for you to get deranged. So, some of you like to soothe the nerves and the soul with special medical wines. It is also some sort of special training.
“However, a great war is coming near, and you have just recruited those disobedient guys, which needs you to be a hundred percent sober. If you fail your mission because of drinking, even I wouldn’t be able to save you.”
“Of course!”
Boss Bai was suddenly refreshed. He held his chest high and declared, “Rest assured, my lord. I will not touch any drop of alcohol from this moment on. If I ever do, please cut my tongue, my lord!”
“I do not want your tongue. What I want is the Seven Seas Grand Market as well as the lives of the revels of the reformists and the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors!”
Li Wuji narrowed his eyes and gnashed. Then, he softened his voice and said solemnly, “Commander Bai, don’t ever think that I’m simply regarding the likes of space pirates as pawns and cannon fodder. At the very least, you are different from other people.
“If you were a pawn or cannon fodder, your life and death would be none of my concerns. Would I care if you drink at all? There would be no need for me to say any of this to you.
“However, I truly have high hopes for you and believe that you are more than a humble space pirate. Or rather, you have only joined the circle of space pirates soon, and it is still possible to rescue you.
“Come on, there are no other space pirates here. Let’s just be honest with each other. Do you think the four Kurfürst families’ recruitment of the space pirates is sincere? Is it possible that they will get rid of the space pirates after they are no longer needed?”
Boss Bai was slightly dazed, as if he were caught unprepared by Li Wuji’s subtle questions. Not knowing what to say for now, he sweated even harder. “Well, about that, I truly don’t know. Well, it’s not my place to say.”
“You don’t know, or you don’t want to know?”
With a smile, Li Wuji said unhurriedly, “In fact, you should know that the space pirates who have been in the business for decades are already rotten to the bones. Even though they are under the banner of a legitimate army, they still can’t stand restraints. After enough endurance, they will commit wrongdoings again because of the unchangeable nature.
“Therefore, the cooperation with those people is only temporary. One day, the National Protection Army will be further regrouped to clean the mark of space pirates in the past. That’s when it will be reborn into a real regular army.
“Just now, you said that you were my men, but are the space pirates really qualified to be my men?
“But you—Commander Bai, Boss Bai—are the only exception. I truly look forward to your future, and I’m raising you as a trusted subordinate. I will also invest in the regrouped National Protection Army in the future without caring about the cost and help you build an unprecedented deep-sky fleet that roams a hundred worlds invincibly.
“In short, I have no doubt that you should be one of the toughest fleet commanders in the Imperium in the next hundred years, but not a clandestine space pirate.
“Now, you should understand how important you are. Young man, a great future is ahead of you. Just try to seize it.”
Boss Bai seemed to be greatly shocked, as if he did not expect that Li Wuji would be so straightforward or think so highly of him.
Every wrinkle on his lips and his face was shivering, until he was shedding tears in silence in the end.
“My lord, you… you have given me so much appreciation that you are almost another parent for me!”
Boss Bai cried, “Although… although it was my parents who gave me my life, my life is solely yours now, my lord! It’s been many years since my birth parents passed away, and I’ve been making a living in space on my own for all those years. Nobody taught me any life lesson. Also, because of the environment, I was forced to embark on the wrong path in helplessness. Actually, I regret very much that I became a despicable space pirate.
“My lord has given me a new life. You have raised me so considerately without bothering my humble background. I really don’t know what to say right now. My lord, I do have another request. If it is too outrageous, please just consider it my drunk talk. The request is—well, I’ve been lonely for a long time since my birth parents died, but my lord’s kindness for me makes me feel the parental warmth again. Then, it somehow occurs to me how great it would be if my lord adopts me!
“Well, I know it is inappropriate—too inappropriate. My lord’s identity is too honorable for you to adopt someone like me as a son. However, considering my lord’s age, you are actually in the generation of my grandfather. I’m told that your sons are all strong and well-acknowledged pillars of the country. How fortunate would I be if I could be adopted by one of them and be my lord’s foster grandson!”
Slightly shocked, Li Wuji observed Boss Bai carefully.
Somewhat embarrassed under his eyes, Boss Bai chuckled and lowered his head.
“You are really…”
Li Wuji thought for a long time, only to come up with no word to describe Boss Bai. He simply waved his hands and said, “Let’s talk about it after the battle of Seven Seas Grand Market is over and the rebels of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors are taken care of. Since you are loyal enough, it is not entirely unnegotiable.”
“Thank you, my lord!”
Overjoyed, Boss Bai kneeled again.
But this time, he was not falling on one of his knees, but two.
Li Wuji was quick enough to step away. His personal guard also supported Boss Bai to prevent Boss Bai from kneeling.
“Don’t do that. You are a general of the Imperium after all, and you’d better have the corresponding demeanor.”
Li Wuji couldn’t hold it back anymore. Pointing at Boss Bai’s leather coat, he said, “Also, hurry to change your clothes. Haven’t the regular uniforms and the battle uniforms of the Imperium been distributed to you? A regular soldier should be like a regular soldier!”
“Yes, my lord is right!”
Boss Bai immediately began to take off his clothes, as if he were determined to be naked before Li Wuji.
Li Wuji sighed and couldn’t take it anymore. He hurried to go.
“Wait, my lord, please wait!”
Boss Bai chased after him while taking off his clothes.
“Are you not done yet?”
Li Wuji had run out of patience. He said gloomily.
“Nothing. Nothing important. But please be careful on your way.”
Boss Bai said pitifully, “You have left half of the fleet here and are leaving with only the other half. I hope nothing will go wrong.”
Li Wuji sniffed and said, “The guards of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors have been destroyed in the ports of the Blue Sky Market without any survivors. The rest of their fleets are marching to the Seven Seas Grand Market crazily, ready to focus and defend their nest. As for the other fleets of the reformists, they are cleaning up the mess in the capital and have no time to deal with us for now, don’t they? What can possibly go wrong?”
Realizing that he had misspoken, Boss Bai said, blushing, “I just want to remind my lord to be wary of… the Cultivators!”
“The Cultivators?”
Li Wuji stopped his foot that was about to step away. “It’s been a long time since I heard them. Why, is this place harassed by the Cultivators?”
“Yes, it is.”
Boss Bai said solemnly, “The Cultivators are even more brutal and horrible than space pirates. They do not have any personal desires or weaknesses, which means that it is impossible to negotiate with or recruit them. There is no telling what they think, but they seem unafraid of failure or death.
“It had been many years since any Cultivators caused trouble in this area, but they began to raise turmoil again recently. Their general soldiers are not a big deal, just a few farmers and miners who have stolen some chainswords and storm bolters. But their leader, ‘Fist King’ Lei Zonglie, is really a tough one.”