The guards of Phiniss were tense in their varied ways. Xinyu addressed Yang Ying, "Please, let me handle the... negotiations."

Yang Ying nodded. Xinyu’s status as a celebrated Diva, coupled with her mission to treat Princess Flynn the Second, meant her voice carried far more weight than his, as a mere mercenary hired for the job.

Indeed, the moment Xinyu revealed her identity, every weapon system locked onto them instantly disengaged. The military officer on the holographic screen was replaced by a richly attired Flynn youth exuding aristocratic air.

"I am Halel, the Second Prince of the Kingdom of Flynn. Are you the Master Xinyudi who has come to treat my sister? Please, come down immediately. We have been waiting for a long time. The royal physicians say if we delay any further, the damage to my sister’s brain may become irreversible. My siblings and I are on the verge of madness from anxiety."

Halel was also the current commander of the Phiniss planetary defense system. In recent days, he and the other members of the royal family had been utterly worn out by the waiting. Fearing disaster three times a day, upon hearing of Xinyudi's arrival, he wished he could have summoned her through instantaneous teleportation to the planet's surface to treat the Second Princess, Halwin.

After ending the communication, he immediately notified the other royal family members that their savior had finally arrived at Phiniss. Amidst a continuous stream of bad news, this rare piece of good news finally lifted their spirits.

Phiniss was a scorching planet, with only one-thirtieth of its surface covered by water. The rest consisted of vast deserts, with only sparse oases capable of sustaining life.

The temporary residence of the Flynn royal family was situated in the planet’s largest oasis. Yang Ying left the other three hundred and nineteen warships of his battlecruiser squadron in orbit, allowing only the Behemoth to descend toward the surface.

In the space outside the planet, several other warships of various origins were still stationed, totaling around one hundred thousand vessels. Clearly, these were reinforcements summoned by the Flynn royal family, comprising regular armies from other races as well as numerous mercenaries. The Behemoth-class battlecruiser was of a rather medium size among these warships; the largest vessel here was nearly two to three kilometers long, its total volume even surpassing fifty Behemoths.

The Behemoth landed at the Royal Banquet Oasis, settling firmly on the landing pad. As the ramp opened, Xinyudi stepped out first, Yang Ying following closely behind.

Katerina had already been persuaded by Yang Ying to go to the Floating Continent. In his view, since a battle was imminent, anything could happen on the front lines. Katerina possessed no combat capability, and the Floating Continent was the safest place for her. Moreover, Yang Ying did not wish to be far from her; the Floating Continent was deeply embedded within his soul, the place closest to him, making it the most suitable location.

Over twenty Flynn personnel were already lined up on the landing pad. Yang Ying noted that the middle-aged officer leading them possessed spiritual energy, having already reached the third level. As Xinyu disembarked, he stepped forward and spoke in the Diva language, "Master Xinyudi, the royal family members and the royal physicians are already waiting for you in the Second Princess’s chamber. Please, come with me quickly."

He glanced at Yang Ying. Yang Ying made no attempt to conceal his cultivation. The middle-aged officer was startled to see another expert at the peak of the third level, and added, "We will make suitable arrangements for the Terran who has accompanied you."

Xinyu nodded, "Very well. This Master Yang Ying was invited to assist by the Fourth Princess, Hafin. Do not neglect him. There is no time to lose; take me to the Second Princess now."

"This way, please." Upon hearing that Yang Ying was brought by Princess Hafin, the middle-aged officer transmitted a thought to a young officer beside him, instructing him to treat Yang Ying well. Then, he gestured forward and led the way, departing the landing pad swiftly with Xinyudi.

The young officer approached and offered a military salute in the Flynn style. "Master Yang Ying, due to the gradual worsening of the Second Princess’s condition, the Fourth Princess has been in the chamber for three days and three nights and is temporarily unable to receive visitors. Please follow me to the temporary camp first. I will arrange accommodations for you there, and once the Second Princess’s condition improves, I will contact the Fourth Princess for you. What do you think?"

Yang Ying expressed his understanding. Given the circumstances, it was natural for Princess Hafin to require some time to compose herself.

The young officer led Yang Ying and his entourage to a temporary camp, which was not inside the oasis but rather constructed in the desert to the east of the oasis. On the boundless expanse of sand, countless military tents were spread out. The desert held nothing else of note, but open space was everywhere, making it an optimal location for establishing a camp.

The young officer allotted a large section of the camp to Yang Ying. Hundreds of large, ochre-colored tents were neatly arranged in dozens of rows, easily capable of housing everyone from the Behemoth. The young officer even mentioned that if the space proved insufficient, they could apply for more.

The young officer’s attitude was exceedingly attentive. This was partly because Yang Ying's group was invited by Princess Hafin, whose status, as a royal family member, remained quite lofty on Phiniss. Furthermore, Yang Ying himself was a peak third-level expert, which was another significant factor.

The daytime temperature on Phiniss could reach as high as eighty degrees Celsius. Ordinary people would suffer heatstroke after mere minutes under the sun; staying longer posed a mortal danger. However, the tents were equipped with excellent, specialized air conditioning units that allowed for free temperature regulation. Technically, they could even replicate the biting cold of Siberia if desired.

As for energy consumption, there was absolutely no need for worry. Advanced civilizations enjoyed an era of explosive resources and energy. Harnessing a single star provided an inexhaustible supply of energy, thus the energy supplied on Phiniss was exceedingly abundant.

Wastage here was not shameful; rather, unnecessary conservation was discouraged.

As evening approached, the middle-aged officer who had guided Xinyudi visited Yang Ying’s tent. He stated that he was acting on the command of Princess Hafin to invite Yang Ying to meet at the Oasis Palace.

The Oasis Palace occupied an area of about five square kilometers. It was clearly not a structure built temporarily, but an ancient edifice with history. Inside, it was shaded everywhere by lush greenery and towering ancient trees.

The sun had not yet fully set, and although the temperature had dropped, it still hovered around sixty degrees. Yet, the deeper one moved inside, the lower the temperature became. By the time they passed through a corridor twenty meters wide and two hundred meters long, the temperature had decreased from the outside sixty degrees to around twenty-five degrees, with the humid air feeling refreshing and pleasant.

In two large ponds on either side, some unidentified fish swam leisurely, seemingly unconcerned with the world above the water.

Yang Ying, accompanied by the middle-aged officer, arrived at a side hall on the right wing of the palace and met Princess Hafin in a reception room.

In the fifteen standard days since their last meeting, Princess Hafin had visibly thinned. Her face was etched with worry, as if troubled by some sad matter, yet this gave her a more mature aura. The old steward and the head maid attended her, and their complexions also seemed slightly worse than when Yang Ying had last met them on Vida Star.

After exchanging pleasantries, they each took their respective seats.

Princess Hafin said, "Master Yang Ying, thank you for bringing Master Xinyudi. My second sister’s injuries… we managed to catch her in time!" A hint of a smile touched her face when mentioning this. "In times like these, we desperately need such good news to sustain us in the fight."

She was still speaking in the Imperial Dialect, which the old steward simultaneously translated into the Diva language. Incidentally, when Yang Ying and Princess Hafin last communicated, a synchronous translator was also present; to save space, such descriptions will not be repeated in future accounts.

"It was nothing much; we were simply passing by. Even without us, Master Xinyudi would have found another Diva vessel to arrive in time," Yang Ying did not believe he had performed any earth-shattering good deed, merely stating the facts. "You don't look well, Princess. Are you tired? No, that’s not it—has something bad happened?"

Princess Hafin nodded. "The bad news has been constant lately; sometimes I truly don't know what to do anymore." Her voice trembled, becoming more like a sob toward the end.

Yang Ying inquired, "Oh? What exactly happened? I only just arrived, and I am not yet fully informed about many things."

Princess Hafin clutched her chest, slowly calming the sorrow within her, and sighed. "Master Yang Ying, you haven't heard yet? Yesterday, the loyal planet Liphil was breached by the rebels. The rebels enacted an extermination policy, covering the entire planet with orbital bombardment, and then filmed the images of the populace struggling in the sea of fire, disseminating them throughout the Flynn territory in an attempt to shake the resolve of those still loyal to the crown."

As she spoke, her hands clenched tighter and her breathing grew erratic and disordered, making the viewer anxious, fearing she might faint on the spot.

"That cruel?" Although Yang Ying himself had carried out similar actions on Pluto, that was during a life-and-death racial struggle between humans and simians. This was a civil war among the Flynn people. Hearing of such a heinous act, Yang Ying immediately slammed his hand on the table and rose in anger, shouting, "Aren't they afraid of inciting public outrage by doing such things?"

Princess Hafin replied bitterly, "There is something even more shameless. The rebels claimed that footage was the result of a desperate Royal Army carrying out a suicide mission, preferring to drag the population down with them rather than let them be utilized by the Republic. They are portraying us, the royal family, as decadent and cold-blooded butchers, ruining the royal reputation among all the interstellar races!"

Silence descended upon the reception hall. Yang Ying had not expected to hear such devastating news immediately upon arrival. If the Flynn Republic could truly act with such cold-blooded shamelessness, they were a force to be reckoned with.

"They can spin black into white like that? What about the fleet that carried out the orbital bombardment?" Yang Ying frowned and asked, "Surely, among that entire fleet, there wasn't a single voice for fairness?"

Princess Hafin shook her head. "According to the rebels, that fleet, composed of twenty thousand warships, unfortunately encountered a cosmic magnetic storm on its return journey and was completely annihilated."

"That is indeed quite the coincidence," Yang Ying sighed. "To exterminate an enemy planet and then frame the enemy for it—that shows shamelessness. To annihilate their own fleet to silence witnesses—that shows ruthlessness. Possessing both shamelessness and ruthlessness, these rebels have cultivated the Art of Thick Black very thoroughly." If you wish to know what happens next, please log on to Jímáng Shān. More chapters await, support the author, support genuine reading!